I shouldn't have to answer this, but due to the mass amount of ignorance displayed in the replys,I'm going to do it.
FLASH, PIVOT, OR EASYTOON ARE USED TO ANIMATE. REFER TO THIS THREAD HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THAT.
-A long guide to a decent RHG-
Ok, so over the past few months, I have been scavenging the RHG section and noticed.....very odd RHG's.
So, I am here to hopefully help you all improve or make your RHG better.
The RHG system (I believe) was created by my good friend Travis (Stone) Steven. It stands for Rock-Hard Gladiator. And in this system, somebody creates a fictional character in which they battle others with. Now, this character is supposed to have limitations, abilities, and a story and bla-bla-bla. Now, what do you do with that character? Challenge or receive challenges from others and duke it out with your RHG's. This is an animation contest, and after you are both done, you make the poll and post it in the battle zone and that good stuff. So now, we go to the main problem, bogus RHG's. (I am not saying mine is any better) As I have stated before, I have seen many RHG's with rather not enough information or just not complete. And the worst case, just stupid. So, let’s break down each part to help you young children have a good RHG and so people find it attractive and noticeable too.
Ideas for the RHG:
The most critical part of the RHG, itself. In this, we talk about thinking of an original RHG and making sure you can animate it. First of all, I would look through old RHG's, to make sure your Idea hasn't been taken. And if it has, you can change a few bits of it to make it seem different. Next, you don't want to make an RHG you can't animate. That’s horrible. But to some extent, you don't want to animate something below your level. Remember, the RHG system is a way to also make you become a better animator. But don't try something that's obviously out of your league. Take it in strides, and make sure it makes you happy. Think about your RHG idea for a while also. Try to screw in uncertain parts or places you think don't make sense before you decide to finalize it. Think about the overall feel you want your RHG to convey, so people get exactly what you’re talking about. The RHG has to suit you, and to some point, if people bash it, defend your RHG. Don't feel bad about an idea you think is good. But, you should also realize when your idea is just plain dubious and stupid. In which you should change it to avoid humiliation. As Pin said to me on Infinity Strikers clan page, (I quote)’ being original isn't making up something, it is taking what you got and working with it’. So don't go shitting in your mouth if you can’t think of an RHG, you can combine other ideas into one.
Pictures:(none of the programs I have listed here are free, expect paint.cuz it sucks like sarari ;)
Now, this is the picture for your RHG, as you may already know, it has to be 150 x 150. And for it to work, you have to use the 'img' BB code. Anyways, recently, I have been seeing very poorly drawn pictures, or bad quality pictures and even no pictures. So let’s asses this, first of all, if you feel as if you cannot draw a good enough picture, request somebody to draw it for you. And if you can't do that, just hold off in posting the thread until you have a decent one. Now, if you intend on making it yourself, MS paint is the worst thing you could draw it on. It’s just a horrible Idea, because (I believe) it’s a bitmap based drawing system instead of Vector, so pictures come out pixelated and choppy. Also, overall, it doesn't have many features, (you can't even make gradients in it lol) so it’s not really a good choice. If you don't want to use flash, you can use SAI, which is something that can deliver high quality work if you practice with it.If you have experience with SAI, then you should probably use it.Now, we end up at flash which is the most preferable for pictures. It delivers a standard quality of media and is very convenient. Its outlook is very simplistic and is easy to use. This is the best place to draw your pictures in if you are a beginner. Now, we go into a bit of photography practice here. The rule of thirds, it’s very simple. A picture is cut up into 9 equal boxes, 3 x 3. And there are lateral lines- the ones that are vertical. Now, usually, if the picture has a single focus, it is best to place it on the far lateral lines. But, in most cases, just put it in the middle one. And the headroom, you should make sure your RHG characters forehead or hair is not cut off from the picture. You should have at least a centimeter of space in between the edge and your characters scalp. Your RHG picture doesn't always have to be in a flashy position or show-case its abilities or weaponry too.
Abilities:
This doesn't have to be a paragraph; it can be bullets of your RHG's powers. But make sure you write with clarity and your ideas are understandable. It should list your RHG's weapons as well, and can even have more than their physical advantages. You could say, he has a way with words, or a sense of humor. He is smart, or stupid.
