Questions, questions, questions...

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...

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...

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.

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

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

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!

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!

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!

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!! :(

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...