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theenglishman
Jun 24, 2009

Title: A game so nice we're playing it twice — Let's Play Hydrophobia and Hydrophobia: Prophecy!





What is this game?
Hydrophobia is a high-concept action-adventure game created by Dark Energy Digital, best described as the lovechild of BioShock, Poseidon Adventure, and Die Hard. It was originally released exclusively for Xbox Live Arcade in 2010. In 2011, Dark Energy completely remade the game as Hydrophobia Prophecy, released on PlayStation Network and Steam (and rather ominously not on XBLA).

Our protagonist, Kate Wilson, is a systems engineer aboard the Queen of the World, a cruise ship where all the world's wealthy live in luxury while the overpopulated underclass die in squalor. As the crew of the Queen of the World get ready to celebrate her tenth year at sea, a gang of mysterious terrorists hijack the ship and start killing indiscriminately. Kate, with the help of her friend Scoot, must find out what the assailants want and how to stop them.

While this is the literal story of Hydrophobia, the game also tells a sordid tale of arrogance, over-ambition, fights with the media, an avalanche of public-relations disasters, and a development team refusing to acknowledge that their precious baby had some serious flaws until it was too late for their public image.



Holy crap, that sounds awful!
Well the first game is trash, I'm not afraid to admit that, but I kinda like the remake. It's no masterpiece, but it's alright. What I want to do is make this LP an interesting experience as we get to see how a developer swallowed its pride and turned a horrible game into a decent one.



What exactly happened between Dark Energy Digital and the critics?
Well I won't give everything away in the OP, but it was pretty nasty. When Hydrophobia first released in 2009, it was met with scathing reviews. Critics and players alike hated the floaty controls, awkward button mapping, ridiculous story, unlikable characters, and a cliffhanger ending which was meant to accommodate an episodic structure that, in 2010, was not well-appreciated or understood. There was also a significant amount of hate leveled at Scoot's voice actor, Naithan Ariane, for his high-pitched Scottish accent and voice clips that chimed in way too frequently.

That being said, the critics did like one thing: it was praised for its revolutionary water technology. Prior to Hydrophobia, some games allowed you to change the water level, but it was very restricted; think of the three switches in Aquatic Mine in Sonic Adventure 2, or how Mario can only change the water height in Wet-Dry World by entering its painting before loading the level itself. Hydrophobia was the first-ever game to use dynamic player-driven water physics; water from one map can flow into another, and every wave is randomly generated with no scripting. It even plays into combat, with entire fights happening underwater with Kate making use of floating cover. It's one of the few legitimately enjoyable parts of the original game.

While Prophecy is the official remake, Hydrophobia was remade...twice I guess? Well, 1.5 times. Four months after launch, it became clear to Dark Energy Digital they were losing the battle of public opinion, so they released a massive update to the XBLA version called Hydrophobia Pure. It retooled almost everything gameplay-related from the ground up, improved the framerate significantly, reduced the frequency of Scoot's advice, and added a few extra levels. The Hydrophobia Prophecy remake added even more content, recast Scoot, cleared up plot holes, gave the main villain more screen time, and added an actual final boss instead of ending abruptly in the middle of the final level.



How's this LP going to work?
I'll be doing a double LP, of sorts, along with my co-commentator pdPreciousRoy, in order to fully appreciate how much was changed. We will spend most of our time with the remake, Hydrophobia Prophecy, which significantly adds to, overhauls, and changes all the gameplay mechanics, while occasionally jumping back to the original, unpatched XBLA version of Hydrophobia to see how we got here.




Part 1: Allodoxaphobia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1jvp5z_c04

Part 2: Cymophobia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jr-pc4GNB7w

I'm looking for feedback on this OP (I haven't made one of these in a very, very long time) as well the editing and pacing of these videos. One issue I've been having while making some changes to this OP is getting the two Hydrophobia covers to appear side-by-side without a hard break - I've had a look through the BBcode guide and still remain puzzled at to whether there's a way to do that.

theenglishman fucked around with this message at 18:55 on Jun 10, 2019

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Carbon dioxide
Oct 9, 2012

quote:

One issue I've been having while making some changes to this OP is getting the two Hydrophobia covers to appear side-by-side without a hard break - I've had a look through the BBcode guide and still remain puzzled at to whether there's a way to do that.

