I am thinking of Livestreaming the games I run once I find the perfect group of players and the Beyond Integration comes out. What is it about the livestreams that you watch make you keep coming back.
I know that the biggest thing that makes it is the DM and players. I am looking for the small things that set it apart from the rest. Here are some examples that I am wondering make a difference at all.
1. Super High Quality Video and Voice
2. Sound effect/music
3. Super High Chat interation
4. Ability for Viewers to affect future session (through twitter, forums, PMs, or polls)
5. What is the ideal form of visual content, Penny Arcade Style of people around a table. Or digital tabletop through ROLL 20. Or would a hybrid of the 2 be the most ideal.
1 - You can only get as good a quality audio and voice as the equipment you have. You'll need a PC specifically for streaming (with awesome internet service) and everyone will have to have high-end mics for great audio. Those two components alone will set you apart (quality-wise) from other streams.
2 - Sound effects and music is nice. It really helps set the tone of the game and will help set the scene when the DM is telling her story and the players are interacting with NPCs. I would highly recommend background audio.
3 - Chat integration is not as important as you might think it is. The chat is there primarily for the fun, and stopping the game to interact with chat will derail the game entirely. You can say something like, "Wow! We just got a huge donation," in the middle of a game, but don't stop it to point out every little comment. You can thank everyone at the end of the session (on an individual basis would be nice).
4 - This would be a nice feature for a stream. Voting on future events and such is great, but it might be something you'd want to be exclusive to patreon/twitch subscribers. Maybe have a vote at the end of the game. Make sure it will impact the next episode though, as it always feels like waiting a month for that vote to finally have an effect wanes interest.
5 - Face cams are necessary, a crisp, clean look is second. The audience wants to see the players act out, and doing that with an unprofessional layout or graphics often times makes twitch channel clickers pass up your stream. If I don't see face cams or a GREAT looking layout, I click on someone else that has one. The style itself doesn't matter to me, but it has to look professional.
I feel like successful D&D streams are a different breed of D&D. All players have to realize that they're going to be railroaded and they each have to have great roleplaying and like-ability. The worst part of a stream is a halt in the action or story because things have gone off-track. Be sure to communicate to the players that they're playing for the audience and that the story is paramount to the stream's success. They must decide to save the princess if that's the story you're telling, and the players have to know that ahead of time while making it as entertaining as possible. There's a reason why the most successful streams are full of actors and wild personalities.
Thanks for the response and Ill add some of what you said to my notes. the only thing I have to stay about question 1 to clear things up.
1. A high end PC isnt required for streaming if no game is being played which is great for anyone that is hoping to live stream. If you are going 1080p 30 fps then a computer with a good quad core made in the past 3 years will do. As for upstream bitrate it is recommended that you at least have 1 mbit upload for a 1080p 30 fps stream to take into account jitter and to avoid cutting it close and dropping connection. I agree with the audio though as it can require a good monetary investment for good audio. I am no trying to attack you if you are wondering Im just clarifying what I have experienced with streaming
Source: Streaming video game for the past 4 years.
great performance by players, sorry but casual not role playing players should be left out. i mean, i dont ask for voice ovders and all, but i do require to be in characters most of the time and even more, paying attention to the game. seriously if your voice is all low and shy, sorry but streaming is not for you at all. this is why critical role and some others like DCA and high rollers actually works. because they are invested in their roles and their games.
basically im asking for serious gaming there, not just regular in house games where we laugh once in a while and during combat everyone plays ont heir phones while waiting for their turns. if i wanted that i'd create myself some games all week longs.
aside from that i'm fine with it.
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DM of two gaming groups. Likes to create stuff. Check out my homebrew --> Monsters --> Magical Items --> Races --> Subclasses If you like --> Upvote, If you wanna comment --> Comment
Play by Post Games --> One Shot Adventure - House of Artwood (DM) (Completed)
Like the above poster stated, I feel the thing that really sets some streams apart is the investment of the players in the game. Critical Role and the like have succeeded because all of the people on the stream are bought in fully to their character. They might ask a thing or two out of character, but for the most part they are fully in character. They really have thought out their characters thoughts and motives -- they are their characters.
After that it's the audio quality. If audio is constantly jumping or having volume changes (really quiet then really loud, or someone is significantly louder than everyone else) I'll probably bail out if it isn't fixed after a few streams.
