YOU LET'S PLAYERS ARE DOING IT WRONG

author=Yellow Magic

author=Clareain_Christopher
What I like about LPs and LTs is that I can throw them in the background while working.

So much this

author=CAVE_DOG_IS_BACK
the actual reason that most "lets try" or "lets play" people are 'doin it wrong' is that 99 percent of them are extraordinarly unfunny and boring in every possible way. they usually voice each character and probably murder children too i dunno

Also this

I've been thinking of doing a Breath of Fire IV LP for quite a while so the responses to this topic have been pretty interesting. I'm curious as to whether anyone would recommend any video LP'ers (outside of RMN let's not hurt feelings), though (HCBailly is awful no thanks). I myself am a fan of Malefact, the guy doing the LP of The Way, despite his reading in-game lines out loud because he's actually got a personality.

here is your hero. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ktWojfzqJU

author=Yellow Magic

author=Clareain_Christopher
What I like about LPs and LTs is that I can throw them in the background while working.

So much this

I've been thinking of doing a Breath of Fire IV LP for quite a while so the responses to this topic have been pretty interesting. I'm curious as to whether anyone would recommend any video LP'ers (outside of RMN let's not hurt feelings), though (HCBailly is awful no thanks). I myself am a fan of Malefact, the guy doing the LP of The Way, despite his reading in-game lines out loud because he's actually got a personality.

Eh, I actually enjoy most of HC's stuff, though I haven't watched any recent ones. I liked his SNES RPG runs best, but not all in one sitting.

Maybe, if you like someone who uploads very fast and flies through games pretty well, try out DarkSydePhil (DSPGaming). He has a veritable shit ton of games already done, and does most of the new ones within days of their releases - especially the big games. One of my favourites was his Skyrim ones (400 videos!) - and each is about 15 minutes long. Of course a lot of people don't really like him, but I find him entertaining.

Others like Tobuscus and PewdiePie, though I've never found them that fun to watch, though I admit they can be funny sometimes (I prefer to stream a TV show or something in the background instead) or there's also KuuImpact, brickroad (yes, that Brickroad) and chuggaconroy.

Yes, I like watching LPs. No, I don't think screenshots are better in any way or form unless you know how to write or Role Play well.

for real though. taxidermistpasta put zero effort into any of his videos but he's funny even when he isn't portraying the hilarious caricature that is thinveilcutlet42

http://lparchive.org/Sonic-1-to-3/

cybershell plays all the sonic games and i like it.

http://www.youtube.com/user/concordat

concordat puts text on the star fox 64 and is funny.

also slowbeef and diabetus are pretty funny when they aren't just riffing on bad videos and actually comment on bizarre games. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOkbXeIKKgY

author=Deacon Batista
Does anybody still care about LPs?

Nope, all those YouTube LP'ers with 10.000+ subscribers are just a result of people miss-clicking.

LP's should not try to be funny, idk where the idea came from that spastic lunacy is somehow humourous, especially when applied to RM games.

The LP should be the first time playing through the game. I would agree that if it's a LP of a commercial game then the LPer should know the game inside and out, give tips, and commentary about secret stuff like a video walkthrough. What LP's are in the RM community are not nor should they try to be a video walkthrough.

Instead they should act more as tools for the developer of the game. To gauge immediate and initial reactions and live criticism is the most important/valid part of LP's. To see how your players interacts with and plays your game is a vital resource that indie developers seldom get.

Develop a personality in your Let's Plays/Tries, and stick with it.
There's no rule for every LP(T)er to be/not be funny. It all matters on what audience you're trying to gather.

I don't think I understand what you are saying.

If you are saying that people should not try to force humor, then I agree, but actual funny people don't do this or need to do this. If you're saying that lps should not be humorous at all, then I vehemently disagree even though only about 1 in 100 people are actually capable of being funny while commentating over a game. Somebody being actually freaking entertaining to watch doesn't preclude the video from being a helpful tool for an amateur designer, either. this guy http://lparchive.org/The-Chzo-Mythos/ is one example of a person who both rips a game apart at its seams and also produces text that is fun to read even if you don't care about game design.

author=Gamesfreak13563

author=Shaboba
If you want to present serious criticism to LP-ers on how to improve what they're doing, that's one thing. But so far I haven't seen anything from people on the "doing it wrong" side besides bitter griping. Back to the drawing board, children.

