Ig1 Faq

[timski]

A while ago I started writing an FAQ/Walkthrough for Imperium Galactica (1). I found a few internet references to attempts to do this, but nothing I found had much detail. The FAQ is approaching finished, and there is a draft version here http://www.capsu.org/imperium/ . I'd be grateful for any constructive comments or suggestions .

[Karthik]

Wow, that is the most detailed FAQ I've seen. Awesome!
Pezmen should make this a sticky thread. Is this your fist time in the Infogrames forum or you were here long long ago?

[timski]

I used to lurk here a while ago, but I don't recall posting much.

[Gregorius]

That's real' great job there.

[Karthik]

Now the problem is finding a way to play the videos with using a 3rd party software.

Hey Timski, there used to a IG webring, is it still online?

[Karthik]

Argh.........the aleins are taking over all my Garthog planets. I researched my colonization ship only to find out that all the planets have been colonized. Those b*stards!

Say Tim, after the talk with Dr. Rehienhart, is there any more cutscenes? Or after that you concerntrate on killing all the Darglasns!?

[timski]

Webrings - I had a look for IG1 sites, but couldn't find much, so I doubt there would be much to add to a Webring.

Dr. Rehienhart (the older one) - There is a short cutsceen when you are promoted to Grand Admiral, and of course a video sequence right at the end once you defeat the Dargslan. I don't recall any other plot related video.

[Karthik]

Looks like I have to cheat my way through!

[Gregorius]

Originally posted by Karthik
Now the problem is finding a way to play the videos with using a 3rd party software.

Hey Timski, there used to a IG webring, is it still online?

I asked DR and they said, that unfortunatelly there's no software to play the anims with that they know about, cuz they are coded in a special way for the game engine. So to do so, one will have to find the format of the anims.

[Karthik]

There could be a way! You see the movie files are stored in ani extension and there is an exe file called animplay.exe!

But I don't know how to use this file.

[White Tiger 29]

____________________________________________________
Originally posted by Karthik
There could be a way! You see the movie files are stored in ani extension and there is an exe file called animplay.exe!

But I don't know how to use this file.
____________________________________________________


I would try the basics first. something like going to the command line and typing "animplay (movie file name).ani"

Failing that. Right click on the ani file, choose open with, go to browse, find animplay.exe and select it.

If Animplay is the file used to play those files one of those should work, unless animplay needs input from the game to work.

[Karthik]

I tried the first 2 but it looks like I have to give a detailed command, but I don't know how !

[Gregorius]

Where is this animplay.exe?

2.5 What versions are there?
I know of four release versions - United States, European English (United Kingdom), French and German.

Hey, don't forget about the Hungarian version!

It's one of the not too many games made by us.

p.s. The best of the IG series in my opinion!

[Karthik]

The animplay.exe is under "Atvezeto" directory in both CDs!

[Karthik]

Originally posted by Lord Grak
Hey, don't forget about the Hungarian version!
It's one of the not too many games made by us.
p.s. The best of the IG series in my opinion!

Since you have the Hungarian version, do you know any of those actors and how was the acting by the way?

Cause the English version doesn't even give credits to the actors !

[Gregorius]

I will look for the actors. But the acting in the Hungarian version is just hillarious. Anyone who is not Hungarian is missing out on the funny part of the game. (It is really bad. I'm not trying to run down the people, really but it's not Hollywood if you get what I'm saying.) I can understand why those scenes were not included in the foreign releases.

By the way. In the Hungarian version, I don't have any animplay.exe of any kind in any directory. No exe file except that of those in the root directory. Neither any executable com or batch or anything.

[Karthik]

Hey I tried the animplay.exe file and it said some weird error
"Data block is missing in animation"!
Wonder what does that mean?

Oh Timski, about the Leviathan ship, you can actually build it but you can't research it. Use the cheat code to get all the inventions! Once done you can build the Thorin !

Since you have the Hungarian version, do you know any of those actors and how was the acting by the way?

