-
From Griefing to N00bs
XerxdeeJ stopped by to point out new content at Tied the Leader – an exhortation to Adopt a N00b (Do it! Suck ’em in!), and another look at dealing with people who, for whatever reason, are killing themselves continuously in your game. Good stuff!(Louis Wu 13:26:56 UTC)
-
Microsoft And Modchips, Part III: Imports
Yesterday I responded to Ozymandias’ reasons why he couldn’t endorse modchipping for adding new functionality, such as that supported by the excellent Xbox Media Center software, because it would harm Microsoft’s business model, in which they subsidize the hardware and depend on you buying software and accessories. The assumption here is that every hacker who uses his Xbox for running Linux and XBMC spends less time gaming and buys fewer games. The real allegation there, of course, is that all hackers are really interested in is pirating games.
Ozymandias listed one other reason he thought someone might want to modchip an Xbox, and, not surprisingly, he doesn’t condone this one, either.
Click “read more” below from the front page for the entire article.
-
Corrupt
Last week, bryboy remix’s video ‘Corrupt’ passed the MPRRS with flying colors – but we wanted to get hold of a higher-quality version before we released it. That came in today – so we’re posting it, in both WMP9 format (79.4 mb) and QuickTime format (79 mb). It tells the story of a disillusioned man who loses himself in dreams and flashbacks – but can he bring himself back to reality in time to save his people from a corrupt government? Great ambience, and wonderful voiceovers. As you can probably tell from the size, it’s long – 15 minutes. Grab a copy and tell your friends!(Louis Wu 01:18:55 UTC)
-
Weta Workers involved with Halo
Charles Walsh is (like the rest of us) dying for more info about the Halo movie – so he went digging around on the Weta Workshop website. He found four people who are (publicly) working on Halo assets: Greg Broadmore, Brad Goff
, Daniel Falconer, and Stephen Crowe. It’s not a LOT of info… but sometimes, the little stuff is enough! Googlemaniacs… get to work!(Louis Wu 00:56:07 UTC)
-
What the…
raheem azam sent us a note about a user on YouTube that has a series of short, low-quality videos of a Brute… breakdancing. Huh? If anyone can get better video of this… I’d love to see it. (And host it, of course.)(Louis Wu 00:52:16 UTC)
-
Submit your questions for Alex and Ryan from the Codex Series!

I’ll be interviewing Alex and Ryan at The Codex Series on Saturday August 5th. The Codex is a series of very well done machinima shows that is now on it’s second season. It’s also been featured on MTV among other places. Got a question you’ve always wanted to ask about the Codex, or maybe about machinima in general? Now’s your chance. I’ll be asking him the basics like a little about himself, how he got into doing this, what the Codex is about, etc. but beyond that it’s all you. Just post your questions in the comments for this post and if they’re good, I’ll pass them on to these guys. I’ll also be interviewing Matt from Red vs. Blue next week.
UPDATE: Because of some technical difficulties, this interview has been tentatively postponed until August 12th.
-
Submit your questions for Alex from the Codex Series!

I’ll be interviewing Alex at The Codex Series on Saturday August 5th. The Codex is a series of very well done machinima shows that is now on it’s second season. It’s also been featured on MTV among other places. Got a question you’ve always wanted to ask about the Codex, or maybe about machinima in general? Now’s your chance. Just post your questions in the comments for this post and if they’re good, I’ll pass them on to the man himself.
-
Submit your questions for Alex and Ryan from the Codex Series!

I’ll be interviewing Alex and Ryan at The Codex Series on Saturday August 5th. The Codex is a series of very well done machinima shows that is now on it’s second season. It’s also been featured on MTV among other places. Got a question you’ve always wanted to ask about the Codex, or maybe about machinima in general? Now’s your chance. I’ll be asking him the basics like a little about himself, how he got into doing this, what the Codex is about, etc. but beyond that it’s all you. Just post your questions in the comments for this post and if they’re good, I’ll pass them on to these guys. I’ll also be interviewing Matt from Red vs. Blue next week.
UPDATE: Because of some technical difficulties, this interview has been tentatively postponed until August 12th.
-
Backboned.
