Ben Leffler's Exmortis 3 Development Blog

Attention: Comment Spammers...

2010-07-17T22:58:00.004+10:00

You know who you are... Yeah, I'm talking to you...

Pro tip: comments on this blog are moderated. If you continue to spam your shitty websites here, I'll intercept, reject your post and report you to Blogger for terms of service violation - EVERY TIME.

So maybe save yourself the time and effort. May I even be so bold as to suggest that you cut straight to the part in this process where you just f**k off and embrace your inner-fail?

Awesome. Hey, It's been great chatting with you... good times, huh?

Life of a Devigner

2010-07-08T15:58:00.000+10:00

I have written a new article on the emergence of a hybridized skill set within application & game designers. Have a read of it at the link...

http://blog.3rdsense.com/2010/07/life-of-a-diviner/

Cheers,
Ben.

The Untitled 'Ski Resort' Game

2010-04-30T13:41:00.001+10:00

Another quick update on the untitled Ski Resort game I am working on at the moment. A new screenshot (see above) and some early gameplay footage - which can be found at this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNzzSF2Tq_g

I'm having fun making this game - it is certainly vastly different to what you are used to getting from me... and that in itself is as good as a holiday!

Cheers,
Ben.

Design Refresh & New Actionscript Blog

2010-04-22T12:20:00.000+10:00

I got a little bit tired of the dark brooding vibe this blog and my Twitter page was conveying... yeah sure, it was appropriate artwork for when our main focus was Exmortis 3...

However Exmortis 3 is now 8 months old and my focus has subsequently shifted to the project(s) ahead of me - so I wanted to brighten things up a little bit around here as I push into less dystopian and morbid territory.

Also - for those of you who follow this blog and are of the Flash Dev breed, just a reminder that I have a new Actionscript developer blog which may be relevant to your interests... http://goandgetflucked.blogspot.com

More good stuff to come in the months ahead here!

Cheers,
Ben.

New game in the pipeline...

2010-04-20T17:05:00.001+10:00

Hey y'all... it's been a while, huh?

Things have been hectic of late. I've been swamped under a mountain of client work since the new year, but thankfully I've managed to get enough of it out of the way to dedicate just a little bit of my time to developing our new game...

Snow enthusiasts are gonna love this one, as you build and manage your own alpine wonderland! More details to come in the months ahead so for now, enjoy the screenshots!

Cheers,
Ben.

Buy Exmortis 3 Now With Paypal

2009-12-25T22:38:00.002+11:00

Just a quick blurb to let you all know that Fizzy.com now accepts Paypal as a transaction method, so for those of you who weren't able to purchase Exmortis 3 because you don't have a credit card, this will come as welcome news!

Merry Christmas all! It's been a fruitful year. Hopefully next year proves to be another successful one.

Ben.

Byteside Appearance Online

2009-10-29T13:33:00.002+11:00

This past Tuesday I appeared on the panel for the Byteside video podcast to discuss all things Horror. It was a fun experience to rub elbows with fellow game gurus, magazine editors and give my 2-cents on what makes horror gaming such an important genre.

Check it out now!

http://byteside.com/blog/2009/10/29/byteside-games-4/

Cheers,

Ben.

My new game: Othexo

2009-10-09T13:31:00.002+11:00

I've only been back a week from my trip to Europe, and I've managed to scrape together this quick puzzle game. It's nothing huge, merely a 5 minute time waster... so have fun!

http://www.fizzy.com/games/othexo

See you in October...

2009-09-11T09:33:00.004+10:00

Hi all,

Just a quick reminder that I will be travelling around Europe until October, so I will not be around for support on Exmortis 3, nor will I be able to moderate any comments left on this blog until I get back.

Subsequently as previously mentioned, for any support issues you will need to contact the Fizzy.com support team.

Cheers,

Ben Leffler

Quick patch for Exmortis 3

2009-09-09T15:56:00.003+10:00

Hi guys,

A bug that some have been reporting on Exmortis 3 has reared it's head again...

A patch is available here:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=ED40UKK1

Unfortunately for those of you who have a saved game in Chapter 5 and the end of Chapter 4, this probably won't help you. You will need to install the attached and then load up a save game from the beginning of Chapter: Exodus to experience the bug fix.

Apologies to those affected...

Cheers,

Ben.

Exmortis 3 Activation Checklist

2009-09-09T10:01:00.002+10:00

Hi all,

There are a small handful of people having activation issues with Exmortis 3, so here is a quick checklist of things to do if you face this issue.

Activation of the download of Exmortis requires an Internet Connection to verify the code and your Fizzy account.
Yes, you need an account with Fizzy for the activation to be verified against.
If activation fails, it is quite possible that Exmortis 3 is being denied access to the internet connection via a software or hardware firewall on your network or pc. If that is the case, you will need to either add Exmortis 3 to your firewall's list of trusted applications, or just temporarily deactivate your firewall when you attempt to activate Exmortis 3

Because I am not involved with the technical support side of things at Fizzy/3rd Sense, I advise against posting on this blog with issues involving activation or installation failures if you are after resolution. (Especially considering I will be travelling for the next 4 weeks with little to no internet access in that time... and I want to make sure that every single one of you get the gaming experience that I worked so tirelessly on this past year.)

The best way to get any resolution to your technical issue is to consult with Fizzy Support which is located at http://www.fizzy.com/support

Cheers,

Ben.

Exmortis 3 Available Now!!

2009-09-08T17:21:00.002+10:00

After 3 years and 5 months of blood, sweat and tears - I have finally released my magnus opus, the feather in my cap, the cherry on my cake.

That's right people - Exmortis 3 is FINALLY out.

Run across to http://www.fizzy.com/games/exmortis_3

You guys have no idea how much work I have put into this title - especially over the last 9 months... So please for the love of god if you are truly a fan, I implore you... consider purchasing the full download version from Fizzy.com...

It is only $20 (Australian) which at the moment only equates to around the $17 US mark. And the only way any more games in the Exmortis series can be made is by this one being successful...

I'd like to thank everyone involved in the creation, development, and promotion of the game. I'd also like to thank my family, friends and especially my wife for the support they have shown me and my work.

And I'd like to thank the fans for their enthusiasm and patience while I toiled away with getting this behemoth out of the door. It's been a long hard road, and I'm sure the journey isn't over yet. Who knows, Exmortis 4 might eventuate if this one sells well :) Only you guys can make that happen...

Once again thanks to all, it's time that I got home to my gorgeous wife who has put up with my constant late nights in the office over the last 9 months.

Cheers,

Ben.

Still working on getting it uploaded...

2009-09-08T12:13:00.001+10:00

But in the meantime... enjoy the trailer...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5873TzwuYwY

Cheers,

Ben.

The Countdown Begins!!

2009-09-08T10:46:00.003+10:00

Not long now guys! Making final preparations as we speak. I'll be posting here shortly when it's ready on Fizzy.com

PS. Don't believe the rumours... Exmortis 3 has not been deleted...

The Shadowlands

2009-08-03T15:17:00.002+10:00

"It appears to be a bad moon tonight. Vlaew's sentries overlook the centerpiece of his kingdom - the bastion of his false rule. Indeed tonight the Shadow Citadel will fall and Vlaew will know the taste of his own blood..."

-- Hannay.

Exmortis 3: 2nd-Last Chapter Completed!

2009-07-17T17:47:00.003+10:00

Today marks the completion of the second-last chapter of Exmortis 3 (and probably the most narrative in structure), so why not post a new screenshot?

Have a good weekend guys!

Ben.

Exmortis 3 Screenshot: "Hell's Passenger"

2009-07-06T14:12:00.002+10:00

It's been a while since I've dumped a new Exmortis 3 screenshot here... so here goes nothin'...

ODN: Orion Defence Network Now Live!

2009-06-30T18:25:00.002+10:00

http://www.fizzy.com/games/orion_defence_network

Play it and let us know what you think!

It's fairly graphic & cpu intensive, so Flash Player 10 is recommended as well as playing the game in a pop-up, not the regular overlay. If it starts to chug (and it probably will for most of you), don't forget that you can tweak the game and background graphic quality in the main menu.

Don't forget that if you join Fizzy, you can submit scores as well...

Enjoy my friends! I look forward to hearing your feedback. Now back to work on Exmortis for me... :)

Cheers,

Ben.

ODN: Orion Defence Network

2009-06-29T09:02:00.003+10:00

Sorry guys... our new Fizzy AS3 wrapper wasn't quite ready to launch on Friday... You can expect my new game to go live at some point today (within the next 8 hours)

Cheers,

Ben.

Exmortis 3 updates

2009-06-24T12:59:00.007+10:00

Just a couple of quick things before I get back to work on Exmortis 3...

Exmortis 3 has been given an official release date of August 2009. For those of you who will no doubt ask for specifics on which day release will be... given the scope of the game and the live testing schedule I have to put it through before unleashing upon the world, it will most likely be an end-of-the-month release.

Secondly, Shane from www.gamescares.com has conducted an interview with yours truly. If you zip over to this link: http://www.gamescares.com/main/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=194:interview-ben-leffler-exmortis&catid=23:interviews&Itemid=29 you just might find new Exmortis 3 information and a previously unreleased screenshot of the upcoming game.

