Making a Trivia VCD/DVD

[Solarjetman]

What I want to do is make a triva game disc that is playable on stand alone players. This is what I had in mind.

Each question is comprised of 4 video files. The first video has the question, answers, and a ountdown timer. It also slowly reveals hints about the question. The answers are multiple choice and selected by pressing 1,2,3,etc on the remote. the other three videos are videos played if the answer is right or wrong, or out of time. If anyone has seen the special features on the "Friends" DVDs, they have something like this. Also, the video game "You don't know Jack" is an example of what I want to do.

Now, does anyone have any experience making something like this and could point me toward some techniques?

Also, I have not made the videos yet, so if some other arrangement besides 4 different videos would be better, it would be easy to accomodate that.

As a side question, I saw a film today that had a neat effect for the credits. The letters were upside down then rotated right side up. Anyone know where I could find a utility with this ability?

[GbMedusa]

On the trivia question: this is the first thing to pop in my mind. Someone else may have a better implementation.

I would think the easiest way to do it would be with menus (at least in DVD). For example: question 1 on a menu with four answers. Each answer is a selectable menu button. Author each button to go to another menu with the answer, whether it is right or wrong and a button to go back to the menu with question 1 (if wrong) or the next question (if answer is right). Each question can be automatically set to go to a timeout menu after a certain time if no answer is selected.

If video is needed for some of the questions, you may consider motion menu buttons which can go on the screen with the question/answer selection. If audio is needed, maybe a motion menu background with audio? I don't think motion menu buttons can be authored with audio.

For this method, you would need an authoring tool that will allow you to direct where buttons and menus go. I think DVDLab would be a good low-cost means of doing this.

I believe there is one thing to consider with this method. If I am not mistaken, DVDs are limited to 99 menus (yes? no?) This may limit the number of questions & answers available per disc.

One other thing. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe DVDs have to have a video of some sort. If so, you could create short intro & exit videos to fulfill this requirement.

Maybe this will give you some starter ideas.

[Solarjetman]

I was thinking along the same lines with using menus.

No one has had any experience making one of these huh? Well, looks like I will have to learn as I go then. Maybe if I find a good technique, I will write a guide or something.

[vitualis]

It is easy to do with VCD menus...

However, there is no easy way to "SCORE" the quiz.

Regards.

[NightWing]

One way to do a Score is to do video or stills with the score that you could receive as seperat entries you can jump to

I was trying the DVD game on the Piglet movie this weekend and was pritty good. Limited but good. No scoring but had multi selections per location with video and yes/no responses when you pick somthing.

I dont think a standard DVD player can actualy create stuff on the fly onto the screen.

A computer based DVD disk would be super easy to handle it. Could you do a simple one with yes/not then an enhanced version for computer play?

Good luck!

[Solarjetman]

Yeah, it would be easy to make a program for the computer, but I was thinking it would be cool to sit on your couch and answer the questions. Plus, if you had a group get-together, it is much easier to crowd around a TV than a computer, and much more fun.

To tell you the truth, I don't have a solid idea of what this will look like. I got the idea from an internet flash game. I thought "Hey, something like this would be cool for a DVD project if possible". I figure I will just start out making a simple text screen to get the mechanics down. Then see where it goes.

Isn't the video game Dragon's Lair avialable to play on a stand alone player? I may have to look into that and see if I can get ideas.

[NightWing]

Yep there was a release of Dragon's Lair DVD a few years back but it still uses the L/R Y/N concept. Not really a score.

This may help. Back in the old days of LD disk there were some interactive one that could be played on Level 1 { no computer or CPU on board units }. One of the better title was "Murder Anyone". Basically a Clue form of game with mutiple paths cosisiting of I think audiotracks and chapters. You put the number in order and that was your frame number to jump to to see if you guess which of the family did the head of the household in. Simple but worked.

Basically Dragon's Lair is a simple do something in a time window. If correct show one video if false you die. Not sure if it had any score like the standup did.

Also check out Treasure Planet Cannon ball game and Piglets missing pages game. Actualy decent examples of "Game play". Both keep track some how of if you got all items and where you been.