Interviews with Stars of the Community Volume 46: Media Bias

[Drizzy_Dan]

Ok so like I mentioned last time, there are usually always interviews going on. This one was my second most recent that finally came to a close and I gotta tell you I enjoyed it through and through. I got in touch with one of the admins over at Halo Archive where I spend a lot of time and get a lot of news from so we could do this and shed some light on what their community and site customs are like. 

 

 

 

 

DD: "How long has Halo Archive been in existence? I don't mean as a forum only but as an entity if it was around before it had an official home"

MB: "Well the Halo Archive has actually been around for about 5 years or so, although it was more of just a small member base of old Bnet users and eventually Waypoint members as well. I'd say there were maybe 5-10 of them that just would find a chat box somewhere to talk Halo more in depth - more of a clan like entity than a community.Throughout the years it slowly grew however.

 

The first major forum was Zetaboards (2012), which had probably 30 members or so. There was a chat box and various threads just used for archive purposes: quotes, interviews, hints etc...It was essentially only deep lore enthusiasts that ventured there. Then in February 2014 Proboards was created and we moved the member base, which is when I joined the staff. That's where the Halo Archive started making a name for itself and beginning to be treated as a legit community. We adopted an actual website, started blogging, reporting news etc...and then earlier this year in March we bought IP Board and created a new forum/website and have tons of traffic from lore fans all over the world. It's really crazy to think of how this whole thing started...we didn't really hit the scene until late last year and just started being taken seriously a few months ago, to the point where we have 20k+ views a day."

 

DD: "That's awesome and I gotta tell you I love Halo Archive. I'm there all the time. It's got a great community too full of knowledgeable individuals on all levels of Halo. What triggered your love for Halo lore and wanting to know more of it?"

MB: "For me personally it was definitely Halo 3, even though it may have the most plot holes. The key thing to keep in mind is I never actually had an Xbox prior to Halo 3 releasing, so I had minimal amount of experience with the campaign. Sure I played Halo 2 a bunch at my friend's house, but the story I was not aware of. That all changed when I picked up a 360 and Halo 3. 

 

I think the Ark mission was what really set it off for me, seeing the Milky Way in the sky right when you drop in was so cool. The Forerunner architecture, the terminals...everything. From there I just became more and more of a fan, playing multiplayer all the time, beginning to read the books. Actually the first book I ever read was Fall of Reach, although probably 5-6 years after it released. 

 

Once 343i took over I became much more entrenched into the story than ever before and here I am now."

 

DD: "We're actually in the same boat on just about all of the above! So for anyone looking to expand on their Halo knowledge, where do you recommend to look? Maybe after the Halo Archive that is."

MB: "I'd definitely say Halo Canon YouTube Channel. ToaFreak, the owner and creator, is a mod over at Waypoint and knows just as much lore as about anyone I have ever met. It's also a nice change up from the forum style and text, it may be easier for new Halo fans to understand the lore by watching his videos. 

 

I highly recommend it, he's also a partner of ours and we do a lot of videos in unison with him."

 

DD: "That's really awesome congrats on the partnership! I've seen some of Toa's videos and I enjoy them. You guys at the Archive certainly have the most savvy members and affiliates when it comes to the Halo Universe. Someone in particular that stands out is DilDev. She's an absolutely incredible analyst and writer. So, shouts to DilDev here if she reads this. What is your favorite canon piece in Halo?"

MB: "She's insanely good at her position, great actually. We've told her that countless times and thanked her for sharing her blogs on our website. She even had William Dietz, author of the Flood, comment and tweet out the article. I'm just fascinated by the Halo community sometimes, especially the lore side. We all get into it so much and becomes part of our lives, taking themes and lessons with us. I love it.

 

As for my favorite piece of Canon, its definitely Halo Silentium. Greg Bear's trilogy was downright perfect in my opinion, and it was capped off with the best one out of the three. Not only is it filled with Forerunner lore, but that book went into actual physics theory and astronomy. It was such an interesting read, and near the end of it

I truly felt the pain of the Forerunners activating the Array. I had not really thought of it from that side, but suddenly I felt bad for all of the imaginary life in the galaxy.

 

Aside from the Forerunner saga, I really enjoy Halo Origins Part 1 & 2."

 

DD: "Excellent choice. I know a lot of people can agree with you on that one. So do you think it's important for Halo fans to know more about the lore? Why?"

MB: "I think so, not only because I feel they would enjoy it, but mainly because 343i is pushing it more than we have ever seen. Everything from the Hunt the Truth series to 5 novels being released this year, we know they really want the story of Halo to be our generation's Star Wars. I think it has the potential, whether or not they are able to push it enough remains to be seen. Not to change direction here, but if they really want people to be interested they need to capitalize on TV/Cinema. That's the only way in my opinion to push it beyond it's "video game boundary" that it currently has labeled on it. Halo Nightfall was a bit of a flop with critics and fans alike, and we still have the Steven Spielberg produced TV series on the way. Which by the way, I fully believe is the "second season" of Hunt the Truth."

