Hey, guys!

This month's update features something very special. I had previously mentioned that VGE3 shouldn't take too long to finish. I had said that a June release would be way beyond the current estimates. Well, it turns out that my earlier estimates were a bit shortsighted. There is every chance that VGE3 won't be out until at least then.

Now, before you guys get annoyed, just know that there is a DAMN GOOD REASON for the current delay. The artwork being produced by CE-Rap is super awesome and cannot be rushed. As a taste of things to come, I would like to introduce you to someone who will be making their presence known in VGE3:

Charlie Nash (Earth 6013-5077)

Ten years ago, Charlie and Guile infiltrated a heavily-defended Shadowlaw base in Venezuela in an attempt to destroy the Psycho Drive. Although they were successful in their mission, Guile was killed by M. Bison as Charlie escaped with a group of Venezuelan hostages. The death of Guile would haunt Charlie and result in an obsession for vengeance. From that point on, Charlie devoted his life to hunting down and exterminating every last trace of Shadowlaw's influence across the globe.

Through his cunning, ruthlessness, and strategic use of military assets under his command, Charlie drove Shadowlaw to the farthest reaches of the globe. Shadowlaw bases were razed worldwide and most of Shadowlaw's command structure was taken out. Due to Charlie's efforts, Balrog now sits on death row and both Sagat and Vega are dead. Still, Charlie's number one target has so far evaded him: M. Bison.

Now, Charlie has finally cornered the final remnants of Shadowlaw in the rebuilt Venezuelan stronghold. He is finally ready to bring the full force of brutal justice upon M. Bison. However, something seems wrong about the whole situation. What are these rumors of interdimensional technology? Who is this mysterious woman that has assumed command of his whole unit? Who was that civilian that arrived with her and where did he go?

Something is definitely fishy here and Charlie intends to get to the bottom of it.

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Charlie Nash by CE-Rap

(I would STRONGLY suggest that you follow the link to see the full, high-res version. Also, be sure to let CE-Rap know how much you appreciate his efforts!)

Get ready folks, VG Exiles Episode 3 is coming.

R1665

I am making this post a week before April 1st because I don't want there to be any confusion about the content. No humorous deceptions here, folks.

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For the last year or so, my VG Exiles series has gone without any significant updates. It reached a point of almost crippling stagnation and I am quite frankly surprised that any of you bothered to keep up with my page the way you have. That said, I would like to make a couple of formal announcements:

First of all, after much deliberation, 3XStudios and I have parted ways on the VG Exiles project. The simple fact is that the last year has not been filled with fortune and he is being pulled in too many directions to be able to give the series the attention it requires. The division was nothing personal. He is still one of my best friends in real life and I don't want to see any disrespect spring up here. I wish him luck in all of his future endeavors. As you can probably guess, that puts me back on square one with this artwork.

Before you start to panic, I have another announcement.

Near the end of 2009 or so, I was contacted by an artist on deviantArt who went by the name of CE-Rap. We chatted a bit and he expressed an interest in making some promotional posters for the series. Admittedly, I did not have an idea at the time regarding the usefulness of such a thing. I also had to politely decline his offer to help on the VGE3 artwork on the basis that I already had an artist. We soon parted ways and I forgot about the whole thing.

Fast forward to January 2011 and THIS shows up in my dA inbox right out of the blue:
VGE0 Poster

Very shortly thereafter, two more images appeared:
VGE1 Poster
VGE2 Poster

(Be sure to full view all of these images for full appreciation. Don't be embarrassed if you shit a brick upon viewing these for the first time. I did, too. They blew me away.)

I show you these as a primer for the actual announcement: I have brought CE-Rap onto the VG Exiles team and he will be supplying the artwork for VGE3. This is subject to continuation for the remainder of my flash career.

