Welcome: The Newgrounds Guide.

The following pages will take you over the variety of areas in Newgrounds. This will show you the basics, And will eventually evolve into Advanced guides too. For now I have made a contents page and added the basics of the 4 most essential things occupied by a general Newgrounds user. This page will be constantly updated with more links, and information.

As another note to my guide. I will be updating this guide from time to time. It may take a while to become complete to its full potential, And bear with me in that time. I will be adding another page full of related links and guides throughout the Newgrounds empire. Anyway, If you wish for anything to be added, especially if you want it quickly, Leave a comment. But bare with me, This may take time. I am in no way complete with this project.

These guides are simply that, Guides. Follow them to a degree in order to reach your peak on Newgrounds. As stated above, I will be adding much more to this Guide and thing will become slightly more complex as it grows. For now I have covered the basics, and this is directed at new users more than anything. Regular users will not find much information too useful as of yet. That will change.

Here is a quick summary of the Guides so far. These have taken me a decent amount of times to put together with the latest, and best facts. Click the links to access the full Guide:

Guide: Voting. This section focuses on how to vote fairly, and correctly. It shows users how to look at things, and how to be smart enough to look past certain things. This is ideal for new users who have to upgrade their own Blam and Protection Points, But still be fair to the submissions owner. This will involve links to examples of instances that break regular thinking styles when voting.

Guide: Reviews. This reviews section will focus on how to review a submission in a good sense. This means being fair, and actually being helpful in your reviews. Being one of the few people on Newgrounds who actually gives ideas and tips during a review will be a big step for any new person to the site.

Guide: Forums. This section is a guide to the forums. It will tell new users only, How to become accepted into the forums, and gain respect and not be shunned within their first few days. This section will also show the users view on certain forum sections. In order to enter the forums as easily as possible.

Guide: Artist. This section of the guide will tell aspiring artists how to reach the full potential of their submissions. This is not done in the tutorial sense, But in another aspect. Tutorial style guides will be submitted to the Contents page at a later date. View this guide now, If your a new artist.

I hope these 'Beginner' style Guides will help you slightly if your new, or even regular, to Newgrounds. More will be added at a later date, But these should be enough to get you quite easily off the ground for now. There are things on the site you will obviously have to pick up yourself, And no guide in the world could help with such things. These are a push in that direction though.

Related guides to individual aspects of Newgrounds will be added at a later date, For a more thorough view of the more individual aspects of the website. If you want to subscribe to this Guide, please leave a comment below notifying me of this. Tell me what you think also. I'm doing this for you guys, So I'd like to see your opinions. Keep in mind, This is still in early stages.

- Jack.

This covers a large variety of Newgrounds.

About half of the people here on Newgrounds are an artist of something. This could be drawings, audio and flash. The two main at this time are Flash & Audio. And if your willing to put the hard yards into your work, Then you deserve to be recognized and feel proud of your outcomes. This guide will help you with just minor things that will add up. And believe me when I say it, They do.

Now individually these things don't seem like much. But together they can be the difference between a green aura, and a blue aura. With the amount of good animations being entered to the portal each and every day, Even adding .01 of a point can be the difference between a daily award, and not. Putting all these tiny features into your work will take no more than half an hour. If your slow. In a sense, this entire Guide will be similar to my 'Portal' guide, But on the other side.

Title: Having a title with correct capitals and lack of internet slang can add up. Some people will jump the the conclusion that an entirely lower case name including the word 'lol' will be nothing but spam. And yes, Some users vote without viewing. The easiest way to adapt is with this.

Icon: Having a good quality icon of your movie or game (Or alternatively an album cover in audio) will add a lot to your movie. Some people will once again assume things without seeing an icon. And also may not add your piece to their profile, Because it will look bad. Check out the top 50 list in the portal, Try to find me one without an icon. Hard, right?

Your Details: This is one of the most important things. Once again, In your uploads details section, Use proper grammar and punctuation. Also try to write more than 1 line of absolute crap. It is also necessary to avoid saying things like 'My first submission'. Because when people say that, Normally they are asking for sympathy. And people will Blam without watching. If its your first submission, Tell them the effort you put into it, Nothing else.

