Hello, and welcome to what is possibly the longest front page article ever written on HaloCustoms. Because the text below comes in such a large quantity, I’ll keep the intro brief. Enjoy reading!
Hey fizkoduk!
1) What is your most memorable gaming experience? All games/platforms.
2) When did you first meet Darth Human and BevansLaw and how did this lead to you becoming part of THFE?
3) Do you worship our lord and savoir the Sexobot9000? Which is also known as "Geth Juggernaut".
1. If I had to boil it down, it would probably fall between three different games of Halo I’ve played. They are described below.
a. The first game was the first time I really got the thrill of driving a warthog in Halo. My friend was over and we were playing the Team Slayer playlist in Halo 3. We got Standoff and quickly proceeded to hop in our ‘hog. I drove and got my buddy a solid 15+ kills on the gun. The next three or four games we played that night were also on Standoff with similar results. I’d used the ‘hog just plenty prior to this, but this was the first time I really began to realize the ‘hog’s potential as a skill vehicle within the Halo sandbox. Much of my love of BTB has come out of this moment.
b. The second game was played in Reach. Just as the first game involved racking up wheelman medals, so did this one. However, this game was more of a shenanigan-filled shutout than a test of skill as the first game had been. This was a game of Big Bro Slayer on Spire, and I racked up a solid 40 wheelman medals (I believe in a single life) with my friend on the gun. At one point, the score was something like 70-6 with our falcon flying causing our opponents to begin committing suicide. I also accidentally splattered two hostile players this game, one with the underside of the falcon and the other with one of the rotors.
c. The third game was in our good friend, Halo 4. This was another extreme test of skill involving a warthog. We were playing CTF (don’t worry, we weren’t playing standard H4 settings) on Fuggedaboudit! In an SvC. Shoe and I got in the ‘hog and racked up some kills. I placed the warthog exactly where it needed to be, when it needed to be there and Shoe didn’t miss a shot. This was easily the most effective use of the warthog I’ve ever seen with it effectively locking down our entire half of the map. Of course things would have been different had our opponents coordinated better to take us down, but still. Hella fun.
2. My first interactions with Darth Human were on ForgeHub. I knew the guy made cool mini games, and I knew he was dissatisfied with the ForgeHub staff. The latter was something we had in common. Let’s put it this way, any beefs you may have with HC staff would pale in comparison with that site’s leadership at the time. At one point after being directly insulted by several staff members and their friends for giving them some perfectly valid feedback on their map which they didn’t want to hear, I became particularly dissatisfied. Fast-forward a month or so and I was talking to AbleSir Thomas (one of two Invasion guys at THFE at the time) about an Invasion project Shoe and I were working on. Then Oakley (who I’d never really talked to before) joined us. Oakley told me that Darth had been nagging him to feature my map: Cargo Port for ages. Then, Darth joined. He was raving about this S-shaped BTB map he had just been playing which happened to be my very own S. A chat followed about how THFE didn’t feature standard competitive maps, and one thing led to another. My wealth of forge knowledge at the time wasn’t the best around, but I did have a wide range of experience. I’d been testing maps on ForgeHub for a good while, and I guess Darth and Oakley believed in me despite my first few commentaries being rather bad. I didn’t have much contact with Bevans Law until a good while later when Oakley and I were talking to him about potentially breaking away from THFE due to reasons which I’d rather not make public. Prior to the discussion with Able, Oakley, and Darth described above, I had little interest in THFE and had never had any inclination to attempt to become a part of it. It’s funny how things change.
3. Frankly, I prefer the SexBot9001, also known as the Alliance Infiltration Unit. But hey, if I actually got the damned Juggernaut some time I’m sure I’d enjoy using it.
1. On the subject of DestinyRaids, 10/10 would staff again? (would you, if given the opportunity, be a staff on DestinyRaids?)
2. Is there a current plan for the future THFE (not to push a touchy subject, but I have been noticing a recent downward trend in uploads). If not, what will you do next?
