vPyro News

Firework Show Competition

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 07:03:34 +0000

This is a Simple, yet big competition everyone who enters will submit 1 show within 4 to 10 minutes in length. You will have 3 months to complete your show from scratch. Along the way you can post updates of your show in the FSC forum. At the end of the 3 months, the Judges which includes some of the best along with myself (jaymann220) will judge you on a number of categories. Some of which include choreography, Sets and Fireworks. Pending members will have a different judging rubric. This competition will award out First, second and third to the shows along with other awards for Best set, Best fireworks, Best choreography & Best Novice for pending members. So anyone who can make firework shows, give it a shot. Good luck, and have fun.

Happy Birthday Brad!

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 12:06:49 +0000

Happy Birthday Brad!

You really deserve this one pal! Happy Birthday!

To add on to that, I want to thank you for all that you do for this site. You're truly inspirational, and its an honor to be able to work for you. So Happy Birthday Pal, and here's to many more!

Have a good one, you deserve it!

10,000 Members

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 20:14:41 +0000

Congratulations vPyro! Not even a year ago we only had 8,000 members. Since February of 2008 we have gained 2,000 members. Now, I think thats something to be proud of!

So without further ado, congratulations on having 10,000 members! Let's look at that in the big picture, shall we? 10,000 people in this world, have taken time to register, and that many people are interested in our site! Now - of course there not all active, but still this is something we should all be proud of!

Congratulations vPyro, and what a great way to ring in 2010!

New Moderator!

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 01:58:22 +0000

The site needed another moderator, and when we started looking around - the choice was clear. Based on his constant activity on the site, positive, and professional attitude, and overall helpfulness Bookworm seemed to the perfect man for the position.

Please help us welcome your newest moderator... Bookworm91!

We can not wait to be able to work with you, and welcome you as a valuable member of the vPyro team!

Congratulations! Now - Go moderate!

Illuminating Alliance Community Competition 09' Results

Thu, 31 Dec 2009 23:53:57 +0000

First off - let me especially thank Marc for all his work in this competition. When we found out Zac, John, and Raul weren't going to be able to judge, he really pulled through.

Also, we would just like to thank those who did vote. Each vote counted and made a difference! We would also like to thank you all again for your continued cooperation throughout this competition.

Now - congratulations to all the competitors! Not one show went unnoticed, and we would just like to congratulate you all - and thank you for entering this competition!

And now - without further ado. The winner of the Illuminating Alliance First Annual Community Competition is:

MaskedBandit101

[Fate]

Congratulations! Your prizes shall be PM'ed to you shortly!

2nd Place - Heaven [GuoGuo]

3rd Place - Titanic [Bookworm91]

4th Place - Impulse [Jacob]

Wellduhh

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 00:49:03 +0000

About a week and a half ago, I learned Zac, or as many of you know him as - Wellduhh, broke his arm while playing soccer.

Tonight, while speaking with Zac in the first time in about a week, I learned he had been hospitalized for about a week. This is due to as further scans were taken, the doctors quickly learned that Zac had actually shattered the bone of his arm. Zac has not been able to post on vPyro, and may not be able to for an indefinite period of time.

Currently, Zac is doing fine and is just hoping, with the rest of Illuminating Alliance that he will have a swift, healthy recovery. In the mean-time Illuminating Alliance is working as we are scheduled to, and hopes the community will understand any delays on Earth, due to the current situation. With this, results from the IA Competition may be delayed, but we will work as quickly as possible.

We thank you for your continuos cooperation, and for your understanding.

-Illuminating Alliance

Company Activity

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:11:34 +0000

This has constantly been a talked about topic, there has never been a well defined line of when to decide if a company is doing enough and when another is doing to little. So therefore we have devised a scheme that we will use. As most companies know, I spend some time chasing you to make sure you are producing something and that you are working as a company, but it has never been official the checks that were ran. So therefore we are introducing a new policy, which applies to all companies, regardless of if they have already completed a show.

All companies have 3 months to announce a show and 6 months to complete it. The work produced must be their own work and must be done using company resources under the guidelines already in place for company shows.

This will obviously indicate the companies that are actually doing something that will easily pass this "test", so-to-speak, whilst it shows myself the companies which are under performing and are not meeting this minimal requirements. This is a fair test for every company, each company will be monitored and crossed off against this activity check in this way, so I will not be running 2-monthly checks to chase up the companies, you will just be left to produce the shows.

