HM3: Good news and bad news

I've just uploaded an update for the HM3 alpha that hopefully will fix the problem with the layers getting hosed up beyond all belief when you load saved character. Unfortunately it looks like this has also broken the "Move to bottom" function and introduced a new error when loading a saved character where things are getting masked to the wrong items.

But, I wanted to put this up there for now to see if at least the layering problem is fixed. Give it a shot and let me know -- I THINK you can load old characters and it ought to work properly.

Random Panel: It’s the second one. Always.

csbg10

Hammerknight’s Recipes, Vol. 1

(Hi everyone! Damien here. Hammerknight is going to be doing a bit of this from now on, and this is his first post! These are some of the how-to's he's been posting on the forums, and he'll be joining me on my Saturday post this week also. After that, you'll be seeing brand-new stuff, and like me, he's always ready to do requests. So give HK a big warm welcome! Continue reading

Hey, nice rack!

His tagline is "He stalks the world's most dangerous game", but unless that game is deaf I think he's got two very large, very bulky, very obvious problems to deal with before he's stalking anything but a can of metal polish:

manhunter1

Apparently you have to have flunked out of the Fashion Institute to be called "Manhunter" (see my entry on DC's attempted relaunch in the Nineties), unless you happen to be from Mars where, let's be honest, they're very snazzy dressers. Or were, before they all died. Best looking corpses in the solar system though, you have to give them that.

Anyway, this particular Manhunter is all too Terran, and someone has, in what I can only imagine is the world's best fashion-related practical joke, convinced him that wearing weapon racks strapped to your shins is a good way to be a stealthy assassin. I bet he was too dazzled by the glaive-length push-dagger they also gave him (which naturally wouldn't fit in his leg-holders) to object when they were shown to him. "Yeah yeah, metal sword sheaths, check, giant sleeves, whatever, have you seen the SIZE of this thing?!"

I can't decide what's going to give him away sooner, the flapping of his sleeves in the wind or the clanking of his leg-born display cases as he attempts to run over the rooftops. He'd have to waddle like Howard the frigging Duck to avoid banging those suckers into each other, not to mention the effect fifty pounds of metal strapped to his feet is going to have on his top speed.

I've seen a lot of impractical super-hero get-uppery in my time, but I think this might be the worst of all. It's a shame because the overall costume isn't bad, it's just the idea of an elite assassin walking around sporting the display rack from "Bubba's House of Discount Swords" for boots that ruins it.

Random Panel: Great moments in super-hero adventures

flame-1-1955-librarybook

(From "The Flame" number 1, 1955.)

Character Contest 9: It’s Elemental

Sorry for the lateness of this post, folks, time seems to have slipped away from me today. BUT, your challenge for this week is to create the best character image possible using any HeroMachine version that fits the theme of "It's Elemental". You could go with the natural idea of a super-hero based on one of the basic elements (Earth, Wind, Fire, etc.). Or you might create an Elemancer character from a DnD type of world. Or maybe you're into rock trolls, or water nymphs, or fiery invaders from Solaris, or a post-Apocalyptic mutant with a dowsing rod, or something else completely unexpected. Just make it look cool!

The rules are simple as always:

  1. You must use a HeroMachine version (preferably the 3.0 alpha, but any one is fine);
  2. All entries must be made as comments to this post containing a link to an image file on a publicly accessible web server somewhere (UGO Forums, ImageShack, PicasaWeb, whatever);
  3. No PhotoShopping or other after-HeroMachine image software manipulation allowed except for basic cropping and maybe adding a name.

I prefer new stuff that you haven't entered before, but sufficient awesomeness of the image will overcome a myriad of sins.

The winner will get to choose either a custom caricature of their head or any item of their choosing to be put into the HeroMachine 3 final version. Good luck everyone!

Character Contest 8 Winner

I'd like to thank everyone who shared their RPG characters with us in the last Character Contest. All of the entries were fun and interesting, so if you get the chance it's definitely worth the time to click through to the actual images.

As usual, after the jump I'd like to present some of the entries I thought were particularly worthy of an Honorable Mention for one reason or another, and then the overall winner.

Continue reading

Random Panel: Good news if you’re 2D

flame-1-1954-3dheman

(From "The Flame" number 1, 1954.)

Poll Position: Oh yeah, we’re going there

Walking right over the line of appropriateness, this week for our Poll Position we bring you that venerable traditional game, "FMK: Fool around, Marry, or Kill", proving I have neither class nor taste. But then, you already knew that.

For those of you unfamiliar with this concept, basically FMK is a "forced choice" game, where you must choose which of the three presented options you would Fool around with, which you would Marry, and which you would Kill. It is assumed that each choice is mutually exclusive, so you can't choose to both Fool around with and Marry the same person. The point of it is ... ok, there's not really a point, it's just stupid. But we did super-heroes-as-politicians last week so cut me some slack here, there are low-brow readers of this blog too!

So here goes:

{democracy:88}

Discussion to follow.

Continue reading

META: State of my Union? You tell me!

This is Damien, back from my "vacation" at the inlaws, and I decided to ask a very important question.

How am I doing in my job here? I know there are people who like my stuff  and my efforts on Jeff's behalf, to keep comments posting regularly and stuff like that. But what of you nay-sayers? Are there those among you who don't like me, or think I'm a hack writer? Maybe think I'm too pretentious? Obviously those who are ignoring me wouldn't be reading my posts much, so I'll ask right here. Am I doing ok? What needs to change?

(Loyal fans, please let them have their say and not start a flame war, okays?)

Next weekend or before is going to be a special "Females ONLY!" Poses Post, so tune in next time!