Podtacular
Encyclopedia
Podtacular is an unofficial Halo
-themed podcast
that debuted on July 28, 2005. Podtacular later evolved to include a video podcast
known as PodTV, and the Podtacular staff started Seasonal Tournaments that included many Halo
and Xbox 360
related prizes. On September 25, 2008 the Audio Podcast returned as the prime media source of Podtacular.
, Uncle Gamer, and Controller Freaks. Robert Cortez (CapnKrunk) was also recruited as the website administrator and add call-ins and voice mail to the podcast.
The Audio Podcast for Podtacular was brought back on September 15, 2008 by the community after being discontinued as of April 20, 2008. The podcast resumed its normal schedule with a new staff of "podcasters". Previous hosts Mike Funk and Jose Betancourt have made few appearances since the rebirth of the show. The new hosts for the audio podcast were Dustin Pettigrew (Dust Storm), Gregori Lewis (GLewis) and Cryptoflix of the Podtacular community. CapnKrunk soon left the show and was replaced by Chuck Jacobson (ChuckieJ) for the call-ins segment on the podcast. CapnKrunk later handed the website administration over to Dust Storm moving the site to a reduced format. Cryptoflix soon left and was replaced by Brent Horsley (BrentGamer).
(before Halo 3
launched) and then focused heavily on Halo 3
. Foomojive was the primary host for all of the audio podcasts before April 2008, often joined by co-hosts such as Spelchek and JVB. Many members from the Podtacular community would appear on the Audio Podcast as guests to contribute to the discussions. Other members from the Xbox and Halo communities also attended as guests on the show, including: Larry Hryb
(Major Nelson) from Xbox, Matt Hullum from Rooster Teeth Productions
, Alexander Winn and Ryan Luther from The Codex
, Damian and Fyb3roptik from This Spartan Life
, KP from Bungie
, and many more.
The podcast was also featured on the front page of iTunes for a short period of time.
The podcast had a set format of discussion depending on the week of the current month. Below is the format used by Podtacular as of the final podcast of the Podtacular v1.0 (April 2008):
Podtacular v2.0 follows a loose schedule of show topics, although Podtacular claims to have a current rotation of shows, shown below:
, otherwise known as Pod TV debuted on May 13, 2006 with its first show on tips for the Halo 2
map Lockout. Pod TV went on to do Halo 2
campaign and skull guides until the release of Halo 3
, where similar episodes were released.
After the retirement of the podcast, Pod TV became the primary source for the next three episodes of the podcast. Pod TV is now no longer the primary source of media from Podtacular as of the return of the podcast. As of the return of the audio podcast, Pod TV was used for video "run-throughs" of the Halo 3
campaign mode.
The video podcast is filmed on the Halo 3
engine via the Saved Films feature. The voice audio for the show is separately recorded on Windows and Mac using Skype
and Audacity
. All podcast episodes are published via their website and their feed can be found via iTunes
and Feedburner
.
The purpose of the conference is to meet and discuss matters in the community.
staff was on November, 2007. Podtacular's final statistics were 1-2-0.
Podtacular's Mike Funk (FooMoJive) was interviewed on Bungie.net for their "Community Spotlight" after the first "Humpday" challenge by Podtacular.
Halo (series)
Halo is a multi-million dollar science fiction video game franchise created by Bungie and now managed by 343 Industries and owned by Microsoft Studios. The series centers on an interstellar war between humanity and a theocratic alliance of aliens known as the Covenant...
-themed podcast
Podcast
A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
that debuted on July 28, 2005. Podtacular later evolved to include a video podcast
Video podcast
Video podcast is a term used for the online delivery of video on demand video clip content via Atom or RSS enclosures...
known as PodTV, and the Podtacular staff started Seasonal Tournaments that included many Halo
Halo (series)
Halo is a multi-million dollar science fiction video game franchise created by Bungie and now managed by 343 Industries and owned by Microsoft Studios. The series centers on an interstellar war between humanity and a theocratic alliance of aliens known as the Covenant...
and Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
related prizes. On September 25, 2008 the Audio Podcast returned as the prime media source of Podtacular.
History
Podtacular was created by Mike Funk (foomojive) in June 2005, and the first episode premiered on the Podtacular website on July 28, 2005. Foomojive recruited co-host Cody Bromley (spelchek) for the second episode which aired on August 3, 2005. Spelchek remained as the co-host until January 29, 2006 on episode 47. Jose Betancourt (JVB) made his first appearance on the Podtacular podcast on November 12, 2005, and was later recruited as a co-host on episode 75. JVB was selected as the new co-host because of his previous gaming community backgrounds, such as being on Seatag, Gamertag RadioGamertag Radio
Gamertag Radio is a gaming news and information site that features an online radio show dedicated to the Xbox Live community. Over the past few years GTR has grown from a small website to one of the largest and most respected gaming information/community sites on the Internet...
