Hawty McBloggy Invites You to Play

If you play Halo 3 or frequent Bungie.net on a semi-regular basis, chances are you are familiar with the awe-inspiring screenshots of Predator5791. The mastermind behind well-known Forge creations such as Gargoyle, ALIEN, and the controversial (and since deleted) 9/11 Memorial, Predator has proven himself time and time again to be the premier Forge artist in the Halo 3 community. When I initially approached him for an interview, I suggested we forge a screenshot together as a joint project. His idea was to make an angel with each of us completing a wing, his of which would have been mind-blowingly elaborate and mine of which would have been humorously crappy at best. Having never forged before, that was quite the undertaking for me but I was up for the challenge. Predator was as well until we began to work on our screenshot and I said, “How do I change into the ball thingy again?” ten times within the first five minutes. He promptly shelved that idea but came up with another one instead that simply involved me standing still. You can see our screenshot (where he did 99.9% of the work) and hear about our antics after the interview. For now, enjoy getting to know Predator just a little better.

What was your introduction to gaming?
My first console was the original NES. I was playing it at two years old. I pwnd in Super Mario.

How long have you been playing Halo?
I’ve been playing Halo since Halo CE; it was actually the first game I bought for the Xbox.

You and me both. It was the entire reason why I purchased an Xbox actually. Which one is your favorite out of the trilogy?
Halo CE without a doubt. Halo 3 might have more options and all around better graphics and gameplay but the memories I have playing Halo CE can never be beaten. Unless they put some kind of Super Forge in Halo 3. If they do that then Halo CE can go screw itself.

As long as they don’t switch the controls for changing into the ball thingy, I’m sure Super Forge would be super awesome! You were my first experience with Forge but when did you first discover it?
A lot earlier than you Hawty! I went into Forge the first day I got Halo 3 so that I could get a good view of the maps.

You officially beat me by about a year then. How do you get your ideas for your creations anyways?
Most of the time I would sit in Forge and just stare into the distance thinking of what I could possibly make. Fooling around with objects in Forge helps a lot. I guess I just have a very active imagination. When I was a teenage boy I used my imagination a lot around bedtime. : P

In all seriousness though, it sometimes can be pretty rough trying to come up with ideas. There are many variables. Sometimes I cannot make something in Forge simply because I don’t have enough resources (weapons) so I just have to think of both a possible and cool idea for a screenshot.

I didn’t realize how difficult it was working within the Forge limitations until I tried to spell my gamertag. (I gave up on B by the way.) How long does each picture usually take you?
Each screenshot usually takes me about four hours to make. This includes making the platform, placing the weapons, finding the right perspective and camera angle, having a friend pose in the correct position and then going into theater to take the screenshot.

I think it took us four hours just for me to not fall off the platform, jeez! Besides reminding people what up on the d-pad does, what advice can you give to new forgers who are considering making their first official Forge art screenshot?
Play around with EVERYTHING. Be very observant with your surroundings and the objects you have at hand. Think outside the box. Try to create something nobody else has created. Originality is the key to being a successful forger.

When you’re not forging, what other games do you play?
Right now nothing but Halo 3. I don’t feel like going out and buying any other video games, but I do like strategy games a lot. I like the Splinter Cell series, Super Smash Bros. series, and Oblivion. I like RPGs a lot. The irony is that I don’t like first-person shooters that much. The only FPS game I ever really enjoyed other than Halo was GoldenEye 007 for the N64.

No Perfect Dark Zero? Luckily for you, you didn’t miss much. And by much, I mean anything. Do you dabble in any other art besides those created in Forge?
I love to sketch; I’m best at drawing people, animals, and creatures. I’m not good at painting or scenery. I love sculpting and creating anything on the computer from Photoshop to CGI.

I think I’ve seen some of your drawings on Bungie.net actually. What are some other hobbies you enjoy doing in your spare time?
Hobbies?? There are things to do outside of my mother’s basement?? No just kidding, I live in my grandparent’s basement! I love to go swimming and just hang out with friends. I enjoy going on trips and making memories. I often play paintball with a big group of my friends. I love MMA and practiced it for a couple of years.

Your grandparents must have a big ass basement to do all that stuff in it! Assuming they have a computer down there as well, how many messages do you get on a daily basis?
I have 84 pages of messages on Bungie.net. On my Xbox Live account I get about 20-40 a day.

84 pages? That’s crazy. What is the stupidest message you have received out of all of them?
Any message from bs angel : P

You thought they were stupid before, wait until the ones I start sending you because you made that comment. How about the best message? And feel free to use me as your answer again.
I don’t really have a best message, but I do love getting messages from people telling me that I inspired them to start making Forge art. Messages like that make everything worth it.

Well I haven’t sent you any of those, damn it. Do you answer all your mail? All 84 pages?
I reply to almost every message that is sent to me. I think that if the person takes the time to send me a well thought out message that I should at least have the common courtesy to do the same. I actually had to recently buy a keyboard for my 360 to make that matter easier. The only messages I don’t respond to are ones that are asked way too frequently or just stupid messages.

Well the whole stupid thing explains why you never answer mine. What are your future goals as it pertains to your Forge creations and also just in general?
Most of my goals in the game have been reached. As far is my big plan goes, I want to get a job at Bungie. I know many say this but few are serious. I am in college right now majoring in Multimedia. I would like to be a graphic/concept artist or designer. I’m getting the education I need and have the skills to hopefully one day work for Bungie.

An honorable goal indeed. Now for some fun and fast questions! Spartan or Elite?
Hello Kitty!

That so doesn’t count. Plasma or Frag?
Plasma for sure.

Better! Sniper or shotty?
Shotgun and a bubble shield!

Now that answer was pure win. Having me on your team or on the other team?
Do I have the option to boot?

You, Mr. Master Forge Artist, are feisty. Lucky for you, I like that. Now that Predator is done picking on me, I’m proud to introduce his newest screenshot. Appropriately titled The Living Dead, it was painstakingly forged by Predator and features yours truly as the creepy dude coming out of the ground. I’m actually Arm #2 too! Predator had originally planned on having me pose as Arm #1 and Arm #2 but after I relentlessly bitched about such a minor role, he agreed to let me be the one who shows their face as well. Something about how my face was scary enough to add to the overall creepy feeling of the shot. Whatever, because now I’m a superstar! Enjoy The Living Dead and feel free to download it and sport it in your File Share in the spirit of Halloween. Be sure to tell your friends that’s me in there. I freakin’ fell off the map about 20 times to get that picture. And no, I didn’t even manage to switch into the ball thingy before dying. Forge is hard. Well, to some of us at least.

*A special thank you to Predator not only for doing the interview but also for putting up with my endless n00bish Forge ways. From forgetting how to turn into “the ball thingy” to falling off the platform to moving left when you said right, somehow it still managed to be an extremely pleasurable experience. It must have been the evil laughter or the repeated assassinations. My favorite quote of yours? “It is going to take around 5 hours to teach you how to place a weapon down in Forge and 8 hours to teach you how to turn into the ball thing.” You know it!