Tag: interrogation

The Interrogation of Petetheduck

by MASSAIKUR, posted in Interrogation

The Interrogation
of
Petetheduck

Creator of

Last Forger Standing, The Flaming Ninja Challenge

And

Forge With Pete

I have to say editing all these interviews does make a Spartan a bit peckish at times. So I did what any good Spartan would do and sent Massaikur out for some munchies. (Note to Self: Do not send brother on anymore food errands). Needless to say, about three hours later I have a live duck sitting on my kitchen counter. At this point though I am pretty ravenous so I guess I’ll eat just about anything, live duck included. Correction: live talking duck. Ok, so being the cold heartless souls everyone thinks we are. Massaikur and I decide to give this feathered heretic an ultimatum; answer some simple questions or become dinner? And after some feather plucking as added incentive…Well, you will just have to read on to discover which option he chose….

1. Can you please tell us a little bit about yourself?

Hello! I’m Petetheduck and I like to Forge. Well, I like to create things in general; I like to draw comics, I want to write a novel, I’m trying to grasp iOS programming in order to create a game. I also created a child, if that counts. Basically, at any given moment, I am looking off in the distance, building something in my mind–the tricky part is getting those things out of my mind and into the real world. That is something I haven’t been too successful at.

2. When did you first start playing Halo?

A few days after it was released. I actually first became interested in Halo through an issue of PC Gamer and I followed it to its eventual home on the Xbox. Microsoft did a good job choosing Bungie because Halo was the reason I bought my first Xbox.

3. Of all the Halo series games, do you have a favorite, which one and why?

I think Bungie has successfully evolved Halo’s game play mechanics with each iteration, so when I go back and try to play the older games, I find myself wishing I had a newer ability or things behaved like they did in the newer games. So I would say that Halo: Reach is my favorite, just because of the way the game play mechanics FEEL. You can discuss story and matchmaking all you want, but for me, it’s all in the feel of the game.

4. What are your favorite UNSC and Covenant weapons to use?

If I had to pick a go-to gun in Halo: Reach, it would be the Needle Rifle. It has all the advantages of the DMR, but the added bonus of super-combining. I am absolutely terrible with a Sniper Rifle and when I DO pick it up, it’s mostly just to keep the enemy team from having it. My guilty pleasure is the Pro Pipe–I’m not very good with it, but when I do manage to pull off a sweet kill, there’s nothing as satisfying.

5. Do you have a preference for any multiplayer game types?

I like to play Team Slayer when I get a good group of friends on. I am not much of a fan of Objective game types. I loathe Free For All.

6. Is there anything you wish Halo had that it does not?

I don’t know if anyone will ever find a solution for managing the millions of pieces of community content that a game like Halo can generate, but features like Top Downloaded don’t cut it for me. It would be great to see a more useful community content sharing system implemented. I’d also like to be able to organize my Halo files, as right now I have to scan through all 90 or so Map Variants that are listed under Forge World every time I’m looking for a particular Forge World file.

7. How much Halo do you play on a daily basis?

Lately, not much actually! Mostly just enough to film something; whether, it’s an episode of Forge with Pete or some random thing for my website. I usually have a late-night matchmaking party about every two weeks–that’s about as much actual PLAYING as I do. I’m actually pretty far ahead with my Forging so I haven’t Forged much in a few weeks, although I do have some things on the horizon I need to build.

8. How long have you been a member of the Halo community?

I started at Halo.Bungie.Org way back in 2002. I was part of the original Halo tricking community, back when it was just a couple of guys doing awesome stuff and taking pictures of their TV screen with digital cameras. Frogblast was another huge name from that period in Halo history and it was a pleasure to be tricking alongside the likes of him. Today tricking has blown up into something so huge it’s too much to keep up with, so I’ve stepped away from that aspect of Halo.

duck lock

9. Why Petetheduck and not Petethespartan?

I once had a duck named Pete. True story.

10. You recently started a Forge Series on Halo Waypoint, can you tell us about that and how it came to be?

Well, I had a few different Forge projects that I had been working on, but in the process of building each one I had started to burn out and wanted to move on to something new. And so I did, and eventually I had about 4 unreleased Forge projects that were all about 90% completed. So I started to think of what might be a fun way to share this handful of Forge projects with the community. I thought about finishing them all and posting them in one huge thread at Halo.Bungie.Org, or maybe releasing one each day for a week on my website, but I kept thinking that if I did that, the projects would quickly be forgotten about after a few days.

I also realized that Halo Waypoint didn’t have much Forge content on it and that these projects would be a great excuse to create a Forge-focused show that could appeal to lots of Halo players, whether they Forge or not. So I created a few episodes of Forge with Pete and sent them to BS Angel. Long story short, here we are. I don’t know how long the show will be around, but the feedback I’ve gotten just from the first two episodes has been great and I’m looking forward to sharing some of the other content I have planned. And I have to thank the Halo Waypoint team for hosting my show!

11. What is the purpose behind your show?

The show has a short and simple premise: show something that I made, and then show how I made it. In breaking down the mechanisms I use in Forge, I leave out the fine details in the videos because I don’t want to bore the audience, but I still want to give everyone an understanding of how the thing works. I think this is a good balance because if someone watching the video doesn’t Forge, they can play the map and be satisfied in knowing how it works. But if someone watching the video does Forge, they can load the map in Forge and already have an understanding of how each piece contributes to the overall function of the map in a general sense while they examine it more closely in person.

12. What gave you the idea for Last Forger Standing?

Project Runway; actually, the idea of building something, being judged, and being eliminated. A reality show in Halo! Last Forger Standing is the kind of contest that I wished I could have participated in myself, but no one else was doing it, so I decided to host.

13. Will there be a Last Forger Standing season 2?

I don’t have any current plans for a second season, but that could eventually change. The show had some pretty substantial complications at points with contestants dropping out and being disruptive. At the same time, 5 weeks was a long time to ask for contestants to participate, so I have to thank the contestants that stuck it out to the end! It was definitely a learning experience and I am pretty lucky that it turned out as well as it did.

But doing something like Forge with Pete is much easier, even though I’m the one doing the Forging! I think Last Forger Standing was a fun show and I hope people enjoyed it, but I definitely wouldn’t recommend other people to try to do a similar show without lots of contingency planning.

14. What made you want to start forging obstacle courses in Halo?

The inspiration came from the Ninja Warrior TV show. At the time, the only obstacle courses people seemed to make in Halo were jump maps–random objects floating above the ground that the player had to jump across. There was no variety and the maps were cosmetically disappointing, as they were almost all built in the enclosed space on Foundry. Just as I was getting ready to build the Flaming Ninja Challenge, this huge expanse was discovered in the sky above Blackout. This allowed me to build an obstacle course where falling meant death, not a leisurely walk back to the starting point. Coupled with obstacles that emphasized variety, the course was a pretty big–and pretty surprising–success.

The series isn’t perfect, but I’m proud of it. It was a learning process and I think Halo: Reach’s Flaming Ninja Challenge 2 is the culmination of everything I’ve learned, and I think it’s an excellent obstacle course!

