Category Archives: Challenges

Character Contest #H01 “Robotic Duo”

Posted on December 3, 2012 by | Comments Off on Character Contest #H01 “Robotic Duo”

For my first challenge I would like to honor the famous duos both past and future. There has always been a straight man and a funny man teamed up to bring a smile to our faces. Abbott & Costello, Laurel & Hardy, C3PO &R2D2, and Twiki & Dr. Theopolis are a few of the most famous duos out there. Your challenge this week is to create a Robotic Duo.

With the help of my wife Isia, I will be judging the contest with a different eye. We are not looking for fancy bells and whistles or elaborate backgrounds. I'm looking to see if the character really fit the theme of the contest?

I’ll pick my personal favorites when the week is over.  The rules otherwise are the same as always:

  • All entries must be in JPG or PNG form (BMPs are too big), posted to a publicly accessible website (like the HeroMachine forums, ImageShack, PhotoBucket, or whatever);
  • Entries must be made as a comment or comments to this post, containing a link directly to the image and the character name;
  • The image cannot have been used in any previous HeroMachine challenge;
  • Please name your files as [your name]-[character name].[file extension] before you upload it. So DiCicatriz, for instance, would save his “Bayou Belle” character image as DiCicatriz-BayouBelle.png.
  • Please make the link go directly to the image (like this) and not to a hosting jump page (like this). See this post on how to get the direct link for most sites.
  • All entries must be in by  Saturday, when I’ll choose my personal favorites.

Limit two entries this week.

P.S. I forgot to add that dblade will be offering prizes to the winners.
I would like to thank him for the offer.
Here is how the prizes will work:

1. At the end of each month I will have a poll that includes the weekly winners for that month.
Everyone will then be allowed to vote for the best design of that month. That winner will be
the prize winner for that month.
2. Each quarter of the year (every three months) the monthly winners will be placed in a poll for
everyone to vote for the best design for the quarter. The winner will be the prize winner for
that quarter.
3. At the end of the year, the four quarterly winners will go head to head in a vote off for the
best design of the year. The winner will be the prize winner for the year.

Because it is the last month of this year we will only be having the weekly winners going up
for the monthly prize.

All prizes will be between the winners and dblade.

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Posted in Character Design Challenges

Djuby’s New Pop Quiz! #1

Posted on December 1, 2012 by | Comments Off on Djuby’s New Pop Quiz! #1

Djuby has graciously offered to tackle the pop quizzes from now on and below is his first effort towards that end!!

The Rules:

1) You may post ONE ( 1 ) and only one entry to this contest so make it Good!

2) All entries most be posted as a direct link to a public sharing site such as our forums, photobucket, Imagesack, etc. If you post a non-direct link to your image you will be disqualified.

3) All files must be named in the following format  CreatorsName-CharactersName BEFORE they are uploaded to which every site you will be sharing them from.  Example. If I were entering a character named Blizzard into this contest I would save my image with the file name, "Kaldath-Blizzard" then I would upload it to my Heromachine forums Art Gallery thread.

4) All entries should be in either jpg or png format, absolutely NO bmp files!

At the end of the contest Djuby will be announcing the winner on our forum's and I will then repost the results here!

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Posted in Pop Quiz

Pop Quiz: Vehicle

Posted on November 17, 2012 by | Comments Off on Pop Quiz: Vehicle

Your one-day challenge this week is:

Make a vehicle in HeroMachine 3!

You can do a car or a plane or a train or a space ship or a ridable robot or whatever, so long as it's something people can ride in or on.

You only get one entry -- that's right, just one! So make it your best. Most of the other rules are the same as for a regular challenge, but instead of a whole week I'll announce my favorites some time tomorrow. Here's how to make an entry:


(Click to embiggen.)

I'll pick one entry as my personal favorite, which will get to be featured in the side bar to the right for ultimate glory! As a bonus you're allowed to say you won the Internet for a few days.

Good luck!

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Posted in Challenges, Pop Quiz

Character Design Challenge: Squire Random of Randomberg

Posted on November 12, 2012 by | Comments Off on Character Design Challenge: Squire Random of Randomberg

If this isn't random, I don't know what is.

We haven't done a "random name" character contest in six months, so I think it's about time we revisited this always-fun concept. It's pretty straightforward and a great way to stretch your creative muscles.

Go to the Seventh Sanctum Superhero/Villain Name Generator and choose "10" from the number of names to generate. Leave the other selection boxes at their default and hit "Generate". Your character(s) must be based on one of these generated names. Try your best to limit yourself to one spin of the wheel instead of generating names over and over till you get one you like!

It would also be fun to post your list of ten when you get them, just for grins.

I'll pick my personal favorites when the week is over, with the one I like best being featured in the right column for the week. The rules otherwise are the same as always:


(Click to embiggen.)

No limit on entries this week, so knock yourselves out. Just make them good!

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Posted in Challenges, Character Design Challenges

Pop Quiz: Mascots

Posted on November 10, 2012 by | Comments Off on Pop Quiz: Mascots

Saturdays in the US during the fall and winter tend to center around college football, along with each team's ridiculous mascot. So your one-day challenge this week is:

Make a college sports mascot in HeroMachine 3!