The company regulations can be found here and has been updated to include this change:
http://forums.vpyro.com/Company-Regulations-t3382.html

Any questions/comments, please say

- Lewis

Aciddose's Disappearance

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:19:02 +0000

Quoted from Jacob:

"To the members of vPyro, I'm sure a lot of you know Aciddose (Robert) as a great member of vPyro. and that's because he is. As of September 26, aciddose disappeared from the website without warning. Many members, especially those of IE Studios, were mortified of the results that may come from this. Since then I have been on the search for information about aciddose so I could contact him. I finally contacted him and learned what happened. Let me quote the email:

Quote

I've got some awful news. We were broken into and I lost my computer, my big screen t.v., and some jewelry, right now we're just sorting it out with the police, unfortunately, I am only able to get on to check email right now, along with being able to check myspace, and I think I can get on facebook. Either way, not a good thing. For some reason vpyro won't load in my cell. I don't know what that issue is. but I will try to contact you asap on vpyro and if you could let everyone know whats up for me that would be great. sorry. see you soon.

This really explains a lot about his absence. My condolence is with him and the loss of his items. I hope that they can sort this out so he can return as soon as possible. But I hope that he has peace of mind first. Thank You."

Our condolences to him and his family - losing a computer can be more than losing a luxury...you could be losing years of work...years of family pictures...years of memories. We hope Robert and his family the best as they recover from this.

Moderator Chosen

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 22:57:05 +0000

After much deliberation on the staff forum, we have decided to elect Jeff as one of your moderators. We're hopeful he'll serve you all diligently and professionally.

Thanks to all who applied.

Congratulations Jeff!

Throwdown!

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:36:00 +0000

The Throwdown concept is an idea I've been toying with as a supplement to our normal offerings here at the site. Competition gives us a LOT of activity and creates a sense of community. It has adverse effects, just like anything we do...but for the most part, competition IS vpyro. Showdowns are amazing, but they take months to complete. Company sponsered competitions are also very vital but usually people fall out before the deadline.

The throwdown is different - it's not a complete meal..it's a single dish. One person challenges another to a "duel" of sorts. The challenger has to provide a stage both can use, along with a soundtrack (...so it's like they have the same gun) and instead of it being a contest about good music selection, stage design and what have you, it becomes about how good of a shot you are...so to speak. The throwdown is like a pickup game of basketball..they last for a very short time, but the people doing the throwdown gain experience in a shorter amount of time than they would building an entire show (which can be extremely slow) and the audience gets to see it all unfold.

I've challenged Claudio to debut this idea. And being the good sport he is, has accepted my challenge. I provided a stage for both of us (and eventually for the entire community) as well as a soundtrack and since we are part of the same company, we're using our own effects. On Saturday, our shows will go live to the community where you will watch and decide who deserves the title. In addition to your input, we have a panel of judges that will trade off judging each throwdown that arises (it is our goal to make this a site-wide event). Their score + your votes will decide the winner. Here is how it works:

The community will vote and their choices will be tallied up. Concurrently, a judge from the panel will score each show and keep their numbers hidden until last day of voting (2 or 3 days max) After voting closes, the votes will be counted, then halved and added to the judge's score.

Wait...why halve them? Well, it's simple - we've recruited very capable and respectable judges for this project and ultimately, we want them to have more influence over the results. If more than ten people voted, that could overthrow our judges decision everytime. With the votes halved, it would take 20 people in order for the community to hold more power - while that doesn't seem like a lot, I don't anticipate 40 people voting within 2 days on the site These are quick pick-up challenges and I think this system works well to satisfy both the brevity of the event as well as having a fair competition overall.

Here are some examples of common throwdown results and controversial throwdown results:

"So say the public liked personA's show with 12 votes to 9. But the judges (or judge) scored personB's show at 9.0 and personA's show at 7.0 The public's votes are cut in half:

PersonA: 6 + 7 = 13
PersonB: 4.5 + 9 = 13.5

Even though PersonA won by popular vote, the judges still hold a lot more weight than the public and what they saw was that personB had the better show. It sounds complicated, but you can't give the public the same scorecard that you give the staff judges. The people can simply vote for their favorite, but will have their tally cut in half for the score.

