*Cam*
Smash Lord
We are now teaming with YoshQ's "We Record Your Replays" thread.
[COLLAPSE="Details"]This means that anyone requesting friendlies can request them in that thread but will have the added benefit of extra recorders from our project and will be able to simply upload their files to our dropbox rather than use mediafire. We can also upload the replays to SmashBrosTVLive if requested.[/COLLAPSE]
National Replay Project
Alabama and Georgia come to you with an idea for a project. We have been saving EVERY bracket match from EVERY AL/GA tournament and uploading it ALL to YouTube. Our system is not hard to use once you get started, and we invite you to join our project.
We want to know exactly what uploaders and TOs want to get on board with this project.
How easy is this to do? Has it been tested a lot?
We have had a lot of success with this already, and it's not hard once you get the hang of it. The system isn't intrusive. It takes 10-15 minutes to set up, which you can do well before singles starts. Alabama has been doing this for its tournaments for a year (check out our YouTube channel). We've made it efficient using SD cards, a few key hacks, a computer program we developed, and a growing team of uploaders. Georgia and Louisiana took interest in the project and have started recording their own matches in the same manner. We basically have this down to a science, and we want it to be the standard for the entire Smash community.
I don't have a lot of money. How expensive is this going to be?
SD cards are quite cheap to buy. We only need 7 on a regular basis, and they cost $5 a piece online. Consider also that players are usually able/willing to donate some, then you really only have a $20-$30 venture, maybe even less. That's about the price of one capture card. So rather than capture videos from one setup for that much money, you can get replays from several.
What are the benefits of recording every match at a tournament? Why should I care?
The local and national community will benefit in several ways. The replay project provides
- Constant sources of high-level videos
- Momentum for the community and the game
- Increased sense of competition
- Easy sources for critique for lower-level players
- Better exposure for regions
- Overall better organization for Smash videos
I have my own YouTube channel; I don't want to stop using it.
We aren't asking you to get rid of your YouTube channel. There's an easy way to feature videos on multiple channels. All you have to do is make a playlist and feature it on your own channel. However, if we are going to use a team of uploaders, it makes sense for all the videos to be uploaded to the main channel but featured on multiple channels. Here's the YouTube Channel where all the matches from this project are being uploaded.
I'm sold. What can I do right now?
We need 2 types of help:
- Tournament Organizers:
- Connect to our Dropbox (contact us)
- Start investing in/getting donations for SD cards
- Uploaders
- Connect to our Dropbox (contact us)
- Start uploading this weekend
To get set up with our Dropbox account, PM either Cam or Reflex; either one will be able to help you out in a timely manner.
How big is the project so far?
Current Team of Uploaders:
- Cam
- BluLink77
- Player-1
- Reflex
- Luigisama
- Yoshq
- Cam (AL) - AUSOM
- Ingulit (AL) - Iron Brawl
- Reflex (AL) - Smiths Station Smash
- Player-1 (GA) - Salty Spittoon
- M3t (AL) - Resist/Are You Ready for This
- Spade (AL) - HASL
- Bomber (LA) - Smashcon
- DRN (GA) - WABA
- Sync (TX) - Ascension
- theDuL0R (NY) - Brawl It Out!
- icecream (TX) - Who's Tyler?
Number of states that have used the system: 6
Replay System Guide
[COLLAPSE="What Is Dropbox?"]Dropbox is a file sharing program. It is completely free and takes up very little space on your computer. Essentially, Dropbox allows everyone in the project to have a shared folder on their computers where they can all access the same files. TOs can access useful programs to help run tournaments, and uploaders can access replay files after tournaments.[/COLLAPSE]
[COLLAPSE="Setting up to Record at Tournaments"]This section is directed at TOs. Follow these instructions to set up to record at tournaments.
1. Connect to the group Dropbox account. This requires the username and password. Contact Cam or Reflex via Smashboards in order to get that information.
2. Acquire a set of 6 to 8 SD cards. The SD cards need to be at or under 2 GB. I recommend asking your local players for donations as many of them will probably have spare SD cards.
3. Put the appropriate hacks on all the SD cards. Use the files in the Dropbox under
Alabama Smash League -> Replay Files -> Mods to put on SD card. Literally just copy and paste the contents of that folder onto a blank SD card, and you will be ready to go with the hacks you need. [hacks on the SD card include forced replay save, infinite replays, tags in replays, and unlock everything]
4. Put number tags on each SD card. We want to number the SD cards to help identify matches later on. You can use little tabs that are usually used to flag down pages in books, or you can use some other method.
5. Load the Timestamp program. We created a computer program that helps uploaders identify replays once they are all saved. The basic idea is that the TO enters the players’ names and the setup number before each set. The setup number corresponds to the SD card numbers. This information is stored in a notepad document that will help uploaders identify the replays from the tournament. More on this in the section called “Running the Timestamp Program.”
