The Movies: Stunts & Effects - Mod Central

[Pygmalion696]

The Movies: Stunts & Effects - Mod Central

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GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENT

Before we get started, please note: The Movies: Stunts & Effects is ABANDONWARE.

The game is freely-available for download, there is NO piracy involved in downloading it, the company that originally produced it (Lionhead Studios)

closed-up-shop in April, 2016.  I have provided two different sources to acquire the game LEGALLY in the 2nd post of the Support Thread.

 

Thread is still Under Construction - Sorry for the delay - Take a look at the Support Thread, and comment if you care-to.

 

 

Installation

There is no "Fomod"-type installation of mods for TM:S&E - all mods must be manually installed.

If you are using JSGME (JoneSoft Generic Mod Enabler) as-recommended in the Support Thread, the recommended method is to...

(1). Disable any mods you are currently using in JSGME

(2). Extract the .7z file to the location you prefer (Desktop or wherever)

(3). Copy or cut/paste the mod folder into the "MODS" directory of your game installation

(4). Re-Enable any mods you intend to use, with JSGME

Voilà!  It's just that simple.

 

CURRENT DOWNLOADS

Modders' Resources (Google Drive) - the "1ZVJV5T1S2xSLxl9GKjVrdMWiVz6L4PFg" link in File Downloads

     Unmodified assets extracted from an unencrypted early copy of the game.

         ALL of 'TM:S&E' Meshes & Textures

         ALL of 'TM:S&E' .INI files

         ALL of 'TM:S&E' Scene files

         ALL of 'TM:S&E' animation files (using the game's existing skeleton)... early on the 'To-Do' list is a project to find a suitable skeleton replacement.

         ALL of 'TM:S&E' 'StarMaker' heads (the meshes the game's basic engine uses for creating actors)

         ...and a collected assortment of the older, existing tools from the established 'TM:S&E' modding community

 

RELATED TOPICS

Installing 'The MOVIES: Stunts & Effects' ------ Support Thread Post #2 

Tech-Support & F.A.Q. ---------------------------- Support Thread Post #3

ReShade: Installation & Configuration --------- Support Thread Post #4

Video-Editing Software & Post-Processing ---- Support Thread Post #5

Specific Information for Other Modders ------- Support Thread Post #6

 

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• Submitter
  Pygmalion696
• Submitted
  03/05/2020
• Category
  Misc Adult Mods
• Requires
  The Movies: Stunts & Effects (full install, See Post #2 in the Support Thread)

 

[Pygmalion696]

?  TM:S&E - Let's get started! ?

Before we begin, please note: The Movies: Stunts & Effects is ABANDONWARE.

The game is freely-available for download, there is NO piracy involved in downloading it, the company that originally produced it (Lionhead Studios)

closed-up-shop in April, 2016.  I have provided two different sources to acquire the game LEGALLY, for convenience.

 

STEP #1: Get (and install) the Game

For those who don't have the game, I've found two methods of acquiring it For Free, Windows platforms only.  No idea on how you get a Mac version, and please don't ask me support questions if you use a Mac, Linux, or anything other-than Windows.  Anyone else, with expertise in those OS's, is welcome to chime-in and provide guidance.

 

PRE-REQUISITES: 'The Movies: Stunts & Effects' uses DirectX9 for rendering, and relies on Windows Media Player.  You MUST have those installed to run even an unmodded-version.

 

Get the Game: METHOD 1

THIS IS THE RECOMMENDED INSTALL TECHNIQUE FOR WINDOWS 10 USERS

Base Game: http://www.mediafire.com/file/5yeqic23c1f8k63/The.Movies.rar

Stunts & Effects: http://www.mediafire.com/file/t3c78h98tkt4m17/The+Movies+Stunts+And+Effects.rar

Key Codes that can be used for the MediaFire downloads
The Movies - ANPK-GNJH-A4ZZ-KKZ7-2993

The Movies Stunts And Effects - KKKK-KKKK-KKKK-KKKK-3473
With a helpful tutorial video on how to install from the MediaFire download links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPRGpZF6LtA

FYI: What the .iso lists as-being a 'crack' is actually the "No CD" patch for the game, an .exe replacer, also available for download from the 'My Abandonware' links offered in Method 2, below.

 

You'll need software to "mount" the .iso files (files that represent the contents of a CD)

Download Daemon Tools Lite v10.12.0 (Freeware, virtual CD/Blu-Ray Drive Mounter) Here: https://filehippo.com/download_daemon_tools/

or Here: https://www.daemon-tools.cc/products/dtLite

...or...

