July 2023 Channel Update – Small Roadblock
Added 2023-07-17 19:06:38 +0000 UTCHi all!
Hope you’re doing well in these summery months. I’m hanging in there although there are some days where it’s Really. Hot. and I literally record with sweat rolling off my forehead 😭(I tend to close my windows/turn off fans to avoid distractions & noise which probably doesn’t help lol)
Anyway! This past month I’ve been struggling a bit - my output’s not where I imagined it to be. In the back I tested various approaches to recording/video publishing workflows, ie. focusing just on FF16 so I can move on to other things earlier, juggling multiple series, some long, some short etcetc, and I feel like by the end of it I still don’t have a good answer to what works the best for me and it’s a work in progress... You’d think I’d have this figured out by now but I’m just winging everything one day at a time 💀
TL;DR
- we went from "Materwelonz" to "Welonz"
- Finished: DREDGE, Killer Frequency
- Ongoing: FF16, OXENFREE II
- Upcoming: Miles Morales (actually, this time!)
Small Name Change
For those who missed it: we made a slight change to the channel name going from Materwelonz to Welonz! Here was the announcement & explanation: youtu.be/v5gxAySqo1c. Sorry for making it seem like channel-ending drama but I was def cackling all day that day 😂
Nothing else is changing – the channel’s the same as always!
Finished Stuff Since Last Update
DREDGE (14 parts): Enjoyed this Lovecraftian adventure a whole ton! I mentioned before I thought it might get monotonous but honestly the little fishing/inventory minigame gameplay loop was great and I felt like I could do it forever hahah.Very immersive atmosphere – I’m keeping a look out on the story DLC later in the year.
Killer Frequency (7 parts): We are a radio DJ and because of Reasons, we are in charge of the 911 hotline tonight and must direct people over the phone so the resident serial killer doesn’t get to them. This game’s a great example of creative people going “what if we just wrote a story and ignored believability” lol - the whole 911 thing is not exactly logical but the end result is fantastic and hilarious. Great mix of advancing the story via the audio (people calling into the hotline) vs us physically exploring the radio building.
And some first looks:
ETERNIGHTS demo: An anime-style action game/visual novel blend where we save the world and go on dates, supposedly inspired by the Persona series. The presentation (script quality, graphics) is kind of rough but I think it’s entertaining if you look at it as a B-movie kinda thing.
I saw a passing comment wondering why this game was getting a ton of press coverage and I have to wonder the same lol – in my case I played it because their PR folks reached out to me very early on (a whole month beforehand) before the big wave of new releases & demos hit around mid-June.
DAVE THE DIVER: A(nother) fishing adventure, this time we shoot nautical creatures with harpoons and guns by day and do sushi restaurant management by night. It seems to be a cute fun time, but my impression is the various gameplay loops and addictive upgrade gathering is the focus more so than the storyline.
Current Stuff
Final Fantasy XVI: The newest mainline FF game in a Game of Thrones-esque setting. The demo was an exhilarating intro to the world and they clearly spent a pretty penny on the flashy presentation. After a few dozen hours in I do think it has noticeable foundational issues, but I’d like to finish the game before commenting more. The main storyline asks to destroy five landmark objects, and I’ve been through three so I think I am loosely 60% of the way through?
OXENFREE II: Lost Signals: Sequel to the first that came out seven (!) years ago – plays similarly to before in that it’s primarily about engaging in very fluid conversations between the cast while facing ghostly phenomena. I am in the very last stretches so this should end in just about 1-2 more parts as of this post.
Upcoming Stuff
I mentioned last time I was gonna start Miles Morales but still haven’t yet – big apologies! I got distracted by Killer Frequency and then next thing I knew Oxenfree II was around the corner so I opted for the latter first as it’s shorter. I’ve begun prepping for Miles and expect it to directly follow Oxenfree II pretty much.