15. What do you have planned for the next Flaming Ninja Challenge?

There won’t be a Flaming Ninja Challenge 3 in Halo: Reach. I’ve run out of tricks; I don’t want to keep recycling the same obstacles over and over. I want each obstacle course to be fresh and interesting. I took a slight detour with the Flaming Ninja Challenge Apr’11, creating a single player obstacle course for a contest–that was a lot of fun because it allowed me to create things I otherwise wouldn’t have been able to, since none of the obstacles needed to be able to reset. You might see a few more things like that before Halo 4 comes out, but there won’t be another full-sized, proper Flaming Ninja Challenge in Halo: Reach.

16. What did you think of the Halo 4 stage demo at E3?

I didn’t want it to end! It was great. There are things that I could be critical of, but that’s nitpicking. Having had a few days to step back and look at the overall presentation, I am really excited to play this game that 343 Industries is creating. Did you happen to see my reaction video? I think it sums up what excites me the most about Halo 4.

17. As of June 7, 2012, 343 Industries has not released any information on Forge Mode in Halo 4, does this scare you?

They’ve confirmed Forge is in Halo 4, so I’m not too worried. At minimum, I would expect them to keep Forge equal to its Halo: Reach iteration. I would like to see some more support for creative Forging, like the kind of projects I’ve been sharing with Forge with Pete–like Battleship and Duck Hunt. None of those things could’ve been created without the Halo Ball game type, which itself has no place in traditional matchmaking. If they design Halo 4’s Forge strictly to create competitive multiplayer maps, it could really hurt creative Forging to lose a tool like Halo Ball. The good thing, though, is Halo Ball was added late in Halo: Reach’s lifespan, 343 Industries could similarly expand Halo 4’s Forge at a later date even if its shipping version is limited.

18. Are there any changes you would like to see done with Forge Mode in Halo 4 that would improve upon what Reach has now?

I think 343 Industries knows the phenomenon that Halo has become because of its fan’s creativity. There are fan-made Halo creations in nearly every shape and form you can imagine, and I would like to see them really embrace that with Forge. The kinds of maps that I’ve been building lately aren’t even remotely close to what Forge was intended to do. I think the best example I can give is the Rock-Paper-Scissors map I made in Halo. That shouldn’t be possible, and yet it is with just some teleporters and landmines. If teleporters and landmines can do that, imagine what more we could do if we could script game types or cross game type object label boundaries in order to create completely new games. Forge will always be primarily focused on building traditional multiplayer maps for predetermined game types, as it should be, but that doesn’t mean it should be limited to just that.

19. As far as Halo Community Forge creations are concerned, what do you hope to see in the next 10 years?

For fans to create essentially brand-new game experiences inside of the game of Halo. It’s going to require the tools from 343 Industries, but I think Halo can really be much more than the sum of its campaign and multiplayer–and I know the Halo community will jump on the opportunity to create experiences like single player maps through a Forge interface.

20. Other than Forge, is there anything else that interests you overall?

I really enjoy experiencing the Halo series’ story and there is nothing as fun as playing matchmaking with friends!

phasing

21. Any tips you would like to give to people just starting to use Forge Mode?

Experiment. I didn’t start out making good things–my first Forge projects were terrible. I kept trying, and kept trying different things and eventually found a niche. To this day I still don’t think I am good at making competitive multiplayer maps–so I don’t. I focus on what I am good at and keep improving that facet. Build what excites you and push yourself to improve.

CHECKOUT IDLEDUCK.COM
FOLLOW PETE ON TWITTER
WATCH PETE’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL

*End Note: The interrogators of this interview, Massaikur and PAraNoia817, are not sadistic people and we do not torture our interviewees (much) or in this case eat them! Petetheduck, Thank you for agreeing to do this interview with us and letting us share it with both our own fans, as well as, yours. Best of Luck to you!

The Interrogation of Leviathan

by MASSAIKUR, posted in Interrogation

The
Interrogation
of
Levi Hoffmeier;

AKA

Leviathan
And Creator of
Fistful of Arrows

leviathan_interrogation

 

…………………………The following scenes have been deleted due to their graphic nature and content……… LOL, Just joking! Really people you know by now that these interviews are completely painless. So read on and enjoy…..Hey, Massaikur! Don’t forget that spot over there! Oh, Bleep the Bleeping recorder is still on. BLEEP!

1. Levi can you please tell us a little bit about yourself?

I’m a 24-year-old freelance illustrator trying to make a living off of his art. I graduated college a year and a half ago, and I’m looking for a steady job with a game studio or a comic book publisher. I’m interested in mediums where I can tell a story or describe an experience with my art.

Hobbies? I enjoy the usual: books, music, games (Skyrim is calling my name right now, I think). But Art takes up the biggest chunk of my life. Either I’m on the computer painting, or sketching in a notepad somewhere.

2. When did you first start playing Halo?

I started my own save with Halo: Combat Evolved about a year after it came out, though I had been wooed earlier than that at friends’ houses. Back then, the graphics were so impressive for its time – I thought I had strayed into a dream.

3. Of all the Halo series games, do you have a favorite, which one and why?

I really like the core trilogy and its experiences. Halo Wars, Reach, and especially ODST are fantastic spin-offs and build onto what Halo can be about, but Master Chief is where the magic happens. Halo 3 is currently my favorite for its epic battles, but Halo C.E. started this whole journey, and Halo 2 expanded the universe by leaps and bounds. Heh, I sort of drift between a favorite depending upon my mood.

4. What are your favorite UNSC and Covenant weapons to use?

Hmm, I really like the feel of the Halo 3 SMG, but the Brute Shot is a lot of fun too. The grenade launcher in Reach is sort of a successor to that, and I love that gun. Alternate fire modes? That’s a great thing to introduce into Halo.

5. Do you have a preference for any multi-player game types?

Slayer is always fun, but I love objective modes. I’m a big fan of Invasion. I like fighting for something – I think it lends to crazier, more memorable experiences.

sangheili_by_levihoff

 

6. How much Halo do you play on a daily basis?

Ooh, daily? I’m afraid I don’t play everyday anymore. Too busy! I was playing Reach almost every night for a couple of hours for those first six months or so, and back in the day I’d play Halo 2 online to no end. But these days, there’s just not enough time. I’m actually too busy sketching Halo to actually play it!
When I do get to play the ol’ 360 though, there always tends to be a Halo disc nearby.

7. How long have you been a member of the halo community?

I’ve been active on the Halo.Bungie.Org forums since some time after Halo 2 came out, but I didn’t really start contributing to the community until my comic “A Sangheili’s War Is Never Over” a couple of years ago. We put up a copy of it on the Fistful of Arrows site as an extra actually (http://leviathan.bungie.org/).

8. When you created Fistful of arrows, where did the idea for the story come from?

Well, obviously Reach left a big space open for me by staying quiet on what happened to Jun and Halsey after they left Sword Base. The only thing we knew was that Halsey would get to Castle Base alone not that much later, so I had this window to fill in with my own story.