Download Virtual Clone Drive (Freeware, same functions as Daemon Tools) Here: https://www.elby.ch/en/products/vcd.html

or Here: https://www.filehorse.com/download-virtual-clonedrive/

 

Get the Game: METHOD 2

This is the version I use; works on Windows 7

Next options are the downloads from My Abandonware - https://www.myabandonware.com/game/the-movies-bcv#download

The 2nd download link, the "Stunts & Effects Friendly Install" is what I recommend - No KeyCode required, custom install is easy, installs a fully-patched game with 'Stunts & Effects' included, plus some added mods.  Unfortunately, the creator of this one ("Saucypants" - used to have a blog/download site, defunct since late 2014) can NOT provide support, but the d/l package works.  Be attentive of this one during installation; it will try to install DirectX9 automatically, which will probably try to overwrite a more-recent version you already have installed.

 

I recommend using a custom installation to path "C:\Games\The Movies"

All of my tips and guidance are going to be based on the premise that you do NOT have the game installed to the default C:\ProgramFiles (x86) folder, which is write-protected in Windows XP-&-beyond.  The JoneSoft Mod Enabler will probably not function correctly if you use the default-paths to install.

 

STEP #2: Get (and install) the Mod Manager (JSGME - JoneSoftGenericModEnabler v2.6.0)

Download from SoftPedia - https://www.softpedia.com/get/Others/Miscellaneous/Generic-Mod-Enabler.shtml

Follow the instructions for installation & usage in the ReadMe, and Don't Forget to Take a 'Snapshot' of your Game Before You Start Installing Mods

 

Helpful tutorials on installation & usage can be found HERE - https://www.lockonfiles.com/files/file/3284-jsgme-jonesoft-generic-mod-enabler/  

(The guidance is for using JSGME on an Air-Combat sim, but it's easy to adapt their instructions for 'The Movies')

...or there's some YewTewb tutorials for installation & usage you can search for.

Alternately, I've heard some good things about OvoidGenericModEnabler (OvGME), but its' creator, sedanion, has pulled down the GitHub for it, it's currently only available from mirrors, and completely unsupported.  You can try using it if-you-like, but I make no guarantees on its' effectiveness, and cannot answer support questions about it.
You can download its' last stable build from here: https://wiki.hoggitworld.com/view/OVGME

 

STEP #3: Enable 4gb memory access (Generic 4gb patcher, written by Daniel Pistelli, works on 'The Movies' .exe)

Download HERE: https://ntcore.com/?page_id=371

Just follow the instructions on the page.  Too-easy.

 

STEP #4: (OPTIONAL) Registry Edits ("Ini Tweaks")

TM:S&E doesn't have a .ini file, per-se; the game stores its' settings directly in your registry.  (Yeah, that's annoying, I know.)

These settings can be found under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Lionhead Studios Ltd\TheMovies

I'm not all-that-eager to offer guidance on editing your registry (since those things are rarely the same from one machine to the next), but there are a few settings that are easy-to-understand.

"Allow Any Decade" - This affects 'Sandbox Mode' (if you don't feel like playing an entire game).  Default value is 0 (which limits your choice of Starting Year to 1930, 1940, or 1950.  Setting this value to 1 allows you to choose any decade between 1930 and 2000 for a starting year.

"GD: Screen Height" and "GD: Screen Width" - TM:S&E was programmed to display on a VGA-type monitor, with a 5:4 Screen ratio (and it's base settings to export .wmv video are similar), so it's 'Best' setting will set those values at 1024x768.  With today's 16:9 Widescreen being standard...

I have found, on my system, setting those values to 1280x720 gives great results for both gameplay and exporting video.  Depending on your system, (OS, graphics-cpu, and monitor), you may want to set those values differently.  I've had one player report that they got satisfactory gameplay (with only slight framerate stutter) setting theirs to 1920x1080.  Your mileage may vary.  I can only say with-certainty that 1280x720 works for me, but I am using the 'YouTube HD Export Profile' mod I discuss in Post #5, so 1280x720 gives me the best compatibility.  Feel free to experiment, but remember, this is an OLD game, built on 2005 C++... if your game crashes after changing these settings, you should probably change them back.

 

WINDOWS 10 USERS: If you're having trouble getting the game to run, there's a tutorial video on YewTewb that you can watch HERE

Forum-member The Captn reports that the "Saucypants" installer (that I describe in Method 2) does not perform well with Win10, but the 3-CD install of Method 1 worked just-fine. 

 

PLEASE: THIS IS THE SUPPORT THREAD

If you want to post links to demonstrate an effects-preset, or post images of bugs/problems that you're asking for help with, nest them inside a 'spoiler' tag in your post.  If you just want to show-off your movie-making, create a new thread or post those links to your own blog.

Just for 'S-n-G'... I went web-crawling to look for external-site resources to link to, and found that the Official websites for the game (Lionhead Studios) were taken down 05-DEC-2008.  The Internet Wayback Machine provided me a pic from their last 'snapshot' in November of that year.

