Banter Intro is Bantery
Last Sunday in the Forge Hub Favorites article I passingly mentioned that my introduction was very ... bantery. That it was simply an introduction for the sake of being an introduction. A few hours later I got a joking message on my profile wall from Mr. LeftSideLaw, it went as followed:
RST: We should have witty intro banter <3
Noxy: Like, premeditated banter that we work out before hand that we put into articles?
:O
RST: Lol, perhaps. It could be funny.
Noxy: I like. What should we banter on about?
RST: Self satire.
Noxy: How 'bout kitties?
RST: Stevo is that way ----->
Noxy: But, but, but.
I want to go that way.
<------------
RST: It's okay, because it isn't a ray:
o--------------->
It's a line:
<-------------------------->
Noxy: Whew, for a second I thought I was viewing a portion of a line segment.
What I saw:
o---------->
What I thought it was:
o-------------------o
What my dreams are made of:
<---------------->
RST: I think I'm in love with you.
Noxy: <3 u bbe.
Now with the obligatory banter out of the way, I can continue with a proper introduction. We'll try this:
I come to you late in the twilight of this here site-update-Sunday with half-decayed news. Yes, you read that correct, half-decayed. It is October, after all. The month of ghouls, goblins and zombies. Speaking of zombies, we have a zombie-tastic competition going on here right within the Halo themed walls of our website. But we'll dive deeper into that in just a short few paragraphs. On another zombie related note, The Walking Dead season two is finally on Netflix. I am currently seven episodes into it and am enjoying it every moment. Well, every moment that isn't a cliffhanger, that is. Oh, and if any of you spoil it for me, you shall feel the wrath of my might banhammer.
Yep, that's the one right in the center.
Official Competitions
http://www.forgehub.com/forum/announcements/140298-flag-reset.htmlhttp://www.forgehub.com/forum/announcements/141099-1v1-smackdown-round-2-a.htmlhttp://www.forgehub.com/forum/announcements/140973-hub-dead-iii.html
If you're still in the running in our 1v1 Smackdown competition, you best get your practice runs in on Cerity. Your official games will be due soon enough!
Our Flag Reset competition has come to an end and has officially moved into the judging period. Standby, everyone, your results will come soon enough!
And finally, as previously mentioned, we have our staple of a contest: Hub of the Dead! This is our third time around hosting this competition, and I'd be willing to bet that the results coming out of it this time will be just as great, if not greater than the previous winners. If you enjoy infection maps, you'd best get to creating one!
BlogsWhat is a blog? Looking up the definition I landed with this:
A blog is often a mixture of what is happening in a person’s life and what is happening on the Web, a kind of hybrid diary/guide site, although there are as many unique types of blogs as there are people.
People maintained blogs long before the term was coined, but the trend gained momentum with the introduction of automated published systems, most notably Blogger at blogger.com. Thousands of people use services such as Blogger to simplify and accelerate the publishing process.
Blogs are alternatively called web logs or weblogs. However, "blog" seems less likely to cause confusion, as "web log" can also mean a server’s log files.
Okay, so what isn't a blog?
Looking up that definition I landed on this:
Lol.
and
This member is stupid. You should all think he's stupid too.
and
Look at this picture because it's a picture.
and finally
You guys should go look at my map. It's cool and I just made it, so go look at it and download.
There's going to be some changes as to what is acceptable in the blog section on here. When we have some official rules, I'll be sure to pass them along. Just be aware of this.
The Weapons of Halo 4Now that they have released all three of the weapon trailers; one showcasing the UNSC weapons, one for those beloved purple dinosaurs, and finally our new and formidable counterparts, the Promethians. What are your opinions of the weapons? All of the weapon trailers are located in the spoiler below. Which ones are you most excited for? Which ones do you have concerns for? Drop your opinions in the comment section below.
Halo 4 UNSC Weapons - YouTube
Halo 4: Covenant Weapons - YouTube
Halo 4: Promethean Weapons Trailer - YouTube
Halo 4 Mantis Trailer - YouTube
Oh, and then this. Yes, yes, yes; we all want to play with this.