I'm not sure if it is different in non-Hungarian versions or not but in mine at the end of the game (after you complete the game) it shows all credits (and at the end the cast). I've checked it a min ago so it's 100% sure. Unfortunatley i was unable to make screenshots and they are moving too fast to can be noted immediatley but if it's important i could do it.

I will look for the actors. But the acting in the Hungarian version is just hillarious. Anyone who is not Hungarian is missing
...
of those in the root directory. Neither any executable com or batch or anything.

I can only agree!

But don't forget that (as far as i know) it was a low budget game compared to the foreign ones.

For me the only real problem with the game is that is has no multiplayer option.


By the way don't any of you know how to extract the music files from IG1 or a location where I can find them in MP3 format? I really enjoyed them.

p.s. IG1 is a great game with an inimitable atmosphere just like Master of Orion 2.

[Gregorius]

Originally posted by Lord Grak


I can only agree!

But don't forget that (as far as i know) it was a low budget game compared to the foreign ones.

Yeah, but remeber all the parts when people finish their lines and they just start staring at all the other people in the studio. I mean a lot of difference could have benn made just by cutting it well. That's not a matter of money. But I'm not saying they can't do better, cuz IG2 animations speak for themselves. They are the best I've ever seen. Beats Blizzard in my eyes that's for sure.

Byí the way. With a better music card and a working copy of IG you could just record it with "What U Hear". Set the recording source to soundcard output begin recording and start the game. That's how I did it with Tropico. That game has cool music too.



To Karthik: Yeah about the missing animation blok. It does that on some machines in-game too. You just try to play a message sent to you in the game. And while the message panel drops down, or while playing the message it quits from the program saying exactly that it said to you. I guess the anims are not buffered correctly.

[timski]

Most of the English version messages come across like a badly dubbed foreign film - I had hoped a Hungarian version would be better . Some of the movie sequences use weird half-human half-computer generated effects, which look rather unrealistic: I guess the computing power or budget wasn't up to it. Anyway, keep the suggestions and comments coming - I'll update it eventually .

[Karthik]

I can understand why those scenes were not included in the foreign releases.

Wow, this is interesting!
In the english versions, I know that in some scenes(eg. during promotions) the actors were CGI people, and then when it came to message screens we see real actors.
So in the Hungarian version, you could see a real Dante and not CGI?

Anyway Lor Grak, can you give us screenshoots of the cutscenes that were not included in the foreign release?

[Gregorius]

I can't take a screenshot from the game movies. It would be easier I guess if we would just upload the ani file somewhere. I'll try to do that.

You know what I just found. Maybe you guys are already aware of this, but I was almost be able to make IG1 run perfectly. When you right-click on the exe file. (Now this may be required for all files, haven't tried that) You go properties, than select the tab, I don't know what it's called in English, where you can set the screensaver thing and the windows shortcut keys. Now there is a slider, adjusting it will change the idle state of the machine. Setting it to really high the movies will play real slow, while the sound rate doesn't change. Try playing with it. Maybe it will eventually work.

...can you give us screenshoots of the cutscenes that were not included in the foreign release?

Unfortunatley i can't becouse the program is DOS based and i was unable to find a way to make screenshots of it.

Yeah, but remeber all the parts when people finish their lines and they just start staring at all the other people in the studio. I mean a lot of difference could have benn made just by cutting it well. That's not a matter of money. But I'm not saying they can't do better, cuz IG2 animations speak for themselves.

The actors were quite funny and also terrible that's a fact. I think it's becouse they had no experience in this kind of act, it was new to us all as well. Low budget doesn't need to cause animations to be bad but it defines the tech-background. ( I'm talking about the cameras, the quality of the equipment they use and the number of hours that they can spend on making the cutscenes and the 3D animations.) And here is an important thing... or maybe two.