Spoiler

 

[Pygmalion696]

TECH-SUPPORT & F.A.Q.

Common support questions & solutions for The Movies: Stunts & Effects

 

Q: "How do I make this work on Windows 7/8/10?"

Windows 10, it's recommended to use the MediaFire downloads from Method 1 to install the game.

There's a YewTewb video HERE that gives further info on solving compatibility-issues.

 

Q: "CastingCouch, the 'trainer' utility, freezes when I click on 'Open'... what's wrong?"

'CastingCouch' requires the .NET 1.1 Framework to function.  You need to have it installed on your system, and before you even ask, NO, newer versions of the .NET framework (v4.8, etc.) will not do-the-trick.  The problem you might encounter is that the .NET 1.1 framework was developed for WindowsXP, it's not supported for Windows7+, and your system will balk at your efforts to install it.

FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS FROM THIS PAGE: DELL - How to install .NET Framework 1.1 in Windows 7

(When Windows balks during the installations, tell it to 'Run The Program'.  Don't delete the files created during the 'slipstream'-creation process until after you've completed the final installation step.  The 'temporary' folder you create for the installation process can be deleted after the process is fully complete.)

 

Q: "Where can I find other mods for The Movies: Stunts & Effects?"

There's an active community & resources for non-adult modders of this game.

Lots of mods (Costumes, sets, music, etc) available for free-download at '8-eyed Baby': http://www.8eyedbaby.com/

Other mods, including some important Modders' Utilities, available at 'The Movies 3-D': https://www.themovies3d.com/en/downloads

...and a few on Nexus, but those are all duplicates/re-ups of mods available on these^ sites.

 

Q: "How do I install ENB on this?"

Mr. Vorontsov hasn't built an ENB for 'TM:S&E'.  Best I can offer you is ReShade to change/improve the visuals.  As-old as the game is, I'm able to get a solid 30fps on a laptop using ReShade, with nearly any combination of effects except for Bloom... that one sends my framerate down to the mid-20's.
Instructions (and resources) for installing and using ReShade are in the next post.
(Side-note: If anyone wants to experiment and figure out a way to make one of his existing ENB's work with the game, I'd be happy to hear about it, and update this F.A.Q.)

 

[Pygmalion696]

OPTIONAL: Borderless Windows & ReShade for visual enhancements

If you want to use ReShade, you HAVE to be playing in windowed-mode.  Trust me, I've tried to make it work normal-fullscreen, and the user-overlay just doesn't appear.

 

STEP #1: Make 'The Movies' run in Windowed Mode

THIS involves editing your registry.  You'll need to import a registry key after you've installed the game, to make the game run in windowed-mode.

First, you need this file...

TMS&E Windowed-Fullscreen.zip

Extract it to your desktop, or whatever location you choose.  Open regedit.exe using 'Run as Administrator', and under the 'File' tab, click on 'Import'.  Choose the file titled 'The Movies Windowed.reg' (wherever you extracted it to), and it should happen automatically.

 

STEP #2: Choose Your 'Borderless' Manager

You have two options for handling windowed-mode play.

Borderless Gaming v9.5.6 (the Freeware version works just-fine)
Download from TechSpot: https://www.techspot.com/downloads/7061-borderless-gaming.html

...or...

Simple Runtime Window Editor v2.3.1 (SRWE) Also Freeware, also works, just not-as-user-friendly as 'Borderless Gaming'

Download from SoftPedia: https://www.softpedia.com/get/System/System-Miscellaneous/Simple-Runtime-Window-Editor.shtml

I've experimented with both of these, and found that both of them work.  I just recommend 'Borderless Gaming' for its' ease-of-use.

 

STEP #3: Install & Configure ReShade

Next, installing ReShade: as-of this edit, the most current version is v4.5.4, and I've found it works just-fine on an x64 system.

Download from the source: https://reshade.me/

IMPORTANT: The default 'Home' key for ReShade is already assigned to a function in 'The Movies', and it took me over-an-hour to get my interface to work.  I'm providing a copy of my ReShade .ini that binds the Numpad "/" key to open ReShade's interface, the Numpad "*" key advances to the next preset, and the "F12" key takes screenshots.  You may wish to edit this .ini file (Notepad++ works) to target its' Screenshots to a different folder path.  Post #5 (the next-one down) has more depth & details on using ReShade.

ReShade.ini

 

[Pygmalion696]

Video-Editing & Effects Software (Post-Processing to your game's Post-Processing)

The Video Export function of TM:S&E completely ignores any ReShade effects you may be using in-game (a 'What You See Is NOT What You Get' condition).  There is a mod available from TheMovies3D that will convince the game to export into 16:9 720p formats (suitable for upload to YewTewb or machinima sites).  PLEASE exercise restraint on what you decide to upload to YewTewb, and if you want to post links to any movies you make, please do NOT post them in this support-thread.  Create a separate thread, m'kay?

