Project Future (a web comic)

[tapewolf]

Preamble:
   Desired username: project-future
   email: jpm AT it-he DOT org
   current location of comic:  http://www.project-future.org

** Note to readers - page 46 is a major spoiler, the culmination of the first story arc.  Best to start from the beginning! **

Okay.  I've never been very good at selling myself, so I'll just lay all the facts on the table.
'Project Future' is a webcomic inspired by Amber Williams' DMFA, and tentatively set in the same universe - or one very much like it.  It's not officially associated with its parent, though Amber seems to be enjoying it so I must be doing something right.  The cast is all-original, barring a couple of cameos.  I have also included a quick reference for the race types around about page 11 - it's my intention that the comic be readable without prior knowledge of DMFA, though it's difficult for me to judge if I've succeeded.

Much as I'd love to claim credit for it all, I'm not a great character artist, so the project has been a joint venture with a fledgeling artist by the (pseudo)name of Ren Gaulen, also known as Siegfred Nox (on FA, for example).  He does the lineart and basic page layout - I do the colour work, corrections, video effects, backgrounds and also the final edit-assembly/captioning (in ComicLife).  Oh, and the writing of course.

I have also taken an approach to flashbacks and such which I don't think I've ever seen done before - flashbacks are typically drawn by a guest artist.  Currently we have guest panels by Shadrok, Keaton the Black Jackal and King of Hearts, and more are planned.

Anyway.  The comic officially kicked off last March, following a weekly schedule.  Officially it updates Saturdays - in practice it usually updates around 8pm GMT on Fridays.  There have been a few hiccups the last couple of weeks, but hopefully we should get that sorted soon.

If anyone is curious, the comic has a listing on the Belfry index here:
http://belfrycomics.net/ent/15181
(I don't actually know who submitted it -  found it in the HTTP logs one day)

So.   Why am I asking for space on xepher?  Basically, I'm running out of capacity on my current host.
I have also been running a particular website ( http://www.it-he.org - people who've played Deus Ex, Thief, the Ultima games and so on may have heard of it.) which has been online for about 11-12 years.  It's currently on a 15GB/month bandwidth plan, and as Project Future has been growing in popularity it's taken a sizeable chunk of the bandwidth - about 10% this month, which has pushed me over the limit (again).

What I'd like to do is move the comic to a different host so that IT-HE Software has a bit more room to breathe.  Xepher has played host to a great many comics I admire, e.g. DMFA, Furfire, Foxfire, Last Resort and Bristled (and probably a couple more I forgot), so I figured "I can but try".

Thanks for reading this far.  If there are any questions or anything I've missed instructions-wise, I'll be checking the forums.

Cheers,
JPM (aka Tapewolf, also 'DOUG the Eagle')


**EDIT**

I forgot to mention the rating.  I've tried to calibrate it around 'Abel's Story', a spin-off of DMFA which is rated Web-14.
Project Future does have the odd swear-word, and it has few graphic moments but not many.
Offhand the following pages are the most violent:

http://www.project-future.org/strip.php?strip=20
Daryil massacres people (distant shot) - this earned us our little 'V' on the Belfry

http://www.project-future.org/strip.php?strip=26
Josh is shot in the head - this is the worst.  We probably won't do this much violence again.

http://www.project-future.org/strip.php?strip=47
Severed arm in the imagined panel

[Xepher]

I like what I see so far. The art's definitely improved since the start too. Poke at me monday or tuesday if you haven't heard more by then.

[tapewolf]

I like what I see so far. The art's definitely improved since the start too. Poke at me monday or tuesday if you haven't heard more by then.

Thanks, I'll do that.

[tapewolf]

I like what I see so far. The art's definitely improved since the start too. Poke at me monday or tuesday if you haven't heard more by then.

Any update on this, by the way?

[fesworks]

Hey, you're the guy that was coordinating the "DMFA Radio" thing right? where you have people basically voicing the strips?

If so, would you also be bring that over to the Xepher account too? In any case, I guess I keep forgetting about it. I'm too scatterbrained to keep up on the DMFA forums so I essentially stopped going, though I liked it... But I believe you are the guy that was doing that.

[tapewolf]

Hey, you're the guy that was coordinating the "DMFA Radio" thing right? where you have people basically voicing the strips?

Heh, that's correct.  I was wondering if you'd recognise me
Progress on the Radio Project has been a bit slow lately and it's not helped by the fact that the current project is also the currently ongoing arc, but that project is still live.  It wasn't my intention to bring that across too, but it's an interesting idea.

[Xepher]

Okay, you're in! You should have an email with login info and instructions.

[tapewolf]

Okay, you're in! You should have an email with login info and instructions.

Thanks very much!  I'll see if I can start setting things up tonight. 

[fesworks]

Hey, you're the guy that was coordinating the "DMFA Radio" thing right? where you have people basically voicing the strips?

Heh, that's correct.  I was wondering if you'd recognise me
Progress on the Radio Project has been a bit slow lately and it's not helped by the fact that the current project is also the currently ongoing arc, but that project is still live.  It wasn't my intention to bring that across too, but it's an interesting idea.

Speaking of which, I may want you, and perhaps a couple of your voice actors, to come on The Webcomic Beacon podcast some time. Could be an interesting topic... voicing webcomics. E-mail me at webcomicbeacon@gmail.com if you want to discuss this further and such

-Fes

[tapewolf]

Speaking of which, I may want you, and perhaps a couple of your voice actors, to come on The Webcomic Beacon podcast some time. Could be an interesting topic... voicing webcomics. E-mail me at webcomicbeacon@gmail.com if you want to discuss this further and such

How would that work, out of interest?  I mean, from a technical viewpoint?  Would it be done in advance as a recorded segment, or would it be a live thing?

[fesworks]

Speaking of which, I may want you, and perhaps a couple of your voice actors, to come on The Webcomic Beacon podcast some time. Could be an interesting topic... voicing webcomics. E-mail me at webcomicbeacon@gmail.com if you want to discuss this further and such

How would that work, out of interest?  I mean, from a technical viewpoint?  Would it be done in advance as a recorded segment, or would it be a live thing?

LIVE!

We use Skype (Skype.com). A voice chat and phone service. Skype to Skype is free, but Skype to Phone costs a nominal rate per minute, or used via monthly subscription. (We can call phones or call Skypes for the show). We record the shows using a piggyback program on Skype, and we also broadcast the recording live on Talkshoe (free podcast service, where quality is a bit lower, but that's just for the live listening audience). I better, edit, and cleaned up version is later released as an MP3 on our main website, and the Talkshoe show is taken down.

Side note: The Webcomic Beacon used to be hosted on Xepher, but we moved. (I think it for the best because we did suck a lot of bandwidth from Xepher ) Though all my other projects are still on Xepher