Vlarion 1 - The Elemental War

[Denny Betterman]

I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would, it's definitely much better than the simple rehash I was expecting, as far as scripting and whatnot. Like, I knew the graphics and music were getting a major update, but it was so much better than I expected!

You've had plenty of positive comments so far, I've got an original one for ya: The use of magic. It was actually practical magic. Not like "Graphics imposed over a character and they inexplicably are hurt by it," it's "I made a big chunk of ice and smacked you in the face with it." VERY clever! I don't think I've heard of the old RPG magic basics being used in such a way, especially in film! The iceberg to raise up Jack is excellent, but it was that ice brick that really made me think and smile!

Speaking of which, this actually FELT like a film. Like, I was seriously fooled at times, it was so well directed. The v3dmm was used so well that it made it even harder to remember just what media I was even watching this on!

As for complaints, well, I still have no idea what Brackus ever said, Chadran was as hard to understand in his first couple scenes, and Jack, well, the voice had CHARACTER but I don't think the lines were done well most of the time. He was this movie's, uh, what's her name, the lead female in Satanik. That's what his voice was. Good but totally beneath everyone else so it stands out. And yeah in the first scene Dask was really iffy, I was worried that that might carry through the whole movie but doubts were shoved aside and with VIGOR!

And the Kramer battle disappointed me not for the graphics but for the animation, but I'm willing to cut a break to the fact that Valentine and Ramu are a couple of the WORST kicking characters in 3dmm. (Not to mention Ramu's silly head bobbing when he's running reappears on Dask teehee!) I liked the last sequence of moves from Dask, I sense a bit of throwback to that awesome Dancing Air Slash from AV3 that still wows me. ;P But yeah if they'd stayed with magic for that brawl then it'd've been as good as the others, IMO. <<Well actually nevermind, the lack of magic makes the battle its own, and physical fighting really makes the battle work better, this however makes the only only part of the movie where I think the animation was noticably below the rest of the film's. << haha oops I said that sentence in halves that ended up not going together very well

Oh, and I see you never got that 'Hey!' line for that Claudia near the end, it looked like she wanted to scream but just COULDN'T. OH and that ALEXANDER was hilarious looking, probably for the wrong reasons.

WHAAAt else. A couple points where you used default 3dmm sounds just seemed to hurt the scene because I've heard them so many times before, aaaand the same complaint as the original Vlarion movies: The battles are too short ;P At that awesomeness they could keep going half an hour for all I care! OH and I think it'd've made the battles more intense if the characters talked during them. Not just 'oof' and 'gah' but 'OUT OF THE WAY' and 'OVER HERE' kinda stuff, much more realistic. Not stopping the action but complimenting it. Just an idea.

but YEAH. I can find things to complain about for ANYTHING, and I only say them because we know how amazingly awesome this movie was, anything to make the next ones even better is what I'm really looking for. The direction of this movie was amazing (oh except that one angle in the Hirolix battle where the camera's, like, on its side hurt my head to follow *smacks head into computer*)

And I LOVE the fact that I've been pronouncing half the names wrong all these years! haha I always that it was Jelst, for example. And Zuh-REE-Theo. Always had Hirolix right though, 10 points hehe

CAN'T WAIT FOR NUMERO DOS...O. Seeing as you already have Stacey and Dask and Jack etc. modelled and a lot of the textures setup the production of the next movies should be greatly shortened I do hope!

[Fish Taco]

Posts in 3dmm are kinda like baseball cards.

[Jason Nelson]

OMFG. It says "Can't install V1 Ceveron Water Surface 3.

WHAT THE FUCK DO I DO?

[Battletoads]

So uh, this uhh.. best movie ever? Yeah.

Production values seem near perfect. Every aspect of the film was mastered in such a way, formerly only known to BIG BUDGET HOLLYWOOD PRODUCTION movies. Not only was the movie amazing, the way it was presented was also phenomenal. You've really outdone yourself this time, seriously.