Preloader: When a viewer goes to open your flash submission, if all they see is a black screen as your movie loads, They're automatically going to be angry. Putting a Preloader in flash is simple, free, and fast. It will help greatly with your animation as a whole. There are tonnes of free preloaders on the internet, Just use Google. As for the Newgrounds ones: Click Here.

Now its one thing to give you guys all these hints and tips. But its another thing to actually give you tips on how to achieve this if you don't believe you have it in you. I mean most of these should be extremely straight forward. But if you need assistance on a few, I've provided some links.

Submit Content: If you can't actually find the button to submit to Newgrounds, Its simple. Click this link and decide which style your uploading to, And then follow the prompts. Shouldn't be much trouble at all.

Spam The Web: Posting your movie, game or audio on this website and then providing a link to the flash forum would be a good first step. rather than trying tests, and bugs out through Newgrounds, Go to an unrelated website. Therefore keep your reputation. By posting a link to the flash forum, You can request ideas, and fixes to issues. Without spamming Newgrounds.

Icon Help: This club is not dedicated to icons. Although almost every contributor would be happy to help you make an icon for your submission. Go there and ask politely, And you'll be pleased with the outcome. There is also an Icon club, But it is far more inactive.

Tutorials: This is simply tutorials to do with flash games, and flash movies. If your having trouble with something already made, Or simply wish to start flash animating, This is the place to go before anything else. I recommend the Flash Collab submissions.

This should be able to help you achieve a slightly higher score on your submissions to the whole of Newgrounds. Although you have to be aware, This isn't going to be the key to getting you awards and high scores. It is basically 99% based on your animation itself. But as I stated earlier, These minor points add up. So make sure you put effort into the work itself too.

Any comments and suggestions should be left on the 'Contents' News post. Not here. Thankyou.

- Jack.

For the 'other' Newgrounds experience.

If you visit the Newgrounds forums for the first time, Your going to notice a few things. You won't understand what most people are talking about. You won't feel extremely welcome in the general forum. And your likely going to have a hard few posts when you first start. But the forums is the soul of Newgrounds. And leaving the, because of this is silly. Tough it out.

To also know the go in the forums. Obviously visit: Newgrounds Rules. There are various slight rules changes in each individual forum, But the basics almost always remain. Always follow these rules.

Don't Do's; These are simple. Just like an English essay, Your going to need to be somewhat normal and use your head in order to pass. Try to avoid these things listed, They're basically your Kryptonite. You don't want that right there!

- Don't argue. If someone says something snappy in response to your post, and you want to have an eFight with them. Newgrounds forums will never be the play for you.
- No random pictures at the end of your posts. Most people who are new do this, because the picture is slightly relevant. Your going to get banned, and hated.
- Don't advertise your shit. And try your best not to start a thread every time you have a silly question. Go to a regulars lounge and ask, They're more mature.

Do Do's. Try to put these into your posts as much as possible. They shouldn't be forced on, otherwise it could quite easily backfire. And then your back to square one. The first in the list will be an example of this tricky formula.

- You should make your posts over 20 letters, easily. And make them fairly intellectual. Although don't force this. otherwise you come off as someone who can't have fun. Have the occasional one word sly response, And joke around a bit. Don't let it consume you though.
- Use punctuation. This is literally the key point in the forums at first glance.
- When you find a forum your interested in. Try to join the regulars lounge as soon as possible. This way you blend in with the people who have respect. Don't ask to join, Just reply to something you know about in the thread. And go from there.

There's plenty more things you can do afterward to gain even more ground in the forums. But odds are after you've followed these few steps for your fist few hundred posts, You'll know the ropes. And won't be considered a troll or anything anymore! Heres a brief overview of all of the Sub Forums on the Newgrounds website.

General: This is basically the main forum where you're going to be called out. Its just for everyday conversation about Newgrounds related, and unrelated stuff. Normally the conversation here is pretty basic and doesn't involve much. But with that comes the fact that any mistakes you make, Will get noticed!

Where Is, How To: If your new to the site, Your going to get to know this forum. Its ideal, Because the superior users inside deal with Newcomers daily. They'll almost always be polite, and as helpful as possible. Sadly its hard to hang around in there if your new, Unless you ask questions daily.

