SUPER HD TURBO REMIX RAINBOW EDITION: FOURTH STRIKE!

Since I can never leave my pixels alone, I went back and redid all my sprites. I think this should be the last time I mess with the pixels (we'll see). I'm a pixel bully. Constantly messing with them. And taking their money too. And kissing their girlfriend in front of them. And then coming over to their house afterwards and proving how helpful I am with helping the pixel's mom set the dining room table which leads to her inviting me over more so I can mess with them in their only place of escape.

"How come I didn't get any milk?"

Who loves examples? Well get in here. I got examples coming out of my wazoo! My god, it hurts. Nothing should ever come out of anyone's wazoo.

EXAMPLES!

Here is an example of the original knife slash move for Drea step by step. Original version is on the left and the new one... wait for it... is on the right! Imagine that. Single frames by themselves are new frames added in more fluid animation.

Her original face always annoyed me. Looked like a doll's face. A creepy doll in your grandma's room that seemed to stare at you with disapproval. 

Little more build up in grabbing knife.

More of a blur for the knife streak. Plus her knife now gives off a shine onto Drea.

All the knife attacks now end with this staggered fade out effect.

I actually filmed myself slashing a knife for reference because the original always seemed like a weird way to recoil after swinging a knife.

More recoil.

The main reason behind going over these animations and re-shading them is because I got to play a demo of the game and the dynamic lighting that lit up Drea made here look very out of place and showed off how muddy her original coloring was. Plus, I'm a little obsessive.

FINAL VERSION!

And for no good reason besides he rocks, I was watching this earlier. Take it away Mike...

And the Winner is...

I got myself a shiny new gun! Try and take this out of my cold dead hands Mr. President! Pew pew pew! I'ma gonna shoot sumfin reeeeeal good like.
Thanks to Peter Queckenstedt. Who is Mr. Quakenstack? I mean Qrankenstein, I mean Launchpad McQueck... oh wait, I wrote his name right the first time. Never mind.
He is a fellow artist of many talents. You can check out his stuff over yonder...

http://scutanddestroy.wordpress.com/

Here is Peter's original design for the Sonar Drill.

And then my final rendition of it to make it fit on the EDU mech and line things up for gameplay reasons. And a splash of color.

Final version. Finally! 

I kept with the red power tool look but made it more industrial than Peter's design. Peter's design was really inspiring to see. I love to see another artist's vision of the same thing. You get so used to looking at an object at a certain point of view but it's nice to see someone else's point of view because they might have a better vantage point than you do.

Make a Weapon Contest!

Don't tell anyone but I am disguising this whole Build A Weapon Contest as a means for me to find a better design to the Sound Drill weapon.
If you have read my older posts, I go through a lot of changes...

"ME TOO!"

Well, uh... meet me after the blog, lady... dude... whatever. I meant that I go through a lot of changes in gun design. With some of the weapons, I can say that I nailed it the first time.

No more interruptions. As I was saying...

"Hey Bannon. Do you know where the "&" symbol is on the keyboard? Oh snap, I think I found it. Never mind. Carry on."

AS I WAS SAYING... The main weapon of the EDU mech is the Sonar Drill (Or Sound Drill) or whatever the technical name will end up being. Here it is, as it has developed over the months. Look at it. It's all growns up.

It's supposed to be a weapon that is a combination of a power drill, a turret gun and a sonar cannon. But for the life of me, I can't come up with a design I am in love with. This is where you, the reader/pixeler/artist/idea-man/pyro/juggler/babysitter/pie-taster/Spiderman come into play. I would love some feedback and participation from the peeps that stop by the site and have been following the development of the game. Not only will it help me but I would actually love to feature someone's design in the game. I see how many people (er, I mean peeps) stop by the site but I don't get that many comments or feedback. This will get you guys (er, I mean dudes) involved with the behind the scenes stuff (er, I mean shit).