The movie itself was extremely awesome looking, so flawlessly smooth. There aren't really any complaints I have. It seems like everything in the roughcut that had bugged me, has been fixed. The character development and plot of it all, were obviously deeper and more sophisticated than the original. The way the story unfolds is gripping, and holds attention throughout the entire thing.

Some of my favorite bits were the hand animated characters, just the little details, subtle, but effective. For instance, when Dask finds Leesa. The way he is standing is perfect. That entire sequence, really. The leap out from the corner holding the gun, just those simple little details add so much to the magnitude of this movie. I liked how some of the more dialogue filled scenes had some eye candy in there as well, to keep from the monotiny of plain speech scenes. Not only the sounds and ambience,but the driving scenes were awesome too, adding to the scale of the world of Vlarion, pulling the viewer into the enthralling depths and drama of Terrania.

Everything about this movie is absolutely perfect, and I can't really think of anything I would rather see, or have changed. Being the most ambitious 3dmm project ever undertaken, I think it has come out just as that. The best movie ever.

[Travis Wells]

Originally Posted by Jason Nelson

OMFG. It says "Can't install V1 Ceveron Water Surface 3.

WHAT THE FUCK DO I DO?

Are you using v3dmm .14? And do you have plenty of disk space? (31mb of expansions, 92mb of movie, 126mb of cache=250mb+ needed)

[Z-Man]

It’s hard for me to take 99% of 3D movies seriously, as you already know, Aaron. In particular, the projects with serious intent are the ones I tend to be most critical of since they always strive for this “cinematic level” that usually either totally bombs or works only in parts. Sometimes you’ll have to trade the good for the bad … like there might be this incredibly well written and well acted movie that just came out by Jeff Ching but you’ll have to sit through an hour and a half of atrocious visuals just to get through the movie (no offense, Jeff). I’ve never liked that kind of tradeoff, and, when confronted with such a beast, boredom usually hits and I start skipping through scenes just looking for something---anything--that might entertain me even in the slightest bit.

I’m easily entertained, too, if you know how to entertain properly. Make a funny joke, and I’ll laugh; do something technically astounding, and I’ll be in awe; tell a story the way stories should be told, and I’ll listen to what you have to say.

But 3D movies don’t usually work like that, at least in my experience. There are guys like Goro, Jon Barton, and Andres De La Hoz that know exactly how to make the movies I’m all about, but, as of now, none of them have put their stuff into an 80 minute piece of work like you have.

The thing is, you didn’t offer us a tradeoff, Aaron. We got 80 minutes of meticulous, hard technical work and we got 80 minutes of grand storytelling. For the first time in my 3DMMing life, you made me sit there and watch an hour and a half long 3D Movie without interruption … that is, if you don’t count the times my screensaver would appear at specific intervals due to mouse inactivity (to which I cursed on several occasions). Another 3DMMing first you got out of me is that you actually elicited an emotional reaction. I’ve heard people talk in the past about how this movie made them cry and how that movie made them scared, and I personally thought they were all full of shit. It takes a lot to get reach an audience; a lot of thought, proper build up, and so on. For me, watching ‘story driven’ 3DMM pieces is often a sterile experience.

But towards the end, when Rosal and his cronies attacked the powerless AT and Dask and the others are racing to the rescue, I actually felt excitement and intensity. Actual emotions. Why did I feel this? Hell if I know, but I did.

When the credits rolled, I had a smile on my face. Say I’m full of shit, say I’m sucking up, I honestly don’t care, but the fact of the matter is I was whole heartedly entertained and enthralled by your work here. I was excited--still am excited--for V2, not just because I’ll be joining the cast as the voice of Brian (which I really cannot wait to do) but because I am very, very much looking forward to seeing how the story progresses.

It’s a breakthrough on many levels and serves as a testament to a lot of things.

I loved it, Aaron.

[Denny Betterman]

Originally Posted by Molotov

.

