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Post by Buster Cannon on Oct 28, 2013 23:24:37 GMT -5
I know that we have iScribble sessions throughout the weekend, which is a great way for members to interact in a casual chat setting. However, I've often wondered if an alternative would be a nice way to shake things up. Particularly, the use of gaming live stream sites such as twitch.tv. With this, a member could live stream a game (wouldn't necessarily have to be Megaman/Legends), and the other members would be free to chat it up, not unlike iScribble. I think it'd be a nice idea since not everyone here is on the artistic side of the fence, and there's more of an entertainment aspect to go along with the chat. Wouldn't have to replace iScribble or anything, it would just be a second option for MMLS'ers to chat it up.
Thoughts?
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Post by satoh on Oct 29, 2013 7:09:49 GMT -5
Already many members simply don't show up to iscribble, or likewise show up late, early, or sporadically, and thus a stream would be nearly moot, as at any given time there would be between 0 and 1/2 persons actually watching.
If it was really about just the chatting, then an IRC channel would suffice.
I suppose I have nothing against the idea of a streaming channel, but there are most likely fewer people willing to start up a stream, (and definitely fewer people who would be interesting to watch in a stream) than there are people who can half-heartedly flail their mouse cursor about and call it art. Anyone can doodle, some can create masterpieces, but few have the patience and to-do for a stream.
The way I see it, if there was someone who wanted to stream, they'd have already done so, or at least tried to plan one.
To put it simply, its not a terrible idea, but it seems like the logistics are an issue.
I've considered starting a Xizzy/Cards Against Humanity game here, but I don't think it would be suitable for the specific intended patronage of this establishment.
And really, anything that requires some sort of organized system to work is not going to be particularly effective.
No one likes coming late to a stream, and no one likes waiting around for more people to start the stream.
And coming at a scheduled time is a ludicrous thought.
And of course, the game being streamed is a factor in attendance. Everyone likes different things differently. Games are a big one for that.
For instance, I couldn't think of a game that I could stream, that anyone here would even have heard of, aside from MML.
(And I have been considering doing a game stream for a while... which is sort of why I'm saying all of this. I've been thinking about it.)
Of course even if I did, no one would want to watch because I'm not interesting to listen to, and I probably wouldn't have commentary anyway. (Streams are all about commentary. Without it you may as well be watching youtube videos of People Playing Games Badly.)
Then again, I'm the one they call when someone has a "brilliant" yet totally unfeasible idea, and need someone to cast a shadow on the sunshine and rainbows. So you can take my thoughts as the inane ramblings or a ne'er-do-well if you like.
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Post by Dashe on Oct 29, 2013 11:11:51 GMT -5
I'd be down with trying it. Blues or Chiz or someone, I forget who, used to stream movies every so often, after all. It'd be hard to converse with whoever's actually playing the game, but that's really the only big snag I can see in that plan. You'd need to get someone playing who doesn't mind getting almost completely left out of the conversation. Plus, you get the occasional ad. I don't remember if ads interrupt the chat too, since it'd be chat-focused.
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Post by Kyle on Oct 29, 2013 11:42:59 GMT -5
Ghost Teisel: Most people stream games in windowed mode, so you don't need to worry about the streamer getting left out of the conversation. A few MMLS'ers have actually been doing livestreams amongst ourselves. Granted, our circle consisted of a very small number. JMC used the stream his MML speedruns and whenever he managed to break the game in two. Chiz streamed various text-based adventure games around the Apple II era. As for me, I was roped into streaming my playthroughs of the Space Quest series, which always ended in tears and frustration. Now that I think about it, I actually intend on streaming some survival-horror games for Halloween this week. I just need to sort out some of the technical issues on my end.
