The Interrogation
of
Deep Cee; Spirits of Fire Clan Member
And Creator of
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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