Let's Play: Exhibitor the kobold Rogue

[fizzix]

Now that 3.4.0 is finally out, I can start my next project. A Let's play Angband. I'm going to try out a kobold rogue. I uploaded the first video.

Any comments on A/V quality would be appreciated, as well as any suggestions for improvements. I'll wait a bit before working on the next video.

Ladder dump here.

Edit: I've replaced the first video with a new one that has proper audio/video syncing. I changed the link appropriately.

[getter77]

-Audio gets a good ways ahead of the video early on, which is pretty much an ender for a general audience....so definitely try to keep tabs on that. As it goes otherwise, just take your time explaining things in due course and try to telegraph deliberate moves all the while---a good way to both inform and help the fight against inattentiveness. In other words, steal as much as possible from Debo's Sil runs and TonberryToby's older Angband LP.

-ASCII is a good standard, though if there's no grand reason to be unable to, perhaps the most attention would be garnered by brandishing Shockbolt's fine new tileset?

[fizzix]

I'm really sorry about the syncing issue. My test videos were synched properly. I changed some audio settings and tested out two other non-angband videos today and they both synched correctly, all the way through the youtube upload process. Hopefully the rest of the videos will be fine. I'll make the second one short as well (very short if I get killed by maggot's dogs)

I really wanted to do tiles but I was nervous about being actually able to play with too many changes. I'll show off the tiles at some point, and maybe I'll play with them in the future, but for now I think I need the comfort of ascii.

Edit: actually, thinking about it, since it's just the first video, I might just suicide the character and replay the beginning. That's probably the best way to go.

[fizzix]

Part 2 is up and it looks like the syncing was fine for a longer video. I'll probably try to keep them to this length (25-35 minutes), but as you all know it's easy to lose track of time when you play.

[fizzix]

Part 3 is available.

[getter77]

Yep, there ya go---seem to be hitting your stride. I'd suppose you want to remember to disarm traps whenever possible for the extra exp?

[fizzix]

Part 4 has been uploaded. I've already recorded part 5 also, and I'll post it tomorrow.

I'm gunning for one upload a day.

[fizzix]

Part 5 is on schedule.

What do people think about handling character death. I would give myself about a 35% chance of dying in a normal game and probably at least 50% when including the added distraction of trying to add audio commentary. I haven't died yet, but there's always a chance that it could change in the next couple hours. My options are:

1) Save scum and tell no-one (i.e. preserve the illusion which keeps excitment.)
2) Save scum but tell everyone (honesty is most important.)
3) Don't save scum. (maybe next time a let's play will make it to the bottom half of the dungeon)

I am copying save files regardless, because I know I will make a recording error at some point. So all three options are viable at any point. Opinions?

[Scatha]

What do people think about handling character death. I would give myself about a 35% chance of dying in a normal game and probably at least 50% when including the added distraction of trying to add audio commentary. I haven't died yet, but there's always a chance that it could change in the next couple hours. My options are:

1) Save scum and tell no-one (i.e. preserve the illusion which keeps excitment.)
2) Save scum but tell everyone (honesty is most important.)
3) Don't save scum. (maybe next time a let's play will make it to the bottom half of the dungeon)

I am copying save files regardless, because I know I will make a recording error at some point. So all three options are viable at any point. Opinions?

It depends a bit whether your main purpose is to:
(i) introduce people to the game
(ii) let people get enjoyment by playing vicariously

In the first case I'd say (3), and in the second case perhaps (2) (showing the video where you die). However I'd go further -- I'd play a bit more riskily than you usually might, not actively trying to suicide, but getting into more hairy situations (which are fun) and hopefully dying. I think death is an important and exciting part of a roguelike, and it's good to show that. For (i) it's kind of nice if you can also leave the promise of something more which can be done in subsequent games.

Note that I'm not actually against savescumming without telling people -- if you needed to do this several times to get to DL10, it might be sensible. I just think showing (some) deaths is probably good.

Anyhow, good luck with the future videos!

[PowerWyrm]

Part 5 is on schedule.