Bungie matched up against another gaming studio when their planned opponents for this week’s Humpday Challenge backed out at the last minute – and clearly, they went hunting for a studio that hadn’t actually had time to play Halo yet. (Because, I dunno, maybe they were… making games?) It was a rout – but apparently a fun rout, with no hard feelings on either side. (Except for Joe Tung and Lee Wilson, who couldn’t get enough of spawnkilling.) Go read about KP’s sniper whoring.(Louis Wu 22:56:45 UTC)
-
Humpday: Backbone Entertainment
Last night Bungie took on one of our multiplayer designers’ former employers in a Humpday Challenge. This challenge proves emphatically that, at least when it comes to game designers, we’re awesome. It also proves that one Multiplayer Designer might not be enough.
-
Halo 2 in Under 2 Hours
Cody Miller is reporting over at High Speed Halo that they have finally whittled down the overall time of their Halo 2 speedruns to under two hours. Congrats to Jeff Cousin for getting the run that finally pushed them under the 2 hour mark.
-
Community Member of the Month: Quality Jeverage

BrentGamer does his first interview for member of the month with Quality Jeverage: the artist behind Weekly Porridge and nerd role model. We get to learn how he got here, how he makes Weekly Porridge, and the most pressing question of all: whether he likes waffles or pancakes. Click “read more” for the full interview.
BrentGamer: I gotta do my Community Spotlight interview, and guess who the first community member to be interviewed is?
Quality Jeverage: Ooh, I’m getting all tingly inside.
BrentGamer: First of all, how did you come up with the name QualityJeverage? It sounds like a slogan for a catapult company.
QualityJeverage: A Catapult Company? That’s a new one. Anyway, to be honest, I don’t really remember how I came up with it. It was at least 4 years ago. The story I like to use nowadays is that I like the word “Beverage” (You can’t deny it’s a really cool word.), my name is Jeff, and of course, I’m a quality person. So you do some simple math and you end up with QualityJeverage! That’s really all there is to it.
BrentGamer: How did you learn about Podtacular’s existence?
QualityJeverage: It was way back, when Podtacular wore diapers and struggled to walk, around Episode 2. I was looking at Bungie.net, which, back then, was something I rarely did. As I scrolled down the page I noticed a tiny, out-of-the-way article that told of a Halo 2 Podcast called “Podtacular”. I thought to myself, “Why the hell not?”, so I followed the link and started listening. It’s really amazing that I found it, I almost NEVER went to Bungie.net back then, I was just very bored that particular day and decided to drop in. I guess I got lucky!
BrentGamer: Are you sure that Foo Mo Jive wasn’t sending you subliminal messages, telling you to join Podtacular?
QualityJeverage: Sometimes I wonder. That guy has always seemed a little off…
BrentGamer: How did you come up with the idea for Weekly Porridge?
QualityJeverage: Well, I first got the idea of doing a comic strip shortly after Spelchek left. He kept talking about his new podcast “The Electric Pony Show”, and I decided to drop by their website. While poking around, I found a comic strip that Spelchek had done called “Beret Day”. While reading it, I thought it would be a great idea for Podtacular to have something like that. It was just an idle thought though, I didn’t go anywhere with it. Then, about a month later, I was feeling bored and remembered that idea I had. So I decided I would give it a shot. First I had to tackle the name, I wanted something that started with P, because Podtacular started with P (That’s really how it happened. No complex planning process or anything.). The first word that came to my mind was, oddly enough, Porridge. I knew that wasn’t enough though, it needed something more. So I added a “Weekly” to the title, because I was planning on releasing a new strip each week. Of course nowadays, there are two strips each week, but I kept the original name because it had a great ring to it, somehow “Bi-Weekly Porridge” doesn’t sound very good.
To be honest, I had no idea the comic would be so well-accepted. I thought I’d be able to do 2, maybe 3 strips and then it would just sink. But people loved it, so I kept it going. At this point, I have no intention of stopping.
BrentGamer: So, 7 Day Oatmeal was never put into consideration when you were choosing a name for the comic?
QualityJeverage: Haha, no. Weekly Porridge was my first idea, and I stuck with it.
BrentGamer: How do you decide what to make a Podtacular member look like when you put them into Weekly Porridge?
