Annabelle's Journeys inside URU

Anything that isn't directly related to Age Creation but that might be interesting to Age developers.

Re: Annabelle's Journeys inside URU

Postby Acorn » Sat Nov 09, 2013 11:10 am

I finished watching the video - and enjoyed it very much, especially wandering round Myst - and then found two lovely little new videos - you rascal you! :lol: (That's a great song btw!)
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Re: Annabelle's Journeys inside URU

Postby Annabelle » Sat Nov 09, 2013 4:34 pm

Acorn wrote:I finished watching the video - and enjoyed it very much, especially wandering round Myst - and then found two lovely little new videos - you rascal you! :lol: (That's a great song btw!)


:D

I had so much fun editing them. The hardest for the "Hopping for Fireworks" was to find the right suitable music. I was looking at my video & I was trying to figure out what would be the best fit. Then I had to go through my music collection & YT to find the "perle rare". I thought that hopping around like that would fit with Electro-swing. Often the tunes are up tempo with a small break in tempo around the middle then up tempo again which would perfectly fit with what I'm doing in that video.

I'm glad people are watching them & having fun. I won't make announcement each & everytime a video will be out, so preferably check from time to time.

I'm preparing a 4th video right now, editing it... it will be called: "The Devil Wears Purple". I have no idea who the devil might be though... ;) . There will be music in it but it might be where you will less expecting it...
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Re: Annabelle's Journeys inside URU

Postby Calena » Sat Nov 09, 2013 10:05 pm

:lol: I've watched all but the last 8 minutes so far. I just cannot believe some of the stuff you do! I love your notes - "here's a shortcut!" . . . then you proceed to scale vertical cliffs, jump into nothing and land on spaces about the size of your big toe, turn left, jump over lava pits and here we are at the shortcut :lol: . At one point you put a warning in there that this isn't easy. No kidding!

Totally enjoyed watching it :) . I'm getting a lot of ideas, but there's still so much I don't know. I'm going to have to watch it again and take some notes. We have a lot of thinking and planning to do, but I think we'll eventually be able to create the place we have in mind. And to everyone else, Annabelle has agreed to help me design something I've had in the back of my mind for several years. We're both so swamped with projects, I have no idea when it will actually get built, but we're starting the learning, thinking and planning process.
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Re: Annabelle's Journeys inside URU

Postby Annabelle » Fri Aug 08, 2014 7:25 pm

Shorah everyone!

Here's a whole new chapter of my Journeys inside URU :D !

Journeys inside URU: The Fourteen Labours

One day, I was gardening in my Relto. As I was digging some holes to plant seeds, I saw the tip of a scroll. I dug more to be able to extract it from the ground. It was a parchment. It was entitled “The Fourteen Labours of URU”.

I was really intrigued by those labours. It was said that no one had been able, up to now, to accomplish these amazingly hard tasks. All this enticed me a lot.

I decided to take on the challenge!


Here are the names of the said fourteen labours:

First Labour: The Stolen Sculptures of Botan
Second Labour: The Prison Age of Prad
Third Labour: The Coconuts of Chess Age
Fourth Labour: The Thrones of Urgent Matter of Noidrocca
Fifth Labour: The Maze of Noidrocca
Sixth Labour: The Invisible Spiral of Noidrocca
Seventh Labour: The Robot of Hayal
Eighth Labour: The Ferns of R’Oshanhnin Korvahkhn
Ninth Labour: The Mountain of Vaiskor Area 2
Tenth Labour: The Far Distances of Adrael
Eleventh Labour: The Uncharted Area of Unterwelt
Twelfth Labour: The Locked Grille of Schatzkammern
Thirteenth Labour: The Perched Kittens of Ahra Pahts
Fourteenth Labour: The Three Seasons of Relativity


There was a description for each labour written on that parchment. Here it goes.



