HowTo:Take Screenshots

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TAKING SCREENSHOTS

So you want to take some really awesome screenshots? Great. This article is intended to help you on your way to becoming a true screenshot artist.

What's so great about screenshots?

Screenshots may not seem very important, but having a pool of good shots is important to the project for several reasons. First of all, the more good screenshots we have on our website, the more people will be inclined to download the game. Secondly, we want to be well-represented on news sites and so forth. If they re-post a few really good screens, people will be more inclined to visit our website. Lastly, splash screen artists will benifit from having a good collection of shots to work from when trying to incorporate game art.

All right, I'm pumped. Let's do this!

Okay! Vega Strike makes it easy to take simple shots just by pressing I_EN.png, for "image". Screen shots are then dumped as PNG's to /.vegastrike/textures/ (Windows users of 0.4.3 will find that a handy shortcut to this directory was created in the start menu during the installation).

FIXME links to keyboard layout + code tags

Camera Control

Vega strike offers many different camera views. Here, the ones most useful for taking screen shots are discussed.

F1_GENERAL.png = Forward (cockpit) view. Also toggles between 3d cockpit and bare HUD.
F5_GENERAL.png = Chasecam.
F6_GENERAL.png = Panning or "ghost" camera. This is a screenshot taker's most valuable tool. Q_EN.png Z_EN.png S_EN.png and F_EN.png rotate the camera freely, allowing you to pick the perfect angle for your screenshot. If you are running the latest CVS, these camera controls will function while vega strike is paused
F7_GENERAL.png
F8_GENERAL.png
F11_GENERAL.png = Zooms all cameras in
F12_GENERAL.png = Zooms all cameras out

See Manual:Views for complete documentation on camera views.

Composition

Advanced Techniques

Stop Action by pausing the game with

  • SHIFT_LEFT_EN.png +BACKSLASH_EN.png
  • or PAUSE_EN.png .

See also US Keyboard layout -> Game commands

Assorted Tips

  • High resolution (=> than 1024x768). 1600x1200 is best. This means we can pick small sections of the screenshot to use in splash screens or whatever, with a smaller hit in quality.
  • Graphic options to maximum! Use max. antialiasing, max possible VS graphic options. Who cares if you only go at 10 fps? You aren't making a movie.
  • Use the HOME_EN.png key to match speed, get close, and then look out the back or side of your ship for a clear view of your screenshot subject. Just don't bump into them.
  • Use Time Decel (Time compression = F9_GENERAL.png) to make the action shots easier to get.
  • Capture action! Ships firing at each other with explosions and shields flickering is way cooler than your Llama.blank cruising in the Cephid_17 system.
  • For the most part, stick to the new 0.4.x (and above of course ;)) artwork. If you've seen it in a 0.3.x or previous, then it isn't going to wow people as much as the Howard Day stuff.
  • Edit your starting mission (missions/explore_universe) to give you a cool ship to photograph, with wingmen, enemies, or whatever. Change your system to one with a cool background (not the default green).
  • Bonus points if you can get a good example of Vegastrike's graphical capabilities. The specular lighting maps that make parts of a ship's texture glint at varying levels in the sunlight, fading atmospheres of planets, shield flickers, anything that says "Oh COOL!"

See also

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