I've just made the updated "ItemRightRanged" set for the HM3 Alpha available, which includes a lot of the suggestions from Solander and others, primarily in the "Thrown Items" sort of category. It also includes the prize for our first Character Contest winner, Imp, who requested:
Okay, how about this: a bow that looks like a bat - the arms would be the 'wings', with a kind of webbed look - sort of like a more intricate, stylized Batman symbol.
It's the last item in the set, and here's what the lineart looks like:

Congratulations to Imp, and I should get to those other prizes ... soon. Yeah.
Hey Jeff, that bow looks pretty cool. It looks like something batman would use.
I don’t know where to post this, but I was wondering if next time you work on head items, if you wouldn’t care trying to fit in some indian war paint. I’ve got this indian guy made, but he’s missing some paint, and everytime I try making any I don’t like how it turns out.
Thanks Jeff
Thanks for the new items Jeff, I just got an idea for a character that I want to try out the new items on.
Hey Jeff thanks for the new bow, and what is the next character contest
@Chase: Next contest is already active —> ‘Fantasy”. Look under the right hand column of this blog under the “Contests” category.
Thanks violodion
oh sorry never mind
Thanks again, Jeff. Looks fantastic!
omg @ jeff i asked for a reapeter or a pump style and you game me both in one i love it the bat bows very cool too.
Jeff if it’s not to much to ask can you make a walkthrough for subiting characters
Very cool bow, Jeff. But shouldn’t the wire be behind the triangular tail and not above it?
Hey Jeff, i’ve been having some problems masking items to or patterning the male Body: http://www.majhost.com/gallery/kaka/Heromachine2/hm3patternprobs.png
But nice Ranged weapons! Some cool throwing axes in there.
@Chase-
To submit a character upload it to a photo hosting website like Photobucket or Flickr. Make sure that it does NOT require a password or an account to see the picture. Next go to the contest thread where he tells the rules. Once there post in a comment the direct link to your character with whatever information, if any, you want to include such as a story or even just a name. Submit the comment. Rinse and repeat until all characters you desire to submit are submitted.
@Collex: The idea (poorly executed though it may be) was that the triangular thing would be armor for the hand holding the bow. And also a removable punch-dagger because hey, you never know when you’re going to run out of arrows and you’ll need to just gut the punk, you know? So which side of the triangle thingie the string would be on depends on which way the person’s holding the bow in relation to you, I guess.
In other words, I dunno really, but if it looks weird I can easily enough move it.
@DJ: Thanks! I am terrible at explaining that kind of stuff. Plus I’m going to be on a tractor all weekend so not at the computer much to do it.
@Eric: Thanks for the report and the image, that’s much easier to understand. I think that’s a problem with my positioning of the mask object in the body, I’ll have to try and remember to nudge it over.
Jeff if you didn’t leave yet is this character cool inuf for a contest
http://s617.photobucket.com/albums/tt259/farnitano/?action=view¤t=viseunsvillian.png
No problem. Lord knows I’ve been using HM long enough heh. I still remember when you had your own website where people could by HM 2 on disc or buy and download.
http://s617.photobucket.com/albums/tt259/farnitano/?action=view¤t=viseunsvillian.png
Now we just gotta convince UGO to let us buy a disc of HM3 when it’s done… 😀
If UGO doesn’t just release it for download which they probably will after a while. You wouldn’t believe how close I was to buying HM2. I just couldn’t convince my dad to let me.
im new
good job keep up the work
whats next guns,faces,mask,ears,mouth,swords ?
weapons:
http://vgplayers.station.sony.com/images/community/update1/weapons2.gif
http://warhammeronlinenews.files.wordpress.com/2007/08/warhammeronlineweapons.jpg
http://www.morrowind-mod.com/imagesmr/AnOldFriend3/WeaponsStaff.jpg
http://fable.wikia.com/wiki/Katanas
http://fable.wikia.com/wiki/Toy_Gun
http://fable.wikia.com/wiki/Hal%27s_Sword
I did pay for the HM2 download. I thought it was worth it.
jeff where you abile to figure what sheild i ment?
WHOA! Jeff! Those new ranged items are awesome! I seriously can’t decide which items I like more hehe 🙂
I see you added the kunai and shuriken into ranged, good idea.
Are you still working on some more ranged items or are shields next on the list?
@Whit
I so wanted to. I still remember discovering HM1 and being so excited that I could finally create a character. I even printed out some of them to hang on my wall. Those ended up getting lost though :(.
Noticed a couple of masking problems:
1) The bat-bow doesn’t seem to mask right – it looks like the tail/blade part of it is growing out of the character’s wrist.
2) On the gloves:right, first page, third row, third glove from the left – it doesn’t seem to want to mask anything at all.
Cool! Hey! Ever thought about making Neckwear items for everybody to use?
Hey Jeff good job on these last items, the bow looks really cool too.
In fact I was wondering if it was possible that you think of something like these two links below:
* A kind of blade that is attached to one arm (you can choose which one or both arms) like this one > http://img132.imageshack.us/my.php?image=big2chipp1.gif
* A kind of “armor” as that which would be in the category Neckwear and gloves which go in the same style that would match with the armor > http://img132.imageshack.us/my.php?image=big2pot1.gif
That would be really great and thanks again for everything
Thanks fo rthe repeating Cross bow JEff! Oh and Happy Birthday!
Jeff,
Would you be able ot make a repeating crossbow that si similar to this?
http://www.themoviebox.net/…/images/vanH-00-001.jpg
http://www.benkepple.com/Images/helsing.jpg
Hey Jeff, i just discovered – saving a character doesn’t save custom colors.
@Eric: It wasn’t intended to save the actual palette, but you’re saying it doesn’t apply the actual color you made to the character either, right? That makes sense. Shoot, I’ll have to add that in somehow …
BUG:
Pattern/Texture applies strangely on a lot of these items. It seems the pattern/texture is offset up to a few X &/or Y pixels. It is really noticeable on the two shuriken items.
For some patterns/textures the impact is negligible (‘dirty’ one), however it is a deal breaker for other patterns (‘radial gradient’).
Can concoct a reference image later, if needed.
@v: A reference image would be great, but if not I’ll go take a look.
at Jeff there is another bug on saving characters, when you reload them not all of the item are in the right place(front, back)
@Jeff, post #35: At work, so will make the reference image later today…
BUG, expanded because QA-ing is such a joy 🙄 —
Reference images previously alluded. Pattern mis-alignment offset:
http://i40.tinypic.com/20aav60.png
Almost every Ranged item exhibits this. It is consistently about the same amount, too (clue there, no doubt).
…
By scrutinizing the images noticed Pattern popping up in places it ought not show:
http://i43.tinypic.com/2w3c5fn.png
…
@chase, post #36: HM3 ‘Save’ has a known issue where the Loaded character Layers are other than intended.
Thanks V, that helps a lot. I know what the problem is and will try to get it fixed today before moving on to shields.
For those who are interested, each item is a stack of objects, each on its own layer, and in order are:
> itemMask (usually a copy of color1)
> lineart
> color2
> color1
In a case like this, what’s happened is that the itemMask object (which is a duplicate of color1) is not aligned properly on top of the actual color1. So when you apply a mask, the edges don’t match. I create these items by starting with one and duplicating it as I go, so if one of the four layers isn’t lined up properly in that first object, the mistake just propagates on down the line.
I have to have a dedicated masking object because in Flash when you use an object as a mask it disappears, which obviously would be a Bad Thing since you’d no longer have that color showing. So I make a duplicate of color1, call it itemMask, make it invisible to start so you can see the other colors beneath it, and off you go.