And it's done! My Ninja Turtles mod has been released in full! You'll find it here:
http://bentongrey.wordpress.com/turtles-fight-with-honor/
This mod has 9, count them, 9 missions, which will take our half-shelled-heroes from their first encounter with the Foot Clan up to their discovery of a strange and sinister secret hidden below the streets of New York! Along the way you'll take command of the green teens as they battle the deadly Foot Clan, face the mechanical menace of Baxter Stockman's Mousers, struggle against the mutated might of Bebop and Rocksteady, and even cross blades with the mysterious Shredder!
Krang and Baxter aren't featured as opponents in the campaign itself yet, but they are both included, and you can play as or against them in the Dangeroom if you want to test their metal!
This mod also features the first contribution to the FF community by newcomer Adam Winters. He has really increased the quality and comprehensiveness of this mod by creating three new voice packs with samples pulled from the original Turtles cartoon. He's created packs for Splinter, April, and Shredder, bringing the memorable and excellent voice work of that classic show to life in Freedom Force, and bringing a lot more personality to their respective characters within the game.
We are also lucky enough to get some custom mission music from the multi-talented ow_tiobe_sb! Now we have some music made especially for the levels of this mod.
So, what are you waiting for? Take a walk down memory lane, and see if you can keep from smiling when you load this mod and hear a familiar song on the main menu. Take some time to remember why you loved the Turtles way back when, and why you should definitely still love them now!
(http://img856.imageshack.us/img856/2091/tmntmod2.th.png) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/856/tmntmod2.png/)(http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/4411/tmntmod1.th.png) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/189/tmntmod1.png/)
(http://img695.imageshack.us/img695/536/05tmnt7.th.png) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/695/05tmnt7.png/)(http://img853.imageshack.us/img853/8044/tmntcasey3.th.png) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/853/tmntcasey3.png/)
It's released! I hope y'all enjoy it!
Congrats, buddy! It's good to see a non DC/Marvel mod around.
Quote from: John Jr. on August 30, 2011, 01:43:35 AM
Congrats, buddy! It's good to see a non DC/Marvel mod around.
I hadn't thought about it in those terms. But I'm definitely glad to see another mod released. Now I just need a nice long vacation so that I'll have time to play it.
Happy to see this project off the ground! I'm sure the extra feedback from the boards will be helpful. I certainly intend to make improvements to my voice packs in the future.
Bravo Benton! I'm looking forward to playing it.
Dana
Thanks guys! I hope that all of y'all enjoy it.
JJ, yeah, it is cool to see a nice variety of FF content created. :)
I created a ModDB page for this project, and I'm planning on creating some for my other projects as the get completed. I hope some of y'all will give me some good words over there.
http://www.moddb.com/mods/ninja-turtles-turtle-power
Congrats, Benton! I see you managed to launch this worthy project despite my best efforts to scuttle your vessel with noise pollution, eh what? ;) Huzzah!
ow_tiobe_sb
Phantom Bunburyist and Whirled Braker
Fantastic mod, Benton!
I was really excited to see Krang, Be-Bop and Rock-Steady, and Splinter make an appearance, as well as the Fly.
I can't wait to see your next release, the one where you fight Krang in the Technodrome.
Keep up the fantastic work! :thumbup:
Howdy guys! There isn't a whole lot of mod news at the moment, as I'm working on Marvel Adventures right now, but Oldmanwinters posted a really awesome set of mock comic covers he made for the mod, and I thought they deserved a bit more public of a showing. So, check out these cool pieces which will, at the next release, grace the loading screens of the TMNT mod!
Quote from: oldmanwinters on January 16, 2012, 04:52:45 PM
On a recent thread, I inquired about the possibility of adding custom comic book loading screens to a Mod.
http://freedomreborn.net/forums/index.php?topic=54715.0
I appreciate all the feedback, but I have yet to dive into the process. From what I've read, it doesn't sound like it should be too hard though.
I figured I'd show some of my progress on my custom covers for Benton's TMNT Mod!
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a56/slimer2erasmus/art/BentonGrey-TMNT4colorFixed.jpg)
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a56/slimer2erasmus/art/BentonGrey-TMNT5fixed.jpg)
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a56/slimer2erasmus/art/BentonGrey-TMNT6.jpg)
Can ya'll guess the homages?
Those are pretty cool. And because I've said this, it is now officially a rule. You're welcomes! ;)
Quote from: Previsionary on January 17, 2012, 12:53:59 AM
Those are pretty cool. And because I've said this, it is now officially a rule. You're welcomes! ;)
Thanks a bunch! I've still got a few crops and edits to make to them though.
