LARRYBW
DiTillio
A question I didn't answer last time:
What do the Beast Warriors speak? Well they speak Cybertronix of course
but we felt doing the whole show in sub-titles would be a little weird.
You will notice all the computer readouts are done in Cybertronix letters.
Larry DiTillio
Story Editor - Beast Wars
Larry DiTillio
Story Editor - Beast Wars
Doug Dlin
DiTillio wrote:
>
> A question I didn't answer last time:
>
> What do the Beast Warriors speak? Well they speak Cybertronix of
> course but we felt doing the whole show in sub-titles would be a
> little weird. You will notice all the computer readouts are done in
> Cybertronix letters.
>
Before this, the adjective form of "Cybertron," used for referring to
the inhabitants, their language, etc., seems to have been
"Cybertronian." "Cybertronix" is neat, though, and has the sound and
cadence of "electronics"--which makes it all the more appropriate--to
boot. This bit of wordplay, BTW, gives me a nice segue into a
question I just remembered...
There's a line spoken by Rhinox in "The Spark" that was cause for some
debate here on the group. During Cheetor's dream-vision, Rhinox makes
reference to "Every Cybertron, Maximal or Predacon." Is "Cybertron"
in this case a general term for inhabitants of the planet? Or does it
refer to all inhabitants ASIDE from the Maxs and Preds? Or does it
mean something else? Again, the confusion arises from the fact that,
before now, the term "Cybertronian" was used in the comics (and
perhaps on TV; I can't recall any specific use there) to refer to the
planet's denizens.
Overall consensus was that the first explanation makes the most
immediate sense, but it never hurts to be sure.
Doug Dlin
ap...@hotmail.com
be.-.st
In article <19970101002...@ladder01.news.aol.com>, diti...@aol.com
says...
>
>A question I didn't answer last time:
>
>What do the Beast Warriors speak? Well they speak Cybertronix of course
>but we felt doing the whole show in sub-titles would be a little weird.
>You will notice all the computer readouts are done in Cybertronix letters.
>
There are a lot of things that all of them say that I can't figure out.
Is there something I can use to translate it?... all those tech. words?
DiTillio
Okay more replies;
Remember that Bob Forward and I are both writers... While we did make as
much use as we could of all the extant Transformers material, we are also
trying to CREATE SOMETHING NEW...
So no, you won't see the Swarm, even if I do admire Furman's work (or
rather because I do I won't be using an entity which he dealt with in the
final issue of the G2 comics)...
And no, we did not intentionally parallel any of the old characters. We
got an assignment to make toys into characters and did so according to our
own preferences for character types. Given the vast number of Transformers
out there it is quite logical that our characters will have some
similarities to old characters but they are not the old characters, they
are who they are.
The aliens: Upcoming episodes will deal with the alien storyline (No, we
didn't just slam them in there for no reason, or for false mystery, they
are part and parcel of the story we are telling)... We hope you enjoy
these episodes. And NO, we did not choose aliens you have already seen in
the TF universe.
The word CYBERTRON - We use it to refer to all Transformers whose home
world is Cybertron. Thus Maximals and Predacons are both Cybertrons and
thus Rhinox meant exactly what he said...
Hope that helps, see you anon.
\
unicr...@aol.com
In article <19970101002...@ladder01.news.aol.com>,
diti...@aol.com wrote:
>What do the Beast Warriors speak? Well they speak Cybertronix of course
>but we felt doing the whole show in sub-titles would be a little weird.
>You will notice all the computer readouts are done in Cybertronix
letters.
heh heh... WAY past the risk of being picky, do you have a set Cybertronix
'alphabet' (not that translates or anything;-)) like a font?
<--------------->
Malin Huffman
unicr...@aol.com
mal...@solgate.com
Mighty MegaBee
> What do the Beast Warriors speak? Well they speak Cybertronix of course
> but we felt doing the whole show in sub-titles would be a little weird.
> You will notice all the computer readouts are done in Cybertronix letters.
Ah, we have a canon name for the language. I'd like to note that I liked
the Cybertronix word for 'REC' that was flashing on Scorponok's optics
when he was recording the Maximal activity on 'The Probe.' That was neat.
----
H. Jameel al Khafiz
Physicist-At-Large
Winter Solstice: the REAL reason for the season!
The Happy Fun Page --> http://www.dhp.com/~spectre
Norman G. Sippel
Hi Larry!
In article <19970101235...@ladder01.news.aol.com>, diti...@aol.com
says...
>
>Okay more replies;
>
>Remember that Bob Forward and I are both writers... While we did make as
>much use as we could of all the extant Transformers material, we are also
>trying to CREATE SOMETHING NEW...
Cool !
>So no, you won't see the Swarm, even if I do admire Furman's work (or
>rather because I do I won't be using an entity which he dealt with in the
>final issue of the G2 comics)...
Glad to see new ideas rather than reusage of of old material. So far in
Beast Wars, every episode has been great, and many of them had unique plot
twists. Even if the Maximals are always supposed to win, there are twists of
fate for future episodes and characters.
FYI, the animators should try to have more animals on "new character intro
shows." When you see the white bengal tiger or the hawk, you know what the
new character is going to be. If you see three different ones in the show
(based on actual toys), then it will be more suspenseful. (I understand
costs but the show would be so much more effective.)
>And no, we did not intentionally parallel any of the old characters. We
>got an assignment to make toys into characters and did so according to our
>own preferences for character types. Given the vast number of Transformers
>out there it is quite logical that our characters will have some
>similarities to old characters but they are not the old characters, they
>are who they are.
There are just so many character types in this world. Eventually, someone
will have similar traits to one of the older characters.
Who is the communications expert in the Predacons? Maximals (my guess is
Rhinox)?
>The aliens: Upcoming episodes will deal with the alien storyline (No, we
>didn't just slam them in there for no reason, or for false mystery, they
>are part and parcel of the story we are telling)... We hope you enjoy
>these episodes. And NO, we did not choose aliens you have already seen in
>the TF universe.
Cool !
Glad to see the Quints are not coming back any time soon ;)
Now who is the voice narrating the first scene of "The Probe" and what actor
plays him?
>The word CYBERTRON - We use it to refer to all Transformers whose home
>world is Cybertron. Thus Maximals and Predacons are both Cybertrons and
>thus Rhinox meant exactly what he said...
Thank you for clearing this up.
Norman
--
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Norman G. Sippel ngsi...@infinet.com http://www.infinet.com/~ngsippel
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Fan of Video Games, Spumco Inc, Weird Al Yankovic, Sci-Fi, & Animation
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
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Classic Video Game Collectors! Join IRC #rgvc Any Time For Discussion!
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Patrick Thompson
Is there any dialog between the TV and toy people on
characterization? I prefer the TV chracterization over the techspec
cards, and I wish the card reflected the characters I know from the
show. Case in point: both Rhinox and Tigatron have demonstrated wisdom
and poise in the show, and Rhinox has clearly demonstrated technical
prowes aboard the Axalon. However, their cards give Rhinox a six for
intelligence and Tigatron a four. I know Tigatron's circuits got
jostled a bit as he was brought on-line but he's clearly smarter than
Waspinator.
unicr...@aol.com
In article <19970101235...@ladder01.news.aol.com>,
diti...@aol.com wrote:
>And NO, we did not choose aliens you have already seen in
>the TF universe.
Thank the Matrix! No damn Quintessons....
Zobovor002
Larry,
Well, I guess it's my turn to jump on the bandwagon here... :)
You mentioned once that you had devised pre-Beast names for the characters
on Beast Wars, but decided that it would have been too confusing (for the
kids' sake) to rename them in mid-show... Is there any chance you could
please tell us what they were? I'm very, VERY curious... And as you've
no doubt realized, most of we fans are obsessive with details! So, c'mon,
think you could spill the beans? Please??
Dave Edwards
Zobov...@aol.com
"Cheetor--MAXIMI...did that already." Cheetor, "Equal Measures"
unicr...@aol.com
Cyberbee
Mighty MegaBee wrote:
>
> DiTillio <diti...@aol.com> wrote:
> > A question I didn't answer last time:
>
> > What do the Beast Warriors speak? Well they speak Cybertronix of course
> > but we felt doing the whole show in sub-titles would be a little weird.
> > You will notice all the computer readouts are done in Cybertronix letters.
>
> Ah, we have a canon name for the language. I'd like to note that I liked
> the Cybertronix word for 'REC' that was flashing on Scorponok's optics
> when he was recording the Maximal activity on 'The Probe.' That was neat.