I would imagine the scores between peeps and judges are generally going to be the same:

PersonA: 12 votes | 8.0 score
PersonB: 7 votes | 6.0 score
-------------------------------------
PersonA: 14
PersonB: 9.5

But there could be those very close throwdowns between some of the more experienced members that could cause some debate:

PersonA: 10 votes | 8.5 score
PersonB: 9 votes| 9.0 score
-------------------------------------
PersonA: 13.5
PersonB: 13.5

PersonA: 11 votes | 8.5 score
PersonB: 13 votes | 7.0 score
--------------------------------------
PersonA: 14
PersonB: 13.5"

excerpt from the "Throwdown Concept" thread (private)

This will all make sense as Claudio and I illustrate how the Throwdown system works in action. Ultimately, this is a quick challenge to allow members to grow without having to build full shows. These shows are meant to be around a minute or so long (or less) and are just "sketches" of a real show. If you've ever had a piece of music you thought would be great for a show, but was either too long or too much of the same, now you can use it for a challenge. Throwdown soundtracks don't have to have a beginning, middle and end. They can just have a beginning...or just have a finale...or be smack dab in the middle of another soundtrack! Without the limits of having to develop a full show, you can use music that would be considered a poor choice in traditional show-building contexts. Techno, Trance, Pop, R&B, Punk Rock, Pop Rock, Smooth Jazz, Bop...all of these genres become available to try out (after all, it's only a minute or so of show) We feel that this will be quite freeing - naturally a minute of show is just enough to keep people's attention without having them get annoyed (if the music doesn't go anywhere). For the Throwdown, you can set aside the movie soundtracks and explore something completely different. Here is our thowdown soundtrack:

Throwdown: Mike VS Claudio

Powerful excerpt from a much longer song - perfect for a quick pick-up challenge.

- HOW TO -

To avoid embarrasment on either side (the challenger or the challengee), all throwdowns MUST start in private. The challenger must PM the challengee. If the challengee declines, then the throwdown stops there. Don't harass the other party and don't pressure them into doing it.

However, if the challengee accepts, then both parties will work out the details (soundtrack, stage, time frame and pyro to use) As soon as the details are set, the challenger can then PM one of the Throwdown judges to request a thread in the throwdown forum (not set up yet). As soon as it becomes public, it is extremely important that you follow through to the end. We understand that things happen, but if you cancel a throwdown, it will be harder to set another one up. If the challengee cannot produce a show by the deadline, the challenger should have something in order to accept his/her "win by default" (and vice-versa). If you have any doubts about finishing a throwdown, DO NOT START ONE. It not only makes you less credible to the person you challenged, but it can hurt your reputation within the community as well. This crowd doesn't like dissapointment

On the release date, both parties need to have their submission up by the end of the day (you guys can discuss the details) - as a general note though, the longer a show is available to the public, the better the impression.

If you need to postpone the date, notify the judges BEFORE the deadline.

Remember, you're not only building for yourself - you are setting up a quick competiton for the community.

- JUDGES -

Brandon | Jeff | Adrian

These are the three that will judge your pieces. Treat them nicely Haha.

Moderator Applications Being Accepted

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 22:19:37 +0000

The site needs another moderator. If you feel you are adequate to be a moderator, send Brad a PM. Be aware, as a moderator you must be a dedicated member, incredibly active, professional, mature, and be ready to go above and beyond the call of duty.

This position may not be filled, unless someone suitable is found.

If you feel you are up for this position, send Brad an application using the following form.

Quote

Name:
Posts:
Join Date:

Past experience? Y/N
Familiar with Invision Power Board? Y/N

How much time do you have a day, approximately, to dedicate to the site?
What days of the week will you be available to moderate?
What country do you live in?

Why do you want to be a moderator?
Why should we accept you?

Add anything else to support your application here:

Competitions Organised and Categorised

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:32:42 +0000

There are a few competitions floating about, and at vPyro we like to keep things organised and smooth. Like a well oiled machine. So with that in mind, I have setup a new area for competitions where you can not only partake in them but also create them. In the interests of keeping it fun and community-orientated, we don't really regulate it. Just abide by the board rules and good luck.

Check it out! vPyro Forums -> Competitions and Awards

New Moderator!

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 12:59:41 +0000

We received a fair few applications. We looked at them all, discussed the pros and cons of each, and then after carefully analysing posts to gauge attitudes, maturity and other positive personality aspects - we came to a decision. Really, it was a no brainer for us.

vPyro, please welcome your new moderator..... BrandonP!

We hope he will become a valuable member of the team and bring us new and exciting things to the forum.

Congratulations, Brandon, now get to work!

PS. We may add another mod soon down the line, stay tuned for an announcement in the near future regarding that.

Looking for a new mod!

