Author Topic: Demo records after 30-Nov-2012  (Read 17465 times)

The Skippylabs

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Demo records after 30-Nov-2012
« on: November 17, 2012, 01:18:57 PM »
Hi gang, someone told me the experts here could best answer this question. If I make demorecords of my fav toons, bases, zones, etc will I still be able to play them back once the servers go down, or do they play on my machine at home with CoX loaded on it? Or do I need to figure out how to convert them into some kind of video file? I'm not really very tech saavy, so helpful suggestions would be very appreaciated. After all the (soon to be fully counted!) hours of gameplay, I'd really miss not having some opportunity to re-live moments in Paragon City et al. BTW, is there an easy to understand system of converting them/burning them to DVD etc for playback on my bigscreen? That would rawk too!!

Mr. NoPants

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Re: Demo records after 30-Nov-2012
« Reply #1 on: November 17, 2012, 05:58:30 PM »
I believe you only need the cleint to run dmeo files but the easiest way to test would be to go offline and then run one.

eabrace

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Re: Demo records after 30-Nov-2012
« Reply #2 on: November 17, 2012, 10:31:15 PM »
Demo files can be played back without any connection to the servers using only the client installed on your machine.

Just don't uninstall the client.
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therain93

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Re: Demo records after 30-Nov-2012
« Reply #3 on: November 26, 2012, 09:01:12 PM »
Just don't uninstall the client.
Make backup copies of you clients.....just in case.  /em adjusts tinfoil hat
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Menrva Channel

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Re: Demo records after 30-Nov-2012
« Reply #4 on: November 27, 2012, 01:21:23 AM »
If the client has been uninstalled... does that mean there isn't any way to get it back or to work? (Or if you still have a hard copy of the game is there still a chance you can get into it?)

Hotaru

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Re: Demo records after 30-Nov-2012
« Reply #5 on: November 27, 2012, 03:19:16 AM »
If you've backed up your game clients on CD-R, DVD-R or memory stick, you can just copy them onto a new machine and you're good to go. Or if you have your original installation disks for the game, you can reinstall from that. Keep in mind, different versions of the client will have an effect on the way the demo recordings playback. In issue 17 and earlier, you'll have sound. In issue 23 or 24, you'll have the ability to unhook the camera. Each client will also be using the maps from that era's COH, not necessarily the one when you recorded it. As a result, your character might find himself waist deep in concrete in a rennovated portion of Atlas Park, or you might find the monorail coasting through the air instead of tracks that were rerouted.

therain93

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Re: Demo records after 30-Nov-2012
« Reply #6 on: November 27, 2012, 04:47:14 AM »
If you've backed up your game clients on CD-R, DVD-R or memory stick, you can just copy them onto a new machine and you're good to go. Or if you have your original installation disks for the game, you can reinstall from that. Keep in mind, different versions of the client will have an effect on the way the demo recordings playback. In issue 17 and earlier, you'll have sound. In issue 23 or 24, you'll have the ability to unhook the camera. Each client will also be using the maps from that era's COH, not necessarily the one when you recorded it. As a result, your character might find himself waist deep in concrete in a rennovated portion of Atlas Park, or you might find the monorail coasting through the air instead of tracks that were rerouted.
Since you mentioned it.....Architect Edition had the issue 14 client on it....any idea if issue 17's client is around?
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The Fifth Horseman

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Re: Demo records after 30-Nov-2012
« Reply #7 on: December 01, 2012, 06:28:16 PM »
On a related note, and all official statements to the contrary, it is possible to run the client without running NCLauncher. Working on a simple loader to take care of that for you.
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SirThoreth

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Re: Demo records after 30-Nov-2012
« Reply #8 on: December 01, 2012, 07:51:49 PM »
On a related note, and all official statements to the contrary, it is possible to run the client without running NCLauncher. Working on a simple loader to take care of that for you.

I configured the following shortcut last night, and confirmed that it worked after the game shutdown:

Code: [Select]
"C:\Program Files\NCSoft\City of Heroes\cityofheroes.exe" -demoplay
To run a demo, I just drag the demo file onto the shortcut.
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Samuraiko

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Re: Demo records after 30-Nov-2012
« Reply #9 on: December 01, 2012, 09:54:35 PM »
I'd also like to point people to the Paragon Wiki for some additional useful info on demos...

http://paragonwiki.com/wiki/Demo_Recording

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The Fifth Horseman

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Re: Demo records after 30-Nov-2012
« Reply #10 on: December 01, 2012, 10:49:37 PM »
I configured the following shortcut last night, and confirmed that it worked after the game shutdown:

Code: [Select]
"C:\Program Files\NCSoft\City of Heroes\cityofheroes.exe" -demoplay
To run a demo, I just drag the demo file onto the shortcut.
*blink* Oddly enough, I encountered some problems with that (might have been entering the command wrong); that also seems to be using a different set of settings, which I'm not very happy about.

