Movie upgrades using AI

The load screen idea is on hold right now so I can go back to working on the idea of upgrading the movies.

Since there are only 6 movies that need to be upgraded we can include all 3 resolutions in the Last Resort installer and simply hack the executables to include a slight rename of the files. 800x600 (instead of default 640x480), 1366x768, and 1920x1080.

The "Sierra.avi" movie, for example, might be renamed "Sierr1.avi" for 800x600, "Sierr2.avi" for 1366x768 and "Sierr3.avi" for 1920x1080.   The original 640x480 versions will remain for when people turn off the mod.

Here is something strange that people can help test for me if they are in the mood.

While I was upgrading the movie files to 1920x1080 resolution and doing the necessary executable hacks to display them I discovered this:

I can not trigger the movie "career_lost.avi". All I get is a .bitmap static image showing a failure after I hit the debrief button.

Did the developers remove the movie call and just go with a bitmap failure graphic instead? Is the "career_lost.avi" and possibly the "career_won.avi" movie files obsolete?

The mission with the aircraft mission failed video is Whitman Airport. It's more of a static shot with the swat dispatcher speaking over it though. Plane.avi. I don't think there were any others.

Good to see you online S4.

For some reason I remembered another video but I think it is just my old age creeping up on me.

I have now updated the movies to 1920x1080 and hacked them into my game. The only problem is that the colour banding is pretty bad when shown in the game compared to when you play the videos outside the game.

That has always probably been there since the game seems to be limited to 16-bit colour.

Cupscale keeps giving me errors trying to write an mp4 file.

I have switched to Video2x for the rest of the upgrading of the movie files. Hope to release this before I start back at work Monday but no solid promises.

Topaz video enhance AI was screaming fast but lacked certain options and cost $200.  Not worth the expense for me.