Been a member of moddb.com since v1. Self and professionally taught games designer/digital artist. Currently working as an Environment Artist at Jagex on Transformers Universe. Recently graduated from university with a First Class Honours degree in Computer Games Design, also having over 12 years experience working on successful game modifications and small independent projects. A strong and versatile games modeller being expert in both Max and Maya for a variety of target game platforms and a keen focus on hard-surface modelling.

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Getting back into things... slowly.

M@ty Blog

A small update - I don't get much time around these parts these days!

Still working as an environment artist on an up-and-coming MMO being developed in Cambridge, UK. Crunch time hitting hard! Sad times!

Still, made time to get back into SourceSDK with some TF2 halloween submissions - holiday items to follow soon. Not had time for much other new material, hopefully have more to show soon! Here are some sneak-peak shots. Its a Demoman melee - a rather enormous skyrocket firework!

That's all for now, folks! More soon!

2 years later...

M@ty Blog

Almost 2 years to the day have passed since I last posted a blog. Wow, what a whirlwind! Incredibly busy few years, and its still busy even now!

Hence, I don't have long to stop, but in short, here's where I'm up to:

** Working as a permanent & full-time environment artist on an up-and-coming MMO, living in Cambridgeshire.
** I'm now married to a wonderful wife!
** I just got a pay rise!

So yes. In brief, its all going well! Life has dragged me away from the day-to-day helping of projects, maybe one day I'll find time to return! I'll try and help out where I can!

Hope everyone else is grand!

Good tie for now, dear friends!

Moving out!

M@ty Blog

I finally got myself a full-time, permanent games development job!

I've been warned about posting which company yet until I've enrolled there for fear of 'nutty' fans' tracking me down!

So - that means I now have to relocate. Bummer. I've got to find somewhere to live this week as from 23rd-31st March I'm in France seeing my finacée. Best get my skates on! Hence, I'm heading down to Cambridge where this comany is today to find somewhere to live. Wish me luck! 6-7 hours of driving, wont get back til 10/11pm, no fun!


In the meantime I'm working on a few bits and pieces. Some Renegade-X stuff and some stuff for a new indie project, we'll see if that comes to anything but we're going to give it a shot.

Hold on to your butts!

:)

Need money :(:(

M@ty Blog 1 comment

So,

I've finally decided to propose to my girlfriend and make this thing official.

Problem: I have no money. Infact, right now I don't have a job. I've got an interview tomorrow, but I wont get the money if I do get that job until the end of November, and I'd really like to pop the question sooner than that.

So! I'm all calling in all favours, all contacts, everyone offering a position, no matter how menail, tedious or low-paid!

Matthew is for hire! Donations to the "Matt is a peniless romantic" fund are appreciated!

Someone give me a job! :) Please?

CV: Matts.omgmonkeylol.com

Website up! Models Added!

M@ty Blog

Well, got some things done for once!

Uploaded a few new pictures of Renegade-X's laser rifle, chaingun is next and I've got some sick ideas for it :).

Also joined the Aftermath HL2 mod, Ren-X still takes priority but its nice to get back into Source, bit of variety after a year of nothing but Unreal!

Finally I've uploaded my new portfolio siet - I'm looking for [paid] work, either freelance, work-for-hire, short and long-term contracts so if anyone with a job going drops by, do take a good old look.. same goes for everyone else, go have a gander!! :)

Matts.omgmonkeylol.com

Anyways, off to bed, more work to do tomorrow!

Thanks!!

M@ty Blog

I'm off to bed, so just a short post tonight!!

Just a thank you to everyone who voted for Renegade-X as best upcoming mod of the year! I can't thank you enough! :)

Congratulations to every other project, indie game and mod who made the final cuts, all deserved winners!

Something I can not only say with pride, but add to my CV, its been a pleasure working on Renegade-X and I encourage anyone with the skills to apply - wonderful, undisruptive, positive team and genuinely the most professional mod team I've ever worked with. Lets here it for Fobby and guys!

MOTY

M@ty Blog 7 comments

Voting over.

/waits with great anticipation but knows the fanboy mods (Black Mesa, I'm looking at you) will probably win it)!

Speaking of which, I must rant. The ModDB "top mods" system is completely flawed. The top 5 most clicked-on mods are displayed on the main page - the problem is, that results in more clicks, way, way more than the mod at #6, or #7. Almost the same 5 mods are on there daily, for no other reason than they're there. That in itself results is a massive wave of votes. Renegade-X posted some 3 updates during the voting process, peaking at over 1,100 hits in one day, but that wasn't even enough to break into the top 5 -some of which did not update ONCE during the voting process.

Just isn't fair.

Top 5 should be removed during MOTY in my opinion. /rage.

Christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat.

M@ty Blog

One week remaining of this simester at univeristy - my final year! The workload is acceptable, I made sure this time to get myself well ahead. 4,000 words to write, some low-poly objects to model and a few scenes to render off, then I'll be done on that front. Still, I've got a dissertation to keep me busy over the Christmas break, deep joy. Oh, and whilst I'm at it, my project title is:
"Modelling Weapons by Evolving Past and Present Weapon Designs", quite befitting my interest to say the least! I'll keep you guys posted on the progress of that as much as I can.

I can't wait to get this work done-and-dusted, its been looming over me since September and I'm really looking forward to being able to Counter-Strike it up for a few hours each day and get back to what I really love; modelling - not writing university technical reports or documentation. And I've got some nice projects lined up when that happens too:- I'll be modelling the chaingun for Renegade-X.

Its a design, like my others, that keeps the essence of the original Renegade model but has a complete visual overhaul. All my designs take a new practical and mechnical approach I feel many other designs this day 'n age neglect. I wont divulge too much, think of it as my Christmas surprise for the Renegade X and modding community; but it'll certainly be something fresh and new- with all those chaingun and gatling gun designs outs there that all look the same, I felt it was time for a new perspective in term of the mechanics and the rest of the design follows with that. And too rightly too - it took me about 4 days of solid idea-storming to reach a design I was happy with!

Anyway, I'll be off to bed - excitedly awaiting Christmas, and all its going to bring. I miss my girlfriend who'll I see once again in a week and get to spend Christmas with her and all the family, get back to gaming and modding and I can't wait.

Busy, busy, busy!

M@ty Blog 1 comment

U

niversity deadlines are fast approaching, less than three weeks to go and I have an insurmountable amount of work still to do. I've got some animations, scenes, models, reports, logbooks, motion capture data, videos, mods to all finish off so its pretty hectic!

I've still found a few minutes to update the CX4 Storm, its for a presentation for an indie retail game we're trying to get funding from, we've got a presentation to a small publishing group sometime soon so I'll keep you all posted on that. Once the CX4 is done, I'll be starting on the Kriss Super V (google for it for pics and info) and some models for a hush-hush different indie game; so that should be fun to do once I finish in three weeks, I'll keep adding media as I complete it!

 Anyways, best be off, lots to do!

 - Matt

First things first.

M@ty Blog

Alright, time I actually started using this :). I've been here since the beginning (look at the address bar, 646th modDB member ever) and used to use this site as my regular dose of mod news and gossip; particularly back in the day when I had some free time to actally do the mod stuff itself. Recently, over the last few years, I've been too taken up to do anything of the sorts; but a contact and I are currently waiting on the go-ahead for a budget on a game that should secure us into full-time games design jobs. Cool, eh? Whilst that's in the queue I'm also waiting to start back at university on Monday. Gah. The lecures are excrutiatingly tedious - in the last 18 months I've picked-up nothing new from university. Want a tip? Don't go to university if you know your stuff already. You're far better off getting into industry. That said, I'm not a quitter. Got one of the highest averages last year for my assignments, so at least I have something to show.

 

Recently I picked myself up an HD DVD player. Yeah, yeah, I know - Warner Brothers have pulled out, yatta yatta *yawn*.  I purchased the Xbox 360 addon HD DVD player, brand new for a nifty £100 (that's about $200 - we don't get it cheaper than that over here). As an added bonus; it works flawlessly on my computer as well as my 360! Still - that's not the only reason I purchased it. Some of you may be aware of the 5 free HD DVD offer if you purchased one of these? Well, the offer is still running in the UK - so I sent off the form with the required stuff; meaning in a few weeks I should get my shiny 5 red HD DVDs. Now, any of those who are maths-adept might notice something there. An HD DVD in the UK retails at about £20-£25 (we'll take an average to be £22.50). 5 of those FREE gives me £112.50 worth of HD DVDs free, for a player I only spet £100 on. I'm £12.50 value in-pocket and 5 high definition movies. I also figure that if Paramount and Dreamworks do eventually pull out, I'll be able to pick up cheap HD DVDs from all the stock needing to be flogged off. Its a win-win situation! Besides, the war isn't over yet. Guess we'll have to wait and see.

Picked up Burnout Revenge again; dusted off the green case and threw it in. I only had one event to perfect on it about a year ago; but I wasn't online - had to start over when I got on Xbox Live. 3 events left to go now - not the easiest of ones though (dammit). Two of them are those nasty 30 Takedowns for gold ones, anyone got any tips? Haha.

 Anyways, I'll stop bantering away here; I've got some modelling to do!

 

See ya around :)

 

-Matt ooot.