The only remaining step with Cybertronix is to actually turn it into a
language
(ala Star Treks Klingon Language). I think it would be kinda neat.
Sure it's
extremely implausible, but I can dream can't I???
BTW, does anybody know where I could get ahold of a Cybertronix font?
Thanx.
. _____ __ _ _____
|\/ / \ / | \ / \ \/|
/__\/ / \ | | < / \ \/__\
\___\/ /| \__yber|_/ee |\ \/___/
\___\/ /\ ,_ _, /\ \/___/
\__\/ /_______\/_______\ \/__/
\__\/__/__/_//\\_\__\__\/__/
/__/__/_//==\\_\__\__\
\__\__\_\\==//_/__/__/
\__\__\_\\//_/__/__/
// /\_##_/\ \\
//// /\##/\ \\\\
//G++ FR++ M 6 D++ AD++ \\
N++ W++ B++++ OQP TF1--
C++ BC96 CN+/++++
Jacob Hurtado
DeadPhrog wrote:
> Interesting... so that implies TFs whose home is NOT Cybertron.... Now
> would that make the BWs NOT Cybertrons? (BTW, my margins are set
> correctly, but for some reason my newsreader doesn't apply those same
> margins to my sig, if anyone has any suggestions don't hesitate to mail
> me.)
Buuuuut....They do come from Cybertron. Where did you get that they don't
come from there? Larry just said that they are all Cybertrons therefore
they come from Cybertron.
Doug Dlin
The following involves the new character introduced in 1-6's BW
episode, "Spider's Game." If you haven't seen it yet and want to find
out by watching it yourself, please skip the rest of this post now...
s
p
o
i
l
e
r
s
p
a
c
e
.
.
.
.
.
Thanks for sticking with us, Larry. Just saw "Spider's Game"; nice
bit of development w. Tarantulas & Blackarachnia, and the animators
did a boffo job on Inferno. Gotta wonder how the heck his ant mode
fit in that pod, though. :-) Their penchant for "Maximals damaged,
but Preds shattered" is still prevalent too, I see.
Neat new revelation about the planet. Can't wait to see it developed
further.
Anyway, to my question: As of "The Probe," we officially know the
Max's ship is the Axalon. (Yes, you and/or Bob F. had told us before,
but this was the first mention in an episode.) Now, what's the name
of the Pred ship? Current theory is that it's the Darkside, as
implied by Terrorsaur greeting a stunned Cheetor in "Equal Measures"
with "Welcome to the Darkside!" Of course, this could simply be "dark
side," as in of the Max/Pred conflict, of the planet's claimed
territory, etc. Any light to shed on this?
Doug Dlin
ap...@hotmail.com
DeadPhrog
In article <Larry> said,
>The word CYBERTRON - We use it to refer to all Transformerswhose home
>thus Rhinox meant exactly what he said...
Interesting... so that implies TFs whose home is NOT Cybertron.... Now
would that make the BWs NOT Cybertrons? (BTW, my margins are set
correctly, but for some reason my newsreader doesn't apply those same
margins to my sig, if anyone has any suggestions don't hesitate to mail
me.)
----====DeadPhrog====---- anachronism, President and founder of SHATTERED PERSPECTIVES GAMES and SIFA, Official ZZT/MZX NL reporter || Fan of Robotech/Macross, Transformers, Dr. Who, Nowhere Man, Hitchhiker's Guide || Author of the fanfics in progress Robotech: Secrets of the Flower, and Transformers: Crash || "I never met a cat I didn't like!" - ALF || "Oh great, I'm starting to sound like Optimus Pinhead!" -Rattrap, Beast Wars Transformers. || "Defend the colony!" -Inferno, BW || DeadPhro
g's Graveyard --==http://www.geocities.com/area51/3205/==--
J.Kierstead
diti...@aol.com (DiTillio) wrote:
>Okay, here's some replies to some quick questions:
>
>Cybertronix - Do I have a whole "alphabet" or a font for Cybertronix?
>NOPE, but the guys who have to animate it DO... I just write "Cybertonix
>symbols appear on the screen" and it's up to the animators to design those
>letters.
>
Cool! I don't suppose there is any chance of US getting that
alphabet?? It's an off shot, but I had to try.
Thanks, keep up the great work!
+-------------------------------------------+------------------------------+
| John Kierstead | |
| jkier...@argo.net |"Such heroic nonsense... BLAM"|
| http://users.aol.com/JKierst920/1985.html | -Megatron, |
| Transformer Collector! | Transformers the Movie |
+===========================================+==============================+
CyberBee
DiTillio wrote:
>
> Dear Doug:
>
> The Axalon is indeed the name of Optimus Primal's ship. But no the pred
> ship is not called the Darkside. What it is called, well, we haven't
> decided yet.
Oh come on!!! TELL US!!! Indecision is no excuse!!!
Are you taking suggestions???
I don't care if you are!
I'm starting a thread!
And you can't stop me!
Bwahahahahah!!!
> How's that for almost no information?
That's just Prime.
> :)
>
> DiTillio
> Larry DiTillio
> Story Editor - Beast Wars
--
_____ __ _ _____
|\/ / \ / | \ / \ \/|
/__\/ / \ | | < / \ \/__\
\___\/ /| \__yber|_/ee |\ \/___/
\___\/ /\ ,_ _, /\ \/___/
\__\/ /_______\/_______\ \/__/
\__\/__/__/_//\\_\__\__\/__/
/__/__/_//==\\_\__\__\
\__\__\_\\==//_/__/__/
\__\__\_\\//_/__/__/
G++++ FR++ // /\_##_/\ \\ FW-- M+ (6)
D++ AD++ N+++ //// /\||/\ \\\\ W++ B++++ OQP
TF1-- C+++ BC96// I've got a special \\ CN+/++/++++
CyberBee just for you
Optimus Primal!
-Scorponok
DiTillio
Okay, here's some replies to some quick questions:
Cybertronix - Do I have a whole "alphabet" or a font for Cybertronix?
NOPE, but the guys who have to animate it DO... I just write "Cybertonix
symbols appear on the screen" and it's up to the animators to design those
letters.
Rhinox is in fact the Communications expert of the Maximals.
Is there any discussion between the toymakers and we writers as to
characterization. The spec cards on the toy boxes don't always seem to fit
the tv characterizations....
ANSWER - Actually, to have the toys reflect the series would be MORE or
less an impossibility. The spec cards on the packages were created far in
advance of the series, as were most of the toys. Also the toys have to be
somewhat generic, while the show creates its own universe.
Who did the voice heard at the beginning of the Probe? - I have no idea.
That's it for today.
Thanks, Bye
Larry D!
David Minter
Well, since we can freely ask :> I've got something that has
been tickling at me for a while now. Ever since I saw your name
listed in the credits, I've wondered something. How in the world are
you going to manage to work in a running gag to J. Michael
Straczynski's name in "Beasties"/"Beast Wars?" :)
Dedicated to an angel called ChamCham
"I will always be with you!
Like a guardian angel constant and true!
When you're lost in the night,
when you can't see the light,
my love will see you through!"
I'll Always Be With You "All Dogs Go To Heaven 2"
Doug Dlin
DiTillio wrote:
>
> Dear Doug:
>
> The Axalon is indeed the name of Optimus Primal's ship. But no the
> pred ship is not called the Darkside. What it is called, well, we
> haven't decided yet.
>
>
>
Qualifies quite well, actually. But hey, at least your response time
was good. :-) Actually, it helps by at least providing us with some
definite info--Terrorsaur was not officially giving the name of the
Pred the ship, as it has not yet officially been named. OTOH, if you
DO decide to name it the Darkside, you've certainly got a ready-made
source for the title. :-)
Doug Dlin
ap...@hotmail.com
DiTillio
Dear Doug:
The Axalon is indeed the name of Optimus Primal's ship. But no the pred
ship is not called the Darkside. What it is called, well, we haven't
decided yet.
How's that for almost no information?
:)
DiTillio
Patrick Thompson
I was reading in the Washington Post TV book about some new show, and
they talked about an extensive "bible" used to plot out the series. I'm
curious. How long is the BW bible and what will happen to it if the
series is not renewed? It would be a shame for a huge plotline to just
end abruptly right in the middle of the mythology you've planned.
DeadPhrog
In article <32D1C4...@worldnet.att.net>,
Jacob Hurtado <Jac...@worldnet.att.net> wrote:
>Buuuuut....They do come from Cybertron. Where did you get that they don't
>come from there? Larry just said that they are all Cybertrons therefore
>they come from Cybertron.
