Hittokiri Zero

Don't hold me to this but another reason why innovation has suffered is because of the fact that many game companies can't afford to fail. The costs of creating new games is staggering and with so many smaller companies dividing the market unless your a big name company such as Square-Enix or Nintendo then failure is not a option.

Halo is " hands down" the most overrated game to date. Not only did Halo do little to change the FPS genre but it basically borrowed elements from other FPS games threw them together as one big hunk of junk and proclaimed itself the king of FPSs. Even going as far as calling Halo the best console FPS ever is mind boggling to me as, in my honest opinion even Goldeneye with it's dated graphics and gameplay is still worthy of that title.

I'll post a quick walkthrough of that exact effect sometime tomorrow but for now i'll just post this image here since there's no need to create another thread when it will get about two replies anyway -_-... [img]http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/8267/posssplashcopy9xu.jpg[/img] The above image is still a work in progress and is for a splash-page design contest.

(Note: Everything below might not be explained to the best of my ability as I decided to take a "take with it and run" type of approach while writing this "tutorial". If you need further explanation feel free to ask, but there are some things I decided against explaining just because as you use the program you'll figure them out for yourself) Here?s a quick little Adobe Image Ready tutorial that will teach you how to make a simple (yet effective) text transition. Since Image Ready is a stand alone program you can actually create a graphic from scratch in Image Ready. I do not recommend you do this however as Image Ready has less tools and effects than Photoshop does (I believe this is because Image Ready and Photoshop were designed to work with one another). So first things first! Open up Photoshop and create a blank canvas, size is irrelevant but keep in mind that large .gifs tend to lag (the graphic in this tutorial is 400x100 pixels large) Grab a hold of the text tool and type to your heart?s content, you can make things look pretty but as this tutorial is just meant as a quick walkthrough on how to make a simple Image Ready effect I wouldn?t bother with making anything too fancy. [img]http://img386.imageshack.us/img386/7670/18ht.jpg[/img] Not to hard right? Well prepare to hold your head in horror because? Oh who am I kidding, just scroll up to the upper left corner of Photoshop and under the file menu go to ?Jump To? and select Image Ready. [img]http://img386.imageshack.us/img386/3860/untitled2copy7za.jpg[/img] For those of you who haven?t experimented in Image Ready you should notice that the program looks and operates very similar to Photoshop. Once in Image Ready close optimize your canvas so it looks like mine (you don?t have to do this step but as the only ?boxes? that we need are the Animation-Image Map-Slice box and the Layers box, doing this will just clear up your workspace. If you ever need any of the boxes you closed just scroll up, roll over ?window?, and just click on the boxes you want to bring back up). [img]http://img386.imageshack.us/img386/8484/21ae.jpg[/img] Next click on the new layer button twice, and right click on the first frame. The drop down menu that appears is basically asking you for how long you want to display that one frame of the animation. As this is the first frame of the animation let?s set the time to four seconds. [IMG]http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/3750/r4zn.jpg[/IMG] Now click on frame three in the animation box; since frame three is now the active frame change the opacity for your text layer from ?100%? to ?0%?. Click on frame two and then frame three again; you will notice that your text layer is still visible on the second frame but not the third frame. With frame three selected click on the ?tween? button in the animation box. Tweening is a fast and simple way to create an animation. The ?tween? feature saves you the hassle from having to create each frame of the animation individually (note the Tween feature is only good for moving objects across the screen and/or changing the opacity of objects. You obviously can?t take a ?wicked cool? picture of the Power Rangers click the tween feature and expect your wicked-awesome Power Ranger to jump out and kick someone). Set the ?Frame to add? to seven, and make sure ?Tween With? is set to previous frame. This means that your animation is seven frames long and creates the seven added frames between frame two and three. [IMG]http://img386.imageshack.us/img386/8765/36oc.jpg[/IMG] Before we go on you can preview your animation by clicking the ?play animation? button on the Animation box, or you can do as I prefer to do and save your file as an actual .gif file and then preview it in internet explorer. To save your image in Image Ready under the file menu go to ?save optimized as? and save the file as a .gif. [img]http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/4960/save1ff.jpg[/img] Notice anything about your animation? It doesn?t loop! Well of course it doesn?t loop, because we aren?t done yet! Create two new frames in Image Ready (frames 11 and 12). Next right click on frame ten and change the frame delay to two (this will make your animation pause for two seconds before it fades back in). Click on frame 12 and change the opacity of your text layer back to 100%. Now using the tween feature with the same settings as before click tween and there you have it, you?ve just completed your first Image Ready animation! Example: [img]http://img386.imageshack.us/img386/8488/user1if.gif[/img]

Eh I kind of did that on purpose actually :=x but i'll mess around and see how things turn out... Since a lot of the "cool" looking animations in Image Ready are actually simple to do i'll create a thread with them later >_>''...

Name basically says it all... [img]http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/8184/mazing4fz.gif[/img] I was actually making this signature for a friend but decided to slap my other forum name (Synchromesh) on it instead... I also found a relatively easy way to make "shining" text in image ready while creating this signature. While I didn't use the effect on this signature i'm surprised I didn't think of it before... I'll post a tutorial or short explanation of it once I make a suitable example of what i'm talking about.

