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Regarding [Let's Play]s
Senshi
BALLING OUT OF CONTROLWavefrontRegistered User regular
BALLING OUT OF CONTROLWavefrontRegistered User regular
So, I was wondering.
I've been seeing a bunch of Let's Plays recently, and it's sorta gotten me thinking that I'd like to do my own LP. What I need to know is the following:
1. Do I need to seek any sort of mod approval to create a Let's Play?
2. Are there any games that aren't highly recommended/taboo?
3. Software--namely, what do other people use to record their Let's Plays, including not only the game audio and video, but also my own voiceover (preferably recording game audio and voiceover audio on separate tracks, if possible)?
4. Video editing--how much and to what extent is the final product edited?
Any other hints and tips would be great, I was thinking about starting off with a short but sweet game that doesn't seem to have an existing LP in G&T, namely Valve's Portal. It's only a few hours long, highly entertaining, with plenty of potential for commentary. A perfect game for a first Let's Play.
Thoughts? Advice? gief plz
I've been seeing a bunch of Let's Plays recently, and it's sorta gotten me thinking that I'd like to do my own LP. What I need to know is the following:
1. Do I need to seek any sort of mod approval to create a Let's Play?
2. Are there any games that aren't highly recommended/taboo?
3. Software--namely, what do other people use to record their Let's Plays, including not only the game audio and video, but also my own voiceover (preferably recording game audio and voiceover audio on separate tracks, if possible)?
4. Video editing--how much and to what extent is the final product edited?
Any other hints and tips would be great, I was thinking about starting off with a short but sweet game that doesn't seem to have an existing LP in G&T, namely Valve's Portal. It's only a few hours long, highly entertaining, with plenty of potential for commentary. A perfect game for a first Let's Play.
Thoughts? Advice? gief plz
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numbers 2, 4 seem like something you should figure out for yourself. what sort of style do you want to do your LP? there's no hard and fast rules
though doing a game that's been done before in this forum might not be a great idea
fraps generally the accepted standard for PC recording, some sort of capture card for console recording.
Usually, yes.
3 months is the statute, I think.
Some people use Fraps on their PC, some have capture cards for their TVs.
Your decision, really. Just imagine you were us and don't bore us. Same goes with commentary.
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The more interactive the better usually. Games like the X-Com LP in SE++ where forumers get characters named after them until they die their horrible redshirt deaths. I'm running one at the moment that is essentially a choose your own adventure with fellow PAers calling the shots on which way they want to go. (And they've only killed us once so far!)
2. Play a game that you want to play. It helps to know the game well (and it helps to know that the game runs well on your pc- I ran into both of those problems on my first LP and sadly, I may never be able to return to finish that one... Mirror Edge eats my computer alive.
You can play a shitty game, you can play an awesome game, just make it entertaining (either through your pure talent, humor, or insightful commentary. Or a little bit of all of them). You might want to stay away from any thing that is too new- give games a few months atleast.
3. I use Fraps. Its not the best (I have major audio problems and I know very few people who get them sorted out) but I haven't seen anything else that works better for the cost.
4. Edit it in a way that seems reasonable. No one will care if you die a few times here and there. But if the you start dying to the point where it gets boring, edit out some of it. Look to "I want to be the guy the game" lp for examples of that.\
Most importantly, have fun. If you're having fun, the audience will be having fun as well. If you're having an awful time, sometimes we'll enjoy it anyway (watching someone suffer though a game can be as almost as fun as watching them play a good game but it depends on the commentator.)
For your second question, I would recommend not playing a game that has just recently come out. This ensures several things. First, it ensures that you aren't mavericking a game, which usually has terrible results. Second, it gives people a chance to play the game themselves. And third, which is something I don't expect from PA'ers but I've seen on YouTube, it ensures you aren't rushing to be the HOLYSHITFIRST to LP a game and get bad quality video and gameplay and commentary.
For your fourth question, editing isn't necessarily that hard. You don't have to add an intro/outro to your LP episodes. But cut out the fat. If there's a spot where you die a lot before getting through, cut out the bulk of those dying moments. If you have to grind or search aimlessly for stuff, cut that out as well.
