Here is the status of this ongoing project. Please leave input if you have an idea for a screenshot, criticism on one that is currently up, or know of a run that does not have a screenshot (or is a duplicate).
New publications without a new screenshot
(verified through 1071M)
Genesis
Streets of Rage
N64
Tony Hawk 3 - I'm unable to make this game look correct, although all my plugins match. If someone else can give this a screenshot, or me some advice, that'd be great.
NES
Air 2Gimmick!Maniac Mansion - This appears to be one of NVA's desynced screenshots, need to verify that
Ninja Crusaders
SNES
Super Punch-Out!!Other suggestions for updating
NES
Legend of Zelda - According to Baxter, the second quest TAS has a screenshot from play from the first quest
Recently updated:
NES
Excitebike
SNES
Wild GunsOriginal post:
I realize that I've done quite a few of the screenshots on the site, and chances are that some of them are not the greatest. So I'm starting this thread to have a place to talk about screenshot suggestions to any publication on the site.
Now that NesVideoAgent takes automatic screenshots of many submissions, this will hopefully reduce the number of published runs without a screenshot.
Here are a few of my opinions on screenshots:
1) I don't think that there are many cases where a screenshot from a previous movie should carry over onto the next movie - only on very small improvements. Currently, there are many movies which have the screenshot of the movie they obsoleted. I'm going to work on fixing this (except for older movies) in the coming weeks.
2) I format my filenames as follows: (Game name, possibly abbreviated)(Published movie number).png/jpg.
Example: dynamiteheddy880.png
3) Even though you can see changes on the MovieMaintenanceLog, I will sometimes make a dummy edit to the text so that the change shows up on RecentChanges as well.
So if you have a publication that has a screenshot you aren't happy with, or a new suggestion, or you have questions (or answers) about screenshots or screenshot policies on this site, then feel free to discuss that here.
<Swordless> Go hug a tree, you vegetarian (I bet you really are one)
2) I format my filenames as follows: (Game name, possibly abbreviated)(Published movie number).png/jpg.
Example: dynamiteheddy880.png
I approve this. As the movie number decreases clash chances significantly, even radical abbreviations for the game name are allowed (just as they were before).
I don't need a dummy edit for updating the RecentChanges, but I don't know if others don't so I'm not trying to ask you to not do (3).
And yes, NesVideoAgent's automatic screenshots are not always best possible compressed, though I occasionally manually crunch them (about twice a month).
Movies that I think could use better screenshots (off the top of my head):
SMB2u any%;
Mega Man;
Castlevania HoD (both runs);
DKC 101% (too dark);
Prince of Persia 2 (showcasing glitch is good, but the screenshot itself is boring);
Castlevania AoS glitched any% (basically the same as PoP2);
Super Metroid low% (though that doesn't matter much as the run is very old and being improved).
More to come.
Warp wrote:
Edit: I think I understand now: It's my avatar, isn't it? It makes me look angry.
And yes, NesVideoAgent's automatic screenshots are not always best possible compressed, though I occasionally manually crunch them (about twice a month).
Couldn't it run them automatically through optipng or pngout?
Joined: 11/18/2006
Posts: 2426
Location: Back where I belong
Thanks for doing this JXQ, one shot that I've always thought looked horrible was Gex 64, it's incredibly dark. I was unsure if I should even mention it because I don't want to turn this into a thread where people just complain about screenshots that they don't like, but you can't see anything that's going on for Gex.
And yes, NesVideoAgent's automatic screenshots are not always best possible compressed, though I occasionally manually crunch them (about twice a month).
Couldn't it run them automatically through optipng or pngout?
I'm a little rustier on N64 screenshots but I agree about Gecko, so I'll see what I can put together.
I'm not familiar with OptiPNG. Currently I use AdvPNG and PNGout. I've tried PNGCrush and I found it usually wasn't as necessary. What I should really do is find every single program like this and write my own small script/program that will use them all automatically on every PNG in a directory.
I don't know much at all about compressing a jpg for N64 screenshots.
<Swordless> Go hug a tree, you vegetarian (I bet you really are one)
Optipng is basically pngcrush but with more options, and it also can perform a more exhaustive search.
