tips for mods and softwares for "lets play"

[Ainulindale]

I'm a let's player, ~600 subs, started last May.

 

The raw files you get from recording are enormous (i've filled, deleted, and filled again my 2TB external hard drive with raw video, done about 120 videos), so you will definately need to do some editing and reformatting. I use very basic stuff until I can get the cash to upgrade, but you should concentrate on getting decent steady FPS over "atmospheric" ENBs etc, which sometimes won't look good once on youtube (too dark for viewers to see - it's far different playing that watching), and essentially, a decent microphone. Now mine is pretty poor, and I pay for it with about 2 hours audio editing for 1 hour of actual audio, that's compressing, filtering and manually removing clicking, static etc. Last thing people want to hear is your mouse, or your breathing.

 

I use FRAPS, recording to an external hard drive, so there's very little performance loss in game (though my old laptop can only squeeze about 30fps at 720p), and Audacity to record my voice. Then windows movie maker to edit the video and join the audio in. Things like cutting out loading screens, 5 mins of potion brewing etc. Ideally i'd be paying for a much better mic, and better recording / editing software (and a new computer to play it on!), as these really are the bottleneck in producing decent videos.

 

My current setup is the cheap and nasty way, and my videos aren't the best quality because of it, I've only got this many subs because I play a little differently, do something new, so that's the main point if you want any kind of following - you have to be comfortable talking, and make something you'd actually want to watch. No "uuhhhhmmm yeah i'm gonna just go kill this guy, so uhhhmm yeah I killed him i'm gonna go sell his stuff now".

Do some trial runs of 10 mins or so, make sure you get your volume balance right between the game and your voice, think about people needing to watch it while you play, if nothing happens and you don't say anything on a 5 min walk to whiterun - cut it! If you've made an hours video and watching it back you realise half of it is in menu screens buying stuff with only one fight scene where you're mainly looking at the floor, don't be afraid of restarting the whole episode, I've done that a fair few times!

 

As for mods, it's best to keep it trimmed to exactly what you'll actually use / see in your playthrough, and weather or not you want to make a feature of them, are you going to talk about them as you play etc.

 

Overall it's a very rewarding way of playing, but a lot of hard graft. You've got to be invested and interested in your character and playthrough.

[tomhjen]

I'm a let's player, ~600 subs, started last May.

 

The raw files you get from recording are enormous (i've filled, deleted, and filled again my 2TB external hard drive with raw video, done about 120 videos), so you will definately need to do some editing and reformatting. I use very basic stuff until I can get the cash to upgrade, but you should concentrate on getting decent steady FPS over "atmospheric" ENBs etc, which sometimes won't look good once on youtube (too dark for viewers to see - it's far different playing that watching), and essentially, a decent microphone. Now mine is pretty poor, and I pay for it with about 2 hours audio editing for 1 hour of actual audio, that's compressing, filtering and manually removing clicking, static etc. Last thing people want to hear is your mouse, or your breathing.

 

I use FRAPS, recording to an external hard drive, so there's very little performance loss in game (though my old laptop can only squeeze about 30fps at 720p), and Audacity to record my voice. Then windows movie maker to edit the video and join the audio in. Things like cutting out loading screens, 5 mins of potion brewing etc. Ideally i'd be paying for a much better mic, and better recording / editing software (and a new computer to play it on!), as these really are the bottleneck in producing decent videos.

 

My current setup is the cheap and nasty way, and my videos aren't the best quality because of it, I've only got this many subs because I play a little differently, do something new, so that's the main point if you want any kind of following - you have to be comfortable talking, and make something you'd actually want to watch. No "uuhhhhmmm yeah i'm gonna just go kill this guy, so uhhhmm yeah I killed him i'm gonna go sell his stuff now".

Do some trial runs of 10 mins or so, make sure you get your volume balance right between the game and your voice, think about people needing to watch it while you play, if nothing happens and you don't say anything on a 5 min walk to whiterun - cut it! If you've made an hours video and watching it back you realise half of it is in menu screens buying stuff with only one fight scene where you're mainly looking at the floor, don't be afraid of restarting the whole episode, I've done that a fair few times!

 

As for mods, it's best to keep it trimmed to exactly what you'll actually use / see in your playthrough, and weather or not you want to make a feature of them, are you going to talk about them as you play etc.

 

Overall it's a very rewarding way of playing, but a lot of hard graft. You've got to be invested and interested in your character and playthrough.

 

Thank you for you're answer, i am so crap at all of this computer stuff hehe. I just reinstalled windows 7 and i have been in a fierce battle with it all night trying to get it updated and installing my GFX drivers.

If someone could maybe give me some editing tips? How do i sync a audio recording and a video and maybe some other tips :smile:

 

I will record some later on and see what i can do with it, and how it will look. Problem is i like my Skyrim a bit dark and gloomy, but i will be playing a cat so i will use their racial skill i guess a lot, and mage / candlelight to light up dungeons.

 

Edit, i also need to come up with a name for my channel hehe, but i don't really need any help with that :)

[Ainulindale]

I personally give myself a que, so I start recording audio, and in game say "3 2 1 record" just as I hit record video. Makes it dead easy to line it up, then edit out the first seconds. Always go through the video as you edit and make sure the audio is still aligned, a slight mistake can ruin the rest of the video.

[BlackRoseOfThorns]

I will record some later on and see what i can do with it, and how it will look. Problem is i like my Skyrim a bit dark and gloomy, but i will be playing a cat so i will use their racial skill i guess a lot, and mage / candlelight to light up dungeons.

 

 

If possible calibrate your monitor or view screenshots on other device to determine how others will perceive your videos. You don't want to end with oversaturated or too dark / too bright one.

 

Then try IMAGINATOR. It's a simple mod that allows you to change color set up ingame and the changes will be stored in save game. Just don't overdo special effects!

 

 

Other than that I can recommend z ENB performance. It's a very bright ENB that you can run with high fps even on laptop. I use v0.243 .ddl with water off until author updates his files.

 

 

 

It won't work with CoT or any other enhancer.esp since it's one of those "pure color preset" ENBs. Also the dungeons won't be very dark.