Mingooses gonna MingooseA write up regarding one of our community held contests by SilentJacket.
Hey everyone, so you may or may not have heard about a ridiculous competition that started as a caffeine-induced thread post (by your's truly).
Since then, there have been a number of entrants, most of them also probably caffeine-induced. so here is the final verdict:
I know you guys have been tearing your hair out over this. I'd recommend caching it for future use in a homemade knit sweater vest. If you're not interested in knitting yourself a sweatervest (and are in serious lack a kindly grandmother) I'd be happy to convert the useless hair folicles into a fashionable hat for you and your loved ones to enjoy for years to come.
At any rate, enter our heros:
1-Audienceofone
Audience stole the gold, as well as our hearts, with his beautiful handcrafted depiction of the mingoose. He envisioned the mingoose as an ordinary mongoose, equipped with a fallen flamingo's head to instill fear into the hearts of his enemies. I've also heard, by means of a private interview, that in Halo 4 the head might serve as a vehicle mealee weapon by means of reanimation.* While his interpretation was a bit unconventional, he made it work with his near flawless execution. I plan to buy a 32" full color print and hang it above my mantle, for my children, and then their children after them. And one day in the distant future, little Fletcher would look up and say, "Dad, what the fuck is that?" and his father would laugh a warm, hearty laugh, and clap a surly hand on young Fletch's shoulder. "The hell if I know. When I tried to take it down you crazy ass grandaddy hit me in the eye with a wiffle ball cleaner. But isn't it pretty?" Then Fletch would turn to it with sparkling eyes, and mutter, "Wow, it sure is, pa, it sure is." And then they'd have an intimate moment of priceless father son bonding.
A moment of bonding made possible by our very own Audienceofone. What he lacks in Stratego prowess (<3) he certainly makes up for with his outlandish creativity.
Congratulations man.
*I am a damn lier.
2-Loscocco
Loscocco has prepared for us a 3D render of the beloved Mingoose, obviously conjured with only the finest of modeling programs. He definitely took this contest a step further than most of our participants; the presentation alone already put him in the running for the gold.
An amusing facet of this entry is the ferocity of the cone shaped beak. That thing could maim a frost troll at a mere marching pace.
3-Redy and ER1C0
Redy, signaturist extrordinaire, has bestowed upon a varient of the mingoose that even we mortals can ride. You heard me right, folks. Just equip this handy lil guy to your signature and you'll instantly gain 16 rep points.
ER1C0's piece is bold, eyecatching, and colorful: It's neon feel and thick, sharp lines draw the viewers attention; I feel like this would have been a perfect advertisement for the Mingoose competition. Why, I could even imagine this nestled into one of 343's community updates to build Halo 4 hype.
I wanted to do honorary mentions, but I haz study. :3
I love you all; I can't believe anyone cared enough to paticipate, especially our victors with their breathtaking displays. This all really only started as a joke, but it's become so much more through you guys (the community), and your participation. Talk to Silent about confirming your prizes, and all of you: Get yourselves a good night's sleep tonight. You deserve it.
Thanks for playing!
And yes. Audience wins. <3
And now a interview with Audience:
-What made you decide to use pen?
The concept (a mingoose) was a silly one, and while I do love charcoal, my usual media of choice when drawing, it promotes a dramatic atmosphere. While it would have been interesting, I found the idea of pen and the minimal color used to be most appealing in theory, due to its simplicity and bright lines. There were other options, I briefly considered watercolor, acrylic, or sepia pens, but none fit the desired silly realism I was looking for better than pens.
-How long did this take you to make?
About 4 hours, plus some time to touch up a few areas i found that needed an extra minute or two. I have considered going back and adding more detail to this, a good drawing often takes at least 10 hours, but I would have had to restart from scratch and this is fine for now. I'm not sure if I'll ever go back and edit it, but maybe when i have more free time I'll look in to it.
-What are some of your other works, are all of them so bloody?