What do people think about handling character death. I would give myself about a 35% chance of dying in a normal game and probably at least 50% when including the added distraction of trying to add audio commentary. I haven't died yet, but there's always a chance that it could change in the next couple hours. My options are:

1) Save scum and tell no-one (i.e. preserve the illusion which keeps excitment.)
2) Save scum but tell everyone (honesty is most important.)
3) Don't save scum. (maybe next time a let's play will make it to the bottom half of the dungeon)

I am copying save files regardless, because I know I will make a recording error at some point. So all three options are viable at any point. Opinions?

For me it's clear: a "let's play" means death is final and ends the recording; a "walkthrough" means showing every aspect of the game and continue even if you die until you manage to kill Morgoth, show what can be done afterwards (like finding the One Ring) and retire the character as a winner. Now you have just to decide if it's a "let's play" you want to do or a "walkthrough".

[fizzix]

These are both interesting points. I guess personally I want to both show a reasonably complete game to the world, and enjoy a fun game of angband. There are other let's plays out there, but they don't get to anywhere near the endgame, and certainly not to a Morgoth battle. I haven't thought about the distinction between "let's play" and "walkthrough" as PowerWyrm has. I'm not sure the term "walkthrough" even makes much sense for a random game like Angban. I guess it makes as much sense as a walkthrough of Civilization, but I'm not sure what that exactly entails.

I also know from personal experiences watching let's plays, that it's unappealing when it ends suddenly with a complete death or something similar. There's something very unsatisfying about that, from a viewer's perspective. (which is why I'm glad that debo managed to win his Sil let's play. And I honestly don't care if the character actually died on the way, that's fine.)

[debo]

These are both interesting points. I guess personally I want to both show a reasonably complete game to the world, and enjoy a fun game of angband. There are other let's plays out there, but they don't get to anywhere near the endgame, and certainly not to a Morgoth battle. I haven't thought about the distinction between "let's play" and "walkthrough" as PowerWyrm has. I'm not sure the term "walkthrough" even makes much sense for a random game like Angban. I guess it makes as much sense as a walkthrough of Civilization, but I'm not sure what that exactly entails.

I also know from personal experiences watching let's plays, that it's unappealing when it ends suddenly with a complete death or something similar. There's something very unsatisfying about that, from a viewer's perspective. (which is why I'm glad that debo managed to win his Sil let's play. And I honestly don't care if the character actually died on the way, that's fine.)

I found a middle ground. What I actually did with my videos was play the upcoming segment off-camera a couple of times to see what unexpected things could kill me. (Not always -- just when I felt things would be tough.)

The major reason I had to do this is that character type is sort of uneasy between 600'-800', and I was waiting 3-4 days at a time between playthroughs. My poor memory was getting me killed more than anything.

If I'd died during an on-camera segment, though, I probably would have left that character dead and started a new series.

I don't think this would help with Vanilla because it's not as regimented as Sil. Sil has a sort of fixed set of hazards that are common at each floor, and although you can still die to randomness, I don't think it's quite as big of a spread of randomness as you'd get with Vanilla.

If I was doing a let's play of Vanilla, I would probably savescum for exactly the reason you mentioned -- I'd be pissed if I watched you play for 25 hours and then you died because an offscreen Drolem breathed on you or whatever. I have to deal with that when I play; I don't particularly want to deal with that when I watch

Sil is short enough (and has enough variety of builds) that it's pretty fun to start over. I am pretty sick of killing Wolves and Orc Scouts though

[Nick]

I also know from personal experiences watching let's plays, that it's unappealing when it ends suddenly with a complete death or something similar. There's something very unsatisfying about that, from a viewer's perspective.

I think death is such a part of Angband that it should be included. Save-scumming to me would disrupt the authenticity of the experience.

But then I, with my two (2) winners am appalled that you expect a 35% success rate...

[fizzix]

Part 6 is up.

[getter77]

I'd be ok with on camera deaths, so long as they were acknowledged and tallied up proper while being explained. Past a certain point it would become a death-fest though, and at such a point I'd probably sooner see a fresh and comprehensive crack at another class in turn outright while being wiser for it.