I was wondering if there would be interest out there in making your own actual HeroMachine items, which would be Flash objects just like everything else — colorable, selectable, and usable on any of the six bodies. The idea is that I would release the Flash source files (like m1-RightHand-Expansion1.fla for instance) and write up some instructions for how to create your own items. People would draw their own items and send me their versions of the source files, and I’d compile them up into further expansion pack releases for others to use.

The source file for the main engine, heromachine.fla, would not be released.

The thing is, you’d have to own Flash and know how to use it. The code on the item files is very simple, all you have to do basically is change the name of the item in three places and you’re good to go. What I don’t know is how many people would be interested in something like that, and then how many would follow through and actually do something.

Thoughts?

One of the members of the HeroMachine discussion group wrote the following suggestions for HeroMachine 3:

I have three suggestion for the HM 3
1- create a forhead component. Cool for jewel and other piercing but also for rhino or unicorn horns and for classi mask insignias.
2 – Separate belt in two components : the belt body and the buckle. It permit to create combos. You can introduce in hM3 stuff like metallic letters buckles or other symbol bucles and combinate that with all kind of belt.
3 – Patterning : Not just propose only color but also patterns. Those patterns must be color customisable, of course. It particulary interesting for components like undershirts, leggings and masks. But we can imagine different kinds of patterns and textures for each components. But i suppose it’s less manageable.

These are excellent suggestions. The patterning is already in the plan (such as it is), but I hadn’t thought about separating out buckles.

In my head, the basic idea behind HM3 will be that each spot on the body will have multiple sets of items you can load onto it. So for instance, among the slots available to place on the Torso would be four for shirts (Shirt Slot 1, Slot 2, Slot 3, and Slot 4). I’d have a bunch of separate files containing item sets that would fit any of those four slots, probably grouped into themes, like “Undershirts”, “Overshirts”, “Bandoliers”, “Capes”, etc. so it’s easy to find the items you want. But you could choose to load all four slots up with the Undershirt items if you wanted.

One of the key differentiators between HM1 and HM2 was that in HM1, if you wanted a particular body, you were stuck with whatever components and items were made for that body. So if you wanted a big brickish looking guy, you couldn’t get martial artist weapons, or if you wanted a melee warrior you couldn’t get firearms. HM2 did away with that limitation, so all items and all components were available on any body style. But you still are stuck with, for instance, only one Coat slot. If there are two Coats you want to layer on a character, you can’t. My goal with HM3 is to do away with that limitation, so that you can basically load any set of items you want into any component slot you want.

That raises some complications when it comes to masking — for instance, fitting a gun into a hand without the lines from the gun overlapping the lines of the hand. But that’s the general idea.

One of the features I’m most excited about with the new site is the “poll” module in the right hand column. The current question involves matters nearest and dearest to my heart — what do you want to see me and UGO spending our time on with the HeroMachine? I’m working on it full-time right now, so the possibilities are wide open. When you get a chance, register your preferences so I’ll know what it is I ought to be doing!