This is an great set of guidelines for how to make GMod Monsters. Note that these are not concrete rules, just a handy set of guides. Monsters that existed and were documented before this list was made (older than Oct. 10, 2011) get a free pass because they've stuck around this long and people like them.
You might also want to check the list to see examples of bad monsters. Don't make your monsters look like these examples, seriously.
Instructions[]
- Decide if it's going to be Passive or Active: Passive or active is very useful for helping people determine how a monster will react to a given circumstance. All monsters are generally considered active unless told otherwise or if their personality description determines otherwise.
- Make sure there's some kind of special abilities at work!: Psychic powers, fire-breathing, flight, troll-flailing, the power to point at randomness itself, etc. - If it's going to be a monster, it needs some kind of special ability, be it physical or supernatural. Just make sure that you follow the most important rule on this list.
- Don't go overboard!: Generally a monster can have as many abilities as its creator sees fit, but too much power or too many abilities eventually comes to a point where the monster with them is boring and no fun to see around. The same goes for ones that are blatant attempts to become the strongest ever. This ties into:
The Killer Cake Limit[]
Painis Vagicake and Fadkiller are the most powerful and always will be; they represent the strongest Monsters can become, period. This is called the "Killer Cake Limit", a theoretical limit on Monster power before it becomes too much; thus far this limit is generally accepted by a significant portion of the community as far as we know, and trying to surpass it will not be taken well. Even attempting to meet this point without passing it is frowned upon. Something as powerful or more powerful than them is likely only going to get made fun of and your creation comically underpowered in all its appearances, or just have it be disregarded or shunned. Too much power makes a Monster unworthy watching, and this imaginary limit was established to try to put a cap on it. Many of the Improper Monsters mentioned above tried to go above this limit, and ended up shot down. This rule also goes hand in hand with the next:
Give your monster some kind of weakness or flaw![]
This should be obvious. An undefeatable monster is a bad one, because introducing it anywhere will mean everything except it is doomed, and that's no fun at all. This is the same kind of general rule that should work for all fictional characters of any kind: A character without flaws is unbelievable, boring to use or watch, and generally is looked down on; Monsters are no exception. This can be bypassed if the character or Monster is very well-written/characterized, but the chances of it not making the cut are dangerously high. Give some way to get the advantage over your monster; Their weakness doesn't have to be simple to figure out or use, but any weakness is better than none whatsoever.
Try to be original![]
We try to encourage creativity around here, so show some. Doing something like copying Painis Cupcake's abilities into a Scout isn't creative. That kind of "copy one monster into a new body for a new monster" behavior has been done so many times it's pathetic. If a monster can be summed up as "X monster, only as Y", get rid of it. Given a few traits to make it unique when shown alongside its original (or supposedly original) counterpart (Ass Pancakes and SoupCock, FlutterCook and Assnick) will make it okay, but don't simply copy one monster into a new body and give it a few tiny details in an attempt to set it apart. And on the note of "X monster, only as Y,"
If you make a backstory, make sure it isn't contradictory.[]
We have seen this happen plenty of times before and we promptly suggest to follow this rule. If there's a backstory at all, make sure it pieces together in a way someone can understand. This rule, of course, only applies to Monsters that are given a defined backstory, and hence this rule can be disregarded if your Monster has no solid pre-appearance history.
Make sure there exist videos, and that they don't degrade the quality of the monster they present.[]
The Pumpkin Lord-O-Lantern is a great example for terrible Monster, terrible videos. When this guide was made, it had only a single video, and the frame-rate is so slow it's almost impossible to get what's going on. This is likely due to using Photostory. Stay away from Photostory if at all possible, as its use is likely to be detrimental to video quality. Windows Movie Maker/iMovie (Windows or Mac) is simple, but not recomended. Sony Vegas is by far the best, but not everyone can afford it. Thankfully there are alternatives out there.
Video techniques include direct recording and stop motion. Direct recording allows smoother animation but also requires experience in hiding production methods such as physbeams and faceposer/fingerposer tool rings, so for beginners it's important to stay in the bounds of scenes where little mid-scene manipulation is necessary. Garry's Mod comes with recording functions to allow this type of recording but Fraps is also a good choice.
Stop-motion is performed by taking a screenshot, moving the intended props or ragdolls slightly in the intended direction, and taking another screenshot until one reaches the target amount of frames. Most video editing programs will allow these frames to be properly animated. Extensive use of this is not recommended for beginners as it requires experience in animation.
Audio editors are also reccomended. Most video editors come with audio editors of a degree built into them but Audacity is best for fine manipulation. Painis Cupcake is a great example of edited lines. Panis Cupcake's introduction is actually pieced together from Soldier lines:
- I am going to claw my way down your throat and tear out your very soul!
- Pain is weakness leaving the body!
- C'mere, Cupcake!
- I will eat your ribs! I will eat them up!
- You are a maggot hatched from a mutant maggot egg!
This is called sentence mixing and, while difficult, can pay off grandly if done right. Again, PLOL is an example of such techniques gone horrifyingly wrong.
Give your videos a decent story-line[]
A video that has a plot is generally much better than videos that are just random or just aren't funny. All of the most popular Freaks have a good story-line or catchy name or just something that makes them better than the random rabble that many try and fail to establish. This is why Painis Cupcake, Christian Brutal Sniper, and Vagineer are so popular compared to other monsters.
This doesn't mean randomness and nonsense don't have their place. Some of the best GMOD work out there is nothing but the video's creator throwing things out to see what happens. It's just sometimes random isn't the right technique.
Article Layout[]
Heading[]
The heading must include a properly filled character infobox template of color corresponding to the particular GMod Freak. Each infobox template page contains an appropriate guideline.
Notes:
- Remember to name the portrait images appropriately, in order to avoid inadvertent replacement of another, pre-existing image.
- A one-time alliance or fight between two Freaks does not automatically make them Allies or Enemies. Be sure to verify the relationship before adding a character in there.
Following the character infobox, an easily identifiable quote should follow. Afterward, include a brief introduction to the article. Standard intro template:
"Generic is a COLOUR Class GMod Freak created by YouTube user YTUser (creator's name linked to their YouTube profile)."
May include short information about the Monster's theme(s).
Main Body[]
Appearance[]
An optional section which details the Freak's appearance. May contain links to specific items equipped, custom models/skins etc.
Origin[]
Concept characters who possess a more or less defined backstory may have their own Origin section which details the way they came to be in the first place, as well as their actions up until present time.
Personality and Behavior[]
An important section that describes traits of the Monster. Habits, quirks, individual preferences, hobbies and character traits should be included here.
Powers and Abilities[]
This section details the special abilities possessed by the particular Freak, whether they are actual super-powers, traits or specific skills.
Faults and Weaknesses[]
Contains information on the known and/or theorized weaknesses and exploitable faults of the character in question, like vulnerability to specific things or personality traits that may be taken advantage of by potential opponents.
Trivia[]
Optional section that may contain additional data provided by the creator, interesting facts about the Monster that do not fit anywhere else in the article, curious observations, etc.
Note: This section is not a place to include everything off the top of one's head. Include only information that is relevant, notable and genuinely interesting. Verify it the information is true as well.
Categories[]
Remember to properly categorize the article. Creator, morality alignment and infobox color categories are applicable to all GMod Monsters. Others concern their fighting styles, nature and habits. Check the existing categories and add the relevant ones.
Arrange the categories in an alphabetic order.