After I had beaten the campaign a couple of times, I’d doodle ideas for what could have happened to Jun while I waited to be sorted into a Matchmaking game – how he might have lived or died on the footsteps of Menachite Mountain.

jun-levi

 

9. From start to finish how long did it take to make Fistful of arrows?

I started planning out the story and posting the first few pages in October, 2010, and finished in November, 2011. So just a tad over a year, working on it a few days a week. Each page took about a full day of work, on average.

10. Are there any pages/scenes that took longer to draw then the rest of the comic?

Oh yes, Page 66 jumps to mind (http://leviathan.bungie.org/afoa/archives/366). It’s a silent page of pure action between Jun and three Sangheili. I’d been dreaming of that page for some time, and I wanted it to be perfect. Took me about a week to do!

Surprisingly, the two-page spreads actually took just as long as a normal page, because there were no panels breaking up the focus – I could just sit down and paint until it was done.

11. For Fistful of arrows, did you write a script or use a different approach/process?

I had a script that had a lot of the meaty conversations in it, that would be revised over and over as I made my way through the story, but I didn’t put any of the actions or descriptions of the visuals in it; it was just pure dialogue.

Instead, what really helped me with the visuals was story-boarding the whole comic. I thumb-nailed every page numerous times to get the pacing and angles right. Some pages I’d sketch a dozen or so times before finding the right way to describe the scene.

defense_of_the_city_by_levihoff

 

12. Do you have a favorite page?

I’m very happy with my Menachite Mountain and Quezon two-page spreads. I also really like the climatic pages where Jun jumps from his sniper-perch to save Halsey, and the pages depicting the ship battle early on in the comic.

13. Is there any chance Fistful of arrows will be printed or will it stay a digital comic?

We got one copy printed for a charity auction with proceeds going to Child’s Play a few months ago… But if you’re asking about a full-scale printing? I’d of course love it, but it would take convincing 343i to do so (and accept the story as canon in the process), as I don’t have the money to fund such an endeavor.

14. It looks like you have started a new project that can be seen on the HBO forums, can you tell us a little about that?

Sure. “Halo: Shield and Sword” is the title I’ve given to my own personal Halo 4. It’s a ‘what-if?’ sort of thing, just for fun. I’ve loved sketching out and planning what the next Halo might be ever since the original, so I decided to make it public this time and put in a little more work.

It’s not a comic. Instead, it’s a collection of concept art, storyboards, character designs, and a lot of my ramblings as I take you through what I think could happen in Halo 4, from the main menu to the ending credits.

Right now, only the first post is up and that’s detailing the menus (http://carnage.bungie.org/haloforum/halo.forum.pl?read=1125639), but I’ve attached a sample of the storyboards from a coming update, with Chief looking out a window aboard the Forward Unto Dawn at the Forerunner planet from the Legendary ending of Halo 3.

1-starboard_sm

 

15. Have you ever thought of making a machinima/cartoon or will you stick with comics being your medium of choice?

I’d love to do storyboards, matte paintings or even the backgrounds for an animation/motion comic or film, but I’ve never been too interested in personally going out there and making a machinima, but I enjoy watching them like everyone else.

The main reason I think I’ve used comics as my medium so far is because I can do it 100% by myself, with no waiting, and with no funding. I can directly tell a story to the audience, with nothing in between except all the artwork I have to do.

16. When it comes to game franchises does Halo have something that others do not?

I think it balances a wide range of different ideas. Halo isn’t just about one thing. Sure, there are a lot of explosions and shooting things, but behind that there is a story of humanity, aliens, and ancient civilizations. It’s about war, mystery, and pure science fiction. It’s military and fantasy; it’s game play and art – all at the same time.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen another franchise include so many disparate things, and yet keep them all unified and of such high-quality.

17. As far as Halo community creations are concerned what do you hope to see in the next 10 years?

Now that’s an interesting question. I really can’t imagine what Halo will be like in another 10 years. I guess the community would still be as creative as ever, making new things to explore and new ways to play.

Whether the community has grown or gotten smaller, I’m sure it will still be bursting with energy and creativity.

18. The release of Halo 4 is this year, is there anything that interests you over all?

I guess I’m just really looking forward to being surprised and experiencing Halo in a fresh, new way.

19. Are you in agreement with chief not wearing a cod piece or would you rather see him wearing the ‘Bungie diaper’ ?

Hah, I think maybe a compromise between the two might be best. 🙂

20. If you designed Master Chief’s armor what would that look like?

Actually, I took a stab at revising the Mark VI for Halo 4 in my Shield and Sword project –here’s a preview:

mark_vi_custom_sm

CHECK OUT LEVI’S PORTFOLIO
READ FISTFUL OF ARROWS
FOLLOW LEVI ON TWITTER
LIKE THE LEVIATHAN FAN PAGE
CHECK OUT LEVI’S DEVIANT ART GALLERY

*End Note:  The interrogators of this interview, Massaikur and PAraNoia817, are not sadistic people and we do not torture our interviewees (much)…Levi, Thank you for agreeing to do this interview with us and letting us share it with both our own fans, as well as, yours. Best of Luck to you!

READ MORE INTERROGATIONS HERE

The Interrogation of Nak3d Eli

by MASSAIKUR, posted in Interrogation

The
Interrogation
of
George Norberg;

AKA

Nak3d Eli
And
Creator of the
YouTube Channel:
Nak3dHalo

Hmmm, let’s see here. Where to begin? I mean everything happened so fast it was like…Whoa! Well, I guess the beginning is as good a place to start as any other. You see, Massaikur and I were doing this exceedingly boring, yet, necessary task called Inventory. And to make things a bit more interesting we decided that testing the equipment would help, you know, complete the inventory list. Sooo as we were innocently minding our own business, testing our weaponry, we suddenly run into this Heretic! Errr, I mean this Heretic runs into us? Whatever! I mean he was, dare I say it…Nak3d! Hee,hee,hee, Nak3d Eli, that is. Anyway, the result was that he startled us and we can not be held responsible for what transpired after! And no! It wasn’t that! So get your heads out of the gutter. Gosh, what would your mothers say? You know what, just read the interview…

1. George, can you please tell us a little bit about yourself?

I’m 22 and I have been playing video games since I could fit my hands around a Nintendo controller. When I was 5 I could beat “grown-ups” at arcade games like Mortal Kombat. Since then I’ve developed a passion for console FPS starting with GoldenEye, then Perfect Dark, and finally Halo CE/2/3/ODST/Reach.

2. When did you first start playing Halo?

I never had an Xbox so I always went to a friend’s house to play the Halo: CE Campaign on Legendary Co-op, back when the game shipped. I rarely played multiplayer b/c I loved the campaign so much.

3. Of all the Halo series games, do you have a favorite, which one and why?

I think every Halo game is amazing and brings something new and positive to the table, and they get better every time. So Halo: Reach is my favorite at the moment with its epic campaign, diverse multiplayer experiences, and incredible forge, leading to some of the most enjoyable custom games of my life.

4. What are your favorite UNSC and Covenant weapons to use?

Rockets and Fuel Rod Gun, Boom! Boom! 🙂

5. Do you have a preference for any multiplayer game types?

Big Team Battle is always a blast with its crazy vehicular combat and gigantic play-spaces, making teamwork even more crucial and exciting to execute.