Just put the img tags next to each other:



Or use a single space between them so they appear distinct:


Note that for people reading on narrower resolutions (phones and such) the second image will still appear below the first, and if you ever plan to archive it to lparchive.org there's a hard horizontal limit of 900 px.

theenglishman
Jun 24, 2009

Carbon dioxide posted:

Just put the img tags next to each other:

Thanks! That worked perfectly.

I'm still looking for some feedback on the video editing and pacing, as well as OP formatting/writing. I've worked on a few LPs in the past year or so (YouTube only) but none where I've jumped back and forth between two versions of the same game.

drygear
Aug 2, 2007
the frog
Hi everyone, I've been wanting to do a Let's Play of the Thief games for several years, and I finally decided to start working on one for Thief 2. I have the first two levels recorded and edited and I decided to do a sort of test run of commentary with the first half of the second mission. I'd really like some feedback and advice.

My approach and intention with this Let's Play is not to try to show off all the content, or to show what it looks like when you've mastered the game. I want to show what it's like when you're just good enough to muddle your way through. I don't have the maps memorized. What I want is for this to capture some of the suspense of playing the game. I want there to be some tension about whether I'll get caught at any given moment. My original idea was to do no quicksaving/loading at all, but I realized pretty early on that if I play through the beginning it becomes a chore to go through and get all the loot again and it'll be less interesting every time, so I'm trying to give myself some checkpoints or save just before some tricky jumps.
One of the dangers of watching stealth games including this one is the amount of waiting around can start to feel dull, as can the amount of backtracking. My solution is to use heavy editing to speed up some of the waiting and backtracking.

I sound like a total dork in this commentary, partly because I'm really nervous and self-conscious. I'm embarrassed by parts of it and want to edit some of my more nonsensical sentences out but I decided to keep the whole thing and hope that you'll look upon this kindly knowing that this is my first time doing this. I'm going to redo the entire commentary here but I thought some feedback would be nice. When I actually do the LP I'll start with the first level so I won't have to explain the game mechanics as much for this level.

So anyway here it is, thanks for taking the time to look at this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0tEJzFloAE

Edit: I had to rush this post earlier so let me elaborate on some things.
Thief 2 is a first person stealth game that came out in the year 2000. It's the sequel to the 1998 game Thief that invented first person stealth. One of the big things that sets these games apart is the focus on light and sound. The player character Garrett has a nearly supernatural ability to blend into shadows and become invisible, so you need to be aware of the amount of light you are traversing through.
The amount of sound you make is also a concern but sound is even more important than that. Sound is what gives you spatial awareness, it's how you know there are guards around. The engine simulates sound propagation in an elaborate way. If you take the time to listen to what's going on around you you have a lot of information to decide on your approach.
Another thing that sets this game apart is how large and open the maps are. It's basically an early sandbox game that gives you a lot of room to decide how to get past the guards to where the loot is.
I really want this LP to make people want to play the game for themselves. I want to show how fun it is, even if you're not very good at it. I hope I can spark peoples' imaginations and make them think about how they might do things differently than I do.
That's the reason I'm seeking feedback on a work in progress, I'd like to know if it feels engaging to watch.

My aim for episode length is 40-55 minutes, like an hourlong TV show. I'm kind of lucky that this level split into two halves of the perfect length.

drygear fucked around with this message at 02:43 on Jun 13, 2019

Oheao
Apr 12, 2019

Nazi Punks Fuck Off!
I'm actually working on an LP of Thief Gold myself XD Though mine is personally going to be a subtitled LP. Some suggestions I have from watching the first few minutes:
I think it's better to start with the opening cutscene itself, rather than your quick introduction.
Your commentary can be a bit quiet at times, but maybe that's just the audio volume in general being a bit on the lower side.

drygear
Aug 2, 2007
the frog
It just occurred to me last night that these games would be really well suited for subtitled commentary and I momentarily considered starting over and doing it like that but I decided that my style doesn't need it. I want it to be a little rough around the edges and not too professional or perfectionist. I'm not sure if that'll make me a good fit for an SA LP or not.
Anyway those suggestions are very helpful. Now that you mention it I obviously do not need to introduce it as anyone watching it will know what they clicked on. I recorded a commentary track for the first level and have an introduction but going forward I'll skip those.
I also had no idea my volume is kind of low because to me it isn't. I'll adjust that going forward.