YA KNOW MOL OL' BOY, THIS MOVIE'S GOT POTENTIAL OF ITS OWN

[Destra]

I was never able to make a review longer than two lines, so I must say: Awesome movie, DEFINATELY worth the wait.

On another note, are there any voice roles for Vlarion 2 that haven't been taken yet?

[Gorosaurus]

This was much better than I was expecting. I was expecting Pamela, but instead I was delivered.. hmm, well I guess there's no other movie to tie it to.


You already know that we have never seen this level of polish on any 3D movie to date. We've seen this kind of effort on rare occasions, but never to such a successful end product. Make no mistake about it, this is a movie that you could show anyone, regardless of their familiarity with the medium, without problem. The only catch is that the mouths don't move - that is the only hurdle I see.

This is the most complex and, again, successful story I've yet seen played out in a 3D movie. In fact, I'll go so far as to say these are the greatest characters as well. 200% improvement minimum on each character, and this is just in their lines and actions. I found myself empathising, caring, and thinking with many of the characters (The revelation at the end of Ceveron sequence played amazingly well, a first for 3DMM in my book). I'm getting a real Star Wars vibe from this series - I know there will be more installments and I know that they will be a load of fun, each building upon the last. We can look forward to seeing our favorite characters again, watching the villains try again, and experience the places they had only spoken of earlier.

The animation was some of your best, Aaron. I wouldn't go so far as to say it is your best, because I believe your REDUX work is still tops, but as a whole, this is above any effort yet released by any director. It's not perfect, but you know that. It does its job, it goes an extra mile or two, and that's that. It's a great balance of sanity and normality; there's no massive and blaringly obvious line between the battle and story scenes. There are many new and amazing techniques which I haven't even begun to dissect, and that's something that I can always respect - I've never had what it takes to trailblaze like that. The Vlarions themselves were the best animated parts of the movie, but the character animations themselves are not too far behind. There are still a few moments where ghosts from default's past haunt some actions, but come on.. there's no reason why that's not forgivable.

The general direction of the movie was very well-thought-out, and there was very little of what Andres would call blatant directorial mas.. uh, indulgence. The battle and action scenes are very, very well directed. Lots of great perspectives (Ceveron was amazing in that respect), something I hope a lot of directors here take note of. You obviously put an enormous amount of thought into each scene, and the mapping really helps move the story alongside the action. Yes, there are a few static scenes that do sit for a number of frames, but even Hollywood knows that you need to stop the twirls for any information to be retained. The direction, much like the animation, was excellent, but not perfect. Scene 141 was the only one that really bothered me, I didn't see any point in the angle or the movement as-was, but hey, that's not much of a low. There were also some other angles that I didn't quite understand - they would bring attention to things that didn't have any business grabbing my attention. Still, well-rounded, well-balanced, and occasionally phenomenal direction overall.

The voice acting was far from a mixed bag - it was WELL above par for the 3DMM scene, and at worst it was only 'acceptable' at points. My favorite voice was Brackus,' I felt that it fit the character perfectly, and wasn't too low and growly to be understood. Rough and tumble, just the way it should be. It didn't take me long to get over Lock playing the lead baddie, and I don't know if the quality changed or I really did get more used to it, but Beast's performance really picked up by the end. It became a believable voice and one that didn't sound like some guy on the Internet trying to sound tough. Jack had an awesome voice - very clear and full of personality. Jack was alright, he seemd like a real person. Not at all a burly leader, but pretty definitely some guy who's getting in over his head. He shines brightest when he has to take charge - note the buildup to the Hirolix battle. Very impressive there. Gelst did a great job. The secondary characters did some great work, no one standing out too radically for quality or voice concerns. The female lead was incredible, possibly the showstealer! I don't know who that is or where you found her, but I'd give two arms and an ear to have her in more movies. ...I might even have a role or two that needs filled.

Music was above average, though it didn't seem quite suited to my computer (Which is apparently pretty fast). Most of the choices fit, in fact all of them seemed to, but there were areas (Usually action sequences or revelations) where there needed to be more distinct cues, or just different music altogether. I really liked the title theme, however. That rocked.