Here's whatcha gots to do.

Copy the example below for reference. 

The first one is 300 times bigger than the actual pixels. The smaller one is the actual size of the gun. This one was my second to last attempt. But all you need to realize is that the actual gun size never exceed more than 32 pixels across and no more than 22 in height (22x32). The magenta background tile is 27x32 but I don't want the gun too tall to where it covers up the EDU mech. So try to keep it under 22 in height. Thanks, your'e a peach.

You can sketch the gun or you can make it using pixels in Photoshop or Paint. Whichever way, I would love to see your designs. And the winning design will be put into the game. Along with a character based on you that will be featured in the game.

"Big Deal. Been there, done that."

Yes, that's right. A pixel you! Along with the gun design, send in a photo of yourself and you'll get pixelized. It won't hurt. Well... maybe. Maybe a lot in fact. The first two runner ups will also get a pixel character for participating too. But your stupid gun design will be burned at the stake! Or is it spelled steak? Mmm... steak.

Send in your submissions to b2thesoft@gmail.com. Put in the header "Hey Jerk!"

Never Happy

Emo kid is so sad. So very sad.

"Glue your hand to the prison bars they said. Glue your head to your hand that is glued to the prison bars afterwards they said. It'll be fun they said."

I am in a constant struggle with being satisfied then spiraling into a deep depression over the fact that I am never happy with my weapons designs for the EDU. This is a little example (I think my second example on this site, actually) of how the weapons changed over the course of me designing the game. Some factors that get, uh... factored into the changes are as follows;

1. Color: It must stand out from the EDU so as not to confuse the player.

2. Size: Sometimes the gun covers way too much of the EDU and looks too bulky. Or it can look too thin and underwhelming.

3. Non Gun Shapeyness: The hardest part of designing these guns is the fact that they are not supposed to be a gun in the traditional sense. They should not have a handle or a "butt" to them since they are turret guns that attach to the side of the EDU's gun mount. If they looked to much like the typical rifle shape, then I failed as an artist and a human being.

4. Tool Inspired: Since the EDU is a drilling mech first and foremost, it shouldn't be wielding military equipment. It can mount guns onto it's "weapon" mount but the drilling weapons should look more like power tools.

A: The Matter Maker. The original version isn't even the original version. That is the third rendition of the weapon. I finally nailed it with the more power tool looking version on the right. I love that design and it hit exactly what I was looking for in my weapon design. Futuristic but still recognizable as a tool. I spent a good amount of time at Home Depot looking at nail guns, saws and hand drills for inspiration. The left version looked too much like a gun and not a power tool. I have been known to be called a power tool on occasion. Usually when I had too many Mountain Dews in my system.

B: The left one is obviously dumb looking. This is an example of how I usually start off a gun to get the basic design and shape of it before I proceed to making a full version. I like how the drill ended up. I added the rivet looking things onto the drill part because that's how actual drills look that bore through rock. Plus it gave it more depth when it's animated.

C: The Cat Cannon original layout. I thought it looked dumb. It kinda looked like a sad robot penis. I also thought to myself "Where's the cat shell being held?" Obviously if you shoot a cat, it's gotta be contained inside something. So I redid it and it only took me one more time to nail the look. I wanted to keep it stubby looking. No need for a big gun with a long barrel. I mean c'mon, it shoots a cat. Not a lot of recoil on cats. Trust me.

Funny thing about this gun. I always think about Les Miserables when I see it. It took me the entire movie to animate the gun while my girlfriend and her friends watched the movie. See how dedicated I am to this game. Even when a shitty overly melodramatic... I mean, award winning sweeping epic of a musical is playing in the room, I ignore it to hone my pixel craft.

D: The Sound Drill is the Bane to my Batman. It has crushed my creative spine. I will never be satisfied with this design. Honestly, I don't think I ever will. The new design has that "rifle" shape that I am trying to avoid. Ugh. Ugh to my life.

