Inspired by Prev's excellent FRP, I've decided to create a blog to serve as a showcase for my upcoming modding projects. I suppose I'll also yak a bit about modding ideas, maybe offer the occasional bit of advice and all that, but the main focus will be to have a nice way to introduce people to my work. Come take a look and let me know what you think:
http://bentongrey.wordpress.com/
Nice to have new FF-related sites! Glad to see you starting this up.
Thanks LP! Please feel free to drop by and comment on anything you like, or don't like. Let me know if there is anything you'd be interested in seeing or hearing.
I'm beginning with a week-long series about modding projects that I've always wanted to do. Yesterday I talked about the never-to-be-seen MarvelG, and today I've posted about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Come by and tell me what y'all think!
I completly agree with your cartoon analysis - TMNT were THE cartoon - I learned to love drawing after copying my trapper keeper & folders of the Turtles at school instead of doing my work :blink:
Thanks Electro, I'm glad you agree. Yeah, I had four close friends when I was around that age, and we all had our favorite Turtle. The only Halloween I have a really strong memory of is the one in which the four of us went as the four Turtles. That was great fun. :D
Also guys, I'm taking a break from my "Projects in the Ether" series of posts to bring y'all something different tomorrow. I hope that it will generate some interest, and I'll crosspost about it here on FR.
Great site, Benton.
Loved the "Projects in the Ether", I would be very interested in the Marvel Universe According to Grey, it's a shame it won't be done :(
Thanks JJ! Me too...but I'm not giving up on Marvel entirely. I'm sure I'll do something with at least some of those characters eventually!
I've just posted about a new contest that I'm heading:
"Howdy guys, and welcome to Freedom Reborn?s first, but hopefully not last, EZScript competition! I?ve been a big proponent of M25?s nearly miraculous scripting tool, and have only been able to create mods for Freedom Force thanks to him. I?ve said many times that EZScript is extremely easy to use, and have shown that you can actually create an adventure in about five minutes, provided you aren?t trying to be too fancy. I want to call on the FF community, especially those who have never attempted modding before, to take a crack at creating a short mission."
For details, read all about it here:
http://bentongrey.wordpress.com/2010/01/17/ezscript-script-o
Great idea, Benton!
I'm very curious about our fellows EZscripters stories. The stories will be available for download? It would be a great chance to see the creations of many different writers.
Obviously I will send a script... Just can't decide who I would use, maybe a Legionnaire? ;)
Just to show Benton's point:
I just discovered FF months ago and I have zero programing skills. But using EZScript I already done a dozen of stories and one mod. ANYONE can script a story for :ffvstr: using EZScript.
I did a very simple Superman EZScript today, the only custom character is Supes himself, just used FF's cops, civilians and aliens. Is that easy.
Come on, guys, let's do it!
Thanks for taking part, JJ!
I've made my daily post, this time a crash course in EZScripting.
I've got a new EZScript related post today, in which I walk my readers through the process of creating one, and actually post a newly created mission.
If I wasn't so darn busy with my job, I'd totally do something like scripted episodes, featuring one character/team. I know it's easy to do the scripting -- I actually tried it a couple of years ago. But I want the stories to make sense...have to think about this. If I honestly thought someone would play the "mini-mods," I'd do it. (Plus, have to make sure all the meshes/skins/skopes I'd want to use have the required permissions, etc.)
You're no fun, ESF! There's one thing for sure, no-one will ever play them if you DON'T make them. :D
Speaking of, I'll be announcing the EZScript Script-Off winner tommorrow! On another note, I'm getting close to some releases of my own, and if you have any suspicions about what I've been working on, I'd love to hear your guesses:
http://bentongrey.wordpress.com/2010/02/06/elementary-my-dear-watson/
And the winner is......(drum roll, please).........................
Spoiler
Yellow Lantern!
Congrats!
http://bentongrey.wordpress.com/2010/02/07/ezscript-script-off-winner/
:thumbup:
Congrats, YL!
Congratulations to Yellow Lantern. :thumbup:
Too bad there were only a few who joined.
I must say, you give very good reviews BG! ^_^
Thanks Outcast! :D
The Greylands have been updated with some extra pictures and info about PCT Episode 3.
http://bentongrey.wordpress.com/2010/03/13/pct-episode-3-is-here/
The DCUG has been released!
http://bentongrey.wordpress.com/mods/
I've just release the beginnings of a Project Superpowers mod!