AFAIK advpng, optipng and pngout use slightly different approaches and different types of tests in order to try to reduce the size of the png. While pngout usually wins, there are a few cases where optipng actually produces a smaller result. I have also noticed that for some odd reason pngout doesn't support all types of pngs while optipng does. (In those cases it's enough to run the png through optipng first and then through pngout because optipng "fixes" the png so that pngout can read it.)
I suppose that to get the smallest possible size, all three programs should be run. The resulting png will be the one from the program which produced the smallest result.
Bisqwit: Does that list mention the same files, or only with the same file name? I thought the instructions mentioned that the most practical way of renewing a screenshot was to keep the same filename... at he full arkanoid movie for instance, there is a new screenshot (although it has the same filename).
Ah, so that's why the Arkanoid screenshot is the same as before.
I think that keeping the same name on a new screenshot (and thus erasing the old screenshot) is a bad idea because obsolete movies are still accessible on the site and should have a unique screenshot associated with them, just like non-obsoleted movies.
Thoughts?
<Swordless> Go hug a tree, you vegetarian (I bet you really are one)
I think that keeping the same name on a new screenshot (and thus erasing the old screenshot) is a bad idea because obsolete movies are still accessible on the site and should have a unique screenshot associated with them, just like non-obsoleted movies.
You're right about that. I used to think that using the old one is okay when there is no significant change, i.e. the new screenshot can apply to both.
Alright, I'm going to start on this list. Since it would take forever to put each screenshot here for a consensus, I'm just going to pick them myself. Any screenshot that someone isn't happy with, post about it here and those ones can be discussed more.
<Swordless> Go hug a tree, you vegetarian (I bet you really are one)
I went through yesterday and made a list of screenshots that I thought could be improved.
I don't necessarily have suggestions for each because I wasn't watching the movies at the time, but I recall these runs being relatively interesting and the screenshots are pretty boring. In some cases it might just be that I'm missing whatever trick/shortcut/injoke makes them clever.
EDIT: Edited in suggestions for Final Fantasy Adventure. I'll continue if it's helpful.
EDIT: Removed the ones that were updated and put in a couple more suggestions.
EDIT AGAIN: Most of those ones I suggested above were changed in November 2007, and I'm just adding this in because otherwise this post would be a confusing relic.
781: NES Legend of Zelda 2 (USA) by Rising Tempest & Inzult
I actually think this screenshot reasonably demonstrates the spirit of the run. I think it's kind of funny. You know, since approximately 95% of the run is walking through town.
But this moment might be a suitable replacement.
I can't look at the exact frame number, as my desktop is (once again) out of comission, and I'm (once again) rockin' my iBook.
FreshFeeling, thanks for the suggestions. I'll look at them once I get this initial list down to a reasonable size. And yes, frame suggestions are welcome to any run. (Especially helpful on a game like Final Fantasy Adventure which I know nothing about)
FractalFusion, thank you! I especially like your choice for MM6 :)
<Swordless> Go hug a tree, you vegetarian (I bet you really are one)
Fractal, wow, I had to look twice before I found a difference :)
Of the ones I did recently, two that I'm not so sure on are Gimmick! and Super Mario Bros. 2. (The one I really liked from Gimmick! turned out to be from the same room that the any% screenshot is from. My rationale for the current one is that it was from the extra level and it had several goofy characters in one screen.)
SMB2 is a pretty popular movie here, so if anyone has a suggestion they prefer, that would be great. Here's the other choice I was debating on for it:
Edit: I ended up using this area for a screenshot to the newest any% movie.
<Swordless> Go hug a tree, you vegetarian (I bet you really are one)
Joined: 5/23/2006
Posts: 361
Location: Washington, United States
Could you change the screenshot for Link's Awakening DX? I'm not exactly sure what significance the current screenshot has (it's just a text box, after all... I think it could be changed to something more representative of how glitchy the movie is). What about one of these:
Chef Stef wrote:
A few more screenshot ideas:
Frame 144264
Frame 199624
I think this is a good idea, as the current screenshot is in a too dark location which is hard to recognize.
The best screenshot suggestion I coud think of would be this one:
Alternatively I think Horace's Camp characterizes the game very well too:
Edit: I ended up using this area for a screenshot to the newest any% movie.
Frame 144264
Frame 199624
Alternatively I think Horace's Camp characterizes the game very well too:
