Valefisk
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The Nature of Failure - A Year in Review.
🕑 Added 2023-12-19 13:48:30 +0000 UTC
This post might be a long one, but I've decided to do a bit of self-reflection on the past year and - in particular - the nature of a failed project.
Why? Because after hundreds of hours of work, I've decided to cancel a second massive video right before it was supposed to be released (The first one that was cancelled was of course the Campaign for North Africa video, but you can expect to see that return early next year).
The project i'm talking about is RISK Geoguessr.
I'd been wanting to do another Geoguessr video for some time - but not wanting to just do "Impossible Geoguessr 2", I waited until I had an idea for something a bit different. So I turned Geoguessr into a board game, loosely based on the game RISK.
This video failed for a lot of different reasons, and its honestly heartbreaking that it got this far before I had to bin it.
So, what was the problem? These issues, in no particular order:
- The Audio. This was the first video I recorded on a new computer, and despite making sure it was all set up correctly - i made a last-minute change to the settings and accidentally overwrote my own voice with the much louder discord audio. The solution to this was to manually re-record all of my lines in post and hope no one noticed. What fun.
- That discord audio was itself, for whatever reason, really terrible. This alone wouldn't cause the video to be cancelled (Hell, the Torture Board Game video has awful audio and that still came out) but its compounding problem #1.
- The footage is a pain. I had footage from some (but not all) particpants, all of which was in different resolutions with lots to crop and blur. My own footage also had to be zoomed in with an inconsistent scale (different width/height) so doing quick zooms wasn't possible.
- The Idea flopped. It was - frankly - too complicated, and the rules were very poorly thought out. The defenders advantage was changed during the recording, and the length of the game itself is probably something like 30 hours or so (we only lasted 5 on the recording). This lead to a very anti-climactic end where we just stopped playing.
- It's just not that funny. Watching it back now some things are (as they always are), but there were too many technical issues, the complexity, and the drinking (whoops) lead it to being very incoherent to follow. When I realised it wasn't going to work I thought maybe I'd just string together some highlights to save it but what is funny is too based on the context to work.
So, I scrapped it. Video is cancelled. Yet another multi-hundred hour video down the drain.
Here's a little taste of what might've been.
And so, as i prepare to take some time off this Christmas, I look back at the year of 2023 with...mixed feelings.
On a vague personal note - my life itself has been turned upside down multiple times in the last 15 or so months. I had to move internationally multiple times, deal with visa shenanigans, and lots of other stuff I won't get into. All in all, everything ended very well - but becuase of these distractions and the failed projects, I got a lot less content out than i had originally intended.
And yet, I think the future is bright. Since about mid-october everything really began to come together, and with it my content output did too. I'm really happy with how my last 3 videos in particular turned out (I think the Realistic Game of Life is the best board game I've made so far). And I won't lie - having each video be sponsored has actually been incredibly helpful with keeping me on schedule. Having some marketing manager emailing me going "so where is it you said it'd be done yesterday" really keeps me on track.
But I can't help but wonder what might've been. If Campaign for North Africa had actually worked those three times I tried to do it. If RISK Geoguessr had been a bit more thought out and I wasn't trapped trying to fix it in post. But on the flip side, I learned an awful lot about what makes some of these videos work, and what doesn't. What makes one of these games good (Game of Life) and bad (RISK Geoguessr). And I'll take all of that with me into the next year.
So then - what have we got for Christmas?
Well, not gona lie, once I realised I wasn't going to have RISK Geoguessr for that slot I nearly shit myself. But thankfully I had one last card up my sleeve - Somewhere in the Shadow. Honestly an S-tier video, one of the funniest I've never released. So I'm going to take that and make it my little Christmas video. It's not what I intended, but it is something.
I'm also considering making a "Best of 2023" video for release on New Year's Day. I'm undecided though. Might put a poll up and see if you guys might enjoy a year-long highlights reel. I promise it won't be more than 2 hours long :)
Stay tuned for a lot more next year. I'm planning to keep to at least two video per month for the foreseeable future, and I have the necessary ideas to keep that ball rolling.