As for general tips, I would follow something that the SA guys say about this. Be sure you're able to be funny, entertaining (that is, good at the game or using a well-liked gimmick), or informative. Any combination of these makes it even better.
If you're going to LP a game that's been LP'd already, try to show the viewers something new if possible. Or if you know you're a better player, show us that. Showing your viewers something they haven't seen before is always a plus. If your LP can sell people on the game you're playing, that's a bonus, but keep in mind there are bad games out there you can play just to show people WHY they aren't worth getting.
And regarding commentary... If you do commentary as you play, ask yourself if you're any good at spontaneous conversation or joke telling. Nothing sucks more than dead-air. Or repeated memes. If you don't think you can pull off commentary as you go, do post commentary. You can prepare what you want to say and you can even bring in other people to commentate much easier than if you were doing live commentary.
Last piece of advice: Let's Plays are a hobby. Don't think like the YouTubers who think they're going to be a superstar for it.
God bless you, Gilder.
An RPG can be done with video, but it requires the most editing. Check out SirRonLionHeart's Final Fantasy 4 LP. While he has his moments of dragging on about stuff (regarding item management and explaining items), he employs plenty of video editing and it should at least provide some amount of example.
Depends on the player, though.
Since Let's Plays are becoming prolific here, would you guys care to have a thread indexing them (the ones we do, that is)? Because I'm up to the task (and hell I've been thinking about it anyway).
I definately think that its a bad idea to lp a game you haven't played before for your first lp ever. That way you'll get comfortable with the idea/ concepts of what you are doing without getting overwhelmed by learning/failing a new game. LP's are draining, no need to make it more draining for yourself than you have to lol.
Yeah, even I don't fully buy what I said about that, but it's the safest route to take. Like the Sonic 2006 LP was maverick'd and still managed to be hilarious. But they had a big advantage on it; several forumers were actually present together to get it done.
So I guess when all else fails, have your pals over?
Edit - What Nappu said about your first LP ever, I agree with (and found out first hand). When I did Diablo, I was already well familiar with the game but I wasn't familiar with how much time it takes to sort out screenshots and how much I'd have to write for each update.
I would really like a PA lp index- it'll make it easier to link to friends when they start asking about what I'm doing with all of my free time these days..
For reference, here's the lp i was mentioning where editing greatly improves the video http://forums.penny-arcade.com/showthread.php?t=66434
I haven't tried doing it, but couldn't you make the computer play everything from the microphone and then record that with the game audio? I guess it might be annoying to hear everything you say while playing, though.
I kinda agree with this to a point. I think an exception can be either if it's been a long time since someone's tried/finished an LP on the game or if it's the kind of game that's open to more then one type of playstyle, like Deus Ex or V:TM-Bloodlines. It also helps if the LP is done in a way noticeably different then the previous go.
Let's Play Final Fantasy 'II' (Ch10 - 5/17/10)
"I'm crying right now. Because I want to die."
ahahahahaha
Or that was never finished. Pleanty of those.
I tend to keep the editing fairly light. Only editing out what is boring to watch or simply long sections of nothing that games can give us.
Apart from that, LP something you know you will enjoy, make sure you finish it (nothing makes me sadder than the Chrono trigger LP) and you are entertaining. Good luck!
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Fans of Klyka would disagree. But then, he is the best German.
Do not sing unless you are the best German.
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His descent into madness is amazing.
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You flatter me too much, my singing is dreadful.
1. Nope
2. Not really, but unless you're really funny and/or really creative there are some things that just aren't going to work well. JRPGs, Pokemon games, puzzle games, and certain unique titles like Phoenix Wright or Shadow of the Colossus will not make for a good LP. (for the record, Gilder's Mario LP should not have been in any way entertaining but there's something about watching a man being slowly driven insane that has a certain appeal to it)
3+4. See SA's tech support thread.
In my opinion, Portal is a bad idea for an LP. Pretty much everyone has played it, so you'd need to bring something damn good to the table to make it worth watching. It's a puzzle game that for the most part has clearly defined solutions, which makes for a boring video. Basically you'd end up either doing a speedrun, which is boring, or you'd end up dicking around to lengthen the videos, which is also boring. I could maybe see a Portal LP working if it's done by someone who's never played it before, but even then it probably wouldn't be much fun to watch.