And finally, my new AS3 space shooter game that will be released Friday 26th June at Fizzy.com has been given a title: "ODN: ORION DEFENCE NETWORK" - so zip along to Fizzy (and eventually Newgrounds) and have a play and a vote on the game...

Cheers,

Ben.

New! And Untitled!

2009-06-18T15:40:00.002+10:00

Hey hey kiddies.

A fellow flash dev here in the 3rd sense office (the wonderful Oliver Joyce of the Swords and Sandals series) started his first step in to the big bad (and painfully glorious) world of ActionScript 3.

And it got me thinking that this would be the perfect opportunity for me to take the same step that I had long been putting off due to the seemingly overwhelming complexity of AS3, and my lack of spare time to dedicate to relearning 6 years worth of coding knowledge.

Thus I took the opportunity to benefit from his "cultural learnings" and forward steps he was taking by also putting myself through the same painful relearning process...

And 3 weeks later, here I am with my first AS3 game and most Michael Bay-esque title to date! The game is as yet untitled and I expect that we will be releasing it on Fizzy and eventually Newgrounds in about a week.

Now that I've taken that first step in to a brave new AS3 world, I can get back to finishing off Exmortis 3, which I can announce will release in August 2009... (pending disaster)

Ben.

Exmortis 3 - Game Poster

2009-05-13T14:28:00.003+10:00

Aah - what the hell... I was going to save it for a moment closer to release, but you can't hold back the demon apocalypse now, can you?

Chapter "Exposure" Completed

2009-05-06T18:27:00.002+10:00

Well kiddies, we're almost there... Today marks the completion of development on the chapter titled "Exposure" ... It's taken almost two months of full time work on it, but I'm very happy with what has been accomplished in this chapter. It harkens back to the original Exmortis vibe and polishes it up with some awesome puzzles, artwork, sound effects and gore.

I also need to send a big "thank you" to Oliver Joyce who provided voice acting for the scavenger character from Exposure...

To celebrate the conclusion of development for this part of Exmortis 3, I have a screenshot of the last scene from the chapter to post for y'all... enjoy! Ben.

The Scavenger's Pit

2009-04-22T18:23:00.004+10:00

Greetings from the 3S offices... I'm just putting the finishing touches on the 3rd chapter and things are coming together nicely. So I thought that I'd unleash the latest screenshot from the Exmortis 3 development... I hope this tickles you horror junkies pink.

Exciting days ahead, that's for sure... :)

Cheers,

Ben.

Talking About Games Interview

2009-03-26T14:02:00.002+11:00

Just a heads up that Addam Kearney from Talking About Games has published an interview with me. Check it out at: http://talkingaboutgames.com/news/interviews/3644-interview-ben-leffler and whilst you're at it, have a look through the rest of their excellent gaming website...

"Not Visceral Enough" -- Please allow me to retort... ;)

2009-03-20T18:14:00.004+11:00

I had an email come through from a fan of the Exmortis series the other day, commenting about how amazing the screenshots have looked thus far - however there was a cause for concern that the 3rd game was coming across as light on the visceral "no holds barred" approach to horror that made the original game a tear away.

Well my friends, hopefully this screenshot (lifted directly from the commercial version of Exmortis 3) will illustrate that a little bit of spit & polish doesn't mean I'm going soft on you guys where the gore factor is concerned...

Expect a few punches below the belt, is all I can suggest...

New screenshot

2009-03-12T17:22:00.003+11:00

To celebrate the completion of another Exmortis chapter, here is another screenshot from the game. This is of a portal that has opened which allows you to travel to various places in the game at the blink of an eye.

Yet another example of how the Colour Dodge (Add) blending mode in Flash can produce some rather spectacular lighting effects.

Cheers,

Ben.

BOOM!

2009-02-09T16:13:00.003+11:00

Occasionally between now and when Exmortis 3 is done, I'm going to be releasing the odd screenshot here and there to ramp up the excitement for this upcoming title... Today's screenshot is of a scene I've only just finished off today... I've named it "Nuke Go Boom - Please Pass The Sunscreen."

Yes, this screenshot is actually animated - and yes, Exmortis 3 should be released in a few months time (at current projection).

New Exmortis 3 Screenshots

2009-01-25T12:11:00.004+11:00

Hi all...

I'm still hard at work on the 3rd Exmortis game. I'm pulling some major hours on it at the moment, and just to keep interest up here are a few more screenshots of the game... Enjoy!

Ben.

My Flash Player 10 Opinion - WOW!!!

2008-10-21T13:08:00.003+11:00

You either have it or you are seriously missing out.

In my time as a Flash Designer, I am yet to come across a release of a Player that has provided the improvements that the new Flash Player 10 has given us. It is a MUST download, as it makes the games that were otherwise unplayable - playable! (Such as Aquatica)

How is this possible in a player release? Well, Adobe have introduced GPU Hardware Acceleration in to the Active-X and stand alone player... about time, eh?

So what are you still doing here reading this? GO GO GO! Download now! www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash

Then zip across to Fizzy.com and play Aquatica the way I intended it to be played!

Cheers,

Ben.

Aquatica: My New Game

2008-10-04T10:15:00.004+10:00

Hello again... I've just released my first game within my new job as a game developer for 3RD sense. Check it out at: www.fizzy.com/games/aquatica

Boo!

2008-06-25T10:06:00.005+10:00

Yes it's true. I'm not dead. And neither is Exmortis 3... And to prove it, here is the first screenshot I've been prepared to let loose in a long time... :)

Ben.

Goliath hits 1 million plays!

2008-02-11T09:54:00.000+11:00

It was as much of a surprise for me as anyone else that Goliath The Soothsayer, after only being live for 42 days, has already hit the 1 million plays mark!

It took Exmortis2 about 8 months to accomplish that feat - so to say that those involved in the production of this game are summarily chuffed by how quickly Goliath was picked up - well, that would be an understatement.

I'm sure that as a result of this success, you will see a few more Universal Records/Leffler Web Design collaborations in the future :)

So I send a MASSIVE thank you to all of you guys for playing the game. But for now, I get back to work at putting together a kick-ass Exmortis 3...

Goliath The Soothsayer Bugs

2008-02-11T09:47:00.000+11:00

Hi all,

Just a quick thank you for those of you who have reported bugs in the Goliath game... A quick FYI - those bugs were fixed over a month ago, however various websites in internetland decided to steal the game whilst it was in it's pre-release testing phase and publish it without Universal's or my consent. Hence a buggy version of the game is doing the rounds.

For the actual "bug-free" version of the game, please visit Amazon.com or Newgrounds.com to see Goliath The Soothsayer as it was meant to be.

Cheers,
Ben.

Goliath The Soothsayer Released at Amazon

2008-01-02T09:59:00.000+11:00

Ladies and Gents - Goliath The Soothsayer has now been released online at Amazon.com for all to play... head on over, give the game a go - and don't forget to pre-order the upcoming Mars Volta album "The Bedlam in Goliath" while you are there...

Play the game here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000ZK4466/ (and click "Play now" in the Play Goliath the Soothsayer dialogue box)

I hope you all enjoy this short little ditty... however next on the agenda: Exmortis 3... :)

Goliath The Soothsayer Screenshots

2007-11-30T00:23:00.000+11:00

Hi all,

Hot off the press... here are 6 screenshots for the upcoming game. Keep in mind that the game is still well and truly a work in progress, so any of these scenes could change dramatically come release.

I am probably not going to release any further screenshots after this batch, as I will be too busy coding, designing and recording over the next couple of weeks to upload anything... plus I do want a few scenes to be a surprise... :)

Enjoy!

Ben.

Goliath: The Soothsayer Announced...

2007-11-19T09:39:00.000+11:00

Well - the cat is well and truly out of the bag now... this article appeared on IGN's page relating to the Alarm Hot Vest project (now officially titled Goliath: The Soothsayer) (From http://au.music.ign.com/articles/836/836026p1.html)

US, November 16, 2007 - In preparation for the (Edit: Jan) 29th, 2008 release of their new album, The Bedlam In Goliath, The Mars Volta will be releasing Goliath The Soothsayer, an online game based on the album.

Goliath The Soothsayer will be availabel via Amazon.com on January 2nd, 2008. Goliath The Soothsayer is based on the true story that inspired the narrative laid out in the songs featured on The Bedlam In Goliath. The "Soothsayer" in question here is the Ouija board owned by vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala and the songs detail how it morphed from a source of amusement into a "malevolent psycho-spiritual force" during the bands Amputechture tour.

Well, I'm motoring along at the moment with only a couple of weeks left to finish and so far the game is looking pretty nice. All you point n click fans know what to expect from me on this project of which I am hoping to bring the polished look of Exmortis 2 whilst utilising the rather subtle demonic dread of the original Exmortis in this title.

All in all, I have some very late nights ahead of me between now and deadline in December!

B.

Press Release and Trailer

2007-11-13T01:03:00.000+11:00

I have been told that there will be a press release coming from my client sometime in the next few days concerning the Alarm Hot Vest project. It essentially lets the cat out of the bag on all the details I have been cagey about relating to this project. And to sweeten the press release up a little, it will include a trailer for the upcoming game...

By the way - no one thus far is even close to working out the anagram... here's some more clues... (but you'll find out the answers in the next few days)

The anagram is split up in to 3 words. The first word is 3 letters in length and does not contain the letter A. The second word is 4 letters long and does not contain the letter T.

Anyway - once the press release has been unleashed and the subsequent trailer hits the net, I will release some high-res screenshots of the opening sequence here on this blog... (the trailer is reasonably low res to save on download speeds/space)

Alarm Hot Vest Clues

2007-11-02T14:35:00.000+11:00

The "Alarm Hot Vest" project is under way and motoring along... First draft will be completed on December 1st, and pending it's approval from the client - the game should be released at an as yet-to-be announced website by the end of the year.

For all you Newgrounds/Jayisgames visitors, wide distributed release will see it hit those websites (and all the other sites that enjoy stealing flash games from Newgrounds without remunerating the artist) on January 28th...

Now for the clues on what the hell this project is about...

"Alarm Hot Vest" is an anagram
It is a point n click supernatural game
It is based on a true story from the entity designated by the above anagram
The date January 28 is significant
The game has a lot of similarities to the original Exmortis game and it's atmosphere
Ambience and some sound effects are provided by a group of very well known musicians

That's all I'm willing to give away for now... However, keep your eyes glued to this site in the next 2 months for screenshots and the final announcement once the game has gone live!

Alarm Hot Vest

2007-10-03T15:45:00.000+10:00

The "Alarm Hot Vest" project is back in development and will be hitting the net in December...

This is going to rock... you'll see why... :)

PS. Exmortis3 will get made. Have faith, but don't hold your breath...

I'm still alive...

2007-09-14T09:13:00.000+10:00

Sorry guys... you have no idea how busy I have been of late. So busy in fact, I've been knocking back a lot of business opportunities because I am having trouble coping with the influx of clients I've been getting.

I haven't reported anything on this blog for a while because - well - I have nothing to report.

So yeah - I'll update when I have something useful to say... :)

Cheers,
Ben.

Unseen TV Launched!

2007-07-25T16:13:00.000+10:00

Hey peoples! Just letting you know that we have officially launched Unseen TV - you probably wouldn't be interested in it if you are from outside of Australia - but this has been my big project I've been pulling 20 hour work days for over the last month!

All you Aussies - help us out and visit www.unseentv.com.au :: rock on!

Ben.

Alarm Hot Vest

2007-07-06T10:48:00.000+10:00

TGIF!!!

My previous post with regards to an August 13th release date for a new project has now been post-poned... which is good news for you Exmortis fans out there because it means I can refocus attention on that title.

I won't elaborate on the "Alarm Hot Vest" conundrum from my previous post just yet, because the project is still going to happen around December/January...

Without giving away any confidential information, I was contacted by a company (a brand that you are all very familiar with...) to put together a new spooky viral point-n-click game to help market a VERY VERY COOL new product release of theirs... However they have had to delay the release date, so my immediate attention to this project is not required until later in the year... suffice to say, working with this client on this project is going to be a glowing addition to my portfolio... possibly more so than the noteriety associated with the Exmortis series thus far.

The delay on the Alarm Hot Vest project is also great for me because my current workload looks like this (this list more for me than it is for the public):

Continue development on the Exmortis3 title.
Finish up work on a website for an internationally branded Health Club.
Launching and developing a new Internet TV channel that I am very actively involved in. (This is going to rock hard! More on this in the coming weeks...)
I'm on hiatis at the moment from another big DVD/Flash based project while legal wranglings are being sorted out by the customer. But once legalities are sorted, this will smash up all my spare time... I guarantee it!!
A new website is needing to be developed from scratch for a baseball club here in Sydney before the summer season starts in September/October.
Developing a small eCommerce site for online procurement for a technology company before end of July.
Developing a quick and easy website for a Water Tank business here in Sydney.

And all this needs to be done inbetween my full time sales job, me finding a new home for me and my dog, buying new furniture/general household appliances, a trip to the alps to get a week of snowboarding in, my 30th birthday extravaganza later this month, my commitment to playing baseball, AND a holiday to Great Keppel Island in November (plus whatever else pops up between now and then)

That list looks bloody daunting on paper - it was a lot shorter in my head!! I swear - if I'm not burnt out by year's end, I haven't worked hard enough!!!

--B

Rumblings from LWD Central...

2007-06-21T08:44:00.000+10:00

The winds have changed... there's something new brewing deep in the heart of LWD's high-security laboratories... make sure you return to this blog in the coming months. It's not Exmortis3 unfortunately... but it's something new... and spooky...

Clue: ALARM HOT VEST

Don't worry - you're not expected to work it out... But all will be clear come August 13...

Questions :: Round 3 ding ding

2007-06-04T14:13:00.000+10:00

Q/ I'd like to ask about the techniques you use to make the visual perspective of these games so scary (from Matt)

A/ Every scene is created slightly differently and there is so much I can say about the different techniques I've adopted for this series. I've tried to keep certain effects and colour palettes as constant as possible across each title. To give you an example, in Exmortis2 I primarily used Photoshop to create each scene. I usually start with a photograph, manipulate the shit out of it until I have all backgrounds and animated objects layed out and separated on different layers.

I apply a sepia and/or multiplied overlay to create the scene's palette (try colorising if you're unfamiliar with different types of blending). All blood effects are a combination of different red/moroon coloured brushes and applied with the "color burn" blending style. I then great a gradient feathered gaussian blur to the outside edges of each scene to create an interesting effect that makes the centre of the image look in focus, and the rest gradually blurs out. The picture above is a perfect example of all these techniques married in to a single scene...

Q/ I was wondering if Exmortis 3 will be longer and even more challenging than the first two? (From Faytar)

A/ I certainly do plan on making Ex3 both longer AND more challenging. Thankfully with the cost of bandwidth going down, and the uptake of broadband services increasing - I can now pretty much double the size of my flash games. Exmortis 1 & 2 were both restricted to 5MB due to Newgrounds placing limits on submission sizes - unfortunately as a result I had to heavily compress graphics and sound and cut a handful of scenes from each game... which was a shame at the time because I put a lot of time in to creating the highest possible quality images and sounds - but it was unavoidable if I was to be able to submit to the most popular Flash portal on the planet.

About a year ago, Newgrounds revised their limitations (thankfully) and doubled the allowable submission size to 10MB. Keep in mind that this doesn't necessarily mean Exmortis 3 will be twice as long as previous titles... indeed it will be longer, but the extra space also means that I can smash together the game with the quality of graphics and sounds that I wish I could of had in Ex1 & 2 had my hands not been tied.

As far as challenging - this time around I am trying to put some real thought in to puzzles. Rather than just throwing in a sudoku puzzle and a click-sequence puzzle, you can expect some puzzles which may require lateral and 3-dimensional thinking. But fear not - there will be in-game clues to help and I'm sure a walkthrough will be floating around at the time of release as I have done with previous games.

Q/ What do you intend to do with exmortis beyond the third game and potentially creating a redux version of the three games as a DVD? (From Faytar)

A/ There are currently plans in place to look at extending the Exmortis series in to other media. I let out a little blurb on this about a week ago, but I am currently in the act of working with a team of engineers to alpha test a Cable TV version of the original Exmortis 1 & 2 games in India. I won't go in to too much details on this because it is still purely concept and a raw-bones engine we're working with - but the basic idea is to allow the Indian market to be able to play a revised version of Ex1 & 2 via their digital cable television remotes. This is in a pure proof-of-concept phase at the moment, so it's all just rolling along in demo over the next couple of months.

Other than that, nothing is set in stone as far as the future of this story is concerned after Exmortis 3. As I have said previously, I'm just going to wait to make my next decision of how or if this story gets furthered after I've wrapped up the arc with the release of Ex3 and gauge it's successes/failures.

That's all for now!

Cheers,

Ben.

Questions, questions, questions...

2007-05-31T12:08:00.000+10:00

There's been a few developments of late with Exmortis & Exmortis 2... both games have been added to the popular www.addictinggames.com portal and as a result I have been flooded with hundreds of emails... So I thought that to make answering the questions in my emails (which are mostly all the same) easier, I would put a call out to y'all asking if you have any questions you'd like answered, just comment on this post and I will hopefully answer them in a follow-up post.

OK - on to the first set of questions... these are from "George"...

Q/ When do you think Exmortis 3 will be coming?
A/ I think an earliest target for me will be around christmas if all things work out from here on in. But don't hold me to that... anything can happen between now and then... plus as I've experienced in the past, my professional life and it's associated workload tends to leave me with hardly any spare time of late. If things slow down with work in the coming months, I really want to get this project back on track...

Q/ How many computers have you destroyed due to the curse of Exmortis?
A/ I'm on to my third laptop computer since mid-2004 as a result of theft, hardware failures and malfunctions during the creative processes involving the Exmortis series. And even though the desktop that I built the early draft of Exmortis on, has experienced about a dozen rebuilds since - it's still runs adequately as my gateway PC... You can see why I think this series is cursed! Can't wait until I get this series across to television... (oops - did I let a cat out of the bag?) ;)

Q/ When did you first think about the Exmortis series?
A/ About May 2003. I didn't set out to tell a story - I wanted to learn how to use flash and the best way I could think of achieving that was by creating something that would allow me to expand my graphic design skills. As a result, I taught myself flash while creating the first Exmortis - and the story sort of developed as I was plodding along in the creation process - literally scene-by-scene. I had no idea where it was going storyline wise, until about 10 scenes before the final credits... so the story that eventuated is more of a stroke-of-luck thing than a predetermined storyline that I wanted to tell.