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:10:43 +0000

We need a new moderator. He or she needs to be incredibly active, dedicated, prepared to go above and beyond the call of duty, professional, mature, impartial and ideally (although not required) have past experience moderating a medium to large forum. I push my team hard to be dedicated and active; if you fall behind you will be fired.

So, if you're up for it, fill out this and PM it to me:

Quote

Applications will be open until someone suitable is found - so get them in!

vPyro Upgrade Today

Sun, 23 Aug 2009 18:37:40 +0000

vPyro will undergo a significant upgrade today. It will probably take an hour or two, but is necessary due to the recent hacking. Normally, an upgrade would take place with significant notice beforehand, but I am sure you understand the urgent nature of this. The security of this site is a top priority and must be maintained.

I plan to take the forums down at about 7pm GMT which is about 30minutes from the posting of this.

IDvsFT Competition Results

Sat, 01 Aug 2009 19:09:24 +0000

Congratulations ILYxR!

Commiserations to Fyre Teknix!

vPyro on Twitter!

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 18:20:07 +0000

Okay, everyone seems to be doing it so we may as well give it a try. I have signed up vPyro to see how it goes. We'll put anything of interest on there; who knows you may get to see some exclusive news (no promises). Let's see how it works out.

Follow us at http://twitter.com/vpyro

Premium Membership Updates

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 23:10:04 +0000

Some of you will be pleased to know that I have added Premium Memberships on cheaper/lower terms. Instead of the option for 6 months or a year, you may now purchase:

-- Monthly.
-- Quarterly (3 months)
-- Six months
-- Yearly
-- LIFETIME

The biggest benefit to these, from your perspective, is that it allows you to bypass all forms of admission and allows you to download straight away. From our perspective, it allows to keep vPyro hosted and pay for software upgrades/purchases. It's literally win-win; plus you get a lot of other features. They are fairly cheap, with the ability to have a lifetime membership for only $120.

Check it out: http://forums.vpyro.com/index.php?act=paysubs&CODE=index

vPyro Admission System

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 01:13:56 +0000

The post to download system was having a lot of issues, and steps have been taken to eliminate those issues. The result is a new vPyro Admission System, it works thusly:

1) When you register as a member, all your posts are under moderator preview and we allow them to be published if they are worthy.
2) You cannot download. (See below)
3) When we feel you've contributed enough, you will be moved to Full Members where you can post and download as much as you want.

It's a very controlled way of entry, but ensures only those who are dedicated can slip through. The new members have access to a forum with all the information they need; this is just an announcement of change.

Thank you.

vPyro Widget

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 12:12:46 +0000

A while ago now conrail92 posted a mac widget that gave you the latest news from the former RCTPyro, recently I've had a look into it and have since recoded it and given it a new 'vPyro' look. It's still undergoing some testing and I'm just ironing out the bugs but here's a taster:

It may or may not look slightly different once released but I plan to release it within this week. It's only for Mac and I haven't looked into making one for Windows, although I don't think you can. Comments please!

Spelling and Grammar

Tue, 26 May 2009 14:56:10 +0000

Well, everyone, the the results are in and I am overjoyed to announce that the people who turned out to vote wanted this rule back in force. For those who are new to vPyro, here's a small history lesson.

Quite a while back we had a rule that prohibited excessive bad spelling grammar (read: excessive, missing punctuation marks etc is not punishable). The reason for this was simple, we were and still are sick of children and lazy people coming in and typing like English is in its infancy. The utter butchery of the language we've witnessed is astounding. This forum is not and never will be a local place for you to be lazy and throw internet words and immaturity around. It is a community and we've worked long and hard to make it what it is today. Every modern browser supports spell check, you have no excuses.

From today onwards, it is against the rules to spell and use grammar inappropriately or in a grossly wrong way.

-- No, this does not mean you will be punished for missing the occasional punctuation mark or full stop.

To the lazy people, get your act together or don't post.
To sloppy posters, use spell checking and put the effort in.
To foreign visitors, this forum is English only. Spell check or do the best you can.

You should know by now we enforce the rules vigourously, so do not test us. You can thank yourself lucky our punishments aren't as harsh. Some forums AUTOMATICALLY ban you if you spell incorrectly.

The internet is plagued with unintelligible children and lazy illiterate people. I will not allow it to transfer to vPyro.

Thank you.

New Moderator!

Sun, 10 May 2009 13:17:34 +0000

Some of you more observant and active members may have noticed there's a new moderator in town.

Congratulations to Wodger!