ALL TFs that _DO_ come from Cybertron are Cybertrons. This inferes that
there are TFs who's home is NOT Cybertron.
Soundwave9
Doug Dlin wrote:
>Anyway, to my question: As of "The Probe," we officially know the
>Max's ship is the Axalon. (Yes, you and/or Bob F. had told us before,
>but this was the first mention in an episode.) Now, what's the name
>of the Pred ship? Current theory is that it's the Darkside, as
>implied by Terrorsaur greeting a stunned Cheetor in "Equal Measures"
>with "Welcome to the Darkside!" Of course, this could simply be "dark
>side," as in of the Max/Pred conflict, of the planet's claimed
>territory, etc. Any light to shed on this?
When Cheetor was beamed into the Pred ship in "Equal Measures", he
thought
he might be dead. Terrorsaur said, "Welcome to the dark side" to tell him
that he's in something like a robot hell.
Soundwave
Eric Lee Cline
In article <5aup6t$j...@nyheter.SineWave.com> Dead...@sinewave.com
> ALL TFs that _DO_ come from Cybertron are Cybertrons. This inferes that
> there are TFs who's home is NOT Cybertron.
Yeah... Junkions. :)
Eric Lee Cline (elc...@mik.uky.edu)
Defender of the Colony!
http://sac.uky.edu/~elclin0
"Everything is worth something, even me." -Scavenger
Neldaar
Here's a couple of questions I hope you can answer....
Why was Tigatron alive (able to stick his hand up) and the other
protoforms a liquid goop?
Please define the following (we all have our own little definitions, but a
real one would be cool): Stasis Lock, Maximal Protoform, locking chip.
Are there going to be lose ends at the season finale, in hopes of a season
2, or will everything be tied up and ended?
Thanks again
Dan
J.Kierstead wrote:
]
] diti...@aol.com (DiTillio) wrote:
]
] >Okay, here's some replies to some quick questions:
] >
] >Cybertronix - Do I have a whole "alphabet" or a font for Cybertronix?
] >NOPE, but the guys who have to animate it DO... I just write
] Cool! I don't suppose there is any chance of US getting that
] alphabet?? It's an off shot, but I had to try.
] Thanks, keep up the great work!
Well, we _could_... a lot of people have nice screen shots of Beast
Wars episodes out there. I remember seeing the letters on "The Probe"
and "A Better Mousetrap." If someone captures the screen and
zooms in on the letters, we could figure out if the animators...
*stops suddenly*
Sorry, rambling again. :)
-D
Jacob Hurtado
James M. Spencer wrote:
>
> In Tigatron's introductory episode when he was first seen he was in tiger
> mode alongside a real tiger several meters away from the stasis pod,
> never as a hand sticking out of a stasis pod. I would assume this is
> what you mean since you reference the other Protoforms being a liquid goo
> which only occured when they were in the stasis pods and had come out of
> stasis.
In "Fallen Comrades", I hope I get the ep name right, they show Tigatron's
hand sticking out of the pod and then experiencing Energon surge so he slams
the pod shut again. According to later episodes all protoforms are in the
goop state and have no robotic form yet. It is a valid question.
--
==================================================================
* Mulder:His jiggling is almost hypnotic. *
* Scully:Yes, just like a lava lamp. *
* --The Simpsons *
* G+++ FR+ FW-- M+ #72 D++ AD++ N+++ WB+++ OQ++ BC MU- OM *
==================================================================
James M. Spencer
James M. Spencer wrote:
>
> Neldaar wrote:
> >
> > Here's a couple of questions I hope you can answer....
> >
> > Why was Tigatron alive (able to stick his hand up) and the other
> > protoforms a liquid goop?
>
> want poeple's explanation from the newsgroup), just what is the above
> about?
>
> In Tigatron's introductory episode when he was first seen he was in tiger
> mode alongside a real tiger several meters away from the stasis pod,
> never as a hand sticking out of a stasis pod. I would assume this is
> what you mean since you reference the other Protoforms being a liquid goo
> which only occured when they were in the stasis pods and had come out of
> stasis.
>
I must make an apology to Neldaar for not doing like a pro and going to
the videotape. After viewing the tape Tigatron does indeed stick his
hand up and appears to be undergoing Energon surge as it cuts to
commercial.
Sorry 'bout that.
I don't know what Mr. DiTillo will be replying to this one since this
doesn't fit with what was seen in later episodes. Looks like one of two
things really: either the visual aspect of the Protoforms had not been
given serious consideration yet or the whole process that occurs once the
stasis pods touch down hadn't been fully conceived at this point. Or the
third possibility exists that the details of this may not have been
delivered to the animators in time to add that detail to this sequence.
Must remember to check the videotape (for us humans who don't have
perfect recall).
Jeff Hauser
James M. Spencer
Neldaar wrote:
>
> Here's a couple of questions I hope you can answer....
>
> Why was Tigatron alive (able to stick his hand up) and the other
> protoforms a liquid goop?
Before Mr. DiTillo answers your other questions (since you don't seem to
want poeple's explanation from the newsgroup), just what is the above
about?
In Tigatron's introductory episode when he was first seen he was in tiger
mode alongside a real tiger several meters away from the stasis pod,
never as a hand sticking out of a stasis pod. I would assume this is
what you mean since you reference the other Protoforms being a liquid goo
which only occured when they were in the stasis pods and had come out of
stasis.
Jeff Hauser *
*Sig not included
DiTillio
Hi, Larry DiTillio back on line with ya to take care of some of these
nagging BW questions:
On the subject of PROTOFORMS: James Spencer asked why in "The Spark" we
see a liquid-like Protoform, while in "Fallen Comrades" we saw Tigatron 's
hand in solid form...
I would have thought the answer is obvious, but I'll answer anyway. In
"Fallen Comrades" the scanning process was already underway and not
compromised.
In "The Spark", it's clearly shown that the pod itself is damaged and the
DNA scans are not working, thus the protoform has not changed form yet.
On this same subject - Jeff Hauser rightly chimes in with the fact that
until "The Spark" was written the actual nature of protoforms had not been
given in any detail. Indeed I wrote "The Spark" for that reason. I had
noted that in introducing the first "stasis pod " characters (Tigatron and
Blackarachnia), we didn't really get a look at them in pre BW mode and we
hadn't really informed the audience how stasis pods were supposed to work.
This meant I had to sit down and take a long hard look at the whole idea
of "How a Transformer is born". I came up with an idea on this and used
SOME of it in "The Spark". But Jeff is right, when "Fallen Comrades" was
written no one had any notion of how the whole enchilada worked, so
perhaps there is some discrepancy in the earlier episodes. BY the way,
the same applies to just about any show in its early stages. There are
things which don't fit because the show "matures" as new scripts are
written.
Things that don't work come out, things that work better go in, etc. It;s
part of the creative process on any series.
BTW - I could give you a big long explanation of how the protoforms work,
how
TF's come on line back on Cybertron and other salient points. But I
won't because part of the fun is discovering this stuff as you go along.
Now, LET'S define some stuff:
Maximal Protoform: This is a programmed Maximal in semi-liquid state.
ALL the protoforms in orbit around the BW planet are Maximal Protoforms
(But yes there are Predacon Protoforms, Megatron simply didn't have any
aboard). Though several Maximal protoforms have been "recruited" as Preds
(Blackarachnia, Inferno) that have not ACTUALLY become predacons. A lot
of this is covered in "Spider's Game" when Tarantulas sets about
re-programming a Max Protoform into Inferno. What happens is the Preds
disable the Maximal chip and set up a false SHELL PROGRAM. This Program
convinces the protoform it is Predacon, though essentially you still have
a Maximal on your hands. It's not all that easy and only guys like
Tarantulas and Megatron can do it.
STASIS LOCK - Complete shutdown of all systems to maintain the essential
life force or "Spark" of the damaged robot. Stasis lock can occur even
when the robot is blown to pieces (though if the robot is vaporized or
disintegrated its dead).
You might think of the Spark as being encased in a protective sheath
created from the robot's body whenever it takes dangerous amounts of
damage.
LOCKING CHIP - Stasis lock is run by a computer chip called the locking
chip.
Without it Stasis lock cannot occur. If a locking chip fails and its
owner takes lots and lots of damage, its Spark dies and it is truly dead.
CYCLE, MEGACYCLE, NANO-KLIK, STELLAR CYCLE - These are all units of
time. A cycle is roughly a minute, a Megacycle an hour, a nano-klik about
a 10th of a second and a stellar cycle is a standard galactic year.