Quote from: BentonGrey on January 16, 2012, 10:42:01 PM
Also Winters, I went ahead and posted your covers in the TMNT mod thread. I figured that might get a bit more traffic than our request thread, so hopefully you'll get more feedback. As for feedback, I've already told you how much I like these, and already confessed my lack of artistic skill or insight as well, so I'm afraid I can't be as helpful as I'd like to be. However, I did notice that Shredder's chin/faceplate might need to extend down a bit further in the bottom one. The proportion in pictures I've seen seems to be about 1/3 eyes/face to 2/3rds mask.
Hmm... I think I have a general tendency to squash the chin on human characters, giving them a more rounded face.
As far as Shredder's face mask goes, I don't think it's something I can adjust intelligently. Assuming that his chin extends all the way down to the bottom of his facemask, I don't see a big issue with the anatomy. I placed the eyes fairly high, near the brim of his helmet, leaving lots of room for his nose line.
In the future I'll try to give characters a more distinct chin. I think I fudged it with April in that Star Wars-parody cover too. But I had to deal with a slightly unusual perspective on that one.
OMG...I hadn't seen these before now. Great job, Winters. Now I want to do this for my mods too...
Dana :thumbup:
Quote from: cmdrkoenig67 on January 18, 2012, 03:46:43 AM
OMG...I hadn't seen these before now. Great job, Winters. Now I want to do this for my mods too...
Dana :thumbup:
Thank you, Dana! I really am proud to finally be able to contribute something of creative substance to the Freedom Force community.
Those mock vintage comic book covers from the original Freedom Force and FFvTR were treats that made me eagerly anticipate each mission so that I could see what came next. It just added so much flavor to the overall gaming experience. Since I've enjoyed Benton's TMNT Mod so much (it was the thing that motivated me to go purchase the Freedom Force games), I wanted to lend my meager talents to the cause.
Good luck with your own Mods!
Benton, I haven't forgotten about those prologue pictures I promised you for your Mod. I just haven't had much time to devote to them yet.
Here's my pencils for the first frame: April O'Neil reporting on a mysterious series of thefts on the city's scientific equipment companies.
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a56/slimer2erasmus/art/BentonGrey-Prologue1.jpg)
I've got this one mostly colored, but it's not quite finished yet.
Here's my ultimate goal for the order of the prologue scenes:
Picture #1) April reports on technology robberies in the city. (95% complete)
Picture #2) The Shredder (perhaps in silhouette) is not happy that she is trying to expose his operation; he orders his thugs to "silence her."
Picture #3) April is trying to elude the thugs by escaping into the sewer.
Picture #4) The Turtles rescue April in the sewer. (100% complete)
Picture #5) Splinter formally introduces April to the TMNT.
Picture #6) [To Be Determined]
Picture #7) Foot Soldiers capture April outside the "Ninja Pizza Parlor." (100% complete)
Ohh man Winters, that is awesome! Haha, I love it, from the Farside scientists in the background, to the fellow pinned to the wall with the knives, that is just great. That's probably your best rendition of April so far, by the way. I can't wait to see the finished version!
I like your line-up there. I think that will tell the story pretty effectively. I'd definitely recommend that the Shredder be in silhouette, but other than that, it all sounds spot-on. I think #6 might work well as an image of the turtles incognito on the streets with April, searching for clues.
Quote from: BentonGrey on April 16, 2012, 02:27:48 AM
Ohh man Winters, that is awesome! Haha, I love it, from the Farside scientists in the background, to the fellow pinned to the wall with the knives, that is just great. That's probably your best rendition of April so far, by the way. I can't wait to see the finished version!
I like your line-up there. I think that will tell the story pretty effectively. I'd definitely recommend that the Shredder be in silhouette, but other than that, it all sounds spot-on. I think #6 might work well as an image of the turtles incognito on the streets with April, searching for clues.
Benton, I am SO glad you caught The Far Side reference! Those guys in the back are definitely Dr. Gary and Dr. Larson. I liked the way April came out in this piece; I think I did a much better job with her chin than I usually do. Her nose was a little too big, but fortunately that will be fixed via Gimp in the color version.
I think your recommendation for Picture #6 is a good one. In my Pizza Parlor pic, I chose not to put them in trenchcoats and fedoras (as is tradition) since they don't have them in your Mod. What might you have in mind for "Incognito"?
Haha, but of course! Dr. Gary and Dr. Larson, perfect! Yeah, I see what you mean about the nose, but that should be a relatively easy fix, as you say.