Now, I know what you might be thinking and I don't want to give you the wrong impression. These showed up right around the time I started picking up steam on MK FAILtality. It wasn't until FAILtality was released that I started feeling the pressure of VGE3 again. Both the Easter Egg and FAILtality were created to keep me involved during the artwork downtime. With FAILtality complete, I had the overwhelming urge to animate again and no end in sight on the VGE3 artwork delays. It was the need to get the job done and done quickly that prompted my decision to bring him aboard after I parted ways with 3X. There had been a few concerns raised about the artwork in previous episodes (unjustified IMO) and I don't want anybody assuming that I was trying to "trade up" because that was not the case.

Are we all clear on that? Good.

Now, my initial production meeting with CE-Rap was very productive and I presented him with the artwork requirements of VGE3. Although it was a daunting task, he is confident that he can get the job done quickly. I will not release a set time frame for obvious reasons, but his initial appraisal was VERY promising. If everything goes as estimated, you can expect VGE3 to hit the portal very soon. How soon I cannot say, but if it goes much much farther than the estimate and takes until June (which it won't), it would still be a marked improvement. You folks have been waiting over a year for this, so I'm not going to sweat a few extra weeks and I doubt that you would find it unbearable.

So there you have it. VG Exiles Episode 3 is finally back on track after a full year hiatus. If you have a deviantArt account, give CE-Rap a visit and show him some love. The man has a whole lot of artwork there and all of it (especially the REJEX comic) is worth a stay. If you've got the cash to do so, you should also consider making an artwork commission. He would definitely appreciate it!

Oh, and he will also be making a poster similar to those previously shown for the upcoming third episode of the VG EXILES. This time, however, it's entirely "official" and will be shown to the world BEFORE the episode drops as a promotion. That's right, folks! R1's big secret is gonna be out in the open real soon!

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In other news, I have officially started choreography on VGE4. I won't go into details on that one yet, but I will say that I was NOT kidding when I said that 2011 would be the year of the funny AND the fury!

Emphasis on FURY!!!

R1665

(Please enjoy this video in celebration of reading this whole long-ass news post. It pretty much sums everything up. TURN THAT SHIT UP!! Veeeery fitting...)

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Mortal Kombat FAILtality

GO WATCH IT!

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[EDIT]

I was absolutely thrilled when FAILtality got the Daily Feature and Review Crew Pick Awards. I took great pride when it made it in the top three for the week. I was beside myself when it hit the frontpage. At one point in time, there were FIVE direct links to FAILtality on the Newgrounds home page.

Now take a look at what I just screencapped:

#7 top flash of all time. BRICKS HAVE BEEN SHAT.

First of all, the artwork on Ep.3 is still delayed. I'm sure that this surprises nobody. Let's all have our moment of rage and move on. It'll be done when it's done.

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In other news, my upcoming Mortal Kombat FAILtality spoof is turning into quite the serious project. My earlier estimate of an end-of-January release date was a bit premature, but I don't see this project taking me much longer to complete. I have already animated scenes for eight characters, two of which have multiple "takes". There is over four minutes of content in the timeline already.

Yeah. That's right. I've done four minutes in five weeks. I wish my VGE series could go that fast...

Anyway, I always develop new animating tricks with every project and this comedy flash is no exception. VGE4 will certainly benefit from this spoof. I have gotten all warmed up again and I'll be back to kicking ass on the VG Exiles as soon as I get this one finished.

Now, I know that some of you are concerned about the whole comedy angle and would rather see some action. You may rest assured that this spoof has no shortage of action and violence. The interesting thing about comedy is that it sometimes turns out to be a lot more messy than action. For example, this flash features more blood and violence than anything else I have ever made.

I'm loving this and you will, too. Trust me.

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I shall end this news post with a screen shot. I have taken this spoof opportunity to do some awesome things that I just don't have a spot for in the VG Exiles.

Like, for example, KILLING SOMEONE WITH A FREAKIN' MINIGUN!!!!!!!

Say "hello" to Sonya's little friend!

R1665

---[EDIT]---

HOLY JUMPIN' HELL! I just randomly went to the Mortal Kombat collection for the first time in over a month and it's been UPDATED! Street Fighter Collection, too! Sweeeet, I'm in!

BIG THANKS to whoever did it!