 

DD: "Now that would be truly interesting. I think a lot of people can agree with me when I say Petra Janecek is a strong character and this next season will be just as riveting, if not more so, than the first season. Halo is bound tightly to its video game label and I'm hoping Spielberg will be able to persuade people otherwise and hopefully build the fanbase. Alright, let's jump to Halo 5: Guardians. What did the multiplayer beta do correctly in your opinion?"

MB: "The beta in my opinion was great for the first week. After that, it slowly went down hill for me when they were experimenting with the maps/load outs/etc...which does not mean I disliked the beta. Overall, I think it is a step in the right direction and will bring Halo Multiplayer back to the forefront of console gaming. I'll break it up into what I saw through positives and negatives:

 

Positives:

• The maps were great in terms of aesthetics and playability/movement (more on this later)
• The assault rifle is finally useful and I don't have to rush for a BR
• The entire weapon catalog seems more balanced
• The spartan abilities are not game-breaking at all, and it feels natural that everyone has them at the beginning of the game (stays true to Halo)
• I enjoy the fast movement/gameplay over Halo 2/3 speed even though Halo 2 was my favorite of all time, so this is a plus in my opinion. 
• It just feels more modern, while staying true to that arena combat.

Negatives:

• When they altered the maps, I really didn't have fun on them...not too much else to say on that. Hopefully they keep the originals and tinker with those.
• BR Starts. This game is finally balanced in the sense that you can spawn with an AR and defeat someone with a BR, so it encourages map movement. When there were BR starts, people seemed to stagnate on opposite ends of the map and just hold position. I enjoyed more map movement that was encouraged by starting with the AR.

Honestly that was about it, I think one thing I hope they get right is the ranking system. Halo 2 is the perfect ranking system and always worked the best out of any game I have ever played, so hopefully they use that AND make it visible. If they can get ranks down and complete, that should automatically make people more inclined to keep playing."

 

DD: "I really did seriously enjoy the beta but I can agree with the majority of the points you brought up (even though I'm a huge BR fan). I noticed something epic recently that occurred on Halo Archive and that was our lore lord Grim's appearance and acknowledgement of the Canon Fodder discussion thread! Fantastic stuff. Do you have any personal conversations with Grim like are you guys working on something together or does he just decide when to chime in on the thread?"

MB: "You know I haven't really, although he has been in touch with us very informally before through Twitter messages and tweets as well. He's always really open to responding and giving us the time of day. Actually just recorded the first Halo Archive Q & A last night and we go into more detail into 343i and the contact we've had with them. Stay tuned for that, should be out next week!"

 

DD: "It's amazing you guys are able to get in contact with them and that they appreciate their fans so much. Something I respect and adore about 343 besides their dedication to the lore and good storytelling. I'm quite jealous! I'll of course be looking out for the Q&A next week as I'm there all the time. So we're 6 weeks out from Halo 5: Guardians if you can actually believe that. Halo 5: who lives and who dies if you had to guess or infer from what we've seen *cough* Jul/Locke *cough*?"

MB: "I say Chief dies.

 

No just kidding. I think Jul gets rekt, but I'm not sure by who. I also would say Palmer has a chance at getting hurt too in my opinion. 

 

On the other hand I think Locke lives and Im crossing my fingers for both teams to stay alive as well."

 

DD: "Really hoping they don't off Chief in this one. I feel like this whole saga still has a lot to do with him. We've recently received a lot of content on the game but let's talk about the start of Hunt the Truth Season 2! How do you feel about this season following Maya Sankar instead of Petra Janecek? And please give some general thoughts on the compelling first 2 episodes."

MB: "Amazing so far, I was actually very surprised to hear FERO was actually ONI. Great twist and makes it interesting considering she is telling the story, seemingly in the same way Ben was trying to get his story out. I assume she turns in a way against ONI potentially, who knows. 

 

HTT is the best thing the developers have done to the story of Halo in a long in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, the novels/books are great, but this expands to a different medium, to the point that they are even tying in the TV commercials to Hunt the Truth. Insane.

 

Anyways its been great Dan and I appreciate the interview. I invited 343Industries.Org to check out the Halo Archive if you have not already! Everyone is welcome."

 

 

 

 

That one felt good to get out finally (phrasing ). It started like mid-July and carried over to just today not too long ago. Anyway, you read Media's last words so feel free to check out Halo Archive but DON'T FORGET YOUR HOME PEOPLE. Seriously, good guys over there on the staff and the most knowledgeable community on the Haloverse after 343 Industries themselves. Peace out, and hail peeps.

[MCPO Mayh3m]

Great interview Drizzy! I loved the questions that were asked and the in depth answers that were given. 

[Media Bias]

Thanks for putting it up Dan! Ill forward people from the Archive here to read it and check out 343.org!

[Drizzy_Dan]

Thanks for putting it up Dan! Ill forward people from the Archive here to read it and check out 343.org!

 

Likewise Media I hope to get a steady flow of members between both sites

[Halo6 Follower]

Another one?!? Yes! You read my mind. 

 

 

This is amazing, I love the detailed answers on Bias' end, and your questions were perfect.

 

Thanks Dan! Keep 'em coming!