 

I've developed a "workaround" to apply ReShade's visual effects (what I see in-game) to the final-product movies that the game exports, and in-the-process, convert them from .wmv format into .mp4 format.  It's a multi-stage process, that I'll try to explain.

 

MY WORKAROUND & THE SOFTWARE I USE

(1). Export the video from the game

I've installed the "YouTube HD Export Profile" mod available from 'The Movies 3D' utilities-download page HERE (bottom of the page).  At "Best" setting, that exports the .wmv file in widescreen PAL profile (5000Kb/s) 1024 x 576 (16:9 ratio, common to most laptops).

 

(2). Replay & Re-Capture with ReShade

I have a secondary video-player installed (K-Lite Codec Pack's "Media Player Classic") that I've installed with ReShade added onto it.  The same hotkey-configs and presets I'm offering with the .ini file I use in-game also work to apply the same effects onto MPC, without interfering with any of its' function keys.  Playing the video full-screen in MPC, I'm able to duplicate what I've seen in-game. (Presets can be copy/pasted between the two programs' folders without conflicts.)

 

I paid the $35 for a full-licensed version of Bandicam ( https://www.bandicam.com/ ) to record without their watermark inserted into the video.  I've got a preset established on Bandicam to capture the full-screen play and record into .mp4, reducing what's shown back into 1024x576 resolution.

 

(3).  Final Post-Process & Editing

The main Freeware editing utility I use is a Freeware program called Shotcut, augmented with ye olde classic Windows Movie Maker v6.0 (from before MikroSloth decided to inflict "Windows Live" on the world).

Shotcut: Download links and tutorials can be found HERE: https://www.videoproc.com/video-editor/how-to-use-shotcut.htm

...and...

Windows Movie Maker 6.0: Download links and a wealth of advice can be found on this Blog - https://movies.blainesville.com/p/wmm-60-on-windows-7.html

Windows Movie Maker v6.0 needs to be augmented with extra-&-better codecs for full functionality

One option is the Combined Community Codec Pack (CCCP)

Download direct from the source: http://www.cccp-project.net/

...or...

Download from Techspot: https://www.techspot.com/downloads/4291-cccp-combined-community-codec-pack.html

...and I've read some positive reviews of the packages available from 'Shark007' here: https://shark007.net/

but the author himself says his codec-pack is geared towards support of Windows Media Player, and the Default Installation generates conflicts with K-Lite Codec Pack.  Thus, I don't use the 'Shark007' package, and can't answer questions about it.

 

Some of my ReShade presets for both gameplay and "Post-Post-Process" involve use of LUTs (Look-Up Tables... it's a shader-process for color alteration, for those who don't know the term), and there's a bunch of them available for free download from here...
'The Gordinho' MultyLUT MediaFire folder: https://www.mediafire.com/folder/tnvlbv6cscym4/MultyLut

I highly recommend the 'NoirTheme', the 'Triune Digital Cinematic', the 'Urban Cinematic', and the 'Nostalgic Films' MultiLUT shaders.

 

Current Presets I've generated involving these, with screenshots to show the effects, are in the spoilers below.

BEFORE VIEWING THESE... lol...
(1). Ignore the "plot" and 'Simlish' language.  The game makes a lot of really random choices if you let it auto-select scenes, sets, props, costumes, etc., so please don't ask me to explain why Indiana Jones is standing in the background, grinning, packing an MP5 submachinegun... random costume & prop the game-engine assigned to the stock 'extra' I dropped into that scene.  If I recall correctly, that NPC was a Builder I just randomly grabbed.
(2). YewTewb auto-converted these into 480p format, so in a few of them, the 'pixellation' effect of the preset isn't as-cleanly visible as it is with my locally-kept file.

All of these films, the locally-stored files are .mp4 format (after conversion with Shotcut) 1024x576 25fps, with the largest file being 63.1mb in-size.

 

So... the basic "Stock-Footage" these presets were applied to... (additional comments inside the spoiler)

Spoiler

The game's exported movie, without any ReShade effects, after a simple conversion to .mp4 25fps.  I used Shotcut at mostly-default settings (just adding the text in the UL corner), producing a 63.0mb file (compared to the game's exported .wmv, 20fps, 73.5mb.  This is for reference, to compare against the following presets.

 

 

...adding the "B&W Classic" preset I've assembled...

Spoiler

 

 

... adding my "Film Noir" preset...

Spoiler

 

 

...the "MGM Technicolor" preset...

Spoiler

 

 

...my "B&W Philco Television" preset...

Spoiler

 

 

...my "70's Color Television" preset...

