This is going to be a little trip down memory lane, so grab a drink and a snack, as it might take a little.
The beginning – MMORPGs
The first videos I posted on my channel were videos about various characters, animations and little companions from the MMORPG Lineage II, more on that below. Shortly afterwards, videos of the Korean MMORPG TERA (The Exiled Realm of Arborea) (Bluehole Studio, 2011) followed. At that time, about 14 years ago, I was still not quite out of my MMORPG addiction and had already heard about TERA through various forums, as it had been running in Korea for a while. It hadn’t been released here yet. But I really wanted more, so I scoured the internet, found a kind of guide and a weekend later I had access.
It was thrilling, exciting and completely different from AION (NCsoft, 2008)(I did something similar for AION back then to access the Korean version…and a little more!) and Lineage II, the MMORPGs I was playing intensively at the time. TERA was also interesting because it was developed by the team that was originally supposed to develop Lineage III under the direction of NCSoft.
Unfortunately, there was a serious problem, which is also very clear from the videos: my PC at the time simply did not have enough power for the game and recording the videos.
Back then, as I looked around the game, I was terrified because my screen kept displaying red text that I couldn’t make sense of. As you can see in the videos, everything was in Korean, and then as now, I don’t know a word of Korean. The whole thing made me feel uneasy, and I wasn’t sure if I would soon be kicked off the server because I had absolutely no business being there.
When I played the official European release a few years later, I realised that this red message was not a warning or anything like that, but simply an extremely aggressive message from the local trade chat in the ingame region where I was currently located.
There is also a video about the first steps in the world, and yes, I remember exactly how I felt when I saw all that. I was blown away, really excited, and looking forward to the European release.
Lineage II (NCsoft, 2003)
Of course, I also uploaded something related to Lineage II. I had found tools that allowed me to break down the graphics into their constituent parts. In doing so, I found graphics packages that no one had ever heard of in the European release, but which were available in other regions.
I then tried to put these together in Blender, combine them with the appropriate animations and render them. I also created videos for some of the characters, so have a look at what’s in the playlist.
Interestingly, as far as I could see recently, much of this graphics are still present in the game. Yes, Lineage II is still active, but it is far from being the game it was back then (2007 to 2009).
Yes, it was a little sexy, but I’m not ashamed of that. It was an exciting time, especially since the Gracia update had just come out and the armor shown in the videos wasn’t yet visible in the game because no one was wearing it yet.
Minecraft (Mohjang, 2011)
Back then, inspired by the videos on brt5470’s channel (mainly because of his Dreamcraft videos), I tried to create two mood videos, at least that’s what I call them, with my modest means. Both, as the title suggests, are from Minecraft, and they couldn’t be more different. I talked to brt5470 several times back then. We discussed which mods he used, color grading, and how he tried to work around some of Minecraft’s quirks.
I really enjoyed the videos back then, and if you’re already on brt5470’s channel, check out his videos. They provide a great overview of what Minecraft was like back then, how it felt and what people associated with it.
The videos aren’t long, but the journey that led to this result, which may seem a little strange today, was incredibly fun at the time and also led me to explore the latest version of the Unreal Engine. (Spoiler alert: Unfortunately, the video from this experiment no longer exists! However, there is one that I made with CryEngine. If you find it, you can keep it!)
VOD – Part I
I had two different phases in which I streamed a wide variety of games. At first, it was pretty wild, without voice or face cam, but with a cool overlay, I thought. The following playlists and games are from this period. Except for the overlay, I didn’t really have a concept; I just wanted to play games online and hoped that others would join in.
Over the years, I’ve had many overlays, often adapted to what I wanted to do, what I wanted to achieve with the channel on Twitch at the time. For me, it was something where I could try things out, and yes, I often experimented a lot. Then again, I had phases where something like that seemed completely irrelevant to me. It was often a back and forth, I have to admit.
However, most of the content in this section consists of Let’s Plays. I uploaded these directly to my YouTube channel at the time. Proper streams over longer periods of time on Twitch came later, and some of the VODs can only be found on my Twitch channel or on what is left there (everything had to be shortened some time ago because the running time of all videos was limited).
It was a long time ago, so please forgive me if I can’t remember the exact sequence 100%.
Qora (Holden Boyles, 2014)
I have often heard people say that Qora is just a game where you press the directional pad to the right and that’s it. But Qora is so much more than that! It is the telling of a story, the telling of a journey and a tale of encounters, both in the present and in the past.
The game has a wonderful soundtrack and pixel graphics that really convey everything I mentioned above, even though they are very simple!
The Long Dark (Hinterland Studio, 2014)
The Long Dark is perhaps the only survival game that has really captivated me. The atmosphere, the setting, the absence of other people – it was and is simply perfect. In addition, the individual skills you have to acquire and the mechanics that represent survival in a “survival game” are very credible and exciting.
As I mention in one of the videos, another huge advantage is that there are no monsters or zombies. I found both of these “themes” incredibly hackneyed even back then, and simply battling against the forces of nature was something I found very exciting then and still do today.
In a way, it is also a metaphor for life itself, but I will leave it up to each individual to decide how they view it.
The Room (Fireproof Games, 2012)
The Room was one of my favorite games on the iPad back then. It was then released on PC, so I immediately grabbed it and posted it as a Let’s Play on my YouTube channel.
Even though I really enjoyed playing the Professor Layton games, the puzzle genre is something I play occasionally, but not really on a regular basis. However, The Room fascinated me at the time, and I later played The Room Two (2013) as well.
Chrono Trigger (Square, 1995)
Chrono Trigger is considered by some to be the best RPG of all time, and I can certainly understand why. It combines many elements from previous RPGs and sets the standard for much of what was to follow. It also features a huge story, excellent gameplay, a relatively straightforward RPG system and a very good combat system. Unfortunately, I didn’t finish it in the stream at the time because I think I got stuck at one point.
I did stream Chrono Trigger on Twitch back then, but I was still too shy to talk, let alone show my face. I wrote a little bit in the chat from time to time, but otherwise I concentrated more on the game itself.
Metroid Zero Mission (Nintendo, 2004)
Metroid Zero Mission is one of those games that helped me through a difficult time (therapy after major back surgery). I also streamed these games on Twitch back then and, thanks to one viewer, had a lot of fun doing so.
Don’t be surprised, it starts with part three, but you can easily jump to the first part in the menu. You will also find the following game in the playlist.
Broforce (Free Lives Games, 2014)
Broforce is simply great fun, with completely exaggerated characters from the golden age of 80s and 90s action cinema. All of this is packaged in a huge pixelated chaos with lots of explosions, bizarre enemies and bosses, as well as plenty of variety in terms of levels.
The video is just a small taste; the game can do much more, and as far as I know, there are also quite a few DLCs. Don’t forget that the video is now almost 10 years old.
Disclaimer
I’m not ashamed that some videos are of extremely poor quality, at least by today’s standards. But why not just record a little progress and see, for yourself, how you’ve constantly developed? Personally, I always find it very important and good to look back and see what you’ve already achieved and how you’ve developed.
The really, really first video was from Need for Speed Carbon and shows me trying to drift with a white Dodge Charger.
Leave a Reply