3. Can we have a HC holiday where you or all the staff speak in Elcor-English? (I’d be willing to start a pole for it or some other holiday if the answer is yes). Also, on a possibly related note, what the crap is sexobot9000?
1. DestinyRaids is something I’ve not thought too much about. Thus far, I have been offered positions at two Destiny community sites as well as a few YouTube channels. Which one I pick, if any, will depend on circumstances which I can’t foresee at this time. I’ve put a hell of a lot of time into the Halo community, and I’d rather just have an opportunity to enjoy playing Destiny without all of the politics and time consumption of being a community leader. We’ll see what happens.
2. There has not been a recent downward trend in THFE uploads. A few months ago, due to several factors including time constraints, quality control, Halo 4’s lack of popularity, and my own sanity, I decided to re-work THFE’s upload schedule. Currently, we publish a new map feature each Tuesday, a throwback feature each Thursday, and a miscellaneous video on Saturdays depending on what we have in our stockpile at the time. My commitment to THFE has not waned, and I couldn’t be happier with our current team. Now that the newer members of that team are warmed up, it’s only gonna get better.
3. I don’t know that Elcor speech is particularly interesting in text format, and I think that my time could probably be better used on things aside from creating an Elcor-theed holiday on a Halo forum, but there’s always room for more Elcor in the universe. We’ll see. The SexBot is the name often given to the Alliance Infiltration Unit character in Mass Effect 3 multiplayer. The character is a robot with some serious curves. The SexBot9000 is Snake’s nickname for the Geth Juggernaut.
1. Who are Dax and Dux attacking?
2.Whan wull u guys tart a quizk szcope no szcope tornomant?????
3. Did number 2 count as a question?
1. Dux and Dax are on the Attax. Who are we attaxing? You never know, but we come in the night.
2. Has anyone really been far even as decided to use even go want to do look more like?
3. A wasted question, yes.
1) Can I still by used silverware from you guys? I’m kinda out of used silverware.
2) Where do you have your Ph.D. for Fizkology from?
3) I’m not 12 but I wanna meet XXProSnipesMLG420XX and become a MLF. Can you introduce me?
1. I’m not sure if April Fools jokes are supposed to roll over from year to year or not. However, we do have this large box of used forks sitting around…
2. I suppose it probably came from the university in the Town of Pl0x.
3. You spelled it wrong, it’s “xXProSniepzMLG420Xx”. You gotta pay attention to the details. Also, give me some helium or tie a knot around my testicles and you’ll be able to talk to him whenever you want.
Is Sunday the most inactive day on halo customs, and if yes or no, than what is the most active day.
1. That sounds like a perfect question to ask a Webmaster or admin. Seeing as I am neither of those, I can’t really help you here.
1. If you had developer resources and the skills to use them, describe the BTB map you would create for an ideal Halo game. (Not Halo 4 clearly.)
2. If you could design an anti-vehicular weapon for said game also, what would it be called and how would it work? (Assume the rest of the weapons in the sandbox aren't broken. )
3. If there's not a Warthog in Destiny, can I stand on top of your Shrike with an LMG?
Author’s note: Serious questions?! I thought those went out of style a few posts ago!
1. So an ideal Halo game in terms of BTB would have a warthog which functioned quite similarly to the one in Halo 4. However, players would not spawn with plasma grenades or plasma pistols and the Holy Triumvirate of vehicle counters would be firmly intact. Players would also not possess sprint by default, but would rather possess default ability similar to the thruster pack ability, allowing them to strafe and pull off similar jumps to those which sprint allows for. I’m tempted to say that I would build Panic Attack in a Forernner theme with asymmetrical visual elements for player orientation. Thus far, I can’t think of a better way to create a rich and competitive BTB experience. That said, creating something new would be more fun. My vision involves a sort of asymmetrical map set in, around, and atop skyscrapers in a setting resembling Halo Reach’s Exodus. The map would incorporate ‘hog jumps to create directional flow for vehicles and would also center in one way or another around a player activated switch. Infantry-vehicle interaction would be perfected by balancing travel times, sightlines, and the design of individual areas to cater equally to both infantry and vehicles. The map would be ideal for One Flag CTF and Territories. Visually, the map would be stunning with epic drop-offs beneath the playable space and a skybox not entirely different from Skyline’s. There would be buildings extending far above the playable space as well, creating the sort of epic overhanging structures which remind you you’re playing a Halo game. I couldn’t tell you more than that without actually exploring the tools as my disposal and thinking about a layout for a long while.