Wodger (Pete) has been promoted to the rank of moderator for his thorough, thoughtful and productive contributions to the forum. As you'll see in my signature, the key to being a productive and valuable member is not your post count, but rather the quality in which you post. It's better to have few exceptional posts than a ton of spam. Wodger has, in such a short span of time, proved to be a great member of this forum. He's always there to add thoughtful comments on shows and provide input on all things.

For those out there looking to join our team, bear in mind what I have said above. It's about quality, not quantity - whether that be posts or time spent on the forum.

Let it not be said that hard work is not rewarded.

Welcome Pete!

Circulating Virus-How To Resolve

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 11:37:49 +0000

Hey there vPyro, just wanted to warn everyone about a virus that is circulating. If you use AIM please pay attention. If recently you have recieved a message saying, "I made this picture for you" DO NOT CLICK THE LINK. The Link can even come from one of your buddies. If within the last 24 hours you have clicked the link your computer may be at risk. First I suggest if you have been on AIM recently run a scan using McAfee or other security products. If an item is quarantinned immediatly delete it. I am working on finding more solutions to this issue, but for now I highly suggest running a scan just so that you can be on the safe side especially as a virus can crash you computer. If there are any questions feel free to PM me or add a reply to this post.

Summer Showdown! - IlyxR vs. Fyre Teknix

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 22:17:21 +0000

We've been keeping this a secret for quite a while, but today it becomes official! On July 24th, 2009, IlyxR Dynamics and Fyre Teknix will go head to head in an all-out battle royale. Each team will provide three shows that they have have prepared for competition to be judged by the members of the vpyro community. Each show will be individually judged according to a list of criteria on various aspects of the display and its design. Those scores will be submitted and tallied in private to assure no one knows the official results until they're ready to be released. Not even the site staff will know the results in advance. Once the scores are announced, another set of smaller awards will be handed out for specialty accolades (set design, soundtrack, effects...ect). In addition to the showdown, there will be an open invitation for an amateur contest where members of the community that are not part of a company can submit their work for some awesome prizes. We'll have more on that in the near future.

THE SHOWS:

Thermite Ben - A classic shoot-em-up show with plenty of vibrant firepower to light a small city! Adapting his soundtrack from the music of Iron Man, Ben continues his trademark style of extreme syncopation to create another highly-technical pyro masterpiece. (Check for limited updates in the WIP forum)

Luck of the Irish! Claudio - An old project brought back to life with a new stage and a new soundtrack. Using the incredible music of Bill Whelan's Riverdance, LotI will enchant your soul as the pounding drums penetrate your heart. The stage is set on an old Irish bridge, rigged with an array of light and LED systems to bring the colorful music to life. (Check for limited updates in the WIP forum)

The Machine Mike - Another old project brought back to life. Using music from Rush's latest album, Snakes and Arrows, "The Machine" illustrates the influence of greed and the unquenchable thirst for power in a mechanized world. Highly synchronized pyro effects, coupled with a highly articulated soundtrack brings the idea to life. (Check for limited updates in the WIP forum)

Binary Daniel - A lively, schizophrenic soundtrack marks the basis of this incredible, high-energy show. Highlighted with an array of light effects, Binary will dazzle the eye with its fast-paced nature and will not let you go before it's ready to let you go. Just when you think it's over...it's only just begun. (Check for limited updates in the WIP forum)

Quantum Adriaan - A compilation of more modern music, Quantum delivers the same kind of quality show that Adrian is known for. Using tracks like "Aint nothin wrong with that" by Robert Randolph and the Family Band and Green Day's "Boulevard of Broken Dreams", Quantum has a very upbeat, young and lively feel set off by bright colors and highly animated lighting schemes. (Check for limited updates in the WIP forum)

Carnage Ryan - Mysterious and downright creepy, Carnage is a playground in a vivid nightmare. Adapted from the suspenseful music of the SAW series, this show will take you on a journey from its melancholy beginnings to its spectactular finale and everywhere in between. (Check for limited updates in the WIP forum)

07.24.09
Be there!

(info on the amateur contest will come soon)

FILEFRONT IS BACK ALIVE!

Sat, 28 Mar 2009 16:22:55 +0000

Many shows and miscellaneous files are hosted on FileFront, many which I am guessing are still linked on the forums. For those files, we have a problem:

FileFront is shutting down indefinitely on 30th March 2009.

Everything will be deleted, everything. Therefore, if you have shows on there, please download them NOW and upload them elsewhere to ensure you don't lose them.

See here for the announcement.

See this post.