I uploaded the first level and feel the all around quality is a lot closer to what I'm aiming for. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3HHc_mShnI

Edit: I do have to say after watching this again I really like how my commentary is relatively low in the mix compared to the game. I hope it encourages people to turn it up and really experience the ambient sound, kind of like how David Lynch mixes the dialogue low in some of his movies (coincidentally the new channel name I made for this video has a tenuous connection to one of those movies). But I'm also using headphones on my PC, I don't have any speakers. I'll have to test it out on my TV sometime.

drygear fucked around with this message at 19:33 on Jun 14, 2019

Siegkrow
Oct 11, 2013

Arguing about Lore for 5 years and counting



I recently learned about TDI, how is he doing? Is there anything we goons can do for him?

Leal
Oct 2, 2009
He posted on twitter that he is doing grief therapy and seems to be doing ok. The best we can do for him is to give him space.

Leal fucked around with this message at 18:56 on Jun 15, 2019

drygear
Aug 2, 2007
the frog
I'm pretty sure I signed up here because of one of his threads and he always seemed like a good and chill guy. I'm glad he's relatively okay and I wish him well

Blueberry Pancakes
Aug 18, 2012

Jack in!! MegaMan, Execute!
Seeing as I'm a big fan of it, I was contemplating posting a big Let's Play of the MegaMan Battle Network series from 1 - 6 (maybe including 4.5 if the English patch comes out before I finish 6).

I was kind of concerned about retreading territory covered by the other LPers, but I also wanted to try my hand at it and talk about a few things I experienced with the series. Would it be bad LP etiquette to discuss previous LPs in a new one?

Here is a test post from a private LP I was doing on a forum. I plan on reworking them once I finish recording for 3, but it's a sample of how I intend to write things up:

https://lpix.org/sslptest/index.php?id=154360

On an unrelated note, I also hope TDI is doing well. I think I caught a few Let's Plays of his as well and he was very entertaining.

GeneralYeti
Jul 22, 2012

Look at this smug broken asshole.

Blueberry Pancakes posted:

Seeing as I'm a big fan of it, I was contemplating posting a big Let's Play of the MegaMan Battle Network series from 1 - 6 (maybe including 4.5 if the English patch comes out before I finish 6).

I was kind of concerned about retreading territory covered by the other LPers, but I also wanted to try my hand at it and talk about a few things I experienced with the series. Would it be bad LP etiquette to discuss previous LPs in a new one?

Here is a test post from a private LP I was doing on a forum. I plan on reworking them once I finish recording for 3, but it's a sample of how I intend to write things up:

https://lpix.org/sslptest/index.php?id=154360

On an unrelated note, I also hope TDI is doing well. I think I caught a few Let's Plays of his as well and he was very entertaining.

The test update seems okay to me, but how are you capturing your images? They're super blurry:


This is an example of one of the images I used for the OSS LP that just wrapped up. Compare that to yours, especially the text.

(As for retreading territory, once you're ready :justpost: )

giver336
Dec 28, 2013

It's time to d-d-d-d-
get murdered

Blueberry Pancakes posted:

Seeing as I'm a big fan of it, I was contemplating posting a big Let's Play of the MegaMan Battle Network series from 1 - 6 (maybe including 4.5 if the English patch comes out before I finish 6).

I was kind of concerned about retreading territory covered by the other LPers, but I also wanted to try my hand at it and talk about a few things I experienced with the series. Would it be bad LP etiquette to discuss previous LPs in a new one?

Here is a test post from a private LP I was doing on a forum. I plan on reworking them once I finish recording for 3, but it's a sample of how I intend to write things up:

https://lpix.org/sslptest/index.php?id=154360

On an unrelated note, I also hope TDI is doing well. I think I caught a few Let's Plays of his as well and he was very entertaining.