6. We noticed that you were able to unlock the haunted helmet, how long did that take you?

11 months

7. How much Halo do you play on a daily basis?

Four hours per day on average. My record is 20 hours in one day.

8. How much dedication is required to become a world record holder in the halo community?

It’s not easy, everyone wants to be #1 at something and every niche is filled with a plethora of diehard Halo fans gunning for that top spot. I have world records for Challenges, speed runs, and matchmaking K/Ds, win ratios, etc. I’ve always believed anyone could have a record if they put in the time and effort.

9. What are your thoughts on ATLAS?

It looks fun, but I don’t have a compatible phone to test it out. I doubt the advantages given to people who use it will outweigh the cost of taking your eyes off of the screen.

10. When did you first become interested in speedruns? Anything you credit for providing inspiration?

I remember having trouble with Halo CE Legendary Solo so I did a Google search and found High Speed Halo’s incredibly fast runs using glitches and tricks that fascinated me. Silent Cartographer in 3:54 by Insidious was truly inspiring to me and at least one other speed runner whom I know.

11. How long have you been doing Halo speedruns?

About 2 years now. I started with Cortana SLASO against the SLASO god Pahis, and we battled for weeks beating each others’ times until I came out on top with 7:45. I’ve been snatching records ever since.

12. Is there a specific process that you use when plotting out a speedrun?

I always watch the standing Legendary and Easy records first to analyze routes and see how enemies influence the run. Then I map out my own optimized routes and practice until I can get through with less than 4 deaths consistently. Then it’s a matter of determination to get a run with no deaths.

13. From start to finish on average how long does it take to do a perfect speedrun?

Since I only do the most difficult types of speed run, that is Legendary, SLASO, and Zero Shot, it can take 10-20 hours to get a close-to-ideal run.

14. What are your thoughts on custom challenges?

They’re a great way for non-inheritors to rank up, although I wish they could be accessed via Reach itself.

15. Do you have any favorite speedrun videos, which ones and why?

Silent Cartographer Legendary Solo with its insane skip through the map room door, epic 3 story drop onto overshield, and flawless camo run to the pelican outside. I also really enjoy my first ever Zero Shot run on The Storm b/c it halved the time of the old record from ~20 min to under 10 min and you barely notice I wasn’t shooting b/c it moved so fast.
There are countless quality runs though that newcomers should check out like the Keyes shield bump, Metropolis Legendary getting to the scarab super early, Uprising Legendary sword flying, Tsavo Highway hog mastery, Floodgate box hammering, and my Pillar of Autumn LASO tricking on Reach.

16. Which speed run has been the hardest for you to make and why?

Sierra 117 Zero Shot is an absolute nightmare! You have to get past so many snipers without shooting; especially the jackal sniper forest and bridge run… luck plays a larger factor more than in any other mission. No one had done it, but I wanted to show that it was possible, and I became the first person to beat a Halo campaign on Zero Shot (Legendary, no shooting, no deaths).

17. How many videos have you made so far?

My YouTube channel “Nak3dHalo” has 64 videos currently. I started with Challenge tutorials to show people how to complete Daily and Weekly Challenges incredibly fast, then I expanded to high
level multiplayer gameplay, speed runs, analyses, and achievement tutorials.

18. Where did the idea for Halo: Reach Challenges come from?

As the world record holder, I developed many strategies, glitches, tips and tricks that I wanted to share with the community to help players rank up faster. So I started my channel when Bungie passed the torch to 343i and the Co-op Dash put challenges in the spotlight with 30,343 credits for only 4 minutes of work!

19. Where did the idea for tutorials come from?

I like sharing my knowledge of advanced gameplay mechanics with the Halo community b/c they’re fun and receptive, especially now that all the soft fans have flocked to other FPS games.

20. Will these series be continued when halo 4 is released?

My content will evolve to be based on Halo 4, with the only possible exception being speed running b/c Campaigns are always fun to go back to.

21. Is there anything you wish the Halo series had that it does not?

Dedicated servers to reduce lag and removal of the “Quit Game” option so that people would have to physically turn off their Xboxes if they wanted to leave their teammates.

22. Are there any old armors and maps from the previous Halo games that you would like to see in the future?

Armors should only come back if they tie into the storyline like Mark VI does. Maps are difficult to translate into new game mechanics, but I would love to see a ranked playlist of designer remakes of the best competitive symmetrical maps to give the hardcore community a space to shine. The Pit, Midship, Sanctuary, Zealot, Beaver Creek and Amplified are a few of my favs.

23. What are your thoughts on the rumors about a Halo 2 remake?

The secret 11th terminal hinted at this, and I would love to have all the Halo games on one console. However, if they decide a remake is worth it, I’m hoping they won’t split the Halo 4 population with a new online system. Master Chief will be the main character in Halo 4 so multiplayer can probably feel like Halo 2 given the right settings, unlike Reach where you are clearly Noble Six playing on old CE maps.

24. Do you plan on expanding your YouTube channel into the world of machinima or will you stick with gameplay videos?

I’m all about the gameplay 🙂

25. Do you plan on doing any Halo CEA speedruns?

I’m working on The Library on Legendary right now, but the standing CE record is so optimized that I’m forced to take some very risky routes to shed just a few seconds. This record hasn’t been broken for many, many years, so hopefully I can finally break it and the community will enjoy a new record in CEA’s HD goodness along with my “audible chocolate” commentary 😉

SUBSCRIBE TO NAK3dHALO!!!!
JOIN THE NAK3DHALO FAN PAGE!!!
FOLLOW NAK3D ELI ON TWITTER!!!

*End Note: The interrogators of this interview,
Massaikur and PAraNoia817, are not sadistic people and we do not torture our interviewees (much)…George, Thank you for agreeing to do this interview with us and letting us share it with both our own fans, as well as, yours. Best of Luck to you!
you can find our other Interrogations here!!!

The Interrogation of Deep Cee

by MASSAIKUR, posted in Interrogation

The Interrogation

of

Deep Cee; Spirits of Fire Clan Member

And Creator of

ODS Steve

Our plan of attack was perfect. The trap was set. The bait was baited. We were in position for the ambush. All we needed to do was wait…and wait…and wait some more. And finally after weeks of surveillance the Heretic made his appearance. Drawn in by the sweet allure of…Orange Juice!!! Ha ha! Joking! We flattened Deep Cee with one of those large soccer balls and threatened him with a golf club…uh, I mean… We had a nice conversation where Deep Cee just happened to confess some stuff??? Yeah, so if you really would like to know what transpired in that “conversation” just take a look at this interroga…err, awesome interview.

s1

1. Deep Cee, can you please tell us a little bit about yourself?

My name’s Deepak, 25 years old and an aspiring animator. I’ve enjoyed video games as far back as I can remember so that is one interest that has stayed with me through my life. The past year I’ve been working in 3D a lot and the process of finding out how video games and anything CG is made; has been pretty enlightening. It’s just one step closer to landing my dream job of working in a creative environment with a bunch of people passionate about video games. Other than that, I enjoy football/soccer a lot and make it a point to follow the English Premier League very closely. I’m a big fan!