1) Multiple verbal input during a video-LP's commentary. This GTA4-LP is the latest video-LP done between a trio/foursome of friends who jibber-jabber about everything going on in the game and some stuff that doesn't, proving to be a popular presence at their forum. This can make up for a lot in a video-LP if you're not the most vibrant or confidant of speakers. Just hook a friend or two (and later perhaps, one of the viewers) to help you keep your audience from tuning you out.
2) Adding more story to a game. It's a risky move but some LPs (mainly the screenshot kind) work out nicely when the LPer presents it under the viewpoint of the character he's playing, like this SS-LP of V:TM-Bloodlines that they still mention over at Something Awful. It can also be done in a humorous sort of way like this ongoing FFT-LP shows.
3) Cover EVERYTHING in a game. This ongoing Dead-Space LP started out as a flip-flop between a newbie-run and a maxed-out run all within one video-line but the guy behind it soon turned the LP (thanks to feedback) into two lines: a regular run subtitled-LP showcasing the plot, death-types and weapons' full potentials and a voiced hardcore run run under the harshest difficulty with no upgrades. It's a cool thing to do but it's probably not for beginners and definitely not for a game you aren't 100% nuts over.
Let's Play Final Fantasy 'II' (Ch10 - 5/17/10)
Basically, you should go read up on the SA's tutorials and rules if only because they started the thing. All of the bitchin, moanin and Nerd Rage is because they want you to put the time and effort required to produce something worth watching. Thus the "DO NOT USE YOUTUBE FOR CHRIST'S SAKES!!!" sort of comments you get over there.
If you're thinking of just doing a vanilla-run of Portal straight up my advice is: don't. Everyone and their mother, even more so for us dudes, have dissected that game down to it's last drop of humor and there just isn't anything worth watching in there. If you were to somehow throw the entire Portal legacy together so that we would have one comprehensive set of videos regarding the entire game, just as an example for an idea, that'd be amazing but require LOTS of work to produce a 10 minute video for a bit of net-fame.
Still not entirely sure on software needed for getting PC games, but for anything that can go through a set of A/V wires, I bought the Pinnacle Ultimate Studio Box which seems to do the trick of importing any system I need through it. But the $130 or so you'll spend on it means you need to get some use out of it outside of an LP to justify plunking down a decent bit of coin.
Just remember to do LOTS of test videos before you ever upload anything. If you get bored watching it, don't bother.
Oh god, why have I never seen this before? I'm lucky my officemate isn't here, because I'm laughing my ass off.
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http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=8995799804738175148&hl=en-CA#
how anyone can listen to that person talk for that amount of time is unfathomable
OMG! No. Words. Should've sent a poet.
Really? I was crying with laughter like the whole time. It was wonderful.
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It depends on the game, I think.
For instance, a screenshot LP of megaman would be hilarihorrible.
Like a video LP of GalCiv II would be awful.
The Terrible Secret of Animal Crossing
Absolutely loved this one.
Oh, I already tried Portal. I ended up hating the finished product so much that I deleted it all; The post, the youtubes, even the original video files. I really mostly did it just to test my recording/editing ability, and I suppose you could do the same, but it's just not a game that lends itself to an LP unless you've got a really good gimmick in mind. Everyone knows it, and everyone who doesn't should really just play it themselves. It also contains enough humor on its own that talking over the voice kind of defeats the point.
Granted, I also did Final Fantasy VII which the entire world knows about, but I figured it was old enough now that maybe some people really hadn't played it, and maybe they didn't want to invest any real time in doing so. That or they loved/hated the game and enjoy seeing someone else's take on it.
My overall suggestion, since nearly everything has been covered here, and probably this as well, is to pick something you really enjoy, because like it has been stated LPs are a lot of work, and it really helps if you are looking forward to playing more of the game after doing your updates. That's why I chose FFVII and managed to finish it, because playing the game again after so long was quite entertaining, and made organizing the screenshots and writing the posts much easier and even fun.
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