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2010 was a piss-poor year for my sprite animating. Almost half of it was eaten up by production delays and I would have been skunked entirely for the year had I not made that Easter Egg short. Obviously, I have much higher expectations for 2011.

For my first news post of the year, I bring both good and bad news. The bad news is that no real progress was made on my part on Episode 3 in the month of December. I'm still waiting on the artwork. Luckily, the holiday work crunch that had 3X seeing regular twelve-hour shifts is over and I can get back to pestering him for art very soon. That's the bad news.

The good news is I have taken on a new project and my animation itch is being scratched. After getting such overwhelmingly positive feedback with the Easter Egg, I started to look for other ways to get back into animating without having to commit to the lengthiness of Episode 4. That way presented itself about a week before Christmas.

You know what we haven't had in a while? ... a good select-your-character Mortal Kombat spoof!

Okay, I know what you're thinking, but bear with me. Although there are indeed numerous such flashes in the Mortal Kombat Collection already, all of them are grossly outdated both in humor and animation quality. That isn't really a dig on the artists as NG had a 5mb upload limit at the time, but it is nonetheless true.

Now, what would happen if a skilled sprite animator were to make such a video with some good ideas in this day and age? Well, something like this, maybe:

MK FAILtality part 1

That's right, people! I'm bringing the funny back to sprite parodies!

Unlike the VG Exiles, this project requires no artwork or voice talent. It's just me, flash, and whatever crazy ideas are bouncing around in my skull! This particular short went from an idea to being a fully produced section in TWO DAYS. I have since animated another two sections and I have solid ideas for several more. At the rate I'm going, it would be entirely possible to have a full-length completed flash by the end of January. Since I have no desire to flood the portal with individual sections of this project, I will instead wait until I have the finished product ready to go before I mass-release it. I'll keep this preview in my file dump for you loyal page-stalkers, but I would appreciate it if you would try to keep this fairly low-key for now.

I want everyone to understand that the VG Exiles series is still my number one priority. I had fallen into a cold spell due to the artwork delays, but this side project is warming me up big time. If nothing else, it will allow me to hit the ground running when I start doing the choreography for Episode 4.

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2011 will be the year of the funny AND the fury! I've already given you the former, so now enjoy the latter!

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(Although I'm not really big on anime, I'd be lying if I said that this wasn't a perfect fit given the song...)

Scum of the Earth!

R1665

As the title of this news post suggests, I have received some of the artwork from 3X. It's not nearly all of it, but it's a good start. He has been busting his ass to get this stuff processed for me and I am animating the stuff I am able to accordingly. While it is probably unrealistic at this point, I am going to cross my fingers and hope to have a finished product by New Years. Might not happen, but I'm gonna try.

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I'd also like to bring up something that has been bugging me. Since I released the VGE3 Easter Egg, it has gotten over 1,900 views and currently carries a 4.31 score. I was honestly not expecting this.

The views are normal for a non-frontpaged flash, but 4.31? Seriously? This is grossly overrated.

I figure that it's probably a couple of people going to it every day and voting five, but I still find myself perplexed by the general response. You could say that it was kind of an experiment. I made that specifically to illicit a negative response from Akuma fanboys. In the month or so since I released that flash, not one single fanboy has shown up in defense of Akuma. Not one zero-bomb review. Not one butthurt private message. Not one single person bothered enough to voice protest against my clear hatred of Akuma. Not one. In fact, several people openly supported killing that poorly-designed prick.

Now, to a scientifically-minded guy like me, this is a very strange and unexpected result. 1,900 is a remarkably good test sample. Why is it that out of these 1,900 people, not one of them felt the need to defend this highly popular character?

I feel that the strongest explanation at this time is that Akuma's popularity doesn't even closely approach the hype. Is it possible that I've been fooled into believing that Akuma is popular based on his overexposure in the related media? Is it possible that the Akuma supporters I have met before were only operating under the same pretense and bandwagoning with a crowd that existed only in their assumptions?

I find all of this terribly interesting and I'd certainly like to hear what you guys have to say about it.

