Crash Maul (Official) RSS Feed

EP5 Environment Renders

R234 — Wed, 20 Dec 2023 22:54:00 +0000

Hello everyone! I'm here with a community post for the Holidays! And if you don't celebrate them well you can have it anyway, I'm cool like that.

Today I shall show a few renders of different environments, sets if you will, that will feature in the still untitled upcoming episode 5. There will be many sets in this episode, some of which aren't ready to be shown yet, while others would spoil the story too much, so this is by no means an exhaustive list.

You can find it by clicking here: https://imgur.com/a/MI0GoO3

There is of course several more minor ones, shots inside the Engi's house for instance, which are just basic scenebuilds (a couple of walls and props in the black_void map my SFM colleagues will recognise).

Speaking of which, as a little bonus, here's a dress-up montage: https://imgur.com/a/jNoOvay
(Not sure why it got age restricted, there's literally nothing inappropriate there. Imgur is dumb.)

I wish you all Happy Holidays, and see you next time!

A Few EP5 Character Renders

R234 — Tue, 16 May 2023 20:27:16 +0000

Hello everyone! It's been a while since the last update, huh? (where have I heard that before?) This update I figured I'd show some character designs from the upcoming episode 5, including a better look at the Taming Engineer's outfits I already showed snippets of. You can find the renders by clicking this here link:

https://imgur.com/a/RYKNuFK

I thought I'd show the Taming Engineer's eyes a fair bit this episode, as it'll be more story driven and I wanted him to show emotion better. Thus, the flaskbacks will mostly see him placing his welding goggles up on his hat. Don't worry though, the silver-rimmed aviators will still be firmly in place in front of his peepers for most present day scenes.

This marks our first look at the Rabid Heavy after the events of Sawmill. The Engi stopped bothering dressing him up in his Heavy uniform after he kept ruining them, so he simply settles for a pair of track pants now. The Heavy also had to hunt a new wolf for its pelt after the old one was destroyed at Sawmill, and it's now red in keeping with his signature color, compensating for the lack of a shirt :P

And as some have guessed last time, the teaser render was indeed of Agent 17, who was mentioned at the end of Like White on Spy. Without going into too much detail, he'll be this episode's main antagonist, turning the Engi and Heavy's world upside down and moving the overall story forward nicely. More on that some other time! I particularly like how the beard texture turned out.

See you guys next time and have a good one!

Like White on Spy: Main Character Models

R234 — Sat, 21 May 2022 22:29:26 +0000

Hey everyone, post time!

I still think it's a bit early to share more info on episode 5, so instead I'll break down Like White on Spy character models as I did with the previous protagonists. Seeing as I don't post these very often, I'll do three of them; The White Spy, Cobra and her Bodyguard. Here are the image collection links:

The White Spy: https://imgur.com/a/aa4z7J9
Cobra: https://imgur.com/a/eVy1jqT
Bodyguard: https://imgur.com/a/LymieDA
And here's one for their weapons: https://imgur.com/a/1jwA5o5

Designing these characters was a lot of fun, and I have some cool ideas for their future appearances (except the Bodyguard, RIP big guy).

If you would like to find links to some of the third-party assets used, you can find the full list for Like White on Spy two posts ago, right here: https://steamcommunity.com/groups/CrashMaul/announcements/detail/2889585858318084548

And ah, what the heck, here's a little teaser for a character that will appear in episode 5:
https://imgur.com/a/uV0eLPP

Till next time!

First Set of Info on Episode 5

R234 — Tue, 04 Jan 2022 23:16:34 +0000

Hello everyone, and happy new year! Here's hoping 2022 will be a good one

It has now been about a year since I began work on the as-of-yet-untitled fifth episode in the series, so I figured I'd talk about it in more detail. Some of this information I've already mentioned here and there, but I'll throw a few new ones in too.

First, the backstory:

It has been several months since Sawmill was destroyed in the fierce battle between the Gravel War's best combatants. In the confusion that ensued, B.L.U.'s own Epic Scout went into hiding, with everybody believing him dead. Everybody but one group; a mysterious organization waging a vendetta against him.

What about R.E.D.'s Taming Engineer and Rabid Heavy, though? Well, after the fiasco that was Sawmill, Redmond Mann - in his infinite "wisdom" - started doubting their loyalty. Surely his invincible duo couldn't have failed to capture the location unless they were somehow duplicitous, right? Maybe? Probably?

As such, he decided to bar them from further field work until he could ascertain without a doubt that they are on his side and his alone. That means stay at home, waiting for a call to arms that could come at any time but likely never will.

This has been the Taming Engineer's reality for a while now, but things are about to take a turn for the dramatic. That aforementioned organization? They have their sights set on the Rabid Heavy, and they don't play around when there's something they want.

As you can probably guess at this point, the episode is going to be about the Taming Engineer and Rabid Heavy. I don't want to spoil too much too early, but suffice it to say it will move the story forward a fair bit. Some questions will be answered, some suprises will be sprung, and I'm quite excited to see people's reactions to what I have in store.

Aside from that, it will also feature extended flashbacks to their backstory. If you ever wondered how the Taming Engineer became the Taming Engineer, how he found and tamed the Rabid Heavy, this is gonna be it

It'll most likely be the longest episode of them all too, even considering what I have in mind for episodes 6 and 7. The story I want to tell with this one will require a somewhat slower pace with more exposition, and a relatively more serious tone at times, one could even say dark. However, it'll still have the usual levity, and I still aim for the same "balls to the wall" type of action sequences. So don't worry, I'm not about to turn this into a straight-up tearjerker, and I'll make sure the exposition remains in service of the action, instead of being a detriment to it.

