CruelLEGACEY's Community Spotlight: Dust and Echoes

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From CruelLEGACEY:

Welcome to the Halo Waypoint Community Spotlight! The Halo community is, without a doubt, the most active, creative, and talented group of gamers in the world. This series will be covering some of the best and brightest our community has to offer: from forgers to machinima makers, podcasters, bloggers, artists, writers, and much more. Get to know some of your fellow Halo fans, and you just might grow to appreciate the games in a whole new way!

Today’s feature is all about a wonderful new Podcast called Dust and Echoes.

Coming to us from across the pond, Dust and Echoes is hosted by Tom and The Woaf, two friends who spend entirely too much time thinking about Halo. Who am I kidding, there’s no such thing as too much Halo!

Dust and Echoes quickly became one of my favorite podcasts for a variety of reasons. Tom and Woaf’s discussions are both thoughtful and entertaining, and there is a natural chemistry between the two that is always enjoyable to hear. There is also a level of polish and production value to the show that many podcasts lack. Plus they’re British, so everything they say sounds both smarter and funnier than anything I say!

I recently sent Tom and Woaf a list of questions about Dust and Echoes, and they were kind enough to share their answers.

CruelLEGACEY: It’s very clear to anyone who listens to your show that you are both very passionate Halo fans. What made you decide to do a podcast together? More specifically, what is it about podcasting that you found appealing over something like starting a blog, community site, or YouTube channel?

Tom: I’d been thinking of doing a podcast for a while, mainly from a newbie’s perspective for other newbies as I’ve only been playing Halo for a couple of years and I’m constantly learning things about how to play and the universe. Obviously Woaf was up for recording one due to his obsessive fanboy love of the franchise, so it made perfect sense to team up with him. Plus, he’s my friend and I like talking to him so I knew it would be fun.

I like the idea of a podcast because there’s an “in the moment” element to it that can often spark a hilarious moment or lead us towards a topic of conversation we wouldn’t have otherwise chosen. There’s a spontaneity element to it as well. I’ve redrafted this paragraph a few times because I have the luxury of doing so. Whilst we will do retakes of certain things if they don’t work (like the intro), it’s usually a case of “once I’ve said it it’s out there” and that sometimes brings the truth out in you. So I might be very inarticulate whilst discussing The Arena in Reach because I haven’t drafted what I’m going to say, but I know what I say will be genuinely how I feel. But that’s not to say we might not branch out into other areas in the future…

Woaf: For me it had to be a podcast. I’ve been into podcasting as a listener for a very long time! I work five nights a week doing a very dull, repetitive job that requires roughly a third of a human brain to do well. I need 37 and a half hours of aural stimuli each week, and I can’t afford to buy that much music.

The first podcast I discovered was the Bungie podcast in the run up to Reach. From there I discovered all the Halo fan podcasts, as well as podcasts on other topics I found interesting. It was awesome and after a while, I really wanted to get my own voice out there. I didn’t want to do it on my own, though! And I didn’t think anyone I knew in the real world would be up for it.

So, years later, when Tom actually suggested doing a Halo podcast, I jumped at the chance. We’d both had a bit of experience on a Doctor Who podcast I do with a bunch of mates, so we thought we knew what we were letting ourselves in for! We were wrong!

 

CL: In your own minds, what do you feel sets Dust and Echoes apart from other Halo podcasts? What makes it unique? I have my own answer to this question, but I want to hear yours first.

Tom: We don’t mention it often, and you might not have even noticed, but we’re British folk from a little island known as Britland. The majority of our listeners (or at least the ones who have made themselves known to us) seem to come from outside our country, and I think they enjoy what I do about American podcasts – a fresh perspective. It also helps that we automatically sound like James Bond and that makes us cool. No? Balls.

The other thing that works for us is our positive outlook. From time to time, there will be things we don’t like or are unsure of but usually we’re pretty open-minded about everything because we LOVE the franchise and everything that comes with it.

Woaf: Erm…editing? I spend a long time on post-production for each show. I cut out most of the coughs, sneezes, belches and awkward pauses. Maybe it’s that. Or perhaps it’s the English accents? Some people seem to think we know what we’re talking about, and I think it might be because our accents lend us authority.


CL: After listening to Dust and Echoes for the first time, I was struck by the conversational nature of the show. Most Halo podcasts have a very heavy “news” focus. Your show definitely covers the latest Halo news, but you also take the time to share your Halo experiences from the past week. Is this a conscious decision?

Tom: To an extent, it is. We definitely wanted to give our personalities a chance to shine through as I think you can enjoy a podcast more if you feel a connection with the people talking (or at least I do). We enjoy covering the news, especially going into Halo 4, but at the end of the day, as long as we’re talking about Halo, we’re happy, so partly it comes from that. Whatever topic we find most interesting to talk about at the time of recording is the one that we’ll run with. The “My Week In Halo” thing was Woaf’s idea, and it mimics how we talk to each other in real life really. If we’ve not spoken for a while, it won’t be long after meeting up again that we’ll start talking about matches we’ve played or things we’ve read on HBO. It just kind of carried over to the podcast, I guess.

