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KupaMan
I like to draw and complain about stuff.

Male

US

Joined on 10/20/02

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KupaMan's News

Posted by KupaMan - October 20th, 2012


It was ten years ago today that I officially joined Newgrounds. While it wasn't the first time I'd been to the site, it still marks an impressive date for me. In ten years, Newgrounds has been the home of over 40 personal projects and collaborations I've been a part of. I want to take a minute to discuss a few of them, and cover their significance in my time here.


In 2003, I submitted my first serious project to the portal. It was a game, which will not be named, featuring some gruesome and highly offensive violence. It was crafted as satire (or a 14-year-old's idea of it) but was nonetheless quickly flagged and removed. I found it recently on an old harddrive, and I can say only two things about it: one, I had good reason to be proud; and two, it had good reason to be removed.


In 2004, I had become acquainted with a fellow NGer, AntiClockClock. He was abrasive and didn't do a lot of good stuff, but I considered him a friend for a time, and I didn't mind helping him out. He asked if I'd collaborate with him on a cartoon that would be Pokemon: The Unseen Episode. I obliged, and he sent me a file consisting of very little. Eager to please, and having difficulty reaching him for a while, I finished the remainder of the cartoon over the next two days. After a continued lack of response, I went ahead and posted it. I found out later that the audio, which he had led me to believe was his own, was in fact another person's. I was kind of hurt knowing that I made a cartoon "collaboratively" with him, when I evidently did a vast majority of the work. But I handled it like water on a duck's back.


In 2005, I started making a few of my own cartoons. They're all shitty, so I won't bother sharing them, but I was enjoying making these stupid, brisk projects. Many of them were done in a 24-hour block of time, as I lacked focus to create projects spanning multiple days, weeks, or months. That same year, I was asked to collaborate again with AntiClockClock, as he needed help completing this remake that would be To Kill A Clock '05. He requested scenes, and showed me the work he had done around them. I enjoyed doing random shots, as I didn't have to think too deeply about anything other than what was there. In total, I completed 7 scenes. When he had finished and published his cartoon, I realized that there were no more than 13 scenes in the entire cartoon. I had done more than half of the work. I was recognized with a "Special Thanks" or something at the end, and not so much as a collaborative credit. That was frustrating. Our relationship dithered slowly thereon out. It was probably for the best, as he was known for making enemies with people I would often find myself attacked by that I had no problems with.


I moved onto my own stuff again. I released my first personal cartoon that took me more than a day to complete. A modest success, MGS3: Boss Failures garnered me my first Daily First Award. Looking back on it, I feel like it kind of holds up. The audio suffers, much like the majority of my work. Oh well.


Late that same year, I put out a retarded little cartoon called Ingus. I went on to make 12 installments of a cartoon that arguably peaked on the second episode. The jokes are extremely hit-or-miss, and looking back on them, I can see the potential for good humor botched by my own shortcutting and general laziness. A pretty entertaining ninth episode remains unfinished to this day, though a fully watchable version of it exists somewhere among my harddrives.


In 2008, I shifted my focus to games. With a friend, we debuted with the often-criticized and often-played Besieged. Though there are a handful of obnoxious issues, like freely placing towers and fading enemies, I stand by the game's steep difficulty level and clean aesthetic. The Newgrounds API tells me that it's been played nearly 6 million times, and that's only tracking the copies that didn't have that feature disabled (of which there are many). It's a cool feeling, knowing that something you made had that great of reach.


In 2009, my friend and I worked on an untitled physics-based catapult game. The prototype was a lot of fun, but Flash's limitations at the time prevented us from doing any truly impressive structures, so we scrapped the project and moved onto other things.


After a year of trying to make smaller projects and failing under the weight of our own ambition, we said, "fuck it" and went after making something truly impossible. In 2010, that impossible creation dropped as the turn-based role-playing game Epos. While some of the work began late in 2009, production didn't truly begin until January of 2010. By June, I had created every piece of artwork and animation for an entire role-playing world. It was something that seemed undoable, and yet it was done. The game was (rightly) criticized for its keyboard-only control scheme -- an error in judgment that even Tom Fulp warned us to fix before debut, but we stuck by our guns and called it a retro feature. Nobody agreed. But that didn't stop the game from scooping up a few awards, and reaching almost 3 million plays across the Net. While it didn't achieve the success we had hoped for, it remains my proudest project to date.


Immediately following the release of Epos, he and I began work on our next game. Called Bubs, it revolved around an overweight dragon, demolishing towns with his upgradeable physics-based fire-breathing abilities. With 100% of the art assets completed and 90% of the code in place, the project was shelved when he got a job in the games industry. What a loser, right?!


Bubs will probably never see the light of day, but there may be a time when I make what's there available for all of you to see. I'm proud of the work I did on it, and it's a shame it never made it out of the ether.


