DUCT - An Unofficial Cutscene Tool for EFPSE

WARNING/DISCLAIMER: THIS TOOL IS NOT IN ANY WAY AFFILIATED WITH OR ENDORSED BY JESSICOCHAN, THE EASY FPS EDITOR PROJECT, OR RELOAD MAGAZINE.  USE THIS TOOL AT YOUR OWN RISK; THE CREATOR IS NOT LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES AS THE RESULT OF THE TOOL, ITS USAGE, OR ANY SCRIPTS CREATED THROUGH SAID TOOL.

NOTICE:

DUCT-Unity is the legacy version of this application.  After Unity's policy changes in September 2023, I pivoted the project and began developing a revised version in Stride3D.  However, I stopped development when EFPSE Clark Edition added image stream support, and I recommend this solution instead.

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For use with https://jessicochan.itch.io/easy-fps-editor-lite

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The Downloadable Unofficial Cutscene Tool for EFPSE v1.5 is a tool that auto-generates scripts to play an image sequence like a movie.  It is designed to enable developers to include FMVs in their EFPSE titles between levels or on event as desired.

What does it do?

This tool outputs a script that will load a large sequence images into memory, play audio, and play the images with a desired framerate while skipping user input.  The script is explicitly designed for use with the Easy FPS Editor by JessicoChan (see link above) and should work with both Lite and Pro versions.

Why a tool?

If you have 2880 frames and need to render them without the help of a codec, you'll do some crazy things to avoid typing out separate lines of scripting for every single frame of animation.  This was the easy solution.  The current method in use is a bit hacky, but I felt that it was worth sharing even as a simple proof of concept.

Workflow?

1. Output your cutscene in Blender as a sequence of supported images (JPG preferred) and prepare them in a folder with a convenient name.
2. Download and extract this tool to a place that makes sense, and run it.  Set the variables so they match your video (starting frame, ending frame, folder name, map name, etc.) and click the Run button.
3. Check ./Scripts for your finalized script.  If you put in the wrong map name, change it to match the name of the map your cutscene precedes, and move it to EFPSEProjectGoesHere/Scripts.

Limitations

• No audio track option yet (Music track is supported).
• EFPSE cutscenes are loaded directly into memory instead of being streamed.  Be mindful of memory limits and understand that file size will directly impact load times.

• Tool does not support video playback itself;  Use Blender or your favorite video editing software instead for now.  Other recommendations (both free!) include ffmpeg and ChaiNNer.

Known Bugs:

• EFPSE crashes: Not reproduced yet, please contact if encountered
• Calculator goes negative: simple overflow error, to be addressed

TODO:

• Late 2023: DUCT 2.0

  
  

  • FFMPEG integration: Late 2023
  • Calculator corrections: Late 2023
  • Easy frame name scheme detection for image sequences
  • UI QoL

Some basic checks are in to make sure you don't cause an infinite loop, but this tool was made by and for myself in a very short amount of time and I won't have a chance to proof it immediately.  If you find any issues report them here and I'll add an extra check or two to get things worked out. Other features such as omitting music or including frame-specific sounds will be added as necessary; any improvements I make for myself will be brought into the GUI.

Expect development to continue sporadically and feel free to leave feedback while the tool is being rewritten from the ground up.

I am not taking donations under any circumstances for this application.  If you wish to support the project, follow the actual engine developer at https://jessicochan.itch.io/ and maybe contribute to the unofficial documentation wiki at https://ragnarrandom.com/uefpsew/index.php/Main_Page.  I would also encourage you to support the project by purchasing the EFPSE editor, but due to current world events the developer is not currently receiving revenue from direct sales of the product.