We were pretty excited to see Darth-Carbonite GIO’s This is DUST video, and we wanted to find out a little bit about the man behind the sensation. Darth was gracious enough to answer some questions for us!
Biomassed: First off, can you tell us a bit about your experiences in DUST and what you like to play?
Darth: Sure thing. I’ve been around since Open Beta and fell in love with the game pretty much immediately. I find the Amarr lifestyle particularly appealing, probably because of the fun I had with the God Lasers of Chromosome. The Scrambler completely won me over when Uprising dropped, and I’ve used it as my primary since then, but that’s a different story altogether.
I have also been known to spend an inordinate amount of time flying Dropships, much to the chagrin of Anti-Vehicle users everywhere. I will maintain that flying is the most entertaining way to play Dust.
Biomassed: What would you say is the driving reason for making the “This is DUST” video?
Darth: First off, I enjoy making videos. Or at least, I enjoy the idea of making videos. I’m the kind of person that has a bunch of supposedly grand ideas, but I’m often too excited by the thought of a new video to focus on an older one. Fortunately, that was not the case with This is Dust.
I had seen the now renowned “This is EVE” trailer, and was thrilled by it, just as many others were. Being the rabid Dust player that I am, my mind immediately went to how awesome a version focusing on our community would be. Flash forward a few months and I had amassed a sizable archive of footage spanning from Uprising to Warlords.
Biomassed: Who was involved in the project and how long did it take to make?
Darth: I was determined to focus on Planetary Conquest from the start, as I felt it was Dust’s marquee feature. An Official CCP trailer could of course take a more all-encompassing view of the game, but I didn’t really have the resources to do so.
With PC as the backdrop, and community being a staple of CCP gaming, I spent several days combing through every battle recording I could find, looking for moments that stood out, or voice comms that interested me. I always knew lurking in PC channels would benefit me someday!
The corporations involved included everyone from Ancient Exiles. to Nyain San, and Random Gunz to What The French. The dialogue was the most time intensive part, as I went through it a second time after watching the gameplay. You can hear modern day Field Commanders Kubo and David WD, mixed with PC originals like Zatara Rought. (Before he was CPM)
Biomassed: There’s a bit of an extended voiceover during the middle of the video. Can you tell us about that? Who recorded it and what was the inspiration?
Darth: That was the late Carl Sagan, speaking on the dangers the earth faces in his Cosmos series. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLkC7ralR30)
Space in general has always fascinated me, and when I read this particular passage of his, I immediately thought of the philosophy of Eve and how player interaction legitimately shapes the future of the game we play.
“What we do with our world, right now, will propagate down through the centuries and powerfully affect the destiny of our descendants.”
Very New Eden. You can imagine the epiphany I had when I heard his words put to music, and the whole thing just fell into place.
Biomassed: Do you plan to produce additional videos in the future? If so, what can the community do to be a part of it?
Darth: Most definitely! I try to stay away from the rote “I had a great match, look at me!” sort of video, so you can expect something a little more off the beaten path.
I often call my capture sessions R&D, and constantly recruit those willing to help me with the more “involved” stuff. I call them my Bold Explorers, as the tasks they undertake are more often than not… Hazardous.
Biomassed: What do you think of the new Planetary Conquest changes that have been discussed so far?
Darth: I like it quite bit, particularly the opportunity for players that don’t necessarily play PC to contribute to their corporation’s success through the Warbarge system and Missions. I think this will strengthen the sense of community each group has, which of course is the glue that holds CCP games together.
I would however, say that I want these changes to come even sooner than the roadmap tells us they are. The ISK reward in PC is absolutely debilitating at the moment, with landholders losing money hand-over-fist every battle. I expect Passive Income will alleviate this situation, but in the meantime, the players I know are suffering. We can’t all be billionaires, after all 😀
Biomassed: I swear this is from other members of our writing staff: Why are you so sexy?
Darth: That’s actually I question I get quite often, and the thing that scares me, is that I really have no clue! I have been told I have an interesting voice. This intrigues me, but I take it as a compliment.
I have also heard that I look positively stunning in a Caldari Logistics suit. This makes sense. I work out. Still others remark that my piloting skills puts them to sleep. I’m not sure how to take that, so I just nod.
Honestly, these sorts of remarks have become so commonplace that I have developed a two word answer that seems to satisfy everyone. You’re amazing, Darth, they say, to which I simply reply:
I know.