This movie was amazing. I really, really enjoyed watching it, and I was really excited for it even when it ended. I thought that many things were handled expertly, and I was amazed at how this movie really, really sucks you in. The whole AT thing is a different and much more impressive feel than from the originals. In fact, it was a really comforting assembly to have. A good author-like body that always seemed to know what was happening, solve problems before they grow, and clean up messes. It really grew on me, and quickly. ..I was hoping it wouldn't get ransacked until at least Vlarion 3 or something though. Aww nutbunnies. And, on another note, I wasn't real happy with the new fangs on Zetherio. I think HMC had it pretty great the way it was. But then again, maybe personality isn't well suited for a Vlarion. For what it's worth, though, Rasklain's design was awesome! I was actually wondering to myself how one might actually make him updated.. and low and behold, you've already done it just perfectly! He could be a new favorite!

Oh, and did I mention that the AT seige was by far my favorite sequence of the movie? It was incredible. Absolutely breathtaking. The only sequence that compares is the early establishing shots of the Ceveron overfill, and perhaps areas of the Hirolix battle. I was a little suprised to see two unexpected Vlarions appear (Somehow they didn't register beforehand, heh), but I hope that more surprises are to be expected in future installments, and that this didn't just take some wind out of V2's sails. I hope to really see some development for Gelst in the next one (But please keep it kinda realistic, this isn't an RPG). BTW, it's great that all of the characters seem to be at about the same level of skill and power at this point.. it's like everything cool about Dragonball, but with none of the fat. There's no feeling quite like having your favorite character be able to give it a valiant effort against the bad guy, not just having He-Man save the day. Aaand, on that note, the bit where Jack 'saves the day' at the end is fantastic. The explosion wasn't even the coolest part!

I'm sorry to say I didn't have more input with this movie. I really wish I had at least some sort of a part in it, but I just kinda wallowed in ignorance and left myself to ignore my own projects as well. I'm more than honored to be in the Special Thanks section, as much as I don't believe I deserved the spot, and it's kind of a cool thought to know that hey, if NG2 tanks, I'll still have proof that I knew you one day in this movie. Then I can ride your coattails to a wonderful life of being a janitor and best boy key grip. Caterer.


Congratulations, Aaron. You've not made a movie, you've achieved something incredible. Something you can be proud of for the rest of your life. There is no easy way around this, but it's obvious to see that Vlarion 1 is in nearly every way superior to Bodily Functions (My personal limbo bar of what is the peak of 3DMM entertainment). It is easily the greatest 3DMM movie I have ever had the pleasure of watching (I so didn't expect that, honestly), and is dangerously close to achieving full honors. But it's not perfect, and while I don't ask perfection of anyone, I do demand that I just don't notice any lackage of it for a movie to reach 100%. Hahaha. Well, that is, unless Pikios directs it, then I'm willing to round up. So just to keep you with a goal in sight and something to work up to, BF's still my number 1. But JP's taught me that it's alright to be #2; I'm sure you'll manage.


97/100
Probably the most incredible 3D Movie to date, mastering almost every fascet of development. This is the Fellowship of the Ring to 3D Movie Maker - a spectacle, an achievement, and only a hint of the awesomeness to come.

[Gorosaurus]

Oh, and Aaron, this made me want to achieve NG2 more than anything else has in years. I'm on an absolute rush


I desperately need an AVI of this soon. I need to start vlarangelizing


Vlarions? On my computer??

Oh baby, yes indeed. And more must follow.

[Salter]

First Vlarentine's day and now vlarangelizing... what will you think of next!

[Gorosaurus]

Well, honestly, it was Colonel Sanders. But if you meant in relation to this subject, I do admit I enjoy vlarying things around. LOL

[Lord Trasher]

VERY impressive. The sheer amount of detail and effort crammed into this is apocolyptic. I will, however, go on record as saying "SCREW YOU CLIFFHANGER, FUCK YOU!" Now I have to wait like another year for the next chapter.