Check it out here:
http://bentongrey.wordpress.com/2010/04/10/playing-project-superpowers/
And now we have the beginnings of a Ninja Turtles mod! When will the madness end?!
Download the TMNT mod now!:
http://bentongrey.wordpress.com/2010/04/12/turtle-power/
Updated, bugfixed DCUG availabe!
http://bentongrey.wordpress.com/2010/08/21/dcug-fixed/
Howdy guys, I've got a new post on my blog, something I've been working on in my spare time. It's a short primer on Aquaman for those who don't know the character or have the wrong impression about him. It includes some basics about his abilities, some recommended reading, and some history. Check it out if that sounds interesting!
https://bentongrey.wordpress.com/2016/01/19/aquaman-primer/
The second post for my Into the Bronze Age series is up! This covers February 1970, or rather, the first half of the issues for that month. I've decided to break the posts up to make them a little less overwhelming and to get them out a bit more often:
https://bentongrey.wordpress.com/2016/01/20/into-the-bronze-age-february-1970/
I'm rather excited that this outing brought me to both Aquaman and JLA. I'm excited to be covering those books. Well, I hope y'all will find this interesting and will share your feedback with me!
Well, I just got done reading both your Aquaman Primer and your comic reviews, and I have to say, that was all a very good read!
I'll write up some more of my thoughts later (it's getting late), but again, very entertaining read. You really have a way with words, unlike Mr. Queen, haha :P
Spoiler
I do hope that "Headblow Counter" stays with you through your reviews, haha :P
Thanks Spyder! I'm very happy to hear that you enjoyed them! I definitely intend to keep up the Head-Blow Headcount. I'm rather fond of the idea. :D Please do share your thoughts in more detail. I can't wait to read them.
Annnd February Part 2 is up, including a really painful Superman issue! :P
https://bentongrey.wordpress.com/2016/01/24/into-the-bronze-age-february-1970-part-2/
And the next post, with some new features I'm trying out:
https://bentongrey.wordpress.com/2016/01/28/into-the-bronze-age-march-1970-part-1/
If you're thinking to yourself, 'stop reading comics and finish a darn mod!' then I have some pleasant news for you. I also started back to work on some projects this week. I don't know when I'll be ready to release, but I have a bunch of mostly finished mods sitting around, and I'm going to work to put them out as soon as I can manage (though, I'm still super busy, so I can't promise how soon that willl be). I've had tons of technical problems, and that has slowed me down, but here's hoping things are coming together now!
Well folks, here is this week's post, just barely under the wire:
https://bentongrey.wordpress.com/2016/02/06/into-the-bronze-age-march-1970-part-2/
I've also given the site a visual overhaul. I hope y'all will give me some feedback on its looks! I agonized over the theme, as there just aren't any that are interesting to look at, readable, and had the format I wanted, at least not for free. I'm not a hundred percent on anything yet, but I do like the layout of this theme better, and it is certainly easier to read, which is necessary now that I'm using this for more than just a collection for my mods. Please tell me what y'all think!
Soooo much easier to read. I'm not sure about the background though. It looks good, but it is a little distracting. That may be just my aging eyesight.
I find your Blog interesting btw. I am re-reading some golden age books for the mod and am seeing a lot of cheesiness that I had forgotten about. I haven't read them with a critical eye, but obviously they were just learning how to tell stories in an illustrated medium.
Thanks WF! That was my main goal, though I have to say, it takes some getting used to, seeing the blog this way.
Ha, yeah, I know what you mean about the background, and I'm completely torn on it. I really like the look of it, but it is super busy. It's a nice piece of Kirby tech I found last night, and I'm fond of the effect...but is it worth it? Hmm.
Thanks! I'm glad to hear you're enjoying it, and I really appreciate the feedback!
Yeah, the Golden Age stories are, while generally more serious than Silver Age tales, often quite unsophisticated in their own ways. Read through the decades, you can see the...I don't want to say 'skill level,' because that isn't necessarily the case, but let's say 'styles' change and grow.
To some extent, I believe, the target audience for early comics was everybody. That's why most comics were anthology books and had so many varied types of story. It wasn't until after WW II that comics began to be considered children's literature.
Right DG. They had the same market as the pulps, in theory, which was a vast swath of society, from young to old. In fact, the pulps themselves were quite popular with kids, and quite unpopular with their parents, which led to the creation of less violent, more moral character like Doc Savage. The original conception of their audience, and that of the comics they spawned, was pretty darn broad.
