Best YouTube playthroughs?

[Seraiel]

The voice volume is perfect. Music started a bit loud but that was just the intro anyway, so no problem. The music became much softer and subtle later, probably in part to the type of music. The point though is that viewers don't watch Civ LPs for the music. We watch it for the gameplay and educational experience. Loud music can be very distracting and it's hard to really understand..I guess..unless you are the viewer. Again, it was fine for this video.

Spoiler :

Not that I'm aware. The different sounds of "G" in our mutt language can be quite confusing. Who knows....centuries ago it might have been pronounced with a hard "G", but I don't know the etymology of the word.. I don't think there is a rule to go by in terms of the G sound. I can easily see how non-native speakers can confuse the usage. English is a core Germanic language, but just has so many influences from other languages and even American English has its own evolution

Since you mentioned it, you basically have Espionage right except for the "i" sound, but your pronunciation makes sense and sounds good. The "i" is pronounced "e" as in "we"

I've played all my many years of Civ IV with resource bubbles on and have no idea how they cause the issues you describe. Maybe the requirement of windowed-mode messes it up. I forget..haven't done an LP in a long time. I always moved using the mini-map in windowed-mode and resource bubbles would not impact that. At least give us tile yields.

other feedback

Spoiler :

Please take this in the friendliest way possible, but I notice that you tend to get a bit defensive by some of the comments, whether that is intended or not, it comes off that way. Everything is positive here. People are watching your videos and enjoying them. Getting some constructive feedback is always good and should be encouraged. You don't even have to acknowledge certain feedback if you don't want or just say that is not my style. We're just trying to help you make the experience better for all viewers. It increases your views, likes and subscribers. If you don't care about that, that is fine too.

TY for that post lymond .

Spoiler :

There are so many ways of seeing certain behaviours, that it's sometimes difficult for me to judge, what the aim of something was.

I've taken everything in the best possible way, and the next part is already under construction.

I mention(ed) you in it, for which I hope you don't mind .

Regarding the number of viewers that I have / get: I think I am offering something extraordinary. Of course, things like viewer-numbers, likes and subscribers means something to me, but I think, that there'll be no way getting around watching this video, at least not for those players that have the aim of learning how to beat Deity in Civilization IV the fastest and easiest way possible.

Future episodes will show something that other videos just could not or didn't show, and I have no doubts that the video therefor will become famous.

If somebody then decides, that he's not interested or doesn't need that, it's his / her choice.

 

[Choggy]

Hi Seraiel...just finished watched part one of your Replay 9 game and I thought it was very good. The music certainly adds to the experience and I thought you got the volume level just right. You clearly have gone to a lot of effort to produce this video and it shows.

I also like the 'lecture' style you're using in this game - as it's a HOF game I appreciate that you need to take more time over your turns than usual and using that time to discuss certain relevant elements of the game is a good idea and it works well.

Personally I have no problem with you not always showing resource bubbles - you do switch them on and off quite regularly and the resource tiles were easy to spot watching in HD. If you were playing this game quickly like AbsoluteZero or TMIT do on their youtube channels then keeping resource bubbles switched on is neccessary in order to follow what they are doing, but at the speed you are playing at I don't see the need for having them always switched on and cluttering up the map.

Looking forward to part 2

 

[Pangaea]

Watched this earlier as well, and thought it was good. The music was a little loud and interrupting at times, but was mostly okay. I like that you talk fairly slowly and are explaining things, makes it easier to follow what you are doing. Wish the resource bubbles were on all the time though.

There was something you said that was eye-opening, but now I have annoyingly forgotten what it was. Maybe I need to re-watch it Look forward to the next episode :thupsup:

One thing: Could you explain why you started with two workers? Don't think I've seen that before. I can see the point as there is so much to improve here (and chop), and you don't have barbs on so no need for warrior barb defence, but is this something you do often in your games?

 

[cseanny]

There was something you said that was eye-opening

It was in regards to how you can prevent Deity AIs from DoWing 98% of the time by humans city spacing, horizontal expansion, and smaller population. At least that's what I took from it.

One thing: Could you explain why you started with two workers?

7 resources in BFC, longer time to improve on that map script, lots of trees. That's my guess.



Edit: I'd like seeing a future play through from one of our forum games (huge interest actually).

 

[Pangaea]

It was in regards to how you can prevent Deity AIs from DoWing 98% of the time by humans city spacing, horizontal expansion, and smaller population. At least that's what I took from it.