E: Nailed it. Might change the color but my first go at it and I think I got what I wanted for the Mine Launcher. Big thick stubby barrel and not rifle shaped.

F: The Flamethrower was a simple fix. The original is the third rendition and I like it but wanted it a little more gritty. As gritty as adding some tubes and a rail on top can make something. I did this to some other gun designs. Nothing to dramatic to show off.

So, fellow pixelers, if you are having a hard time nailing a design, don't fret. Move onto something else and come back to a design later. More than likely, whatever else you ended up pixeling instead, heightened your pixeling skills just a little more to endow you with the prowess to conquer the earlier design that is thwarting your every mouse click.

 "Yeah guys. You can be emo and happy. Take it from me, Spiderman 3's Jay Leno!"

That's who that is, right? I'm hip. Please agree.

Cat Launcher

I thought I would share a new weapon I cooked up today for Into This World. This is going to be a hard one to find in the game. Don't ask how. Mainly because I don't even know how. It's that f'ing secret.
It's called....

THE CAT CANNON!

"For the record, I really do love cats. Here is some proof."

ULTIMATE CAT NAP!

"Ugh. Is that what I look like in 3D? The camera adds a few pounds. A few pounds of ugly. Hey oh!"

Hey, Classic Gameplay There, Bro.

My love for ye olde video games of yore heavily influence my decisions in making Into This World. One of these aspects is how the player controls the two playable characters:

The EDU Mech

The EDU Mech will fill the position of the "Heavy" archetype. This is usually reserved for soldiers, barbarians, or tank like characters in video games. The Heavy is for the most part slower but has a lot of firepower. Even though the mech moves slow it dishes out the damage in spades. In spades I says! It's essentially a God damned sexual Tyrannosaurus.

Just like him.

Drea

Drea is the classic "Ninja" archetype. She can pop out of the mech and hoof it if the player (YOU!) feels so inclined to do so. She's not a high heels type of gal so she is pretty nimble. Wall jumping, sliding, rolling and diving, all that shiz. The Ninja archetype is usually highly agile, but is balanced by the amount of suckage in the health department. Drea likes to jump but doesn't do much damage.

While the Edu mech has the ability to fire weapons and makes use of projectiles to keep enemies at bay, Drea will make use of her close ranged survival knife. She's gotta get in close and attack quickly.

Just like him.

Pre Production Photos

I just wanted to share some photos I whipped up for the Into This World short film I'm directing. It's coming soon for the Kickstarter campaign. This is the concept behind the film: Drea versus pixelated enemies. This will be easy to make. Right? RIGHT?!

And a quick look at Drea's gun. No prop building behind the scenes on this piece. I really didn't want to take the time to explain it all. I think iI was busy watching Cinema Snob reviews at the time. Let's see... Foam, parts of a Nerf gun, flexible thin foam, misc screws, plastic bottle top, other stuff, etc.

It's Been Too Long

So, I'm sorry my super dedicated zealots of Into This World fandom, but I have been super busy. This stupid thing called "life" got in the way and slowed down progress of ITW. New job, various art jobs, building props for a web series. All that shiz.
But I'm back and starting to get my pixel on again. I decided to do what I normally do with my sprites. I went back and touched them up a bit because I am never (never ever ever never) happy with them... Ever!

ORIGINAL

The very original flying animation had a gradient light on the back leg. I thought it looked dumb. And I was right.

REDUX!!!

Redone sprites can get a little too overly sprited. I added a couple of panels to the cockpit to make it look more like a Viper or Hind cockpit. But the newly added Iron Man/ Minority Report tech stuff got covered up and left the whole design too garbled. I also added some highlights to the mech. And I shaded the arms a bit more. I also added a shadow under the halogen light and the big round gear thing that holds the weapon. The cockpit also now has more of a gradient to highlight an ambient light source. Lots of subtle things but I think it fleshes out he design more.