After a measly two cartoons, we're caught up to today. I've fallen away from a community that brought me where I am today, and it's something I have great desire to rectify. Without a place like Newgrounds, I'd have never had a place to pursue my creative ventures and develop the skill-set I have now. I owe a lot to this place, and I hope to pay it back sometime in the future.


So what am I doing now? A lot of things. Most of my energy is being put toward a handful of writing projects, though a few cartoons are in the mix too. I hope to put out one this year, and hopefully kick off a new little series with my friend and frequent collaborator Seth, though life is an annoying one at times, so who knows where things will go?


But for now, I just want to reflect on ten years with Newgrounds. It's been with me through middle school, high school, some college, and married life. I'm an entirely different person now than I was then, and I'd like to think that Newgrounds had a big influence on that. It's a sappy thing to say, I know. Especially considering this is the place that introduced me to this gem. But I think it's true. And it means a lot to me.


Thanks for a decade of growth an entertainment, Newgrounds. Here's to another ten.


-- Kupa


Posted by KupaMan - October 27th, 2011


Go check it out and rate/review it now:
http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/
582503

This one took me a couple of days of pretty legit work to get out there. I'm hoping you guys can dig it. Not everything went as I envisioned it, but hopefully the humor can still come across. I dropped in a couple easter eggs, so kudos to whomever finds them first.

I apologize for being so absent on Newgrounds for the past while. I had a game in the works that you'd have all seen a while ago, but Eli, my programmer, decided to step away from it. Hopefully it will be done sometime in the future, but for now it is not going to happen.

I am planning on trying to get back into making cartoons here, so hopefully some of you will want to check back here and let me know how terrible I've become.

Thanks!
- Jared

New cartoon!


Posted by KupaMan - October 25th, 2011


It's probably about time I make a new cartoon. Okay.

It's been a while


Posted by KupaMan - December 1st, 2010


Okay, so it's been a while (too long? Maybe) since posting anything worthwhile here. But that doesn't mean we haven't been hard at work making something. It turns out, just most of that time.

Soon after completing Epos, CaptainPoncho and I began working on a new game by the name of Bubs. We quickly established a demo and completed all the art assets for the game, but then life got in the way. So we put the project on a few month hiatus. As the holiday break fast approaches, our window of opportunity to get it coded and up for all to play is coming! I am excited! Are you?! No? Whatever.

As a teaser, here's the menu page. FYI, it rules.

PS: Sorry, this post title is a big lie. There's actually no new info on this game. Sorry, guys.

NEW GAME INFO: BUBS!


Posted by KupaMan - November 23rd, 2010


I did not forget about Newgrounds. I've just been busy playing video games for the past several months. I'm making a new game with CaptainPoncho, and I've actually done all the art and animation for it. He's unfortunately caught up with his engineering and whatever else he seems to deem more important than making flash games as a hobby for the internet.

Anyway, it's called Bubs and it should be a lot of fun. It's a lot more simple than Epos, which is good for everyone. I would post pictures, but that would require effort and stuff, so I'll just leave it at this.

Later, bros.
- Jared


Posted by KupaMan - May 29th, 2010


I just played Epos from start to finish with all its graphical assets in place for the first time. My verdict: excitement. Keep your eyes peeled next month, you guys.


Posted by KupaMan - April 17th, 2010


I'm just letting it be known that we're still working on Epos. I just decided not to write long-winded updates anymore, as the comments field has mostly been used for faggots arguing about Sonic cartoons. So here's my update:

EPOS IS ALMOST DONE, SONIC BLOWS >:U

Epos Update


Posted by KupaMan - March 19th, 2010


Hey, guys. I'm back with another installment of our development log chronicling the production of our new flash RPG Epos. If you don't know what I'm referring to, check out our posts here and here.

Before I get things started with more coverage on the game's features and mechanics, I'd like to announce that MaestroRage and his Symphony of Spectres will be handing the entirety of our game's audio content. We're trying to deliver a top-notch experience, so we're going to leave this stuff to the professionals. We've already heard some of what they're doing, and I'm really shocked that these folks have managed to out-do themselves. I fully expect you guys to get these melodies jammed in your brains for weeks.

Anyway, let's get back to the game mechanics for now. This time I'm going to focus on some of the more character-developing aspects: Talents, Stats, and Signets.

When characters level up in Epos, they will receive two different types of points to further delineate their character's traits. These points are categorized as Talent Points and Stat Points.

Talents Screenshot

Talent Points are used to learn the various talents in the game. Talents are defined as either Magic, Passives, or Skills. Magic talents require MP, and many spells will level up with repeated use. Passives are permanent character buffs. These Talents can be learned multiple times to increase the effect of the Passive talent. Skills are attacks and buffs that can be performed during battle with the use of Skill Orbs.

