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Home | COL0NEL SANDERS | Dusty Boy T | AusQB | jEEborz | skm0000 | Meatball O Doom Week 2 Aesthetic Artist Spotlight: Dusty Boy T April 17, 2009 No Marines were hurt during the making of these screenshots... ...But they were blown to shreds. We kick off this week with a new Screenshot Spotlight, this time around focused on Campaign Legend Dusty Boy T. This awesome possum has been around since the early days Halo 3 Screenshots, so don't pass up this chance to see some incredible screenshots and learn about this prodigy! What got you into pursuing Campaign Screenshots? Why not Weapon art, or regular staged screenshots? To tell you the truth, I was actually more well-known for my regularly-staged screenshots well before I started campaign shots. Well, I'd like to believe I was well known. I was already semi-famous from my screenshot Gateway to Hell, and one of my older shots even made it as a nominee for Ms. Mcbloggy's 2008 Halo Awards. After a while, though, I started to lose interest in regularly-staged shots. Number one, I didn't really have anybody to take screenshots with back then except for my sister, whom rarely helped me unless I made her "shoot that rocket launcher for me" while she happened to walk by the couch. Number two, I just didn't see a point in doing what everybody else was doing. I wasn't going to get noticed trying to beat effect-wizards like COL0NEL SANDERS, jEEborz, Phenomenon IV, and all those other guys - I wasn't even coming up-to-par with them. And I certainly didn't have the patience to do the weapon art type of screenshot that Predator5791 does. My sister does some stuff like that, and it takes her a long time. After gawking for a while at some of Don A K Bab's screenshots taken from campaign, I realized that campaign was perfect for me. Now I didn't have to get my sister to shoot that rocket launcher, or use two controllers at the same time; one to throw a grenade and shoot a rocket while I had the other swing a sword. The Artificial Intelligence - particularly the Marines, could do that for me. But it wasn't just that; it was more the fact that I was taking shots that were different. Sure, chucking grenades and firing off as much crap as you can in the ice room leads to some pretty cool shots, but they start to look pretty old. Rarely anybody except Don A K Bab did campaign screenshots, and the campaign levels are so vast, so I could take something different almost every time I go out screenshot hunting. Oh, and blowing the crap out of Marines never gets old, either =] Lol, it sure doesn't. How long have you been taking screenshots in campaign? I had taken a few campaign shots while I was still into regularly staged shots, but I think I really started getting into campaign shots last summer (August-ish of 2008). I believe I took some shots on the level Cortana; about six, to be exact. I took a few staged shots after that, but after those I believe I've only taken around a dozen custom-game shots, compared to just about two-hundred campaign shots. Whoa! That's a lot! Which campaign level is the most abundant or most successful level for you when taking Campaign screenshots? I actually enjoy all of them. They all have their own specialties or unique traits. But if I had to pick a favorite, it would have to be Floodgate. The regular level itself is great for screenshots, but if you can get outside the level, there's a crapload of spots that are just perfect for screenshots. I've been out of it numerous times, and I don't think I've discovered all the different areas to be found. Also, I find Tsavo Highway to be great for scenic shots. The huge grassy plains, the giant remnants of the space elevator and the mountains all make for awesome shots. Are there any features of Halo Campaign and Theater that are more suited or less suited for taking screenshots than in forge and multiplayer games? There are tons of pros and cons with using campaign instead of custom games, the biggest difference being the rewind issue. If you miss something while watching a film from campaign, you're going to have to restart the whole bloody film in order to get to that moment again. I've done this tons of times; I will find a super-epic screenshot, automatically press A, thinking I'll have pressed A on 'take screenshot', only to find out that I pressed 'play' instead. Knowing that I can't rewind back to that, and that the screenshot I wanted to take is about twenty minutes in, I am not a very happy camper (<-- drastic understatement). Other than that, I think there are a lot of pros to campaign shots. Everything is a lot more high-def than in custom games, you've got Marines and Grunts and all that good stuff that you don't have in custom games, and the AI normally set themselves up for great screenshots. Staged screenshots don't really happen in campaign, though, if you're trying to include the AI. You'll try to position Marines, moving them beside each other or moving them in certain spots, only to have them run back to their previous spot. So you sorta have to chuck grenades here and there, mebbe blow a few marines up with the tank, or just let the AI do their own thing and that awesome screenshot will hopefully come to you. Keyword: Hopefully. ; ) Who was your biggest inspirer in