Let's Play Advice

As far as I'm concerned, video RPG LPs are a fucking abomination unto the LORD. That shit is screenshot LP territory, with videos only used for Important Shit and cutscenes and whatnot. I'll take a wee look and see how you handle it, anyway.

EDIT: Are you doing your commentary as you go, or is it entirely in post? Because if it's the former, stop. Save the talking for when you're not playing. Have some idea of what you want to talk about. And get a partner. Video LPs have a lot of dead space where nothing much happens. Video RPG LPs have about 75% dead fucking space, so you will need at least one person with you. Slowbeef and Diabetus, Chip and Ironicus (or Chip and Void; they have really good chemistry), Proteus and Suspicious, Pokecapn and his group (Medibot, KFJ, etc.).

The fact that you're experienced with the game you're doing is good, though. Blind LPs are a gimmick. As far as partners go, mixing one experienced person with one inexperienced person can be great.

Don't read their dialogue.

But srsly, I've never met a video RPG LP I liked. And it's a turn-based one, too. At least with, like, an Elder Scrolls game or some shit you can do a bunch of editing and at least have some semblance of pacing. But... Suikoden just does not work in that format. Look at the LP archive and compare the number of screenshot RPG LPs to video RPG LPs. Of the 28 Final Fantasy LPs, 2 are entirely video-based. All Fire Emblem LPs are screenshot based. Same for Front Mission, Neverwinter Knights, KotOR, and Bard's Tale. That shit is not coincidental.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I been doing it for 6 months here.

i use to do live coms and i dont think i was too bad(i sound sort of high and uninterested in many of those clips though) but i just realized i wasn't having fun gaming while doing that so i've stopped hehe. What i do now is just put a short com on the intro to avoid copywrite issues and cut out some of the junk like towns and long menues. overall i just want to log my videogame footage anyways.

you also need a good mic. I'd recommend using a good headset. noobs are quick getting snowballs but you really needa soundbooth room for those as they pick up about everything such as lights, pc fans, ac, the furnace, the smoke detector that needs a new battery. :)
 
I'd rather people not talk at all. People are there to see the game not you.

LP stands for longplay not longplay and run your mouth. Get your 15 minutes of fame somewhere else.
 
[quote name='matrix9280']I'd rather people not talk at all. People are there to see the game not you.

LP stands for longplay not longplay and run your mouth. Get your 15 minutes of fame somewhere else.[/QUOTE]

I thought LP stood for 'Let's Play'
 
yeah LP is let's play hehe

but most people prefer commentary as to many just watching game footage is missing something, mostly what the gamer is thinking gameplay wise at the time.

now some of this Cod crap well tahts multiplayer and a special type of videos, not LP's. you got people that do vlogs over matches, some that tell storys, some that show really great matches and talk trash vary well. But this type of stuff i think is good to start out with, not cod but just something short. a 20 pt Lp is much tougher to do than maybe a 10 min clip every few days. :)
 
Hey guys. Thanks for all the feedback. To answer if I did my commentary as I went along, I did because my friends had told me that people liked reactions rather than scripted. However, it took me so many tries because people kept interrupting me. And sorry, I didn't know people don't like turn based rpgs. I grew up on them. I play every game cept for sports, but wanted to do an rpg first. If thats a bad decision, then i probably will move on to a shooter like far cry. Oh and i thought lp stood for lets play also
 
LP usually stands for Let's Play, which is a game with player-created commentary (and/or narrative), either by voice or subtitle. They are also often done in text-and-screenshot form, especially for RPGs.

Long Plays are completely comment-less recorded runthroughs of games.

There are also Retsupuraes and Wrongpuraes. The former is commentary over another person's bad LP. The latter is commentary done over another person's long play (usually making fun of the quality of the game).

As far as "Let Us" goes? Let's Plays usually have some audience-participation element. They have their origin in Something Awful, where the creators would often ask the reader/viewer for input. Naming soldiers in X-Com, creating level/boss-specific challenges for Mega Man LPs, choosing how to spend EXP, or even joining in on multiplayer games. Youtube-based LPs usually have a lot less of this.

EDIT: And since you posted just above me, I'd like to clarify: I fucking love a good screenshot RPG LP. Check out the KotOR 2 and Neverwinter Nights 2 LPs on the archive. Those things are amazing. And The Dark Id manages to make a shitpile like Drakengard 2 fun with his LP.

But... I don't like them in video form.

And a big part of the reason you use a partner is so that, even when doing commentary in post, you still have someone seeing it for the first time. That way, you can have some preparation to minimize the dead air, and your partner(s) can add the shock and surprise as things happen that they weren't expecting.

There are good video LPs with live commentary, naturally. Proteus and Suspicious doing Daikatana comes to mind. Or Pokecapn's group doing Mario Party.
 
Wow Crotch, you know your shit. You must watch a lot of LP's. I am gonna check those ones out because I am very new to this and had a blast ranting lol. Did you watch my lp Suikoden 2 btw Crotch? I more wonder if the clarity of the mic was fine and Suikoden is not so bad for turn based because battles are always quick. Oh and theres only like three cutscenes in the whole game
 
I'm using really shit hotel internet right now (which is still a step up from the no internet that I've had for the last three weeks and will have for until early-mid August), so I could only tolerate waiting for Youtube for a little while. Mic clarity seemed alright, though your energy was a bit low right off the hop.