2. When did you first start playing Halo?

It was sometime in early 2004. I had dropped by a friend’s house and finally got a chance to play Halo: Combat Evolved on his pc. I had heard about the game previously, but never had a chance to experience it. It blew me away. I went from not knowing a lot about the universe to having a voracious appetite for anything related to Halo fiction. I guess that is when the love affair with Halo and a new found appreciation of video games began.

3. Of all the Halo series games, do you have a favorite, which one and why?

It’s really hard to pick just one because there has been a Halo through every phase of my adult life so far. Let me explain. Halo: CE was where I experienced the game solo and I don’t even know how many times I’ve replayed certain levels in that game.

There was Halo 2 once I got the original Xbox and spent many hours playing split screen with friends. We did come up with some ridiculous game types in Coagulation and with only 4 people, games lasted quite a while. Good times.

With Halo 3, I didn’t get a chance to play the game until mid 2008 when I bought a 360. Halo 3 introduced me to online play and I’ve met a bunch of people online, some of whom are my best friends today. ODST and Reach just brought along more good times with it. It is really hard to pick just one game.

4. What are your favorite UNSC and Covenant weapons to use?

I’m more of a support player when I play Halo and leave the heroics to the more skillful team members, although I do get lucky and manage to pull some heroics of my own sometimes. Very rarely does it happen though. I tend to stick with the standard UNSC deployment for a Spartan. Assault rifle and Battle rifle/DMR would be all I need. I won’t hesitate from picking up the heavy weapons to bring down an enemy vehicle though, which is one of the most satisfying kills in the game. Favorite Covenant weapon would have to be the sticky grenade I guess. Sticking a flag rushing mongoose or hog with four people inside would make for quite a film clip.

s2

5. Do you have a preference for any multiplayer game types and maps?

I like flag games and general objective games on large maps. Valhalla and Sand Trap lead to quite some interesting and harrowing flag/bomb games.

Avalanche is a personal favorite because I am quite fond of the Hornet and stick to the support role in flag/bomb games.

6. How much Halo do you play on a daily basis not counting theater mode?

You’ll notice I didn’t mention any of the Reach maps in the earlier question. Real life has gotten in the way and I usually spend most weekends catching up on the back log of single player games I have yet to finish. That being said, I did play quite a lot of Reach after it was released.

Most of my gaming time is usually constrained to a few hours during the weekend and I usually jump into campaign. Still need to finish Reach on Legendary! Living in India and having most of your friends list consist of residents of the US doesn’t help me get much multiplayer gaming in either. I prefer playing with friends than the random persons online.

7. Is there anything you wish Halo had that it does not?

Maybe a sort of reward system in game that helps you unlock different weapons/equipment. Something that isn’t just aesthetic. I know Halo is not designed with that in mind but I would be interested to see if something like that can work.

s3

8. When and why did you become a Spirits of Fire clan member?

One of my closest friends is the founder of the group and I just really enjoyed playing with the members of the group. I had never been a part of a clan before that and the lure of playing competitive games with them was something I really enjoyed. Joining up was an easy decision.

9. What is the website about (its purpose) and how many members do you have?

The Spirits of Fire are all about creating a friendly environment for people to shoot each other in the face online. Fair play and sportsmanship are two of the top values we foster in our clan. After all, it’s better for everyone when everyone is having fun and plays fair right? We’re about 25 members strong and part of the Good Game Network. We’re always looking for new recruits to join us in the field of battle.

10. Can any member contribute to the website?

Of course. We have no restrictions and any of our members can contribute.

11. What does the site offer for its members and visitors?

The website is always updated with recent clan activity online or in the real world. Currently we have two weekly activities run by two of our members, Kalamari and Das Kalk. Other than that, we feature a podcast done by one of our members Marissas Dad and a long time friend of the clan Draeno. ODS Steve also has his home at SOF and the comics are usually updated once in two weeks.

12. How often do you offer challenges like Sword and Shield Gaming and does the site have any future challenges in mind?

We just finished a recent SWAT challenge with TTL. We had a team that just took part in the GGN Halo tournament and have a group of people that play regularly online. We play for fun, but do schedule competitive games when we can.

13. Do you have any thoughts on PAX Prime or intentions of going?

I had plans to visit Seattle for Pax Prime this year, but other commitments came first. I do intend to go in the near future.

s4

14. Have you always been interested in writing and drawing comics?

Drawing was something I was interested in, but I never thought I would be doing something like a comic. I do enjoy creating stories and fictional worlds through my drawing, but never thought I’d incorporate a story along with it.

15. Where did the idea for ODS Steve originate from, anything specific that you can give credit for inspiration?

The inspiration would have to be Frankie and Mister Chief as is evident from Steve’s signature grin. Months leading to the release of ODST, my friend and I were discussing how we missed the weekly Mister Chief from the Bungie Weekly Update after Frankie quit and joined 343. I came upon the idea of coming up with a mascot for ODST and that was how ODS Steve was born. A few days later I had a rough doodle posted on the HBO forums.

16. Did you originally plan for The Chronicles of ODS Steve to be an on going comic series?

Never crossed my mind. It was just a silly little doodle when I initially drew him. I was contemplating coming up with a story featuring him when bs angel offered to host the comic on her blog and it was through her blog that Steve was able to gather the fans he has now.

17. Do you have your storyline fully written or is it something you come up with along the way?

I do have a rough idea of the plot and what would happen to the squad, but at times I do improvise and that has led to some of the funnier episodes in the series.

18. How much time do you spend on each comic?

If I know what is going to happen, it only takes me about half an hour to come up with an episode, most of the time I change dialogue or add in some last minute changes. In those cases it takes a bit longer.

s6

19. What is the hardest part for you when making a comic, the writing or the drawing?

The art isn’t the hardest to draw as you noticed so I’ll have to say the writing would be a little harder, just coming up with the story. That being said, I really enjoy both aspects of the comic.

20. Do you have a favorite ODS Steve episode?

It would have to be the first time the Superintendant is introduced. That would be episode 4. Although, the introduction of the double Spartan Lasers is a close second!

*End Note: The interrogators of this interview, Massaikur and PAraNoia817, are not sadistic people and we do not torture our interviewees (much)…Deepak, Thank you for agreeing to do this interview with us and letting us share it with both our own fans, as well as, yours. Best of Luck to you!

Interrogation of CruelLEGACEY

by MASSAIKUR, posted in Interrogation

The Interrogation

of

Nevin Douglas, A.K.A. CruelLEGACEY

The creator of

CruelLEGACEYProductions

Ah, yes people. It may have taken us a few months, but we finally ran our second Heretic into the ground with our trusty Warthog, Betty. I have to say, we’re pretty proud of ourselves with this hunt as Nevin didn’t even see it coming. We had him knocked down and tied up before he could say WORT?! The subsequent Needling and threats of… well, we’ll leave that part out, yielded a big fat juicy confession that was definitely worth the time it took us to track and capture this wily fellow. If you wish to know what kind of information we obtained from this one you’ll just have to read on…

1. Nevin, can you please tell us a little bit about yourself?
I am 28 and I’ve been performing in bands as a guitar player for more than 10 years now. I also work in a guitar store, making me a professional guitar geek. I’ve been married for almost 5 years now, and my wife and I live in downtown Toronto , which has been my home since day 1.

