NappuccinoSurveyor of Things and StuffRegistered Userregular
edited October 2009
Depends on how long you plan on recording but I'd recommend atleast 20 gb of defragmented space. The more the better though as for me, 10 min of recording is about 2 gb of video.
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.
Actually, Youtube has a pretty awesome High Definition upload option now or some such, featuring 720P (an unprecedented amount of P) so Youtube is pretty acceptable now if you don't mind the ten minute video limit
But anyway, my personal thoughts!
THINGS TO NOT DO WHEN DOING A LET'S PLAY:
1) sing (unless it's like this)
2) say things just to fill up dead air
3) record yourself fucking around with technical problems or settings or something, seriously edit that shit out
4) do an LP of a popular game that everyone has already played to death. What I'm saying is do not LP Portal
5) have really crappy video or audio
6) record boring grinding or traveling or whatever and try to commentate over it (unless it's like this)
THINGS TO DO WHEN DOING A LET'S PLAY:
1) decide in advance what kind of LP you are doing. If it is humor focused, focus on that. If it is story focused, focus on that. If it is supposed to be informative, focus on that. Don't try to do all of the above
2) use post process video editing if you have the means and the talent (like this guy)
3) use subtitles if you want to preserve the mood of a scary or dramatic game, or if you have an annoying voice, or are just nervous and not suited to public speaking in any way
4) play through the game in advance, or if you are doing a blind run, at least the first level or so so you know what you are getting into and how to play, so we don't have to watch you fuck around in the tutorial because you have to rebind the controls or whatever
5) use post-commentary if you can't come up with anything reasonably entertaining while you're playing, or cannot multitask commentary and playing a difficult game at the same time. Some people prefer live commentary, and I am one of them, but funny/informative post-commentary is loads better than bad/unfunny live commentary
6) get a group of like minded manchildren together to LP if you can, to bounce jokes off of one another. It tends to be much funnier than some nerd sitting alone playing a game and talking to himself (importantexamplesof this)
I've always wanted to do Sands of Time because I don't think anyone here has done it. But I'm terrified about the commentary and that I might get stuck on a puzzle and look foolish. And not in the fun way.
NappuccinoSurveyor of Things and StuffRegistered Userregular
edited October 2009
In my opinion, youtube is more viewer friendly at the moment. And like Olivaw said, you can upload pretty high quality video these days (2gb files) so the only limitation is the 10 min segments and with some good editing (stoping and starting when there is down time in the video) makes that complaint almost invalid.
@cool: Editing is your friend if such a situation arises. Also do a trial run or two to get in the groove of what to expect again (unless its a blind run... then... editing is your friend)
I've always wanted to do Sands of Time because I don't think anyone here has done it. But I'm terrified about the commentary and that I might get stuck on a puzzle and look foolish. And not in the fun way.
Have you played Sands of Time? The game is short, and I can't recall one instance where I was stuck due to a puzzle.
Shady3011 on
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Olivawgood name, isn't it?the foot of mt fujiRegistered Userregular
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.)
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.)
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.)
how anyone can listen to that person talk for that amount of time is unfathomable
Yeah okay, that right there is a sterling example of what not to do when doing an LP
Holy crap I got sick of that after about thirty seconds
Pretty much. Different strokes for different folks, but I acknowledge it's awful. Can't do anything about the voice of course, which is what a lot of people don't like. As for the video itself though, I wouldn't be caught dead doing that now. The framerate is awful, there's really no game audio, I go "uhhhh" a lot, and I did pretty much no editing. However that was back in 2007 when it was more about having fun, and I did have fun. Others liked watching it, so more power to them. I actually have my shit together now though and I like the stuff I make these days. I did lots of editing for Earthworm Jim, I added in some clips from the show, I had game audio (Kind of, hadn't quite gotten the hang of it because my headset is so crappy), and I knew what I was doing because I practiced each stage for about a month before I made the thread. I died maybe twice in the whole thing. I'm doing the same thing now with Cheetahmen. I'm practicing, editing, I'm messing with audio, and I'm doing post-commentary to give information on the game as well as just letting people see the game.
Basically, learn from my mistakes. Also if you think that was bad, go check out anything Ohtsam did. His stuff was always a trainwreck. I found it enjoyable of course, but he died more than anyone else I've ever seen.