I actually left the feet and hands as the default feet and hands on the template i'm using (which i'll post later :=P. However someone on another forum I post at also commented on the feet so I will most likely add boots of some kind to the character)... But ---> [img]http://img102.imageshack.us/img102/9341/rtpscreenshotcopy2vc.jpg[/img] This was just a quick screenshot I took from a game I was working on in RPGMaker and then proceeded to edit in Photoshop. Everything you see in the screenshot is from the default RTP set (so I didn't make those characters or the tileset =O) but I did edit the character sprite so that it looks like it had been pinned to the wall with a sword through it... And I added the red eyes to the door and windows... Meh if you've ever used the program before what I did do should be self evident but this was just a "for fun" piece. ([i]The term Yokai was taken from the Anime series, "(The) Karas". While my interest in anime has dropped off a bit Karas has to one of the most gorgeous anime I have ever seen, it boots a story rivaling classics such as Rurouni Kenshin as well).[/i]

Not exactly the amount of responeses I was hoping for but thanks for taking the time to comment on my work Lan :=] I have actually created quite a bit of content since my last post but I figured i'd just display some of my pixel work for now: [img]http://img126.imageshack.us/img126/5782/charactercompilationcopy5zh.jpg[/img] [img]http://img361.imageshack.us/img361/7583/chara8copy4wi.jpg[/img] As you can see from the first image these are all characters I am (in some cases *was*) designing for an RPGMaker XP game I plan on creating =D I'm relatively new to pixel art but I feel that i'm starting to come along. The second image is more or less complete, i'll probably edit the hair up a bit but that'll come at a later date...

The "seams" connecting the last two images look very forced but other than that it's looking good :rolleyes:

Mmmm you failed to mention anything about the importance of using the color dodge and color burn tools to add more depth to the image :rolleyes:. No one likes a "nooby" looking abstract image that comes off as flat and boring :animestun ! I guess the only other thing that comes to mind in regards to text, is that while arial is a nice font any "basic" blockish font generally works well with simple abstract signature franklin gothic, is one font I personally use a lot.

I don't exactly post on online forums that often so I figured I might as well make one thread where I will post my artwork whenever I do find the time/motivation/will to log onto OB. [b]Past works:[/b] [URL=http://otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=51136]LogoDemo[/URL] [b]Most Recent Work:[/b] See Attachment - The attached image is a layout I am working on - or at least I thought I was working on - for my friend's band "Surrender at Dawn". It's in the early stages right now, but I like the way it's coming along. My intent is to add some sort of simple flash rollovers and transitions to the layout when it is complete and use it for my Advanced Web Page design final project but that idea may change due to time constraints. I have more stuff I can post but i'll post them later...

Mmmm thanks man, I think that I have become fairly competent with text over the years, the next steps which I am going to try and take are throwing in more geometric shapes and stop having the text aligned in single horizontal lines =P. On a side note I still can't get over my "Eternity Cards" logo I don't normally like talking about my own stuff but I love the way how the extended tails/curved parts of the text game out >_>... It took a little bit to get it to look the way it did but I think the time I spent on it was worth it... Oh yeah and here's a quick little doodle I am making in photoshop --->

First of all if you take the time to view this thread can you at least comment on the logos that I have made :animesigh? Secondly... This is basically a compilation of various logos I have designed this year. All the logos were created completely in Adobe Photoshop 7.0. A short description of each logo can be found below: PhotoshopDesign Resources - Website logo (Advanced Web Design Class). Eternity Cards - Video Game Logo (RPG Maker XP Title Screen). Infinia Gear - Video Game Logo (RPG Maker XP Title Screen). Game Prophets - Website logo (Personal video game website). EvoGFX - Forums Logo (Created for a "graphics battle"). Twisted Revolt (2) - Forum/Graphic Design Logo. The orange version was the final version. Twisted Revolt (1) - This blue version was the draft for the Twisted Revolt forums/website logo. Talari Networks - The oldest logo still on my PC that was created for a website which sells network components (or something like that...). [img]http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/5688/logos2copy4gi.jpg[/img]

Yeah congratulations Epsilon =D I was actually thinking about using the same image you used in your banner but then I stumbled upon the Gundam SEED Destiny image with chibi Athrun that I used in my banner.

Okay I figured I might as well give it a go: I probably won't create another entirely new banner but I may change this one up a bit before the deadline: [img]http://img518.imageshack.us/img518/7291/obchristmasbanner6qy.jpg[/img] Demo of how it would look with the current OB skin: [img]http://img518.imageshack.us/img518/8445/obchristmasbannerdemo7yy.jpg[/img] edit: The "T" is suppoed to look like reindeer antlers >_>... And the "theotaku" and "myotaku" text/boxes are meant to be hotspots/image-maps/links to the respective sites theotaku.com and myotaku.com...

