At 12/25/07 10:45 PM, Luis wrote:

At 12/25/07 10:32 PM, TomFulp wrote: Also my mom got me some baby seal Christmas ornaments and a "cat playing with a ball of yarn" tape dispenser, where it's a roll of tape instead of a ball of yarn.

No justin timberlake gifts?

Unfortunately, no. But April got me a Timberland winter hat.

At 12/25/07 03:18 PM, aquaticmole wrote: Merry Christmas Tom, if I may ask, what did you get for Christmas?

Clothes and an upcoming night in NYC. :)

Also my mom got me some baby seal Christmas ornaments and a "cat playing with a ball of yarn" tape dispenser, where it's a roll of tape instead of a ball of yarn.

At 12/25/07 10:05 AM, Sparkwattclock wrote: Hey tom, do you think NG will look different in 2008? I'm just asking. Cause I like looking at old NG. I always go to NG archive.

The buttons in the navbar will probably go through an evolution, as will specific parts of the site, but overall the site will continue to look the same. You will see subtle improvements - such as some overhauls to the way reviews are laid out, as well as the author credits box on the view pages. New features will creep into the existing layout as well, one by one.

The next big change will probably be the day we "go wide" - which is likely well more than a year away.

At 12/25/07 09:25 AM, Ejit wrote: Happy Xmas tom. I got an iPhone posting on it now.

I didnt give any presents really, sister bought them, I payed.

I front paged Winter and Snowy IV with my iPhone... It's not the easiest process, but it's cool that I can do it. Now if only I could WATCH submissions on my iPhone (I knew those were both definite front pagers before they were released).

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Be sure to check out all the awesome submissions in the Christmas Collection, and don't miss my last post about all sorts of great stuff.

If you got a PS3 for Christmas, check out our Newgrounds PS3 theme. If you got an Xbox 360, we still have Castle Crashers on the way and it will be worth the wait!

What did everyone get this year? Also, here's a twist: What is the thing you were most excited to give someone else?

Go watch Snowy IV; it's a great annual series by Sam T that everyone should look forward to from year to year!

If you hate Christmas, you'll love Winter.

At 12/24/07 03:30 AM, Maxaroni5 wrote: what about me? you gave me a snazzy 6x8. remember.

That was a random act of giviness apart from the holidays, although I guess we could call it an early gift. :)

At 12/24/07 02:59 AM, Hornby wrote: You were giving away tablets just by people asking for one and the ones with the most potential got one? Why didn't I know about this? I need to be more alert for these things

That's why you need to come to NG EVERY DAY and read all the news. :)

At 12/23/07 11:25 PM, UnderARock wrote: Oh, by the way, is here an estimated day it would arrive? When they drop packages at my house, they put it in a spot no one sees, so I wouldn't really want it just waiting out there for a long time.
Thanks again :D

We will hopefully get these shipped out this week, between Wed-Friday... But it could drag out to next week. I'll try to post an update when they get sent out. :)

Lots of artists from the NG "collective" have been doing great things lately. Here's just a few!

LiLg won the Kraft contest! Go congratulate him.

Also, GoshaDole's DDR video has been featured in the new DDR Universe 2 for Xbox 360! Go congratulate him, too!

Three NG contributors are finalists in the 2008 Independent Games Festival!

Tommunism is up for the technical excellence award for his XNA title, Goo! Additionally, Edmund and Florian (Komix) have been nominated for best web game with Tri-Achnid, proudly sponsored by NG!

Tommunism prepared this montage in honor of the nomination.

If you aren't familiar with the IGF, you can read up on our previous years at the event:

IGF 2005 - Edmund wins big with Gish and proposes to his now-wife Danielle, while our console version of Alien Hominid sweeps three awards!

IGF 2006 - Dan Paladin and I hang out with Edmund and Dustball and celebrate when Dad 'n Me wins for best web game!

IGF 2007 - We meet the dudes behind Gamma Bros and our upcoming Xbox 360 Live Arcade game Castle Crashers wins two awards!

I don't plan on attending the 2008 IGF because NOTHING MUST GET IN THE WAY OF FINISHING CASTLE CRASHERS. In a perfect world, Castle Crashers would have been released this year and I would be a nominee for best web game with PIXEL PUNCHER, but I need to finish CC before I can finish PP. So I got some hefty goals weighing me down right now.

Next year, NG will pay the entree fees for some of the best games from NG who want to enter the IGF. I already have my sights set on the new Paladin game, which has wrapped up just in time to be considered for a Tank Award! I've re-posted the trophy pic, so scroll down if you haven't seen it.

FINALLY, I can't forget to mention all the Wacom tablets we're giving out this year! I posted an invite for applicants two weeks ago and received hundreds of applications from artists in need! YES, I did read ALL of them and No, I did not reply to ANY of them. I learned last year that any sort of reply resulted in a false sense of hope, so rather than give anyone hope, I just quietly made a long list. I made note of everyone who DESERVED a tablet, then made note if everyone I DEFINITELY wanted to give a tablet to. The final stage involved trimming down the list to actually match the available tablets - I had to cut a lot of people who I REALLY wanted to give tablets to. I showed favortism to people who participated heavily in NG over the past year, and also to young artists who have a bright future ahead of them.

Reading the requests has been really inspiring; my goal is to some day be able to give a tablet to every NG contributor who needs one. Here's who is getting a tablet this year, ranked in the order that I jotted down their info.

6x8 Intuos 3

1. Moosh
2. Mogly
3. MetalDart
4. JoeandTom
5. Nobbin-Robin
6. DarkShadow8181
7. Tomii

6x11 Intuos 3

1. Catoblepas
2. Scuzzfest
3. Lalo
4. GoshaDole
5. UnderARock
6. AlmightyHans
7. KwikToon

Congrats, everyone! Merry Christmas to all your Christmas celebrators, and Happy Holidays to the rest!

ONE MORE THING... The penicorns are no longer being offered in the store, but will return when we launch the new store in the new year. If you are one of the hundreds of people (THANKS!!!) who bought a penicorn, you should put your penicorn through an adventure!

This thread just saved me a lot of time. Good list! :)

To anyone who is wondering, the conflict with his sponsor was resolved and he opted to not remove the game. In case you're wondering why it's still on the site. :)

At 12/13/07 08:23 PM, Masterswordman wrote: Also, maybe you should just call it the Tank Award. Can't get better than that...

Yeah I have a feeling it will just end up being called something like that.

We should get together with the winners and drink, then we can say they "Got Tanked" and it would have a double meaning.

At 12/13/07 01:52 PM, Princess-Laucherella wrote: F00d is the only reason there is a dt400. Even though most of you brainless mutants probably haven't even watched dt400, but probably voted 0 because we're the Star Syndicate (which explains it's score, which didn't even break a 4), F00d has really done something incredible.

The submission of part 1 was met with staggering disinterest. At this point I don't even know if he plans on submitting part 2, I haven't been keeping up with the topics, but I know it was a demoralizing experience for all of us, F00d especially.

What's interesting is how you guys judge the users for not paying attention to dt400, without taking any personal accountability for WHY no one paid attention. The SS has put forth a great deal of effort to simply piss off users and spam the portal, so it should be assumed that most people won't watch your movies, no matter HOW good they are.

And I say this with the utmost sympathy and understanding, because Newgrounds itself is plagued with many of the same problems. We created the first "automated submission system", practically gave birth to the Flash gaming scene (all humility aside) and have done a ton of great shit that predates all the YouTubes and other Flash sites on the web. But it seems like we'll never shake the stigma of being "that offensive, immature site" or "that hentai site." We all reap what we sow.

The SS has done some really original stuff with collabs. dt400 is a good example of the future of NG; someone writes a story, someone records an audio track, and someone (or many people) animate it. I've said it around the office - there's no reason someone should make a shitty Flash that shows off their one talent, when they could team up with other people on NG and make an amazing Flash. The site has been moving that way ever since the multi-author system and the Audio Portal launched, we just get too caught up in administrative bullshit to ever move it forward as fast as we want to.

And we need to work as a team, because Flash as an art form is still struggling. A 15 year old girl on YouTube can get more views than Waterlollies. Maybe that will never change, but as a collective I like to think we can become "a force in entertainment" that rivals all this video blog bullshit the web has become plagued with.

And while I'm at it, Flash needs the next Sonic or Mario more than it needs another defense game... Although I'll admit I've wasted plenty of time playing great defense games.

Despite any breakthroughs the SS makes, most people will ignore it, because you guys built a stigma that is hard to shake. And I'm not blaming you for it because I've done the same thing to NG on countless occasions, I'm just saying that's how it is and we all gotta live with it. :)

At 12/13/07 01:38 PM, MaestroRage wrote: If you view the portal like I do, a place for full length tracks and audio artists to reach further every day, then it becomes a much more difficult task to undergo. How to find the one song that deserves such an award? There is no monthly voting system based for songs, and there are now over 10,000 songs submitted just this year, easily.

Without having monthly voting to let users nominate songs they feel are deserving, i'm afraid you can never really make a system most people would be satisfied with.

All good points... My thought with tying music to Flash for awards was that we could see more "epic" collaborations, like the way Waterlollies had an original musical score that was made just for Waterlollies (although it wasn't an AP submission, so that wouldn't count). I like to encourage that sort of thing, but I suppose we shouldn't dictate it by how the awards are handed out... So the best song should simply be the best song from the AP. And yeah, we do need a better way to figure out what song that is. :)

At 12/13/07 01:28 PM, Idiot-Finder wrote: Category that should be considered:

Rookie flash artist of the year

Eligibility: At least 3 flah movies and/or games and won at least 1 trophy ( excluding TOD )

I've been considering a rookie award... We need to assemble a good list of nominees before moving forward with it... also considering a Best Series award.