So why not just call them minutes, hours, days etc.? Well once again,
this is due to evolution. If you notice, the BW characters in the early
episodes do use standard American time designations (days, hours etc.)
However I always feel that the more small details you can add, the better
a show, and time designation was one of those details.
And while I am on the subject, many of the speculations concerning BW
suffer from the same problem I have encountered over the years on many sf
and fantasy shows I have worked on. IN short - People assume that when
an alien character says something that "sounds like" something from our
own body of knowledge,it automatially means the same thing. Well folks,
it doesn't. Yes a Cycle is almost a minute but it is not EXACTLY a minute
and a klik or nano-klik doesn't mean the same thing to a Cybertron as it
does to a Vietnam vet.
I'll use an analogy - a metre is about a yard, BUT it is NOT a yard. It
is a metre.
When approaching a show with a fantastic base, such as BW, you use terms
to give the show its own reality. I could have a Beast warrior say "we'll
be back in ten GALOOPIANS", meaning ten minutes and it is perfectly
legitimate. Cycles just sounds better.
In the same vein, every fact you know about history, biology, anthropology
and the like fits if you're discussing characters who live on Earth and
work according to our moral codes, customs, and natural history. BUt NONE
of it can simply be applied to an alien species that comes from another
world and may have very different codes of behavior. That's what fans
sometimes forget, we are not creating a model of realism, we are kicking
over the table and trying to be fantastic. In short, THIS AIN'T REAL,
it's a TV SHOW... What we strive for is versimilitude, it's kind of real,
indeed within its own universe it functions as real, but compared to day
to day activity it is a total fabrication... So you can argue the science
on Star Trek (or on BW) but you can only argue it from a limited base of
knowledge.
I think that will do it for the day....
See ya's!
Larry DiTillio
Story Editor -Beast Wars
BeastBob1
I'll jump in on part of this --
>>Why was Tigatron alive (able to stick his hand up) and the other
protoforms a liquid goop?
The protoforms were conceived as roughly humanoid form "liquid metal"
robots, without any real identifying characteristics. Once a compatible
life form was scanned and replicated, they would "solidify" in that form.
It is reasonable to assume that in an emergency situation an appendage
could be formed based on the basic robot shape.
>>>Please define the following (we all have our own little definitions,
but a
real one would be cool): Stasis Lock, Maximal Protoform, locking chip.
I'll let Larry handle this one. He's the one with all the info locked
down at his place. I just try to follow along.
>>>Are there going to be lose ends at the season finale, in hopes of a
season
2, or will everything be tied up and ended?
Now, that would be telling, wouldn't it?
Bob Forward
unicr...@aol.com
In article <19970116232...@ladder01.news.aol.com>,
diti...@aol.com wrote:
>I think that will do it for the day....
>
>
>See ya's!
Sure does! BIG thanks to you and "beastbob" (LOVE the userid:))
Just like with Babylon5, it's great to hear that the little details you
see aren't just random, and that the backstory of certain things, like the
pods, had some THOUGHT go into it first instead of being a convenient plot
device.
Interesting explanation also on the protoforms who have been 'convinced'
to join the Preds... I take it you plan to show more background on the
purpose etc. of the protoforms in the series or you would explain it
here:)
Now get to work on the second season!!! (Remember: Furman must write...
Furman must write...:)) BTW, while on the topic, for some even greater
inspiration, I HIGHLY recommend Furman's run on the UK version of the G1
comics. Your show is the only comparable TF story ever done, IMO.
He in fact used the term "Spark" to refer to the TF's soul/power
core/whatever in a story 10 years ago!! :)
Earlwin
On Wed, 15 Jan 1997 17:16:45 -0800, "James M. Spencer"
<spen...@gate.net> wrote:
>James M. Spencer wrote:
>>
>> Neldaar wrote:
>> >
>> > Here's a couple of questions I hope you can answer....
>> >
>> > Why was Tigatron alive (able to stick his hand up) and the other
>> > protoforms a liquid goop?
>>
>> Before Mr. DiTillo answers your other questions (since you don't seem to
>> want poeple's explanation from the newsgroup), just what is the above
>> about?
>>
>> In Tigatron's introductory episode when he was first seen he was in tiger
>> mode alongside a real tiger several meters away from the stasis pod,
>> never as a hand sticking out of a stasis pod. I would assume this is
>> what you mean since you reference the other Protoforms being a liquid goo
>> which only occured when they were in the stasis pods and had come out of
>> stasis.
>>
>
>I must make an apology to Neldaar for not doing like a pro and going to
>the videotape. After viewing the tape Tigatron does indeed stick his
>hand up and appears to be undergoing Energon surge as it cuts to
>commercial.
>Sorry 'bout that.
>
>I don't know what Mr. DiTillo will be replying to this one since this
>doesn't fit with what was seen in later episodes. Looks like one of two
>things really: either the visual aspect of the Protoforms had not been
>given serious consideration yet or the whole process that occurs once the
>stasis pods touch down hadn't been fully conceived at this point. Or the
>third possibility exists that the details of this may not have been
>delivered to the animators in time to add that detail to this sequence.
>
>
>Must remember to check the videotape (for us humans who don't have
>perfect recall).
>
>Jeff Hauser
Actually, this type of montage is called . . . uh, . . . uh, . . .
uh, . . . okay, I forgot what it is called. Anyway, this clearly
states to the viewers/audience that there was an elliptical jump in
time, and that we were to assume that when the pod crashed, it has
already scanned the surrounding, and transformed the protoform into
what we now know as TIGATRON. The shot where a Siberian Tiger looked
at the crashing pod was to give the audience a hint as to what may
become of the protoform in the pod. This particular siberian tiger
may have chased this pod, and rendevous with it in the crash site,
which in turn, was scanned by the gizmo that was pre-packaged with the
pod.
After all of these, the audience were shown a hand sticking out of the
pod.
Earlwin
Earlwin
Larry,
I've been hearing a lot of complains here at alt.toys.transformers
about old character names being re-used.
Okay, here's an idea that I am pushing: BW finally engages in major
brawl, and an AWESOME explosion wipes out their memory, including
their ships memory banks (don't ask how). But here's a convoluted
plot device: it's a selective amnesia (I know, it's stupid). Only
their names are destroyed in the memory banks. Since names like
RHINOX, TERRASAUR, RAT TRAP, BLACKARACHNIA, and CHEETOR are easy to
correlate with their beast form, those characters "COINCIDENTALLY"
pick their old names; however, MEGATRON, INFERNO, DINOBOT, and PRIMAL
pick new names. AIR RAZOR remembers her name, but doesn't remember
anyone else's.
If they come into contact with Cybertronians in the future, no one
will remember them, because of their new form. But in the
SUPER-DOOPER-MEGA-AWESOME-MAINFRAME of CYBERTRON, a computer virus
destroyed the doosiers of old Maximal chaps, and forever forgotten by
the next generation. :-)
Go ahead. Steal it. I don't care. As long as you can find a way to
stop this insanity of using old characters, then I don't mind if you
use my silly idea. But if you do use it, I only ask for one very
"little" favor: PIZZA FOR EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!!!! :)
Earlwin
Gregg T. Allinson
Earlwin (75557...@compuserve.com) wrote:
: Larry,
: I've been hearing a lot of complains here at alt.toys.transformers
: about old character names being re-used.
<snip theory>
: Go ahead. Steal it. I don't care. As long as you can find a way to
: stop this insanity of using old characters, then I don't mind if you
: use my silly idea. But if you do use it, I only ask for one very
: "little" favor: PIZZA FOR EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!!!! :)
I do believe that the stance taken by the Beast Wars TV show is that these
are entirely new characters who happen to have the same names or adopted
the names of the old G1 TFs as a tribute to the originals. It's kinda
convoluted, but short of them changing the names for the show (which they
obviously can't do), it is the best solution to the problem of old name
re-cycling, and a damn sight better rationalization than HasKen's
"Genetic Labs" Tech Spec rationalization.
--
Au Bon Pain!,
Gregg "Dave" Allinson
Visit The Scrapyard ("I don't like that Rollo!") @ http://miso.wwa.com/~roscoe
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Could Star Saber be a glutton? Does he grab up and eat his food before he
should? Did he ever wet his bed and get scolded? Was he a kid just like
us?"
-From "Seibertron Banzai", the closing theme to Transformers: Victory
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GONK RETURNS: January 31 1997 AD
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Patrick Thompson
Now that the future of the show is in doubt, I guess this is as good a
time as any to ask this:
If you were not constrained by cost, Hasbro trying to sell toys,
the difficulty in animating a bunch of different objects, and format
constraints, what would you have done differently in Beast Wars?