As to your question on the best view - you have to have a face shot of the players either up most of the time, or focused on the person speaking (if possible). I think the face shot of the DM should be up constantly. Another neat thing I like to see is the name of the character under the player's face-shot that way you quickly learn who is who.. As far as the playing surface, it depends on what your group is doing. If you are using roll20, sharing that VTT screen (when it's active) is fine. If you are using a physical map/tiles/dungeoncasts, I think an overhead view of it would be great -- if you could place a camera above the table looking down at it.
Thanks for all the advice, due to money restraints I would probably get a really good camera and some good audio equipment and instead have the camera be facing the table so you would see all the players plus the DM. Sound would be on a microphone above the cameras angle. I would also have a top down view that would show the battle mat, if it were used. Roll 20 sessions would be the easiest as I am a Xsplit wizard after helping many many streamers set up many different scenes animations or other interesting things. This wound t be for a bit. Prob after another deployment so there wouldn't be that many breaks for a while as well after i invest in the table and equipment and find all the players that would need to be in. I have a few spectator players but I already told them that if I do this they wouldn't be invited unless they became more outspoken.
Those who say audio jumping is an issue do not realise that even the biggest like critical role have that problem. But the reason isnt the mic most of the time but players suddently lowering their voices. Aka whispers that mics arent picking up because they arent as strong as one human ear. Critical role has that problem where players are so in character that they start whispering to each others and sometimes we cant hear anything. There has been solution to this where a guy would play with volumes but that rarely worked well. The inverse is possible when a player starts shouting really loud. Sorry but this isnt volume problem that can be solved. Asking the player to mind the mic is really not an option if you want invested players.
So yeah... Those who cry about jumpy volumes have no idea how hard it is to set volumes and hope it works with players.
The other streams who jump volumes are often roll20 games with headphones and the likes and those literally changes quality by head set. Not to mention they have omni mics most often.
Yeah audio is a real *****. Better of using the same directionnal mics and all be in the same room. 2 3 mics should be enough for a table. Way easier then 1 mics per person !
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
DM of two gaming groups. Likes to create stuff. Check out my homebrew --> Monsters --> Magical Items --> Races --> Subclasses If you like --> Upvote, If you wanna comment --> Comment
Play by Post Games --> One Shot Adventure - House of Artwood (DM) (Completed)
The mic has amazing value for the price and with a little bit of levels adjustments the quality is extremely good, and comes with scissor arm stand, pop filter and phantom power (needed for it to work properly).
For the rest, I think the most enjoyable I find is having a good story, interesting characters and good role-play from the players, the rest is not necessary, while obviously good to have. Around-the-table view is my preferred, and I think it's the most "intimate" and easy to immerse into as a viewer. If you want to add visual things, you can maybe create a slideshow of images of the characters or of the enemies they are facing in a corner of the screen (easily done with OBS). Music is also something that is extremely nice to have, but not mandatory, imho.
Chat integration: I would be against it, it can distract and take away from the actual game. If you have someone external from the party dedicated to it, then it can be done, but it's not necessary, imho. Same goes for interaction from the audience: doing a livestream is challenging enough on its own, if you have to take into consideration and work with things random people do while watching, it can become extremely taxing extremely fast (especially if you happen to have people doing stuff just for fun and to bother the game).
Cteam does well making the chat be part of the game by letting direct certain elements. DCA also does well with chat considering holly and anna are always on it and it has yet to affect their gameplay ! So it really depends on the people.
I do not recommend the dm to be on it though he has too much already.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
DM of two gaming groups. Likes to create stuff. Check out my homebrew --> Monsters --> Magical Items --> Races --> Subclasses If you like --> Upvote, If you wanna comment --> Comment
Play by Post Games --> One Shot Adventure - House of Artwood (DM) (Completed)
I think an integration similar to the one you can see in Pencils & Parsecs might be the one that works best, adapting it to the setting and system, but it also means a tad more prep work for the DM before the campaign even starts.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Born in Italy, moved a bunch, living in Spain, my heart always belonged to Roleplaying Games
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I am thinking of Livestreaming the games I run once I find the perfect group of players and the Beyond Integration comes out. What is it about the livestreams that you watch make you keep coming back.
I know that the biggest thing that makes it is the DM and players. I am looking for the small things that set it apart from the rest. Here are some examples that I am wondering make a difference at all.
1. Super High Quality Video and Voice
2. Sound effect/music
3. Super High Chat interation
4. Ability for Viewers to affect future session (through twitter, forums, PMs, or polls)
5. What is the ideal form of visual content, Penny Arcade Style of people around a table. Or digital tabletop through ROLL 20. Or would a hybrid of the 2 be the most ideal.
