Animation Source Forums

If everyone were to be using the character page properly, then no, there wouldn't be. I wouldn't be ranting if there wasn't a problem. xD

There is a guide, a fan made one (this one: natti-s-guide-to-creating-characters-t34118.html), but I highly doubt anyone will read it and actually make use of it. The only ones who would, would be people who have a brain in their head. There is a rule page for the characters, it's rather crummy though. Heck, most members don't even read the site rules when they join. So I'm not sure about that. It may help, but not by much.

Character rules:
"Offending : Don't make an offending character (no violence/blood, no sex)

Unique : Your character must be creative and unique, as such you should avoid renders : prefer drawing the pictures of your characters yourself. The name also has to be unique : if someone already used it, add your username in parenthesis to your character name.

Complete : Try to make your character as complete as possible! Your character must have at least one "headshot" drawing, and a "detailed" drawing is very recommended. Try to write a long description (at least 5 lines long) with such information : Age, Breed (if an animal), Personality, Likes, Dislikes, Background, ..."

If you want to even call those "rules", this appears to be more of a mini guide.

^^True enough, lost my train of thought for a second XD.

The guide is very well written and detailed (though I think it's more for people who already know how to draw so it doesn't really help the render/lineart happy ones that we're dealing with) I'm actually surprised there weren't even more guides from other more experienced members who are more apt to using this area. I may still try making a guide to see if I can't put a different spin on things though.

However, you did bring up an interesting point.

It's true most people don't read the rules when they join the site. But I seriously can't think of ANY excuse for that, unless you can't read, in which case you obviously wouldn't be here. That could end up being a whole other rant right there. Which this only loops back to the whole issue with them being automatically accepted, because they won't have to make sure it's good enough etc etc. Of course...there is the one major overlapping almost every topic and suggestion in this forum. Even if we have good ideas, it's pointless if they fall on deaf ears.

True, you do have a point there, a beginner guide could be useful if they actually took the time to read it, that's the thing. I think you should continue with your idea. (=

Well, in all honesty, the author of said guide has grown rather against the use of linearts and renders. ^^" (Thank you, though! :))

As I once said on dA:

"... People who have that many characters, more often than not, don't develop said characters to the point that they need to be. Many-a-person, when creating a character, focuses mostly on the design, sticking with a poorly developed or cliche history/personality at best. The more character designs you have, the less likely you are to have many good, well-developed characters. Those who have so many characters that they have to rely on linearts to make ref. sheets are generally those people.

[...]

That being said, no matter how realistic the lineart, I think using them for character designs and ESPECIALLY ref. sheets should be avoided. Reference sheets are made for just that--a one-stop source for a reference of said character--which should include character build, not just markings/colors! And that, alas, is something that just can't be achieved with free linearts."



Anyways. Basically, I agree with this rant. Some people have just too many "characters"...which aren't really so much characters as random half-designs. ._.

I recall being annoyed when characters had to go through mod checking before being posted--it just felt like it took so long before they got "published"! But now, I kinda wish they still did. It would probably cut back greatly on excessive crap that's out there now. The only problem would be that having to check all those characters would be a pain in the butt for the mods, so...yeah. :/

Haha no problem, but I get you. What I meant was something along the lines of suggesting other methods of getting designs done if you're just that terrible at drawing (again like me). I'm against the renders/linearts in general, though I do have one lineart design and had someone color a lineart for me to use as a reference when I commissioned an artist. Also, there are several upcoming artists who are more than willing to take requests (may not be the best, but if it's better than what you can do and it's a real drawing why not?)

I've never colored and submitted linearts myself, but when the said lineart was done I replaced it with an actual artist's representation of my character, or I requested fanart for him so the only thing sitting in my gallery isn't that design.



^^Thank you, I will. I just need to figure out where would be the best place to post it so people could read it. (An article on the main site maybe?)

It already kind of has that, sort of. There's a filter that gives you options on whether or not you want to see any type of character when you go to that page, and for each specific site too. Unless that's not what you're talking about.

But a filter wouldn't stop the massive uploads of characters, it would only hide them.

I just chanced upon the profile of one n00b who joined as recently as March 4th of this year, and already has SEVENTEEN characters (and the number appears to be growing) just on Balto Source. Now, I will not identify the member (in order to not draw an unnecessary reprimand), but I would like to point out a few things that stood out from that ridiculous list of characters:

1. out of seventeen to date on Balto Source, only five of them were listed as being even remotely Balto-related, and at least one of THOSE was a completely unrealistic sparkle dog

2. EACH is listed as being associated with a fan creation, but not a single one of them IS linked to even so much as one fan creation. Only in a few cases are some very lousy renders, done by the member (and no one else), linked to the bios

3. In one specific case, the member misappropriated the name and design of an official Balto character, but then said it was NOT Balto-related

4. This member has no fan creations on his or her profile to even link them to (except for one very bad drawing of one character). At best, there are mentions of a "pack" (this pack thing again. UGH. *facedesk*)

Astounding. And annoying. Stuff like this should not be allowed.

^ Sadly,your decription applies for maaany other people here... :/

I agree about the mate thing. After working extremely hard on a character, I find it extremely annoying that people ask if their characters can be mates or crushes considering they're the type of person who makes characters in less than five minutes. :/

I'm not entirely for the limit, because as Pikayu stated earlier, there are people who make very good characters and use them all, whether it be in fan fiction, art, etc. However, I do wish that characters could be evaluated first before they finally show up on the site. At first, when they made the rule that you could just make characters and they didn't have to be checked, it was exciting, but now... well... obviously. I think if they returned the old habit of having to send in characters, it would benefit everyone.

It's a darned good thing I came back to this topic after a select thing or two was deleted, rather than before. I'm just sayin'.

Back on topic now...

Yeah, Moki, that mates/crushes thing is almost as bad as the adopting thing. Jeez! I wish we could get a handle on that one too!

But I do think we need to get back to limitations. Things have gotten way too far out of hand already...

Fact of the matter is, things NEED to go back to the way things were, to days when the words FAN CHARACTER actually meant something. When sparkle characters and such foolishness as that were never allowed on Balto Source or ANY of the Sources. All the disorganization is really, truthfully, bothering me And if Steet won't do it... What the heck are we - sensible people, and the mods - here for? I mean, really.

And now Balto Source (and probably other sources here) has become even MORE like deviantArt. Today, a member who is known for creating "unrealistic" characters (a term even she uses), which she seems to be hell-bent on making sure everyone is aware are NOT sparkle dogs (why she believes this legitimizes those unrealistic creations perplexes me no end), posted a STAMP on her gallery on BS.

Yeeees...a stamp. Just like the ones which are slathered all over the profiles of teen members and very young adult members of deviantArt.

We've fallen a little deeper into the abyss, folks.

I, for one, am sick to death of all of our collective (and individual) ire being brushed aside or ignored by "Mon-sewer" (you follow me there? ). But it falls as much to us. If you're all REALLY that sick of it, it's time to stop doing little more than grumbling about it and posting vague examples. NOTHING will get done unless we all pull our thoughts and start putting on some pressure. Otherwise, we're just grousing in a vacuum...and in circles. And that is getting us nowhere fast.

And I think it's about time we start reeling the freaking site back IN already! It's time we start coordinating this collective frustration and demand a CHANGE! NO more sparkles, NO more unrealistics! NO more mates! NO more tolerance for SMS/text speak and bad English usage by native speakers! And NO more stamps! NO MORE deviantArt cloning!

I agree with all that was said above.