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July 23rd, 2008


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8-Bit Theater Frequently Asked Questions!

Q:  Why 8-Bit Theater?
A:  I've always loved the original FF and 8-bit games in general.  I think they capture an element, a certain something most of today's games don't.

Q:  And what would you call that certain something?
A:  Innovation

Q: Aren't you just being a nostalgic moron who can't give today's games a chance because you're looking back at older games with foggy memories made all shiny over time?
A: Nope, I like a lot of modern games.  But it takes more than flashy 3D to make one good, despite what the gaming marketing industry seems to think.  Also, I never played FF1 until after I played FF7 and 8.  So, if anything, 7 and 8 should get the benefit of this supposed "nostalgia" I'm supposed to be suffering from.  

Q:  Let's get back to talking about the comic.  What're the characters' names?
A:  Black Mage, Fighter, Thief, White Mage, Red Mage, and Black Belt.  There's also Princess Sara -- who is sometimes known as Evil Princess Sara -- and the not-so-nefarious villain Garland. He's teamed up with Bikke "The Claw" Pirate, Vilbert the Vampire, and Drizz'l a dark elf. There's also the so-called "Other Warriors" consisting of Half-Elven Dual-Class Ranger, Cleric, Berserker, and Rogue. There's more, but I'll end with the best, King Steve.

Q:  How regularly do you post new comics?
A:  Every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday Sometimes a hurricane stops me.

Q: Does this comic have an on-going story?
A:  Yup, but it will end eventually.  All stories do. 

Q:  Are you going to follow the original Final Fantasy storyline, and if so to what degree?
A:  I think it's going to take place in basically the same kind of world as FF1 itself.  And it will follow the storyline, insofar as there is one ("Good Guys, go beat the Bad Guy!"), but you'll only see the original story as being way in the background. But the order and reason of their travels will probably have little if anything to do with Square's original vision.  As a result, the gags will not be FF1-centric.  That is, assuming you can stand it in the first place, you should be able to enjoy 8-bit theater even if you've never played FF1, or any game from the series for that matter. Unless you're some kinda jerk.

Q:  Then where do the gags come from?
A: By portraying the acts of four people least-enabled (or inclined) to save the world.

Q:  I found a mistake or plot hole in your comics, where do I report it?
A:  Nowhere.  Outside of the occasional typo, there are no mistakes or plot holes.  If you think you've found one and you can't figure out how to get around it, it's because a wizard did it.

Q: Where do you get all those cool sprites and backgrounds and will you give them to me so I can make my own comics and stuff?
A: I got the FF1 sprites from Final Fantasy Classic, which appears to now be defunct.  I got other FF1-ish looking sprites from my the seedy world of black market sprite trade. It's the number one business of Thailand. And, no, I won't send you my graphics.  If I can make them, they can't be so hard that you can't do something similar if not better better.

Q:  I don't want Final Fantasy sprites, but because you do a sprite comic I'm going to assume you know where to find any sprite from any game, including obscure games that were never fully completed for systems that were only released in Eastern Europe, so where can I find them?
A:  I dunno.  Try  google.com.

Q:  How do you make all those neat effects in your comics?
A:  With Adobe Photoshop 6.0, then 7.0, then CS, and now sometimes CS2.

Q:  I noticed that you have ads on your site and you're selling stupid T-shirts.  Tell me, why did you sell out?
A:  Can't pay the rent with my good looks. Well, I can, but it's illegal and you meet the weirdest people. Anyway, support independent artists!

Q: I really like your site, can I put a link to it on my site?
A:  Yup.

Q:  Aren't you now obligated to do the same for me?
A: Nope.

Q: What are you then, a complete asshole?
A: Yup.

Q:  How do you make the comic?  What program do you use?
A:  Well, I roughly plan out how I think the dialogue and panels will flow on the page.  Then I'll open up Adobe Photoshop CS, which I use for everything on my site and get to work.  I start by making the word bubbles. I tend to make the panels one at a time in separate files and copy and paste the relevant bits into the page.  Sometimes I'll build a few panels or the whole comic without bothering with the separate files for panels. Just depends on what works best at the time.  Anyway, I save The Comic as a big ol' Photoshop file that's usually has anywhere from 20 to 30 layers, and then save it as a web compatible file type, namely PNGs. Sometimes I have to sneak into GIF or even JPG territory, but it's pretty rare. I was an idiot when I first started and saved my comics as, like, 200 - 300k JPGs.

Q:  Isn't 300K really big?
Q:  Yeah, why do you think I switched to PNG files instead?
A:  I guess you have a point.

Q:  Well what have we here?
A:  Wait, I'm supposed to be asking the questions!

Q:  Guess you fell for the same trick that other FAQ guy did, huh?
A:  Drat you!  Drat you I say!

Q:  That's not a very nice thing to say, now is it?
A:  Come back here!

Q:  Now why would I do a silly thing like that?
A:  You can't do this to me!

Q:  Oh, but can't I?
A:  Nooooooooooooooo!!!


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Latest strip: (07/23/08)
Atomic Robo FCBD Pages 4 and 5
Copyright 2001 - 2007 Brian Clevinger. Some images are property of Square-Enix.