Aha! Right you are. Doesn't make much sense, but I've heard about it before, just had forgotten about. They must simply have mis-coded. Doesn't make sense that a wide empire is 'safe', while a compact empire is less secure. You'd think it was the other way around. Unless Firaxis figured this would mean a 'small' empire. City overlapping is required at the higher levels, though, so it's unfortunate this means the AI is more likely to DoW.

7 resources in BFC, longer time to improve on that map script, lots of trees. That's my guess.

I suspected as much, but it is still an unusual opening, not growing for so long.

Talking about playthroughs, AZ has uploaded one from the Isabella NC game. Quite interesting to watch with map knowledge, having already played the map. Also, Deity AIs are crazy fast just compared with Immortal

 

[Seraiel]

Hi Seraiel...just finished watched part one of your Replay 9 game and I thought it was very good. The music certainly adds to the experience and I thought you got the volume level just right. You clearly have gone to a lot of effort to produce this video and it shows.

I also like the 'lecture' style you're using in this game - as it's a HOF game I appreciate that you need to take more time over your turns than usual and using that time to discuss certain relevant elements of the game is a good idea and it works well.

Personally I have no problem with you not always showing resource bubbles - you do switch them on and off quite regularly and the resource tiles were easy to spot watching in HD. If you were playing this game quickly like AbsoluteZero or TMIT do on their youtube channels then keeping resource bubbles switched on is neccessary in order to follow what they are doing, but at the speed you are playing at I don't see the need for having them always switched on and cluttering up the map.

Looking forward to part 2

Recording of Part 2 is half complete.

Was very hard work, but payed back already. I managed to cut down 5h of play-time to only 1h of final video.

Soundtrack is mostly by Moby, but also Kevin MacLeod again and one good song is by DanO.

Watched this earlier as well, and thought it was good. The music was a little loud and interrupting at times, but was mostly okay. I like that you talk fairly slowly and are explaining things, makes it easier to follow what you are doing. Wish the resource bubbles were on all the time though.

There was something you said that was eye-opening, but now I have annoyingly forgotten what it was. Maybe I need to re-watch it Look forward to the next episode :thupsup:

One thing: Could you explain why you started with two workers? Don't think I've seen that before. I can see the point as there is so much to improve here (and chop), and you don't have barbs on so no need for warrior barb defence, but is this something you do often in your games?

It was in regards to how you can prevent Deity AIs from DoWing 98% of the time by humans city spacing, horizontal expansion, and smaller population. At least that's what I took from it.



7 resources in BFC, longer time to improve on that map script, lots of trees. That's my guess.



Edit: I'd like seeing a future play through from one of our forum games (huge interest actually).

I love how pangaea simply forgets what I said .

Regarding the video itself, it's probably gonna be my last video of Civilization IV which I'll make, because I plan on re-starting to play MMO's again. Elders Scrolls Online will become an amazing game, which gets released in the midth of April.

Aha! Right you are. Doesn't make much sense, but I've heard about it before, just had forgotten about. They must simply have mis-coded. Doesn't make sense that a wide empire is 'safe', while a compact empire is less secure. You'd think it was the other way around. Unless Firaxis figured this would mean a 'small' empire. City overlapping is required at the higher levels, though, so it's unfortunate this means the AI is more likely to DoW.



I suspected as much, but it is still an unusual opening, not growing for so long.

Talking about playthroughs, AZ has uploaded one from the Isabella NC game. Quite interesting to watch with map knowledge, having already played the map. Also, Deity AIs are crazy fast just compared with Immortal

Regarding the double Worker opening, cseanny already explained that.

My reasoning basically was, that building the GW with not having the Stone was quite inefficient, and I saw enough work for 2 Workers, but playing differently definately also would have been very possible.

I btw. did that opening already in "Replay #4" , which was my main argument why I did that opening again. Basically with going for Bronzeworking so early, finding enough work for 2 Workers is no problem, especially not on Boreal.

 

[Nials]

Seriously?

I turned down the music by 14 db. From what I learned about Physics, I know that that is incredibly much already, I think that's below 20% when it comes to the loudness of something.

I listend myself into the video at least several times, and will again now... I just cannot believe that I'm so hard understandeable. I know I'm sometimes difficult, but I believe that what I say can actually be heard very well. Maybe the last is a wish.

Got around to watching the whole episode now.