Flash: Home to the Newgrounds flash artists. If your new to flash, good at it, or just love it in general, this is the place to be. Most people in here are also very helpful and overall nice. Although if your doing something out of line, You'll know.

Politics: I personally don't have a whole lot to do with the Politics forums. But obviously if you get heated quickly, Avoid it. It will be horrible for your status on the forums if your teasing and so on during a debate!

Programming: The most inactive forum on all of Newgrounds on average. Once again, home to the best programmers. That does not include action script! You'll never, ever really fit in unless you know what your talking about. So if your not good with programming, Don't even bother.

Clubs & Crews: This is a great starting ground for new members. There's bound to be something in here that grabs your interest. Motorbikes, Boxing, Gaming, anything! Just talk about whatever subject group you have joined, and your Newgrounds knowledge (And post count) will expand widely. I recommend this.

Audio: Home to the Newgrounds Audio elite. Artists, listeners, and fans. Normally a pretty friendly place. At times it can be on the slower side. Just find something related to Newgrounds music, and talk away. Do not talk about unrelated music to Newgrounds. Its not the forums purpose.

Art: I personally find the Newgrounds Art thread to be somewhere to browse, and occasionally reply with compliments or suggestions. There's room for even amateur artists in this forum. But with the unveiling of the Art thread, Expect things to be a little more serious.

Video Games: One of the more intellectual regions of the Forums. Something most users can go and talk about. There are various poll related threads, and everyone knows something about video games. A really easy place to settle in at first. Another recommendation!

This News post may seem like one of the least helpful of my 'Guide' series. Although, New users are coming in every day and leaving the forums without a second glance because they get flamed due to a bad first impression. Its not all about being the most well known person in the forums, But wheres the harm in being liked and respected. Comment me if you have anything you'd like added, Or if you'd like to debate anything within this.

Any comments and suggestions should be left on the 'Contents' News post. Not here. Thankyou.

- Jack.

Reviewing The World.

Its what we do these days, right? Everyone has something to say about something. They bitch, They moan, They compliment a little. Then they go straight back to bitching and moaning. Though normally this gets on everyone's nerves most of the time. Where better to use that, Than when reviewing Flash and Audio submissions? That's what the Newgrounds community wants, As long as your not a complete idiot, And you can criticize in a decent manner.

How Many Stars: I grade pretty basically. You obviously watch your movie, Or game. Or you listen to the Audio. If its absolutely crap, It gets a zero. If its amazing, It gets a ten. Right? Well then comes the in between. Where people will grade very differently to each other. Some things you should consider though, Before clicking 'Submit'.

- Firstly; Look for major issues with the file. This can be things like being unable to complete a game, No matter what. A movie that has a broken Preloader. Or audio that skips. These are classified as big problems. And should normally take off one point from the score you see fit for the submission. So if a games great in all aspects, But has a large glitch, It will receive a 9, Not a 10. This is the same with smaller glitches, Such as 'Flashing hands' in games - Although they shouldn't subtract many review points, Unless in greater numbers.

- Secondly; If a movie or game is created in a more unique way, Don't always be a wanker about it. Some people have a more perfect style, And some have there own little twist on ways to draw and whatnot. Take things like this into account. Obviously if its squiggles and crap, Its not in this category, But work such as 'SqueakyToad's is made with a more original drawing style. Its not that the animator is unable to draw, and so on. Same with audio, If something is a genre you don't like, Review the music, Not your personality. I'm sure your able to understand my point.

- Thirdly; Watch, or listen to everything from start to finish. Its funny how often you see a decently animated thing, That has an amazingly funny ending and punchline. despite the fact the sound and animation deserve only a 3 or so, Sticking around to view the storyline can add an extra 1 point or so. Its not a lot, But one point is better than none.

For more information on Reviewing: Visit Erkie.

Your Review: When writing your review, Make sure you actually write something that takes over 10 Seconds to read. I like the idea of being able to mark reviews as Useless, Helpful, or Abusive now. It has Minor increased productive writing. We don't want Newgrounds to become a Youtube type review system. Use your heads!