First Labour: The Stolen Sculptures of Botan

The Stolen Sculptures of Botan are made, for the first one, of Gold &, for the second one, of Crystal. Both are representing the most astonishing specie of vegetal life living currently in Botan. They were stolen by 2 well-known up to no good villains, Ms. Chievous & Ms. Behave, members of the infamous S.P.O.R.E. organisation (Swindle, Pillage, Oppression, Robbery, & Extortion). It has been reported that due to an argument between the 2 of them, the party split apart. Cheeky Behave took the crystal sculpture with her while Mary Noxious Chievous kept the golden one for herself. To this date no explorer has been able to find back the two stolen sculptures since they were kept miles apart one from each other…



Second Labour: The Prison Age of Prad

The Prison Age of Prad is very small but yet an age from which no one has ever escaped. Every explorer who foolishly tried to escape from that prison simply became mad as a teapot and have been secluded in a Psychiatric Asylum. To this date no explorer has been able to escape this prison age…



Third Labour: The Coconuts of Chess Age

The Coconuts of Chess Age have this strange property to drive crazy anyone trying to play with them. There’s a well-known expression among the Cavern Explorers: “Those coconuts will turn you nuts”. To this date no explorer has been able to push all the coconuts in the pond beside the coco trees in order to wash them…



Fourth Labour: The Thrones of Urgent Matter of Noidrocca

The Thrones of Urgent Matter of Noidrocca have been installed for…well you know… we hope we don’t need to describe in details their utility. They are spread all over the maze complex but yet when explorers are in the most need of them, they cannot even find one. To this date no explorer has been able to find those thrones of urgent matter which caused them great despair…



Fifth Labour: The Maze of Noidrocca

The Maze of Noidrocca is one heck of a labyrinth! There are paths starting about everywhere and it’s made of 4 tridimensional huge blocks coupled with many shortcut spiral paths. There’s even, in the middle of it all, a special room with 4 entrances. The luckiest explorers were able to find back their starting point, the unluckiest ones, well… we should kept their unfortunate fate untold. To this date no explorer has been able to find the exit of that maze by following a single path that can only cross itself, no backward lengths, and all this by using the 4 entrances of the special room…



Sixth Labour: The Invisible Spiral of Noidrocca

The Invisible Spiral of Noidrocca is somewhat pretty much invisible (as its name cleverly tells…) which never helped explorers to find it in the first place… Since that invisible spiral is also located high up in the sky at miles above the nearest ground never helped either. To this date no explorer has dared put a single toe on it, so imagine going from its summit to its base…



Seventh Labour: The Robot of Hayal

The Robot of Hayal has this peculiar stubbornness to refuse to cross the wooden doorway in one odd location of Hayal. There’s even, hung on the side wall, a sign telling that the action of helping him cross the doorway is strictly forbidden. We do wonder why they put emphasis on the forbiddance since it is rather impossible. To this date no explorer has been successful helping the stubborn robot to cross that silly doorway…



Eighth Labour: The Ferns of R’Oshanhnin Korvahkhn

The Ferns of R’Oshanhnin Korvahkhn are as hard to reach & dig up as the name of the age they are located in is hard to remember and pronounce. They all seem to be next to each other when you look quickly at forest ground but that’s just an illusion. To this date no explorer has been able to collect as many as 3 ferns in one single visit to the said age…



Ninth Labour: The Mountain of Vaiskor Area 2

The Mountain of Vaiskor Area 2 has this amazing property to be 1,692 D’ni feet tall (515 meters). So from the base to the summit, one explorer has to be in good shape because the summit won’t come down to meet the explorer, the opposite has to be done. To this date no explorer has been successful reaching that summit…



Tenth Labour: The Far Distances of Adrael

The Far Distances of Adrael are a known fact. You can visit the City of Dormah, the Ledge overlooking the great Desert, or even the Dragon Canyon and you’ll still be inside Adrael. So if you are planning on picnicking with your best buddy, make sure you state clearly in which part you intend to meet them otherwise they might hate you for a long time that’s for sure. To this date no explorer who reached the Ledge has been able to spot their forgetful buddy who linked in the Dragon Canyon instead… (Needless to say…you need to have a buddy for this labour, preferably someone often abstracted)