I believe the origianl guyver anime series is out of production... Meaning the only place you'll find the tapes are probably via e-bay or some other online auction site... Well another alternative is to try and purchase hong-kong dvds... But then again that might not work as the series is quite old and I really have no idea if anyone had the brains to copy the show to DVD... Oh yeah doing as I listed above would also be completely illegal =P If it makes you happy there is a new Guyver series being aired in Japan right now I am currently watching the fansubs of it but maybe in a year or so it'll come to the States...

It's not really a big deal, if you're a dub-lover you're going to pick out every little problem with the article if you're fan-sub-fanatic you're going to choose to ignore what is in that article. If you're anyone else you probably don't like anime, so it doesn't matter either way... The guy might have gone over the line a couple of times, but big deal, it is one article out of how many on the internet? Most people aren't foolish enough to believe everything they read, so no harm was done...

The green stuff was supposed to be money =P. I originally drew a donut but then changed it :animestun... But yeah I used the pen and shape tools in photoshop to make it, I would have been smarter to use Adobe Illustrator but I haven't really fooled around with the program enough X_x.

One of the many reasons why I have been taking a break from any sort of graphical work as of late has been the fact that whenever I make something I tend to have a bad case of déjà vu for example, while I just created the image below a few days ago I can swear that I made something similar to or exactly like this before ---> Now I can't find any files on my computer with a character that looks like this but oh well :animesigh... (The image was made out of boredom but is still incomplete) [center][img]http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/1277/testcopy6wh.jpg[/img][/center]

I don't see how [b]digital[/b] sex is any worse than [b]digitally[/b] blowing the brains out of [b]digital[/b] human beings. This argument all goes back to the simple truth, video games are fake. It is just up to the people who play them to realize that. If you're going to allow sex in movies, then why not allow sex in video games?

Voting from a graphical standpoint i'm going to vote for [b]Kitty[/b]. I am a big fan of typography and while there are some things I would definitely change Kitty's image came out better overall, where Doc's was rather simplistic.

The Escaflowne movie followed a different storyline from that of the animated T.V. series. While the opening scene blew me away everything seemed a little to condensed for my liking. The Guymeloth battles were well done, but as is the case with many anime movies out there the ending was lacking in some regards. Now to be honest I saw this movie long ago that I have forgotten what the actual ending was like, but I do recall being dissapointed with the ending confrontation between Van and his brother ^_^'';. The relationship between Van and Hitomi was a nice twist on what we saw in the T.V. series though.

I was originally reading the Bleach manga but just dropped that because of time constraints and the fact that rereading what I had already seen in the anime series was more tedious than it was fun. Bleach itself is a fairly good anime. While it's not quite the masterpiece that some people portray it as it is a lot more worthy of its hype than Naruto. As of late the series has really picked up, but what keeps me from giving the anime my full approval is the Dragonball Z-ish feel of the characters taking extreme pummelings only to get back up with some new and improved power to lay the smack down on their opponent... Maybe the first few animes I saw back in the day left this weird impression on me, but for once I would like to see a character actually die... And no I am not pyschotic, I'm just realistic. When characters get constantly beaten to near death and you expect them to die... But they don't... It's just very anticlimactic... My only other complaint is a very minor one, as while i'm a big fan of the music in the series there was one point in the series in particular where I was getting fed up with the same ONE song played over and over again. All those nuances aside Bleach is one of the few anime/manga that I would reccomend to anyone out there, regardless of age, gender, or genre interests.

I believe I posted this layout a while back... Back in the summer or something like that... But i've been diligently working on it whenver possible and here is how my "GameProphets" layout is shaping up to look: [SIZE=3][URL=http://img365.imageshack.us/img365/1061/gameprolayoutcopy8sj.jpg]GAME PROPHETS LAYOUT (WIP)[/URL] [/SIZE] I'm probably going to rework those bars on the poll and change up some of the fonts, but since this is just a demo right now i'll do that once I finish the rest of the layout. Questions, Comments, and Criticism are appreciated. (On a few other notes: The page you are looking at now will probably end up being an "index" type page meaning that the rest of the pages, will look different in regards to the width and arrangement of all the boxes. I'm also planning on nudging the three game covers down and adding something like "Recent Reviews" above them...)

Meep. I'm not too fond of this last piece. From the background to the brush strokes nothing really jumps out of you, it's kind of just a random mess to the casual eye. I don't really like the way some of the red is visible through the white brushstrokes but what is really bothering me is how the red colored text blends in (too much) with the red colored brushstrokes. I would probably change the color of the red text so it's either a slight shade lighter or a slight shade darker than the brushstrokes so it's easier to read (either that or i'd add an indent or some other type of gimmick to the text so it stands out more, the text is basically the focal point of the image so i'd suggest that you try and make it as attractive as possible). A couple other things: The image seems a little "bottom heavy" and by that I mean the brushstrokes seem to cover up more of the bottom half of the image than the top, once again if this was me i'd either extend the brushstrokes to the upper half of the image or i'd just nudge the brushstroke layers up some. - The white text, might look better if it wasn't as bold. I'd definatley make the copyright/name text in the bottom right hand corner less bold, possibly smaller, and make it so that it doesn't really draw attention to itelf.