Stats Screenshot

The other type of points I mentioned were the Stat Points, which are used to increase the Strength, Magic, Vitality, and Speed of a character. These are crucial components in association with the Talents you choose to pursue for your characters. A character with nothing but Magic Talents and a low Magic stat ratio is not going to be very effective. Be sure to plan ahead when applying these points.

Signets Screenshot

One very important facet of Epos is the collection and equipping of Signet Coins. Unlike Talent and Skill points, Signet Coins cannot be earned through leveling, but only obtained by being awarded, purchased, or occasionally found in battle. These will be your key to activating some very unique abilities for your characters. Since each coin can only be acquired once, configuring them to best suit your party's needs is a vital tactic in making your way through the game.

That's it for now. Keep checking in, because we'll have more news in the coming weeks. But for now, we've got to get back to work. Later bros.

- Jared

Epos - Developer Diary 2


Posted by KupaMan - February 25th, 2010


The last time I dropped a post was to make an announcement of our latest flash game project, Epos. I'm back now to discuss some aspects about the game itself. This week, the Battle Mechanics.

While Epos plays like many turn-based RPGs of your youth (probably depending on how old you are), we've done some things of our own and tossed them into the mix to make this a much deeper experience than you might have come to expect. This annotated screenshot below will help illustrate this point:


Annotations Screenshot

1) One feature of our combat is the use of Signet Coins. These coins can be purchased, found, or awarded throughout the game. When equipped, they appear below your character as glowing seals and grant them special abilities, which range from experience bonuses, to damage reflection, to receiving the first turn in battle. There are 21 unique Signet Coins to be found in Epos, and it's going to be a challenge to collect them all.

2) Skill orbs are the method in which characters can afford to perform their skills. These orbs are earned for attacking or defending in battle. The cost of your skills depends upon its level; the higher the level, the more orbs you'll need. Accruing skill orbs can be affected by the Signet Coins you may have equipped, or by the skills another character may have access to.

3) Spell leveling is another important function to Epos' battle system. While it is not uncommon for RPGs to include varying stages of a particular spell, we've removed the notion of purchasing them and instead designed a leveling system. As you use the spell, its star gauge slowly fills. Each time a new star is filled, the spell is automatically upgraded and its affect becomes significantly more powerful. This system should encourage players to be diverse in their play-style.

4) As mentioned under skill orbs, characters can be directed the defend during their turn. Defending will significantly decrease damage directed at this player, and will earn them twice as many skill orbs as attacking. Defending is a great way to quickly earn orbs for your advanced skills, but at the cost of a chance to make another dent on your enemy's health.

Another aspect of battle worth mentioning is the dynamic Battle Cam. It doesn't really have anything to do with the gameplay mechanics, but it's just a touch of flare we added to give the battles a more intense feel to them. If you don't like it, or if it causes performance issues on older computers, we do have the option available to toggle the Battle Cam off at any point in time. Here are some screens of the game in action:

Healing spell
Attacking slide
Elemental spell
Advanced elemental spell

We're still making changes and adjustments every day, so expect the final product to have even more polish and more optimized visuals and features.

I think that's it for this update. Thanks for reading this far! If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or objections, feel free to leave them below.

Epos - Developer Diary 1


Posted by KupaMan - February 15th, 2010


Hello, there. It's been quite a while since I've done anything for Newgrounds -- my last submission was posted almost a year ago -- but in the coming months, that is thankfully going to change.

Eli Brown and I have been hard at work on our latest flash game; a role-playing game we're calling Epos. It won't suck like Besieged did, as we've both grown in our understanding of the tools available to us, and the process of developing a game. Anyway, onto the details about the game...

Epos is a turn-based RPG we've built from the ground up and designed specifically with flash in mind. Our goal was to create a polished, clean RPG that isn't convoluted with poor direction and excessive or unrefined mechanics. It's something we've both been very dissatisfied about in the past as enthusiasts of these kinds of games, and hope to correct with this project.

While I won't take the time now to delve into the mechanics of this game (look for features on that in the coming weeks), expect a lot of depth from Epos, which will feature over 25 unique and fully animated enemies, cut scenes, dozens of collectibles, spells, skills, and a great story.

Here's a glimpse at the title screen and a screenshot of the game in action for you guys out there that are interested in seeing what Epos has to offer:
Epos Title Screen
Boss Fight Screenshot

We're shooting for an early May release date, so we'll be posting a bunch of updates between now and then. Thanks, you guys!

Also, let me just take the time to give a huge thanks to Tom Fulp for helping out when my previous tablet gave up on me. This project wouldn't be nearly as on track if it weren't for his help.

Our latest game: Epos