Whoa, this brings some memories back. Came across this while looking over some of my early voice acting stuff - don't think my Ornier aged very well, but it's neat seeing this so long after I'd honestly forgotten! I know this was four years ago, but any chance Part II will eventually come along? It'd be awesome to see this finished one day.
Author Comments
GRAPHICS INTENSIVE; MEDIUM VIEWING QUALITY RECOMMENDED; SCREEN EXTENSION NOT RECOMMENDED
2 and a half years of work have led to this - my little 14 minute epic. To give fair warning, anyone in the mood for straight up action or comedy will probably be disappointed. But it is my hope that those ready to dive into a new world full of fantastic technology, false words, and rising snow will find much to enjoy in Dual Arms Verbatim Part 1.
Those who would like the fullest appreciation of the story are encouraged to peruse the "World" section of the menu, (I've designed it to have no spoilers, save perhaps slightly in the NAU part of the factions).
If you could spare the time, I'd really appreciate any constructive feedback you guys can offer on my work, so if you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for me, please leave a review. I can't guarantee a response to each, but be assured that I read every one. Thanks!
EDIT 5: Subs finally active and pausable! Note again that due to a bug, subs are reactivated at the beginning of each scene, regardless of whether they were active or not. I have structured the subs to disappear in several dialogue-less areas, so it may not seem this way, but they are there. There is no known fix to this, but I hope it doesn't inconvenience you too much. Just turn them off if in doubt.
If you come across any other bugs, (including typos and such) please PM me with them (don't review just to tell a bug - pm's are easier for me to keep track of). Thanks!
The previous version added an extra's section with some links. Concept Art is also finally active!
ENJOY!
Anyone who wants more Dual Arms after seeing the movie and REALLY cant wait for part II may appreciate seeing the Verbatim Trailer here http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/537880
And if you don't mind some...crappy animation, you can also check out the chronological sequel to the Dual Arms Verbatim plot - Dual Arms Precipice http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/411273 It was made before starting Verbatim some 2 years ago, and it shows. My skill was even less then than now, and it has sound problems similar to Verbatim (though it DOES have sloppily done subs). But the plot there is a bit more understandable and in a sort of strange spoiler PRECIPICE CONTAINS THE FINAL FATE OF SETH FROM THIS VIDEO. With that in mind, those who liked Verbatim may enjoy it, so take a look.
EDIT: Woot - Daily third! Thanks to everyone who voted. Rest assured, part 2 WILL be made; you WILL one day see the conclusion of Dual Arms Verbatim, should you choose to do so. With that in mind, please bear with me another few years whilst I set everything in order. T_T I hope the conclusion will rise to your expectations! Thanks again to all who watched.
EDIT 3: FRONT PAGED! YEAAAAAAH. Thanks again to everyone who liked the work, and thanks to Tom for giving me the opportunity to get some more feedback. Part II will come people! Look out for it!
RPGsrok responds:
Thanks for the low rating asshole~
Nah for real tho, it'd be great to see how your acting's come along. Shoot me a message, we can talk shit over~ XD
Let's break this down section by section.
ANIMATION/GRAPHICS
I agree with the reviewer below me that the animation can be a little stiff. The backgrounds and buildings and even the exterior of the train, however, are stunning, and that rising and falling snow.... *gasp of delight*
SOUNDS
There's a lot of effort put into the VAs, everyone was natural, believable and I especially loved how suave that girl with the blue hair was (I forget her name D: ). The High Consul sounded almost like a basso profondo version of The Hunger Games' President Snow. I was about to say the music was great too -- until I saw Hitoshi Sakimoto in the credits. No surprise there. ;-)
PLOT
Although I haven't actually seen the full series yet (this is my introduction to Dual Arms), I like what I'm seeing so far. It's gripping, it's fluid, and the way I look at it, there are a lot of things that are either resolved in later episodes, or would have been introduced in previous episodes. There weren't any cliffhangers; the story started well with a background premise of negotiation and tension, and ended well too. It still got me wanting more, which is definitely a plus.