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.)
how anyone can listen to that person talk for that amount of time is unfathomable
Yeah okay, that right there is a sterling example of what not to do when doing an LP
Holy crap I got sick of that after about thirty seconds
Pretty much. Different strokes for different folks, but I acknowledge it's awful. Can't do anything about the voice of course, which is what a lot of people don't like. As for the video itself though, I wouldn't be caught dead doing that now. The framerate is awful, there's really no game audio, I go "uhhhh" a lot, and I did pretty much no editing. However that was back in 2007 when it was more about having fun, and I did have fun. Others liked watching it, so more power to them. I actually have my shit together now though and I like the stuff I make these days. I did lots of editing for Earthworm Jim, I added in some clips from the show, I had game audio (Kind of, hadn't quite gotten the hang of it because my headset is so crappy), and I knew what I was doing because I practiced each stage for about a month before I made the thread. I died maybe twice in the whole thing. I'm doing the same thing now with Cheetahmen. I'm practicing, editing, I'm messing with audio, and I'm doing post-commentary to give information on the game as well as just letting people see the game.
6) record boring grinding or traveling or whatever and try to commentate over it (unless it's like this)
That video actually made me want to pull out FF8 and play a bit. I don't think that guy quite gets how to break the combat system in the game. It becomes much less silly (well, it becomes silly in different ways) when you learn how to exploit it.
edit: ah, he does seem to get it
Dehumanized on
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Olivawgood name, isn't it?the foot of mt fujiRegistered Userregular
6) record boring grinding or traveling or whatever and try to commentate over it (unless it's like this)
That video actually made me want to pull out FF8 and play a bit. I don't think that guy quite gets how to break the combat system in the game. It becomes much less silly (well, it becomes silly in different ways) when you learn how to exploit it.
The quality of the one video LP I did pretty much convinced me to never do something like that again. If I ever do an LP again it will be screen shot based with youtube links to music used in the game much like A CERTAIN FF9 LP THAT I LOVED.
surrealitychecklonely, but not unloveddreaming of faulty keys and latchesRegistered Userregular
edited October 2009
That video actually made me want to pull out FF8 and play a bit. I don't think that guy quite gets how to break the combat system in the game. It becomes much less silly (well, it becomes silly in different ways) when you learn how to exploit it.
It seems he doesn't know the real secret technique at all :<
I practically never drew magic o.O
surrealitycheck on
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KlykaDO you have anySPARE BATTERIES?Registered Userregular
edited October 2009
I could upload to Youtube in HD, I actually did a few test videos around the time I was doing Spider-Man:WoS, but to be honest, it's just a fucking hassle. It takes ages to encode, takes even more space, takes me hours to upload with my connection, etc... basically,it's just not really worth it for me and makes the fun endeavor of doing an LP into a chore.
If I had a better connection and a second PC to do the encoding on, I might actually consider it.
Also,look at Helloween's LPs. He encodes his vids at like half the bitrate I normally use and he's got seven-fucking-thousand subscribers, so people apparently don't mind the quality THAT much.
Klyka on
SC2 EU ID Klyka.110
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NappuccinoSurveyor of Things and StuffRegistered Userregular
I could upload to Youtube in HD, I actually did a few test videos around the time I was doing Spider-Man:WoS, but to be honest, it's just a fucking hassle. It takes ages to encode, takes even more space, takes me hours to upload with my connection, etc... basically,it's just not really worth it for me and makes the fun endeavor of doing an LP into a chore.
If I had a better connection and a second PC to do the encoding on, I might actually consider it.
Also,look at Helloween's LPs. He encodes his vids at like half the bitrate I normally use and he's got seven-fucking-thousand subscribers, so people apparently don't mind the quality THAT much.
Very true- I try to put the best quality video up as I feasibly can for my lp's and... I think I have something like 12 subscribers. Though, that probably has a lot to do with how new I am to the lp game and how inconsistent (in time and quality) my updates have been compared to your's or helloweens.
Also,look at Helloween's LPs. He encodes his vids at like half the bitrate I normally use and he's got seven-fucking-thousand subscribers, so people apparently don't mind the quality THAT much.
Oh god, this is what REALLY gets to me about certain people doing an LP, and this is what SA is constantly complaining about.
Some people tend to treat an LP like some sort of mini web-series, where they just play a game in ten minute chunks until they beat it. Now if you've got a game that can be split up like, or you've already figured out ahead of time how to split it up like that, Great! You're putting effort and planning into your LP and it's rockin before it even gets out the gate.
But some people will post 59 videos of them doing a straight, unedited run through a game that's not even known for it's difficulty (Re: Mario 64) and expect people to go through THE WHOLE FUCKING LIST!
Do the math: 59 videos at an average of...7 minutes? Juuuust under 7 hours worth of video to watch through.
This is insanity. Don't do this.
So yes, Youtube has gotten far better these days as a host for a VLP, most definitely. But it brings with it certain negative connotations that you have to work past before people even see a video.