What Yeti said. It's cool you're LP'ing the BN series. Willing to help where I can.

hashashash
Nov 2, 2016

Cure for cancer discovered!
Court physicians hate him!
Is archiving as simple as emailing Baldurk? And is there any timeframe for how long it might take? I've gone through the guidelines and stuff as well

TooMuchAbstraction
Oct 14, 2012

I spent four years making
Waves of Steel
Hell yes I'm going to turn my avatar into an ad for it.
Fun Shoe

Hashim posted:

Is archiving as simple as emailing Baldurk? And is there any timeframe for how long it might take? I've gone through the guidelines and stuff as well

Yeah, just send them an email and then wait. Wait times are anywhere from a month to a year, it seems. Basically, whenever they get around to it.

Blueberry Pancakes
Aug 18, 2012

Jack in!! MegaMan, Execute!

GeneralYeti posted:

The test update seems okay to me, but how are you capturing your images? They're super blurry:


This is an example of one of the images I used for the OSS LP that just wrapped up. Compare that to yours, especially the text.

I used the image capture function on EmuHawk and then used IrfanView to resize it to what I have in my posts.

I suppose I messed up somewhere if it's coming out like that!

giver336 posted:

What Yeti said. It's cool you're LP'ing the BN series. Willing to help where I can.

Thanks! :)

GeneralYeti
Jul 22, 2012

Look at this smug broken asshole.

Blueberry Pancakes posted:

I used the image capture function on EmuHawk and then used IrfanView to resize it to what I have in my posts.

I suppose I messed up somewhere if it's coming out like that!

First off, make sure that when you're resizing your images that you tell IrfanView to Resize rather than Resample. Resampling is almost never a good idea when it comes to these sprite-based games. Based on a few quick tests I did, that's probably the issue.

If that doesn't work, try resizing the emulator itself rather than resizing your capture. If you're capturing at native resolution (240x160) then doubling it, that could explain why it's blurry.

StrixNebulosa
Feb 14, 2012

You cheated not only the game, but yourself.
But most of all, you cheated BABA

I will read/watch multiple LPs of the same game because I love seeing the different POVs. See: all of the Silent Hill LPs I have watched. I know the school's layout better than I know my own home and I've never played the game, yet I will never get tired of watching yahoos get scared in there.

Blueberry Pancakes
Aug 18, 2012

Jack in!! MegaMan, Execute!

GeneralYeti posted:

First off, make sure that when you're resizing your images that you tell IrfanView to Resize rather than Resample. Resampling is almost never a good idea when it comes to these sprite-based games. Based on a few quick tests I did, that's probably the issue.

If that doesn't work, try resizing the emulator itself rather than resizing your capture. If you're capturing at native resolution (240x160) then doubling it, that could explain why it's blurry.

You were right about Resampling seemingly being the problem. Here's how it looks now without it.



StrixNebulosa posted:

I will read/watch multiple LPs of the same game because I love seeing the different POVs. See: all of the Silent Hill LPs I have watched. I know the school's layout better than I know my own home and I've never played the game, yet I will never get tired of watching yahoos get scared in there.

I just hope I can bring something interesting to the discussion of the series. :)

Combat Lobster
Feb 18, 2013

I have a test post for an LP of Sushi Strikers The Way of the Sushido (It's incomplete but I figured there's enough there to get an opinion), and I could really use some feedback because I've never done anything in an SSLP style before and my only context for this kind of thing is a few test posts itt and some threads I skimmed.

Combat Lobster fucked around with this message at 00:13 on Jun 17, 2019

Kangra
May 7, 2012

drygear posted:



I uploaded the first level and feel the all around quality is a lot closer to what I'm aiming for. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3HHc_mShnI

Edit: I do have to say after watching this again I really like how my commentary is relatively low in the mix compared to the game. I hope it encourages people to turn it up and really experience the ambient sound, kind of like how David Lynch mixes the dialogue low in some of his movies (coincidentally the new channel name I made for this video has a tenuous connection to one of those movies). But I'm also using headphones on my PC, I don't have any speakers. I'll have to test it out on my TV sometime.