Hmm...that's an excellent question. I was thinking the trenchcoats, but I see your point...hmm...you could just do them coming out of the sewers and looking around, sticking to the shadows or something. Feel free to put them in the trenches if you want, though. I'm not sure what would be best. Anyone else have any thoughts?
Here's the updated pic with cleanup and colors!
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a56/slimer2erasmus/art/BentonGrey-Prologue1-color.jpg)
(Also, notice I gave April a little nose job.)
I wasn't sure what kind of color scheme to go with on a floor and wall. I started out with blue floor and grey wall and eventually I ended up with this. I'm open to suggestions though.
I'm also thinking about adding some news graphics the bottom of the screen if I can get it to look good.
My only suggestion would be to change the color of the pants on the guy stuck to the wall, maybe a greyish color, that way, it doesn't blend into the wall so much.
Hey, that's looking great Winters! Yeah, April's nose looks good, and I think your color adds a lot to the image. You've done some really nice work on April's jumpsuit.
Thanks for the feedback, folks!
Cyber Burn, good catch on the color clash of the pants with the wall; I did the pants first and didn't bother to recolor them!
Benton, let me know what you think of that blue stripe down April's jumpsuit. I based it off her vintage action figure design and I think it provides some nice "pop" to the overall piece. However, I didn't bother to draw it on the earlier pieces I did for you, so I can always remove the stripe for consistency if you like.
Ahh, I thought that was shadow, I see now. My thinking is that she should be somewhat consistent in the opening images, so she should be striped throughout, or not striped throughout. You're the artist though, my friend, and I'll happily leave it up to you.
Nice job, Winters! I agree with Cyber about the scientist's pant color (a more contrasting color may work better, the gray suggested by Cyber or maybe a blue like April's stripe?).
Dana
Here's my latest revision featuring some color corrections and the obvious "News" graphics.
Let me know if you think the graphics add to the overall effect or just distract from the overall piece:
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a56/slimer2erasmus/art/BentonGrey-Prologue1-NewsBroadcast.jpg)
While I do like the "Evening News" box in the corner, I don't know if I like that text bar. The picture's dimensions look like a modern-day "HD" cast, but I was trying to give the text a somewhat 1980s low-tech vibe. I'm just not sure if it works at the end of the day.
Ahh, that's a neat tweak. I like it. You're right, that does fill in some dead space, and it makes it more balanced overall. I think that the bar looks good, but you lose some of its borders next that bright yellow of the 'evening news' box. You might move it up just a fraction? I like the 80's vibe it has, though.
Quote from: BentonGrey on April 28, 2012, 03:57:31 PM
Ahh, that's a neat tweak. I like it. You're right, that does fill in some dead space, and it makes it more balanced overall. I think that the bar looks good, but you lose some of its borders next that bright yellow of the 'evening news' box. You might move it up just a fraction? I like the 80's vibe it has, though.
Yeah, the boxes need some repositioning. I ripped the "6ch Network" graphic from the SNES TMNT Tournament Fighters game. I don't think it's the best fit for this piece though. Maybe I should omit that green box behind it?
Most 80s News graphics just used white text with no background bars or boxes. I'm not sure it would work well on this piece, however, on account of April's bright yellow jumpsuit obscuring the white letters.
Here's the updated picture from last time.
I cannot take credit for those cool news graphics, however. Those were the work of very nice fellow over at TheTechnodrome.com Forums, who volunteered to add some awesomeness to my art:
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a56/slimer2erasmus/art/oldmanwinters-Prologue1-colorRevised-editulisses31.jpg)
Ohh man, that makes a big difference. That looks really great. Make sure to thank your cohort for me Winters, as those graphics really complete the piece. :)
Very nice!
Dana
Been a while since my last installment, Benton.
I figured this might be just the thing for your Bebop & Rocksteady mission:
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a56/slimer2erasmus/art/oldmanwinters-Goontra.jpg)
Ahh, sorry I haven't been able to comment on this sooner, Winters, but this is great! Your work on our favorite dunder-headed mutants is amazing! They look fantastic. Bebop's face is really impressive, and the expression that Rocksteady wears is perfect. All in all, this is pretty fantastic. I like the layout, it works pretty well.
Holy cow, Benton finally responded! ;)
I'm glad you liked it. I also made up a couple examples of some alternate styles in case you like one of them a little better:
A more fitting logo:
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a56/slimer2erasmus/art/BentonGrey-TMNT7-BRgoontra.jpg)
Playmates Toy inspired weapons:
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a56/slimer2erasmus/art/BentonGrey-TMNT7-BRorange.jpg)
I'd also like to add a little "ridged circle" to the piece (just like on the original NES Contra box art) and maybe paste the Freedom Force logo onto, but I never could get that effect to look good.
