Amazingly, people have kept reading my blog despite my absence. This makes me pleased.

I am, however, back, and despite being on a schedule directly from Hell I’ve found a small cranny (namely, the time before I wake up and go to class on Wednesday mornings, while eating) in which I can research and write something or another resembling a valid observation.

Today, we have a spectacular and completely forseeable suit by Dawn of the Dead holders MKR Productions against Capcom, for trademark infringement within their game, Dead Rising. The reason we could all see this coming is because not more than three weeks ago Capcom filed a pre-emptive suit against MKR in order to try to protect their game from future liability by suggesting that zombie invasions are an “unprotectable theme”.

What’s MKR Production’s response?

They’re both funny. That’s right–MKR is trying to get Capcom on the technicality that both games are “dark comedies”, in which “the recreational activities of the zombies and absurdly grotesque ‘kill scenes’ provide unexpected comedic relief.” Supposedly, this indicates Dead Rising is trying to provide social commentary on the mall culture zeitgeist, as well as provide sensationalist violence.

This is such a loose and subjective argument I have trouble even wanting to look at it, despite it’s from Reuters. I agree that Dead Rising is in no way even a foot apart from Dawn of the Dead, but I have to say the loophole through which MKR are trying to drive is almost preposterous. I wasn’t expecting Capcom to get away with their preemptive suit, but this is just an absurdity.

In general, I’ve found that the”suing culture” of the United States, among other countries, is spectacularly unfathomable to me. It seems people will sue for anything around here, and find the most miniscule and horrendous details on which to base their suits. Everything is technicality.

You know how many scandal suits I hear about in Mexico? Zero. We also have a Judicial system that’s about as efficient as picking hay up with rope, but for us to not have any real lawsuits hit the fan?

I don’t know where it comes from.

Share on Facebook

I haven’t gotten enough rest for the past week or so, and I’ve been trudging along with my daily schedule, working like a maniac to get work done. Back from the convention but still utterly exhausted, uncentered and needing a serious vacation. I’ll try to get back into gear for game news again soon.

I’ve started up a new modeling project in which I shall be modeling myself, and my professor has assured me and my class that our projects are all going to look like crap.

This man is an idiot.

But either way, I’m pretty sure I can pass his class. After working 15 plus hours on my last model, I was relatively happy with my end result. I did, however, decide I would never be a modeler. If anything, I can model for fun.

Here’s my B2 Bomber. Enjoy.

Share on Facebook

I’m off. I’ll be back on Monday. Hopefully I will have something coherent to say.

Share on Facebook

I’ve really needed this break for the past few weeks. Come next week I’ll be going out of town for a convention, but I’ll be back soon after and hopefully very refreshed and ripe with ideas.

We’ll see how things go.

Bully review still pending, followed by a lot of other crap I want to talk about. Sorry for not being able to get on it–I always find myself lacking time for anything halfway through the semester. I’ve only just realized I have no real portfolio and it’s mortifying.

Anyway, more to come later. For now, blissful sleep.

Share on Facebook

Please bear with me. Commissions are almost done, and then we’ll be back to our scheduled stupidity.

So we’ve started modeling (finally) and I’ve given the old Maya a few spins. I really wish we were working on 3D Studio Max instead, but apparently the school wants to “phase out” 3DSMax from the program. Which is unfathomable. Then again, I guess 3D Studio Max is about to be phased out anyway, now that AutoDesk has purchased both it and Maya… in a while we’re going to see something called Maya 3D Studio or something retarded like that, and it will be severely far removed from either Maya or 3DSMax.

Or maybe I’m being pessimistic.

Anyway, here’s the first model I’ve ever really accomplished properly that isn’t a lame NURBS rendition of a planet done in Blender. This is actually something I made, though I used a few choice images for textures and reference (thank you, Layne Johnson) so I can’t take credit for everything. I can, however, safely say that because my teacher is mostly incompetent, this model could never be used in an actual video game–not only is it not rigged, but it’s made of the most horrible geometry ever conceived, and only after having completed it did someone let me know that I should try working in only perfect quads.

I was infuriated on learning that I have been learning modeling wrong from a teacher that barely has the capacity to teach. I’m not saying he doesn’t know what he’s doing, or that he’s a bad guy–no, he’s a nice fella, really sharp. But he sucks at teaching. He is an awful teacher. I can’t figure why nobody has complained and gottem hin removed from the class yet–I imagine because they feel guilty because he’s a nice guy. But look: my education is absurdly expensive, to the point where I’m driving my family into debt and am constantly finding ways to scrounge for money. I cannot pay such exorbitant prices every semester and accept not being taught. I am spending way too much for that.

Still, have a looksee and critique if you like. I applies normals and a bump map, which gives the skin a fun bumpy feel, despite the fact that it may never actually work inside a game engine. I had fun making it, to my surprise, and I’ll probably keep trying to keep modeling (my goal for the end of the semester is to make a fox samurai model, which will be interesting) so I can upload final images here as I progress, if you all like.

Without further ado, the images. Leviathan, Lord of the Seas.

Share on Facebook

I’m somewhat finicky. I realized recently I hate the green on my blog.

It’s probably because I’m colorblind, and that particular shade of green made me a little ill, since it also looks very reddish to me.

I’d much rather have this calm blue.

Opinions? Complaints?

Share on Facebook