And make sure you don't talk over the cutscenes. You only ever do that if you're making fun of the game, and even then, do it carefully.

And yeah, it's nice that Suikoden 2 has fairly quick/smooth/natural-looking combat. But you've still got army fights and backtracking and shopping and all that shit in the game, which is stuff that requires editing (or complete removal and perhaps summary in the notes below the video) to make enjoyable.

As far as video LPers to learn from? Chip and Ironicus and Slowbeef and Diabetus are the standards, and they do a fuckload of them, so finding one you're interested in is easy. I recommend Chip and Ironicus' Dead to Rights series, personally. The only solo video LPer I've ever really enjoyed is Research Indicates, because he has such a smooth god damn voice and I wish he could narrate my life.
 
Like Crotch said you picked a pretty hard one to make interesting.

Why not choose a somewhat linear, somewhat short horror game? They give you plenty to talk about and it's fun to watch people freak out and/or make wisecracks about the monsters.
 
Ya, energy was low after all the tries.There seemed to be a phone call every 5 minutes that kept interrupting my play through :( I definitely will increase my energy though. Power levels will be rising lol. Suikoden 2 is nice enough that there is a small glitch where I can instantly turn into a high level and be able to skip all the grinding plus buying equipment. And Camoor, I wish I could play a horror game, but I really am afraid of horror games. I mean I have beaten Condemned, Silent Hill, Fatal Frame, and have played Amnesia...but that involves me sobbing and questioning why I am even playing this game every second that I am playing it. If you have a reccomendation of a game, I would definitely do it. Always looking for a good horror game to play no matter how much it hurts me. Thanks again for all the feedback. I am looking at a Research Indicates right now and his voice is awesome! lol. If I wasn't asian, then I probably could have that voice lol
 
[quote name='Naneo']And Camoor, I wish I could play a horror game, but I really am afraid of horror games. I mean I have beaten Condemned, Silent Hill, Fatal Frame, and have played Amnesia...but that involves me sobbing and questioning why I am even playing this game every second that I am playing it. If you have a reccomendation of a game, I would definitely do it. Always looking for a good horror game to play no matter how much it hurts me.[/QUOTE]

Haha check out the Let's Play of this PSX game called LSD. They are almost all like that and I think they are very entertaining.

I watch all the Silent Hill LPs myself. I can't play those games anymore because they are too unnerving/depressing but I enjoy watching the LPs.
 
I think everybody watches a let's play for different reasons. The most enjoyable lets plays to me are for games I either really enjoyed in the past or a game I am currently enjoying.

I very much prefer the video to be a blind a play through as the person experiencing the game is doing so for the first time and I am excited to see their reaction.

I prefer live commentary b3ecause again, I want to relive the experience through the LPer. When commentary is done post, all the magic is gone.

I do not enjoy walk through videos because there is no suspense or wonder. I was watching a LA Noire "Let's play" one time and the guy never once did anything wrong. He asked all the right questions, figured out everything extremely fast, and after a while I cam to the conclusion that he already knew what he was doing. I lost interest after that. I like to see the player fail once in a while and see their reaction.

Some of my favorite LP's have been a Mass Effect one, GTA: San Andreas, and Alpha Protocol. I rarely watch an entire LP but I like to see several episodes over a week or two period.

I mainly watch to vicariously relive the game and to see how someone else aproched situations. I get enjoyment comparing the actions I took with those of the LPer.

As far as tips go. When it comes to my personal taste...

-Do not talk during cut scenes unless you are making a brief reactionary remark.

-Do play it blind

-Do have live commentary

-Do not have your mike so loud that we can barely hear the game

-It's ok to have some dead sound but don't make a habit of it.

-Small comments here and there are enough to eliminate uncomfortable silences.

-Don't hold back on your reactions. Some of the best moments are when someone gets pissed or overly happy.

-Comment on how much you are (or are not) enjoying the game from time to time. Almost treat it as a long review.

-Sometimes giving the viewers choice can help.

-Don't edit out all of your failures. If it gets to be too much/boring it's ok but don't edit it every time you make a wrong choice. A perfect play through is not what a lot of LPer's are looking for.
 
Thanks again for all the great responses. I kind of am understanding LP'S alot more. Like people have their own styles and are successful because they either have stellar voice thats smooth like honey or like they have the best reactions. I 've been watching lp's all day and there exists two distinct styles that involve either reaction based or obviously scripted. Frankly, I kind of want to combine these two together. Thanks everyone and Calinks, I do agree that a perfect play just stinks. I also want to see failure, but not too much. I also think giving a good analysis of the game while playing is also a great way to have other people understand what your going through. I am definitely taking in account of everybody's responses. Thanks again :)
 
As far as Calinks' preferring live and blind, again, that's a big part of why blind co-commentators are so great. You get their in-the-moment reaction to an unfamiliar game without wasting time bumbling around because you don't know where to go or sitting through long loading screens (not that Suikoden 2 has too many loading screens, as I recall) or missing out on major parts of the game.
 
I know what you guys mean. I watched this guy on youtube play Condemned 2 once and he was freaking the f out. I loved his reaction so much to what was happening and him failing and reacting to every little thing again differently was just so awesome. I was laughing so hard in those suspenseful moments and I had come to have more of an appreciation for let's plays since then.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
bread's done
Back
Top