Secondly, if the show does die and cannot be revived, what will
happen to the plotlines that you have not formally scripted and
submitted to the powers that be? Will all the hinted-at revelations of
the planet dying, the eerie alien mystery, etc., merely die, or will the
outline of what you had planned ever be released? How far ahead had you
platted the show, anyway-I heard rumour that at the start of Babylon 5
there was a whole five-year story arc prepared.
DiTillio
As always some general responses to BW questions...
Q1: How could the snake in "Dark Voyage" affect Cheetor's breathing.
A: Actually the answer to that is pretty clear in "Call of the Wild". But
in case you missed it --- When BW's transform into beast mode, they
become FULLY organic. This means they are vulnerable to anything the
animal they become is. They get hurt worse when hit in beast mode, they
have to breathe and eat, they are for all and intents and purposes
animals. (BTW - this is a major reason why Bob and I steered clear of any
water-based creatures in the original line-up. We could have only used
them in water-based stories and that created major headaches.)
Actually I think that's about the only question I need deal with, if you
have more post them as LARRYBW and I'll try and answer.
Now a comment: It seems that most Tf fans like what we've done with Beast
Wars. But there are a vocal few who keep berating the show and I have a
single question for these critics: Why in the world do you watch it?
When I was working on Babylon 5 the same phenomenon would crop up. Most
fans enjoyed it and discussed it in detail, but there were a few who
seemed to watch it STRICTLY to tell everyone how bad it was... And I
wondered then too, why in the world do they faithfully watch a show they
purport to hate???
I suppose it's simply a case of negative attitude and I won't pretend I am
blase about it. It's not pleasant to have a year's work dismissed as
mediocre.
But hell that's blood under the bridge. The only thing I will respond to
is the notion that Bob and I don't give a damn about TF fans and the whole
TF universe.
Ever since we began working on the show, we have constantly listened to
the fans and indeed worked with several of them to try and make sure
anything we mentioned was somehow consistent with the TF universe as a
whole. Perhaps we didn't always succeed but we did care and we did try.
I can take criticism, anyone who wants to be a professional write better
have that ability or you'll soon be visiting a therapist. But
mean-spirited attacks are not criticism, they are just sounding brass and
frankly not one of you knows what Bob and I think or feel or how we work.
I don't consider the hour or so I spend a day reading and replying to this
newsgroup indicative of not caring. I don't get paid for this, I could
use the hour for writing and the only reason I do do it is because I do
care what people think of the show.
Enough said.. Those who have been kind enough to appreciate our efforts,
I thank you. Those who don't, well you're entitled to that opinion. For
the bozos who are so wrapped up in a 10-year-old cartoon series that they
simply cannot abide any change, get a life...
Jacob Hurtado
Heh heh. Sic 'em, Larry! :) I completely agree with everything you said.
Beast Wars consistently offers the excellent writing and plot lines that
very few of the G1 episodes managed to achieve. There has yet to be the
episode that will become the abomination that some of the originals have
earned the dubious honor of and I doubt there will be. Good work on setting
all of those trolls straight!
Lizard
In article <19970204234...@ladder01.news.aol.com>, diti...@aol.com (DiTillio) wrote:
>As always some general responses to BW questions...
>
>Q1: How could the snake in "Dark Voyage" affect Cheetor's breathing.
>
>A: Actually the answer to that is pretty clear in "Call of the Wild". But
>in case you missed it --- When BW's transform into beast mode, they
>become FULLY organic. This means they are vulnerable to anything the
>animal they become is. They get hurt worse when hit in beast mode, they
>have to breathe and eat, they are for all and intents and purposes
>animals. (BTW - this is a major reason why Bob and I steered clear of any
>water-based creatures in the original line-up. We could have only used
>them in water-based stories and that created major headaches.)
>
wires and circuitry. I'll happily accept you telling me that scene was
'sanitized' for TV and what 'really' happened was a lot of blood spurting.
(One of the great joys of fandom is on-the-fly retconning)
>I suppose it's simply a case of negative attitude and I won't pretend I am
>blase about it. It's not pleasant to have a year's work dismissed as
>mediocre.
While I have been critical of some aspects of the program, that criticism has
always been mixed with admiration for what you *have* done. The show is far,
far, better than I ever expected it to be, and you've managed to make a fan
out of my girlfriend, who was not an 'old' TF fan.
>I can take criticism, anyone who wants to be a professional write better
>have that ability or you'll soon be visiting a therapist. But
>mean-spirited attacks are not criticism, they are just sounding brass and
>frankly not one of you knows what Bob and I think or feel or how we work.
>I don't consider the hour or so I spend a day reading and replying to this
>newsgroup indicative of not caring. I don't get paid for this, I could
>use the hour for writing and the only reason I do do it is because I do
>care what people think of the show.
>
>Enough said.. Those who have been kind enough to appreciate our efforts,
>I thank you. Those who don't, well you're entitled to that opinion. For
>the bozos who are so wrapped up in a 10-year-old cartoon series that they
>simply cannot abide any change, get a life...
I'm currently part of the scripting/plotting team for a liscenced product with
a similairly devout fan following, and I have definitely seen both sides of
this issue. I understand your point of view -- there's nothing like working
months to try to create something which is both original enough that you won't
be accused of simply stealing ideas and true enough that you won't be accused
of simply slapping the liscense on any old thing -- and then being told you're
doing everything wrong, months before the product is even released. And I also
see the fan point of view -- they have a lot of emotional investment in what
it is they care about, and they don't like to see 'strangers' tampering with
it. It's an odd perspective.
I'm not going to pretend I think BW is perfect -- I don't. I think there are
certain areas which could be greatly improved, even within the limiting
pardigm of what is basically a toy commercial. But that doesn't mean I think
the show 'sucks' or that I think you and Bob Forward don't care. You *do*
care, and you have made a quality product, and I that's the only reason I
would even bother expressing my opinion on various issues.
MSipher
Larry (hey, he's back!) wrote...
>>
Q1: How could the snake in "Dark Voyage" affect Cheetor's breathing.
A: Actually the answer to that is pretty clear in "Call of the Wild". But
in case you missed it --- When BW's transform into beast mode, they
become FULLY organic. This means they are vulnerable to anything the
animal they become is. They get hurt worse when hit in beast mode, they
have to breathe and eat, they are for all and intents and purposes
animals.
>>
So there's bone and gristle underneath that skin, not struts and wiring?
Seems a mite odd... holes in the Beast modes usually reveal circuitry in
the show. Well, I guess that's nicer to show than gore.
SUBSPACE! SUBSPACE! The robot parts enter subspace in Beast Mode! (You DO
know about the subspace theory, don't you?)
>>
(BTW - this is a major reason why Bob and I steered clear of any
water-based creatures in the original line-up. We could have only used
them in water-based stories and that created major headaches.)
>>
I could imagine... water-based creatures in this show would seem to be
both a MAJOR story problem *and* an animation one as well... fluids aren't
exactly easy to animate in CGI. (While I have my ideas about ow they could
work, they pretty much require an aquatic base... Orchanoch, essentially.
While that would be NICE to see, I seriously doubt such a thing would be
possible.)
>>
Now a comment: It seems that most Tf fans like what we've done with Beast
Wars. But there are a vocal few who keep berating the show and I have a
single question for these critics: Why in the world do you watch it?
>>
... Nothing better to do in the morning?
... Maybe some of these people just *see* the eps, without really
*watching* them and paying attention. (I can think of a few who don't
really think about what they're waching... not by name, though. I know who
they AREN'T.)
>>
But hell that's blood under the bridge. The only thing I will respond to
is the notion that Bob and I don't give a damn about TF fans and the whole
TF universe.
Ever since we began working on the show, we have constantly listened to
the fans and indeed worked with several of them to try and make sure
anything we mentioned was somehow consistent with the TF universe as a
whole. Perhaps we didn't always succeed but we did care and we did try.
>>
If ANYBODY needs proof of this, just take a look at "Possession"...
consistant ties to the old cartoon, and Starscream is DEAD-ON PERFECT. The
voice may be different (due to a new voice actor, but it's a good shot at
it anyway!), but this *IS* Starscream.
>>
I can take criticism, anyone who wants to be a professional write better
have that ability or you'll soon be visiting a therapist. But
mean-spirited attacks are not criticism, they are just sounding brass and
frankly not one of you knows what Bob and I think or feel or how we work.
