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R1665

Age 41, Male

Kentucky, USA

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Reflections, ramblings, and the future...

Posted by R1665 - August 11th, 2009

Well, my most recent flash is now off the front page and things are starting to calm down on my account. I guess now would be a good time for me to reflect on this last flash as well as my upcoming plans. I won't be front-page posting this because I have no screenshots. I also see no reason why I should bore complete strangers with my ramblings. Those of you who frequent my page should be used to it by now!

VG EXILES Episode 2...

I must say that I am THRILLED with the way this movie was received! I also wasn't expecting to get a weekly 5th out of it. I guess that's why two other top-notch animations showed up and knocked me down to third - competition for those weeklies. I might have to consider submitting on Tuesdays from now on! Yeah, the competition is fierce, but the rewards are great.

What surprised me most is how well the movie did considering all of the things that it had going against it. First of all, is was the first movie that didn't rely on the Proxicide influence in some way. (You know it. I know it. Let's not bullshit ourselves here.) It was the first movie in which the choreography and setup was all mine. It was the first movie that showed the real nature of my Exiles' series, meaning that B-listers and the underused got the glory while lots of "popular" characters bit the dust. (Although Ibuki and Makoto didn't appear because they were "popular". They appeared because they lost out on getting their own fights when I cancelled MK vs. SF: INVASION.)

For the record, I usually put more weight on how often a character appears in flash than their fandom when I determine "popularity". Since the cat is out of the bag on this flash, I will finally state for the record that I am sick to the teeth of seeing headswapped shotoclones being headlined all the time. Believe me when I say that I took GREAT pleasure in dispatching the two that showed up in Episode 2. I will only accept Ken as my "token headswap shotoclone". At least he has some personality I can work with. I find the rest to be completely without appeal for the VG Exiles. Sorry, Akuma fans.

In fact, that's one of the reasons why I canceled MK vs. SF: INVASION. The story I developed required two Ryu fights and an Akuma fight. By the time I reached the end of animating VG Exiles Ep. 1, I realized that I'd rather chew glass than spend a year and a half animating shoto fights. The thought of animating that actually started producing real symptoms of nausea. That's why INVASION went in the scrap heap and will stay there. What can I say? I guess I just developed a strong distaste for the status quo of sprite fighting somewhere between Episodes zero and one. With the entire roster of fighting game history open to me, it's kind of hard to generate any excitement for a half dozen jackasses with nearly identical moves and appearance. I'm not just picking on Street Fighter here. I hold MK ninjas to this standard as well. The only reason why I don't cringe when I see them like I do shotoclones is because I don't see them as often.

----------

Okay, I've covered reflections and ramblings. That leaves the future.

I have a few projects to tackle before I can get started on Episode 3. They shouldn't take long. I have to do them now because they are grossly overdue and I won't get them done if I start on the next flash. I am notorious for my inability to focus on more than one thing at a time.

As for the next flash, It will be another bout between Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter. This next fight is one that I have been planning, literally, for YEARS. The first sprite flash I ever laid eyes on was MK vs. SF 2. At that time, I thought of this upcoming match-up and wished that I had the knowledge and skill to pull it off. It was that dream fight in my head that fueled my desire to get into sprite animation. I put it off for so long because I didn't want to attempt it before I could be sure I was ready for it.

Well, now it's time. After three years of waiting, I'm finally going to do the fight I've wanted to do since the very beginning. The best part is that I can do this with no pressure. I have nothing left to prove to anyone.

I'll be going underground with this next episode. The identities of the fighters will remain secret. I may release a few tidbits here and there, but this next production will pretty much run silent. I probably won't do monthly updates with screenshots, but I will keep you guys informed.

For all of you folks who have stuck with me through this whole wild ride, I want to say, "Thank You". Those of you who actually read this whole long-winded rambling tirade of mine are extra special!

THE VG EXILES WILL RETURN.

R1665

Comments

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Trixiaoyu

"It was the first movie that didn't rely on the Proxicide influence in some way."

I agree. You pulled off your own unique symbol.

"I'll be going underground with this next episode. The identities of the fighters will remain secret."

That's cool. It builds suspense. I will just wait and see why you kept Sakura alive and what Johnny Cage's real intentions are.

The first sprite flash I saw was "Snes World Tournament" by Cajun Spirit. If you haven't seen it, go check it out; it's good.

I wish you good luck with the planning of VG exiles ep. 3. As of now I am still doing some photoshop training.

I await the day that my flash gets put on front page. I am just wondering how many people "favoured" VG exiles ep. 2? 300? 400 maybe?

R1665

"I am just wondering how many people "favoured" VG exiles ep. 2? 300? 400 maybe?"

At this moment, 532.

R1665

Trixiaoyu

VG exiles ep. 2 scored 4.35. You only needed an extra 0.03 points to get into the top 50. Just missed it. It's still good though. Improvements will be made in the next instalment.

R1665

Episode 1 is just under that "Top 50" mark now. Top scores have been trending upward over the last several months. Even though it is starting to level out, recent flashes in the top levels were hitting 4.45 and above.