QualityJeverage: Well, I go through a bit of a process in my head. First, I look at their personality, some of the people have very distinct and vivid personalities that can easily be translated into a visual. That’s rarely the case though, so I usually find ways to make things out of their names. Some are easier than others, for example, Cowbel is a giant Cow bell, that’s simple. But others require some imagination, one of my favourite characters is Dialpex. He’s a phone with massive, muscly arms. The phone part is obviously derived from “Dial”, but the “pex” wasn’t as easy. I eventually looked at it like “Pecks”, and while one’s “pecks” aren’t part of the arm, they do imply strength. So I gave Dialpex the persona of a very strong phone. If their names don’t give me ideas either, then I’ll just think of something funny.
My character is the exception to the rule though, I’m actually based on Spelchek’s character in Beret Day. If you can find that strip (I’m sure Spelchek would provide a link if asked.), you’ll notice that my character in Porridge is very similar in appearance to Spelchek’s.

BrentGamer: Final Question – Waffles or Pancakes?
QualityJeverage: Wow. That’s a tough one. You know, they’re both very strong contenders. Pancakes are nice and flat, so the your toppings will spread, but Waffles have nice little compartments for easy distribution. I’m going to have to pick Waffles, just because of all the possibilities. If you want a Waffle with syrup, and a waffle with butter, but not together, you can just do half-and-half! The toppings won’t spread because of those trusty compartments!
-
Community Member of the Month: Quality Jeverage
BrentGamer does his first interview for member of the month with Quality Jeverage: the artist behind Weekly Porridge and nerd role model. We get to learn how he got here, how he makes Weekly Porridge, and the most pressing question of all: whether he likes waffles or pancakes. Click “read more” for the full interview.
BrentGamer: I gotta do my Community Spotlight interview, and guess who the first community member to be interviewed is?
Quality Jeverage: Ooh, I’m getting all tingly inside.
BrentGamer: First of all, how did you come up with the name QualityJeverage? It sounds like a slogan for a catapult company.
QualityJeverage: A Catapult Company? That’s a new one. Anyway, to be honest, I don’t really remember how I came up with it. It was at least 4 years ago. The story I like to use nowadays is that I like the word “Beverage” (You can’t deny it’s a really cool word.), my name is Jeff, and of course, I’m a quality person. So you do some simple math and you end up with QualityJeverage! That’s really all there is to it.
BrentGamer: How did you learn about Podtacular’s existence?
QualityJeverage: It was way back, when Podtacular wore diapers and struggled to walk, around Episode 2. I was looking at Bungie.net, which, back then, was something I rarely did. As I scrolled down the page I noticed a tiny, out-of-the-way article that told of a Halo 2 Podcast called “Podtacular”. I thought to myself, “Why the hell not?”, so I followed the link and started listening. It’s really amazing that I found it, I almost NEVER went to Bungie.net back then, I was just very bored that particular day and decided to drop in. I guess I got lucky!
BrentGamer: Are you sure that Foo Mo Jive wasn’t sending you subliminal messages, telling you to join Podtacular?
QualityJeverage: Sometimes I wonder. That guy has always seemed a little off…
BrentGamer: How did you come up with the idea for Weekly Porridge?
QualityJeverage: Well, I first got the idea of doing a comic strip shortly after Spelchek left. He kept talking about his new podcast “The Electric Pony Show”, and I decided to drop by their website. While poking around, I found a comic strip that Spelchek had done called “Beret Day”. While reading it, I thought it would be a great idea for Podtacular to have something like that. It was just an idle thought though, I didn’t go anywhere with it. Then, about a month later, I was feeling bored and remembered that idea I had. So I decided I would give it a shot. First I had to tackle the name, I wanted something that started with P, because Podtacular started with P (That’s really how it happened. No complex planning process or anything.). The first word that came to my mind was, oddly enough, Porridge. I knew that wasn’t enough though, it needed something more. So I added a “Weekly” to the title, because I was planning on releasing a new strip each week. Of course nowadays, there are two strips each week, but I kept the original name because it had a great ring to it, somehow “Bi-Weekly Porridge” doesn’t sound very good.
To be honest, I had no idea the comic would be so well-accepted. I thought I’d be able to do 2, maybe 3 strips and then it would just sink. But people loved it, so I kept it going. At this point, I have no intention of stopping.