I think the audio mix is good during gameplay, but the cutscenes are notably louder (something that was always noticeable in the game itself). If you feel up for it, try to lower it a bit during those just so people aren't having to turn it up after the start.

The speeding up for time looks fine, if it's used that sparingly. Consider throwing up a superimposed indicator so you don't have to bring it up in future videos.

As for the LP itself, one thing I'd suggest is to determine if you want to show off more of the story and characters (e.g. something like following Basso to the room) or want to focus on how you are going to get through the mission. I suppose that comes down to how many viewers already know the game. Thief is so adaptable to various play styles so it really is up to you on that choice.

Blueberry Pancakes
Aug 18, 2012

Jack in!! MegaMan, Execute!
I had another question. For one of the games in the series I wanted to discuss, I had intended to tie in some backstory that was supplied in a manga.

Is there a rule regarding how I can share that? There are two chapters and one was officially released, but the other is Japanese exclusive and was only fan-translated. I'm assuming I wouldn't be able to post those in their entirety, so I was contemplating perhaps just recreating it as game dialogue in a side update.

Blueberry Pancakes fucked around with this message at 04:45 on Jun 17, 2019

Ibblebibble
Nov 12, 2013

Blueberry Pancakes posted:

I had another question. For one of the games in the series I wanted to discuss, I had intended to tie in some backstory that was supplied in a manga.

Is there a rule regarding how I can share that? There are two chapters and one was officially released, but the other is Japanese exclusive and was only fan-translated. I'm assuming I wouldn't be able to post those in their entirety, so I was contemplating perhaps just recreating it as game dialogue in a side update.

I have a link to a fan-translated copy of the manga adaptation of the game I'm LPing at mangadex and there have been no complaints yet.

Blueberry Pancakes
Aug 18, 2012

Jack in!! MegaMan, Execute!
Oh, so I can link to it, but not post it directly?

Ibblebibble
Nov 12, 2013

Blueberry Pancakes posted:

Oh, so I can link to it, but not post it directly?

Quite frankly, I have no idea :v: I feel like if you do what The McD did with the Danganronpa 3 anime and just used screenshots/excerpts from the manga with a summary of events in your own words you should be fine. Also, linking back to the fan translation should be fine from a credit perspective.

Sally
Jan 9, 2007


Don't post Small Dash!

Blueberry Pancakes posted:

Oh, so I can link to it, but not post it directly?

Uh, not necessarily. If it's officially released and freely available, then have at it. If it's something that's been pirated, then please don't post or link to it--that's probatable. Talk about it, sure, but don't provide the means.

Sally
Jan 9, 2007


Don't post Small Dash!

Ibblebibble posted:

I have a link to a fan-translated copy of the manga adaptation of the game I'm LPing at mangadex and there have been no complaints yet.

uh...

Sally
Jan 9, 2007


Don't post Small Dash!
No, you know what? I'm going to defer to how ADTRW decides this:

ADTRW Rules posted:

03. Support the official release
Fan translations exist, and plenty of people use them. There are even a few licensors who lurk around places that host said fan-translations to gauge interest. It’s okay to link and discuss fan translations; all we ask is that, if an anime/manga/novel becomes legally available, please support the series you like should they ever become available to you. Consider this a gentlemen’s agreement between those of us who wish to keep the industry alive.

Ibblebibble
Nov 12, 2013

Dash Rendar posted:

No, you know what? I'm going to defer to how ADTRW decides this:

In my defense, there is no official English translation for the manga :v: I will keep that in mind for the future though.

Blueberry Pancakes
Aug 18, 2012

Jack in!! MegaMan, Execute!
Good to know!

berryjon
May 30, 2011

I have an invasion to go to.

Combat Lobster posted:

I have a test post for an LP of Sushi Strikers The Way of the Sushido (It's incomplete but I figured there's enough there to get an opinion), and I could really use some feedback because I've never done anything in an SSLP style before and my only context for this kind of thing is a few test posts itt and some threads I skimmed.