2. For some context on this weapon, let me describe my vision for the player loadouts in the game. Loadouts would offer a choice among primary weapons, and secondary weapons. Grenades would be fixed as default frags. Armor abilities and perks would be entirely absent, and remember players would have a thruster ability rather than sprint by default. The primary weapons would be the same offering we currently have in Halo 4 but with auto-aim characteristics of each weapon more refined. Assume these primaries are each balanced to fit within a given niche. There would be three secondary weapons to choose from, being the magnum (no changes here), a machine pistol, and a hand cannon. The magnum would have the longest range of the three and a scope, making it the perfect choice for players using an automatic primary. The machine pistol would be just the opposite, a counterpart for the precision rifles which is best used to strip shields at close range and to be followed up with a headshot from the player’s primary. The hand cannon would have something like a five-shot magazine. It would not be particularly accurate, but would pack a lot of punch, killing players in three shots (don’t worry, the fire rate is slow, kill times would be comparable to precision primaries at close range). This weapon would also offer mild stopping power against vehicles, making it the weapon of choice for players wishing to team-shot or merely deter vehicles before grabbing a power weapon from a key location to take the vehicle down.
3. The answer to this question is yes, independent of the inclusion or lack thereof of a two-man ‘hog-esque vehicle in Destiny. Mong-hogging is always the answer, Shoe. Still, having a ‘hog would be nice too.
I. On a scale of 55.23 to e^55.23, how excited are you for BattlefrontIII?
III. Thoughts on the movie Frozen: Yay or nay?
IV. Do you prefer roman numerals for numbering things or regular ol’ numbers?
1. You know, I actually forgot that Battlefront III was going to be a thing. This is a game I would have been incredibly excited for eight or nine years ago. My excitement about new games has waned with age, but I am definitely intrigued by the announcement of this game as well as the fact that it’s being developed by Dice. More details on the game would be needed before I could give a straight answer. Way to attempt to devise an unnecessarily complicated rating scale.
2. I haven’t seen it, but my sister’s renditions of some of the songs from the film have been quite obnoxious.
3. While Roman numerals had their day and still have their uses, the Arabic-Indic number system used throughout the world today is decidedly more efficient. A positional decimal system is superior in terms of its uses in mathematics and its comparative simplicity when referring to large numbers.
1. Can u plz promote halowatcher on thfe, phil?? Thx 4 listenin
2. ur kdr and csr in team snipers??
3. Preferred BRs of choice in your order: H2 Battle Rifle, H3 Battle Rifle, or H4 Battle Rifle? Reasons why they’re in this order, if any?
1. Phil’s actually not in good shape at the moment. His diet of energy drinks and crack cocaine seems to have not been the healthiest of choices. Still, I’m sure he’d be happy to promote the HaloWatcher if he was promised vast sums of views and the money and satisfaction from doing so. After all, Phil lives for nothing but views and money with no thoughts given to actually providing his viewers with quality content. Phil doesn’t have anything to do with THFE, though.
2. Seeing as I have played a whopping zero games in the Team Snipers playlist, I suppose the answer to each part of the question could be seen either as “zero” or “n/a”. Take your pick.