Spoiler

 

 

...and my "Security Monitor" preset.

Spoiler

 

 

My package of ReShade shaders & Presets (for both Gameplay & Post-Processing)

Pygmalion696 - ReShade Shaders & Presets.7z

 

<Placeholder for further text>

 

[Pygmalion696]

For Modders

"Long-ago, when dinosaurs roamed the earth..."

In the early years of the game's release, there were two primary English-Language sites related to modding 'TM:S&E' - a site called 'Directors' Cut Modding Foundry' (which went-away in late 2014 after being overwhelmed with robo-spam), and an Angelfire blog by a modder named 'SexyMaria' (who took down her site in early 2019).  The modders'-resources I've made available in my GoogleDrive folder (the "1ZVJV5T1S2xSLxblah-blah-blah" link in the File Downloads) hosts the resource files that 'SexyMaria' previously offered (except for her original-creations).

It currently contains .7z files of...

ALL of 'TM:S&E' Meshes & Textures

ALL of 'TM:S&E' .INI files

ALL of 'TM:S&E' Scene files

ALL of 'TM:S&E' animation files (using the game's existing skeleton)... early on the 'To-Do' list is a project to find a suitable skeleton replacement for override, and rebuild the game's "stock" animations with.

ALL of 'TM:S&E' 'StarMaker' heads (the meshes the game's basic engine uses for creating actors)

...and a collected assortment of the older, existing tools from the established 'TM:S&E' modding community.

 

Most of the existing tools & tutorials I've seen revolve around using Blender 2.49b, although I've also found a set of Import/Export scripts for 3DSMax (I think for the 2013 version).

 

JSGME, when properly installed and targeted at the game's .exe, will establish a folder named "MODS" in the game's installation directory.  Mods created to work with JSGME should be in a folder-structure like thus  "<mod title>\Data\<any .ini files>" including "<subfolders>\<resource files>"

Mod-packaging for JSGME should be something that can be cut-copied & pasted into the 'MODS' folder of the game's installation directory.

The naming-conventions I plan to follow for mods I produce are a three-digit identifier, followed by the title of the mod (JSGME sorts by alphabetizing).

The first mod I'll be providing will be titled "001 - Interface"  which will be a simple reskin of the user-interface for the game, overriding many of the interface graphics, adding some new Studio Logos, possibly overriding the 'Activision' starting .bik film just for "S-n-G", but essentially to establish a "brand" for LL to host Adult Mods for 'TM:S&E' under.

 

From a technical standpoint, the game uses ".pak" files as archives, a proprietary format of zipfile created by Lionhead for their games (also used in their 'Black & White' titles).  Similar to Bethesda games, loose-files in the game's directory will 'Archive Invalidate' files inside a .pak file.  What I believe can be done, given this functionality, is "rebuild" the desired bits of the game's resources (human models, buildings, sets, costumes, etc) with better models & textures.

The "Adult" aspects can go one-of-two ways...

(1). If the game can be coerced to use an override skeleton (thus replacement body-meshes), it's a matter of rebuilding the existing animations to use the replacement skeletons, and then adding our own.

(2). If the game can-NOT be coerced into using an override skeleton, it's a matter of creating nude "costumes" with the appropriate anatomy along-with "latex mask" replacement heads (which can be higher-polygon & .dds resolutions as-desired) and again, adding our own animations & scenes.

 

Depending on the threshhold of how-many-scenes the Game can accomodate (which is already around 4500), it might be necessary for animation mods to overwrite/re-block certain scenes to be the sexy-time scenes that LL is all about.  This is future-project work for me; right now, I'm just working on the initial re-skin.

 

<more to come, better descriptions to come>

[Pygmalion696]

Current Project Status

The user-interface (basically a reskin of the game's front-end).  If you haven't played 'TM:S&E' before, there's a few things that really deserve an "Adult" treatment if this game is being turned into a 'pr0n-machinima-factory' sim... lol... and a few things that need to be eliminated from the game if it's being taken in that direction.  Things that need to go include the in-game billboard advertisements for companies that, it-seems, struck some sort of biz-deal with Lionhead for product-placement in the game.   'Motorola' (the electronics company) and 'The Hollywood Reporter' (the entertainment publication) still exist, and their in-game ads TOTALLY have to go, because lawyers.  ATI Technologies and Chrysler automobiles also appear on the in-game billboards, and while ATI was purchased by AMD in 2006, and their logo/brand hasn't been used since 2010, it's logos & trademarks... along-with Chrysler's... are still registered copyrights.

SOOOoooo... I've got 27 billboards I need to replace.  Four done, replacing the Chrysler billboards from 1920's-1950's with Nash billboards, with the intent of replacing all automobile-billboards from 1960's->Endgame with "movie" billboards.  While I can do this entirely myself, I'm happy to take submissions from the community (and of-course give co-author credit in the mod).