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R1665: “Awkward.Well,
Also, here's something interesting I was led to the other day:

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R1665

I do these monthly updates because I feel that it is important to let people know that I'm still here and still working. I also feel that it is important that I remain an active presence here. Far too many animators make far too few updates and leave far too many fans wondering just what the hell is going on.

The downside to all of that is that I must occasionally report that there have been no significant updates. The sprite work for EP. 3 is complete and I am still waiting on the artwork. 3XStudios has been recently dealing with some unfortunate events, all of which have caused understandable lateness. As I have already stated, it will be done when it is done. Rest assured. It WILL be done.

Since my hours at work have recently returned to normal, I often find myself with little to do in the evenings as I wait. Still, I find a few areas to remain productive. I have started building my library for Ep.4 already, albeit slowly. (I have a psychological aversion to starting a new flash project before the last one is complete.)

I have also recently been toying around with spritesheets (yeah, not MUGEN stuff...) for a possible future project. At this moment, it is still in the "theory" stage with those small spritesheet edits being the only actual work done. I have no idea on exactly when I'm going to be able to work it in, but the idea has been pecking sharply at the back of my brain for the last few weeks. I won't go into too many details on the project, but it will require a sizable leap onto a different branch on the sprite family tree. Unfamiliar territory.

I am also now counting the days until Wizard World Chicago. From August 19-22, I will be wandering around hundreds of booths devoted to all things comic book-related and geeky. I will be focusing this time on the artist section and would like to find artwork of some specific characters that would look nice framed on my wall. I went to the same convention back in 2005 and got a SPECTACULAR print of Gambit made and signed by Mark Wolfe. It now adorns the wall in my living room. I won't post a direct image of it, but I will give you a link to its general location on his site:

Mark Wolfe comic art

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Anyway, I do regret that I will not be able to provide you people with the action that you crave just yet. For now, please accept this embedded YouTube video. It is a compilation of the best action scenes of the movie Equilibrium set to some kick-ass music:

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Just keep patient, folks. Ep.3 is coming.

R1665

I've decided to do my monthly update a couple of days early for the benefit of those going to the Anime Expo. You guys can officially relax - the flash won't be released during that time.

The fact is that work is kicking both mine and 3XStudio's asses. "Peak" seasons suck. If the sprite work weren't already completed, I'd definitely be behind by now. My particular problem is that my new temporary hours cut into the time I would normally use for flashing. 3X's problem is a crapload of overtime hours that cut into, well, everything. Anyway, delays are nothing new to the VG Exiles series. We went through this with Ep.2 and we'll make it through Ep.3 just fine, albeit a little later than expected.

That said, I'm not going to promise a release time frame. It'll be done when it's done. You can rest assured that I will be fighting to get it done as soon as possible, but I won't be making any timetables.

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Next item:

If any of you are thinking about going to the Chicago Wizard World (where I will be wandering aimlessly for four days), tickets are still available:

http://www.wizardworld.com/home-ch.htm l

This could be your chance to meet the real me and watch as all of your unrealistic expectations crash and burn like a $1200 RC airplane in the hands of a three-year-old with ADD! Okay, that may be a bit of a stretch, but the basic principles apply.

August 19-22nd. I would highly recommend it if you are a comic geek who missed out on the San Diego Comic con. Plus, William Shatner and Patrick Stewart will be there. EPIC WIN!!!

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Okay, last item on the agenda:

I have been debating doing something that I had earlier resolved not to do. Every time I seem to convince myself not to do it, I find myself pondering the question again a few days later. So, I shall fish for input.

"MK vs. SF" - Should I put the tag-line on this flash?

I am heavily weighing the pros and cons and cannot seem to come to a permanent decision. On the one hand, it is indeed a battle between MK and SF. The tag line will most definitely add views. Also, it's not like ANYBODY ELSE is friggin' using it anymore. I stole Proxicide's car; might as well drive it, eh?