As alluded to in the start of the post, I've been thinking about speeding up FF16 a tad. It means the channel will be more one-note for a bit, but viewers interested in this series will get to know what happens faster while it's still fresh-ish, and we can also move our full attention to other bigger series (*cough* Dragon Age Inquisition *cough*) earlier too. Realistically though I feel like I always get distracted by some indie game coming out of left field 🗿 so we’ll see what happens.
Hope you’re enjoying your summer months whether it be hot or cold! Thank you for your kind support as always and feel free to let me know any suggestions/comments below.
Cheers,
Welonz
Comments
Hi Elden - sorry I missed this message initially! I'm definitely interested with the buzz around it but it's a capacity issue atm - would love to take a first look at it but a full thing would likely have to wait until later on!
Materwelonz
2023-08-26 22:39:52 +0000 UTCHi Welonz, I'm just wondering whether you'd be interested in playing a game like Baldur's Gate 3. Heard it's got a great storyline, great gameplay, loads of greats! Though for a completionist, it is a 200+ hour game.
Elden Halim
2023-08-04 05:30:09 +0000 UTCI'll probably go back to Cyberpunk when the DLC drops!
Materwelonz
2023-07-20 18:16:08 +0000 UTCOn the Discord server there's a Twitter feed bot, but it only shows in full for the shorter tweets unfortunately. I am not fully active anywhere else yet - will move as soon as an alternative clearly wins out but I have the feeling that won't be for a while.
Materwelonz
2023-07-20 18:15:45 +0000 UTCThanks! Too many games, just one Welonz! :) By the way, I felt like an idiot after asking this, for not realizing you're actually just said you plan to play a game from a couple years ago, which is Miles Morales, lol. I realize I'm also subconsciously wanting you to play less-known games that deserve a shout-out and/or aren't the same other content creators are playing. I understand the balance is difficult, though, and it obviously affects views.
Gianluca Aicardi
2023-07-18 22:27:36 +0000 UTCCrickey it seems hot in so much of the northern hemisphere. When it heats up down in Sydney, I use ceiling fans as they are so much quieter than typical desk/pedestal fans. If you can afford aircon then that would be great for the gaming times as they are also very quiet. I rarely post much as I'm not a social media person (outside of private message groups), but would like to thank you for the game uploads you are presenting. We have been enjoying them a lot! (Am going to be curious about your FF-XVI comments at the games conclusion). Have you given thoughts to returning to Night City (Cyberpunk 2077) when the 1.7 update and DLC come out? This game has changed a lot in its mechanics since your playthrough (which was patch 1.2) and is changing again. I had spent at least 800 hours in this game as part of a game strategy/walkthrough guide group and now it is all going to change. Much of the advice will be obsolete 🤦♂️! Take care with the heat up there! Our Aussie summer 🔥 is yet to come.
Mark Robinson (Hexemon)
2023-07-18 22:24:41 +0000 UTCI wish I had the time to watch your longer series like Final Fantasy XVI. It must require extraordinary dedication to record serie long like this. But until one day I find the time to watch it I'm happy to see other videos on your channel. And as for summer, I noticed that it can be quite chilly and quiet at 5 AM, so you could record before going to work! 😉 It may seem crazy at first, but the numbers on the clocks are just suggestions 😅
WallHammer
2023-07-18 22:02:58 +0000 UTCHopefully not Threads. I loathe Meta businesses, but you are right about Twitter sadly as it seems on a steady death spiral.
Mark Robinson (Hexemon)
2023-07-18 22:00:37 +0000 UTCHey Welonz, I don't have a Twitter account, but I used to check your Twitter feed every now and then. As Twitter has become inaccessible for unregistered people, do you have an alternative?
Amar
2023-07-18 18:56:38 +0000 UTCOh man I just heard about this one today, definitely on the radar!!
Materwelonz
2023-07-18 08:10:41 +0000 UTCYes I do have an Nvidia card (3080) & know of RTX Voice, but I am Old and Changing and hiss at new technology 😂 I won't overdo it, I drink water like mad!!