Eleventh Labour: The Uncharted Area of Unterwelt

The Uncharted Area of Unterwelt has never been visited for the simple reason that its location remains a mystery to everyone. You might be tempted to ask: “How an uncharted area that remains a mystery to everyone can ever exist?” We already have an answer for you: “Do not try to be a wise guy :lol: ” It is said that the area was part of a future expansion plan somewhere deep within the underground city. To this date no explorer has ever found a path to reach that location…



Twelfth Labour: The Locked Grille of Schatzkammern

The Locked Grille of Schatzkammern is quite infuriating since it’s locked and no one has ever found back its key. The principal reason why explorers get annoyed by that is the presence of a bag of goodies (Ancients say it contains innumerable goodies…) on the other side at hand reach. Explorers can indeed extend their arms to touch that said bag but none has been able to have a good grasp on it. To this date no explorer has ever succeeded in taking hold of that bag of said goodies…



Thirteenth Labour: The Perched Kittens of Ahra Pahts

Ahra Pahts is a wide city and, as always in a city, there are kittens and their main activity is to perch themselves in impossible locations. One of the things we learn quite early in life about kittens is their propensity to lose all their guts when it’s time to climb back down from their look-outs. There are 4 kittens in Ahra Pahts who are still perched up there. They might be big old grumpy cats by now no one knows... nevertheless; someone has to climb up there to save them. To this date no explorer has been successful saving those poor kittens (or big old grumpy cats) from their unfaithful faith.



Fourteenth Labour: The Three Seasons of Relativity

The three seasons of Relativity are just like the age itself, over-the-top. The summer co-exists with the fall and the winter in this weird mind-blowing age. In the summer, you can walk about a nicely trimmed garden and enjoy the beautiful objects of art spread in it. In the fall, you can enjoy a stroll on a nice cool day or stay up all night looking at the starry expanse. In the winter, you can play with tons of fluffy snow and have a chat with Fluffy, the magnificent Snowman that lives during that season. If you say, that’s almost impossible to see all this in one single day; we will say to you that your world will turn upside down more than once if you journey there. To this date no explorer came back from this strange age without walking on their hands, wearing a propeller beanie hat, and playing kazoo incessantly…


Now that you have a pretty good idea of those labours reading their descriptions, you can only imagine the sufferance I endured achieving them, all of them.

Here are the videos that I’ve made during my journey, my journey to complete the Fourteen Labours of URU. :D (Obviously the videos will be posted in the next few days/weeks)
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Re: Annabelle's Journeys inside URU

Postby janaba » Sat Aug 09, 2014 5:34 am

Very entertaining, intriguing and creative, Annabelle ... :P

At first it all looked to be very much lol, but then I just started reading and as always you're presenting this all very comfortably to glance through, with highlightings and short paragraphs etc., I love that lol, and all in all as I already said it was a very entertaining and easy read, you really understand to express a lot with just a few words, and I look forward to watching the completion of those labours in your video presentations ... :)

I really wonder how you got the idea of those Herculean tasks in the first place ... :geek:
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Re: Annabelle's Journeys inside URU

Postby Acorn » Sat Aug 09, 2014 6:00 am

Annabelle - all I can say is what a trailer - you rascal you! ;) Looking forward to the videos - will there be well-chosen music again? Or just the sounds of these ages?
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Re: Annabelle's Journeys inside URU

Postby Annabelle » Sat Aug 09, 2014 6:43 am

Thanks for your comments ladies :D

When I started my shooting in December I finished up with so much material (around 40 hours of videos...) that I got some nice ideas to bring all this to you in a more funny way. I could have just took a stroll in those ages to explain to you what you can do over there or do it with a short (over-the-top) story to link all this together. I have many other ideas for my "Journeys inside URU" series. This is only the 3rd chapter, the 2nd one will be released after.