Thanks for reading my ramble. I hope your holidays are - at the very least - mediocre and mildly festive. See you next year :)
Comments
Hetzer5000
It's sad a big project had to be trashed, but you put out a lot of really good videos last year.
MrAH2010
Glad you can get back to the Campaign for North Africa video, your true life's passion, can't wait for it! Merry Christmas Vale!
Tyger 0312
I have loved every video you have put out this year. Even though you had to scrap some I believe from a viewers perspective it has been a great year from you. Merry Christmas, Mr. Fisk. Anyways, back to the crypts (Current Hours 1890)
Douglas Bazeley
Hey, ALL of us can relate to planning some big, cool thing and then having it all fall apart at the finish line - don't beat yourself up over it, mate. Good to hear you're optimistic about next year, and I definitely agree that the Game of Life you made was the best so far, to the point that it actually is fun to play with friends after a few drinks. It is painful, but the pain is mixed with enough humour to make it perfectly masochistic!
Andrew Boros
Sucks that Geoguessr didn't turn out well, but shit happens. You've put out a bunch of great videos this year (my personal favorites being Life and Arma 3). You keep doing you! I look forward to seeing what you do next year. :D
Lemon
I feel like this past year has been the year of change for so many of us. Just long enough post covid that we're all finally starting to make big life decisions again. All the best with the next year of chaos, I for one am leaving my software dev job and moving out of home 🎉 glad to have your videos in the meantime
epsilo n
do you king 👑
Stierheld
Eh you win some you lose some. Don't stress yourself over videos which could have been. Your recent content has been great!
rose
Unfortunate that so much had to be scrapped but it feels like every 2023 vid has been a banger anyway
L1K34PR0
Look Vale, we don't expect perfection, all we want is to have a laugh at you and your friends having fun/suffering at your wacky ideas and given how your throughput is very amazing given some youtubers i subscribe to, i don't think you should let errors you make hold you down which from reading this post (and personal experience), you let them ever so slightly, we all make mistakes and the best we can do is learn from them and get better without thinking too much about them Honestly when it comes to the RISK Geoguesser i think we'd love to see a funny moments completion, only if it's patreon only, so your footage wouldn't completely go to waste, and imo it'd be hilarious if you just say fuck it, trim the good parts as is, stich en together and ship it. I'd fucking watch it! And even if not the campaign to north africa, somewhere in the shadow and a possible best of are more than what i could ever ask for! If i could i woulda honestly upgraded my tier since frankly you madlad deserve it Marry christmas vale, hopefully you'll take a break to enjoy the holiday and don't overwork yourself, we can wait for as long as you need :)
Thebestoflads
I'm with you on this, I need something to get me away from my family.
Alec Hughes
Vale, your positive attitude and dedication to quality content is inspiring. I hope that your holiday break brings you some much needed rest. As a fairly new rat, I am looking forward to all the shenanigans. I hope the new year brings you some order from the chaos. P.S. I would love a 'Best of' but please also enjoy the time off.
Tyler
That recap video better be longer than 2 hours, too much good stuff would be cut
Johnny Woodson
I'll be watching anything you put out for Christmas anyway since I have no friends
Lyan Reyes
Merry Christmas!!! And don’t worry, whatever videos you make, whether they be five minutes or 15 hours, I’ll be there.
GenericSpacedOutDork
From a newly minted rat™, thank you for doing what you do.
DoshoftheDosh
Merry Christmas, hope you have a great new year too.
Kristupas Babrauskas
Man, for me the longer the video, from you, the better.
TaikoMom
A best of 2023 reel would be cool, or a reel from those initial videos you planned when you returned as a 'return of the king' montage. Plus those have a ton of killer moments as well. Either way, happy holidays!
Dip Cheesus
Merry Xmas vale, sad geoguessr won't be out but i do support a best of vid
Good Anakin Good
Vale I still love you, even if you fail sometimes
Church Maclin
The best of video could be 5 hours long and I’d still watch the entire thing
PokerAgeAH
Merry Christmas Vale!
Rosie Stokes
a 2023 highlights reel would be great
Druddigon1
Merry Christmas!
