Mente Materia, Celestia, and XCOM 2 Lets Play/Mod plans for the next few months. · 5:22pm Aug 20th, 2015
Good afternoon, folks!
First things first, I intend to post a chapter of Mente Materia within the next couple of days that addresses (some of) the aftermath of Pyrrhic. It will also set things up for the next few chapters... which I'm afraid will take a small while to be published. Upwards of... 30 to 40k (I think) words have been written for the next three chapters, and they're currently being worked on to make them readable/passable. I cannot make any guarantees on the timeframe for these chapters, but current estimates are for around late September or October. Again, this isn't set in stone and may be subject to change, but I just wanted to let everyone know that I am still working on the story even if there's a small dry spell.
And on the note of the dry spell, I'll be using this time to write more chapters for Celestia and possibly start another story if time and schedule permits it. I won't say exactly what this story is, but I suppose I should ask everyone: Do you have some good recommendations for Daring Do stories to read?
This leads into my last points. As I had mentioned briefly when XCOM 2 was announced, I had pitched the idea of doing a Lets Play series for my first playthru, and possibly more going forward. Folks had expressed a lot of interest when I had first pitched the idea for doing an XCOM EU Lets Play also, but I had a lot on my plate at that time and couldn't pursue it. Now, though, I'd like to! Unfortunately, I don't know the first thing about actually -making- Lets Play videos. The last time I had any exposure to anything of the sort was FRAPS around 10 years ago, and I remember it choking the framerate to the point where the video was a slideshow. So, do folks have recommendations for video/audio recording software suites? Tips and tricks? Anything?
The last thing I have planned is something I've been thinking about since the XCOM 2 announcement also: A Stardust Mod. Firaxis is pledging a lot of support for the modding community, and there's been an idea fermenting in my mind about how a mod would work that incorporates elements of the stories I've written. That will lead into my next request for all of you: Like Lets Play videos, I've little experience in releasing a mod for other folks to use. I've certainly done a lot on my own, with .ini edits for Long War, to creating new factions in the WC3 editor, and so on. Those were mostly solo affairs that were never distributed, which certainly isn't going to be the plan come XCOM 2. If any of you have experience modding (I've already spoken with one or two folks) or Steam Workshop, I'd love to get some feedback. Over the next week or so I'll be writing up a very rough outline for what I have in mind for the mod, and we can hopefully hammer things out from there.
Also, I wanted to thank everyone who's been following me up to this point and helping me out when I need it, not just for writing but other things as well. Having folks act as a sounding board is a real lifesaver for me, and letting me bounce ideas is also good too! Thanks again!
While I too have no modding experience, I do a lot of game design and would love to help playtest a Mente Materia mod.
First things first, woohoooo more Celestia. Now that is out of my system. For Daring Do I can honestly only think of one story and that was a cross over with Indiana Jones. For whatever reason pure stories seem to be quite rare.
I use OBS for making LoL highlights to share with my friends. I am not sure how it does with longer clips or mixing multiple audio sources as I haven't done that yet. It has been very light on my system, enough that I haven't notice any slowdown while playing.
More Celestia, whoooooo.
The mod sounds amazing. However, speaking as Devil's advocate, balancing may be an issue
I.e. How to get twilight to open up, I'm sure no one wants a dating sim or a tomgahchi experience in their strategic rpg
Yeah, I also experience massive drops in recording some videos to put up to YouTube and stopped since mine was basically still portraits with sound.
One thing that does help is to go into task manager and close most of the processes save for the ones needed to run your game, steam (most likely since it's XCOM we're playing here) and what recording program you use. I use OBS back in the day since Fraps doesn't work as well on my laptop.
Oh, and one more thing. If you're still using Windows 7 and you see the taskbar is transparent instead of opaque, that's also eating up your processing power to record.
Oh right, one more thing. Try to find a good size to recording speed quality when recording, do a few thirty second tests and try to playback to see how it looks and etc. Sound usually isn't a problem but just having the program being able to capture the video and not having it be grainy are other things entirely.
Wow that went longer than expected...
Only thing I can think of is to ask into the Long War community itself: they got their own section of the nexusmods forums. I don't recall if I namedropped Stardust, and if so how much, back when I used to be more active over there to give feedback, but if I don't recall then I must not have gotten much of a response to it.
The Engine of Eternity (not full title) is my favorite Daring Do story, and also an excellent Rainbow Dash fic as well. There's a short prequel too that's worth reading as well.
Only downside is it's written prior to her really going all that stuff being real; she's a bitter, unadventurous cripple at the start.
I would actually enjoy some Let's Play of XCOM 2. I don't know the specifics of setting one up; maybe there's a YouTube video on it?
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From myself I can add Wanderings of a Nameless Man
https://www.fimfiction.net/story/170657/wanderings-of-a-nameless-man
Just keep in mind that for now there are only three chapters but promises are good
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Uuuu... nice
Watching until 3:45
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wait a minute....
mad search noise
Is it me or someone in 2K read this story
Grammar Nazi Twilight is not amused and will appear in your nightmares!
As for recording videos, I had used FRAPS when I needed to record my own playthrough so I could transcribe texts for a science paper I needed to write about analyzing localization errors. That was in March-May 2014, and I believe FRAPS got a lot better than it was 10 years ago - it was capable of making videos where I could clearly read even small text while playing video in full-screen. However, if you try to record HD video in full size, the output files will cram up your hard drive very quickly. Even if you have 1 TB hard drive.
(BTW, the game I had chosen for that paper was XCOM: Enemy Within
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I haven't used FRAPS since then, so I can't recall everything now. I believe that if you set 30 frames per second, the videos will be of sufficient quality for YouTube and not a slideshow, but HD, as I said, takes a lot of hard drive space.