2. When did you first start playing Halo?
I got into Halo because of the hype. As a huge fan of the N64, I was an early Gamecube adopter as well. Over the first month or 2 of the Gamecube’s lifespan, I spent a lot of time enjoying games like Rogue Squadron, Wave Race, and a few other launch titles. It was my younger brother who first said to me “Halo is better than any of these games”. He’d gotten to play it at a friend’s house. So I watched some videos, read all the reviews, and came to the conclusion that Halo was a game that I really needed to play. At this time, 18 years old and still living at home, I had a full time job, so purchasing an Xbox was doable. I picked up my copy of Halo along with my Xbox, and was instantly blown away by it. I don’t think I blinked once during the entire first mission. I remember thinking to myself “This is it. This is the future of gaming.”

3. Of all the Halo series games, do you have a favorite, which one and why?
That’s tricky. As a complete package, I’d have to say Reach is my favorite. It is so strong in every single way. It is the most refined and polished across the board. I do have very fond memories of Halo 2. Of course the multiplayer was incredible, but I still think Halo 2 was the series highpoint in “Space Opera” storytelling. I loved the development of the Arbiter as a character, the Prophet of Truth was simply brilliant (best voice acting in a videogame EVER, in my opinion) and there was such an epic scale and sense of discovery during the missions on Delta Halo and High Charity. It also featured some of the best vehicle combat in the entire franchise… I could play that warthog rush through the tunnels of New Mumbasa all day!

I also think ODST is a very noteworthy game. I thought the tone and pace of the campaign was very powerful, and the mission design is perhaps the tightest in the series. It is also my favorite Halo game to play Co-Op. The levels are designed with the kind of branching paths that allow some great flanking moves if your team is coordinated.

4. What are your favorite UNSC and Covenant weapons to use?
I am a hug fan of the DMR. I’ll go on record as saying that reticule bloom is the best addition to Halo combat since hi-jacking in Halo 2. The DMR is a weapon that rewards skill, and patience, and strategy. Understanding how it works makes you feel truly powerful.

As for Covenant weapons, I’m a giant sucker for the Sword. I just can’t help, but pick it up and use it, even if I’m in the complete wrong situation for it. It’s too much fun.

5. Do you have a preference for any multiplayer game types and maps?
I like a little bit of everything. One of the reasons I love Halo so much is that it has a game type for every single mood I could possibly be in. If I’m feeling serious and competitive then I’ll jump into Team Slayer or SWAT. I always enjoy Objective games like CTF. I love the wacky custom games people have created, like Jenga, Monster Trucks, and of course Grifball.

But if I had to pick one game-type to play for the rest of my life, it would be Big Team Battle. To be, the BTB experience is everything that makes Halo special. I love the scale of the environments, and the interaction between vehicles and infantry. Halo 8 vs 8 walks that very fine line where things are crazy and hectic, but never quite fall apart. Just the right amount of chaos 🙂

6. How much Halo do you play on a daily basis not counting theater mode?
I don’t quite play every day, but only because real life gets in the way 🙂 On average, I probably spend about 10 hours per week playing Halo.

7. What do you think of the new Forge mode in Halo: Reach?
Ten years from now, people will look back at Halo Reach’s Forge Mode and say, “Wow that really was groundbreaking”. There are always nit-picky little things that can be improved, but when you step back and look at what you can do with the Forge Mode in Reach, it’s pretty clear to me that it is truly groundbreaking. The only unfortunate thing in my eyes is that most people who don’t play Halo are completely ignorant to what Forge can do, how it is being implemented back into matchmaking, or the amazing things the community is creating with it. Basically, I’m preaching to the choir. I told a friend of mine that I made a Halo map, and he said “Cool! What’s it like?” I told him it was a racetrack, and he said “wait, I thought you said it was a Halo map?” Outsiders really have no idea what the Halo community is doing.

8. Is there anything you wish Halo had that it does not?
There are always little things that I’d like to see them add, but I can’t complain. Halo fans already have so many more features and tools at their disposal than fans of other games do.
My “million dollar idea” for the future of the series would be to add some sort of Kinect integration with the Theater mode. Using Kinect to create motion-capture animations would be awesome for Machinima makers!

9. Are there any old armors and maps from the previous Halo games that you would like to see in Halo: Reach?
I think the armor selection in Reach is great. If I could add one thing, it would be an Arbiter Elite model. That would be awesome! As far as maps go, there are plenty of maps that I enjoyed in previous games that would be cool in theory, but in my experience the remakes rarely live up to the memory of playing them in their original game. I did play a forge-made remake of Coagulation from Halo 2 that I thought was a lot of fun. I like the base design much more than the current version. A friend of mine has built a great looking remake of Avalanche, but I haven’t had a chance to play-test it yet.

10. What are your thoughts on the rumors about the remake of Halo: Combat Evolved HD?
I’m excited about the possibility, but how excited I get would depend on the details of the remake 🙂 I replayed Halo CE just before Reach was released. In my opinion, the game has just been so greatly eclipsed by its sequels. What surprised me most was that it wasn’t the visuals that were pulling it down. There are just so many game-play elements that have been added to the series over the years. I found myself missing the ability to hi-jack vehicles, or use armor abilities, or assassinate enemies. The level design is also fairly hit and miss compared to the more modern Halo games.

So, the idea of a straight HD port of Halo CE would be cool, but I would much rather see an HD remake, with tweaked level design and some added abilities and weapons. Either way, I think it makes sense for 343 to do something before the next full-blown Halo release, just to work out the kinks. They’re under a massive amount of pressure. Their first game is going to be compared directly to Reach, so building some kind of remake would be a great way to get familiar with building a Halo game before they move into their first full release.
Personally, I would rather see 343 make a DLC campaign add-on to Reach with a few missions that follow Jun and Halsey after they leave the rest of Noble Team. That would be much more interesting to me than a Halo CE remake.

11. Why did you decide to make a blog dedicated to Halo?
It really started just as a way for me to take all the crap I make and put it in one place 🙂 I had these Halo 3 montages that I really liked, plus the first few episodes of The Fails of Reach all on my YouTube channel, and that was cool, but then I started working on the Legacy Racetrack, plus I had some screenshots I liked, and I wanted to start making Achievement guides…. it just got to the point where I realized that all this content deserved a place to call home.

12. How much time goes into working on your site and keeping it updated?
If we’re just talking about time spent writing and maintaining the site itself, it’s probably about 20 hours per week. Add in the time I spend editing videos, and of course playing Reach to record material, and it would be substantially longer 🙂

13. What do you like more making montages or taking screenshots?
I like taking screenshots in little bursts, but overall I prefer making montages.