I don't consider the hour or so I spend a day reading and replying to this
newsgroup indicative of not caring. I don't get paid for this, I could
use the hour for writing and the only reason I do do it is because I do
care what people think of the show.
>>
Cripes, I'd *hope* you cared about what the fans thought. Direct response
like... well, hell, THIS is pretty rare.
>>
Enough said.. Those who have been kind enough to appreciate our efforts,
I thank you. Those who don't, well you're entitled to that opinion. For
the bozos who are so wrapped up in a 10-year-old cartoon series that they
simply cannot abide any change, get a life...
>>
(Sharp intake of breath)... err... the general point of the statement I
can agree with (EVERYTHING changes, it's inevitable, adapt, for Primus'
sake! Evolve!)... but I can't help but think that that last bit could
probably have been worded a *mite* more delicately. Bad day?
Save for the want of some more Predacon cooperation (okay, they don't have
to be overly chummy or anything, but just a little less cutthroat among
their own ranks would be nice), I'm pleased with BW on the whole. I'm
hoping for another season of BW, and am looking forward to each episode.
Hey, even the worst eps of BW ("Double Dinobot", "Dark Voyage") shine when
compared to many of the G1 third-season eps... cripes, even some of the
pre-movie eps. And stuff like "The Web", "Spider's Game", The Probe", "The
Spark", and "Possession"... hooo.
NEW QUESTION!
You once mentioned that you had character write-ups for each of the BW
characters. Any chance of these being posted, or put up on Ben Yee's BW
page? I'm inrtruiged by these...
M "Trust Me. You've Got A LOOOOOONG Way To Go Before BW Fiction Sinks To
The Level Of Many Of The Post-Movie Eps, Or The Budiansky Run Of The
Comics..." Sipher
Troy Ledgerwood
Hello Mr. DiTillio! I would like to thank you and others for your work on
the Beast Wars cartoon. While I disagree with some of the
characterization (especially among the Predacons), I do have to say that I
have enjoyed almost all of the episodes that I've seen.
Unfortunately, the stations in my area don't show BW and I have to wait
until school vacations to go home and watch all of the videotapes. I've
missed a couple of miscellaneous shows and all of those that aired after
"Spider's Game". I've heard a lot about some of the newer episodes,
Possession for example, and it really sounds like the show is hitting its
stride with in-depth story lines, and exciting guest appearances by
original TF characters.
I've got a few questions. Please keep in mind that I've missed some of
the more pivotal episodes, and missed a total of 7.
1. Did Alliance promote Beast Wars at the recent NATPE (a syndicated
television program trade show, I think)?
2. Is there any further news from Hasbro concerning a second season of
Beast Wars? If not, are there any talks of a Machine Wars show? (If you
can't answer that due to negotiations, etc.., I understand.)
3. When are we going to see more competent Predacons? :)
This is my biggest gripe about the show. I know that the show is targeted
for a younger audience and it might be inappropriate for the bad guys to
start winning, but I'd like to see a balanced battlefield as far as
competence is concerned. Also, The Maximals get hit with an assortment of
weaponry and they receive heavy damage....the Predacons get hit and are
immediately decapitated or delimbed. Why?
4. Poor Waspinator keeps getting trashed by Rhinox and his gatling gun(s).
When is Waspinator going to get some pay back? :)
5. I know that it won't air for quite a while, but is the season finale
going to be a cliffhanger in anticipation of a second season, or will it
all be wrapped up as a stand alone episode?
Thanks for your time and work!
(Please don't take these comments the wrong way. I enjoy the show and I
just see these points as things that could be improved to better MY
enjoyment!) :)
======================================================================
] Troy Ledgerwood |^\ \\ ______ // /^| [
] e-mail: 99481699 | \ \ __ / / | WANTED: [
] @wsunix.wsu.edu | \__ \ \/ / __/ | Actionmaster Megatron[
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] the immediate \ _ \-- \/ --/ _ / [
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] |____\ \/ /____| OCP BC96++ BC97++ MU- [
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======================================================================
Gregg T. Allinson
DiTillio (diti...@aol.com) wrote:
: I suppose it's simply a case of negative attitude and I won't pretend I am
: blase about it. It's not pleasant to have a year's work dismissed as
: mediocre.
I know. So personally speaking, I'd just like to thank you and everyone
else who's put all that work into BW. I started out thinking
"Better than nothing, but I still want G1 back", but you guys have quickly
made me eat those thoughts. Apart from "Victory", the Japanese series,
Beast Wars is the finest Transformers series ever made (and yes, that does
include the Japanese episodes I've seen).
: But hell that's blood under the bridge. The only thing I will respond to
: is the notion that Bob and I don't give a damn about TF fans and the whole
: TF universe.
: Ever since we began working on the show, we have constantly listened to
: the fans and indeed worked with several of them to try and make sure
: anything we mentioned was somehow consistent with the TF universe as a
: whole. Perhaps we didn't always succeed but we did care and we did try.
I personally haven't found anything that hideously clashes with G1 lore.
There are some changes here and there, but I think they're mostly in terms
of design (ie Energon is now crystalline), and that can totally be excused
as you're using a totally different means of animation than G1. OTOH,
Unicron and Starscream were dead on, and Cybertron looks BETTER than it
did on G1.
: I can take criticism, anyone who wants to be a professional write better
: have that ability or you'll soon be visiting a therapist. But
: mean-spirited attacks are not criticism, they are just sounding brass and
: frankly not one of you knows what Bob and I think or feel or how we work.
There are just some people who'll never get over the fact that the
Transformers are now "Beasts". This despite the Pretenders and
animalistic G1 characters like the Insecticons and Dinobots. At first I
was taken aback too, but it's such a minor point to get over and
accept...I personally think it's a fascinating look at the far-flung
future of Cybertron's deziens.
: I don't consider the hour or so I spend a day reading and replying to this
: newsgroup indicative of not caring. I don't get paid for this, I could
: use the hour for writing and the only reason I do do it is because I do
: care what people think of the show.
And I really personally appreciate that. You've shown more dedication to
the Transformers concept in the span of a few months than Hasbro/Kenner
has in the past few years. You've invented something totally new, yet
treated the past with reverence. Compare this to HasKen, who seem to
think that Starscream is either a small planne that hides in ATB
Megatron's butt or a big black bomber or something.
: Enough said.. Those who have been kind enough to appreciate our efforts,
: I thank you.
You're very welcome.
: Those who don't, well you're entitled to that opinion. For
: the bozos who are so wrapped up in a 10-year-old cartoon series that they
: simply cannot abide any change, get a life...
Amen. As I said earlier, Victory is my favourite series, and that's
because it doesn't dwell on the 900th incarnation of Optimus Prime and
company. It moves the saga on farther. Beast Wars is an even more
radical jump forward than even Victory was, but it's obvious that it's
part of Transformers lore. And I really appreciate the efforts you've put
into heeding the past. You could've simply gone with HasKen's rediculous
"Genetic Labs" explaination for the BW toys and presented us with a
Megatron who was somehow De-Galvatronized and who stole genetic material
from a human research lab to make himself a T-Rex (I cringe anytime I read
BW Megs's Tech Specs). But instead, you've tried to work around their
blatant disregard of the past and tied it into G1. Nobody asked you to do
that, but I really appreciate it.
--
Au Bon Pain!,
Gregg "Dave" Allinson
Visit The Scrapyard ("Watch it, sucka!") @ http://miso.wwa.com/~roscoe
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Save Beast Wars: Transformers. Go to http://miso.wwa.com/~roscoe/savebw.htm
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"We're a couple of shooting stars, Biggs, and we'll never be stopped".
-Luke Skywalker-Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jacob Hurtado
MSipher wrote:
>
> So there's bone and gristle underneath that skin, not struts and wiring?
> Seems a mite odd... holes in the Beast modes usually reveal circuitry in
> the show. Well, I guess that's nicer to show than gore.
>
> SUBSPACE! SUBSPACE! The robot parts enter subspace in Beast Mode! (You DO
> know about the subspace theory, don't you?)
OK, if this organic thing is true then how come in "The Web" Cheetor clearly
states that he "doesn't have any real blood, just mech fluid"? Even
Tarantulas acknowledges this.
The Nixtr
Subspace: The universal cop-out!
--
The Nixtr *** Transformer Fan ***
Susan Smith is Pro-Choice!
world's WEIRDEST SITE: http://www.acy.digex.net/~thenixtr
Don't Deal w/ Karbunkle! (~tle...@dwx.com)
DiTillio
Well I'm touched by this outpouring of support, really.