@ Janaba: I had that idea of Herculean Tasks a while ago but Goscinny stole it from me back in 1976 for his Asterix the Gaul beloved by all character... ;)

It will be more in vein of the latter... a mockery of the greek legend. Even "my tasks" are not all equal...some are just insane, they are really difficult to do, others are just plain funny because anyone can do them with relative ease :lol:


@ Acorn: if the ages have in-game music, I'll stick with them. If not, I'll see. I know for sure...one age is without music and I'll spend a lot of time over there, it might get boring without any... It all depends on the edition I'll do because I might not show you every second I'm shooting, I'll try to get the best parts on the videos, showing my good side... ;)
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Re: Annabelle's Journeys inside URU

Postby Annabelle » Wed Aug 27, 2014 4:58 pm

UPDATE:

Sorry guys for this past month without any information whatsoever from my part...

I ran into several issues and I had to reorganise all my main PC and it's not a sinecure. I reorganised everything, I have more power, I have new HDDs, meaning more space to put my videos. For 1 hour of shooting, it can climb up to 170 Gb in size. I know that's the raw product but I'm peculiar and I keep everything so when I started to shoot all my videos, I just took all my available space and I had to swing tons of Gb from one disk to another, it was completely messy. I also realised that for my needs, my PC was too old so I revamped it completely. It should now be more easy and the shooting will restart and the videos should follow shortly after.

This is what happens when you change the capturing program from one that compress everything but gives a lot of black & dark screens to another which capture and keep everything with a pristine final result. I will be able to shoot in any age (light or dark) and you'll actually like everything, everything will be as I see it on my own screen when I'm playing.

I deleted more than 50 hours of shooting on URU, MOULa, TOC MOUL, etc.

I kept some videos of things I cannot reproduce either because the person who is in the video doesn't log anymore or because the compressed video was good enough...


So...

1) my cleaning is done, my PC is ready and I have 5 Tb for my videos storage right now, it should be enough... :lol:
2) new ideas came into my mind during the last month for the series I'm about to present so it should be better.
3) the temperature has lowered down a little bit which will help because Video Editing is far from an energy-saving activity...and I don't want to compensate by running the cooling system more to counter-weight the heat generated.
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Re: Annabelle's Journeys inside URU

Postby Annabelle » Tue Feb 24, 2015 8:38 am

Shorah everyone!

It's a great day for you! I'm releasing my huge video series called "Journeys inside URU: The Fourteen Labours"


There are 13 videos encompassing over 5 hours of discoveries and foolishnesses.

I wrote down a complete guide (19 pages) to this huge project with links to my videos and in-depth info. It takes the form of a PDF file.

Here's the link: https://www.mediafire.com/?1bddwp019ahnn0s LINK UPDATED (FEBRUARY 25TH, 2015)

Important note: The "Part 4" video has 2 cuts: the original one which won't be viewable by Germans (Copyright Infringement ---> all the fault to Calena :lol: ;) ) and the German cut which will have 2 small sound suppressions periods to "hypnotize YT and make it believe the music is not copyrighted because of the crow's cry alongside the musical score starting of..."

It's quite a short announcement but let me tell you, I spent some many hours you can't imagine how! Some videos have been recut up to 20 times because I wasn't satisfied with this or that even a simple mistake in a given word could get me back to the Video Edition board.

I used...
FRAPS to shoot every scenes,
Windows Live Movie Maker to edit every videos,
PlasmaShop/PRP Shop to grab the image of the 2 Botan sculptures,
MS Paint to do all my retouches on the numerous pictures I've used,
MS Word to wrote my texts,
Deep Island Shard to shoot the scenes where I had more than 1 avatar,
URU:CC w/ offline-KI to shoot all the other scenes,
etc.