It looks good, but I'm not sold on the character icons you're using. Yes, I can see that you're using them to help emphasize the expressiveness of the characters, but they seem to be too big to me. Is there any way you can trim them down a bit?

Combat Lobster
Feb 18, 2013

berryjon posted:

It looks good, but I'm not sold on the character icons you're using. Yes, I can see that you're using them to help emphasize the expressiveness of the characters, but they seem to be too big to me. Is there any way you can trim them down a bit?

I'll see what I can do, though I don't know what more I can do besides resizing them more or ditching the bodies and just have talking heads.

Pierzak
Oct 30, 2010

Leal posted:

He posted on twitter that he is doing grief therapy and seems to be doing ok. The best we can do for him is to give him space.
Wait, what happened? I've been out of the loop for a while.

Commander Keene
Dec 21, 2016

Faster than the others



Pierzak posted:

Wait, what happened? I've been out of the loop for a while.
From what I can tell, his daughter passed during surgery, and he understandably didn't take it well.

drygear
Aug 2, 2007
the frog
It might be for the best to not talk about it here. His Twitter feed is easy to find and he talks about it there.

drygear
Aug 2, 2007
the frog

Kangra posted:

I think the audio mix...
Thank you, that post is very helpful. I definitely can do that moving forward. I'd rather keep moving forward than spend too much time polishing everything because I want to keep the momentum going and I like learning to do it as I go along.

A friend of mine also mentioned showing Basso's rescue. I think I made the wrong choice leaving it out. I think it's kind of boring and slows things down, but I've decided I'll record and upload it as an addendum video. I think that's a perfect compromise.

Blueberry Pancakes
Aug 18, 2012

Jack in!! MegaMan, Execute!
Alright, I think I figured out how to get video capturing working for the DS titles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9ORG8iBG2g

OSS has a weird echo-y quality to its sound, but I believe that might be because of how its tracks were "remixed".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xPNiCdJ3_M

Notably, Double Team DS doesn't have that problem.

That being said, I'm still a newbie at this, so there might be a way to improve OSS' sound quality!

theenglishman
Jun 24, 2009

I wanted to wait a few days so I wouldn't interfere with others' posts, but I was also looking for general feedback on the two episodes of Hydrophobia I've already recorded with my co-commentator (looking for feedback on editing style, commentary, pacing, etc.):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1jvp5z_c04

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jr-pc4GNB7w

ChaosArgate
Oct 10, 2012

Why does everyone think I'm going to get in trouble?

Blueberry Pancakes posted:

Alright, I think I figured out how to get video capturing working for the DS titles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9ORG8iBG2g

OSS has a weird echo-y quality to its sound, but I believe that might be because of how its tracks were "remixed".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xPNiCdJ3_M

Notably, Double Team DS doesn't have that problem.

That being said, I'm still a newbie at this, so there might be a way to improve OSS' sound quality!

No that’s just OSS’s music. All they really did was add a poo poo ton of reverb to the music and it sounds awful. DTDS actually remixed the music so it sounds waaaaaay better.

drygear
Aug 2, 2007
the frog
This is a work in progress

My Eyes Forever Focused on the Sanguine Metal Dawn: Let's Bumble Through Thief 2

Thief 2: The Metal Age is a first person stealth game that was developed by Looking Glass Studios and released in the year 2000. It's the sequel to 1998s Thief: The Dark Project, which was the first stealth game to be played from a first person perspective- I remember marketing material describing it as an FPS (First Person Sneaker). These games are also important examples of immersive sim genre.
 
The game and stealth systems are designed around a heavy focus on light and sound. The player character Garrett has a nearly supernatural ability to blend into dark areas and become invisible, so to remain undetected you have to stick to the shadows and sometimes create your own.
Sound is how you know where guards are but if you're not careful it's also how they know where you are. A lot of attention was given to creating the soundscapes of these games both in the engine and the levels themselves. The sound design is so good that even today they make up for the relatively weak graphics to make each of these games a uniquely engrossing experience.