14. When did you start making montages and why?
It all started with Halo 3 Fails. I must have watched the first 20 episode of that montage series about 50 times each…. I couldn’t get enough of it. There was a time, somewhere around Episode 25 or 26, when the guys making Halo 3 Fails had to stop because they were too busy with school. The series did continue eventually, but it was during that gap that I thought to myself “It’s too bad nobody is making Fail Montages quite like that anymore. I guess I’ll give it a try!” I’d been building up my own personal collection of fail clips using Halo 3’s theater mode, so I grabbed some editing software and got to work. I made several montages before I got the technical kinks worked out. The first full montage I released was simply titled “Halo 3 Montage by CruelLEGACEY”. I made a few more Halo 3 fail montages before moving on to The Fails of Reach montage series.

The one element I’ve retained for my Fail montages is that I use all my own clips. It means I can’t release new episodes as often, but I think it helps give my Fails of Reach series its own personality. I recently launched The Fails of Reach: Fan Fails Edition as a submission series, so I’m now doing both side by side. The Fails of Reach is still all my own clips, and the Fan Fails series is all submitted clips.

15. What montages and screenshots from your own work are your favorites?
I still laugh like an idiot every time I watch The Fails of Reach – Episode 2. There were some magical moments in that one. I’m probably the most proud of my videos that feature my racetracks: Legacy Grand Prix and Coastline Grand Prix. I spent a lot of time fine-tuning the camera works for those, and the music fits really well. For screenshots, my favorite is definitely the Halo 3 shot of my Warthog landing on a dude’s head in Valhalla . My character’s head is turned towards the camera in just the right way… you can picture him saying “Did I just hit something?” Totally cracks me up.

16. What gave you the idea to make LASO guides?
I was just so shocked that I was actually able to make it through a Mythic run, I though “People have got to see this!”


As I’ve said in my guides, there are some really incredible Mythic Guides out there already. Tyrant’s guides over at halo.bungie.org are the best in my opinion. As far as “why do I make my own?” I want people to be able to see that it is possible to get through a Mythic run, even if you’re not as good as someone like Tyrant. He is so good at Halo, and he’s played these campaign missions so many times, that it can almost be intimidating when you see him play through a level. When you watch my guides, you’ll see me screw up constantly. I’m making mistakes all the time; missing shots that I shouldn’t running out of ammo at the worst possible time, and all sorts of other goof-ups. Yet I still make it through! I’m just hoping that my guides will help encourage people to give Mythic a try, since completing a Mythic run is one of the most rewarding feelings I’ve ever had while playing a videogame.

17. Have you made any Forge maps? And what game type do they support?
I’ve made a couple racetracks. The first is called Legacy, and it’s a large cross-country style track on Forge World. I’ve always loved driving vehicles across natural terrain in Halo, and Forge World has so many great pieces of land for driving. I built Legacy just as a way to connect all these great bits of terrain together. It’s a blast for large groups, like 12-16 players. The second racetrack I made is called Coastline. It takes place on Tempest, giving it a nice visual identity that stands out from the thousands of Forge World creations we’re used to seeing. With Coastline, I still wanted to have some all terrain driving, but I did place much more emphasis on the constructed track than I did with Legacy. Overall, Coastline is a far more polished and well constructed map. I spent a lot more time testing and iterating, with several group test sessions. It’s a little more chaotic than Legacy as well, thanks to the explosive hazards and the jump through the EMP beam. It will support up to 16 players, but I find 8-12 players is the sweet spot for Coastline.

18. What links and support does your site provide for Halo gamers?
I have a simple “Contact & Links” page that provides links to many of my favorite Halo websites, which I’m constantly adding to. I’ve also just recently added a “Community Spotlight” feature section to the site. Once every couple of weeks, I feature a person or group within the Halo community by putting together a short article about them. I introduce them, and include a few paragraphs written by the subject of the feature, describing themselves and what they do, and I also link to their website or YouTube channel. I also like to include an example of the subject’s work within my feature. So if I’m featuring a group that makes Machinima, I’ll link to their YouTube channel and embed one of their videos into the article itself. The response so far has been great…. I think it makes sense for me to do this kind of thing because I dabble in so many different areas of the community. I get to meet a lot of people doing really cool things. Someone who spends 40 hours a week working in Forge might not be exposed to that much Machinima, or vise-versa. But I get people from all corners of the community visiting my site, and maybe they’ll discover something they really like that’s just outside their usual area of exposure.

19. Do you have any plans of breaking into Machinima?
I have lots of vague ideas, but nothing concrete enough to begin working on it. I’ve met someone whom I’m really excited to work with on a project, but it will take a little time bouncing ideas around before we go ahead and actually make something.

20. Do you have any up coming projects that you will be posting on your site in the near future and wish to provide a heads up about?
Right now, I have my hands full just trying to maintain and continue all the projects I’ve already started. I’m constantly working on new episodes for The Fails of Reach, as well as taking submissions for the next Fan Fails Edition (Fan Fails 3 is just about finished, so I’m now taking submissions for Fan Fails 4). I’ll be making my next Mythic guide sometime over the next couple of weeks… Long Night of Solace is going to be a tough one. Of course, I’m always looking to do new Community Spotlights, so if anyone wants to talk to me about getting their work featured they should contact me. I’m also considering writing more articles and reviews. I’ve posted a few pieces, such as my PAX East coverage, my Defiant Map Pack review, or my editorial on the future of Halo, that have gotten great responses from readers. I’d like to continue doing more written pieces like those, and I’m entertaining the idea of posting full game reviews when the mood strikes me.

21. Any tips for any Halo fans that are thinking of making they’re own Halo fan blog?
Go out of your way to meet other people in the community. You don’t have to be a pro forger to swing by Forge Hub or XForgery and introduce yourself, meet people, and generally see what’s going on. Check out the official Grifball leagues, contact other Halo fan sites, check out the machinima and montage sites to meet the filmakers, etc. The Halo community is so vast, it’s easy to tuck yourself into a little corner where you only interact with the people who are really into the exact same things that you are. That’s important, but it also limits your possibilities. Before I watched Tyrant’s Mythic guides on Halo.Bungie.org, I was never interested in attempting a Mythic run. Now my own Mythic guides are becoming a cornerstone of my website, and something that I get a ton of personal enjoyment from. Plus, people who thought they were only interested in Mythic guides will come to my site, and maybe they’ll end up watching one of my montages and decide they really like that sort of thing too. In my opinion, the main reason any of us do this is to share what we love about Halo with each other, so be proactive about going out there and taking an interest in what others are doing, and people will take an interest in what you do at the same time.

watch his videos on youtube!!!

follow him on twitter!!!

*End Note: The interrogators of this interview, Massaikur and PAraNoia817, are not sadistic people and we do not torture our interviewees (much)…Nevin, Thank you for agreeing to do this interview with us and letting us share it with both our own fans, as well as, yours. Best of Luck to you!