And I want to make it clear, that you are welcome to lob critical bombs
and suggest improvements. It doesn't make me mad at you.
I will say to the gentlemen who said I could have been a tad gentler, well
I've listened to BEAST WARS SUCKS! enough to be entitled to a little
brutality myself neh? But if anyone was offended --
Excellent! You get what you give boys and girls...
Now a quick reply to the "full organic" message. Take any G1 who was a
car or truck. They had glove compartments, they had mirrors, they had
tires, they had uh, car stuff. BW's have animal stuff... It's their
"outer shell" you might say, it is what makes them "robots in disguise".
When the shell is pierced (such as when Megatron bites into it), you get
to circuitry underneath (yes there is metal beneath the fur and skin and
the bones are metallic superstructure)... And no Cheetor doesn't have
real blood, just mech fluid..
And yes, we didn't care to show animals being ripped to shreds.
I have also responded to the Predacon characterization issue in a rather
long message, which Benson Yee kindly posted here... But I'll give you
another quick version --- I always intended the preds to be well
characterized but when they began animating the show, they tended to make
the Preds more comical than we had planned (in both voice and action) and
in this process a lot of what we'd hoped for was lost. The Preds getting
blown into component pieces every episode was never what we wanted. I did
it in "Power Surge" to show how Terrorsaur's sheer power has increased,
but it began to be a running gag for the animators.
I'll try to get to other questions soon, but for now, goodbye and
thanks...
Hey poor us, we got stuck with it and there's little we can do to change
it. I will say you might get some new respect for the Preds as characters
after several of the new episodes have aired.
Meanwhile, I would also suggest you avail yourself of ben yee's web page
where many of the scripts are posted (often with specific notes and
versions which came before the final draft.) You might find that much of
what you blame the writers for is not in the script but was added by
producers, directors, actors etc. This is the big problem with a
collaborative art, the writer often gets roasted for something he or she
never, ever wrote.
The_Great_Cornholio
DiTillio (diti...@aol.com) wrote:
: I suppose it's simply a case of negative attitude and I won't pretend I am
: blase about it. It's not pleasant to have a year's work dismissed as
: mediocre.
Well, saying the show is mediocre and saying it sucks are two different
things. I think some episodes have been just "ok" (mostly because they were
too similar to another show). But, I have to say, to me you guys have made
BW. I hate the toys, and seem to be one of the few who do. But, I like the
cartoon. It's consistient (something that G1 CANNOT claim) and well-written
for a kids show. The dialogue is pretty good (again, considering it's a
kid's show. More sophisticated stuff wouldn't work well). I think you guys
do a hell of a job, satifiying both the target audience and the older fans.
Also, a note to the opponents of BWs : If you don't like the show based on
it's owm merrits fine, but don't gripe to Larry or Bob because it doesn't
live up to G1. I think we all tend to remember the high points of G1, and
not the bad eps. Also, being a kid makes a difference. Most of us are adults
on this group, and we see things differently than we did as kids (at least I
do).
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Robert A. Jung
Look at it this way, Larry -- if we didn't like the show, we wouldn't get
so passionate about it one way or the other. B-) Even though I still think
the Predacons' portrayal needs a lot of work (and I don't mean just the
comical animation bits, but dialogue/action/responses), I still recognize
that you and Bob and the rest of the staff aren't doing this in your sleep,
and I appreciate the solid structure that's underlying the show.
BEAST WARS ain't perfect, but it isn't dreck, either. Not by a long shot.
--R.J.
B-)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I write because I am personally amused by what I do, and if other people are
amused by it, then it's fine. If they're not, then that's also fine."
Send mail to rj...@netcom.com --Frank Zappa
Eric Lee Cline
This has been discussed, but I don't think that anyone has asked any of you
since I've been here so:
How big are the Beast Wars characters? I mean, from simple observation alone
I can tell that they aren't the gigantic size that the old transformers were,
but how large are they?
Just asking,
BeastBob1
Rattrap is five feet tall, according to the show bible (which is off
limits, so don't ask.)
You can work out the rest of the sizes from that.
Consider them laptop versions.
Bob
Who Does Everything On A Toshiba 2150
E
Robert A. Jung <rj...@netcom.com> wrote:
> Look at it this way, Larry -- if we didn't like the show, we wouldn't get
>so passionate about it one way or the other.
I disagree. I ramble and rant about the stupidity of things I hate.
--
/ Eric Pronko = E \
| Gargunkle, reality warper |
\ http://www.dhp.com/~e /
Iggy Drougge
MSipher (msi...@aol.com) wrote:
: Larry (hey, he's back!) wrote...
:
: >>
: Q1: How could the snake in "Dark Voyage" affect Cheetor's breathing.
:
: A: Actually the answer to that is pretty clear in "Call of the Wild". But
: in case you missed it --- When BW's transform into beast mode, they
: become FULLY organic. This means they are vulnerable to anything the
: animal they become is. They get hurt worse when hit in beast mode, they
: have to breathe and eat, they are for all and intents and purposes
: animals.
That sounds really ridiculous, how would they execute such a stunt? Does
the robot parts go out with the excrement and does it grow out again, or
what?
: >>
:
: So there's bone and gristle underneath that skin, not struts and wiring?
: Seems a mite odd... holes in the Beast modes usually reveal circuitry in
: the show. Well, I guess that's nicer to show than gore.
: SUBSPACE! SUBSPACE! The robot parts enter subspace in Beast Mode! (You DO
: know about the subspace theory, don't you?)
Yes, but I prefer to ignore it.
: >>
: (BTW - this is a major reason why Bob and I steered clear of any
: water-based creatures in the original line-up. We could have only used
: them in water-based stories and that created major headaches.)
: >>
:
: I could imagine... water-based creatures in this show would seem to be
: both a MAJOR story problem *and* an animation one as well... fluids aren't
: exactly easy to animate in CGI. (While I have my ideas about ow they could
: work, they pretty much require an aquatic base... Orchanoch, essentially.
: While that would be NICE to see, I seriously doubt such a thing would be
: possible.)
He could be there when they were at the coast. Wouldn't blob-animation
solve the liquid problem to a certain extent?
: >>
: Now a comment: It seems that most Tf fans like what we've done with Beast
: Wars. But there are a vocal few who keep berating the show and I have a
: single question for these critics: Why in the world do you watch it?
: >>
:
: ... Nothing better to do in the morning?
:
: ... Maybe some of these people just *see* the eps, without really
: *watching* them and paying attention. (I can think of a few who don't
: really think about what they're waching... not by name, though. I know who
: they AREN'T.)
...Or perhaps they're stuck up fanatics who can't take anything new since
1986.
: >>
: But hell that's blood under the bridge. The only thing I will respond to
: is the notion that Bob and I don't give a damn about TF fans and the whole
: TF universe.
: Ever since we began working on the show, we have constantly listened to
: the fans and indeed worked with several of them to try and make sure
: anything we mentioned was somehow consistent with the TF universe as a
: whole. Perhaps we didn't always succeed but we did care and we did try.
: >>
:
: If ANYBODY needs proof of this, just take a look at "Possession"...
: consistant ties to the old cartoon, and Starscream is DEAD-ON PERFECT. The
: voice may be different (due to a new voice actor, but it's a good shot at
: it anyway!), but this *IS* Starscream.
If it only tied on to the comic instead.
: >>
: I can take criticism, anyone who wants to be a professional write better
: have that ability or you'll soon be visiting a therapist. But
: mean-spirited attacks are not criticism, they are just sounding brass and
: frankly not one of you knows what Bob and I think or feel or how we work.
: I don't consider the hour or so I spend a day reading and replying to this
: newsgroup indicative of not caring. I don't get paid for this, I could
: use the hour for writing and the only reason I do do it is because I do
: care what people think of the show.
: >>
:
: Cripes, I'd *hope* you cared about what the fans thought. Direct response
: like... well, hell, THIS is pretty rare.
Ja, man.
: >>
: Enough said.. Those who have been kind enough to appreciate our efforts,
: I thank you. Those who don't, well you're entitled to that opinion. For
: the bozos who are so wrapped up in a 10-year-old cartoon series that they
: simply cannot abide any change, get a life...
: >>
:
: (Sharp intake of breath)... err... the general point of the statement I
: can agree with (EVERYTHING changes, it's inevitable, adapt, for Primus'
: sake! Evolve!)... but I can't help but think that that last bit could
: probably have been worded a *mite* more delicately. Bad day?
Indeed.
: NEW QUESTION!