In Electric Beast's (a.k.a The Giant of Let's Plays) defense, his LP of Super Mario 64 had a back story he added to give the game more tension and suspense.
Too fucking bad he never finished it. Oh yeah, dude is mad British.
Shady3011 on
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KlykaDO you have anySPARE BATTERIES?Registered Userregular
edited October 2009
I laughed at this video SO MUCH you can't believe it. Also,I imagined that this is how Helloween actually talks and I had to laugh even harder.
...Ohtsam ... died more than anyone else I've ever seen.
I still don't know how one man can be so terrible at Donkey Kong Country 2.
I think its mainly that I was trying to talk while doing it because later when I went through to grab the coins and shit it usually only took one or two tries I mean hell I know died far less playing through MM9.
But yeah I agree with Gilder that my stuff tended to be shit. If I ever do another one (unlikely) it'll either be screencap or post-play commentary.
Ohtsam on
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Olivawgood name, isn't it?the foot of mt fujiRegistered Userregular
In Electric Beast's (a.k.a The Giant of Let's Plays) defense, his LP of Super Mario 64 had a back story he added to give the game more tension and suspense.
Too fucking bad he never finished it. Oh yeah, dude is mad British.
Am I the only one who vastly prefers screenshot LP's? I really cannot stand watching a video, it just takes so long, and is so much less interesting.
The time commitment is definitely what makes screenshot LPs appealing to me. It lets you experience slices of the game in only a little time, whereas videos tend to be longer, though this depends on the editing of course. Some video LPs are really well put together.
Overall I suppose I agree with the consensus, it really depends on the game. Can you imagine a Mario screenshot LP? It wouldn't capture anything.
In Electric Beast's (a.k.a The Giant of Let's Plays) defense, his LP of Super Mario 64 had a back story he added to give the game more tension and suspense.
Too fucking bad he never finished it. Oh yeah, dude is mad British.
Here we see cooljammer stating an oft-repeated (but nonetheless valid) musing on the levels of abstraction from the original source material that may arise from online community-based interaction. I enjoyed his succinctness, but can't help but feel that the breadth of the subject matter calls for a more in-depth analysis.
Posts
3DS Friend Code: 2165-6448-8348 www.Twitch.TV/cooljammer00
Battle.Net: JohnDarc#1203 Origin/UPlay: CoolJammer00
edit: you'll want to do some testing of your own though, I'm not sure what your external's write speed is but it goes pretty well for mine
Actually, Youtube has a pretty awesome High Definition upload option now or some such, featuring 720P (an unprecedented amount of P) so Youtube is pretty acceptable now if you don't mind the ten minute video limit
But anyway, my personal thoughts!
THINGS TO NOT DO WHEN DOING A LET'S PLAY:
1) sing (unless it's like this)
2) say things just to fill up dead air
3) record yourself fucking around with technical problems or settings or something, seriously edit that shit out
4) do an LP of a popular game that everyone has already played to death. What I'm saying is do not LP Portal
5) have really crappy video or audio
6) record boring grinding or traveling or whatever and try to commentate over it (unless it's like this)
THINGS TO DO WHEN DOING A LET'S PLAY:
1) decide in advance what kind of LP you are doing. If it is humor focused, focus on that. If it is story focused, focus on that. If it is supposed to be informative, focus on that. Don't try to do all of the above
2) use post process video editing if you have the means and the talent (like this guy)
3) use subtitles if you want to preserve the mood of a scary or dramatic game, or if you have an annoying voice, or are just nervous and not suited to public speaking in any way
4) play through the game in advance, or if you are doing a blind run, at least the first level or so so you know what you are getting into and how to play, so we don't have to watch you fuck around in the tutorial because you have to rebind the controls or whatever
5) use post-commentary if you can't come up with anything reasonably entertaining while you're playing, or cannot multitask commentary and playing a difficult game at the same time. Some people prefer live commentary, and I am one of them, but funny/informative post-commentary is loads better than bad/unfunny live commentary
6) get a group of like minded manchildren together to LP if you can, to bounce jokes off of one another. It tends to be much funnier than some nerd sitting alone playing a game and talking to himself (important examples of this)
That about covers it, I think!
PSN ID : DetectiveOlivaw | TWITTER | STEAM ID | NEVER FORGET
3DS Friend Code: 2165-6448-8348 www.Twitch.TV/cooljammer00
Battle.Net: JohnDarc#1203 Origin/UPlay: CoolJammer00
@cool: Editing is your friend if such a situation arises. Also do a trial run or two to get in the groove of what to expect again (unless its a blind run... then... editing is your friend)
Have you played Sands of Time? The game is short, and I can't recall one instance where I was stuck due to a puzzle.