Q/ Think you can make me shart myself by making Exmortis 3 THAT scary?
A/ I certainly hope so! (Remind me of the exact combination of frequencies for the experimental "BROWN NOISE") I've got some scenes & sequences pictured in my mind that are so fucking gory and outlandishly violent that if I can pull of the execution and timing just right - it will have you starting at the screen rubbing your eyes wanting to repeat what you just saw. If you've seen "28 Weeks Later" - think of how you giggled uncontrollably through the helicopter/field of zombies scene. I probably won't be able to top that - but I'm hoping to achieve the same reaction from those of you playing my game!

That's all for now... send me your questions either via email or comment to this post and I'll try and answer here in this blog...

Ben.

Thanks guys...

2007-05-28T09:32:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

I've had an overwhelming show of support from nearly everyone - and for that I thank you... I'm still stuck in the middle of the rebuilding process with some projects that I was working on for clients, but with every moment that goes past I feel increasingly compelled to get started with Exmortis 3 during the very bit of down time that I get...

But at this stage, just treat this post as a big thanks to everyone for the overwhelming support and kind words I've received over the last few weeks. It's really helped me maintain a level head to know that there's people out there kind enough to invest time in sending me the love! :) And for that I am greatful, and I hope to repay you all eventually with a kick ass conclusion to the Exmortis series.

However, there are some people who aren't so accomodating - as for you blogger with the alias "John" (you know who you are) >> if you're really who you say you are :: AND I VERY MUCH DOUBT THAT YOU ARE :: then you will leave a comment for this post telling me the name of the establishment from where you ALLEGEDLY took my bag from me... otherwise, you're wasting your time here - and your words mean about as much as your pathetic existence on this planet does. Grow up and get a hobby... (Hourly self-gratification doesn't count as a hobby, by the way...)

Walla walla,
Ben.

My last post for a long while...

2007-05-11T13:24:00.000+10:00

My opinion of humanity in general has taken a massive beating this last 24-hours... I am absolutely gutted - let me explain why...

I'm too depressed right now to write my usual essay... but I will say this - my notebook was stolen last night, and with it everything I've done up until now on Exmortis 3. Not only that - but I've lost everything I have done for the past 5 years. Yes - I backed it all up to DVD-R, but take one guess where that backup disc was being kept? That's right - in the laptop carry bag that was stolen.

That notebook also had a lot of personal items of an unreplaceable and invaluable nature (ie. my entire music collection, digital photos of friends/family/pets compiled over the last 10 years, as well as my entire portfolio) The bag also contained my ipod, mobile phone, and car/house/office keys.

Just so you all know, I had plans after the release of Exmortis 3 to make available for purchase online a redux DVD of the entire Exmortis series - recompiled with the highest possible quality sound and graphics settings, new scenes, outtakes, source material and various other bits and pieces. Unfortunately that is not possible now as I have lost all the Exmortis series source code as a result of the ass clown that decided to steal the result of 5 years of hard work from me...

I am beyond consolable right now - constantly bouncing back and forth between depression and anger.

I guess that I just wanted to say that even though this set back has demoralised me almost to the point of just walking away from everything and living like an internet depraved hermit, I still intend to soldier on with Exmortis 3 eventually. But it's going to be a long and arduous task to even get close to where I was before this happened. And right now, the daunting thought of the task ahead of me is too much to handle.

Wish me luck, and hopefully when I am back on my feet I will start posting again. But right now, I'm too depressed to continue typing...

Ben.

Blog Changes & Work Update.

2007-05-10T15:05:00.000+10:00

Just a quick note to say that due to abuse of the comments sections of this blog, I've now made it compulsory for users to be registered with this service in order to leave a comment. Apologies about the restrictions being brought in, but you guys can all thank 2 or 3 specific idiots for forcing my hand on this.

I wouldn't normally care, but I run a business and the Exmortis series (as well as the associated resources) are used as part of our skillset portfolio. Childish comments in a development blog don't usually bode well when attempting to secure potential new clients...

On a positive note, I have had a chance to dedicate a couple of days worth of work to Ex3 this past week, and as a result of fiddling around with a few add-on apps, I've actually stumbled across a methodology of combining certain flash and swift3D elements to create some awesome special effects that I didn't think was possible in a .swf file...

I've also spent a very painful 5 hour stint resequencing and aligning the work I've accomplished so far on this title to a new 20 frame per second rate - up from 12 frames per second.

Reason for this? I originally started this project with the intent to present a 12 frame per second title which in theory would have allowed precise synchronisation of audio streams and animations in the Internet Explorer environment. Unfortunately the frame rate really chopped up the fluidity of certain sequences and detracted away from the vibe of the scene - so I decided to bite the bullet for the sake of the overall product.

Can I just say - LONGEST AND MOST FRUSTRATING 5-HOURS OF MY LIFE!

But it's done and it was well worth the effort! I've sequenced and optimised Lucian's dialogue and everytime I revisit the work that has been done, I can't help but smirk... :) You guys are going to love it!

Apologies for lack of updates

2007-04-20T09:37:00.000+10:00

Hi all,

Apologies for the lack of updates in the past few months. There have been a lot of life changing and career definining moments for me of late - and they have subsequently taken my recent focus away from the Exmortis 3 project.

I wish I could go in to details, but my reasons are either of a personal nature or I am being prevented from saying anything due to a variety of non-disclosure agreements I've had to sign recently.

I've had a lot of ups and downs in the past few months, but most important of all - I have been the busiest I have ever been in my life. Things are starting to happen for me professionally and the work I am producing is starting to make major waves here in Australia. Unfortunately as a result, the water gets muddied, people important to me get neglected, and professional & personal priorities get mixed up.

But as I've stated previously, Exmortis 3 is a labour of love for me. I promise you - it will happen. I just don't know when. Hopefully I can make it happen sooner rather than later...

I have been copping a fair whack of abuse lately in the comments sections - and I do understand why. You guys are just keen to play the game and you are frustrated with constant delays and a lack of information coming back to you through this blog... I promise you that I am keen to let you guys play the game.

I've received nothing but adulation for the previous two releases, and I want nothing more than to bask in the warmth of another success and soak in the knowledge that it was a job well done... I want that feeling back more than anything...

I do apologise for the rather cryptic and informationless nature of this post... if I could say more I would... but I guess I just wanted you guys to know that my passion for this project has not died down. I am not being lazy. I am not trying to neglect it and you. Exmortis 3 will eventually happen... AND IT WILL PWN YOU!

Ben.

Vocal Damnation Winners & Short Lists

2007-02-16T08:37:00.000+11:00

Hi all. Entries for the voice over competition have now closed. Over the course of the weekend I will be shortlisting entries and a final winner will be announced early next week.

Majority of the entries I have received were of a high to perfect quality, so you can be sure that I will be offering secondary voice acting spots to more than one of you as I go through the creation process in coming months.

Stay tuned to www.jayisgames.com in the next fist full of days for an announcement of who's the voice of Mr. Hannay!

Last Call For Voice Over Submissions!

2007-02-14T11:38:00.000+11:00

Attention potential voice actors! This is the last call for voice over entries in the "Vocal Damnation" competition to be the voice of the main character in the penultimate Exmortis game.

Visit http://jayisgames.com/archives/2007/01/exmortis_3_voice_actor.php for instructions on how to enter...

Entries close on Thursday 15th February with the winner to be announced in the week following on www.jayisgames.com (also known as www.casualgameplay.com)

Good luck to all!

The Internet is Truly a Scary Piece of Work!

2007-02-12T13:21:00.000+11:00

This is only slightly related to the Exmortis games, but it is more of a commentry on the availability of information on the net...

So, I woke up this morning and dragged myself in to work only to find a nice little email waiting for me in my inbox... It was absolutely priceless, and I couldn't resist posting it up here on my development blog...

This is from a person who would only identify themselves as Nightsrose on the email…

“you sad little man. after playing exmortis 1, I realised that I have just wasted part of my life because of your lack of creativity and skill, you are an ABOMINATION to the human race and the horror writing community. You should hang yourself now instead of creating any more filth. The graphics and imagery were laughable and you've got fucking losers commenting on "How totally scary it was!" JUST FUCKING DIE!!!! When you're completing the next piece of rubbish you decide to make, include a side-game in which the gamer gets to batter you with different parts of you dismembered corpse. That way you won't get hate mail from dissapointed people who feel they need to hurt you in order to claim a sense of justice because of what you have done to them and the whole world, through unleashing the visual atrocity which you pass off as a game.

I fail to see why on earth you would put your real name to a piece of shit like this, then publish on the fucking internet! All I need to do now, Is look for someone called ben leffler who lives in new south wales in austrailia for when I feel the overwhelming urge to mutilate your putrid carcass after pissing all over your so called work. Don't you have a life? do you have any friends? no? didn't think so, dont worry, dont be so sad, the noose should help make us all feel better, go on just hang yourself.”