VERDICT (TL;DR)
Stiff animation, excellent voice acting, excellent choice of music, very gripping plot. I wonder if this is a thriller of some sort... At any rate, I can tell that you've poured yourself into it, and I shall watch the other episodes when I'm next able.
4.5/5.
I've been on Newgrounds many, many times always looking for some hidden gem, and never came across this until I saw your article on Cracked.com. Wow! What a lot of sweat and tears to get this made. I applaud you. I love a good story, and love the detail you have poured into this world and characters! It makes me feel like I'm experiencing a story along the lines of Dune. Keep up the good work. The artwork can be a little stiff, but it's a lot more than many have attempted, especially to the depth of story you want to tell, which is apparently more important to you, but still. I appreciate the work you're doing.
RPGsrok responds:
Well I appreciate your taking the time to say so, in spite of the stiff animation. Stick around for part 2, when it comes out approximately 7 articles 2 years from now! (T_T) *ahem* Thanks for reviewing!
Not sure if it's intentional or not
but the snow is moving in the opposite direction of physics
RPGsrok responds:
It's very intentional. The reasoning is explained in the Folium - Ihrziel part of the world section of the menu. It plays into a scene in the upcoming Part 2. Thx for reviewing!
Hello again!
I am glad that you have kept up with the good flashwork, there is real improvement to be tracked in your submissions!
I usually start off with the storyline, and this will be no exception. Your story is extremely comprehensive. I like that you have a distinct setting, with politics, factions, maps and a history. Its probably way too much story for the average newgrounder, but its cool that the option to read about it is there. On that note, I would have made the text a bit larger, and perhaps another font like Calibri. Sometimes its a bit hard on the eyes(; The story in the animation itself is not the easiest to follow, but its still good stuff. In the start though, it was hard to follow what the radio said because I was also reading the computer screen.
The graphics have improved greatly, but there are some mixed styles in here. Some places (like the computer screen) are very detailed and with very good use of gradients. Other places the graphics look just fine, but if you used gradients in a similar fashion there (like on the characters) the result would be perfect(; Especially in the 3d scenes I would have liked to see a bit more detail.
The animation is quiet good. Some places it is very well coordinated, other places you could have made them smoother and not as fast. Especially the movement of hands where unnaturally fast at some times. Once again I like how you move the scene for a cinematic effect, although you did not use this very much in the start. Are you using V-Cam? V-cam is a very good tool for cinematic effects.
The audio is very good, I like how detailed it is; theres a sound for almost everything:D The voice acting is also very good, but the quality of the audio is a bit lacking there; but it did not really bug me much(;
Basically, this is an outstanding product, I can feel all the hours and hours (and hours) of work that you have put into this. I give you 9 of 10 because there are some stuff in here that I know you could have done better, but really, its good sh*t!
RPGsrok responds:
I find I like fleshing out worlds in this fashion, even if I don't expect all the viewers to appreciate it, but knowing that a few like these things to your extent truly makes it feel worthwhile. I didn't experiment with fonts that much, but I could see some being easier read than others.
I'm not sure about gradients in characters - it needsta be attempted carefully (though I have been thinking about shading on separate layers - and gradated shadows might look nice). Some people have also been suggesting I switch to paint instead of pencil for lines, tho i admit im not quite sold on that yet. My 3D still needs a lot of work (although for this project it was completed rather early and I think even my limited skills could cough out a little more detail than what you see here).
Hands huh? Well hands are hard, but I think I know what you mean - a lotta those motions were somewhat rushed. I had not heard of V-cam before, and if you feel like it, please feel free to message me and elaborate on it.
I think you overestimate my sound design, as I am very aware it has a lot of problems, but I'm glad you liked the actors as much as I did. Quality was definately a mixed bag, but I think that's been partially fixed for the second part.
Glad you liked the vid, thx for reviewing!