If anyone in the community feels like getting creative, they're welcome to join in on this party.  Image dimensions for an in-game billboard are 1024x512 - the game's span-of-years rolls between 1920 and 2030, so you're invited to use "period" art-styles in anything you submit.  Only rule is that it has to be "fair use" of the image (satire is acceptable, slander is not).  My first examples are in the Spoiler below.

Spoiler

 

Yesterday's main-work was rebuilding the intro "splash" screens, and replacing the 'Made With' frames for the ending-frames the game appends onto any movies exported from its' framework.  (EDIT: Those are getting another re-work.  I've extablished some continuity in the fonts I'll be using for the Interface reskin, and those need to be corrected.) Got rid of the invalid website touts.  Examples below.

Spoiler

How the intro-screen will look in-game...

 

 

...and the "end-of-movie" clip (one frame of it)

 

09-MAR-2020: Got 'StarMaker' mostly-reskinned (new-&-classier icons for everything, too).  Currently trying to generate an altered .exe that won't send the users' browser looking for Lionhead's long-vanished website.

 

10-MAR-2020: 'StarMaker' is as re-skinned as it's going to get, and I've finished the Nash billboards-set (d/l-d an assortment of their old advertisements and 'shopped them).  All that remains for the alpha-release is finishing-up the replacement billboards and load-screens.  Spent some time replacing the awnings for the off-lot, to get rid of the 'Motorola' references.  Examples in the spoiler, below.

Spoiler

 

 

This ONE stupid texture gave me fits... I don't know who on the dev-team was responsible for skinning this model, but they should be strung-up by their thumbs, for the way the texture wraps to that mesh.

 

This is the texture I finally ended-up with to produce ^that^ in-game.

 

13-MAR-20: Real-life intrudes, and I won't be getting much work done on the interface mod this-weekend.  Hope to have some extra time on Monday.

Have decided that Project #2 is a composite set of 'comfortable'-level "cheat" ini's for the game.  I tried some gameplay to generate a satisfactory movie, and found that a reasonable 10m movie (something that fits normal human standards for a plot) is in-the-neighborhood of 40 scenes.  Even with sim-actors whose stats were modded with CastingCouch... a movie that length takes around 16 YEARS of game-time to complete, and takes a lot of micromanagement.  Gotta' do something about that...

 

26-MAR-20: Progress is slow, but ongoing.  Some of this is due-to real-world concerns (g-dam COVID-19 &-all), some is due-to my being particular about playtesting to check things in-game, and some is the learning-curve of the software I'm working with.  Hopefully the end-results will be worth-it, and appreciated.

 

<more to come>

 

[Bazinga]

Thank you for reuploading the game and all these resources.

And especially for the instructions on how to run it all under Win10.

 

It's a real shame this still isn't available on GoG or Steam, this is a very underrated and fun game and thx to modding you can make some really ambitious trash movies.

Heck even the unmodded game allows for enough freedom to create some interesting stuff.

Btw, I have to admit that I never really cared for the studio lot management, which is a run of the mill business sim. For me the real addictive part were the movies I could make. That was so much fun. Would have been even better if the game itself didn't rate my precious works of art so unfairly but what can you do.

 

Seeing this made me all nostalgic, so I guess I'll see if I can find the CDs and reinstall it.

[Pygmalion696]

1 hour ago, Bazinga said:

<snip'd for space> Would have been even better if the game itself didn't rate my precious works of art so unfairly but what can you do.

Lol... edit the .ini files, and the game's AI will seriously change its' opinion of your work.  .INI edits can accomplish a lot of things with this game... stopping time (to allow you to complete that 30+ scene 'Blockbuster' in under a year, despite the game's stupid habit of filming everything in order of the script you feed it, regardless of whether that makes everyone run back-&-forth across the studio lot for every shot), etc.

Technically, .ini edits are considered a 'cheat', but my focus with the mods I plan to create is targeted at making the game silly, fun, and (of-course) kinda' kinky, while toning-down the "competitiveness" of the Management aspects of the game.

Also, if you are reinstalling from a physical copy of the game, there's a "No CD" patch available on the 'My Abandonware' website that might be handy.

https://www.myabandonware.com/game/the-movies-bcv#download

[TheCaptn]

I ran into issues with the Saucypants version on Windows 10... It doesn't create a Data folder with the game data, just a 40mb installation with only the executables. So I used the 3xCD version and followed that video instead.

 

Also the New Vegas 4gb patch didn't work for me. It's specifically looking for "FalloutNV.exe" and if you just rename the file it'll recognise that it's not the real one... There is a generic 4gb patcher that I've used on other games and it seems to work fine on this one too: https://ntcore.com/?page_id=371

[Pygmalion696]

3 hours ago, TheCaptn said:

I ran into issues with the Saucypants version on Windows 10... It doesn't create a Data folder with the game data, just a 40mb installation with only the executables. So I used the 3xCD version and followed that video instead.