Woaf: That started as time filler, I think! But it didn’t take long to become my favourite part of the show! What I love about Halo is the stories. Not just the canon of the games and novels and whatever else, but the fact that each play session has its own narrative if you pay attention. The best Halo stories are the ones that involve me, my friends, and the domination of either aliens or real people wearing a different coloured armour. I think that’s just as important as finding out the name of the mysterious forerunner planet or if there’s a BR in Halo 4.


CL: When you’re not playing Halo, what are your favorite branches of the community to explore? Do you enjoy watching machinima, participating in forums, reading fan fiction, etc?

Tom: Personally, I’m a big video guy. I love watching YouTube channels filled with tips, tricks, and fails. Machinima is something that I have massively grown into. When Woaf first showed me Red vs. Blue, I thought, “This is pretty lame!” Last night I ordered the 1-5 box set from the Rooster Teeth website. The more I explore the universe and the creations that the community have been inspired to bring to life, the more open-minded I’ve become. I’m not a big forum guy, though. I’d love to be, they’re a great way to meet friends and discuss your passions, but I struggle to deal with the negativity. I’m pretty sure I’d be banned early on for offensive language!

Woaf: I’ve never really been a forum guy myself. I’ll read ‘em, but I’ll rarely post. I love watching machinima. Tom and I would quite like to try our hand at that, but it could be a way off. I have to admit I’ve never read any fan-fic, unless you count Leviathans “Fistful of Arrows”.


CL: You’ve both expressed a love for the social aspect of playing Halo. What is it about playing with your friends that changes the experience so much for you?

Tom: For me, it’s the dynamic of working in a team. I like to talk when I play because it helps me focus and I don’t have the best situational awareness, so having a team that I can talk to and can get directions from is a big help to my K/D spread! I love using call outs and controlling a map, but it’s hard to do with randoms. I love the feeling that comes from sprinting across a map to save a friend from getting team killed. Most of all I love my friends, and there’s no better way to enjoy the game I love than with the people I love.

Woaf: I have to go back to my story answer from before. Saving a silent random teammate from impending death by headshotting his harassers is cool, but chucking a sticky onto a Warthog and flipping the thing before it can gun down your buddy, who is now clear to splazer that irritating Banshee to oblivion. That’s a different shade of awesome!


CL: Blackadder or Fawlty Towers?

Tom: It’s a tough call, but it’s got to be Fawlty Towers because Basil Fawlty is essentially the typical British male; snobbish, fairly pretentious, and full of repressed anger! Also, I do an excellent Manuel impression. “I know nothing!”

Woaf: BOTH! Don’t make me fight you! But if I could only take one to a desert island, it would probably be Blackadder. It appeals to my sense of irony (and goldy and indeed bronzey).


CL: We’re starting to get some substantial information on some of the new features coming to Halo 4. Which of these new features are you the most excited about? Which are you the most curious about?

Tom: I’m very excited to see how Cortana develops over the next three games. I was introduced to Cortana in Halo 3, where she became the bane of my life by interrupting me every five minutes and making me move at the pace of a snail. Since then, I have obviously expanded my knowledge on her and she has become one of my favourite characters. The AIs in Halo fascinate me, and I have a feeling she won’t be the only one making a reappearance…

I’m also hugely excited by the Spartan Ops system (besides the name). Anything that encourages team play in multiplayer gets my thumbs up, but this seems really ambitious and I love the fact that 343i are doing something that could have a massive effect on how games retain players after the initial purchase rush.

Woaf: It’s always the campaign that’s the biggest deal to me. That’s the meat in the delicious multilayered sandwich of a new Halo title! I can’t wait! The most exciting new feature has to be Spartan Ops, though. Really can’t wait to make my own unique Spartan IV and meet these new characters.


CL: Aside from the podcast, do you have any other projects you’re working on? Any projects you’d like to work on?

Tom: I’ll probably get into Halo videos soon. I have a few ideas that are kicking around this melon-shaped head of mine, so we’ll see. I’ve also had an idea for a series of written fiction based on the fall of Reach. I have a writing background so it would be fun to put some of those skills to use. If I can find the time I’ll expand my horizons, although virtually everything I do at the moment is Halo-related.

Woaf: I’m really excited by machinima, so I hope we get to try our hand at that somewhen! It’s going to take a little bit of money, though, so I’m going to have to do some saving!


CL: Anything else you’d like to share about Dust and Echoes?

Woaf: Erm… Just that if anyone reading hasn’t given us a listen yet, I’d love if it if you did. Then let us know what you think!

Tom: We both record in the nude. That is all.


I’d like to thank both Tom and The Woaf for taking the time to chat with us about Dust and Echoes! Please visit daepodcast.blogspot.com to check out their show. And thanks to all of you for taking the time to read about them!

Discuss Dust and Echoes here.

Nominate someone for a Community Spotlight Feature here.

Stay tuned for more Community Spotlight features coming soon!

- CruelLEGACEY
www.cruellegaceyproductions.com
www.playtimeshow.com