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Post by Buster Cannon on Oct 29, 2013 13:28:09 GMT -5
@ satohI initially pitched the idea in an iScribble session, and the response ranged from neutral to positive, so I decided to post it here to get a further gauge of interest. The reason that I think this would be a good idea is that I've seen this work splendidly on another forum that I frequent. Different members (including myself) stream a game or something, and other members come out and have a good time chatting it up. Even if it's only a small handful (no different than an average iScribble session), people still have a good time. The scheduling thing isn't that much of an issue either, since, in my experience, people show up late all the time and still hang around. As for actual streamers, I'd be willing to give it a shot, and Chiz said that he'd be interested too once he's available for it. I'd be down with trying it. Blues or Chiz or someone, I forget who, used to stream movies every so often, after all. It'd be hard to converse with whoever's actually playing the game, but that's really the only big snag I can see in that plan. You'd need to get someone playing who doesn't mind getting almost completely left out of the conversation. Plus, you get the occasional ad. I don't remember if ads interrupt the chat too, since it'd be chat-focused. With streaming, you still have access to the chat window if you set it up right. They can still type while playing, or even chat verbally if they have a headset or something. Also, Twitch.tv doesn't have any ads unless you want them. |
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Post by Mikéy on Oct 29, 2013 14:10:36 GMT -5
Oh my gosh, I can't believe I remembered this.But yeah. I'd be on board as a potential viewer. I've found myself coming to iScribble less and less because there's always something else that's taking attention away from the tab... more often than I want it to. I used to be an active pokemon copy-pixel-sprite person in iScribble, but yeah. Maybe I'll do one this weekend for old time's sake. I'll try and jump on the first couple sessions as a guarantee to get the ball rolling, but if it becomes a regular thing, it may just end up in the same boat as iScribble. Or that dead thread.
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Post by MegaTuga on Oct 29, 2013 16:14:54 GMT -5
For me really, it makes no difference. Although I wouldn't be able to watch the livestream due to slow connection. Also thre is nobody awake/free at the times where I am free... (darn timezones).
Still, I do support the idea, mostly because it would be easier to find the chatroom... iscribble... is not helpful in finding particular rooms and it also gets laggy as I log in... maybe it's just me?
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RyanLEO
Poh
At the Stripe Burger!
Posts: 415
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Post by RyanLEO on Oct 29, 2013 16:31:11 GMT -5
I would really want to livestream either some gb or ps1 games, although I have no idea how to start a livestream, and a few games might be hard to play on on emulator. This is a good idea though and I would be there for it. One downside would be there aren't many people active sometimes, which I guess wouldn't be a problem if it was more public and had active guests. Although we should still occasionally use iscribble  |
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Post by Chiz on Oct 29, 2013 16:54:12 GMT -5
I would support a trial of this, and would be happy to be the streamer when I have the ability to be. Ghost Teisel: Most people stream games in windowed mode, so you don't need to worry about the streamer getting left out of the conversation. There are very few games that can't be forced into windowed mode in some fashion. Those that can't be can probably be safely ignored or excluded until a streamer with, say, a second computer to chat with can handle them. A few MMLS'ers have actually been doing livestreams amongst ourselves. Granted, our circle consisted of a very small number. JMC used the stream his MML speedruns and whenever he managed to break the game in two. Chiz streamed various text-based adventure games around the Apple II era. As for me, I was roped into streaming my playthroughs of the Space Quest series, which always ended in tears and frustration. I've done a lot more than just stream old text adventures, but it's always been a limited affair between JMC and I for most of it - stuff like playing through the Metal Gear series, GTA IV, Euro Truck Simulator 2, Just Cause, stuff from my PS2 and Wii hooked up to a capture card...not exactly old stuff. For many people, though, older games would be easier because of lower system requirements (because your computer not only needs to run the game, but record and broadcast it too; if you're already giving yourself a haircut fitting through the requirements window of X game, the broadcast software will take your head clear off).