I'm working on that Splinter vs. Mousers cover at the moment.
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a56/slimer2erasmus/art/BentonGrey-TMNT8-WIP.jpg)
I can't quite get Splinter positioned how I want him though. Also, would you prefer that hand reaching into the picture to belong to Shredder or Stockman? I think the Shredder blades might make for a better visual if I can draw them properly.
I am really looking forward to seeing this mod finished, there seems to be a lot of work going into it. :thumbup:
Thanks CB! Yeah, Winters has really done some amazing work that is encouraging me to keep working myself. :D
ben? how this comming along?
Spoiler
(http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm56/wicketharley_photo/blimp.png)
Haha! That is too awesome! Perhaps my vision of the Turtles battling a giant Krang as he ravages the city has a chance after all!
Shoot, I realized I didn't answer your question Winters. Sorry! Definitely Shredder's hand. You're right, it would just make for a MUCH more dynamic visual.
Quote from: Johnny Patches on July 31, 2012, 12:58:28 AM
ben? how this comming along? Spoiler
(http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm56/wicketharley_photo/blimp.png)
Woah. Now
I'm inspired!
Winters, very nice work! I don't know if I've asked this, but do you draw these digitally or are you scanning hand-drawn images in? I see you planned them out on lined paper, but I wasn't sure about the finished drawings.
Dana
Quote from: cmdrkoenig67 on July 31, 2012, 07:22:09 PM
Winters, very nice work! I don't know if I've asked this, but do you draw these digitally or are you scanning hand-drawn images in? I see you planned them out on lined paper, but I wasn't sure about the finished drawings.
Dana
Dana, I do my layouts on cheap lined paper, then I draw out all the characters by hand (on printer paper) until I'm satisfied with the look, and then I finally scan them into the computer. I use the Gimp editing program to darken the lines, erase some mistakes, and apply color. For the Rocksteady & Bebop cover I recently posted, I used Gimp to draw the purple boxes and superimpose the Foot Clan and TMNT logos, since I would never be able to draw them out symmetrically.
Cool...As I said earlier in the thread, I may draw up some stuff for my mods. Thanks for sharing your techniques.
Dana
ok buddy WIP
Spoiler
(http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm56/wicketharley_photo/leatherhead.png)
Spoiler
;)
Ohh my freaking goodness. There's something I thought I'd never see...and he looks so perfect too! That is beyond awesome.
Glad to see you still in the game JP, that looks fantastic. :thumbup:
My latest cutscene progress:
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a56/slimer2erasmus/art/BentonGrey-Prologue5-Splintrecolor.jpg)
I just posted on the Technodrome, but here are some of my thoughts.
I think this one turned out really, really well. Splinter is especially impressive. I really like all of the details of the Lair you've included. I also really enjoy the character you put into each Turtle's face, it's small and subtle, but well done.
Quote from: BentonGrey on August 20, 2012, 04:12:50 AM
I just posted on the Technodrome, but here are some of my thoughts.
I think this one turned out really, really well. Splinter is especially impressive. I really like all of the details of the Lair you've included. I also really enjoy the character you put into each Turtle's face, it's small and subtle, but well done.
Thanks again for the feedback, man!
Regarding the layouts for the next piece I posted over at the Drome, what did you specifically have in mind for the scene where "turtles go incognito on the streets with April, searching for clues"?
Even though I want it to lead up to the next "captured April" piece I already did, I don't think it necessarily has to be the same basic location outside the Ninja Pizza parlor.
Spoiler
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a56/slimer2erasmus/art/BentonGrey-Prologue7-optionB.jpg)
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a56/slimer2erasmus/art/BentonGrey-Prologue7-optionA.jpg)
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a56/slimer2erasmus/art/BentonGrey-Prologue7-optionC.jpg)
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a56/slimer2erasmus/art/BentonGrey-TMNT2recolor.jpg)
You're quite welcome Winters, for what little my feedback may be worth. ;)
Hmm...well, getting another look at the following piece, I think that your first layout posted here, with the view behind the Turtles, seems best. You could incorporate some more of the elements from the 'toon episode we're drawing from, perhaps having a few more signs for "Ninja" establishment. Ninja Drycleaners? Ninja Video Rental? Ninja Salon? The possibilities boggle the mind... :D
Quote from: BentonGrey on August 20, 2012, 05:31:16 PM
You're quite welcome Winters, for what little my feedback may be worth. ;)
Hmm...well, getting another look at the following piece, I think that your first layout posted here, with the view behind the Turtles, seems best. You could incorporate some more of the elements from the 'toon episode we're drawing from, perhaps having a few more signs for "Ninja" establishment. Ninja Drycleaners? Ninja Video Rental? Ninja Salon? The possibilities boggle the mind... :D
I took some of your advice and here's my new proposal:
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a56/slimer2erasmus/art/BentonGrey-Prologue7-optionE.jpg)
I'd like to have some simplistic black outlines of skyscrapers in the skyline background, ala the old Rampage video game.