Top marks, and the inspiration to get back into things. Cheers!

[Brossy]

Ok, I just got done watching through it.

I didn't realise it was gonna be so frigging long!!!!!

Ok, so, I read a few reviews and most shower you with praise Aaron, so I'll just re-affirm all of that, .

Visually, it's the most amazing 3dmm movie ever made, and most likely ever to be made, well until you surpass it yourself with Vlarion 2...

I never watched the vlarion movies. I didnt have the patience for the big long drawn out epic saga presented in text, so this was all new and original for me. Didn't know the characters or locations or what a vlarion was etc.

So, I enjoyed it!!! That's the main thing right? It was entertaining!!!

The direction was great, and good to learn from, just the variety of camera angles for non-action scenes. I'm very narrow minded with direction, and anything I make always has the most basic of angles.

The voices were all fantastic. ESPECIALLY, your own voice, Aaron. Dask was my favourite character, in personality and voice. I love the job you did with his voice, it is so perfect. I love the tones he has, the kind of hinting at sarcasm or depression or having no hope or smart arse or... well, yeah, you know what kind of vibe I mean, it was awesome.

My biggest complaint is the sound effects. SO MANY sound effects were default sounds. I can't hear them in the right context, because I just hear the sound and hate it. I cant make those sounds work for actions they wern't intended for. On the flip side though, the muffled under water sounds all sounded awesome. But yeah, default effects, just made my skin crawl. It just got at me, because after all the massive amounts of detail and effort put into everything else, it was like you'd 'settled' for those... which you obviously hadn't, you probably thought they worked, and they probably did for most people.... damnit, how can I say I hated the sounds without insulting you?!?!?!?...

Underwater fight: best thing I've ever seen in 3dmm. It's the ONLY TIME EVER that I've been watching a 3dmm movie, and thought that it could be something else, or that I was just watching some downloaded 3d animation. I know that people say stuff like "I forgot it was 3dmm!", but this is the first time that its ever happened to me, where at certain times in that scene I actually forgot it was 3dmm. Pretty frigging incredible.

So yeah, I dunno what point I'm making, or what kind of conclusion I'm heading to here. I liked it, but didn't LOVE it. I was amazed by it though. I loved the way everything looked, but wasn't jealous of it at all, because out styles are so drastically different.

I just keep rambling, I suck at reviews.

As far as a technical rating, 100%... well, then minus the sound effects, so 95% maybe?

As for the actual movie, and story etc. and it's appeal to me, only about 78%, which is still pretty high!

Also, I'm stealing your sword motion effect. I liked it. Infact, after the movie, it was the only thing I did before closing 3dmm, was go back and inspect that scene and those effects.

... um, feel free to ask me to clarify any of my ramblings.

[Breed]

holy.

mother.

of.


GOD.


vote 3dmm Game Show for Best Movie of 2006!

[Gorosaurus]

Oh yes, the sound effects. There was a lot of unncessary repetition of footsteps (But I think I already discussed this with you), and I recognized a whole slew of the sound effects which killed a few moments, but there was also some very creative use of the default sounds that I admired! That big purple door first and foremost, I'd say

But yeah, next time around, see about only adding nuances like footsteps in scenes where their use would serve a distinct purpose. In fact, a rule of thumb might be to use that example only when the feet are offscreen. But I've done no research into that

[Salter]

I always do them REALLY quietly, so there not all out there, but there's still an audible signal that they're walking. If you can get them to where you are still hearing it, but barely noticing it, it works.
I think a rule of thumb should be that when the character's feet make up the shot, there should ALWAYS be footsteps.

[Adam Clough]

Damnit, I'm going away and won't be able to see this till next week.

Well I got no doubts about this movie anyway, I always knew you could do it Aaron, you're a champion.

[Aaron Haynes]

Wow. The response to this movie has absolutely floored me. I really, really appreciate it, guys, I'm glad it actually resonated so strongly for so many of you. I'll respond to everyone's comments in kind when I have a chance to, but for now, many thanks to everyone.