Interrogation of Slashprofilms

by MASSAIKUR, posted in Interrogation

The Interrogations

of

Brandon Gilbert, Creator of Slashprofilms and Slash Productions,

&

Partner in Crime Mario Santantonio…AKA: THE RED GUY


Well, people after a careful skewering, a few days on the rack, and one intense moment, (that involved the threatened use of hot coals) we finally have it. Our very first confessions… Alright, so we’re exaggerating, slightly. Who knew all it would take was pulling out a pair of rusty pliers to convince Brandon to talk? And the other one, ha! Don’t get me started… I know; you’re probably sitting there right now, thinking, what did they do to those poor guys? Nothing! I’m serious! We just asked a few questions. Huh, still don’t believe us do you? Just look for yourself… Well, LOOK!!

And FYI so no one is confused as to which Heretic gave the responses:

B is for Brandon

M is for Mario

*End Note at the bottom

Let’s begin!

1. Ok, guys can you please tell us a little bit about yourselves for instance- age, hobbies etc….?
B: I’m 19, my hobbies are Film making, singing/playing guitar, and going to the gym.
M: I’m 18 and my hobbies are film making, doing vocals/playing guitar, and playing games on my computer

2. When did you first start playing Halo?
B: I believe a couple weeks after it was released
M: I started playing halo when halo 3 came out

3. Of all the Halo series games, do you have a favorite, which one and why?
B: My favorite Halo, out of the game series, would have to be the first, because I felt there was more effort put into the story and how the game was designed.
M: My favorite would have to be Halo 3 just because it was the first halo game that I played regularly

4. What are your favorite UNSC and Covenant weapons to use?
B: Sniper, Sword
M: Spartan Laser, Beam Rifle

5. Do you have a preference for any multiplayer game types?
B: Big Team Battle without a doubt
M: Team Doubles just because of how competitive it was

6. Brandon, we noticed that you were able to achieve Recon armor in Halo3, how long did that take you?
B: Forever because I never play the game unless I’m filming
M: I don’t have recon armor 😦

7. How much Halo do you play on a daily basis not counting theater mode?
B: Once every new moon
M: Not often

8. What do you think of the new forge mode in reach? And will it play a part in future episodes?
B&M: It could if it is updated on the new and older maps. Forge mode had kind of a down grade in Reach as far as I’m concerned. The only map that has a lot of options is ForgeWorld, which makes us very limited to what we can do for videos

9. Is there anything you wish Halo had that it does not?
B: Elemental features, I have always wanted to be able to place rain or snow in ForgeWorld for all the maps in Halo and it never happened.
M: The ability to spawn clones of Spartans or Elites so that way we wouldn’t have to have a controller plugged in for a guy to just stand there in some scenes. It would be much faster if we could just spawn a Spartan or Elite to not move.

10. When did you first become interested in Machinima? Anything you credit for providing inspiration?
B: When I saw Red Vs Blue that first got me into the idea of making videos with Halo
M: I would have to say Red Vs Blue got me into making Machinima as well

11. How long have you two been making Halo Machinima?
B&M: Almost three years now

12. Is there a specific storyboarding process that you use when making your Machinima or do you sometimes just wing it?
B: We just about ad lib the entire thing unless it’s a big project. There we tend to write a plot and have a background story, but for our short comedies we just go with whatever comes to us.
M: Most of the ideas we have come from us just talking about different things and if what we are talking about makes us laugh enough then we usually end up making it into a video. When it is not a comedy video, though, it is almost always written down.

13. From start to finish on average how long does it take to make one episode?
B&M: If it is TYDSOH (Things You Don’t See On Halo) It would take us a day to two days. If it’s an action series or something more serious it could take weeks.

14. How many people are involved in the making of one episode?
B&M: Just us two.

15. Do you guys have any favorite Machinima episodes, which ones, and why?
B: Season 2 Episode 4 of TYDSOH because of the fart jokes and the constant SpongeBob references, Good bye Red Guy because of the whole scenario, Halo 3: Parasite because it was our first horror film that we ever made and came out much better than we planned.

M: The Jaws Parody would have to be my favorite. That video has always made me laugh no matter how many times I have watched it.

16. Which Machinima has been the hardest for you to make and why?
B&M: The Lost Spartan because it took so long for us to do and finish.

17. How many Machinima have you made so far?
B&M: 59 videos in all

18. Where did the idea for Things You Don’t See on Halo come from?
B: Well at first when I had the idea it was going to be about glitches and things that just shouldn’t have happened in any of the halo games. But I couldn’t do any of them so I decided to make random situations and scenarios that I thought were or would be funny to others.
M: It was Brandon ‘s idea, but I started helping him with it after he made the first couple episodes.

19. Where did the idea for Brandon and The red guy come from?
B: It came from all of the funniest situations that have happened to us when we would hang out together.
M: It was Brandon ‘s idea

20. Will these series be continued on the new Youtube channel (Slashprofilms)?
B: As far as Brandon & The Red Guy goes, yes, that will be continued, but not for awhile. TYDSOH will not be because that was one of our original series and we did many episodes and we feel it is getting old and will start to get repetitive very quickly
M: Brandon & The Red Guy is a series that didn’t get enough of a chance to become a full series and I definitely want to continue it. TYDSOH is a series that has been around for awhile and has had enough time to become a full series. Brandon and I both agree on the decision to not continue TYDSOH

21. Will you continue to use short jokes as your general format or will you be making more Machinima with longer story lines?
B: We are both older now so our humor has become a little more mature and, as far as, short jokes; the only thing that may be short is one liners. We will be shooting for longer videos and a more developed series of Machinima instead of just random things that pop into our heads at the time.
M: We have always wanted to make videos that were longer, but when we would put all the material we had into the video it would always come up to be much shorter than expected. We are going to be trying to make longer videos depending on what the video is. The Parodies will probably remain the shortest videos that our channel is going to have. With our Action Series, we’re going to make sure that they are a good length.

22. So we did some digging and noticed that you have an abandoned website (www.slash-productions.webs.com), do you have any future plans for it or will you stick to Youtube, Facebook and Twitter?
B: We are sticking with Youtube, Facebook and Twitter because it is more efficient and more connected socially with the fans. It’s also a much better and easier way of getting information out to everyone that watches our videos
M: Using Youtube, Facebook, and Twitter makes it much easier for us to keep in contact with our fans. I like to update Twitter a lot and I would really hope that more people start to follow us on Twitter because it’s very easy for me and Brandon to keep adding new information on what’s going on with the channel. Facebook is good for just chatting with the fans in general because everyone is welcome to ask their questions on there and we like hearing what you guys have to ask us.

23. Any new parody or series in mind that you wish to share with the rest of us?
B: One spoiler I will give is that we will be doing a remake of Lost Spartan, it will be in Reach and the story will be much more developed and in depth, better dialogue, action scenes, and will be better choreographed and longer than the original.
M: For a Parody spoiler I would have to say that I am very excited to be making The Predator Parody because we had originally wanted to make that a long time ago, but we just never did.

*End Note: The interrogators of this interview, Massaikur and PAraNoia817, are not sadistic people and we do not torture our interviewees (much)…Okay, in all seriousness. Brandon and Mario, Thank you for agreeing to do this interview with us and letting us share it with both our own fans, as well as, yours. Best of Luck to the both of you!

check out Slashprofilms on youtube

show your support by liking them on facebook

follow them on twitter

still massaikur’s favorite 5LA5HPR0DUCTION5 parody 🙂