BrentGamer: So, 7 Day Oatmeal was never put into consideration when you were choosing a name for the comic?
QualityJeverage: Haha, no. Weekly Porridge was my first idea, and I stuck with it.
BrentGamer: How do you decide what to make a Podtacular member look like when you put them into Weekly Porridge?
QualityJeverage: Well, I go through a bit of a process in my head. First, I look at their personality, some of the people have very distinct and vivid personalities that can easily be translated into a visual. That’s rarely the case though, so I usually find ways to make things out of their names. Some are easier than others, for example, Cowbel is a giant Cow bell, that’s simple. But others require some imagination, one of my favourite characters is Dialpex. He’s a phone with massive, muscly arms. The phone part is obviously derived from “Dial”, but the “pex” wasn’t as easy. I eventually looked at it like “Pecks”, and while one’s “pecks” aren’t part of the arm, they do imply strength. So I gave Dialpex the persona of a very strong phone. If their names don’t give me ideas either, then I’ll just think of something funny.
My character is the exception to the rule though, I’m actually based on Spelchek’s character in Beret Day. If you can find that strip (I’m sure Spelchek would provide a link if asked.), you’ll notice that my character in Porridge is very similar in appearance to Spelchek’s.

BrentGamer: Final Question – Waffles or Pancakes?
QualityJeverage: Wow. That’s a tough one. You know, they’re both very strong contenders. Pancakes are nice and flat, so the your toppings will spread, but Waffles have nice little compartments for easy distribution. I’m going to have to pick Waffles, just because of all the possibilities. If you want a Waffle with syrup, and a waffle with butter, but not together, you can just do half-and-half! The toppings won’t spread because of those trusty compartments!
-
Tux Strikes Back.
I love it – Mile5123 stopped by to point out a great piece on his DeviantART site. We heart deadly penguins.(Louis Wu 21:41:25 UTC)
-
Prophecy Ep 1: The Threshold of War
Lordstemplar1 submitted Prophecy Episode 1 – ‘The Threshold of War’ to the MPRRS recently, and they gave it a thumbs-up. (You might remember the trailer, which came through a couple of weeks ago.) This one sets up the story – action’s a bit light, but tension is building. It was originally submitted encoded with the H.264 codec – this causes too many of our viewers problems, so I’ve reencoded it with standard QuickTime and WMP9 codecs. Grab it in WMP9 format (53.2 mb) or QuickTime format (54.6 mb) – and get ramped up for the next episode!(Louis Wu 21:11:01 UTC)
-
Community Member of the Month: Quality Jeverage

BrentGamer does his first interview for member of the month with Quality Jeverage: the artist behind Weekly Porridge and nerd role model. We get to learn how he got here, how he makes Weekly Porridge, and the most pressing question of all: whether he likes waffles or pancakes. Click “read more” for the full interview.
BrentGamer: I gotta do my Community Spotlight interview, and guess who the first community member to be interviewed is?
Quality Jeverage: Ooh, I’m getting all tingly inside.
BrentGamer: First of all, how did you come up with the name QualityJeverage? It sounds like a slogan for a catapult company.
QualityJeverage: A Catapult Company? That’s a new one. Anyway, to be honest, I don’t really remember how I came up with it. It was at least 4 years ago. The story I like to use nowadays is that I like the word “Beverage” (You can’t deny it’s a really cool word.), my name is Jeff, and of course, I’m a quality person. So you do some simple math and you end up with QualityJeverage! That’s really all there is to it.
BrentGamer: How did you learn about Podtacular’s existence?
QualityJeverage: It was way back, when Podtacular wore diapers and struggled to walk, around Episode 2. I was looking at Bungie.net, which, back then, was something I rarely did. As I scrolled down the page I noticed a tiny, out-of-the-way article that told of a Halo 2 Podcast called “Podtacular”. I thought to myself, “Why the hell not?”, so I followed the link and started listening. It’s really amazing that I found it, I almost NEVER went to Bungie.net back then, I was just very bored that particular day and decided to drop in. I guess I got lucky!
BrentGamer: Are you sure that Foo Mo Jive wasn’t sending you subliminal messages, telling you to join Podtacular?