Halo 3 Screenshots? I basically started taking screenshots because I'd get bored from Matchmaking, so I really had no inspiration for my original screenshots except boredom. But I do believe my biggest inspirer in campaign screenshots would have to have been Don A K Bab. The fact that he was getting all these awesome, unique screenshots from Campaign sorta pushed me to take campaign shots once in a while, where "once in a while" pretty much turned into all the time for me. Is there an interesting story behind why your Gamertag has an "s", where your B.net name does not? Well, I really do wish there was some sort of thrilling backstory behind that one, but, in all honesty, it was a simple case of missing the 's' key. I had no real clue I'd made a typo in my own username until someone called me "Duty Boy" on the forums. I was about to correct the person when I looked at my username; I really had missed the 's'. I felt like a bit of an idiot after that, but thankfully for me, 'duty' is actually a word, and it even sort of fits for me. After all, it is my duty to serve the community awesome screenshots =D You're right about that! What is your favorite or most-known screenshot? That's a hard one. My most well-known screenshot would probably have to be Gateway to Hell, seeing as though it has a good 10,000 downloads (I do NOT boost my downloads. That's a big no-no in my book), but my favorite would have to be either No Escape or Into the Fray. Both are awesome, unique screenshots (well, at least I think they are) and they're real accomplishments for me. The amount of action in Into the Fray and the epic, last-stand look of No Escape really make them stand out for me, and from the feedback I've gotten from others, most people agree. Would you like to explain one of your signature effects? Well, I can't say I really have any signature effects. Normally in campaign, I chuck a grenade here or there and usually that provides me with a great screenshot. But I guess I could go way back to my regularly-made screenshot days. I COULD let you guys in on how to make Gateway to Hell, but I think that'd make a lot of carbon-copies. I mean, there's not much else you could do to make that shot look different. So, instead, I'll tell you how to make something like Hawtty Shawtty. This screenshot has a few notable achievements, including finalist in the 2008 Best of Halo Awards, and a user skin to Bungie.net members. When most people take screenshots, Avalanche is where it's at. The ice walls can provide for some nifty screenshots, but nobody ever really uses the rock room. The rock room can be found near one of the teleporter spots. To get in there, I believe you need to use the old turret trick, but you could probably find a player-made map on B.net where there's already spawn points or a teleporter in there for you. After that, it's pretty simple. Grab a rocket launcher, put your buddy against or near the rock wall, and fire away. I used to use the rock room all the time with screenshots - if you look at my screenshot history, most of the ones that have fire in them were taken in the rock room. Do you visit any off-site forums or websites? Just a few. I've been apart of BungieHQ for a while now, and I just made an account on Real7alk a little while ago. I also joined Facility B5D's site as well, but I haven't visited it much. I probably should - it has a ton of stuff to do on it. Heck, they even have their own page for arcade games! I also use Youtube quite a bit to showcase my screenshots in montages and such. Hit me up with a friend request on Youtube, and I'll gladly accept =] Would you like to make any shout-outs or add anything else you would like the community to know about yourself? Definitely! Word to my homies in Aberrant Designs, Foto, and all my other groups. Big thanks to you, Mr. Jdars, for giving me the honor of being in this spotlight. Also, a big thanks to the one and only Ms. Hawty McBloggy. The dedication she gives to her sites is a real inspiration, and she's a really big help and great friend to many screenshot takers. Her site, http://www.halo3screenshots.com i <3 Halo 3 Screenshots, helps get our shots out there, and she continues to post up my screenshots fairly regularly. Let's see... shout-out to my sis (gamertag "Meatball O Doom"), and a shout-out to my fat cat. You continually sit on my lap while playing Xbox, and even though I continually degrade you and put you down (he's a fat piece of crap - what can I say?), you're still there to give me moral support while playing Xbox. Either that or claw the hell outta me. Finally, another big thanks to the community. Your positive (and sometimes negative) feedback has pushed me to keep spitting the screenshots out of the factory line. You guys are awesome! =] TEAM PEPTO FTW! Thanks for the shout-out, Dusty! I'll give a shout-out to Killane as well, for helping me with a few design suggestions here and there with the art assets on HBO as well as to bs angel for helping me out with little things here and there with this interview. Also, If you still haven't managed to find your way over to his Bungie.net gallery, please let me direct you here. Jdars out. If you have any suggestions for future guests, message jdars on Bungie.net! Gallery
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