I think anything with over 5 lines is acceptable. As long as those 5 lines are actually useful. Criticism is what the reviews are all about. When you find something that's lacking good sound, good motion, good noise, etc. Then tell them, And hint them how to fix it if that's possible too. This way people will take this into account, And you'll have nothing else to watch but quality. (Exaggeration clearly). A good example of constructive criticism would be found in all of my reviews. So while your here, Have a look if you really have no idea.

Lastly. Sometimes we come across the perfect flashes. They have almost everything right. They get 3.99 Scores, and so on. Personally, with these pieces of art, I like to watch extremely closely. Obviously I comment on how amazing the submission was. But I comment on any tiny flaw I can find in it. So hopefully it will one day be so flawless, It will make the Top 50 of All time. So rather than a review with simply 'Good job'. Tell them what would make it a Great job, Without sounding all negative. Obviously comment on its key points, As well as down points.

If your able to follow these basic rules. Then your going to be a great reviewer, And help improve Newgrounds one step at a time. Just another guide, For all you users out there. Also, If you found something you thought was wrong, Or would like added, Comment me and I'll see what I can do.

In order to view some good reviews. Simply visit my reviews section. It will be a good example of how reviews should basically be. Another helpful hint for some, Is to set out a checklist style thing in reviews. And use it for all your reviews, With various things completed or not within the animation your reviewing. Everyone has their own style, Find yours.

Any comments and suggestions should be left on the 'Contents' News post. Not here. Thankyou.

- Jack.

The Portal.

The thing that initially Made Newgrounds what it is today, Its engine in the car itself. But, for those of you who want some pointers from the new guy, On how to make your way around the Portal when it comes to the Blam/Protect system, You should have a quick read through of this. If you have any Questions, Comments, Suggestions, Inform me by leaving a comment. Simple :]

Don't Be Silly: There are some things, That idiotic people may do a lot of the time, When looking for easy points to add to there B/P area. Although, this 1 step simple system isn't always as efficient as you would like to think it is, A few examples are below.

- A lot of people think, That if A submission has a low File Size, its an easy Blam point... Wrong! Big things come in small packages, On occasion. Its not true that if a Movie or game is below 300KB's or so, It will be bad. A really good example of this would be:

- Byte Size.

- Sprites, Sticks are not always failures people. Although you wouldn't know it, A lot of people think this, And won't even watch a movie, The second it is related to either of the two types. Although it is true, A lot of Sprite, Stick movies become failures, Just as many do not. You can't always be so quick to jump to conclusions when It comes down to this. More examples of Good movies like this would be:

- Stick Arena.
- Castle Series.

- Lastly on this particular area, The least frequent one. People thinking that when a Movie doesn't have an 'Icon' Its just another stupid flash movie. Although this does make the Movie look better, Its not always the case.

Some Hints: Do not, at all, Think this is an easy way out, And every time you see something similar to any of these, Its an instant Blam. Because, Although it has been found almost always it is, Fact is, These guidelines may vary. Also, Its only fair to watch every movie Before voting, Except in rare cases.

- 'My First' submissions. No, I do not mean people's first submissions to Newgrounds, Everyone starts somewhere, Don't they? But, you will find 9/10 times that when in the title of the Game or Movie includes 'My First' The movie is going to be very stupid and pointless, And therefore will add to your Blam Tally.

- Also, along with the 'Name' Submission help, would be any spam kind of names. Once again, I cannot stress this enough, This isn't always the case, You should watch movies before voting, But this help when you click the link if looking for easy points. Submissions called 'I'm the bestest' or ones that contain pointless Characters\ etc. These are normally nothing more than stupid submissions.

- 'My First Flash' in the description is another pointer towards them points you want. If a creator of a Movie knew it was good, He wouldn't bother asking for sympathy from the ausience that is going to view the submission. So when people beg for Mercy, Normally, Don't show any.

Common Trick: A trick that is used quite a fair bit, Is the 'Intro' idea. This is when there's an awesome intro, Like Preloader, Starting Credits, etc Before a movie. This is sometimes a File people give to others, And then after this Intro, People just post stupid Flash, Which in logic, Shouldn't stay On here. So, Make sure you complete watching movies before you start voting.

Well, I hope some of these Guidelines have helped out anyone reading. If you would like to dispute anything, or have anything added, Any comments and suggestions should be left on the 'Contents' News post. Not here. Thankyou.

- Jack.