There are a few rules all modelers, modders, machinimators, and the like must follow to lead successful and awesome lives; thus keeping them on the path of doing what they love.

The most important of these rules is to avoid creating assets that are, shall we say, unnecessary. If you go around adding in random bits with no real direction, rhyme or reason, you might end up with something so utterly idiotic and fantastical that it might transcend the very fabric of UNNECESSARY and create a new brand of mind blowing superfluous euphoria. Thus plunging you and your hapless fans into a sea of darkness to which the only life preserver is MORE.

Thankfully I never make anything so confoundedly useless, which means this advice is as good as gold. TAKE IT!

What!?

I have a number of items to bullet point for the curious and well-wishers.

First order of business is a shuffle in the production schedule. Citing discomfort at the direction in the Ugly Jesus animation, the author and ourselves have come to a mutual decision to shelf the project for the time being. Other works by Ray for adaptation are on the table, and I for one am looking forward to working with him again. I have some pictures due for development of his art show in Waco, Tx. held last Tuesday.

<aside> I -really- can't wait to get a DSLR and put aside my 35mm once and for all. I'm just too slow in getting film processed in this internet era. I've been salivating over the Nikon D80 for a long time, and sometime in the next few weeks before I'm off for Tokyo (woot!) I'll be taking the plunge. </aside>

What this means is that "For Science!" has been pushed up to the front burner, and regular production on the pilot/EP 1 has begun. The script for episode one was approved weeks ago (on time!?) and we're now easing into the character design phase. The plan is to have a monthly release, once we have two or three episodes in the can. In a perfect world, this will begin in time for the 2008 fall season, continuing until the writer has had enough.

There has been a great amount of discussion about which engine to go with. Creative juices demand the utmost control in a very flexible environment that handles Blender/Max models with relative ease. I've been championing Crysis for having most of what we require, but without an SDK to run more explorative test, I can't be 100% sold. There was a point in time where we planned to utilize Half-Life 1 again, only with much updated art. Talks may have settled more modern, but I wouldn't discount it until you see the trailer! (Hell, even then!) – Irony of ironies, Dr. Keggers has just sent me this link while typing up this blog spam: Blender Scripts for Crysis Seems like it’s (using Crysis) becoming more and more likely every day.

Meanwhile this also means I have a small window while Mike works his pencil magic to jump in and work more on my personal secret project, while learning a few new tools and machinima tricks. Seeing as all I have to do is start modeling the sets, I can find no reason to hold back. Truth told 90% of the action takes place in a single location, but it has to be ripe with detail, something nice for every angle. In my mind, an early summer release would be perfect. I’ve finally settled on an artistic style after months of conflicting with myself. (see: Low Poly Ninjas ) In fact, I’m going with the same style as my original vision while writing and storyboarding last summer. The first hunch never lets you down!

Buddy -OUT-

Good evening bloggers, we here at Dead on Que would like you to know that while we are super busy meeting clients, writing scripts, and making magic in the studio, we also have another love. That love is for America, what it was, and what it could be. This past year has seen a radical change in the sea of politics, and for a long time our ideals were unspoken and unrepresented in Washington DC. Someone spoke up; a doctor working diligently for years from the inside, to make a real difference, fighting for the textbook definition of America.

This Sunday the DoQ boys, and a few of our friends, hit the road to meet that voice; one that champions our ideals of peace, liberty, and a stable economy in which our movie making ventures can be free and unhindered (not needing two day jobs to afford it!) It's one thing to sit at home and play couch-cheerleader, but it's quite another to get out and do something. Despite the writing on the wall, we got up, went out, and personally thanked the good Dr. Ron Paul for his work in restoring our faith, that America can really be a truly great place to live. That not every jerk in DC is a crook, and that at least one representative still respects the constitution we once fought so hard to create and protect.

There's to be a march on Washington DC in the coming months, letting the people know that the constitution isn't just a piece of paper. (See 10:00 mark) It's the founding ideals for our entire way of life, and it's gone without love and respect for far too long. The message is more than just one mans running for office, so we'll be there, mere soldiers in the long line of weary Americans. Regardless of your pick this November, we hope to see you too.


Brian with Dr. Paul


Mike with Dr. Paul

More Pictures!!!

Top–shelf Machinima director MuNansen has surfaced on Mprem to kindly take questions from the machinima community in regards to his involvement in the epic action rpg: Mass Effect.

This is a fairly rare opportunity for those of you who've only ever dreamed of working in the game industry (and don't go to the Machinima Festivals, for shame!), so get out those homemade press passes and fire away!

The Mass Effect Thread

Heck yeah it's been, and that means my old bucket of bolts is due for an upgrade!

So I took all the major parts from my proposed high-end Machinima Machine, minus the ones I already own (or deemed close enough, like my HDD set) or don't need specifically (analog video capture for example, I'm an all PC Machinimator, you see.)

And by the Hammer of Thor does this beast roar! I don't mean to knock my old rig, it was plenty strong for 90% of everything I'd ever want to do, but this sucker defaults the once "playable in medium" Crysis at the highest settings without flaw, and UT3 actually loads before the round starts. (It was quite playable before, but the pre-loading streaming nonsense ground the game to a halt until it was finished)

My favorite part has to be the case, the Antec P182, the layout is unlike any other case I've ever worked with, and makes a lot more sense than I figure a case should make. The only caveat is the bulk, it's large, and it's heavy. On the plus side, it's got room for 6 Hard drives with rubber dampeners to facilitate silent running. It took me a full afternoon to route all the wiring, but it was really worth the effort, and it looks great. Next step is to mount the DoQ logo to one of the side panels.


The rig breaks down like this:

E6850 Intel Dual Core Duo @ 3ghz ~$275
MSI Platinum 650i SLI motherboard ~$130
2 gigs of gSkill DDR2 ram @ 800 ~$50
*Nvidia 8800 GTS 640mb ~$380
**Antec P182 Case ~$140



*I got this last year, and it was a bit more costly
**xmass gift.