, Uncle Gamer, and Controller Freaks. Robert Cortez (CapnKrunk) was also recruited as the website administrator and add call-ins and voice mail to the podcast.
The Audio Podcast for Podtacular was brought back on September 15, 2008 by the community after being discontinued as of April 20, 2008. The podcast resumed its normal schedule with a new staff of "podcasters". Previous hosts Mike Funk and Jose Betancourt have made few appearances since the rebirth of the show. The new hosts for the audio podcast were Dustin Pettigrew (Dust Storm), Gregori Lewis (GLewis) and Cryptoflix of the Podtacular community. CapnKrunk soon left the show and was replaced by Chuck Jacobson (ChuckieJ) for the call-ins segment on the podcast. CapnKrunk later handed the website administration over to Dust Storm moving the site to a reduced format. Cryptoflix soon left and was replaced by Brent Horsley (BrentGamer).
Podtacular v1.0
The podcast was the main feature for Podtacular from July 2005 to April 2008 and was mainly based on discussion regarding Halo 2Halo 2
Halo 2 is a first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie Studios. Released for the Xbox video game console on November 9, 2004, the game is the second installment in the Halo franchise and the sequel to 2001's critically acclaimed Halo: Combat Evolved...
(before Halo 3
Halo 3
Halo 3 is a first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie for the Xbox 360 console. The third installment in the Halo franchise, the game concludes the story arc begun in Halo: Combat Evolved and continued in Halo 2...
launched) and then focused heavily on Halo 3
Halo 3
Halo 3 is a first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie for the Xbox 360 console. The third installment in the Halo franchise, the game concludes the story arc begun in Halo: Combat Evolved and continued in Halo 2...
. Foomojive was the primary host for all of the audio podcasts before April 2008, often joined by co-hosts such as Spelchek and JVB. Many members from the Podtacular community would appear on the Audio Podcast as guests to contribute to the discussions. Other members from the Xbox and Halo communities also attended as guests on the show, including: Larry Hryb
Larry Hryb
Lawrence "Larry" Hryb , also known by his Xbox Live gamertag Major Nelson, is the Director of Programming for the Microsoft gaming network Xbox Live. His blog "Xbox Live's Major Nelson" provides an "inside" look at operations at Microsoft's Xbox division. He picked the gamertag Major Nelson after a...
(Major Nelson) from Xbox, Matt Hullum from Rooster Teeth Productions
Rooster Teeth Productions
Rooster Teeth Productions is a production group from Austin, Texas that specializes in the creation of live action shorts, animated peices and machinima, or films created using real-time, interactive engines from computer and video games. The name Rooster Teeth is a euphemism for Cockbite, an...
, Alexander Winn and Ryan Luther from The Codex
The Codex
The Codex is a 20-episode online machinima series made by Edgeworks Entertainment and set in Bungie Studios' Halo video game universe. Along with its prequel, The Heretic, The Codex is part of the greater Codex Series...
, Damian and Fyb3roptik from This Spartan Life
This Spartan Life
This Spartan Life is an award-winning talk show created by Bong + Dern Productions and produced and directed by Chris Burke, who hosts the show under the pseudonym Damian Lacedaemion...
, KP from Bungie
Bungie
Bungie, Inc is an American video game developer currently located in Bellevue, Washington, USA. The company was established in May 1991 by University of Chicago undergraduate student Alex Seropian, who later brought in programmer Jason Jones after publishing Jones' game Minotaur: The Labyrinths of...
, and many more.
The podcast was also featured on the front page of iTunes for a short period of time.
The podcast had a set format of discussion depending on the week of the current month. Below is the format used by Podtacular as of the final podcast of the Podtacular v1.0 (April 2008):
- Week 1 - Map of the Month
- Week 2 - Customs and Creations
- Week 3 - Call-ins and Tales from the Foxhole
- Week 4 - Community updates
Podtacular v2.0
In October 2008, the Audio Podcast was brought back as Podtacular's main media source. The new audio podcast is commonly referred to as "Podtacular 2.0", due to the dramatic change in direction. The new audio podcast is directed by Dustin Pettigrew (Dust Storm), Gregori Lewis (GLewis), and Brent Horsley (BrentGamer). Pettigrew, Lewis, and Horsley are, in addition to directing, the regular hosts of the podcast. The podcast hosts are frequently joined by co-hosts from the video game industry and the Podtacular community.Podtacular v2.0 follows a loose schedule of show topics, although Podtacular claims to have a current rotation of shows, shown below:
- Week 1 – Halo Wars Campaign
- This show features discussion on selected Halo Wars campaign missions. Tips and strategies are discussed on the show and community submissions are read on the show.