I visited all these fan ages... (I made sure to scramble their order here)
Eder Tomahn
Skysong
The Lost Stonehenge
Moysenland
Elodea's Unterwelt
Ahra Pahts (Blue, Red, & White Districts)
The Chess Age
Shells 104, 119, 129, 224, 232, 415, 427
Prin Pahts
Botan
Prad
Ashream
Noidrocca
Jo'nae
Zephyr Cove
Hayal
R'Oshanhnin Korvahkhn
Kaelis' Pub Office
Vaiskor Area 2
DRA Office
Age Maps Gallery
Adrael
Elodea's Schatzkammern
Relativity



There will be other 'chapters' in my "Journeys inside URU" project. Stay tuned!
Last edited by Annabelle on Wed Feb 25, 2015 1:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Annabelle's Journeys inside URU

Postby Annabelle » Wed Feb 25, 2015 7:58 am

I don't know if you're at ease with the French language or not?

If so, here's a nice link I want to share with you: http://www.mystpedia.net/forum/l-age-des-sons-t1090-75.html#26908

You'll be able to know a little bit more about the French composer, Olivier Maurey, who kindly accepted to let me use his music on my video project. The few last posts are more centred on my recent video project though always in link with his own work.

If you cannot read French, I'll try to re-state what I told on the last post in response to Piboc[Olivier Maurey]'s comment

He was very amazed by own well I integrated his musical work into my own work and how I "reinterpreted" his journeys to make them mine. Olivier made his work from his own URU experiences with his buddies. So let's say... "Sonic2 et les lucioles d'Eder Kemo" for instance was inspired to him by his own journey with another French explorer calling himself 'Sonic2' online when they were both in Eder Kemo. (lucioles = fireflies) So when I took his journey and made it mine in a whole another setting which fit nevertheless to the action and the mood, he told me he had greatly appreciated that.


So I answered him this, and it's a nice addition I should have added on my Complete Guide in PDF (It would have been 50 pages long if I would have had included every details though...):

The main reason why his musical scores are so well-integrated to my project is because I made them mine literally. I rehearsed using them, countless time. I readjusted my actions to fit their lengths. I will take another example I didn't take on the French forum Mystpedia...
In Jo'nae, at the very beginning, I know from the letter I read (Highly Confidential File) that the age should be deserted but there's a warning to still be on our guard over there since it's the secret hideout of the S.P.O.R.E. It wouldn't have been realistic for me to just go on a stroll looking at every mushrooms. I needed to be quick and on my guards, the score had to be rythmic, aggressive a lit bit. There are dwellings, I ran to them then stop, look inside, ok I'm safe!, then I released a little bit of my tension from that point on. Listen to that part with that in mind, you'll hear it on the musical score as well... To achieve that, I had in mind the timing of each score used. I rehearshed with the scores running while playing, I adjusted my gameplay in consequence. When it was the day of the shooting, I was ready, I just played my part and it went well.

Take any score, it was thought to be inserted right where it is. I kept also the whole integrality of them. There are no cut. Olivier was happy with my choice.

They also surprised me both (there are 2 guys who left comments (Akel & Piboc) on the topic) by saying that they were glad the English level was easy enough for them to understand. I never thought of that aspect at all. There's a thing though, I'm fan of "Bandes dessinées", more or less the equivalent of Comics in French cultural universe, even if they are completely different products finally :lol: . All I can say is that with that background, I'm used to punch lines, get to the point, the KISS principle :lol: I did mentioned "Gotlib & Goscinny" in my PDF, search on Wikipedia who those 2 guys are, you'll get the point... ;)

I wish to thanks everyone who left me awesome reviews on all the platforms I've seen lately... Janaba, Acorn, Dulcamara, Piboc, Akel, & surely many others who just didn't give me rave reviews to my project yet :lol: 8-)


PS: I modified the link to my PDF file (see previous post by myself), I updated it earlier today!

I forgot to tell why I made that change :lol:

It's because I recut one of the videos. It was not as perfect as I would have wanted it to be so I made some minor changes. Everything is explained inside the PDF file. The "Part 8" video is now "Part 8 New Cut". I updated some links as well on the PDF file.
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