Classy Critique No. 1: RHGs!

Hello all! I’m going to be starting a series of amino posts talking about specific things in the SN Community, and pretty much the stickfigure community in general. Some of these can be applied to other animation softwares as well, so feel free to read no matter what software you use! Also, many of this is my personal opinion combined with real facts from sources. You can disagree/agree with what I say, and I encourage discussion in the comments!

The topic of today’s critique is: RHGs!

Buckle up guys and gals, because there’s a lot of stuff on this!

History

RHGs have been an important part of stickfigure history in general, and have made an incredibly noticeable impact in the SN community, as well as other animation software communities. (Notably Pivot, Flash, etc.) RHGs were originally created and used on the website http://www.rockhardanims.com, but was later transferred to FluidAnims, due to hosting service issues. This website is where the term “Rock Hard” originated from. FluidAnims soon merged with StickPage, and the RHG system was moved to Stickpage.com. It still remains there to this day, but unfortunately, it is very inactive. If it hasn’t been made clear, RHG stands for “Rock Hard Gladiator.”

How did the RHG System Work?

First off, and just to clarify, the RHG system was not restricted to animators. (Despite popular belief) Artists could also participate in these battles through creating comic strips of their battles. Now that that’s out of the way, here’s the main gist:

Animators/artists would design a gladiator in accordance with the rules provided to become accepted. They would animate/draw a fight demonstrating the powers of that gladiator. That fight would be submitted to the RHG forums, where mods would determine if the gladiator should be accepted. If that character is accepted, they become an official RHG, and can participate in Official RHG battles. RHG battles function like basic dueling battles. Two different animators make their own versions of their characters fighting, and the community votes on who is the victor.

Some official RHG characters include Mr. Pix, Andre, Oxob3000, Morion, Terantella, Jomm, Chuck, Nhazul, Tentionmaru, Umbrella, Alfa, and many more. Alfa (FLLFFL) is arguably the most recognized RHG Fighter, with the highest win rate and win score in history. The StickNodes user TB34 also has an official RHG: CapPop.

Important note: RHGs were not normal characters. For an OC to become a RHG, there were many requirements and applications needed to be made beforehand, including a demo tryout.

I’ve left some RHG images for your fancy. 😀

What did the StickNodes community have to do with it?

There aren’t really that many SN animators that have official RHGs as of now, just to put that out of the way. The big battles of the RHGs of Old inspired a generation of animators and artists. People discovered that Stickfigures could actually be considered cool, and there was a community where no one would judge for making animations of them. This, combined with the release of StickNodes, prompted a new age of characters. StickNodes is an animation software available on mobile devices. It is easily accessible compared to the prices of legitimate flash, and the risks of viruses with pivot. These people were finally given something to create what they dreamed. However, problems arose.

The term “RHG” became misunderstood.

Instead of creating and submitting a fighter to the roster, many would simply create a fighter and name it a RHG. The lack of information confused the community on the real process of making a RHG, and soon enough, the term became a replacement for calling a character an OC. (Original Character) Battles with the title of RHG seemed to have more importance than just a battle without, and people quickly jumped on this bandwagon. Some people just didn’t understand how to really create a RHG. Even I fell victim to this, creating my own “RHG” Razor. I now call him unofficial. However, the problem of making a RHG without actually following StickPage rules is still a problem. Awareness has been spread, but it hasn’t received much attention. That’s why I’ve decided to make this my first Critique.

Is this a Problem?

In my eyes, yes. Some may argue that it shouldn’t be taken all that seriously, and that it’s simply creating a character for fun, but I believe it’s an injustice to the people that worked to make their characters official. Rock Hard Gladiator was a system that had blood, sweat, and tears put into to refine it. Think of how difficult it must have been to create the first mainstream dueling system for animators. The work must have been painstaking. If they were to see their work misused, it would feel awful, would it not? While I heavily encourage creativity and participation within the SN community, I also believe that the original system should be given justice. Also, I’m not saying that anyone who has created an unofficial RHG is bad, because that would be rather hypocritical. We just need to spread information on what RHG really means.

What should we do next?

Well, the primary thing is to stop the name misuse. If you are going to create a character and want him/her to be a RHG, try submitting them to the site to become official. Of course, I’m not really expecting many to do that, so it would be better to simply call them an “unofficial RHG” or an “OC.”

Also, why bother making a RHG that won’t be accepted and used correctly when you can make a character for a different dueling system?

I’m not expecting the whole populace to join the Dojo Duels anytime soon, but there are other dueling systems to participate in! One example would be: Zero Team Battlegrounds!

I’ve designed a brand new dueling system originating from StickNodes! It’s easily accessible, and everyone is free to join regardless of animation skill! As long as you follow the rules, guidelines, make an original Stickfigure, and have fun, then you are all set! I worked hard to create this because I want the community to prosper. Not just StickNodes, but all animation communities. The RHG system is mostly dead, and Dojo Duels are for the elites. Someone has to have a good system for the middle people, right? (Also, I’m not demeaning everyone by saying that, I classify myself as one of those individuals lol) Let’s stop the abuse of the RHG name, and continue a new generation of animators and artists who can carry the torch in our own unique way! Let’s do the good days justice, and make greater days today!

Also, I’m putting this in case anyone is interested in the joining of Zero Team Battlegrounds. You’ve gotta join TZTAC (The Zero Team Animations Community) to participate. You can find TZTAC on amino through the ID “TZTAC” (wowie I wonder where we got that from) or you can join our discord through visiting my YT channel and clicking one of the links I’ve posted from a TZT announcement. These links do not expire, so no worries! Contact me if you want a link submitted to you through DMs or Email. Hope to see you there! (Also sorry if this sounds like advertisement, I just want to stop the RHG Abuse lol)

Just a notice: ZTB (Zero Team Battlegrounds) has not yet been released to the general public. It is only accessible through going to the official TZTAC discord. It will be released once bugs and issues with the system are worked out.

And that’s all everyone! Tune in next time to Classy Critiques, where we talk about Stickfigure OCs, notably the edgy ones! I encourage discussion in the comments as long as it is appropriate, and I also encourage you to ask any questions if you wish! Thanks everyone!

Stay Classy!