- Week 2 – Multiplayer Tips for Map of the Month
- Discussions focus on a selected multiplayer map from Halo 3/Halo Wars covering tips and strategies for various game types.
- Week 3 – Customs and Creations
- User created content is highlighted in this show. We discuss the community submissions we receive regarding custom forged maps or custom game types.
- Week 4 – Callins and Tales from the Foxhole
- Game play stories are featured from the community from submissions and voicemails.
Video Podcast
The Podtacular video podcastVideo podcast
Video podcast is a term used for the online delivery of video on demand video clip content via Atom or RSS enclosures...
, otherwise known as Pod TV debuted on May 13, 2006 with its first show on tips for the Halo 2
Halo 2
Halo 2 is a first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie Studios. Released for the Xbox video game console on November 9, 2004, the game is the second installment in the Halo franchise and the sequel to 2001's critically acclaimed Halo: Combat Evolved...
map Lockout. Pod TV went on to do Halo 2
Halo 2
Halo 2 is a first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie Studios. Released for the Xbox video game console on November 9, 2004, the game is the second installment in the Halo franchise and the sequel to 2001's critically acclaimed Halo: Combat Evolved...
campaign and skull guides until the release of Halo 3
Halo 3
Halo 3 is a first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie for the Xbox 360 console. The third installment in the Halo franchise, the game concludes the story arc begun in Halo: Combat Evolved and continued in Halo 2...
, where similar episodes were released.
After the retirement of the podcast, Pod TV became the primary source for the next three episodes of the podcast. Pod TV is now no longer the primary source of media from Podtacular as of the return of the podcast. As of the return of the audio podcast, Pod TV was used for video "run-throughs" of the Halo 3
Halo 3
Halo 3 is a first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie for the Xbox 360 console. The third installment in the Halo franchise, the game concludes the story arc begun in Halo: Combat Evolved and continued in Halo 2...
campaign mode.
The video podcast is filmed on the Halo 3
Halo 3
Halo 3 is a first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie for the Xbox 360 console. The third installment in the Halo franchise, the game concludes the story arc begun in Halo: Combat Evolved and continued in Halo 2...
engine via the Saved Films feature. The voice audio for the show is separately recorded on Windows and Mac using Skype
Skype
Skype is a software application that allows users to make voice and video calls and chat over the Internet. Calls to other users within the Skype service are free, while calls to both traditional landline telephones and mobile phones can be made for a fee using a debit-based user account system...
and Audacity
Audacity
Audacity is a free software, cross-platform digital audio editor and recording application. It is available for Windows, Mac OS X, Linux and BSD.Audacity was created by Dominic Mazzoni while he was a graduate student at Carnegie Mellon University...
. All podcast episodes are published via their website and their feed can be found via iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
and Feedburner
FeedBurner
FeedBurner is a web feed management provider launched in 2004. FeedBurner was founded by Dick Costolo, Eric Lunt, Steve Olechowski, and Matt Shobe. Costolo, a University of Michigan graduate, became CEO of Twitter in 2010...
.
The Podtacular Leadership Conference
During the time while the Podtacular audio podcast was discontinued the community slowly deteriorated, as people who stayed in the community for the show started to leave. In June 2008 Cryptoflix, who along with Freakinabox had been charged with running PodTV, sent out an email to several members in the community who were actively involved in higher places of the community. Eventually this led to the Podtacular Leadership Conference. A monthly meeting of community members in leadership positionsThe purpose of the conference is to meet and discuss matters in the community.
Bungie.net
Podtacular has challenged the bungie staff to two "Humpday" challenges. Podtacular's first challenge took place on June, 2006. Podtacular's final statistics were 2-0-1. The second challenge against the BungieBungie
Bungie, Inc is an American video game developer currently located in Bellevue, Washington, USA. The company was established in May 1991 by University of Chicago undergraduate student Alex Seropian, who later brought in programmer Jason Jones after publishing Jones' game Minotaur: The Labyrinths of...
staff was on November, 2007. Podtacular's final statistics were 1-2-0.
Podtacular's Mike Funk (FooMoJive) was interviewed on Bungie.net for their "Community Spotlight" after the first "Humpday" challenge by Podtacular.