At 12/13/07 01:05 PM, squidly wrote: I vote for panzers.

Forgot about those... Ok that's a top candidate. :)

At 12/13/07 01:03 PM, ConcorX wrote: I want to nominate Micheal swain for this one! I think he deserves it!
PS i think these should be called 'the Blammys!"

Was thinking that but it sounds negative... Like stuff that should be blammed.

At 12/13/07 12:51 PM, Incognitus wrote: American tank-based names for the award seem appropriate. How about the Abrams? Or The Chaffees?

It's tough because I think our logo looks the most like a Sherman:

At 12/13/07 12:43 PM, Meebs wrote: Should I consider giving tablets another chance tom?

Yes, PM me with your info and I'll put on you on the list for consideration. :)

At 12/13/07 12:43 PM, Kajenx wrote: Hey! For the name, call it:

The Bedns

Oh man... We need a trophy of Bedn's head giving a thumbs up... DAMMIT.

At 12/13/07 12:41 PM, LiquidSapphire wrote: The shines on the tank look like they were made in PS...anyway, congrats to whoever is winning the trophy!

Yeah, the guys were bitching about people using lens flairs, so I stuck lens flairs all over the picture to piss everyone off. But it made it look extra flashy.

Quick note: Check out this My Newgrounds thread!

Adam Phillips has donated his Best of November winnings to the other four winners in the movie category!

Also in the spirit of giving, we will be giving Wacom Intuos 3 tablets to a select group of artists.

If you have made noteable contributions to NG and have been drawing with a mouse, please PM me with the following info:

1. Your name and mailing address - be sure to include your country, town, zip code, etc.
2. Your phone number, if you live outside the US (we need this for delivery in some countries)
3. Size, based on your monitor aspect ratio. Traditional monitors should use a 6x8 tablet, whereas widescreen monitors are best with a 6x11. Please specify "6x8" or "6x11".
4. Links to your contributions here on NG, namely Flash and art forum submissions. This is VERY important so present it well.

Don't get your hopes up because judging from last year, I will get a TON of requests and most people won't get one. And please don't post your info in this thread, only do it via private message.

* * * *

There is one more gift on the way for an even smaller group of people who made noteable contributions to NG this year: Our FIRST ANNUAL TANK TROPHIES!

This isn't some plastic novelty you can buy in a store; the tank was hand sculpted to match our logo and each trophy is cast from bronze. Our cost alone was over $500 per trophy! The base will include an engraved plaque so everyone knows who the winner was.

These trophies are so heavy you can kill someone with them. MC held an Emmy once and says ours is A LOT heavier, and that's all that matters.

Prize categories have not yet been finalized, but they will most likely be:

1. Movie of the Year
2. Game of the Year - Programming
3. Game of the Year - Art
4. Song of the Year (from Audio Portal)
5. Leadership Award

I broke game of the year into two categories so that one programmer and one artist will receive a trophy, not necessarily for the same game. I'm hoping this will encourage some very attractive games in 2008, because these are annual awards from now on. :)

The leadership award is for a member of the community who has had the greatest impact on Newgrounds in the past year. This award is open to anyone who has organized special events, collabs, contests, etc. We really appreciate the support of community members who STEP UP to make NG a better place, and this annual award is the least we can do to say THANKS!!!

We will be announcing nominees in January. Please respond to this post with your opinion on the following questions:

1) What should we call the trophy? The Tankies? The Shermans? Be creative...

2) Should the song of the year be required to be featured in a game or movie (like the Oscars)? This would encourage more collaboration on big projects.

3) What nominations would you like to make for each of the above categories? These will all be taken under advisement.

Finally, here's a picture of the trophy!!!

At 12/10/07 01:28 PM, Nicholas-Deary wrote: By the way, I've got one query, how didTrick-or-Treat Adventure get entered into the best 'November' when it was clearly submitted in October? '10/31/2007 | 02:21PM EST'

There is a cut-off for submissions to be included in the monthly voting, and since Halloween Adventure was submitted on the last day of the month, it crossed over into the November voting.

Winners for the November Monthly Audio Contest have been announced! They are at the bottom of the page I just linked to.

Be sure to check out the December Monthly Audio Contest, with an 8-Bit Christmas theme! Submissions are available for use in Flash games and movies for the holidays!

Monthly voting for the best games and movies of November has ended. Each winner will receive $250, an award certificate and a t-shirt from the store.

