Agents of SHIELD - Season 2 Discussion Threads. (Spoilers Likely)

Discussion in 'Science Fiction & Fantasy' started by Trekker4747, Sep 18, 2014.

  1. DEWLine

    DEWLine Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    If we want a moonbase, we've already had SHIELD spacecraft assets referred to in AoS dialogue on a couple of occasions. Pods like the ones on the Bus were intended for use on ships and spacecraft as well as aircraft, per Fitz' comments in Season 1.
     
  2. The Old Mixer

    The Old Mixer Mih ssim, mih ssim, nam, daed si Xim. Moderator

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    I meant like literally on the set upstaging Coulson.
     
  3. JD

    JD Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    I finally saw this week's episode. I loved it. It was a blast seeing the whole team together, and the end was a nice little set up for AoU.
     
  4. DEWLine

    DEWLine Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Understood, but since the dialogue from that scene was hanging fire in my brain at the moment...
     
  5. RJDiogenes

    RJDiogenes Idealistic Cynic and Canon Champion Premium Member

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    I was thinking that, too. Even if they use the same model, couldn't they render at lower resolution for TV-- fewer iterations and texture detail and so on?
     
  6. shivkala

    shivkala Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Apologies for those who read both threads, but I realize there are those who may not be reading the AOU thread, but have seen the movie and stuck with the series, but, I have a thought on "Theta Protocol," as well as the direction the show may take in the future:

    Could this new Avengers Facility/Avengers Initiative as a replacement for S.H.I.E.L.D. be "Theta Protocol"? Coulson is gathering powered people seemingly to train them. The end of AOU shows Cap and Natasha training the next group of Avengers. Perhaps Coulson and crew will seek out more candidates and even assist in training some of them. Skye and Mike/Deathlock could be trained there. Cap/Natasha's group could be the "Graduate Level" training, whereas others would start off smaller.
     
  7. DEWLine

    DEWLine Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    An interesting idea. Not sure that I'd dismiss the idea out of hand.
     
  8. The Old Mixer

    The Old Mixer Mih ssim, mih ssim, nam, daed si Xim. Moderator

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    My impression from the way that it was referenced this episode is that "Theta Protocol" is calling in the Avengers. Makes sense if Coulson gave Koenig an order to enact "Theta Protocol" if things went wrong in the Kree city....Coulson wanted him to call the Avengers.

    It could also be a broader term for any cross-collaboration with the Avengers, which would explain the bunk beds thing.
     
  9. theenglish

    theenglish Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I need to go back and watch the end of the SHIELD episode again, but based on what we see at the end of the movie with the new Avengers, it makes sense that there is an Avengers Academy out there somewhere
     
  10. ATimson

    ATimson Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    My understanding is that while you could create lower-detailed textures and map those onto the existing model, if you wanted to reduce the poly count you'd need to create a whole new model. You can't just say "hey, magically delete some random polys from this".
     
  11. Reverend

    Reverend Admiral Admiral

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    Not exactly. There are ways.
    One trick is to essentially strip away layers of greeblies (which typically amount to the lion's share of any hight poly model of this sort) all down one side and just never "shoot" it from that angle. Same for loading textures. No point burning render time on something that's not going to be visible anyway.
    Another is to render those greeblies as a separate file and just apply them as a texture/bump-map.

    So long as the camera doesn't get too close, it shouldn't be all that noticeable.

    As I said though, it's not just about polys, but texture-res and multi-sample passes as well. Plus of course the final pre-composite render for a TV show isn't likely to be much more than 1080p or 2k max. For a modern movie you're probably looking as something more along the lines of 8-16k which is obviously several orders of magnitude greater.
     
  12. Alidar Jarok

    Alidar Jarok Everything in moderation but moderation Moderator

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    Keep in mind, Coulson never connected the bunk beds and Theta Protocol as literally the same thing. That's what NuSHIELD thought.
     
  13. Reverend

    Reverend Admiral Admiral

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    Yeah I was just about to ask whether we know the two things are even connected, or just inferred it from dialogue.

    In that context Theta Protocol seems to roughly translate as "Call Hill and tell her to have the Avengers go here". Had they failed at the Kree temple, it'd make sense that the next move would be to call in the big guns before Hydra can do gods know what with control of an alien city.

    The bunk beds thing could still be indicative of a hellicarrier. ;)
     
  14. The Old Mixer

    The Old Mixer Mih ssim, mih ssim, nam, daed si Xim. Moderator

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    The helicarrier should already have beds. I'd think that those probably are for...

    ...the new Avengers facility. But I didn't get a clear vibe from the movie that they're going to be recruiting and training a new army of enhanced types a la Xavier's school. It seems that the facility is their new HQ and it was evident that it had a decent-sized support staff.
     
  15. Reverend

    Reverend Admiral Admiral

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    That seems more like a Stark bankrolled thing. Refitting the hellecarrier as an evacuation/hospital ship on the other hand, would require a whole lot of beds. Besides, who knows maybe they ripped out all the old beds before putting it into mothballs. ;)
     
  16. The Old Mixer

    The Old Mixer Mih ssim, mih ssim, nam, daed si Xim. Moderator

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    Hopefully the show will feel free to spoil the new film in order to enlighten us on some of these details, like it did last season. :p
     
  17. Alidar Jarok

    Alidar Jarok Everything in moderation but moderation Moderator

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    I suspect they will explain the bunkbeds. My guess is the spoilers are correct, even if I don't think they're literally Theta Protocol.
     
  18. Hartzilla2007

    Hartzilla2007 Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Except Hill was asking Coulson if Theta Protocol was ready, which means its something he is specifically working on and not her.

    So I don't think its sending the Avengers after someone or something, I think its just something Coulson is working on for Hill and Fury.
     
  19. Guy Gardener

    Guy Gardener Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Oh no.

    Theta protocol couldn't be as fricking simple as getting a Hellicarrier out of Mothballs?
     
  20. Fist McStrongpunch

    Fist McStrongpunch Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    So is Theta Protocol the MCU's version of the Initiative?