As a last bit to chew on, I leave you with these four renders of the early parts of the video: https://imgur.com/a/yQ0I1VJ

I know I've been silent for quite a while, and I know I've said this before, but I'll try to remember and update this here group more frequently.

See you around and have a good one!

"Like White on Spy" Third Party Assets List

R234 — Thu, 03 Dec 2020 00:40:02 +0000

Entry #19 - It's Almost Here!

R234 — Thu, 29 Oct 2020 00:41:25 +0000

Hello everyone!

Let's not beat around the bush; Yep, you read that title right, Like White on Spy is very close to completion! By my estimate, it should be finished and out by early December, if not before that.

On another note, I figured I would also reveal the voice acting cast for this episode. I'll start with the known character;

Cobra, the leader of the eponymous Cobra gang and our new antagonist, is voiced by Emma Breezy[emmabreezy.com], English voice of Sandy Cheeks in the Spongebob Squarepants anime, among many others!

Fellow SFM animator Farinz has also lent his voice to a character I won't reveal quite yet, but whom you might have caught a glimpse of in a previous episode *wink* *wink*.

Aaaand lastly, I have also personally given this whole acting thingy a whirl, again as a secret character, sooo look forward to that I guess :)

As an aside, I have updated the Youtube channel banner, if you care about that sorta thing.

That should be it for now, see y'all when the video's out!

Entry #18 - Obligatory Summer Post

R234 — Sun, 14 Jul 2019 18:53:09 +0000

Hello everyone! Wow, has it really been seven months since I last posted an announcement? How time flies.

Progress on Like White on Spy is going well. I am now animating the climax (i.e. final battle), after which all that'll be left to do is the framing device[tvtropes.org]. So I guess we could say I'm sort of in the home stretch, though how much of a stretch that is I couldn't really say.

Not much to go on I know, but I want to keep spoilers to a minimum, so that'll have to do for now. Hopefully this little gallery of random behind the scenes images will help scratch that Crash Maul itch: https://imgur.com/a/lT0tTRo

Till next time!

Entry #17 - More Info on Episode 4

R234 — Tue, 04 Dec 2018 18:43:38 +0000

Hello everyone!

I figured a group announcement was long overdue, so here I am with a few more tidbits of information about the upcoming fourth episode. So here's the big one:

While the movie ultimately climaxes on one of my trademark one-on-one fisticuffs, the main portion of the action will be, wait for it... a car chase! The White Spy will be chasing the Cobra Gang's convoy in a powerful white convertible. Bullets get fired, rubber gets burnt, metal gets twisted, and overall it makes for a pretty flashy flick so far, if I do say so myself :P

I have rendered a little GIF collection from the first half of the chase scene. Bear in mind, these are work-in-progress, low quality renders. Some lip syncing is still missing, there's no post editing, I'll likely add further set dressing in the future, and I have also edited a couple of things to avoid spoilers. With that said, you can find it here: https://imgur.com/a/Vzpo4MI

Lastly, I believe I have found a good title for the movie: "Like White on Spy". For those who may not be familiar with the idiom, it's a pun on the White Spy's name, as well as the expression "like white on rice", which means among other things to stick really close to someone. Rather apropos for a chase scene, I believe. What do you guys think?

That's me done for today. I don't know if I'll post again soon, but don't worry if I don't. It doesn't mean I've given up on the movie or anything ;P

See y'all next time :D

Entry #16 - The White Spy Artwork

R234 — Sun, 06 Nov 2016 19:39:20 +0000

Hello everyone! It's been a while since I posted anything, so I figured it was time I revealed the next video's last remaining main character, the protagonist himself. So without further ado, let me acquaint you with: the White Spy: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=794998865&fileuploadsuccess=1
Who is the White Spy? Nobody truly knows. He has no past, no known associates. He just came out of nowhere a couple of weeks ago, and started going after criminals of all kinds. Most of these were just petty thieves and muggers.

However, he has been made aware of a deal involving the infamous Cobra Gang. Suicidal as it may seem, he decided to crash their little party. I guess we'll see if he succeeds by some miracle, or fails miserably and becomes another victim of the purple-clad gang.

For those interested, the cosmetics used are the Cosa Nostra Cap and the Blood Banker. His pistol is the Conventional, made by Svdl. Here's the TF2 Workshop link:
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=476914771
I also plan on simply calling the video itself "The White Spy", that is, if I don't think of something better until then. I'm open to suggestions too, I'm aware I'm pretty terrible at coming up with good titles :P

That's me done for today. See you next time!

o7

Entry #15 - Silver Play Button

R234 — Tue, 20 Sep 2016 00:07:33 +0000

Coming back from work today, I was extatic to see what Purolator had delivered for me: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=766776211&fileuploadsuccess=1 I was never one for rewards or trophies. But this? This means a lot to me somehow.

It boggles my mind, to think that so many people would notice my work, let alone deem it enjoyable enough to subscribe to my channel. It's hard to describe, it's... It's like this Play Button symbolizes all that positive attention you guys throw my way on a regular basis. Sort of a tangible representation of this, dare I say, achievement, which I of course cannot take the whole credit for. But still...

Thank you. From the bottom of my heart. You can rest assured, more videos are on their way. For as long as I can keep making them, I will do just that ;)