You can see some of my works on this thread at Forgehub or here at my deviant Art account. As for the blood, I draw what needs to be there. This poor flamingo was no only decapitated, but strapped to the hood of an ATV. There would be blood in that scenario.
-Would you strap a dismembered flamingo to your mongoose while in battle?
No, I think I would focus on either shooting my foes, or on the bullet wounds I had been given by them.
-Whose entry did you like?
Loscocco surprised me with his 3D model. I think that was about when i thought to myself about what my interpretation would be. Until that video entry i just saw the entries and laughed (because they were comical and didn't seem that serious in any attempt). I realized about then that every entry was a Mongoose with a flamingo head (and neck) slapped on to the front. I thought about the concept for a moment, and realized that while this had its place, I wanted some variation. A literal interpretation was an immediate thought since that moment i saw the 3D model, so if not for Loscocco I am sure that my Flamingoose would never have existed.
-What sort of art contests would you propose for the future?
I would love to see more art contests, this could be a wonderful beginning of more of these. I think how I would arrange it all might be as a sort of art show, where people can submit 2 or 3 of their best in any media, and a sort of best of show is decided by a few judges (who themselves do not take part in the contest and are preferably somewhat proficient in the arts). One other way that comes to mind, is a more focused contest such as this one was. A competition on the best photo or painting, or perhaps a digital drawing or of a certain object/scene/event. I know that's extremely vague, but the point is there. Personally I think both should occur, maybe even a bimonthly (theoretically) art show (like the first described contest)?
-Do you plan to make a poster?
Oh gosh. I don't think so, but if its something that people really want I can set it up to buy off Deviant Art, and I think you can get multiple sizes of prints there. Possibly also mugs, or those little tings that you set cups on when overly neat people want to keep rings of condensation off their nice new living room table. You know the ones, where you just set down that piping hot cup of luxurious oolong tea and you've got that new record on the player and someone slaps you and throws that thing at you to put between your tea mug and the table.
The Guild:
[l-col]The Tester’s Guild: among the piles of armor and glistening weapon racks you’ll find a large number of Hubbers march into the digital battlefields and test the crap out of your newly crafted map. The guys in the Tester’s Guild may have personalized opinions, but each is capable of giving you input both on things they enjoyed and disliked about your map, helping you achieve a perfect gameplay balance before you post your newly polished battlefield here in our map database. Should you want them to give your map a run through, redirect your browser to this forum here, read the posting guidelines, and set yourself up for success through the men at work behind the scenes in the Tester’s Guild. Enjoy playing Halo? Enjoy giving map creators input? Work for the Guild![/l-col][r-col]Every so often (every other Friday to be exact) a selection of refined and scholarly individuals from our forums host an evening full of custom games and shenanigans. Depending on what those individuals choose to host, whether it be competitive, casual, infection, invasion, mini-game oriented or a mix of them all is up to these bastions of fun, but it's up to you which of these lobbies you join. Sit back, put your feet up, throw back that shot-glass full of Jack Daniels, and enjoy a night with cool dudes from all around the world. If you'd like to host your own official lobby for our next TGIF, send a private message to me, RightSideTheory, with all the details below filled out. Also note that you'll also be on your way to your glistening blue rank of TGIF Host, if you can keep it up for four awesome parties in a row.[/r-col]
Host's Gamertag: YOUR GAMERTAG
Start Time: 0:00 PM EST
End Time: 0:00 PM EST
Rules:- PARTY RULESSchedule:- PARTY SCHEDULE
Question of the Site Update:
Last time around Tz stopped on by to pick your brains. Most of the responses were centralized around a couple members personal ... regions. I don't know how it happens, but it happened.
I actually already asked you my question this time around. Did you see it? I snuck it in a few lines above.
What are your opinions of the weapons?
Which ones are you most excited for?
Which ones do you have concerns for?
If you have any thoughts on this article, or the front page in general, that you would like to share with us then we invite you to post your opinions in the Front Page Feedback thread.