If you film in segments and need to merge them, you need video editing software. Windows should have standard Windows Movie Maker for that. If you hate it, you can try Sony Vegas - my friend said it was the easiest for him to use. If you need to make some special effects and Sony Vegas proves insufficient, you could try software like Adobe After Effects - but, depending on what SFX you need, you may need extra plugins, and they are not free either.
There could be some freeware video editors I haven't heard of, though, Google them if you do not want to pay money or go pirate.
FRAPS is a terrible program now that better alternatives are out. Check out Open Broadcaster; It's designed around game-recording and should also record your voice in tandem if you so wish, I also believe it encodes on the fly if I'm not mistaken so you can fit a lot more video on smaller spaces. (FRAPS records RAW footage at a specific size, like 1080, then you have to manually change to a smaller format.)
Also I suggest getting a small external hard drive specifically for the recording; That way if shenanigans happen, or that thin man snipes your comp from across the map, the video files and your system are separate.
edit: You'll need to include something like audacity though if you want guest commentary though; which you might consider as solo commentary can be difficult until your used to it.
TotalBiscuit, who does youtube-stuff like this for a living, recently posted a bit of insight into his used programs and such over here, which may help you.
No useful advice from here but YAY Celestia! Take your time, your chapters are usually so large that it really doesn't hurt too much to wait for them.
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Playtesters would be certainly appreciated... once we have a mod and a game to play it in. XD
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Thanks for the recommendation, I'll add it to my growing list that I forgot I need to read. :S
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When did I say Twilight would be appearing?
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Thanks for the tips! I'm actually running Windows 10 at the moment...
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I'll watch that as soon as I have a moment.
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There was a thread on the XCOM reddit about fanfiction, and Stardust came up, much to my glee. I might ask around there.
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Another excellent recommendation!
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I imagine there's a bit of irony of going to youtube to look up how to make a youtube series. XD
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I had actually thought it was an interesting coincidence that I had also given Shen a daughter, though the name was off a little bit.
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Some more excellent suggestions. (I had written it as 'playthru' because auto correct was being dumb). I doubt I'll do anything fancy, though if things get popular, I might revise that.
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I'll look into that, too. Never thought of guest commentary.
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Big fan of TB, I'll look into that!
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Celestia chapters are usually on the lower side of things, TBH, but it's nice to have short chapters every once and a while.
3335367 fair point but I would think there would need to be some kind of equestrian influence to satisfy the fans of your work
Even if it's only a nod to your story in a project description like in enemy unknowns description of the gallop chamber referencing the two brothers that made the original x com
I guess that ultimately it only matters how much you want to adhere to the universe you created
Also here is some smiles
img15.deviantart.net/efd1/i/2012/150/3/0/young_twilight_tries_dark_magic_by_mysticalpha-d514p93.jpg
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Trust me, I have something planned that fans of my work will enjoy, while folks who aren't bronies will enjoy also.
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Just try not to sweat it too much and be sure to ask if you need any help; I'm sure among this motley crew there are plenty of hands on deck to help you with any questions.
If I'm not being to forward, I think a good LP will be something organic. A lot of Lets Plays out there are way over the top, and all of the reactions are exaggerated beyond belief. Personally, I think that that style of commentary takes the fun out of the LP; the reason I watch the LP in the first place is to see how the recorder plays the game (esp. as compared to my own play-throughs), and to get his honest reactions and opinions on the game. That's why I like blind play throughs better than recordings of previously played games; I'm more likely to get honest reactions and commentary. Now, you could do a separate game on your own if you want. But if you do, I would say that you shouldn't try to have over the top reactions. Just be yourself in the video, I and I think you'll do fine.
Another thing that kind of goes hand in hand with the above point; experience the game. I once watched the first episode of an LP of Deus Ex 3, and the person was so busy talking that he missed the entire opening intro, which includes a major plot point. I didn't watch the rest of that one. Don't focus so much on commentary that you miss the game. I think for XCOM, aside from your thoughts on the game and whatever else you want to say, just thinking your decisions out loud should be enough. That way, we get a glimpse into your mind and your reasoning for the decisions that you make, but you will still be immersed in the game. Also, don't stress to much about the commentary. I'm sure you'll get a better feel for it as time goes on. Who knows? You might even develop a catchphrase or something!
Anyway, just my thoughts. Take 'em or leave 'em.
As far as the mod goes, I'd love to try it out, once I can get the game. (I only have a laptop right now, so I have no idea if my PC will play it smoothly, or at all.
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Edit: Oops. Didn't mean to talk your ear off.
I'm glad you asked! I recommend Whip and Wing, which, as the title may suggest, involves more than one famous adventure-archaeologist. Another one would be Ponky's The Sisters Doo, which has two companion fics, Through the Looking Glass and What Pinkie Found There and The Daughter Doo, Honorary Cutie mark Crusader. (The latter is not finished.)
As far as recording a Let's Play goes, look up Open Broadcast Software. OBS for short. It blows FRAPS out of the water in almost every aspect.
I'd love to get on board with creating a Stardust mod. I've got a bit of experience with modding, and a tech cert in audio engineering... can't be that hard to put em together, right?
New Celestia chapters will be awesome. It's one of my favourite stories.
I will gladly provide help with a Stardust mod. I've got some experience modding, mostly for personal use.
The main issue I can see that you'll probably have is getting proper modellers to help the project, if that's something you are looking at doing in your mod. There's always lots of people willing to do the programming side, like me, but a severe lack of people willing and capable of doing the more artistic side.
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Burn that heresy
where did you even find it? Even Microsoft Word isn't that dumb.
As to actual streaming... Open Broadcaster Software (OBS, for short) is what I use, but a lot of Twitch streamers also use Xsplit. Both free, both pretty easy to get set up... and no memory hogging like FRAPS.