As a bit of help to get the ball rolling for aspiring 'hosts' - what you'll want is a copy of " Open Broadcast Software". If you have a 64-bit machine, download both 32-bit and 64-bit versions. The software is fairly easy to set up, but the 64-bit version (while a bit faster than the 32-bit version) has a habit of not liking 32-bit games and emulators. Likewise, the 32-bit version probably doesn't like 64-bit games very much. If you have a 32-bit machine, you can't run 64-bit games or the 64-bit version of OBS, so you don't need to worry about that. OBS includes both the video capturing component and the audio capturing component - you don't need to worry about having a 'Stereo Mix' or 'Wave Out' input option on your audio card/controller, or mucking about with virtual loopback devices. There're online guides for setting up OBS and Twitch properly. The only thing I find under-discussed in the tutorials is where to acquire your stream key to input into OBS. Once you've set up your Twitch account, go here: www.twitch.tv/broadcast/dashboard/streamkey. Click 'show key' and it will give you the string you copy and paste into OBS. Keep in mind that there's no additional password to use this key, so you mustn't share it with anyone or accidentally show it in your stream. At the very least, most people should be able to host with older games, like those on the N64 and previous. There's no real requirement to stick to one game for the entire duration, so if you want to have a mix of games on a particular theme ("NES Racing Games", "Speccy games from Rare", "Reader Rabbit night!", etc), or want to change to something to suit the interests of the attendees, go ahead. EDIT: Likewise, there's no real requirement for the host/streamer to have a mic to voice over what's happening. Everyone will end up with a slightly different set up and way of handling the stream, and I'm sure the majority of them will be adequate for our purposes. |
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Post by Buster Cannon on Oct 30, 2013 13:20:46 GMT -5
As far as actually knowing when people are streaming, this handy Chrome extension gives you a desktop notification when someone on your favorites list starts up a stream. I may try a stream Friday night, just to try get the ball rolling and see how this turns out. Not sure what I'll be playing yet, may just decide to kick it off will some Legends or other MM game, for kicks and giggles. My channel is here BTW: www.twitch.tv/aquateamV3@ ChizHow exactly do you access your channel. Your Twitch channel has a password so I can't add it to my subscribed list. |
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Post by Kyle on Oct 30, 2013 17:27:52 GMT -5
I may try a stream Friday night, just to try get the ball rolling and see how this turns out. Not sure what I'll be playing yet, may just decide to kick it off will some Legends I'll try to do my stream before or after then, BC. Speaking of which, I've got most of my material ready-to-go. Just needs a little more fine-tuning. Seeing as my theme this week is "survival horror", I've decided to play Clock Tower, Alone In The Dark and possibly a mystery game. If any of you guys are up for viewing it, which date would be the most convenient? *Note: All of these playthroughs will be blind. So don't expect flawless victories throughout the entire stream.  |
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Post by satoh on Oct 30, 2013 21:18:03 GMT -5
I may try a stream Friday night, just to try get the ball rolling and see how this turns out. Not sure what I'll be playing yet, may just decide to kick it off will some Legends I'll try to do my stream before or after then, BC. Speaking of which, I've got most of my material ready-to-go. Just needs a little more fine-tuning. Seeing as my theme this week is "survival horror", I've decided to play Clock Tower, Alone In The Dark and possibly a mystery game. If any of you guys are up for viewing it, which date would be the most convenient? *Note: All of these playthroughs will be blind. So don't expect flawless victories throughout the entire stream. Flawless victories are no fun anyway. Coupled with frequent commentary, and just idle banter and authentic reactions, frequently dying is the most amusing kind of blind stream to watch. |
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Post by MegaTuga on Oct 31, 2013 4:14:05 GMT -5
I'll try to do my stream before or after then, BC. Speaking of which, I've got most of my material ready-to-go. Just needs a little more fine-tuning. Seeing as my theme this week is "survival horror", I've decided to play Clock Tower, Alone In The Dark and possibly a mystery game. If any of you guys are up for viewing it, which date would be the most convenient? *Note: All of these playthroughs will be blind. So don't expect flawless victories throughout the entire stream. Not that Alone in the Dark is that much hard... but then again it is pretty tricky to get the hang of it when you start playing so I can see where that lack of confidence goes XD |
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Post by Kyle on Oct 31, 2013 8:49:20 GMT -5
So I take it that you two are at least interested in watching? |
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Post by MegaTuga on Nov 1, 2013 9:56:26 GMT -5
I would be interested. Heck, if I could, I would also stream Games like Alan Wake and Deus Ex: Human Revolution.
Alas, my slow internet would not be able to send a clear and constant image...
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