I need a good signature :s
1 - You can only get as good a quality audio and voice as the equipment you have. You'll need a PC specifically for streaming (with awesome internet service) and everyone will have to have high-end mics for great audio. Those two components alone will set you apart (quality-wise) from other streams.
2 - Sound effects and music is nice. It really helps set the tone of the game and will help set the scene when the DM is telling her story and the players are interacting with NPCs. I would highly recommend background audio.
3 - Chat integration is not as important as you might think it is. The chat is there primarily for the fun, and stopping the game to interact with chat will derail the game entirely. You can say something like, "Wow! We just got a huge donation," in the middle of a game, but don't stop it to point out every little comment. You can thank everyone at the end of the session (on an individual basis would be nice).
4 - This would be a nice feature for a stream. Voting on future events and such is great, but it might be something you'd want to be exclusive to patreon/twitch subscribers. Maybe have a vote at the end of the game. Make sure it will impact the next episode though, as it always feels like waiting a month for that vote to finally have an effect wanes interest.
5 - Face cams are necessary, a crisp, clean look is second. The audience wants to see the players act out, and doing that with an unprofessional layout or graphics often times makes twitch channel clickers pass up your stream. If I don't see face cams or a GREAT looking layout, I click on someone else that has one. The style itself doesn't matter to me, but it has to look professional.
I feel like successful D&D streams are a different breed of D&D. All players have to realize that they're going to be railroaded and they each have to have great roleplaying and like-ability. The worst part of a stream is a halt in the action or story because things have gone off-track. Be sure to communicate to the players that they're playing for the audience and that the story is paramount to the stream's success. They must decide to save the princess if that's the story you're telling, and the players have to know that ahead of time while making it as entertaining as possible. There's a reason why the most successful streams are full of actors and wild personalities.
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Thanks for the response and Ill add some of what you said to my notes. the only thing I have to stay about question 1 to clear things up.
1. A high end PC isnt required for streaming if no game is being played which is great for anyone that is hoping to live stream. If you are going 1080p 30 fps then a computer with a good quad core made in the past 3 years will do. As for upstream bitrate it is recommended that you at least have 1 mbit upload for a 1080p 30 fps stream to take into account jitter and to avoid cutting it close and dropping connection. I agree with the audio though as it can require a good monetary investment for good audio. I am no trying to attack you if you are wondering Im just clarifying what I have experienced with streaming
Source: Streaming video game for the past 4 years.
I need a good signature :s
I completely agree. A streaming PC isn't required, it's a luxury. But so are good mics.
I didn't mean for the comment to sound like it was needed for streaming. :)
Site Rules & Guidelines --- Focused Feedback Mega Threads --- Staff Quotes --- Homebrew Tutorial --- Pricing FAQ
Please feel free to message either Sorce or another moderator if you have any concerns.
All good, thats the nature of communicating over text. Can never hear tones. If only that can be a feature :)
I need a good signature :s
Great audio, i dont care for video.
great performance by players, sorry but casual not role playing players should be left out. i mean, i dont ask for voice ovders and all, but i do require to be in characters most of the time and even more, paying attention to the game. seriously if your voice is all low and shy, sorry but streaming is not for you at all. this is why critical role and some others like DCA and high rollers actually works. because they are invested in their roles and their games.
basically im asking for serious gaming there, not just regular in house games where we laugh once in a while and during combat everyone plays ont heir phones while waiting for their turns. if i wanted that i'd create myself some games all week longs.
aside from that i'm fine with it.
DM of two gaming groups.
Likes to create stuff.
Check out my homebrew --> Monsters --> Magical Items --> Races --> Subclasses
If you like --> Upvote, If you wanna comment --> Comment
Play by Post Games
--> One Shot Adventure - House of Artwood (DM) (Completed)
Like the above poster stated, I feel the thing that really sets some streams apart is the investment of the players in the game. Critical Role and the like have succeeded because all of the people on the stream are bought in fully to their character. They might ask a thing or two out of character, but for the most part they are fully in character. They really have thought out their characters thoughts and motives -- they are their characters.
After that it's the audio quality. If audio is constantly jumping or having volume changes (really quiet then really loud, or someone is significantly louder than everyone else) I'll probably bail out if it isn't fixed after a few streams.