People mentioning that Vlarion inspired them to make new stuff: Feel free to use any of the fonts from this movie. For that matter, if you can find an interesting way to use Ceveron or Terrania or the Vlarion-specific stuff, or want to try making an animation in them, have a blast. Using extremely Vlarion-specific stuff like characters and environments in original films is not recommended, for obvious reasons, but you've got creative liberty with anything you think might be useful in making something unique. Enjoy.

[Breed]

If you ever get your ass back on AIM I'd discuss with you my in depth review

HOWEVER FOR THE SAKE OF THIS THREAD

I honestly thought it was...

CRAP. absolutely amazing. It felt like a real fucking film. I'm not talking about the story yet--this is just the FEEL, the EXPERIENCE of watching it. It felt REAL. Its a shame that it was limited by 3dmm; if this was a big budget live action full length flick, that'd be friggin amazing.

TOO FUCKING LONG. going in I was expecting a long 80 minutes. No. It felt like 20, maybe 30 minutes. The pacing of this was perfect.

CRAPPY WRITING. at times the dialogue was a bit cheesy, but hey. It WORKED. The story is magnificent too.

WORSE THAN THE ORIGINALS. I only saw 20 minutes of the first, and then turned it off. This was fucking fantastic. It definitely held my attention all the way through, which is hard for me at times, especially with 3dmm movies.

SHITTY VOICE ACTING. AWESOME VOICE ACTING. It also made me feel kinda special when I could point out over half of the voices. And now that I know what Vlarion is all about, I feel even more a part of this community. THATS A DIFFERENT STORY. Everyone was fantastic, especially Jaymond who is ALWAYS original when it comes to voices. I love that guy, I hope he comes back

DIRECTING. FUCKING. SUCKED. Aaron Haynes is the fucking MASTER of direction in 3dmm. Hell, I'm sure if he directed real movies they'd be just as sex, if not more so--however its HARDER to direct 3dmm; hand made everythings especially. I still can't fucking do it, and I've had this program since it came out. This movie just proves how fucking great of artists we have here. And HMC fucking rocked the house with art design. But c'mon, that's expected of him, right?

OVERHYPED. underhyped.

BATTLES WERE GAY. fucking intense fun. FUN. JUST FUN. FUNNNNNNNNNNN.

FINAL FUCKING WORDS ABOUT THIS PIECE OF SHIT FILM. its rare that I genuinely feel like I've watched a true movie in 3dmm. I think its been like.. Ghost in the Shell, Satanik, and THIS. But THIS is definitely top notch to anything so far. I'm glad to hear that this inspired people to start directing again too. Contrary to popular belief this community is not dead, and I don't think it will be for a while.

how fucking AWESOME was it when they were in the car, and when they'd go over a bump the whole car'd go up. I was in awe over that. Such a small detail can definitely go far in the overall appearance.

I definitely DEFINITELY cannot wait for Vlarion 2, and I hope it doesn't take nearly as long as this one : P

So that's about it. OVERALL, 9.9/10

oh, AND AARON YOU PIECE OF SHIT

I'd like to talk to you some more about it if you ever get yo black ass back on AIM :-*

EDIT: OH AND FOR THE LOVE OF CRAP. vote 3dmm Game Show Best Movie of 2006!!!

[Griffon]

Originally Posted by Advamc

Oh awesome.

edit: Sweet.

WICKED! I didn't know you were putting these in! Is this the surprise you told me about?

EDIT: I'm at college right now, I'll d/l later! MAN! I can't fucking wait to get home!

[Breed]

Aaron told me NOT to post these, but HERE THEY ARE ANYWAY!!!

ORIGINAL DASK MODELS!!!

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...7/dasklol1.jpg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...7/dasklol2.jpg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...7/dasklol3.jpg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...7/dasklol4.jpg

[Griffon]

borken

[Breed]

they work for me >: (

[Demented Ferret]

Haha, work for me too.