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[jarathor]

Hey everybody, I have something new. I've been wanting to get a Let's Play started for a long time, and I finally decided to go ahead with it, inspired by One F Jef (Valcon here on the forums, I believe) and Veriax. I love Star Zoo, and since nobody else has done it the honor (as far as I know) of making a video LP of it, I went ahead and took the initiative. I hope this is the proper place to post this, although that shouldn't be too big a deal as I can always move it.

Now, these videos do have a number of problems that I am aware of: the volume is too low (which I fixed slightly in #2, but could still be better), there are some popping syllables, the audio is a little wonky and switches back and forth from Left to Right, and I could probably enunciate more clearly.
Anyway, here they are in all of their glory:

http://www.youtube.com/user/Jarathor#grid/user/A0E80805095A4ADA

Tell me what you think is good, what you think needs to be changed, what you would like to see, etc. - and enjoy.
I'm planning on making as many more as it takes me to beat the game, or at least do justice to it seeing as I'm not really that good at it.

[jasonred79]

It looks difficult to the point of unplayability. Aargh. Good luck mate. Personally, I think finishing the game is rather overambitious... but I hope you finish Snow Cup.

[Grimith]

I've never played Star Zoo before; couldn't have even named it on a list of Bay 12 Games until I opened this thread.

Being as blind as I am regarding the game, I can only remark that the Philosopher you designed in your second video is hilarious looking, the appearance of difficulty combined with your talking style is enough to make watching the videos (despite what you may view as suckitude) worthwhile, and the remaining audio issues are frustrating, but not overbearable for me.

I'm interested in watching more videos. I'm also interested in trying the game now... but I'd prefer it more if you kept playing so I didn't have to. Huzzah!

No, but seriously, do continue.

[Jonathan S. Fox]

An ambitious objective for an ambitious game.

And no worries, you're in the right place.

[jarathor]

Thanks for the heartening comments everybody - I'll try to upload some more videos tonight, and hopefully I'll get just a little bit farther. I've won Snow Cup before, but I haven't touched the game since so I'm itching to do it again. Wish me luck!

[soup_alex]

Before watching the video, I can only hope that you've been more fortunate than I have when playing Star Zoo. Having read that you're playing a Philosopher, I'm not sure even that will be enough! I can't remember ever reaching close orbit of Snow Cup with anything but a Pilot... but this is perhaps because I suck?

Anyway, best of luck with this (very difficult) game! I look forward to watching your LP; not least because I might pick up some hints that might make completion of the first stage more attainable to me.

[edit: After watching your videos, I think you will need some luck after all! I had forgotten how unforgiving the corridor/shooter bit could be. As for the mic problems:
1. Popping "p", "b" and other "plosive" sounds can be remedied with a pop shield. Most microphone manufacturers will recommend you buying one of their own expensive models, but you can acheive the same effect with a light fabric (such as tights... um, "pantyhose"?) stretched over a frame. A simpler method of reducing pop is to increase the distance between the source of the sound and the diaphragm.
2. This is only a guess, but if your mic uses a (mini-) TRS connector to plug directly into your soundcard, it could be a fault with either the connector or its mate (I have a similar problem with my headphones). Basically, movement will sometimes pull the contacts out of... contact. It's likely either the connection, or a fray/breakage along the cable somewhere.

Hope that helps 

Apart from that, fun! I look forward to more nightmares.]

[jarathor]

Thanks for the tips, soup_alex! Unfortunately, making a pop shield will be difficult for the mic I have because I don't even have a stand, so I've been clipping it to the collar of my shirt. When I upgrade to a new mic though, I'll keep your advice in mind - sounds like a pop shield should be pretty easy to make.
And yeah, it is a mini TRS, and it is old, so it is very likely that the connectors aren't what they used to be. I'll switch to a slightly newer mic for the next few videos.
Also, if anybody has any ideas for other obscure games that deserve an LP, let me know - I'm searching for opportunities.

[soup_alex]

Thanks for the tips, soup_alex! Unfortunately, making a pop shield will be difficult for the mic I have because I don't even have a stand, so I've been clipping it to the collar of my shirt. When I upgrade to a new mic though, I'll keep your advice in mind - sounds like a pop shield should be pretty easy to make.
And yeah, it is a mini TRS, and it is old, so it is very likely that the connectors aren't what they used to be. I'll switch to a slightly newer mic for the next few videos.
Also, if anybody has any ideas for other obscure games that deserve an LP, let me know - I'm searching for opportunities.