Personally, I find it highly amusing that someone who claims to have wasted part of their life playing my game, would then willingly invest further time in constructing such a poorly worded/punctuated attack upon me directly. My reaction to this email was nothing short of falling off my chair in fits of histerical laughter...

So anyway - the hate mail is not the reason for this blog entry - what I am going to say next is what i actually set out to blog about today...

So I thought that I would do a bit of investigation based on the only bit of info that I had about this hate mailer (ie. the email address it was sent to me from) and it's really demostrated to me the unbelievable amount of information you can find on the internet with just one email address...

I now know my assailants name, gender, sexual-preference, address, age, likes, dislikes, height, weight, eye-colour, hair-colour, vices, hobbies, professional skill-sets, background, phone number AND I even have numerous pictures of her so I know what she looks like...

I mean, holy jesus!!! All this info gathered just from what started as a simple Google search on an email address, and then following along the branches of sites until I found information that was relevant to my motives...

And I am not by any means the most techy person in the world, but even if I am fairly web savvy it made me realise that anyone with even the most remote experience in web surfing has easy access to an unending multitude of personal information on virtually anyone in the modern world with a computer... AND THAT'S JUST FREAKING SCARY!!

But in closing this entry, and getting back to the email - I have to say that it was fairly disappointing that Emma (aka Nightsrose) demonstrated such venom and a complete lack of maturity in her email, because what is clearly evident (from my investigations in to her) is that she is a very talented graphic artist and an accomplished word-smith - as demonstrated by her numerous works on DeviantArt.com. Not to mention, that I was very suprised and anguished that such ugliness could be produced by a person of such beauty who has the capability of creating works that posess amazing emotive properties whilst also retaining a clarity and quality worthy of publication...

Emma - if you happen to stumble across this blog entry... I have the highest respect for your work/art, and so I pay my homage to it as such... however your vitriolic email, written without even the slightest idea of the person that I am and what I was setting out to achieve with the Exmortis game, paints a picture of you that does a great disservice to the person you (probably) are...

I Laugh in the Face of the Curse!

2007-01-29T11:29:00.000+11:00

Notebook has been fixed with no data lost... motherboard, cpu & memory all replaced by the good people at HP. God bless them! :)

First thing I do when I get home tonight... BACK EVERYTHING UP!

Back in the game, baby!!! :)

"Curse of Exmortis" Strikes Again!! :(

2007-01-22T11:41:00.000+11:00

The first time was unexpected. The second time was a case of "not again!". This time it's a case of "thank god for the extended warranty"

What the hell am I talking about? The Curse of Exmortis. It's back, and this time it means business!!!

If you are still wondering what I am talking about - I have to let you in on a little secret... The Exmortis development phase is cursed. It's like a higher power is working against me finishing these games.

Most good stories have supposed curses, mishaps and associated lore surrounding them - Macbeth and the movie Poltergeist are two that come immediately to mind. However the Curse of Exmortis translates in to a less immediately fatal hex upon my life (not counting potential heart attacks over possibly losing everything on my hard drive.)

My computer hardware is always in a state of stream lined precision and has maximum up time. Before the first Exmortis games I hadn't had a blue screen of death in almost half a decade, and my PC had only ever hung once or twice on me due to application error... everything of mine was a picture of ultimate computering health.

And then my mainboard fizzed out on me half way through the making of Exmortis. I was absolutely shit-scared that my work had fizzed out with it. Over the proceeding months, HP replaced my mainboard no more than 4 times before I got sick and tired of getting an unfixed unit back... so I wrote a strongly worded letter to them. As a result, they sent me out a new model notebook in return for me signing a document which prevented me from taking any legal action for loss of income over the dud notebook they kept sending back to me.

Exmortis was released shortly after and for the following 12 months, it was business as usual - not a single error, unusual reboot or hardware failure. All was good... until I started work on Exmortis 2.

Once again, the mainboard fizzed out on the replacement notebook - so I began the arduous task of going through the Indian call centre and getting my PC repaired. I went through this process another 2 times before my notebook was back to working order and Exmortis 2 was subsequently finally released...

Jump ahead to present day... all was once again good in my computer stablity world... until yesterday... SMACK BANG IN THE MIDDLE OF CREATING EXMORTIS 3!!! Mainboard fizzed again... I am now very familar with the sound of my skull cracking against the nearest hard blunt object...

Is this insane? Am I going crazy? Is this just a coincidence? of course it is... but I am very frustrated with the question 'why the hell does my PC keep crapping out on itself when I am working on an Exmortis game?!?'

On a side note - suffice to say, "thank god for my extended warranty" - Next Business Day On-site Repair... seriously worth every single dollar I spent on it!!!

People - I highly highly recommend that if you ever buy a notebook - not just a HP one, but any other brand - buy an onsite repair warranty upgrade for at least 3 years... It has saved my life on many occasions! And oh yeah - take it from me... BACK UP REGULARLY!!! I've got 4 years worth of work sitting on my notebook that I haven't backed up. (I just pray that I am right in that it is the mainboard that's dead again - not my hard drive...) It's like playing with matches... I know better than to run a gauntlet with my precious data... yet I never learn...

Hopefully I find out tomorrow if I have lost everything... including the work completed so far on Exmortis 3... keep your fingers crossed for me! :( Hopefully the Curse of Exmortis hasn't finally claimed me...

The Estimated December 2006 Release

2007-01-15T10:29:00.000+11:00

Ok... I've received a couple of sniping remarks in some blog comments regarding the originally estimated December release of Exmortis 3. So I feel that I must address these remarks...

As user "Jim" mentioned in his most recent comment, December was the "estimated" release date that I posted on the teaser trailer I put up on Newgrounds Alphas back in June... At the time I felt that it was a fairly accurate target for this game as my professional and personal life had cleared up to a point where I felt I could spend a copious amount of time on creating a game that was worthy of the Exmortis series.

However shortly after that target date was set and publicized, I was caught in an overwhelming avalanche of web design work - of which I can only do after I get home from my day job at 8pm on a nightly basis... so let me make things a little clearer to those of you pissed at me for not meeting the December date...

- My web design work makes me money and provides a secondary income that I require to keep me paying rent, electricity and water bills as well as covering cost of living for my girlfriend, my cat and my dog... it is a neccessity that I make money to continue living...

- The Exmortis series is a labour of love for me. The only money I make off of it is from what ever adertising, sponsorship and subsequent awards I can scrape together for the game. That money - if any at all - is only paid to me well after I have released the game, and is anything but substantial in comparison to what I make from being a contracted web designer.

- Only 1 person (ie. me) works on putting together any releases in this series of games (apart from this recent voice over competition - see last post) I have no one else to pick up any slack on my behalf if I am in a position to have no time to spend on it.

- All work I do on this game is within my spare time - of which I have had very little of late. I have explained this over and over and over again within the pages of this development blog - that is this blogs purpose... to give the fans of this series updates as to how the game is coming along...

- I will not - repeat: WILL NOT - rush the creative process of this game. I am most definitely my harshest critic and I will not release a half baked game that I am not 110% percent happy with. That is not fair to me, to the standard the previous 2 games have set, nor to those of you in casual gaming land who expect nothing but a high standard conclusion to this series.

- The flash game design and creation process can sometimes be a very monotonous and mentally draining process. I put every single ounce of my creativity in to these titles, but sometimes I hit a road block and things don't translate to Flash as they do in my mind. Times like these require me to step back and take a break for a week or two to get my mind away from the game - it's the only way I can top up my creativity bar for when I return to the console to continue the process... probably only those of you who have put time in to a flash game would understand this plight, but it is a necessary evil in this labour of love...

- December was only ever the "estimated" release date for the game. It was a date I had to provide to Newgrounds Alphas in order for me to submit the trailer. December was merely a target that I set myself when I thought I would have enough time to labour over this project. Estimates can wrong... that's why they are called estimates...

Ok, I do realise why some people are becoming critical as a result of me missing the December date. I understand that those of you are only disappointed because you are fans of the series and that you are keen on getting stuck in to the 3rd and final game. I understand the frustrations, and I don't hold it against you at all - if anything, it is heartening that know that you guys care enough that I would miss a date only ever mentioned on a single page somewhere in internetland... Honestly though, I'd be more dejected if nothing was mentioned at all...

That said, I hope I have explained the process a little bit better and that you have a better understanding about what I have to go through to get this game done. I know I am asking a lot from some of you in requesting that you have patience in the process... but as stated before, I will most definitely not rush the process for fear of releasing a sub-standard and inadequate product that is not fit to be labelled with the Exmortis name.

Cheers,
Ben.

Exmortis 3 Voice Actor Competition

2007-01-14T13:16:00.000+11:00

Leffler Web Design in conjunction with www.casualgameplay.com has just launched a competition to find the lucky camper who will be the voice of the main character within the upcoming Exmortis 3 title!

For more information on how to enter, shoot across to http://jayisgames.com/archives/2007/01/exmortis_3_voice_actor.php

Entries close February 15th with the winner to be announced at the Casual Gameplay site.