On the other hand, Ep. 2 proved that I don't need the tag line to succeed. I don't need to skim off of Proxicide's popularity anymore. My series stands on its own. Ep.3 is also going to be the last episode for a long while that will officially be "MK vs. SF". Why change the new format just to accommodate something temporary?

Like I said, I am heavily leaning toward leaving "MK vs. SF" off as I had originally resolved to do. Still, that nagging little question keeps popping up in my head no matter how many times I think I have the issue decided. That said, I would appreciate your input.

What say ye, loyal news post visitors?

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Now, just because I can, I present the following video. "Warriors" by RAUNCHY.

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This was going to be the credits music for Ep. 3, but the file size grew to an unacceptable level. I'll probably still have to ask Tom Fulp for another file size extension for Ep.3 anyway, but I'm not going to put more space-destroying stuff in the flash just because I can.

R1665

I've been looking forward to delivering this month's update for the last two weeks. I am pleased to announce that the fight portion of VG EXILES Ep. 3 is now complete! Yeah, that's right! The fight's done!

The month of March, by a very wide margin, has been the most productive month I've had since starting Episode 3. Not only did I finish the fight, but I've also completed the vast majority of the menu system in the last couple of days. I've got my voice actors all lined out and I'll be ready to work on the art scenes as soon as I get the material. I estimate that there will be at least another month in production, but the end is in sight.

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Honestly, this upcoming fight is going to be a true milestone for me. I've mentioned this before, but this particular match-up has been on my to-do list for YEARS. It was the first fight I thought of doing the first time I saw MK vs. SF 2 and learned that such videos were possible. That was long before I knew even the first thing about flash. In a very real sense, my entire animating career has led up to this fight. It's the entire reason that I decided to get into flash in the first place. "R1665" exists today because of this upcoming match-up. That's fucking heavy...

Really, this post isn't so much about what you will see in VG EXILES Ep.3. It's what you WON'T see that will help set this fight apart. For example, you WILL NOT see a screw job ending. That's right! Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter will finally throw down the way they always should have!

Yup. NO SCREW JOB. That means no last-second life-saving interference by another character. That means no characters getting their second wind on the brink of defeat and turning the tables. Nobody will be pulling a last-second victory move out of their ass. Also (to pick on myself a bit), there will be no moral dilemma standing between these fighters and no innocents needing protection. No speeches, no bullshit, and NO MERCY. The winner stands triumphant and the loser lies dead in a pool of their own blood.

How's THAT for a deviation from the norm, Newgrounds?

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As you can see from the screen shot below, I have given my menu system a significant graphics upgrade. I guess the big question now is, "who's gonna appear in this screen?". I'm afraid that question will only be answered upon release.

Also, yes, this image is indeed sort of a bullshit way to fulfill my front page post policy. You'll get over it.

R1665

Over the last month, progress on VG Exiles Episode 3 has been slower than expected, but still visible. At this moment, I would estimate that the fight portion of this video is now less than a minute away from being finished. I'll probably add another 20-30 seconds or so to my original fight length.

Honestly, most of the progress made over the month of February has been done over the past week. I've kinda gone on an animating binge and I plan to roll it over into March. I'm actually hoping to have the fight done by the end of the month because it seems to be taking too long to finish compared to the previous installments. Self-imposed time constraints. I don't want to get to the point where it takes me a year to make one of these videos. Still, even if I do finish this fight by the end of March, I will still have to do all of the story stuff, menus, credits, and whatnot. I'll probably have to wait a little while on the voices and art, too. It's unavoidable.

Regardless, you can rest assured that SOME progress is being made.

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After my last news post, I mentioned the possibility of adding a screen shot to my March update. Submitted below for your viewing pleasure is the aforementioned image. As you can see, Scorpion will be making a cameo appearance In VG EXILES EP.3! In this screen, he is wondering exactly what this strange shadow is that seems to have engulfed him...

On a completely, absolutely, 100% unrelated note, I now believe that this fight will go down as the bloodiest, deadliest, and most violent sprite fight in the history of flash animation. If you thought Episode 2 was hardcore, just wait until you see this beast.

R1665