General FAQ
Can we have T-shirts printed from these corpses? How about posters? Pillow covers? Coffee mugs? Or a coffee table book?
Not a good idea. Printing requires a higher resolution than screen display does, so printed corpses would look blurry and terrible. Plus, there would be copyright issues.
I have an idea for a certain kind of corpse (hand-drawn, landscape orientation, square, etc). Can we do this?
To keep things simple, the main site will continue to use the tried-and-true rules. However, you can start any kind of corpse you like here. Read the Sticky for more information. I'll even host it for you when finished, if you like.
I'd like to do a corpse with certain players that I like. Is that possible?
If you can summons them and get their cooperation, you can arrange the corpse here. Read the Sticky for more information.
Is it ok to contact the artist who submitted the piece before mine, to collaborate?
The spirit of exquisite corpse is the spirit of surprise, or, as the folks at www.anexquisitecorpse.net used to say, "the collective unconscious." The fun is in seeing what arises naturally, not in planning something specific. Please do not discuss the corpse with other players until it is finished and posted.
What order are corpses posted in?
Corpses are posted in the order in which they are finished, so they can be admired as soon as possible. Thus, they may not be posted in numerical order, and a corpse that was finished later may nonetheless be posted earlier.
Is there a time limit for working on a corpse piece?
If you've been offered a corpse slice, please accept or reject it within 24 hours if at all possible. That way, if you don't have time for it, it can be passed on to someone who does have time.
Once you've accepted a slice, please complete it within 7 days. After 7 days, you'll be sent a reminder. You'll then have 3 days to either relinquish the slice or finish it. If, after those 3 days, you still haven't turned it in, it will be reassigned.
Am I supposed to make my 450 x 200 pixel piece include the 15 pixel slice I was sent, or am I supposed to make it all new?
Please note that although www.anexquisitecorpse.net allowed both methods, we are asking that you utilize only the latter here. That is, your final 450 x 200 slice should abut perfectly to the unaltered 15 pixels you were given from the previous slice. This is so that automating the corpse assembly process can go more smoothly.
Is this site automated?
Not at the moment. An automated version is currently in development.
I broke a rule and no one seemed to care. Can I keep getting away with that?
You may have noticed that if you've incorporated the 15 pixels you were given into your new strip, or taken longer than allowed to accept or submit a slice, or submitted a slice in the wrong resolution, that you have not always suffered any repercussions for this.
That's because the site is currently not automated. Corpse assignment, assembly and posting is currently done by hand, by me. That can be overwhelming at times, causing me to overlook deadlines and other formalities.
When the site is automated, validation scripts will prevent the breaking of rules. So form your bad habits at your own peril.
What's a Fresh Prince?
A Fresh Prince, in the context of this game, is a slice that has no connection to the section that precedes it. The Fresh Prince was born over at www.anexquisitecorpse.net, here, to be exact. As Phineas says, "FPs really screw up Corpses and are severely frowned upon. If you submit one, you'll know it."
Why "new" exquisite corpse?
This site is modelled after our beloved www.anexquisitecorpse.net, a similar, older site whose owner Phineas worked his butt off for many years before retiring the site (or at least putting it on "indefinite pause"). This site is a "new" version of the original site.
This version of Exquisite Corpse is also "new" compared to the original 1920's game by the same name as invented by Andre Breton's Surrealist group of writers and artists.
Technical FAQ
Why does my slice have a seam? I didn't see it on my computer when I turned it in.
There are several reasons why you might end up with an unexpected seam. Here are some common ones:
COLOR MODE. You should be working in RGB color. When all four slices are pasted together for a complete corpse, that file will have to be in one color profile, and RGB is the appropriate one for screen display. If you work in a different color profile from RGB, there may be a color shift when your slice is converted.
RESOLUTION. You should be working in 72 dpi resolution. When all four slices are pasted together for a complete corpse, they'll need to be in the same dpi, or some will appear smaller or larger. If you work in a different dpi from 72 dpi, your slice will be enlarged or reduced as appropriate, which can cause pixels to shift and be in a different place than you intended.
15 PIXEL SLICE INTEGRITY. It's possible that you inadvertantly altered the 15 pixel slice you were given while working on your continuation. Your new slice matches up to your new 15 pixels, but not the original 15 pixels.
To avoid using the wrong color profile, using the wrong resolution, or overwriting the 15 pixels you were given, try this. If you're using Photoshop, open the original 15 pixel slice and increase the canvas to 450 x 215 with the 15 pixels at the top. Assuming the player before you used the correct color profile and resolution, you'll be doing so as well, but check them just to be sure.
Keep the original 15 pixel slice on its own layer while working. You can even duplicate it and turn off the duplicate to be absolutely safe. After working on your slice, turn the original 15 pixel layer back on and make sure it still matches.
The above approach, in my experience, is a little more tedious when you're using Gimp. Another way to avoid a mismatch is just to open the 15 pixels from your email again and paste it at the top of your finished slice to make sure it matches before sending it.
Please note that although the rules at www.anexquisitecorpse.net allowed you to overwrite the 15 pixel slice you're given rather than adding to it, I am technically not allowing that on this site, to ease the automation process. You will probably get away with it now, since I'm here to tweak, but I'd like to do away with that method when the site is automated.
I don't know what you're talking about. Help!
If you still need help, ask for it in the forum or email me at shae
newexquisitecorpse.net.
The FAQ is a work in progress. Send ideas for FAQ questions, with or without answers, to shaenewexquisitecorpse.net.