Exmortis 3 December Update

2006-12-19T22:22:00.000+11:00

I've been very busy busy busy these last couple of days in churning out some major hours on Exmortis 3. Thankfully I've got the next month off from my 9-to-5 job and I intend to spend a lot of this time working on this game (well - what ever spare time I have in between nursing hangovers, christmas turkey, New Years partying, celebrating the Aussie Ashes victory and other general frivolity)

Above I have posted the latest scene that I have knocked off just today. This screeny is set in the first chapter which see's your character navagating the spirit realm labyrinth looking for a way out of dodge...

I'm only a third of the way through putting together this spirit realm level at the moment, but I am pushing forward pretty hard by knocking off about 2-4 scenes per day. Hopefully I will be able to get cracking at the juicy 2nd chapter in between Christmas and New Years.

So more screenshots to come as I finalise more content :) And in case you are wondering, yes - everything in the above screenshot is animated and moves smoothly with minimal slow down at full screen! Which is surprising considering the number of layers and rasterised graphics I'm using :)

Exmortis2 Achieves 1.5 Million Plays

2006-12-11T15:50:00.000+11:00

This is just a quick note to those of you who are following this blog that the Exmortis series has hit yet another milestone with the 2nd game ticking over the 1.5 million worldwide plays mark in just 9 months.

I honestly am absolutely flabbergasted with how this game has juggernauted onwards to be one of the better performing flash games this year.

It really just goes to prove how far the casual gaming industry has come in the past decade! With the recent achievements of realism and immersion in the so-called "next-gen" platforms, it really is heartening to know that there are so many people out there still dedicated to enjoying the world of online flash gaming...

And the best thing about it is that the industry is only in it's infancy... so the quality of casual gaming productions will only get better from here on in!

Purgatorium and Exmortis 3 News

2006-11-21T14:02:00.000+11:00

For those of you who weren't aware, I recently released a small point-n-click game titled Purgatorium for Jay Bibby's most excellent flash gaming portal - Jay Is Games (aka Casual Gamplay) recent halloween celebrations... Check the game out at the following URL and don't forget to leave a comment: http://jayisgames.com/archives/2006/10/purgatorium.php

And while you are at it, make sure you swing by the main site at http://www.casualgameplay.com for all your Flash Gaming goodness...

And now for a long overdue Exmortis 3 update... Production is just about ready to step up in to second gear. I still haven't managed to get past the opening chapter just yet, but with every day that goes past, a new idea pops in to my head of how I can slant this game in a manner different to the previous incarnations of the genre. Suffice to say, (highlight to read mini-spoiler) your character Mr.Hannay is going to be the ultimate badass when he eventually finds his way back to Earth - just you wait and see! (End spoiler)

Another MASSIVE positive that I wanted to mention that will definitely help with the end quality of this game - Newgrounds are now allowing a file limit of 10mb for my submissions - up from the previous 5mb limit. What that means to me is that I can stop worrying about cutting storylines and scenes out from the game and I can also forget about lowering the quality of graphics and sound in order to squeeze the file size...

There's not much worse than putting in endless hours of work in to the quality of something only to have to make concessions as you are submitting... weak dude... weak... As a result, I'm almost tempted to perform an Exmortis & Exmortis2 redux edition as a result of the larger size limit... sooooo tempting - but unlikely as I shift focus back on to the project at hand.

Oh - and as far as the rumours of an Exmortis prequel after Exmortis3 is completed and released - all I can say is "hmmm... interesting concept... ask me again in 6 months time for a less ambiguous response..."

My original plan about a year or so ago was to eventually do a prequel telling Xavier Rehayem's story... but I think I've pretty well covered most angles of his story through sub-plots within Exmortis and Exmortis2... I don't expect this character to be involved much more in any continuation of the Exmortis story, I'm afraid...

But that doesn't mean a prequel won't eventually be made... who knows what I end up doing down the track... a decision will more than likely be based upon the response I get with Exmortis 3... anyway - it's all "pie in the sky" at the moment... mmmm... pie.

Anyway y'all! Once again, thanks for reading... more screenshots coming soon... I've got plenty of time off over December and January - more than enough to really get a lot of Exmortis 3 work completed...

Salut!
Benny.

Exmortis3 Call For Sponsors

2006-10-09T11:49:00.000+10:00

Hello again all... it's probably waaaay too early in the creative process to even be bringing this up - but what the hell...

The first two Exmortis games took an amazing amount of my time to create and I have made it known that my original intent was to create the Exmortis game as a way of getting my web and flash design skills promoted and try and ramp up the Leffler Web Design business.

However in analysing the amount of work I have put in to the games and comparing it to what little business I have received in return from showcasing my skills in this manner, I am left with no choice but to open Exmortis3 up to offers of sponsorship and/or product placement within the content of the game.

There is a lot of potential to advertise and promote on a large scale within this medium - and to prove that, let me give you a brief overview of the statistics of the existing Exmortis games:

EXMORTIS 2 (Stats as of Sept-27)
- The game has been live and on the internet since March 26, 2006
- A total of 1.3 million unique people have played the game since release. That is an average of over 7000 unique plays of the game per day.
- Of the 1.3 million reported above, it is estimated that approximately 700,000 people have replayed the game.
- A total of 306 websites around the world have hosted the game since release. Of which at least 85 still currently host and receive daily traffic through the game source file.
- The main host of the game – ie. Newgrounds.com reports 470,427 plays of the game through their website alone (which will no doubt increase greatly as Halloween approaches).

EXMORTIS (Stats as of Sept-27)
- The game has been live and on the internet since August 27, 2004.
- This game did not have any Mochibot tracking scripts integrated, so most stats are not available as they are for Exmortis2.
- The main host of the game Newgrounds.com (as per the above link) reports 1.15 million plays of the game through their website alone.
- It is estimated that over 5 million people have played Exmortis since released in mid 2004.

So as you can see, the potential to hit 1.3 million people within an initial 6 month period with product placement and sponsorship has got to be worth something to someone out there!

So, if you are the owner of a company/website that seeks to potentially sponsor flash games, feel free to email me at ben_leffler@hotmail.com to discuss.

Alternatively, if you know of a Flash Game Sponsorship program that pays well (obviously I want to maximise my return on the game as best as possible) then feel free to leave a comment to this post.

New Project: Retrospect

2006-09-27T12:06:00.000+10:00

This isn't really relevant to the world of Exmortis - but all the same, you guys might find this interesting...

I've recently been contacted by the wonderful Jay Bibby of www.jayisgames.com who gave my Exmortis2 game a hell of a lot of support when it was first unleashed upon the world. (You may even pick a small plug for his website within that game somewhere...)

As most Americans are aware (and a smaller number of internationalists such as I) Halloween is on the horizon once again, and Jay has charged me with doing something special for his website and the mutiltude of people that visit daily.

Unfortunately Exmortis3 is no where near completion, so I am putting in to work a rather rushed game (in time for Halloween) which is currently under the working title of "Retrospect"

It's another cinematic horror point n' click game, but because I have been sired with this task and left with less than a month to complete the project, there is no way in hell that Retrospect will be as polished, multi-layered, complexly narrated nor as lengthy as any of the Exmortis games that I have done thus far.

It will be short, sweet, packed full of atmosphere right from the start, abundant in shocks and brutally adult (not XXX adult you perverts - general fucked up themes that only adults could ever talk about!)

I can't give away too much more information at this stage, as it will give away the plot which I intend to unfold as you work through the dozen or so scenes.

But fear not - Exmortis3 is still in the works, but I just haven't had enough time to devote to it lately. I have a few weeks of annual leave approaching, so maybe I'll take the opportunity to put some decent work in to it then. It's hard to get motivated with such a massive task ahead of me, but as it was with the first 2 games - once I'll get in to a rhythm, it's fucking hard to stop...

One more thing - cheers to everyone for their kind feedback. I'm glad to see that everyone is still keen on the Exmortis story which will conclude shortly...

Another Progress Report

2006-08-30T13:01:00.000+10:00

Wouldn't you know it? I finally get some spare time to start putting in some quality hours in to this game beyond tweaking the intro occasionally and whaddya know? More web-design work falls in to my lap!

So essentially it means that every single spare moment I get over the next month will be dedicated to developing another magician/illusionist's website... this will make the 3rd magician that I've done a website for in the past 18 months... I'm starting think that there may be a market there within the entertainment industry for my web and graphic design skills...

Previously I have tried to target sports clubs, but not many have enough money to spend on a website... But it appears that there are plenty of entertainers/comedians that need something funky AND have the money to spend on it...

Now if I could only crack the erotic dancer industry for websites, I'd have finally found my dream job!!! Anyone? Anyone? :)

My Position on People Stealing my Work

2006-07-20T12:13:00.000+10:00

I have received a lot of feedback regarding a comment I made in my last post about people illegally hosting my work.

I made it known that Exmortis 2 currently has 215 hosts world wide - of which only 9 have been given permission. That means that 95.8% of websites hosting my game are doing so in an illegal fashion...

I've had many people comment to me via email that I should do something about it and that I should take legal action etc. I do appreciate the sentiments... :) So I feel that I must address these concerns...

I realise that stealing web-content is a big issue at the moment - especially considering the somewhat humerous banter going around about sites like ebaumsworld allegedly stealing content from other sites and profiting from the practise.

The main problem with this being that these websites make money off the advertising revenue that is generated through the web traffic they receive as a result of the hosted stolen content. Essentially these websites are making big dollars on the artist's work - without the artist receiving any remunerative return or credit... This is considered stealing and such hosts can be brought to prosecution as a result.