I'm not worried about hitting the Top 50. I just wish that somebody would update the Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter collections.

R1665

ChrenKlen

excellent. true words from an artist. good luck and take the time to look for inspiration before you loss that spark.

i was writing my book for years then suddenly stopped for about six months so i was really behind on that.

But now i hunt for inspiration to always keep it going.

So don't let up on how far you can push your self and remember to find your inspiration cindling before the fire really goes out

^_^

R1665

The problem will never be inspiration. It will be motivation. I can think up stories while sitting on the couch, or at work.

The problem will come from the long animation process. I'm good for now, but there may come a time when I won't want to spend six months working on an animation.

Gotta be realistic. Luckily, I am nowhere near that point now.

R1665

Shock-Dingo

Good post man, big congrats to you for your success. I eagerly await your future works. Concerning the treatment of the Shotos, I have to agree with you; a vast majority of Street Fighter sprite fights I've seen always seem to have Gouki, Ryu, and Ken. I can only dream what an insane fight featuring Bison, Blanka (think of the acrobatics in the hands of a creative spriter), Guile/ Charlie, Chunli or some of the SF3 characters would look like. It is interesting when someone thinks outside the box and really goes to town, but, when it's the same styled characters over and over and over, it gets a little dull, and there's an overall loss of potential. I'm happy to see that you're willing to choose some B-listers and give them a chance to shine for the sake of originality.

Best of luck with the next project and all the best. :)
-Shockdingo

R1665 (Updated )

Actually, Suroy does some excellent work with Chun-Li. He has an ongoing series that features her as his main character.

Personally, I love the rare event when I can open a flash and watch a more obscure character fight. It gives the fight a sense of unpredictability. With shotoclones, I know EXACTLY what I'm going to see. An animator might be able to surprise me a couple of times by using the moves in a creative manner, but 90% of any shoto fight is going to be old hat.

It's even worse when it's shoto vs. shoto.

R1665

manikdreamer

Thanks for providing a change! Between you and Suroy, I am seeing much more of my favorite characters in flash than was usual! Also, I enjoy the tight, controlled use of powers in each fight scene. God knows I love Proxicide, but when Akuma pulled that Mega-Cannon out of his ass, it just about ruined my day!
Anyways bro, take a well-deserved break and I hope to see Ep. 3 next year or so!

R1665

I may not always use someone's favorite character, but I can at least hope to give people some new favorites!

R1665

xheartxbreakxkid

i think that one of the reasons why people use ryu, ken, and akuma, along with sprites like the MK ninjas could be because of availablility.
it is alot easier to get thoughs characters vs. the "B-list" characters
to my knowledge, only a handful of people know how to rip sprites and/or sound effects from mugen, i've been trying to figure that out for about a year now,
and even less probibly won't take the time to learn about a "B-list" character.
now about episode 2,
that was the first flash movie in general that i have ever actually waited on,
by that i mean i was checking for updates at least once a week,
and you have changed my out look on the "sprite universe" so to speak,
the only advice i can give you is,
never become a hypocrate,
as always, good luck with any of your future projects

R1665

From what I can tell, people usually get their SF3 sprites from Zweifuss if they don't know the mugen trick or something like it. Even then, Zweifuss' SF3 sprites page has sprites for all of those characters, not just the shotos.

R1665

LoneReaper01

I've seen some awesome flashes but yours is just really unique and your right, most are about "popular charcters" getting the spotlight ( though it would of been great to see Ibuki or even Wolervine in action) at any case it's great to see more obsure charcters in on the action. good luck with your future goals and endeavors.

LoneReaper01

R1665

Well, you never know what the future holds in the VG Exiles...

R1665

KINGYAJR

I wish you the best of luck and not that you need it cause as of now your one of the best around the net and getting better so get now and make that dream flash so that we all can see fans and new.^w^

SS4FlameAlchemist

I can't wait to see what's next. I loved your series. I am shocked my review on Ep 2 hasn't been deleted. Personally, that's the one I wanted gone, because it didn't reflect my true thoughts. Like I said before, I must have been high. Anyway, though, I do hope things go well.

And for the record. You have inspired me to make my own Exiles series (although it won't be fighting games). I am one of those view that know about ripping stuff from MUGEN. I plan on making a trailer once I finish a few more chapters of my sprite comic. You will probably have a lot of people trying to ripoff your style now that people know how awesome you really are.

R1665 (Updated )

The alternate-reality premise of the VG Exiles wasn't mine to begin with. It is based on the Exiles from Marvel Comics.

I don't own any part of it. I just made a few changes to it.

Any other "Exiles" flashes made by others simply won't be accepted as "canon" within my series. Hell, lots of people have made "unofficial" sequels to videos by Proxicide and Alvin-Earthworm. That's the nature of fan fiction. The same principles that allow me to emulate the work of others also allow others to emulate me. I just hope I don't spawn the same kind of fan-fiction clusterf*ck nightmare that Alvin-Earthworm did with the SMBZ series. That man created a monster.

