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.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Unseen TV Launched!
Friday, July 06, 2007
Alarm Hot Vest
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):
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
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Rumblings from LWD Central...
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...
Clue: ALARM HOT VEST
Don't worry - you're not expected to work it out... But all will be clear come August 13...
Monday, June 04, 2007
Questions :: Round 3 *ding* *ding*
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.
Sunday, June 03, 2007
More questions...
Q/I wanted to know if you get to play the guy from Ex2 in Ex3, and if you get to kill Vlaew (From Tedizslayer)
A/ In Exmortis 3 you certainly do begin the game as the main character from the 2nd chapter - Mr. Hannay... well - what's left of him considering he was on the wrong end of a mauling from Vlaew at the end of Exmortis2. As far as getting revenge on the big bad... I certainly do intend to provide a rather explosive conclusion to the story - whether you get to kill Vlaew or not, I'm keeping that card close to my chest for now...
Q/ I know you had planned to put the three Exmortis games on DVD. Are you still planning on doing that? A playable DVD would be awesome. (From Kristen1027)
A/ I certainly was planning on doing a "remastering" or a "redux" of the trilogy and offering it for sale on a DVD. I had even partnered with a professional media house who has green screens and production quality camera's for some video cut scenes. But after having my laptop and source material of the entire series stolen, it is a plan that seems to be unrealistic now. I'm not 100% ruling it out at this stage, but I don't like your chances. At this point I am more focused on Exmortis 3 - so we'll see how that goes before I make any concrete decisions on furthering the Exmortis legacy in the electronic media...
Q/ Are you going to give us some more long books of the story to read? (From The Unknown)
A/ I certainly do plan on doing that. One of the core features of the Exmortis series (in my opinion) that sets it apart from flash games of the same genre, is it's solid back-story and immersive properties which are mostly delivered through the in-game books and diaries. That said - I want to mix it up a bit this time around, so while I will still be looking to go in to depth for you story-junkies out there, I will be experimenting with a few different ways of delivering these back-stories to the player as opposed to just finding a conveniently placed diary sitting on a table in a scene somewhere. I'm still undecided on how I'm going to achieve this - but half the fun is making it work... :)
That's all from me for now... I better get back to work on a client's website...
Cheers,
Ben.
A/ In Exmortis 3 you certainly do begin the game as the main character from the 2nd chapter - Mr. Hannay... well - what's left of him considering he was on the wrong end of a mauling from Vlaew at the end of Exmortis2. As far as getting revenge on the big bad... I certainly do intend to provide a rather explosive conclusion to the story - whether you get to kill Vlaew or not, I'm keeping that card close to my chest for now...
Q/ I know you had planned to put the three Exmortis games on DVD. Are you still planning on doing that? A playable DVD would be awesome. (From Kristen1027)
A/ I certainly was planning on doing a "remastering" or a "redux" of the trilogy and offering it for sale on a DVD. I had even partnered with a professional media house who has green screens and production quality camera's for some video cut scenes. But after having my laptop and source material of the entire series stolen, it is a plan that seems to be unrealistic now. I'm not 100% ruling it out at this stage, but I don't like your chances. At this point I am more focused on Exmortis 3 - so we'll see how that goes before I make any concrete decisions on furthering the Exmortis legacy in the electronic media...
Q/ Are you going to give us some more long books of the story to read? (From The Unknown)
A/ I certainly do plan on doing that. One of the core features of the Exmortis series (in my opinion) that sets it apart from flash games of the same genre, is it's solid back-story and immersive properties which are mostly delivered through the in-game books and diaries. That said - I want to mix it up a bit this time around, so while I will still be looking to go in to depth for you story-junkies out there, I will be experimenting with a few different ways of delivering these back-stories to the player as opposed to just finding a conveniently placed diary sitting on a table in a scene somewhere. I'm still undecided on how I'm going to achieve this - but half the fun is making it work... :)
That's all from me for now... I better get back to work on a client's website...
Cheers,
Ben.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
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.
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.
Monday, May 28, 2007
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.
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.
Friday, May 11, 2007
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.
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.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
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!
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!
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