You can be heard very well, but the music was a bit disrupting at the start. It got better around the 10 minute mark (I think, not sure about the exact timing) when the music becomes more quiet due to a different track being played.

Looking forward to more!

 

[Mitchum]

I just watched your video, Seraiel. Nicely done. Lots of good information!!

One thing that I would suggest is that you spend a little more time talking about the high-level strategy. In my opinion, it's strategy more than micro that prevents most of us from winning Deity on a regular basis.

For example, you chose to go through Priesthood to get to Writing rather than AH or Pottery yet you never said why you chose that path. Did you have your eyes on the Oracle? Was that the fastest path to Writing so you could get an earlier library? Were you beelining some later tech like Aesthetics so that you would have something to trade once Alphabet was unlocked? Were you avoiding AH because it's expensive you know that horses are rare on a boreal map and there were no pasture-resources in your planned cities? Was Agriculture -> Pottery -> Writing too slow even though both of those techs would have been useful?

Also, when dot-mapping your cities, you never said why you were placing them as you did. You did mention something about trying to block off land in the south and northwest but you didn't really talk about why you put it where you did rather than one tile in some other direction. Did you put them where you did to a) be on a river, b) be one tile closer to your capital to save 1C in city maintenance, c) to have 2 resources in the inner ring, d) to have 3 deer in the BFC after a border pop, etc.

It's these seemingly small decision that can actually have a big impact. If we understand your thought process on these things, then I think you will meet your stated goal of helping us mere mortals have a shot at beating Deity.

Thanks for all of the time and effort you're putting into this!!

 

[Seraiel]

Hi

Almost all points that Mitchum mentioned get adressed in the next Episode, which I'll try to finish now. If everything works well, it should go online within the next 5-8h. Maybe also a little sooner .

Hope you're looking forward

Seraiel

 

[cseanny]

Nuked for life, thx. GG no re.

 

[Seraiel]

LOL .

Recording of audio-commentary is complete.

Rendering the video now and uploading afterwards.

I'm btw. very sorry, but as I want to ensure the absolute maximum quality experience for you, I'll have to 2-pass-render the video, and one pass already takes about 2h, so 2*2 + 3h (for uploading) = something like 7h from now until you can see it.

Hopefully, you'll find being able to watch the video with its absolute maximum of quality better than me choosing a cheap 1-pass render in order to cut the wait-time by 2h .

 

[Seraiel]

On wish of one user:

Replay #9 specific Thread in HoF Forum

 

[Mitchum]

On wish of one user:

That user must be one smart fellow!! Seriously, Replay #9 is a big enough event to have it's own thread, right?

 

[cseanny]

Nuked. Who cares.

 

[pomthom]

Edit: Is anyone else having problems with quality of the video? Part one is crystal clear but this segment is all blurry for me. Comments?

Just tested and the quality was great.

BTW Sera, don't know if you've changed your configuration but the volume balance between voice and music in the second part looks perfect

 

[cseanny]

Just tested and the quality was great.

Sucks for me then. When I click on the 1st part, it's like I said before, Perfect picture. When I click on the 2nd part everything is blurry........I can't even read what tech he's researching. =/

 

[pomthom]

Can you change the resolution manually? I think youtube automatically adjusts the resolution and the algorithm might be off or something

 

[Seraiel]

Sucks for me then. When I click on the 1st part, it's like I said before, Perfect picture. When I click on the 2nd part everything is blurry........I can't even read what tech he's researching. =/

Directly after upload, Youtube does something with the qualities, so sometimes, not all choices in quality are available. The video being blurry could be that it runs on 720p only, and to really be cristal clear, it needs to be in 1080p.

Usually, refreshing the Browser and (maybe) waiting a bit solves that problem.

 

[Seraiel]

That user must be one smart fellow!! Seriously, Replay #9 is a big enough event to have it's own thread, right?

It's ok . I did not mention you personally again, because I did just before already, and the idea was generally one that I also already had. Hope you're not mad .

And yes, of course this video deserves it's own thread. It's gonna be the video with which other players will be learning beating Deity in CIV4 and by that completely freshen up the player-scene of Civilization.

At least that's what I hope for, it's something shakabrade once wrote about my previous writeups.

 

[Pangaea]

BTW Sera, don't know if you've changed your configuration but the volume balance between voice and music in the second part looks perfect

Strongly disagree.

I find it very hard to actually watch the video because the music is way too disturbing