Without the bracing on the cockpit you can see all the flight controls stuff going on. This is what I will end up using.

This gets way too garbled. If you think something looks bad or have a second thought about it, that's because your brain's pride doesn't want to give in and say that extra work you put it actually made the art look worse. If you second guess yourself, it most likely means it's a bad idea and you already know it. Kind of like the part of me that ants to get rid of the bounce that the EDU does in this idle animation. Is it dancing? Does it have Parkinson's disease? 

Now you can actually see the scanning system. Each action you make will change the cockpit HUD display. If you simply stand there, this animation will play. Kind of like Drea is scanning the area and receiving information.

Unrelated Awesome Redux Video

Not my video but pretty damn cool. Watch it with loved ones. If you have no loved ones... yeesh.

Getting to know you

Let's get to know each other!

Well, just got done watching another shitty episode of Grimm. How is it that I have watched every episode and have never been enthralled by it? Yet, I have seen every episode? Must be some Hexenbiest spell. Meh.

So let's get to know the main character... Drea LeBas.

Drea Cuadra
So she had some bad luck in the past year or so. Her planet was overtaken by an alien virus (boo hoo). She was ripped in half and put back together with cybernetic parts (double the boo thrice the hoo). And to top it off she is now back on Earth and fighting an army of creatures to find her long lost brother (cry me a river, then jump in said river and drown yourself, please). So, basically she is a drama queen. Possibly a diva. Still working that out.

Drea has a military background but for her recovery process, she has been working for the UDF drilling company mining precious ore in the caverns of Mars. She acclimated her motor functions through diligent work and got used to her new cybernetic body.

She is kind of a Bitter Betty since the accident and doesn't talk much. She is pretty legendary around the Mars community due to the fact that she is the only person to ever survive an attack by the alien planet.

My inspiration for this character was of course Samus Aran. Who is of course inspired from Ripley in Alien. Drea is not a rip off but more of a homage to the perfectly competent female capable of kicking some major ass type of character of movie and game lore. At the same time not throwing it in the face of the audience that Drea is a woman. Sure she has some nice bazooms but this character can be a male or female. Doesn't matter. It worked for Ripley in Alien and Aliens (we don't talk about the other movies).
The major difference in character is that this chick is pissed. She has a military background and therefore does not take anybody's crap. Unlike some people that would like to talk out their problems, Drea would rather punch it out. Since the accident where her body and face got mangled, she has become kind of a shut in. She's kind of an emo girl that would kick your ass. On a side note, I pray to whatever cosmic god out there... Please O mighty deity, let there not be this vile emo fad in the future. And if you do not heed my cries, it's no future I want a part of.

"Since your'e rambling, I thought I might add my two cents. I don't know if the emo craze is still officially going on. I think they started as scenesters, evolved into emo then into their latest form of hipsters. Much like the misunderstood nerds turned into goths then eventually turned into vampires after Twilight came out."

Uh... wha? Anyways, you'll get to know more about Drea when the game comes out. During the game you will be able to jump out of the EDU drilling mech and give your legs a stretch. Of course you won't be physically as strong as your mech but you will be able to fit in smaller spaces and be more nimble.

   

I promised bazooms. You shall receive bazooms.

"Another thing about social classes. Why do the jocks and bros pop their collars? The original collar popper was Dracula. It was used on stage to help the actor disappear into a trap door but a giant popped collar is synonymous with vampires and other nocturnal ghoulish fiends. Why do jocks pop their collars? Dracula is just about as gothic as you can get. Don't jocks despise and pick on goths? Sure Drea has a popped collar but it's because she wears a military flak jacket. It's meant to protect the neck. And have you ever tried to fold those things down? Impossible. Plus a popped collar was how they used to make seemingly boring characters seems more hip and cool."

He is as cool as Mickey Mouse playing a blue guitar without any pickups and not even plugged in. Good job, bro.