The first is the question of 3D animations. The missing of textures, the low development of the objects and every other problems could be caused by the low budget and/or the insufficent time that was provided for the animators. The same applies to the movie sequences of the actors but it doesn't mean they should play badly!

These are only my thoughts I'm not sure if these are true or false but as far as I know they're true. Oh and don't forget these are only causes they mean no excuse for the creators!


About the cutscene bugs: I'm not sure but many of my friends noticed a weird affair. As I can remember i've checked and can confirm it. In one (or more?) of the cutscenes in which the commanding officer (don't know his name, the old guy who hires us at the beginning) wears an old russian watch. Well it's not sure if it's russian or not but it's a good old twentieth century piece. And I am quite sure that it's not becouse he collects ancient artifacts.

Another bug that I noticed myself is in the main intro (3rd sequence) when the space battle is going on. In a part at the background we can see some laser (?) beams. Is this so special you may ask. Well they are just hanging there and not even moving! Well that's kind of laughable and infuriating at the same time. (I can only hope that it was only left in in the original Hungarian version and was corrected in the others.)


Oh and finally: When i heard how 'smart' my (ingame) son is i've prepeared for suicide. 'Guess you know what I mean.

[Gregorius]

I know what you mean. Yeah, that was hillarious. You just reminded me, and I burst out in tears. Lol.

I recognized two bugs in the movies as well. One is in the intro, when they are zooming on in the development centre on Earth. Look at the background. Well that's some funny moving back there. It looks really terrible. It's tha same thing in the English version of the intro, right in the first scene of the briefing, when a new game is started. Look outside the window when the camera is turning. In the end it's all right, but when it starts to move. Wrong direction or something.

The other bug is a really nice one. That's programming. In-game there are two animations switched. I'm not sure about the English version. Don't know the name of the files, as can't play them from outside. But when the Turin ship needs covering. You get an animation of your ship. When they are talking about you getting a cruiser, they play the Turin animation. Well that's funny.

[Karthik]

I must admit that the English version was bad too. The female voice over was the worst! They used her voice for 4 scenes, the intro, Catherine Rehinhart, the female scientist who you talk too before seeing the Rehinhart's father and the computer voice.

By the way I remeber one scene where you'll be promoted to Admiral and in that scene one Japanese Lt. will speak in Japanese! Was there any live action Japanese actress?

[Karthik]

About the cutscene bugs: I'm not sure but many of my friends noticed a weird affair. As I can remember i've checked and can confirm it. In one (or more?) of the cutscenes in which the commanding officer (don't know his name, the old guy who hires us at the beginning) wears an old russian watch. Well it's not sure if it's russian or not but it's a good old twentieth century piece. And I am quite sure that it's not becouse he collects ancient artifacts

But that's impossible, the intro I saw was in full CGI. The commanding officer for this particular scene was CGI !

I think I've found a software that can capture pics under dos. Heven't tried yet, but if it works I'll pass it to you guys!

[Karthik]

I have managed to use the screen capture utility I said earlier and I managed to capture the cinematics of IG1 !

If you guys want the screen capture utility downoad it here:
ftp://ftp.simtel.net/pub/simtelnet/m...ics/st201f.zip
To use the utility, unzip all the files into a directory named ST. Then type in ST to load the program into your memory. After that run IG1 and then when the apporiate cinematics play press ctrl+alt+t together to get a picture perfect!

The only problem so far I've encountered is I can't seem to capture the ingame graphic, I'm still working on the setting though. Now if only you guys could point me to a place where I can upload the pictures !

[Karthik]

Tell me if this link is working for you:

IG1 cutscene pictures!

If it works the you should check out the last 2 pictures cause in that scene everything's CG!

[Gregorius]

I tried to sign up to see the pictures, but after I click "Submit" it just keeps loading the site and nothing happens for 10 minutes. Therefore the only picture I was able to see is when the people stare out of the spaceship window. The intro though is not a good example. The intro is the same for all releases. The difference is between the start new campaign movies. And the linking movies in the game.