Here's what became of that last layout I posted!
Hope you like it, Benton!
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a56/slimer2erasmus/art/oldmanwinters-NinjaDistrict-reduced_zps99d12993.jpg)
EDIT: Photobucket's recent updates are making my picture appear HUGE on these boards. Sorry about that, and I don't yet know how to fix the problem.
I always enjoy checking your TMNT pics out Winters, thanks for sharing.
Ohh man, that turned out even better than I thought it would. I think you definitely chose the right layout. Great work Winters!
Thanks, Cyber & Benton!
This was the first picture I did in which I drew the characters (turtles and April) and background (plus Foot Soldiers) separately and then pasted them together in layers. That gave me more freedom to work and more room for error in composition. I really do like the way it played out.
The good news is that now I only need to complete one more picture to complete the necessary pieces of the game's intro. I need to draw up a picture of April escaping into the sewers while running from Shredder's punks (including the pre-mutation Rocksteady & Bebop). Once that one is done, I may try to draw up an extra picture showing the Turtles' origin story.
EDIT: Most of my pictures in this series have been inspired by the vintage "How It All Began" coloring book, and I was thinking about trying to do something similar to this page:
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a56/slimer2erasmus/Magazine%20Scans/HowBegan-AprilEscape_zps684a7220.jpg)
Sweet!
I'm cooking up another piece for the intro!
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a56/slimer2erasmus/art/oldmanwinters-OriginBackground-colortest_zps0b3abe7e.jpg) (http://s9.photobucket.com/user/slimer2erasmus/media/art/oldmanwinters-OriginBackground-colortest_zps0b3abe7e.jpg.html)
Very nice Winters. Kind of reminds me of the old cartoon.
Quote from: Cyber Burn on June 27, 2013, 06:43:09 PM
Very nice Winters. Kind of reminds me of the old cartoon.
Thanks, CB! It's actually inspired by the box art background on the old TMNT "Mutations" line of action figures. I plan to experiment with some lighting effects for the mutagen and then layer my character artwork (drawn separately) over this image.
The power-up canisters in :ff: and :ffvstr: could be skinned to look like mutagen canisters.
Dana
Cool!
Very nice Winters, quite fitting!
Dana, I've actually already replaced them with pizza boxes. ;)
Pizza Boxes certainly make better power-ups than Mutagen canisters. If TMNT taught us anything it's that haphazardly handling glowing canisters of ooze can have devastating and unpredictable results!!!
I've actually done that before in a mod I tried making. There were pizza boxes at the old frp site. Maybe beyonder or tpb made them. It's super easy to change out the object nifs.
Quote from: BentonGrey on July 04, 2013, 10:52:52 PM
Very nice Winters, quite fitting!
Dana, I've actually already replaced them with pizza boxes. ;)
OMG...I totally forgot that...LOL...Sorry.
Dana
Haha, no worries. I found those pizza box objects way back when, and I had always planned on doing that. I'm fairly pleased with how much it adds to the feel of the mod. :D
To capitalize on all the awesome art Winters has made for my mod, I'm putting out a call for some scripting help. I need someone to create a new intro "video" to replace the vanilla Lord Dominion one. I understand that this can be done with some fairly simple scripting, but that's quite beyond me. I don't even know where the controlling files for that are kept. Basically, I'd just like someone to tell me how to make the game read a new set of nifs, instead of the standard ones. I know how to replace the other interface elements, but I don't know about this. Can anyone help me out?
Can't wait to dl it (cap limit on wifi here so I have to watch large volumes). I'm a huge fan of the Turtles. Just wanted to give props, otherwise can't help since I'm way behind in mod and stage making (I did convert my first danger room level tonight though, I feel mighty!).
Obtained, love eet and inspired by it. Fantastic job!
Thanks SA, I really appreciate that! Anything particularly stick out to you or seem to need balancing?
Thus far no but I haven't gone through the whole game. Mostly goofing around in the Rumble Room so I can take in as many sights as possible right away. Okay also because I just want to put Bebop and Rocksteady on the screen as much as possible too. :)