 

Also the New Vegas 4gb patch didn't work for me. It's specifically looking for "FalloutNV.exe" and if you just rename the file it'll recognise that it's not the real one... There is a generic 4gb patcher that I've used on other games and it seems to work fine on this one too: https://ntcore.com/?page_id=371

BIG thanks for the info relz the 4gb patcher (in my haste, I kinda' borked that bit of the instructions), and much-appreciate the tidbit about Win10 (I'm still on Win7).  Will update Post #2.

[TheCaptn]

No problemo... I'd forgotten how much fun this game actually is. It's kinda like playing The Sims, only the gameplay leads you into doing something unique and creative at the same time.

I can't wait to start making cheesy pixel porn with it. Godspeed to you sir!

 

BTW you might mention that you can change the game resolution to 1920x1080 in the registry:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Lionhead Studios Ltd\TheMovies

Screen Height and Screen Width. It's pretty straightforward.

 

The UI stretches a little, but it's not nearly as bad as some games when you put them in widescreen (*cough*Sid Meier's Pirates*cough*)

[Pygmalion696]

On 3/9/2020 at 11:29 PM, TheCaptn said:

No problemo... I'd forgotten how much fun this game actually is. It's kinda like playing The Sims, only the gameplay leads you into doing something unique and creative at the same time.

I can't wait to start making cheesy pixel porn with it. Godspeed to you sir!

 

BTW you might mention that you can change the game resolution to 1920x1080 in the registry:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Lionhead Studios Ltd\TheMovies

Screen Height and Screen Width. It's pretty straightforward.

 

The UI stretches a little, but it's not nearly as bad as some games when you put them in widescreen (*cough*Sid Meier's Pirates*cough*)

For-what-it's worth, the User Interface reskin I'm working on is entirely built around running the game in 16:9 Widescreen (check some of the screenshots I've posted into Post #7, and you can see).  This should correct most of that distortion.  I won't be able to support Ultrawide displays, but if anyone wants to port or create a conversion (if that's feasible), I'll be happy to include it here, or link to it.

The only caveat, there, is if you're trying to export a video using the HD-Export mod I mention in Post #5 (Video Editing & Post-Process).

If your rig can handle 1920x1080 (Full HD Widescreen), so-much-the-better, but my poor laptop slowed to a crawl setting the screen-res to those dimensions (might just be my system, and still being on WIN7).   As an experiment, I set the res to match my existing screen (1366x768), and while that DOES improve a few things in-game... most of the text stops distorting, and the only distortions in-game I noticed were a few of the buttons and icons (those were designed for a 5:4 SVGA display-ratio), and in a few spots, the position of the text is off-center (I'm guessing those lines of code set the text to offset a specific distance from the left edge-of-display, instead of centering-to-screen; See Spoiler below.

The PROBLEM I ran into was in exporting video at "Highest" quality-setting (the 1024x576 export) from that mod.  My game would crash with an unhandled memory-exception.

Setting the screen ratios to 1280x720 (standard 720p) was workable, and gave the same in-game display goodness, but without that Unhandled Exception CTD.

Again, it might just be my laptop and Win7.

If you're using that Export-settings mod, does that Crash happen for you, on your rig?

 

Spoiler: Composite screenshot-comparison

Spoiler

 

[TheCaptn]

I'm not using any mods yet. I wanted to get a vanilla playthrough in before I started modding it... It's been so long since I last played, and it'll be hard to judge mods if I can't remember what the base game is like without them.

 

On 1920x1080 I get a bit of microstutter, very similar to The Sims 3, but it's definitely playable.

[Porfbag]

I am loving this project.  I have been playing this game on and off since 2006.  Love it!  The files you've archived and shared have been files I've looked for for years.  You are a life saver.  I hope the project is continuing to go well!  I'm really excited to see all the new adjustments you're making to the game, especially the 16:9 widescreen mod.  Gosh, you have turned this game upside down for me!  Haha!  I do hope that it's still going well.  I am eager to see new updates on this!

[HeresyNwN]

A very good project. Respect to you.
I will be happy to wait for updates. ?

[Survivorman7]

I am absolutely watching this space.  I LOOOOOVED the Movies game!  I always thought it was prime for some Lovers' Lab love.  Long overdue, and Godspeed!

[kissfan4]

Hope to see more.

[lifesuckz69]

So am I correct that at the current state there is no "adult stuff" in this? Still a great project, just want to know

[mrindex1991]

so...it's Abandoned?