Now, we go into the meat. An RHG also revolves around what he can do; your powers don’t necessarily have to be flashy or weird. Like it doesn't have to have a demon form or some other sci-fi stuff (nobody has a problem with that if your RHG does). For example, Hyun's RHG, the guy is a freaking teenage stick man who has a Yo-yo as his weapon. So casual yet unique, but again, make sure it’s something you can animate. Your RHG' could control like paper or water or something like that. But beware; a lot of weapons have already been abused too much. And the same for elemental powers
Weaknesses:
As Pin said in his live stream today, your weaknesses should be relevant to your RHG's powers. And not some random objects or things that make no sense. Like saying his weakness is a banana when his RHG has a sword. Make sure to read over your RHG's abilities to make sure there are no contradictions and miss-haps so people don’t interpret the wrong thing. Also, you could tie in your plot or story of your RHG to he/she's weaknesses or abilities. You could also say that their weapon could break and stuff like that. Putting your RHG has human weaknesses is actually very good. Because that tells the viewer what to expect when they battle you.You could also say they have a short temper or has hard time making decisions. Listing habits or practices that distract them would be interesting too.
Story:
The story of your RHG, now, if I were you, if you don’t have a sufficient enough understanding of the English language, it would probably be preferable that you ask somebody to make your story for you if you give them the overall Idea and a bit of details of your story. Grammar is so important here I can’t stress it enough. Making sure your story has no contradictions and is clear and coherent is critical to a good story. Also, your RHG battles could tie in with helping define your story more. Like what Op34 is doing at the moment. But you don't want to abuse that; people might think you’re a leech. Anyways, making long stories doesn't always mean they are good. What you want in this is the viewer to get the overall feel and main point of your RHG's back story or views. It could include age, and maybe a bit of direct or indirect characterization. It could be set in sections and updated with RHG battles as I have said before. But, make sure your viewers know there is more to be added by using good wording and ideas. And like stone said in the "Staring your RHG", be creative with it. You could say your character was a former gangster in Tokyo or some Alien. If I were you, I would look at other RHG's to help construct your story. Now, don't get the wrong idea and steal people Idea's. But you can integrate their story, into yours. Like "Pulse's" RHG, he has a very interesting story. And its long, but you can understand it perfectly like it was an excerpt from a book. That is an example of a quality story. Finally, remember, you can hold off a story you thought of that's really good, but you lack the skill to make the RHG for it. You can wait until you are better animator and try it. But remember, a lot of this has to do with setting personal goals, and achieving them over time.
Demo/RHG battling:
Do not make a RHG if you are really bad at animating or just don't know how to at all yet.If you do something stupid, the mods have a present for you.
Ok the last part. Anyways, if I were a beginner to animation, I would refrain from making an RHG, because nobody will want to challenge you if your demo is just awful. I remember when I used to be on Sketch Star (yeah, that animation website,[I was Maplestary]), that was.......2 years ago. I have been animating for not that long. But I came to the point where I could make a decent animation in which people could understand the movements in it and it didn't look TOO choppy. Also, your demo doesn't have to show case all your powers, but, you don’t want to make it too short and sad. I would have one with sounds, at least 10 seconds, and have decent reactions and a good amount of moves. Like Guz's RHG. (No, you don’t have to animate that good.)And you could say a better animation coming soon. Now, let’s remember here that you will challenge and face others. So if you are so horrible at animating and someone way better than you challenge you that would be a pretty bad situation. But before you make the thread, make sure you HAVE A DEMO. It really helps that you do. Take all your time on your RHG battle. Maybe up to round 4 of BSE is the farthest you should go if you want to have a good focus on your RHG battle.
Style of the Thread (thanks to Xero)
"Mix and match available settings in the tool bar above your post box for a more desired outcome. Using fonts and Colors create variety, and keep the viewer interested in your thread. Naturally the viewer will be enthralled more or less by organizational patterns you've set up, and will be obliged to keep their interest on your thread."-Xero
This way, people actually look at your whole thread before they bail out. So they now know all there is need to know about your RHG.
I think the rest is self-explanatory. So I hope this helped! I know it states a lot of common info, but I thought it would be better if it were written down. I give thanks to everybody who has commented on this thread and has helped me better develop this guide.
(This Guide is always changing, post a comment for any mistakes I have made and/or how to make this thread more clear and helpful)
2013
~All the best~
Alien