What about the first game?
Thief: The Dark Project is great but I'm skipping it because I think it will be much more difficult for me to Let's Play. The two games are very similar- same engine, same systems, same UI, same art style. Other than a graphical upgrade and some new tools the biggest difference between the two games is the level design. If you're familiar with Deus Ex Thief II feels like a prototype of that in terms of level design. Each map is big, detailed, and logically constructed. You have a lot of room to plan your own route and can often make informed decisions ahead of time. You're probably not going to get lost in most Thief II missions.
Thief: TDP's levels on the other hand are much more abstract. They feel twisty and chaotic, and the in game maps contribute to this by being vague to the point of almost uselessness. You are going to spend a lot of time lost. This isn't necessarily a bad thing; I think TDP overall has a stronger and more powerful tone and atmosphere and that feeling of traveling deeper into madness plays a part in that.

About the LP
This is not a rehearsed, completionist LP and it's not a blind LP either. I don't know it inside and out and I haven't mastered the systems- I'm just good enough to make it through on expert. I just played through it about 3 weeks ago and I'm going to make it more challenging for myself by not constantly saving. I hope people will see that you don't have to be good at this game to have an absolute blast.
I'm also learning all of this as I go so it's going to rough around the edges, hopefully less so as it goes on.

Has this game been LPd here before?
Yes! Bobbin Threadbare covered the entire series quite thoroughly. The game accommodates different playstyles well and his approach almost feels like a different game.
I've heard about a blind LP of the series that predates that one but it's not in the archives.

How hard is it to buy and get this game running?
Very easy these days! It's available on both Steam and GOG, and the fan community has made some very useful unofficial updates. I've found the site pcgamingwiki.com to be a very useful resource for information and links to help get the game running and add improvements and tweaks.
The only thing it doesn't tell you is that you'll need to install it outside of the Program Files directory- somewhere like C:\\Games . If you're using Steam you'll need to first create that folder and then make it a Steam library. For some reason Steam doesn't like having multiple libraries on the same hard drive so it's going to make you jump through a hoop or two- this page has instructions https://www.reddit.com/r/Steam/comments/5uqy2u/is_there_any_way_to_set_up_multiple_library/

I have T2fix installed with some optional tweaks and the Enhanced Pack 2 texture mod, and I think a mod that cleans up the audio. There are two other HD texture mods, I'll show them both as well as the vanilla textures.

I'd encourage everyone reading to play along and talk about their experiences in the thread, or even record their own videos. I like the idea of emphasizing the Let's of Let's Play.

My aim for average episode length is 40-55 minutes, like an hourlong TV show. It really depends on how it all divides up.
My current plan is to release two episodes each week, possibly Monday and Friday.

Contents
Running Interference
Episode 1
Addendum: Basso's Rescue (with vanilla textures)
Shipping... and Recieving
Episode 2
Episode 3
Addendum: Hammerite Conversation (with NecroAge texture pack)

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drygear
Aug 2, 2007
the frog

theenglishman posted:

I wanted to wait a few days so I wouldn't interfere with others' posts, but I was also looking for general feedback on the two episodes of Hydrophobia I've already recorded with my co-commentator (looking for feedback on editing style, commentary, pacing, etc.):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1jvp5z_c04

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jr-pc4GNB7w

-Your OP managed to catch my interest. I don't have a lot of free time so I don't know if I'd follow the LP but I'm interested in at least checking it out.
-You lose me a little starting off with what I assume are references to the last LP that I'm kind of tuning out, and then you switch to talking about this game so suddenly that I don't realize when it happens ("why's he talking about waypoints?")
-I like your graphical inserts as you talk about the history of the company.

My internet connection is horribly slow at the moment so I'll have to wait until later to watch further.

Edit:
Ok so I went and watched the rest of the first video. I like the commentary style but to me it overall feels a little too fast or busy or something. You're saying a lot of things and there's a lot going on in the game and it's switching back and forth between versions and it's hard for me to follow it all so I find myself becoming disengaged and not really absorbing any of it. It feels like a jumble of jumping around and frantic voices.
I should point out that there are a lot of movies that I tend to find cluttered and unenjoyable that everyone else loves, so take my feedback with a grain of salt.

drygear fucked around with this message at 07:16 on Jun 19, 2019

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