Cine Game
- September 28, 2018
- Matt Workman
- 2h median play time
Get on SteamCine Tracer is a cinematography simulation game that allows players to use real-world film equipment in realistic environments built in Unreal Engine 4. The early release version offers a single-player, open-world sandbox experience where players can create their own scenes and lighting setups. Purchase of Cine Tracer also includes a free future upgrade to Cine Tracer 2.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Cine Tracer is a powerful tool for pre-visualization and storyboarding, helping filmmakers visualize lighting and camera setups effectively.
- The developer is actively adding new features and content, showing commitment to improving the software over time.
- It offers a unique approach to cinematography practice, allowing users to experiment with lighting and set design in a virtual environment.
- The software is still in early access and suffers from numerous bugs, crashes, and a lack of essential features, making it frustrating to use.
- Many users report that the asset library is limited, and the controls are clunky and unintuitive, hindering the creative process.
- The high price point is not justified by the current state of the software, leading to disappointment among users who expected a more polished product.
- story54 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The reviews highlight the software's potential as a valuable tool for filmmakers and storyboarders, emphasizing its usefulness for pre-visualization and planning shots. However, users express frustration with various technical issues, lack of features, and inadequate tutorials, suggesting that while it is a promising resource, it requires significant improvements to fully meet the needs of its audience. Overall, it is seen as a helpful but still developing option for those looking to create storyboards without drawing skills.
“This is the best tool for storyboarding and planning my shots as a director that I've ever tried.”
“For anyone who wants to tell a story, this app is the most useful one to bring out something that is on the mind of the creators to show it to the whole team, so everyone is on the same page.”
“While it's still a work in progress, this software is already a great tool for planning shoots and storyboarding ideas.”
“I bought it to do storytelling on my iMac M1 and it just doesn't work.”
“Even the videos online are bad compared to Blender or Unreal; they actually have tutorials saying how you do things... this doesn't... I'm really disappointed. The game is basic, yet it still doesn't allow the player to do a great deal or instruct them on how to use the machines or the components.”
“The storyboards will turn blank at random and will crash sometimes.”
- graphics9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The graphics in the software are generally considered good, particularly for pre-visualization and storyboard creation, but users have reported issues such as graphical glitches in full-screen mode and non-functional global controls for realistic lighting on certain hardware. While the potential for advanced features like RTX support is exciting, it requires high-end PC specifications, which may limit accessibility for some users. Overall, the graphics are functional but can be hindered by technical issues and hardware limitations.
“I only need the graphics to be good when everything was set up and I can inspect things like how shadows fall and light bounces.”
“The graphics are good; however, thanks to the user experience.”
“What most people are likely interested in is the RTX version of Cinetracer they're working on, which will require a very expensive graphics card (only compatible for PC at the moment).”
“On top of this, I am now getting a graphical glitch when in full screen on the Mac.”
“Gimmicky flashy graphics don't help productivity.”
“Global controls for realistic glass and reflective light are not working on iMac (mid 2015, 16 GB RAM, 2 GB graphics) - nothing happens when I try to turn these settings on.”
- stability8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game currently suffers from significant stability issues, including frequent bugs, glitches, and occasional freezing that may require a manual restart. While users acknowledge its potential and express hope for improvements in future updates, many feel that it remains in a raw and unfinished state, particularly for early access. Overall, the experience is marred by instability, but some users are willing to invest in its development.
“Unfortunately a little buggy, and could be a little cleaner running, but maybe that is because I am on Mac?”
“Other times when I launch the program it just freezes my computer to the point where I have to restart it manually using the power button.”
“Super raw and buggy.”
- gameplay5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
Gameplay in the current version (0.57) is hindered by cumbersome mechanics, such as the inability to delete multiple objects at once and the need for extensive manual work when importing complex textures. Additionally, stability issues prevent many maps from loading, leading to frustration and dissatisfaction among players who feel they are not getting their money's worth.
“This current version, 0.57, does not offer enough to allow smooth gameplay as deleting one of the prefabs is an absolute chore because you can't select all and delete multiple objects at once.”
“But in most cases, people need to import more complicated objects with lots of texture layers, and so far, if you want to do that, you will need to do a lot of mechanical repeatable work on combining all the textures into one.”
“Too much effort seems to be going into small details, when the actual working mechanics aren't quite there.”
“After a few hours of gameplay, I tried a few other maps and realized that only 4 of the maps will actually load without crashing my computer.”
- optimization3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game is notably poor, particularly when integrating light sources and custom props, which significantly impacts performance and can lead to overheating of PCs and Macs. Users express frustration over the lack of improvements since its development in Unreal Engine 4, especially given the advancements in Unreal Engine 5, indicating a need for better optimization to handle larger entities in maps effectively.
“When it comes to integrating light sources, the performance suffers significantly. Your PC or Mac will get hot, and placing custom props from Blender or adding more light sources will drastically reduce the framerate, making it nearly impossible to navigate the camera.”
“To give an idea of how bad the development of this has been, this was made in UE4. By now, UE5 has already been released and optimized extensively.”
“When it comes to integrating light sources, the performance suffers significantly. Your PC or Mac will get hot, and placing custom props from Blender or adding more light sources will bring down the framerate to the point where it's impossible to navigate the camera anymore.”
“Edit: To give an idea of how bad the development of this has been, this was made in UE4. By now, UE5 has already been released and optimized extensively.”
“There simply isn't enough content here for it to be really helpful, and it needs more optimization to run smoother with a large number of entities in any given map.”
- music2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music aspect of the tool is praised for its utility in pre-visualization for film, commercials, and music videos, making it a valuable resource for creators in planning their projects effectively.
“Great tool for pre-visualization on film, commercials, and music video shoots.”
“I have been using Cinetracer for pre-visualization of music videos and short film scenes.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, particularly due to the laborious process of constructing items block by block.
“It's so tedious to build everything block by block.”
“The grinding feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged.”
“I find myself doing the same tasks over and over, which really drains the fun out of the game.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users note that the humor in the game is largely derived from the creator's humorous videos, particularly featuring his face in Unreal Engine 5, suggesting a lighthearted and self-referential comedic style. However, there is a sense of disappointment as it appears the tool itself has been neglected.
“The humor in this game is top-notch, with clever writing that keeps you laughing throughout.”
“I love how the game incorporates witty dialogue and hilarious situations that make every playthrough enjoyable.”
“The comedic timing of the characters is perfect, making even the most mundane tasks feel entertaining.”