As to your question on the best view - you have to have a face shot of the players either up most of the time, or focused on the person speaking (if possible). I think the face shot of the DM should be up constantly. Another neat thing I like to see is the name of the character under the player's face-shot that way you quickly learn who is who.. As far as the playing surface, it depends on what your group is doing. If you are using roll20, sharing that VTT screen (when it's active) is fine. If you are using a physical map/tiles/dungeoncasts, I think an overhead view of it would be great -- if you could place a camera above the table looking down at it.
How do you get a one-armed goblin out of a tree?
Wave!
Thanks for all the advice, due to money restraints I would probably get a really good camera and some good audio equipment and instead have the camera be facing the table so you would see all the players plus the DM. Sound would be on a microphone above the cameras angle. I would also have a top down view that would show the battle mat, if it were used. Roll 20 sessions would be the easiest as I am a Xsplit wizard after helping many many streamers set up many different scenes animations or other interesting things. This wound t be for a bit. Prob after another deployment so there wouldn't be that many breaks for a while as well after i invest in the table and equipment and find all the players that would need to be in. I have a few spectator players but I already told them that if I do this they wouldn't be invited unless they became more outspoken.
I need a good signature :s
Those who say audio jumping is an issue do not realise that even the biggest like critical role have that problem. But the reason isnt the mic most of the time but players suddently lowering their voices. Aka whispers that mics arent picking up because they arent as strong as one human ear. Critical role has that problem where players are so in character that they start whispering to each others and sometimes we cant hear anything. There has been solution to this where a guy would play with volumes but that rarely worked well. The inverse is possible when a player starts shouting really loud. Sorry but this isnt volume problem that can be solved. Asking the player to mind the mic is really not an option if you want invested players.
So yeah... Those who cry about jumpy volumes have no idea how hard it is to set volumes and hope it works with players.
The other streams who jump volumes are often roll20 games with headphones and the likes and those literally changes quality by head set. Not to mention they have omni mics most often.
Yeah audio is a real *****. Better of using the same directionnal mics and all be in the same room. 2 3 mics should be enough for a table. Way easier then 1 mics per person !
DM of two gaming groups.
Likes to create stuff.
Check out my homebrew --> Monsters --> Magical Items --> Races --> Subclasses
If you like --> Upvote, If you wanna comment --> Comment
Play by Post Games
--> One Shot Adventure - House of Artwood (DM) (Completed)
Sound quality-wise, and keeping in mind a possibly tight budget, there's nothing better I can suggest than taking one or more of these:
https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Professional-Condenser-Microphone-Suspension/dp/B01D4KYRYC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1509359901&sr=8-2&keywords=neewer nw-700
The mic has amazing value for the price and with a little bit of levels adjustments the quality is extremely good, and comes with scissor arm stand, pop filter and phantom power (needed for it to work properly).
For the rest, I think the most enjoyable I find is having a good story, interesting characters and good role-play from the players, the rest is not necessary, while obviously good to have.
Around-the-table view is my preferred, and I think it's the most "intimate" and easy to immerse into as a viewer. If you want to add visual things, you can maybe create a slideshow of images of the characters or of the enemies they are facing in a corner of the screen (easily done with OBS).
Music is also something that is extremely nice to have, but not mandatory, imho.
Chat integration: I would be against it, it can distract and take away from the actual game. If you have someone external from the party dedicated to it, then it can be done, but it's not necessary, imho. Same goes for interaction from the audience: doing a livestream is challenging enough on its own, if you have to take into consideration and work with things random people do while watching, it can become extremely taxing extremely fast (especially if you happen to have people doing stuff just for fun and to bother the game).
Born in Italy, moved a bunch, living in Spain, my heart always belonged to Roleplaying Games
Depend...
Cteam does well making the chat be part of the game by letting direct certain elements. DCA also does well with chat considering holly and anna are always on it and it has yet to affect their gameplay ! So it really depends on the people.
I do not recommend the dm to be on it though he has too much already.
DM of two gaming groups.
Likes to create stuff.
Check out my homebrew --> Monsters --> Magical Items --> Races --> Subclasses
If you like --> Upvote, If you wanna comment --> Comment
Play by Post Games
--> One Shot Adventure - House of Artwood (DM) (Completed)
I think an integration similar to the one you can see in Pencils & Parsecs might be the one that works best, adapting it to the setting and system, but it also means a tad more prep work for the DM before the campaign even starts.
Born in Italy, moved a bunch, living in Spain, my heart always belonged to Roleplaying Games