[EDIT]... With regards to my choreographic style, it might be nice if I were to have an impact on the sprite world in that way. I get sick of watching all the recycled anime cliches in 99% of sprite fights. ANYBODY can spend thirty seconds charging a damn Hadouken or doing a redundant powerblast face-off. I would LOVE to be personally responsible for making that crap go away. ...[EDIT]

R1665

SS4FlameAlchemist

Well, basically, it won't exactly be in the same storyline as yours. This takes place in a seperate part of the VG universe. I won't be using any of the characters you are using, or even series for that matter. Basically, I will do what you did. Start out by making something like a style you like, then branching off into a unique style. That's what I'm hoping for anyway. We all got to start somewhere. But, you will be the first to preview it when I finish. You and a few others.

greyshadowskyknight

you truly made a new standard for sprite flashes movies, i enjoyed it...saw it day of release.
so nice of you to let us know what your scheming behind the scenes, i also wonder will anymore darkstalker characters will be introduced through the series? i cant wait to see a jedah or demitri fight, but you might not have that in mind for your story.
anyways take all the time you need you made a impressive mark, if your not popular before you are now.
i too feel the annoyed about the number of shoto clones...especially about how many of them there are on newgrounds, its nice to see an original fight..even when proxicide did the mk vs. sf series he used, ryu, ken, and akuma, for all 3...i wonder in newgrounds why cant i find anyone other than popular street fighter characters, always a chun-li, ryu, ken, and akuma vs. whoever matches...why isnt there more guilty gear and dark stalkers, you can barely find king of fighters, and by my standards they have a more appealing roster: terry bogard, joe higashi, geese howard, kyo kusanagi, kula diamond, k~, king, iori yagami, rugal bernstein, and many many others...like you said, every character at your disposal, hell everyones disposal...and i still cant find a guilty gear fight outside AFS, god dammit get me some jam vs. venom fights..
anyways im done ranting...i enjoyed the flash it had good music and a epic fight, and yes someone i enjoyed seeing fight! sakura, one of my favorite sf characters. now im gonna go listen to still in the dark, by daisuke ishiwatari, he makes the best rock music in fighting games, you should listen if you havent. zaah i vanish now into the dark.

xheartxbreakxkid

i guess you're right,
by the way,
your voice work was very dynamic

R1665

Actually, I thought my Guile was a weak link.

R1665

Mini-Dude

I love listening to you ramble.

Also, thank you for thanking me ^_^ LOL!

You arent telling us who these 2 fighters are? You are one hell of a handful.

R1665

Actually, the viewer knowing the identities of the fighters beforehand made Episode 2 a fluke in the series.

Pretty much every episode from here on in will be a surprise match-up.

R1665

Mini-Dude

Up there, I saw you say, "I may not always use someone's favorite character, but I can at least hope to give people some new favorites!"

The truth is, I had never, ever heard of Jon Talbain. Now, he is DEFINITELY a favorite, and hopefully soon I can get my hands on a Darkstalkers game and try him in battle!

R1665

I started doing the first video editing project tonight.

Oh, video editing... I hate you so much...

R1665

xheartxbreakxkid

one more thing and then i'll stop bothering you (for a while)
when you animate, do you first pick a song and then fit the animation with it?
or do you do all the animation first and then pick a song to fit the movie?
and i am not trying to copy your style or anything,
but i just want to see which technique is more "professional" before i start
-thanks

R1665

I pick the song long before I start animating. I will then listen to it as often as possible while imagining the fight in my head.

Once I start on the fighting, there is not one second in the day in which I am not thinking about it on some level.

R1665

Ryukang

lol this post makes me laugh every time i read it excellent job on exiles episode 2 im pretty sure what kind of characters will be in episode three but i wont spoil it for everyone make sure u get alot of relaxation so u can brainstorm on how u want to make these make these next flashes brutal

R1665

With the characters I have in mind, the word "brutality" seems inadequate.

"Oh yes... There will be blood." - Jigsaw

R1665

Ryukang

if u wanted to see a decent MK vs SF flash u should see SK2 it was pretty decent even tho some of the choreagraphy was from Proxicide it was alright

Sunrie

Outstanding. I can't wait to see what's in store for the future of the Exiles series and for you MKvsSF bouts.

I'm kind of in the other side of what you're going through on your newest project. With mine...I'm trying to prove to everyone that I do know how to animate something beside Game Ranger and Phoenix Wrong movies.

Aside from making sure the script isn't corny, I have to make the fights hard hitting, entertaining, and well planned. I do choreograph fights for people IRL, but when it comes to animations, I feel that I struggle. People seemed like to like what I had going on in Game Ranger 3, and that is absolutely nothing compared to what I'm undertaking on this new project.

R1665

Can't wait to see what you can do, man! Just remember to keep that action fast-paced and cliche-free!

R1665

Mac88

*thumbs up* Not only did I read your entire spiel, but I commend you on using not-so-popular characters in your fights. Talbain all the way!

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