:
: You once mentioned that you had character write-ups for each of the BW
: characters. Any chance of these being posted, or put up on Ben Yee's BW
: page? I'm inrtruiged by these...
And why not some raytraced renders as files instead of TV grabs? (Wishful
thinking)
: M "Trust Me. You've Got A LOOOOOONG Way To Go Before BW Fiction Sinks To
: The Level Of Many Of The Post-Movie Eps, Or The Budiansky Run Of The
: Comics..." Sipher
But can they match Furman? Or Sipher? =) Doesn't sound like it...
--
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STEVEN ACEVEDO
The following was sent to me by Larry which I think you'll find very
interesting.
DI>> I now know that The Maximals and The Predacons are the
DI>> descendents of The Autobots and Decepticons. But you did say that
DI>> there are still ancestors or descendents around didn't you? So where
DI>> are the others?
DI>The others are either a) BACK on Cybertron b) On various missions throughou
DI>the Galaxies and Time Zones c) DEACTIVATED or DESTROYED (through various
DI>hostilities or simply because their time was up)...
DI>Perhaps the words "descendants and ancestors" are confusing people... Let's
DI>face it, the TF's don't have a family system as we do... So the Maximals an
DI>Predacons are spiritual descendants of Cybertron TF's, as opposed to genetic
DI>descendants. Let me qualify that further- they have nothing to do with TF's
DI>from OTHER worlds, only those who consider Cybertron their homeworld.
DI>We don't show them much, granted, and that is mainly because it takes about
DI>seven weeks to build a CGI character and a whole lot of them (such as there
DI>are bakc on Cybertron) is quite simply undoable (unless you got a few millio
DI>bucks laying around you want to kick in).... This was one of the drawbacks
DI>in going with computer animation, you simply cannot handle large numbers of
DI>peripheral characters. But the assets of CGI more than make up for this...
DI>History wise - don't forget the Swarm... yes it is comic book and not cartoo
DI>mythos but as far as I am concerned it happened and that means many of the
DI>TF's were destroyed by it (along with several billion others if we can
DI>believe Simon Furman)..
DI>Anyway, take care...
DI>Larry DiTillio
DI>Story Editor - Beast Wars
---
* OLX 2.2 TD * It's better to follow your own example than anyone else's
SilverWolf
In article <5dd2l0$c...@service3.uky.edu>, elc...@mik.uky.edu (Eric Lee
Cline) wrote:
> This has been discussed, but I don't think that anyone has asked any of you
> since I've been here so:
>
> How big are the Beast Wars characters? I mean, from simple observation
alone
> I can tell that they aren't the gigantic size that the old transformers
were,
> but how large are they?
>
I say a little larger than human size. I posted a big long list of what I
estimated their individual hights should be, based on their scale to
eacother a while back, but nobody seemed to read it. :\
--
I will measure it all and own it all
And I will be inside it
As inside my own laughter
And not staring out at it through walls
Of my eye's cold quarentine
From a buried cell of bloody blackness
This message has been brought to you by SilverWolf
"Often irritated, never duplicated"
:) I love Jessica :)
Look for the Dragoon Kain novellea (in progress) at http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu/~starfox/fanfics/Kain/
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Mighty MegaBee
E <e...@dhp.com> wrote:
> Robert A. Jung <rj...@netcom.com> wrote:
> > Look at it this way, Larry -- if we didn't like the show, we wouldn't get
> >so passionate about it one way or the other.
> I disagree. I ramble and rant about the stupidity of things I hate.
Yeah, but you don't watch something that you obviously dislike then bitch
about it.
----
H. Jameel al Khafiz, Physicist-At-Large
"Sure God's all-powerful, but does he have lips? Whoa...." --AIC, "God Am"
"Are you threatening me? I WILL NEVER DIE!" --Beavis in Conholio mode
The Happy Fun Page --> http://www.dhp.com/~spectre
Zobovor002
then...@acy1.digex.net (The Nixtr) wrote:
>Subspace: The universal cop-out!
Or is that the universal emulator... Wait, wrong post.
Zob, who's had way too many green M&M's today.
Unicron2K5
//Rattrap is five feet tall, according to the show bible (which is off
limits, so don't ask.)//
*eyes narrow*
(Collector Commando raid time... maybe this mission will go better than
the 'steal the Unicron prototype from Takara world HQ' mission...)
Robert A. Jung
In article <5ddo7m$q...@stronghold.dhp.com> E <e...@dhp.com> writes:
>Robert A. Jung <rj...@netcom.com> wrote:
>> Look at it this way, Larry -- if we didn't like the show, we wouldn't get
>>so passionate about it one way or the other.
>
>I disagree. I ramble and rant about the stupidity of things I hate.
I'm afraid to ask how much free time you have, Eric. B-)
MSipher
Iggy wrote...
>>
(concerning the BW writers)
But can they match Furman? Or Sipher? =) Doesn't sound like it...
>>
Don't go there, me boyo... don't go giving my ego ideas.
As for Furman... okay. I'll grant you that. Furman wrote a damned EPIC.
(Well, 'cept for G2, which seemed a mite callous and overly gritty...)
Furman's run on the TF G1 comic is gonna be hard for ANYBODY to beat.
(It's always difficult to top the first guy to do it REALLY well...)
But, I'm willing to bet that, given the chance, Bob & Larry (sounds like a
morning radio show title, doesn't it?) could give us something just as
good.
It's getting the chance that's gonna prove more difficult, I'll wager.
M "I'm Both Warmed and Frightened By This" Sipher
Warpticon
In article <19970212041...@ladder01.news.aol.com>, msi...@aol.com says...
>
>Iggy wrote...
>
>>>
>(concerning the BW writers)
>
>
>>>
>
>
I, like damn near everybody else here, LOVE the Phoenix War and am
anxiously awaiting the next installation. It, in fact, gave me the
inspiration to start *MY* first fanfic, Transformers: War of Attrition.
On to beast wars...I can't decide whether it's well-written crap or
great but poorly written...:) it's such a paradox. I'm frustrated
greatly by some things, but I sit back and say "daaaaaaamn" on
occasion, as well. I must say, though, that it seems the series peaked
at "The Probe"...hope it gets better from here on out...
>
Warpticon, finally found something to reply to...and boy, did I!
Song Currently Stuck in Head (SCSiH): Lovefool (out! out I say!)
Robert Edward Powers
BeastBob1 (beas...@aol.com) wrote:
: Rattrap is five feet tall, according to the show bible (which is off
: limits, so don't ask.)
As Rattrap himself would say... Whoah, whoah, whoah, whoah, WHOAH!
Five feet tall... on all fours as a rat, on his hind legs as a rat, or in
robot form? Big difference, y'know. Five feet tall on all fours would
make him a bit small for a Transformer, but not unusual. But five feet
tall standing up... that's barely bigger than human size! That's
Micromaster sized! Are the Beast Warriors *really* that small? They'd
get stepped on by the old series characters, who seemed to run between 20
and 40 feet, judging by the humans around them. If they are that small...
well, now it's Pretenders AND Micromasters, all rolled up into one! :)
Darnit, I'm intrigued by that show bible. It's off limits... is that
so even if there is no second season? If we don't get treated to another
round of episodes, is there any chance we could at least have that
consolation? Just wonderin'...
--
Robert Powers of the Ever-Changing .sig
repowers@artsci.wustl.edu____http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~repowers_______
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James M. Spencer
Robert Edward Powers wrote:
>
> BeastBob1 (beas...@aol.com) wrote:
> : Rattrap is five feet tall, according to the show bible (which is off
> : limits, so don't ask.)
>
> As Rattrap himself would say... Whoah, whoah, whoah, whoah, WHOAH!
> Five feet tall... on all fours as a rat, on his hind legs as a rat, or in
> robot form? Big difference, y'know. Five feet tall on all fours would
> make him a bit small for a Transformer, but not unusual. But five feet
> tall standing up... that's barely bigger than human size! That's
> Micromaster sized! Are the Beast Warriors *really* that small? They'd
> get stepped on by the old series characters, who seemed to run between 20
> and 40 feet, judging by the humans around them. If they are that small...
> well, now it's Pretenders AND Micromasters, all rolled up into one! :)
I posted on this topic on a couple of occasions before. The content was
basically showing some side-by-side size comparisons that appeared to
have been deliberately put in the show. The basic conclusion was that
the Beast Wars TFs are Micromaster size (yes, that means a 5 ft. tall
Rattrap in robot mode).
Jeff Hauser *
* Sig Sold Seperately