This will run the demos at your client settings: http://www.mirrorcreator.com/files/HMQQI06P/CoXDemoLauncher.zip_links
All you need to do is associate the demo files with the launcher - and at that point, no further messing with the command line is neccessaryl you just double-click the demo file (no matter where it's located) to play it.
We were heroes. We were villains. At the end of the world we all fought as one. It's what we did that defines us.
The end occurred pretty much as we predicted: all servers redlining until midnight... and then no servers to go around.

Somewhere beyond time and space, if you look hard you might find a flash of silver trailing crimson: a lone lost Spartan on his way home.

Arkasas

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Re: Demo records after 30-Nov-2012
« Reply #11 on: December 01, 2012, 10:58:36 PM »
For those of you who need to use the NCSoft Launcher, go into the properties for your client and add -demoplay demonamehere to the extra command line parameters.

The Fifth Horseman

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Re: Demo records after 30-Nov-2012
« Reply #12 on: December 01, 2012, 11:07:52 PM »
The launcher I posted above eliminates any need to use NCSoft's application. This has a few advantages, such as not having to deal with the error messages NCL now spits out every time. :)
We were heroes. We were villains. At the end of the world we all fought as one. It's what we did that defines us.
The end occurred pretty much as we predicted: all servers redlining until midnight... and then no servers to go around.

Somewhere beyond time and space, if you look hard you might find a flash of silver trailing crimson: a lone lost Spartan on his way home.

MWRuger

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Re: Demo records after 30-Nov-2012
« Reply #13 on: December 02, 2012, 06:29:08 AM »
I'm not sure just backing up the COH directory and moving to a new machine will really work.

I'm pretty sure that there are registry entries that will not be transferred. I'm not saying to not back it up. If private servers ever come to pass you will need it and they will need to put the registry entries into place.
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Codewalker

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Re: Demo records after 30-Nov-2012
« Reply #14 on: December 02, 2012, 06:31:48 AM »
I'd advise NOT using the NCSoft launcher, and in fact completely removing it from your computer.

I haven't confirmed personally, but have seen several reports of an update to the launcher causing their COH install to be automatically removed.

Illusionss

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Re: Demo records after 30-Nov-2012
« Reply #15 on: December 02, 2012, 08:26:52 AM »
If private servers ever come to pass, we DEFINITELY won't ever need that NCSoft launcher, right? Because this thread just scared me, and I uninstalled it.  :P Which also scared me, but I don't want NC messing with my machine even if they dont mean to.

epawtows

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Re: Demo records after 30-Nov-2012
« Reply #16 on: December 02, 2012, 08:36:37 AM »
Can someone post the safe way to uninstall the NCSoft launcher without uninstalling everything else?  I don't want to mess this up.

Also- did someone say that older versions of the client will play sound on demorecords?  Will the old Good+Evil CD work for that?

Will one of the other demorecord programs take care of the sound problem?


Illusionss

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Re: Demo records after 30-Nov-2012
« Reply #17 on: December 02, 2012, 08:38:20 AM »
All I can tell you is, it asked me did I want to also uninstall the games associated with the Launcher, twice. I said NO. Twice. My CoX icon is still on my desktop.

Jetfire99

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Re: Demo records after 30-Nov-2012
« Reply #18 on: December 02, 2012, 10:44:36 AM »
Can someone post the safe way to uninstall the NCSoft launcher without uninstalling everything else?  I don't want to mess this up.


Seriously same here. I want to safely get this cancerous garbage off my machine without effecting what's left of COX

DamianoV

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Re: Demo records after 30-Nov-2012
« Reply #19 on: December 02, 2012, 11:30:24 AM »
Has anyone written any utilities yet to create new demorecord files?  For example, I'd like to put together some basic files with all my characters in one file, lounging around the SG base and forming up for a group picture, maybe have my villains show up to try to ruin the day... you know the drill.  I know the basics on the structure and that I could throw it together using a text editor, but I was just wondering if someone already had done some of that kind of work?  Leandro's utility for creating crowd scenes, for example... does that use demofile format?