So what is my stand on this?

I honestly don't like people stealing my work... who would? I think it is wrong to steal someone's work and benefit from it financially without the person who did all the hard work receiving anything in return... majority of these people haven't even credited me for the game!!

That said however, everyone - and I mean everyone - who has asked me for permission to host the Exmortis games, I have given it to them. It is common courtesy to ask permission. I ask for nothing in return except a written credit.

But on the other hand the way I look at it, I am making these games not to make money for myself... but to gain recognition for my name, my work and my design services. It is a hobby - pure and simple. The more people that host, the wider the worldwide distribution of my work. The more exposure it gets. And hence the more my needs and purposes are served.

So this puts me in a hard position. Do I request that those sites illegally using my game to take my game down from their site? Or do I turn a blind eye because it means more people are seeing my work as a result?

So far I have turned a blind eye. I haven't been able to identify any benefit that it would present to me to have my game effectively removed from 95.8% of it's internet circulation...

And so once again the content thieves win, because the little guy like me can not afford to cut off his nose to spite his face...

Opinions? Thoughts?

Exmortis2 Goes 7 Figures!

2006-07-17T14:01:00.000+10:00

Leffler Web Design has hit another amazing milestone! As of yesterday's mochibot report, Exmortis2 has hit the magical 1-million "worldwide plays" mark!

It's taken 112 days and 215 hosts (incidentally - of which only 9 have my personal permission) to get the game to this point.

I must say that while the daily play stats are naturally dwindling as the game gets long in the tooth, Exmortis2 still seems to be attracting on average 5000 hits a day!

That's above and beyond my expectation when I originally released this game back in March - so thank you to all that have played the game from the bottom of my heart. I've said it before and I'll say it again - you guys are the reason I pour my heart in this work and spend copious amounts of sleepless hours making this stuff!

Exmortis3 Storyline Tidbits

2006-07-13T15:11:00.000+10:00

More tidbits for you on the Exmortis3 storyline... My main reasons for being a tad cagey about plot specifics thus far is because nothing has been firmly set in stone until now...

Spoliers from here on... Invisotext initiated! (Highlight to read)

As I have previously alluded towards, you certainly do reprise your role as Mr. Hannay. Let's just say that revenge is not something he is consumed with at the beginning of the game... he is destitute and resigned to a fate of eternally roaming the spirit realm with no way back to the world he once knew.

Yes, that's right people. You're stuck in the spirit world again after being on the wrong end of an almighty smackdown at the hands of Vlaew (ie. the Exmortis2 twist conclusion)... During the game I probably won't be explaining the specifics as to why you ended up back in the spirit realm, so I'll just clear that plot point up now for you...

After going through the ritual in Exmortis2 (the one that transported you to the spirit realm), your soul was forever anchored to that world. As a result, you are effectively immortal. All Vlaew did by 'killing' you in Exmortis2 was expel your soul back to the spirit world. And considering that you completed your Exmortis2 objective in destroying the portal between the ethereal and corporeal worlds, you now find yourself stranded with no way back to Earth.

But an opportunity to exact a swift revenge upon Lord Vlaew will literally fall in to your lap. Will Mr.Hannay ever make it back home? And if so, how much time has passed since your "quick death" at the hands of the Ancient? How has the world changed? And how has mankind changed? Will there even be a mankind left to return to?

Wooooooooo..... epic! :)

Progress Report

2006-06-27T10:41:00.000+10:00

Still no new updates on the progress of Exmortis 3. At the moment I am prioritizing between being sorted with my recent move and getting a new website up and running for a baseball tournament called "The Beaver Cup" that I am organising here in Sydney for the October long weekend.

I'm almost finished with that tournament website, and on top of that I am being bombarded with web development opportunities due to word-of-mouth referrals as a result of recent web sites that I have had a hand in...

As a result, I may be forced to place a lower importance on the Exmortis3 game as these web development opportunities have the potential to pay some outstanding bills, whilst the Exmortis series has no financial benefit to me and can be considered more of a hobby than a career furthering opportunity.

But the more I put off doing any work on Exmortis3, the clearer the vision becomes of where I want to take this story. Plus I can assure you that I am very excited about implementing a certain element of game play in to this title - as I am sure it will make 99.9% of you react with "Holy shit! That's fucking sick!!" And the best part is, it's a relatively easy thing to implement...

I won't spoil you with details on the gameplay element I am referring to, but once it's implemented - to those of you who felt that the 2nd game wasn't as blood thirsty as the 1st one - I say Exmortis3 will make them seem like Sesame Street!

Exmortis Hits 1 MILLION at Newgrounds!

2006-06-22T11:31:00.000+10:00

WOO HOO!

Yeah Yeah Yeah - I've been slack

2006-06-17T20:57:00.000+10:00

I know - I've been slack these last couple of weeks. Unfortunately I haven't got any new updates for anyone. I've been way too busy moving house, setting up my cable TV service and getting my funky new broadband connection up and running.

However between the related headaches and stress, I managed to record a voice-over opening dialogue. Not sure if I will stick with it for the final version though - I hate the sound of my own voice and it clouds my "is that cheesy, or does it work" spidey-senses which has served me will in the first two games.

I guess I'll leave it in for now and come back to it further down the track...

I've also come up with some very wicked ideas that if I can translate correctly to the game, I'm sure it will be the talking point in subsequent reviews of the piece.

Also, I just picked up a nice little Flash add-on package which some Flash developers will be familiar with - Electric Rain's Swift 3D... It's like a cut down user-friendly version of Maya/3DSM and it seems to be the preferred package when creating motion 3D vector graphics for flash.

I don't know if I will learn how to harness it's awesomeness (is that even a word?) before the release of Exmortis3 - but the fact that I spend about 3 hours a day on a train between home and work, and that the nature of Exmortis3 tends to be a little too graphic for my fellow commuters to handle - I might just use that time to learn the application...

Exmortis Freaky Fact #3: Character Names

2006-06-13T12:25:00.000+10:00

Throughout the Exmortis series, the names of certain characters might seem relatively unimportant to everyone - however each name has relevance to me personally.

Xavier Rehayem (Exmortis & Exmortis2) - The surname Rehayem is actually the name of a customer of mine from my day job as an IT sales consultant. I've never really known how to correctly pronounce the name, but I've heard different interpretations over the years. I haven't devulged to the customer that I have used his surname in this project... maybe he'll work it out if he ever plays Exmortis!

Gwen Rehayem - Gwen was actually based on a shortly lived crush that I had on a famous Ms. Paltrow. I got over that quickly!

Mr. Hannay (Exmortis2) - The surname is based upon a Rugby League player who is part of the North Queensland Cowboys, Josh Hannay. Interestingly enough, the name was originally used in another project of mine... After finishing work on Exmortis I began crafting a sci-fi horror project called "Anomaly" (which was eventually abandoned for a loss of any real creative interest in the story). An item you could obtain in the game was a key-card with a personal ID picture on it. That keycard picture was of a player profile of Josh Hannay.

Vlaew (Exmortis & Exmortis2) - Throughout the series, a common font was used as the Ancient's text/language... that font is Fusaka. To create the final puzzle in the original game, I had to select the most bizzare looking characters from the Fusaka collection that weren't too clear to everybody that it was actual english text. The letters that I chose were V, L, A, E and W. Hence, the name of the character.

Exmortis Freaky Fact #2: Use of EVP

2006-06-08T15:29:00.000+10:00

The use of EVP (electronic voice phenomenom) with in the Exmortis2 game was inspired by another point n click flash game by the name of Lost Found. I found that the most compelling feature of that game is how the storyline revolves around the mythos of a painting that supposedly depicts a ghostly figure in the background and the subsequent supernatural rumours about it bringing misfortune to it's owner's.

What made Lost Found an inspiring piece of work for me was that it had that element of "this story is based around a real life haunted object" - something that the original Blair Witch movie also utilised effectively.

In Exmortis2, I wanted to emulate that creepy feeling that I got whilst reading the backstory of that painting, and playing the Lost Found game.

I came up with the idea to use actual real life EVP recordings within Exmortis2 to achieve this objective. I won't divulge everything to you about which sounds are EVP and which are not - with the exception of one particular scene...

In the cellar scene, when you switch the CB radio to Channel 10 you will hear a gun fight confrontation in which the dialogue is spoken "Get the hell out of here!"... That line is one of the EVP recordings I've used within the Exmortis2 game...

Early Teaser Now Online

2006-06-07T10:01:00.000+10:00

Greetings my fellow hell spawn! :) Happy 666 day for yesterday...

Got another screenshot for y'all... which is clearly posted above. Trust me when I say that the screenshots you've seen so far look MUCH better when you see them animated...

Some good news - hop on over to Newgrounds and check out the teaser trailer I knocked up last night for Exmortis3... It's nothing special, but hopefully it will create a little bit of anticipation for the conclusion to the story.

Apart from knocking together the trailer last night, I once again shrugged off my house-moving/packing duties to put some more time in to the opening intro/scenes. I pretty much spent from 6.30pm through to 12:30am glued to my notebook touching up. Yes - I am paying for it today whilst I am at work... Caffeine is my best friend right now...