Materwelonz
2023-07-18 08:10:00 +0000 UTCUsually in picking games I look for some kind of "relevancy" reason: for newer games just the fact that it's new would be good enough, for older releases if there's some prequel/sequel/related game coming out soon (or if it wins in a Patreon poll lol) would be a good reason. That said I don't think there's any harm in suggesting any game you'd like to, I do pay attention to repeat names that come up time & time again!
Materwelonz
2023-07-18 08:07:06 +0000 UTCI am sorry to throw another game on the unending pile of games, but there is upcoming game called Viewfinder that should be a good fun for the channel. It is a puzzle game - which can be an editing time sink - but I remember loving watching Welonz find stuff in Tunic and love that LP. This apparently has less story, and maybe more like Superliminal than anything else - but that LP was also great. I have seen reviews mention it "leaves you wanting more" so it might actual fit in the short game channel slot
Thomas Mc
2023-07-17 20:58:38 +0000 UTCPlease - for the love of God'ish. Open your windows. Crack on ALL the fans. Can't remember if we know your PC specs, but if you have a NVIDIA card, have you tried RTX Voice to counter background noise? I have never used it myself, but the videos I have seen of it seem incredible. Btw, love the name change. Everyone, go hydra(te)!
Martin Mathiesen
2023-07-17 20:51:38 +0000 UTCCan't wait for Miles Moralis! I loved your Spider Man playthrough :)
Wilsham
2023-07-17 20:26:26 +0000 UTCPlease, take care of yourself first. If some days are too hot to record, don't hesitate to take a break Welonz. (but also, hyped for Miles)
Captain Kashup
2023-07-17 20:11:21 +0000 UTCHey there. Just one thing so I'm clear: are there still chances for you to play older games (and with that I don't mean really old games, just games from, say, 2017-2022), or are you focusing on new releases almost exclusively? It's just that, I mostly buy games when they're on sale, so I routinely play games that are a couple of years old, and I stumble into stuff that makes me say "OMG, this is SUCH a Welonz game!", but you didn't play it at the time, so I wonder if it's still useful to bring them to your attention, or once the ship has sailed, it won't come back, so to speak. (Recent examples of "Such a Welonz Games": Lost in Random, Sable).
Gianluca Aicardi
2023-07-17 19:57:44 +0000 UTCIf you find the time it's definitely recommended, I would say it's in the 10-15 hour region so not too long of a game (also if you play it don't look up too much about it, the less you know about it the better your experience will be IMHO)
Christian B
2023-07-17 19:52:15 +0000 UTC@Teyhr The thing is, I'm really into the story, I just don't know if I love the gameplay.
Dragonhunter
2023-07-17 19:37:51 +0000 UTCAll good. It's a crazy year for videogames. Crazy enough how you keep up with it and uploading parts for multiple games every day while having a job too. Don't forget to get some rest once in a while.
Dragonhunter
2023-07-17 19:35:49 +0000 UTCI'm here in Arizona where it's high of 110s so I sympathetically melt along with you. Hang in there and remember this should be fun for you too, slower output is fine if it's happier and more enthusiastic Welonz!
Teyhr
2023-07-17 19:21:08 +0000 UTCYou should 100% buy ghost trick regardless of whether Welonz plays it (and Welonz 100% should play it)
Teyhr
2023-07-17 19:19:45 +0000 UTCOver here in the UK the summer started out pretty hot but over the last few weeks it really cooled down and it’s almost endlessly raining. For all the reasons you said, I infinitely prefer this 🥲 Please take care of yourself, know it’s probably easy for us to say but don’t burn yourself out… metaphorically or physically 😭
Lord Atrexia
2023-07-17 19:18:03 +0000 UTCI'm still interested but atm not sure when the timing of that would be considering the other stuff on the plate, sorry I don't have a more solid answer 😭
Materwelonz
2023-07-17 19:17:52 +0000 UTCIs Ghost Trick still planned? Or is it too much to handle right now? Was just wondering if I should buy it or wait for your Playthrough.
Dragonhunter
2023-07-17 19:10:19 +0000 UTC