Challenge accepted
-Stop VLPing RPGs, they're meant to be screenshot let's played
-Be enthusiastic
-Seriously try to be more funny
-If you're going to keep VLPing things that aren't meant to cut out most battles, menu work, don't voice the text (we can read), don't sing to the music, keep your commentary lively, don't sound bored, try not to have dead air during boss battles, don't take too long or too short at text, play the game once before LPing it so it's not blind and terrible

- RPGs are fine when VLP'd. It's just people not letting the game talk for itself that's the issue. Most of the time people will talk when not necessary, ruining the scenes that make the games iconic. They try to poke fun where it's not needed, or make stupid. It's funny in certain games but not all.
- Enthusiasm is a big thing, especially when doing videos. People can pick up on whether you're enthusiastic or not. This is why I choose games for myself to LP because I know what I like and what I don't like and if the LPer isn't having fun, the watcher won't either.
- No, funny isn't necessarily needed. You can be fun, talk facts, be pithy, but being funny for the sake of being funny is rarely funny.
- Fuck you, man. I sing to the music and people keep telling me to do so (helps to have at least a decentish voice, though). But the rest is good advice. Cut out battles that you've ran into before; menu work is fine to keep if it's fast and you don't spend hours debating over what armour to use; voicing text is okay as long as you don't mess up the reading of it or skip the good/important parts (though unnecessary if the game is already VA'd), but if you're not voicing it remember to leave enough time for the watchers to read.
Dead air can't be helped in longer boss battles, but try to find something to talk about, whether it be about the game or game design.
Blind can be fun with the right type of game, especially in the case of one with lots of twists in the story.

author=Liberty

author=Gamesfreak13563

author=Shaboba
If you want to present serious criticism to LP-ers on how to improve what they're doing, that's one thing. But so far I haven't seen anything from people on the "doing it wrong" side besides bitter griping. Back to the drawing board, children.

Challenge accepted
-Stop VLPing RPGs, they're meant to be screenshot let's played
-Be enthusiastic
-Seriously try to be more funny
-If you're going to keep VLPing things that aren't meant to cut out most battles, menu work, don't voice the text (we can read), don't sing to the music, keep your commentary lively, don't sound bored, try not to have dead air during boss battles, don't take too long or too short at text, play the game once before LPing it so it's not blind and terrible

- RPGs are fine when VLP'd. It's just people not letting the game talk for itself that's the issue. Most of the time people will talk when not necessary, ruining the scenes that make the games iconic. They try to poke fun where it's not needed, or make stupid. It's funny in certain games but not all.
- Enthusiasm is a big thing, especially when doing videos. People can pick up on whether you're enthusiastic or not. This is why I choose games for myself to LP because I know what I like and what I don't like and if the LPer isn't having fun, the watcher won't either.
- No, funny isn't necessarily needed. You can be fun, talk facts, be pithy, but being funny for the sake of being funny is rarely funny.
- Fuck you, man. I sing to the music and people keep telling me to do so (helps to have at least a decentish voice, though). But the rest is good advice. Cut out battles that you've ran into before; menu work is fine to keep if it's fast and you don't spend hours debating over what armour to use; voicing text is okay as long as you don't mess up the reading of it or skip the good/important parts (though unnecessary if the game is already VA'd), but if you're not voicing it remember to leave enough time for the watchers to read.
Dead air can't be helped in longer boss battles, but try to find something to talk about, whether it be about the game or game design.
Blind can be fun with the right type of game, especially in the case of one with lots of twists in the story.

people keep talking about "trying to be funny" as if that is something that is actually possible. you are either funny or you are not, but most people think they are funny. i don't think anyone is trying to force humor 100 percent of the time, some people just don't understand how to make jokes. being funny for the sake of being funny's sake? being an entertaining humorcrafter is not just a switch that can be flipped on or off.

rpgs are very rarely a good idea for videos honestly unless you have like five drunk hilarious people but at that point start a troupe. most rpgs are too slow even when you yourself are playing them, let alone watching some other goofball.

i never really understoof the hate for singing the music unless you're singing over some masterpiece like sotn's soundtrack but voicing the dialogue is seriously always an awful idea. first of all, i know how to read you apes. second of all, you, the hypothetical person i am talking to, are not a good voice actor. you sound dumb, one hundred percent of the time, even when you are just talking normally. we don't need 1000 percent more of you talking but now in an even dumber voice goddamn. but i understand why people do it. they don't want dead air in their videos. which is an excellent reason to not even record videos of rpgs in the first place you animals.

ultimately rpg lps are best when they are all done in text (it is still possible to record your actual reactions as a first time player. just take notes or have a memory bank called the brain. if you're just using videos as a tool to help the designer of the game see what your are feeling as a first time player then go ahead but in that case i don't know why you would voice over every line of dialogue nicob oops did i say that) with videos for cutscenes and bbbboss bbbattle. it's a lot more effort but that's the price of internet popularity.

i know a lot about this dumb hobby that i despise but ultimately it comes down to this ultimate truth: if you are an awful human being don't ever record/make anything and move to a deserted island

yes i can because all humans are capable of having negative opinions about things, even me. some of these opinions, but not all, are even facts.

things that are dumb, wrong, and/or bad that people enjoy:

the video game "the final fantasy"
faux-hawks
harry potter and the stock market portfolio
a song of ice and fire
voting for mario and link in gamefaqs character battles
short hair
not constantly treading the thin line between life and death
trotsky
not organizing your wardrobe so that you have several different outfits that conjure images of predatory creatures

do you see how easy that was. it was so easy that even i could do it, and i'm at death's doorstep ringing death's doorbell