3. Halo 4’s Battle Rifle is clearly the most visually appealing of the bunch, but sadly it’s only in Halo 4. Halo 3 was plagued by netcode issues despite being an incredible game by all other accounts. I don’t remember the exact qualities of the Halo 2 BR off the top of my head. So, I guess it’s a bit of a toss-up.
1. Do you remember the first map we played a 2vs2 on duck? (hint it was with redy93 back in Reach, one of the features on THFE)
2. Who is the The Psycho Duck? (Tell me something about you that would interest us that we didn’t already know)
3. What was your first map/game-type and on what game “H2, H3…” . (link to thread if there is one.)
1. Without the hint about it being a map I featured, I would have had no idea. However, after reviewing some footage the map in question would appear to be The Knowing by Xinshu. Thank you for making me revisit my old videos to answer this. My commentaries and freecam footage from that era make me cringe.
2. So, you want a fun fact about me, eh? Let’s go with my love for music. Music is a really important part of my life, and I am a big fan or a variety of meaningful and well-crafted toons. I play guitar and have recently begun teaching myself piano as well. Some of my favorite bands include Dream Theater, Nine Inch Nails, Pink Floyd, Rush, and Metallica. I also enjoy Muse, Porcupine Tree, Queens of the Stone Age, Pantera, Animals as Leaders, Styx, Tool, A Perfect Circle, Coldplay, and many others.
3. I would have assumed that this question was asking what the first map I made in a Halo game was and what mode(s) it was designed for. However, your inclusion of Halo 2 among the list of options made me question that given Halo 2’s lack of a map editing tool. So, are you instead asking what map and game type I played the first time I ever played Halo? If so, then it was probably part of a campaign mission on Halo CE in co-op. The first multiplayer map I played in a Halo game must have been Blood Gulch, most likely on Slayer. This would have been close to ten years ago now.
Already, question time!!!
1. Is there any other ducks out there?
5. Did you know I skipped questions 2, 3, and 4?
10000. Did you noticed that I skipped questions again?
1. You mean “are there any other ducks out there”? Why yes, while I can’t give you exact numbers of the Earth’s current duck population, I would imagine it numbers somewhere in the millions. If, however, you’re asking if there are other webbed-footed fellows in the Halo community, I would draw your attention to petetheduck and AbsentDuck. I’m sure there are others as well.
2. In fact, I did know that. Your creativity and wit are simply astounding. The only thing I could compare them to would be your ability to waste an opportunity to ask something useful, interesting, or actually witty.
3. Wow! Even more creativity. I did, in fact, notice yet again.
1. What other animal would you be other than a duck?
2. can u feeture my minigame that friend made he want it on youtube and download link in my fileshare also, where's oakley?
3. What do you think is the most important thing to remember when making a 2v2 or 4v4 map?
1. If I had to pick any animal to be, it would likely be a human. Seeing as I already am one, I suppose that’s a boring answer. Instead, I would have to go with a sea otter because I would be so cute that my life would be complete.
2. No. Oakley is merely exploring other interests due to a combination of a lack of interest in Halo 4 and an increase in demands on his time from other sources. Fun fact: Oakley kept the channel running smoothly a few weeks ago when I was gone on vacation. I bet you didn’t even notice.
3. The most important thing to remember when making a 2v2 or 4v4 map is likely the fact that you are making a 2v2 or 4v4 map. If you don’t remember that, your map is bound to turn out rather poorly. Aside from that, it is always important to remember where your towel is. If you are already a frood who knows where his towel is, the most important thing to remember is arguably the following. Just about anyone could make a balanced 2v2 or 4v4 map, what makes a map stand out is the creation of an experience. Adding in elements which force players to work together and try new strategies will add depth to your map, effectively creating a learning curve. The inclusion of multi-purpose geometry is an important part of this, with objects and areas taking on different functions in different scenarios. Elements of a map which serve only one purpose have no depth; try to think about creating geometry which creates depth. Of course, keeping in mind which specific game types you’re designing for is also important, and the list goes on and on.
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