Another week another post! Join me for the next three issues in March 1970!
https://bentongrey.wordpress.com/2016/02/12/into-the-bronze-age-march-1970-part-3/
Em, thanks for the response! I hadn't noticed that "noisy halo." What can/should I do about that? What do you think of the new background?
On the subject of the over focus on Green Arrow, I have this theory: One day, Julie Schwartz went to lunch with young Denny O'Neil, to ask him about taking over "Justice League of America" since Gardner Fox was leaving. As they were riding in the cab back to the office, Julie was listening to Denny's ideas, now that he accepted. Schwartz wondered if he could reign O'Neil in some. He glanced out the taxi window and saw a sign:
(http://www.trafficsign.us/650/reg/r10-5.gif)
And that was the instruction he gave.
Haha, yeah, that's about right. It seems so fitting now, in retrospect, but this was a really big departure from who the character was in the Golden Age. It's crazy that it worked as well as it did (though I'm not saying it worked well, exactly).
As for him being a bigger focus in JLA, it really does get on my nerves as I start reading back through. There's all these other great characters there, many of them without books of their own, and Ollie keeps stealing the spotlight. At least Aquaman has his own book, for a few more months.
Here we go with another league further in our journey "Into the Bronze Age!"
https://bentongrey.wordpress.com/2016/02/20/into-the-bronze-age-march-1970-part-4/
(Bonus points if you catch that obscure old-time radio reference!)
This ends March 1970, though I'm afraid we go out with something of a whimper.
This week's post is up!
https://bentongrey.wordpress.com/2016/02/27/into-the-bronze-age-april-1970-part-1/
It's been a while, but how about another journey Into the Bronze Age!
https://bentongrey.wordpress.com/2016/03/15/into-the-bronze-age-april-1970-part-2
And I'm back on track with this week's Into the Bronze Age:
https://bentongrey.wordpress.com/2016/03/19/into-the-bronze-age-may-1970-part-1/
Howdy guys, I found a little trace of something lost. Check out the only remaining evidence of the Green Arrow campaign!
https://bentongrey.wordpress.com/2016/07/10/lost-dcug-campaign/
Aw man, a Green Arrow campaign would've been great! Sounds like a fun first mission.
Unfortunately, I discovered your DC mod too late to have anything that you're looking for. :(
The loss of that content is one of my great modding disappointments.
Well folks, if anyone happens to be browsing around the Greylands these days, please let me know if you spot any broken links. I'm trying to tidy things up. Thanks!
Of course, the site now boasts the finished Marvel Adventures Vol. 2, as well as lots of Into the Bronze Age posts, so if you haven't visited in a while, I've made some changes. :D
Quote from: BentonGrey on July 11, 2016, 03:45:58 AM
Howdy guys, I found a little trace of something lost. Check out the only remaining evidence of the Green Arrow campaign!
https://bentongrey.wordpress.com/2016/07/10/lost-dcug-campaign/
Don't know how I missed this one. Do you have an approximate time frame of when this was done?
Hmm...it's all a bit of a blur. I think it would be around the first release of the mod.
Urg...I had to go down a very unpleasant rabbit hole to figure out when it was originally released. Memories! :wacko:
Anyway, it looks like the version that PROBABLY had this stuff came out some time around January 15 2009. Either that, or the beta, which was released like a year before that.
Sheesh, this stuff was so long ago! Maybe one day I'll get back to that sucker...
Sorry Benton, I didn't mean to drudge anything up, I was just trying to figure out if I might have a copy burned to Disk somewhere. :doh:
Haha! Ohh man, CB, it isn't your fault! I didn't have to get sucked in, but I let myself. It's completely my fault. Anyway, I mostly just felt relief that all of that is over, and I felt a little grim amusement that, after all of that nonsense, here I am, doing the same kind of stuff I had always done, and everyone's happy about it now. What a strange world, hmm?
Ohh man...Cyber Burn is the absolute MAN! He had the original, Beta release of the DCUG, and guess what I found in those files, guys? I found part of my lost Green Arrow missions, plus a bunch of maps that I thought lost forever! I still haven't found everything, as this, sadly, didn't include my lost Atom/Hawkman mission and the really cool map that it accompanied, but this is still cause for celebration! What was lost has been found, and I have the makings of a short Green Arrow campaign now, plus a whole bunch of cool maps to play with!
The perks of having a collector as a friend :lol:
You rock, Cyber :thumbup:
And people make fun of my OCD. Not anymore!!! :P