QualityJeverage: Sometimes I wonder. That guy has always seemed a little off…
BrentGamer: How did you come up with the idea for Weekly Porridge?
QualityJeverage: Well, I first got the idea of doing a comic strip shortly after Spelchek left. He kept talking about his new podcast “The Electric Pony Show”, and I decided to drop by their website. While poking around, I found a comic strip that Spelchek had done called “Beret Day”. While reading it, I thought it would be a great idea for Podtacular to have something like that. It was just an idle thought though, I didn’t go anywhere with it. Then, about a month later, I was feeling bored and remembered that idea I had. So I decided I would give it a shot. First I had to tackle the name, I wanted something that started with P, because Podtacular started with P (That’s really how it happened. No complex planning process or anything.). The first word that came to my mind was, oddly enough, Porridge. I knew that wasn’t enough though, it needed something more. So I added a “Weekly” to the title, because I was planning on releasing a new strip each week. Of course nowadays, there are two strips each week, but I kept the original name because it had a great ring to it, somehow “Bi-Weekly Porridge” doesn’t sound very good.
To be honest, I had no idea the comic would be so well-accepted. I thought I’d be able to do 2, maybe 3 strips and then it would just sink. But people loved it, so I kept it going. At this point, I have no intention of stopping.
BrentGamer: So, 7 Day Oatmeal was never put into consideration when you were choosing a name for the comic?
QualityJeverage: Haha, no. Weekly Porridge was my first idea, and I stuck with it.
BrentGamer: How do you decide what to make a Podtacular member look like when you put them into Weekly Porridge?
QualityJeverage: Well, I go through a bit of a process in my head. First, I look at their personality, some of the people have very distinct and vivid personalities that can easily be translated into a visual. That’s rarely the case though, so I usually find ways to make things out of their names. Some are easier than others, for example, Cowbel is a giant Cow bell, that’s simple. But others require some imagination, one of my favourite characters is Dialpex. He’s a phone with massive, muscly arms. The phone part is obviously derived from “Dial”, but the “pex” wasn’t as easy. I eventually looked at it like “Pecks”, and while one’s “pecks” aren’t part of the arm, they do imply strength. So I gave Dialpex the persona of a very strong phone. If their names don’t give me ideas either, then I’ll just think of something funny.
My character is the exception to the rule though, I’m actually based on Spelchek’s character in Beret Day. If you can find that strip (I’m sure Spelchek would provide a link if asked.), you’ll notice that my character in Porridge is very similar in appearance to Spelchek’s.

BrentGamer: Final Question – Waffles or Pancakes?
QualityJeverage: Wow. That’s a tough one. You know, they’re both very strong contenders. Pancakes are nice and flat, so the your toppings will spread, but Waffles have nice little compartments for easy distribution. I’m going to have to pick Waffles, just because of all the possibilities. If you want a Waffle with syrup, and a waffle with butter, but not together, you can just do half-and-half! The toppings won’t spread because of those trusty compartments!
-
Carved Plasma Rifle for Sale
Very nice. AngelicLionheart found a solid oak carved plasma rifle on eBay – starting bid is $150, buy it now price is $25 higher, there are just about 2 days left. Pretty nicely done! Check it out.(Louis Wu 19:33:53 UTC)
-
Halo for Hunger IV
Over at Bungie.net, there’s an announcement about a Halo 2 tourney for charity in Wisconsin, coming up next weekend. $5 (or 5 cans of non-perishable food items) gets you in, prizes come from a lot of places. Visit B.net for more info!(Louis Wu 18:33:12 UTC)
-
Corpseguy’s Halo armor – 95% complete
Whoa, very cool. You might remember corpseguy – he was working on a Halo helmet. He stopped by the HaloPlanet forums today – looks like he’s nearly done with the full suit! Looks fantastic. Thanks, hedfones.(Louis Wu 17:55:49 UTC)
-
Halo on XBLA speculation
IGN interviewed Greg Canessa, the leader of the Xbox Live team, about the future of Xbox Live Arcade; there are a few questions pertaining to the Halo franchise. Nothing definite, nothing in the near future… but some interesting ideas. Thanks, beaurichardson.(Louis Wu 17:44:30 UTC)