Winners may request a Penicorn (view large pic) in lieu of a t-shirt.

Speaking of Penicorns, everyone has FOUR MORE DAYS to order a Penicorn from the store! After that, the Penicorns will vanish until some time next year when the new store launches.

Here are the winners!

TOP 5 MOVIES

1. Waterlollies
2. Awesome's Creed
3. Retarded Animal Babies 19
4. Awesome Compilation Vol 5
5. Mastermind

TOP 5 GAMES

1. Indestruc2Tank
2. 3D Logic 2
3. Trick-or-Treat Adventure!
4. Age of War
5. Anika's Odyssey

RUNNER-UP MOVIES

6. How 2 Succeed on NG
7. Starfire Hentai Parody
8. Legend Of Zelda:Misguided
9. Weebl and Bob : Cube
10. Gamer Tonight - FPS Gamer
11. BEEBO Part 10
12. You Love This Movie
13. :: Caffeine Conspiracy ::
14. Klay World: The Rodent 1
15. Wolfenstein 3D Headshot
16. Who Killed The Internet?
17. Don't Mess with P-Bot
18. Bowser's Kingdom: Eps 7
19. Ffyl
20. The Hobbit - Act I

RUNNER-UP GAMES

6. Newgrounds Pass
7. LeekClock VS ClockCrew
8. Smokin Barrels
9. Sprite Smash
10. Mardek Rpg: Chapter 2
11. Blockslide 2
12. The Mind Bender
13. AN Escape Series #3
14. Ether Cannon
15. (+) Argent Burst
16. Burger Restaurant
17. -/ TBA /-
18. Burger Queen
19. Tophat Villa
20. Dead Frontier: Night Two

The voter of the month and winner of $100 is Phantasmagor!

Winners should PM Bob with the following info:

1. Whether you are splitting the award with co-authors, and how that split works.
2. Your name, for the check.
3. Your name, as you want it to appear on the certificate.
4. Your mailing address (be sure to include zip code, country, etc.)
5. Your t-shirt size (S, M, L, XL, 2XL)
6. Your t-shirt preference. Pick anything from the store and make sure we have your size in stock!

I'll be posting later this week about Wacom tablets and tank trophies. Until then, enjoy these new collections:

PORTAL (the game) tributes and parodies.
BIOSHOCK tributes and parodies.

At 12/6/07 05:57 PM, mafiainexile wrote: So you ar etelling me you want us to waste money only to make the United States of America buy M-16 some tanks and some F-16 jets. Well then you are crazy.

The money is for the families, not the war. There's a difference.

At 12/5/07 06:08 PM, Sir-Nuts wrote: Oh, and are the Tank Throphies idea still on? You posted something about it in the beginning of this year (I think) and no more news about them.
So, any other news about them?

My next post will have a trophy update!

At 12/5/07 05:34 PM, Ronald-McDonald-LoL wrote: Im not letting my parents in the NG store. Looks like i wont be getting a T-shirt for Christmas, lol.

You can order it on December 14th after the penicorn is gone. :)

At 12/5/07 05:24 PM, Psycho wrote: I think there should be an NG Tank plushie or something. You know, some Newgrounds merchandise that isn't perverted and faggoty? Ah, forget it.

It's a lost cause.

As a special holiday surprise, we're having a one week only release of our upcoming Penicorn plushies in the NG store! These plush dolls were not meant to be unveiled until the launch of our new store, but since the new store won't be launching before Christmas, we decided to give everyone the opportunity to get some nice STOCKING STUFFERS.

Yes, of all the merchandise we could have made, we made unicorns with dicks for horns.

The Penicorn plushies are based on this classic art thread and will be available from today until December 13th. We can't guarantee Christmas delivery, but all orders will be sent out within 24 hours of being placed. After December 13th, the Penicorns will magically vanish until the launch of our new store some time next year.

Here's a large pic of what a plush Penicorn looks like.

Here is a link to buy one.

This year we are making a donation to the National Military Family Association. You can also donate! Whether you agree with the war or not, thousands of brave soldiers are away from their families this year and a lot of those families can use our help. The NMFA has a four star rating (the highest) from Charity Navigator.

There are more holiday surprises coming but I'll only post about them if we sell a lot of Penicorns!

In other news...

The Audio Portal is having an 8-Bit Christmas Audio Contest for the month of December! Check out the thread if you want to enter the contest, or if you are an artist who needs some Christmas music for your game or movie! All entries will be posted in the thread.

We also love it when people use our winter pre-loader! You can see a picture of it on the pre-loaders page.

At 12/5/07 04:30 PM, Luxury-Yacht wrote: I see there's a tag, and a product line name. "Peni-Pals", huh? Does this mean that a Tricockatops is in the works?

The rest are just a tease right now. We will need to sell a bunch of penicorns before we make anything else.