[kaneeden]

i think it is abandoned Maybe one day a hero will arrive and pick it up again, but i think the chances are very low.

[BDSMGurl]

Nooooo not abandoned! I have been replaying this for a few months  now  with the files from myabandonware and was hoping to find a way to create new scenes.  One thing to note: on themovies3D.com there are skins to make people naked.  Not much and all you can do is make them kiss and such but it's all we got for now.

reskin: https://www.themovies3d.com/en/downloads/download/2-costumes/439-nudepatch

 

girl prop naked

https://www.themovies3d.com/en/downloads/download/3-props/527-nakedgirl

in reference to the game not exporting, I had that issue and reinstalling an old version of Windows 9 movie player along with the 4GB patch fixed it for me.  I have been able to download huge films now.  
I love this game and as most of you know, getting a Sim to do anything you want exactly how you want it with camera angles is like  trying to herd feral cats so this game makes it easy peasy to create full movies with the angles and shots I desire.  I have missed it and before I found it, I had been dreaming of playing it again.  I was so happy to find the NoCD mods because I had only CDs and no CD player.  
 

a recreation of this game is truly needed.  If EA was smart they would have included a version similar with a pack but they aren't that intelligent.  EA sucks.

 

if anyone is interested Im including a version of what I have made so far.  It's in the very beginning stages so I still need to edit but I have been working on it since February.  I would love more realistic sex scenes but whatever, beggers cant be choosers. 

 

Edited September 22, 2021 by BDSMGurl

[BDSMGurl]

On 6/4/2021 at 6:24 AM, kaneeden said:

i think it is abandoned Maybe one day a hero will arrive and pick it up again, but i think the chances are very low.

This is why I decided to post, first to show that it can be patched and second to show that there is an interest and need.  I unfortunately do not know how to mod games.  Also, my computer is infected with the zero access trojan and I cant remove it, and I have been able to play games on it but strictly OFFLINE and I have to turn off wifi(WLAN)  in BIOS and make hundreds of backups of my work. After a while windows goes to shit again and I have to reinstall but thankfully this game isnt much of an issue for reinstallation. But undertaking learning how to mod is not really feasible at the moment unfortunately.  If my computer wasn't such a pain in my ass I would definitely take up this project. Until then, here's to hoping someone that does know how to mod figures it out....this is really an optimal game for making  your own animated movies.  I hope someone finds it and breathes life back into it again.   Also worth noting it seems that the community wasn't big on kink stuff so not much was ever made and when it was requested on the forums people were shut down.  Bunch of prissy Priscillas unfortunately. 

[BDSMGurl]

On 3/11/2020 at 3:07 AM, Pygmalion696 said:

For-what-it's worth, the User Interface reskin I'm working on is entirely built around running the game in 16:9 Widescreen (check some of the screenshots I've posted into Post #7, and you can see).  This should correct most of that distortion.  I won't be able to support Ultrawide displays, but if anyone wants to port or create a conversion (if that's feasible), I'll be happy to include it here, or link to it.

The only caveat, there, is if you're trying to export a video using the HD-Export mod I mention in Post #5 (Video Editing & Post-Process).

If your rig can handle 1920x1080 (Full HD Widescreen), so-much-the-better, but my poor laptop slowed to a crawl setting the screen-res to those dimensions (might just be my system, and still being on WIN7).   As an experiment, I set the res to match my existing screen (1366x768), and while that DOES improve a few things in-game... most of the text stops distorting, and the only distortions in-game I noticed were a few of the buttons and icons (those were designed for a 5:4 SVGA display-ratio), and in a few spots, the position of the text is off-center (I'm guessing those lines of code set the text to offset a specific distance from the left edge-of-display, instead of centering-to-screen; See Spoiler below.

The PROBLEM I ran into was in exporting video at "Highest" quality-setting (the 1024x576 export) from that mod.  My game would crash with an unhandled memory-exception.

Setting the screen ratios to 1280x720 (standard 720p) was workable, and gave the same in-game display goodness, but without that Unhandled Exception CTD.

Again, it might just be my laptop and Win7.

If you're using that Export-settings mod, does that Crash happen for you, on your rig?

 

Spoiler: Composite screenshot-comparison

  Hide contents

 

I think you are running into problems because you are on Windows 7.  On Windows 10 with the 4GB patch and the export to HD mod from here https://ntcore.com/?page_id=371 and using the old windows movie maker 9 included as an optional download in Windows worked for me.  And that's even with the crazy malware I have. So I think it's that your operating system is a bit old and the computer is older. On windows 10 it runs like a dream.  I have a newer 2019 Dell with optane and it runs brilliantly with whatever I throw at it on this game.  
 

one question, can I download all, the files and insert them into the game as if they were the game files?  Or is that just to mod?

[gegging]

sad this project didn't get the traction it deserved.