6. Remind players that you need to know when and where they play their matches. It is imperative for identifying replays that match information be entered into the timestamp program. Players are often used to looking at the bracket and going to play their match without telling anyone. For this replay system, that practice has to end.
7. Load the hacks 15 to 20 minutes before Singles starts. You need time to load the hacks, so start early. These hacks don’t need Homebrew, but they do require that no custom stages be on the Wii. To load the hacks, go to stage builder. That’s it; they should load on their own from there. If there are custom stages on the Wii, it won’t load until they are gone.
8. Remind players to save tournament matches to the SD cards and friendlies to the Wii. Because it forces them to save every match, friendlies are forced to save too. Fortunately, players can save friendlies to the Wii so uploaders don’t have to sort through a bunch of friendlies later on.[/COLLAPSE]
[COLLAPSE="Running the Timestamp Program"]Not everyone uses their tags in replays. Sometimes friendlies get mixed in with the tournament matches. Sometimes replays don’t get saved. The point is, how do uploaders identify which is which? Well, that’s why we developed the Timestamp program. The program is very simple. It gives TOs a fast way to input which players are playing and at which setup they are playing. This could be done with pencil and paper, but it takes twice as long. The program saves in a notepad file the information about sets that went on. For each set, it records the players’ names, the setup they played on (corresponding to the SD card number), and it records the time the set took place.
Here’s what the program looks like when you load it.
You can’t start using it until you create a file name. Just enter the name of your tournament and hit “Create File.”
Now you should see a screen like the one below. Whenever two players are about to play, type in their names and the setup number that they are going to play on (REMEMBER: this must correspond to the SD card number). Then either hit “Enter” on the keyboard or hit the “Add” button at the bottom left of the program.
Doing this will create a notepad file on your desktop with all the information like in the image below.
If you ever screw up or need to make changes after entering something in the program, don’t panic. Open the notepad file on the desktop, manually enter a change, and save the file.
This concludes running the Timestamp program. Now onto procedures after the tournament ends.
[/COLLAPSE]
[COLLAPSE="Procedures for TOs after Tournaments"]After the tournament, the TO’s job is still not done as far as replays are concerned. Here are the steps the TO needs to take after the tournament to complete his job in the replay process.
1. Collect the SD cards! You can collect most of them before the tournament ends because as it progresses you will need fewer and fewer setups. I recommend keeping them all together in a zip-loc bag.
2. Create a new folder on Dropbox for the files. Go into Dropbox and create a folder that is named after your tournament. Within that folder, create individual folders for each setup. So, if you had 6 setups with SD cards at the event, make a folder for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.
3. Copy the files from the SD cards to their respective folders. This should be relatively straight forward. Take all the files from setup 1 and put them into folder 1. Do the same thing for all the replay files.
4. ONLY AFTER #3, erase the files from the SD cards. This may not seem important but it is. Some Wiis have incorrect dates, so uploaders can’t rely on them to be correct. This means that they can’t have a bunch of old files mixed in with the replays that they need to upload.
5. Upload the notepad file to Dropbox. Remember, the notepad file from the Timestamp program is for the benefit of the uploaders. If they don’t have it to identify replays with, then it doesn’t do them much good. Put it in the folder for your tournament, but don’t put it in any of the numbered folders.[/COLLAPSE]
[COLLAPSE="Procedures for Uploaders"]The most important thing for uploaders is communication. The idea of having a large group of uploaders to handle all the replays in the Atlantic South is appealing because it disperses the work amongst many people, but if uploaders are capturing the same things twice, then it doesn’t save much time or effort.
If you are an uploader, follow these procedures.
1. Tell other uploaders which setup number you plan to work on first. For instance, say to other uploaders “I plan to start on setup 5,” so they don’t start on the same replays that you do.
2. Update the Google Doc by striking through to replays that you have captured, changing uploaded videos to green, and when multiple uploaders are working at once, changing in progress videos to orange. This tells other uploaders that you have already captured the replay and they shouldn’t duplicate your work. This document serves as a key for the whole upload effort.
3. Upload replays to the group’s Youtube channel. Ask Cam or Reflex via PM on Smashboards in order to get the username and password for the Youtube account.
4. Add each replay to the tournament’s playlist. Each tournament will have a playlist on our channel, so be sure to add it to the appropriate one.[/COLLAPSE]
Credits
- Timestamp Program Designer: Ryan Tucker (Ingulit)
- Author/Editor of the Guide: John Rountree (Cam)
- Special thanks to Ben Kirk, Nick Hanson, Brannon Goodrich, Luis Torres, and all the Alabama players who worked with us while we got the kinks out of this system.
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