It can be for a real school or for one you make up (Hogwarts, anyone?!).

You only get one entry -- that's right, just one! So make it your best. Most of the other rules are the same as for a regular challenge, but instead of a whole week I'll announce my favorites some time tomorrow. Here's how to make an entry:


(Click to embiggen.)

I'll pick one entry as my personal favorite, which will get to be featured in the side bar to the right for ultimate glory! As a bonus you're allowed to say you won the Internet for a few days.

Good luck!

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Posted in Challenges, Pop Quiz

Caption Challenge 133: On the Internet, no one can hear you scream

Posted on November 5, 2012 by | Comments Off on Caption Challenge 133: On the Internet, no one can hear you scream

It's time for another new Caption Challenge! This week you're tasked with coming up with the best replacement dialog for this comics panel:

I'll pick out some as my personal favorites to highlight in a post next Monday, and then I'll choose one of those to bear the standard as the "Featured Creator of the Week" atop the right column.

All entries must be left as a comment (or comments) to this post. Keep ‘em clean (appropriate for a late-night broadcast TV show), but most importantly, keep ‘em funny!

No limit to entries, but please, self-edit and only put up ones you genuinely think are good!

(Original image from The-Gutters.com.)

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Posted in Caption Challenges, Challenges

Pop Quiz: Clowning Around

Posted on November 3, 2012 by | Comments Off on Pop Quiz: Clowning Around

Quit clowning around and get busy!

I thought after Halloween we could use a little cheering up, so your one-day challenge this week is:

Make an awesome clown in HeroMachine 3!

Happy clown, funny clown, scary clown, evil clown, you name it, just make it great. You can do just a face, just a head, just the clown, or a whole scene, whatever you like.

You only get one entry -- that's right, just one! So make it your best. Most of the other rules are the same as for a regular challenge, but instead of a whole week I'll announce my favorites some time tomorrow. Here's how to make an entry:


(Click to embiggen.)

I'll pick one entry as my personal favorite, which will get to be featured in the side bar to the right for ultimate glory! As a bonus you're allowed to say you won the Internet for a few days.

Good luck!

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Posted in Challenges, Pop Quiz

Character Challenge 103: Zombies Scary Stuff

Posted on October 29, 2012 by | Comments Off on Character Challenge 103: Zombies Scary Stuff

I am not a huge zombie scary stuff fan, but since it IS Halloween, I figured we might as well give it a whirl.

So your challenge this week is:

Create an awesome zombie!

Make Something Scary!

It could be a shambling zombie or a spooky ghost, a cackling witch or a disgusting pirate. Take a classic kids' Halloween costume and give it the really scary treatment. I'll pick my personal favorites when the week is over, with the one I like best being featured in the right column for the week. The rules otherwise are the same as always:


(Click to embiggen.)

No limit on entries this week, so knock yourselves out. Just make them good!

(ETA: Apparently people hate zombies, so I changed it to a generic Scary Stuff Halloween type challenge.)

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Posted in Challenges, Character Design Challenges

Pop Quiz: Jack-O-Lantern

Posted on October 27, 2012 by | Comments Off on Pop Quiz: Jack-O-Lantern

It's Halloween Weekend in the U.S., and while last week I challenged you to make a mask, this week I'm inspired by Blue Blazer's nifty Justice Pumpkin. So I'm tasking you to:

Make your own Halloween Pumpkin in HeroMachine 3!

If you don't feel like making your own basic pumpkin shape, there's one in Head-Zombies (both with and without pre-cut eye, nose, and mouth openings). If you prefer an alternate pumpkin shape, one of the tips in Hammerknight's recipe card from a while back might come in handy as well.

You only get one entry -- that's right, just one! So make it your best. Most of the other rules are the same as for a regular challenge, but instead of a whole week I'll announce my favorites some time tomorrow. Here's how to make an entry:


(Click to embiggen.)

I'll pick one entry as my personal favorite, which will get to be featured in the side bar to the right for ultimate* glory! As a bonus you're allowed to say you won the Internet for a few days.

Good luck!

(*For very narrow definitions of "glory" only. See box** for details.)
(**There is no box.)

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Posted in Challenges, Pop Quiz

Caption Challenge 132: Dooplicitous

Posted on October 22, 2012 by | Comments Off on Caption Challenge 132: Dooplicitous

It's time for another new Caption Challenge! This week you're tasked with coming up with the best replacement dialog for this comics panel:

I'll pick out some as my personal favorites to highlight in a post next Monday, and then I'll choose one of those to bear the standard as the "Featured Creator of the Week" atop the right column.

All entries must be left as a comment (or comments) to this post. Keep ‘em clean (appropriate for a late-night broadcast TV show), but most importantly, keep ‘em funny!

No limit to entries, but please, self-edit and only put up ones you genuinely think are good!

Comments Off on Caption Challenge 132: Dooplicitous

Posted in Caption Challenges, Challenges