B.illy S.O.D.: What makes the Haxxies special? What inspired you to come up with the Haxxies?
Haxton Sale: To be honest, it wasn't originally my idea. An idea like this was posted in the the "Feature Requests" section. It looked like one of those "hey, tf2 has it, gg2 should totally have that too" requests, to be honest, but I really liked it. It wasn't just about adding stuff to the game, it was about doing something for the community. I saw it as an opportunity to award people who contribute to the game, no matter whether just by playing it or by making some gg2-related content, and to possibly bring some new members to the forums as well.
B.illy S.O.D.: What is different about the Haxxies this year? Why should people do the Haxxies again if they won last year?
Haxton Sale: Well, obviously Raybanns are a big new thing, though they aren't part of the main Haxxy event.
I fear they may have made people actually play the game instead of making Haxxy entries. Not that it's a bad thing
Also, this year's prizes will be compatible with all the previous ones. Keeping it this way becomes increasingly difficult with the number of prizes, but we've been successful so far. We'll be introducing some new ways to award community members throughout the whole year as well, so keep and eye out for that too.
B.illy S.O.D.: How important do you think the Haxxies are to the community?
Haxton Sale: Each year Haxxies bring many new members. Some of them leave, often to return next year with new submissions, but many stay and often prove to be valuable to the community. We have many talented people here, and Haxxies help recognise and award their skill and dedication. I like to see it as a big "Thank you" from the community to the community. The Haxxies are also the time when we can focus just a bit more on the game itself. The Haxxies were the first time that permanent cosmetic items were added to the game too, I suppose it's worth noting.
B.illy S.O.D.: What are some of your current favorite entries? What are some of your all-time favorite entries? Favorite category? What do you look forward to
the most concerning the Haxxies?
Haxton Sale: As for category, I always enjoy checking out the fake update posters and pixel art. That includes menu backgrounds as well.
Being the one who collects votes I can't really say what my favourite entries are. Though I must admit, I like the ones that reference GG2's deep and extensive lore and some non-playable characters
*wink* *wink*. What do I look forward to? Voting
For me it's always the most interesting part of the Haxxies, to see which entries, in community's opinion, are the most interesting. The results are sometimes quite suprising and different from my personal favourites.
B.illy S.O.D.: What would you say to people competing in the Haxxies about improving their entries? Advice on making a winning entry?
Haxton Sale: Don't take on projects that could be beyond your possibilities. I'm sure doing so could help you learn new things, but contest-wise, it's better to make simpler but neat and clean entry that a complicated one, but very rough around the edges.
B.illy S.O.D.: Do you think the Haxxy entries improve each year? How do you foster creativity?
Haxton Sale: Oh they certainly do. Each year some of the entries really surprise me in a good way. The previous years' contests are available for everyone to see so they can learn from the entries, and I notice many people do so. But for the duration of the contest, I try not to help too much with the entries, though sometimes I just can't help but give a few tips here and there.
B.illy S.O.D.: Is there anything you wish you could do (whether within or beyond your power) to innovate the Haxxies?
Haxton Sale: Not really. I thought about different ways to conduct voting, but current system seems to be the best. An in-game item manager would be a nice way for more prizes to be added, but a simple one has been added recently (only available if you own at least one reward), and for now it does its job well enough. I always want the contest to be as big as possible, but considering the size of our community, the number of entries is often much higher than I would expect.
B.illy S.O.D.: How long have you been drawing? How did you get started and any advice on programs/techniques for aspiring artists?
Haxton Sale: I've been drawing since early age, when I was 4 or 5 my mom would buy me art magazines for kids, I really enjoyed those. When I was older, I put drawing away, it was never more than a hobby. I sometimes regret that, since, as we know, practice makes perfect. And that could be my, and I'm sure most artists', biggest advice. What really helped me was the discovery of
DoodleOrDie, an internet game that describes itself as "The game of telephone except with doodles". One thing often that kept me from practising was the feeling that I could be doing something more productive at that time. DoD helped me with that, by giving my doodles some purpose. Sure, pen and paper are always better than tablet, in my opinion, but it's still a good way to spend your time drawing. As for pixel art, I always recommend Paint.net. Pencil tool and layers should be your best friends. Check out ripped sprites from old games and analyse the way they deal with different common problems. And again, practice. Doing any sort of art can be quite relaxing too.
B.illy S.O.D.: How long have you been mixing music? Any particular music artists you like?
Haxton Sale: I've been going to music school since the age of 5 or 6 and I still do to this day. My main instrument right now is organ, though I enjoy playing piano as well. I don't like calling the making of gg2 tracks 'mixing', since I recreate those all by myself, note by note. To be perfectly honest, I never did that before, and that's one of the things I can thank GG2 for. I do like classical music a lot, especially the big, loud, pompous pieces. That's one of the reasons I chose organ to be my instrument, so I could play those those, or at least their arrangements, the way they're meant to be. As for more modern music, I really enjoy Tom Jones and Rick Astley.
B.illy S.O.D.: Who from the forums do you draw the most inspiration from?
Haxton Sale: I can't really say I draw inspiration from anyone, I always try to do things my own way.
I do, however, admire a lot of people for continuous support of this game. It's relieving to see that such a small game still is alive and well and has a very active community even many years after its release.
B.illy S.O.D.: Any final words?
Haxton Sale: I wish to thank every member of the community for the great time I've had here and for supporting GG2 and...
I hope you all enjoy the Haxxies and Raybanns contest as much as I do.
B.illy S.O.D.: Thanks alot Haxton!!
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Topic: GCD Special Features Archive (Read 3141 times)