Exmortis Freaky Fact #1: Vent Ambience

2006-06-06T13:55:00.000+10:00

The ambient background sound of the vent scene in Exmortis2 is actually a metallic panel (removed from my computer chassis) being smashed HARD over the top of my skull! Echo, reverb and EQ filters were applied afterwards to add some brain rattling flavour! No pain - no gain, I guess...

Spiritworld Concept

2006-06-06T08:54:00.000+10:00

Ok - despite the fact that I am in the middle of a move to a new house and I am supposed to be spending every single spare moment of my time packing boxes, I actually managed to sneak in a few hours of work last night in a bid to conceptualize one of the opening scenes. I came up with a nice looking scene (see picture above) of the player's character standing on a cliff face looking over the spiritworld.

It might not be clear in this picture, but the animation that I put in last night creates a nice little partical run off effect behind the player's character. I guess that's my attempt at some kind of supernatural/ethereal remniscent of the Constantine movie's Hell-Dimension effect - probably the only cool thing in that movie :)

I also managed to differentiate the speeds between the rushing clouds in the sky and the low lying fog/clouds wrapping around the Alien-esque mountains in the distance.

I probably won't usually give away a great deal of screenshots to avoid spoiling any plot points that aren't set in stone, but the above shot will only be seen for less than 5 seconds in the intro - so I figure "what the hell... why not?"

Enjoy!

Newgrounds Exmortis Almost to 1 Million Plays!

2006-06-05T15:03:00.000+10:00

Just a quick shout out that Exmortis is only 25,000 plays away from hitting the 1 million hit mark over at Newgrounds! Rock on! :)

Newgrounds has accounted for about 25% of worldwide hits for Exmortis and Exmortis 2. By those calculations, that puts 4 million people as having played the first game, and I know for a fact that 802,000 people worldwide have played Exmortis2 (Thanks to Mochibot for those stats)

That puts exposure to my work at around 5 million which is a quarter of the population of Australia! hahaha... It's the little things in life that are often the best... ;)

Early Days

2006-06-05T13:17:00.001+10:00

Welcome to the inaugural post for what I hope will be an ever expanding blog in which I will catalogue my progress in the making of the 3rd and final (well, I'm 99.9% sure it will be final) chapter in the Exmortis trilogy.

First and foremost, let me just introduce myself. My name is Ben Leffler. I'm a 28-year old guy from Sydney Australia who has been dabbling with computer design and concept since I was an 8-year old kid programming games and apps in LBasic on my TRS-80 computer.

It is the unbelievably positive feedback that provides me with continual motivation to spend an obscene amount of time working on such projects as the previous two Exmortis games. I really do appreciate that so many people have embraced my previous work like they have. It makes it all worthwhile in the end... you guys have been a great source of inspiration for me, and in return I hope that my work can also inspire and motivate you in return.

And so I begin my conceptual work on the final Exmortis game.

Going on my previous games, there isn't a great deal of structure to the creative process behind the scenes. I don't sit down and write a script or even outline the plot. Both Exmortis and Exmortis2 had very little on paper, and they only really flowed from whatever creative energy I had as I was going from flash scene to flash scene. Not very professional, huh?

I'm probably more patient than 90% of people in this world however when it comes to creating the game, I want jaw-dropping results and I want it straight away! That's one of the major things that inspires me to go on with the process and remain enthusiastic about it all. Unfortunately that can sometimes work against me because it almost forces me to rush the process and either churn out sub-standard work or get me frustrated to the point where I toss in the towel.

Exmortis2 had at least two false starts to it's production. The first false start was the most devestating, as it took a further 8 months before I forced myself back to the project.

I had a basic story premise (the post-apocolyptic setting which I ended up using) but I hit a brick wall when I decided that I wasn't happy with the feeling of the first few scenes and how they introduced the task at hand.

There was no church, nor was there a dark character there to put you on the path to fulfill his nefarious plans. There were no religious references originally intended, nor an intention to make the sky crimson red, the ground parched or any of the "Exmortis horde pandemic" backstory you can read about in the diary and news clippings of the game. It was pretty much a bare bones start, and it was that lack of projected scope that killed it off for me for so long.

8 months later, I visited my original Exmortis game at www.newgrounds.com and browsed through the positive user reviews again. It was then that I realised that it would be crazy of me not to follow up the game with a sequel. It was enough to get me back in front of the notebook again, but this time I had a better grasp of certain plot points, and a more energetic and enthusiastic gusto to inspire me with.

But once again I made a false start which put me off the project for a few weeks. It was the first few scenes once again that just didn't feel right. This time around, the Lochear Fields Ranch was going to be the opening scene. That was supposed to be the original safe house. The bodies the player finds inside the house were supposed to be fellow members of the resistance. But it left me with a dilemma in how I was going to make it clear what direction you needed to take to accomplish an unclear task.

And then the revelation. Lying in bed one night trying to visualise what it would be like to live in a rural area whilst this demonic horde swept across the world destroying and eviscerating everything in sight. What does humanity hold so dearly, and what would happen when that is taken away? Some people would claim security is most important. Happiness. Contentment. But then it occured to me what the catalyst would be for all hope to be lost.

The failure of religion and faith in our deity(s). And then it hit me - how I was going to introduce this religious sub-plot without coming off a) too preachy or b) too anti-religious... I then knew what the first scene would be.

Then back to the creative process and from then on I never looked back. The story continually evolved as I created scene by scene. I decided that my pondering thought of somehow involving Xavier Rehayem and his daughter Gwen back in to the story would again serve to help the player's progress whilst creating direction and motivation to continue the story onwards.

I eventually reintroduced themes such as the importance of numbers (in the sudoko element and once again the deaths of five innocent people as in the first). I tried to remain true to the colour palette of the first in creating sepia scenes with only the sky and gore hued in crimson.

There were a lot of other small reoccuring themes that I drew upon from the original game - but it was funny as I never intended to do as such in pre-production... It just kinda happened...

Anyway, I've probably babbled a bit too much in my first post here. But before I finish up, you'll probably want to know where I'm at with the third game - considering that is the point of this blog after all!

The answer is rather dissappointing to some. I haven't done a great deal at this point in time... I've been on a bit of a creative break/hiatus to replenish my enthusiasm. I've got a good idea for a bare bones plot that I am going to go with. But let me just let one cat out of the bag for all you that are interested...

(Highlight to read)
You will reprise the role of your character from the 2nd game... Mr.Hannay... well... kind of... *evil smirk*

Ben Leffler's Exmortis 3 Development Blog

Attention: Comment Spammers...

Life of a Devigner

The Untitled 'Ski Resort' Game

Design Refresh & New Actionscript Blog

New game in the pipeline...

Buy Exmortis 3 Now With Paypal

Byteside Appearance Online

My new game: Othexo

See you in October...

Quick patch for Exmortis 3

Exmortis 3 Activation Checklist

Exmortis 3 Available Now!!

Still working on getting it uploaded...

The Countdown Begins!!

The Shadowlands

Exmortis 3: 2nd-Last Chapter Completed!

Exmortis 3 Screenshot: "Hell's Passenger"

ODN: Orion Defence Network Now Live!

ODN: Orion Defence Network

Exmortis 3 updates

New! And Untitled!

Exmortis 3 - Game Poster

Chapter "Exposure" Completed

The Scavenger's Pit

Talking About Games Interview

"Not Visceral Enough" -- Please allow me to retort... ;)

New screenshot

BOOM!

New Exmortis 3 Screenshots

My Flash Player 10 Opinion - WOW!!!

Aquatica: My New Game

Boo!

Goliath hits 1 million plays!

Goliath The Soothsayer Bugs

Goliath The Soothsayer Released at Amazon

Goliath The Soothsayer Screenshots

Goliath: The Soothsayer Announced...

Press Release and Trailer

Alarm Hot Vest Clues

Alarm Hot Vest

I'm still alive...

Unseen TV Launched!

Alarm Hot Vest

Rumblings from LWD Central...

Questions :: Round 3 *ding* *ding*

More questions...

Questions, questions, questions...

Thanks guys...

My last post for a long while...

Blog Changes & Work Update.

Apologies for lack of updates

Vocal Damnation Winners & Short Lists

Last Call For Voice Over Submissions!

The Internet is Truly a Scary Piece of Work!

I Laugh in the Face of the Curse!

"Curse of Exmortis" Strikes Again!! :(

The Estimated December 2006 Release

Exmortis 3 Voice Actor Competition

Exmortis 3 December Update

Exmortis2 Achieves 1.5 Million Plays

Purgatorium and Exmortis 3 News

Exmortis3 Call For Sponsors

New Project: Retrospect

Another Progress Report

My Position on People Stealing my Work

Exmortis2 Goes 7 Figures!

Exmortis3 Storyline Tidbits

Progress Report

Exmortis Hits 1 MILLION at Newgrounds!

Yeah Yeah Yeah - I've been slack

Exmortis Freaky Fact #3: Character Names

Exmortis Freaky Fact #2: Use of EVP

Early Teaser Now Online

Exmortis Freaky Fact #1: Vent Ambience

Spiritworld Concept

Newgrounds Exmortis Almost to 1 Million Plays!

Early Days

Questions :: Round 3 ding ding