Yeah okay, that right there is a sterling example of what not to do when doing an LP
Holy crap I got sick of that after about thirty seconds
PSN ID : DetectiveOlivaw | TWITTER | STEAM ID | NEVER FORGET
If anything, it just proves how one man's opinion is not another's.
Pretty much. Different strokes for different folks, but I acknowledge it's awful. Can't do anything about the voice of course, which is what a lot of people don't like. As for the video itself though, I wouldn't be caught dead doing that now. The framerate is awful, there's really no game audio, I go "uhhhh" a lot, and I did pretty much no editing. However that was back in 2007 when it was more about having fun, and I did have fun. Others liked watching it, so more power to them. I actually have my shit together now though and I like the stuff I make these days. I did lots of editing for Earthworm Jim, I added in some clips from the show, I had game audio (Kind of, hadn't quite gotten the hang of it because my headset is so crappy), and I knew what I was doing because I practiced each stage for about a month before I made the thread. I died maybe twice in the whole thing. I'm doing the same thing now with Cheetahmen. I'm practicing, editing, I'm messing with audio, and I'm doing post-commentary to give information on the game as well as just letting people see the game.
Basically, learn from my mistakes. Also if you think that was bad, go check out anything Ohtsam did. His stuff was always a trainwreck. I found it enjoyable of course, but he died more than anyone else I've ever seen.
3DS: 1607-3034-6970
Gilder you are a class act
PSN ID : DetectiveOlivaw | TWITTER | STEAM ID | NEVER FORGET
That video actually made me want to pull out FF8 and play a bit. I don't think that guy quite gets how to break the combat system in the game. It becomes much less silly (well, it becomes silly in different ways) when you learn how to exploit it.
edit: ah, he does seem to get it
He gets it, he just hates it
Pretty much all of it
PSN ID : DetectiveOlivaw | TWITTER | STEAM ID | NEVER FORGET
It seems he doesn't know the real secret technique at all :<
I practically never drew magic o.O
If I had a better connection and a second PC to do the encoding on, I might actually consider it.
Also,look at Helloween's LPs. He encodes his vids at like half the bitrate I normally use and he's got seven-fucking-thousand subscribers, so people apparently don't mind the quality THAT much.
Very true- I try to put the best quality video up as I feasibly can for my lp's and... I think I have something like 12 subscribers. Though, that probably has a lot to do with how new I am to the lp game and how inconsistent (in time and quality) my updates have been compared to your's or helloweens.
Oh god, this is what REALLY gets to me about certain people doing an LP, and this is what SA is constantly complaining about.
Some people tend to treat an LP like some sort of mini web-series, where they just play a game in ten minute chunks until they beat it. Now if you've got a game that can be split up like, or you've already figured out ahead of time how to split it up like that, Great! You're putting effort and planning into your LP and it's rockin before it even gets out the gate.
But some people will post 59 videos of them doing a straight, unedited run through a game that's not even known for it's difficulty (Re: Mario 64) and expect people to go through THE WHOLE FUCKING LIST!
Do the math: 59 videos at an average of...7 minutes? Juuuust under 7 hours worth of video to watch through.
This is insanity. Don't do this.
So yes, Youtube has gotten far better these days as a host for a VLP, most definitely. But it brings with it certain negative connotations that you have to work past before people even see a video.
Too fucking bad he never finished it. Oh yeah, dude is mad British.
I think its mainly that I was trying to talk while doing it because later when I went through to grab the coins and shit it usually only took one or two tries I mean hell I know died far less playing through MM9.
But yeah I agree with Gilder that my stuff tended to be shit. If I ever do another one (unlikely) it'll either be screencap or post-play commentary.
THE MOST BRITISH MAN ALIVE
PSN ID : DetectiveOlivaw | TWITTER | STEAM ID | NEVER FORGET
The time commitment is definitely what makes screenshot LPs appealing to me. It lets you experience slices of the game in only a little time, whereas videos tend to be longer, though this depends on the editing of course. Some video LPs are really well put together.
Overall I suppose I agree with the consensus, it really depends on the game. Can you imagine a Mario screenshot LP? It wouldn't capture anything.
I love going from the Trespasser LP, with pretty much the voice of America, to this video.
3DS Friend Code: 2165-6448-8348 www.Twitch.TV/cooljammer00
Battle.Net: JohnDarc#1203 Origin/UPlay: CoolJammer00
Here we see cooljammer stating an oft-repeated (but nonetheless valid) musing on the levels of abstraction from the original source material that may arise from online community-based interaction. I enjoyed his succinctness, but can't help but feel that the breadth of the subject matter calls for a more in-depth analysis.