NP. Call me a microphone nerd :|
And you might find that with most mics larger than an lavalier/electret (I imagine that the mic you're using falls into this category), the inbuilt "counter-pop measures" (i.e. a bit of foam over the diaphragm) is already sufficient to cancel all but the most dramatic plosives. But it's not a big deal.
Also, if you're a cheapskate (like me!) you could just make a mono recording/mix of your narration, which would do away with the unusual stereo behaviour.

...it sounds like you might be getting tired of Star Zoo! (and I can understand why)
If you're accepting requests, I have a few in mind:
I'm personally a big fan of WWI Medic, which although does belong to the Bay12 family, is not a curses-based game (as are LCS and Star Zoo)
Alternatively, try Corin's... which is curses-based, and more importantly I haven't got a fecking clue how to play, so an LP could really help me get a lot more out of it 

Or, there's always LCS? Admittedly, Grimith is already engaged in an LP for this title (and highly entertaining it is, too), but it really lends itself to an ongoing "diary" sort of LP, and it's so open-ended every man and his Canine Hero could have their own series and they'd still all be different.

[jarathor]

Haha, I'm not tired of Star Zoo yet, but I know that eventually I'm going to have to switch to something else, so I am preparing for the future.

I've played both WW1 Medic and Corin's before - although I never got the hang of Corin's. They might make interesting LPs though... I might only get one video out of WW1 medic before it gets old though.

I've thought about doing LCS and Dwarf Fortress, but I'm still not sure I'll bring anything new to the party to either if I do them - although, it might make a really cool community fortress - one where the updates are videos (edited of course so only the action and important bits are shown) supplemented by some story-telling of course. Maybe when I find some good (freeware hopefully) editing software so that I can add music, drawings of important events, etc.

[Little]

I've thought about doing LCS and Dwarf Fortress, but I'm still not sure I'll bring anything new to the party to either if I do them - although, it might make a really cool community fortress - one where the updates are videos (edited of course so only the action and important bits are shown) supplemented by some story-telling of course. Maybe when I find some good (freeware hopefully) editing software so that I can add music, drawings of important events, etc.

Windows Movie Maker? 

[Jonathan S. Fox]

I'm a big fan of WWI Medic, but I can see how it probably wouldn't last more than one episode. I think it would still be a fun episode though!

[Grimith]

I've thought about doing LCS and Dwarf Fortress, but I'm still not sure I'll bring anything new to the party to either if I do them

What you'd offer to anyone by playing those games is your unique perspective. As soup_alex said, Liberal Crime Squad is so open-ended that it allows for a variety of playing styles. Even if you don't have a gimmick and just record yourself playing, both of these games are entertaining enough to lessen the workload you'd otherwise have to do for a boring game.

Windows Movie Maker is capable of getting the simple editing job you have in mind, but I prefer using Jashaka/Cinefx. You can locate it here. I don't know your operating system, but this freeware program can run on Windows, Os X, and Linux. If you don't like either WMM or my recommendation, a simple Google search can connect you with some other open source video editing programs.

[Jonathan S. Fox]

Personally I like watching people play LCS in general, but I'm partially biased. I don't get to watch people playtest the game otherwise.

[EuchreJack]

Glad to find out what Star Zoo is without playing it.

Arcade games really are not my cup of tea, but fun to watch!

Do random face!

[jarathor]

Alright, two new videos are up and I've got a question - I've been trying out a number of different video editing programs, and so far none of them has really worked for me as well as I would like; I do like the simplicity of Windows Movie Maker, but I cannot for the life of me figure out how to speed up a clip with it. My raw files are .avi, and I'm going to just assume that WMM doesn't want to let me speed up those clips. Is this true, and if it is, what filetype should I use?

Anyway, thanks for the comments and views - I think I might run a Liberal Crime Squad LP in parellel with my continuing Star Zoo (mis)adventures. As always with this sort of thing, stay tuned for more!

EDIT: Linking to the said videos for convenience:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsYnPlOhdVw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOVBmZxmUR0&feature=channel