Idea: Unofficial Frictional Games Podcast

[Paddy™]

I haven't given any serious thought to this, so feel free to shoot the idea down.

Does anyone think it would be a good idea to start an unofficial Frictional Games podcast? That is, a podcast all about FG but hosted by members of the forum on a voluntary, unofficial basis?

I'm already getting ideas about occasionally having Thomas or Jens as guests, or for them to pass along little snippets of insider info, unavailable to other podcasts/magazines. I'm thinking of the topics we can discuss, like:

• Latest SOMA news (obviously), General SOMA discussion/theories/speculation
  
• Let's Play news/highlights/recommendations
  
• Speedrun glitches and progress
  
• Mapping/Custom Story discussion
  
• General Questions and Answers from the forum
  
• General discussion of past FG games, maybe talking about behind the scenes stuff, maybe having interviews with actors and writers, etc.

I reckon we'd have plenty of material to support a podcast.

In terms of recording it, I reckon a simple Skype conference call between the hosts/guests would work fine, it doesn't need to be uber-professional.

If you think it's worth considering, let's brainstorm!

[WALP]

They do one in the interstellar marines community, and they are so much smaller than us I think it would be embarrasing if we would be incabable of doing one.

[Paddy™]

I think if we decide upon a host, or group of hosts, we can figure out what equipment they may need and, assuming they're trusted members of the forum, we can have a donation drive to raise money for mics and such.

plutomaniac can have my money any time

[Ghieri]

plutomaniac can have my money any time

Pff... let's all just fuck.


I'm not really sure. I can get all the information I need from the forum, what advantage would a podcast give?

[Wapez]

Awesome idea! Definitely something I'd be listening to, if not contribute with my own opinions and/or questions. I vote yes!

[HorrorElementFilms]

I think a podcast would be awesome, and I would love to be involved. If a mic is the issue, I do have a decent microphone. It isn't SUPER quality, but it would be fine for things like a podcast.

[Gunslingerjh]

Great idea! I'd be happy to join in for sure! Mic is decent enough for a podcast!

[Paddy™]

Sweet, it seems everyone's on board with the idea!

What we need to figure out:

1. Who will be the host, and what will his/her qualities/skills need to be?
   
2. How often will the show be recorded/released?
   
3. How long should each episode last?
   
4. Which regular features should the show have?

My answers:

1. Someone who can speak English fluently & clearly, is somewhat personable and friendly and won't be a dick/make grossly inappropriate remarks. This rules me out!
   
2. I'd say once a fortnight would be a comfortable/realistic frequency.
   
3. An hour?
   
4. I have a few ideas:

• • News & updates about SOMA or any other current Frictional Games project.
    
  • Information about sales/discounts, patches, new technical support tips and tricks, etc.
    
  • Retrospectives/post-mortems about previous FG games. This could involve going over the stories, talking about the things which were cut/changed in the final version, schedule interviews with the writers, modellers, composers, actors, etc.
    
  • Custom story and Let's Play discussion. The latest CSs, the latest Let's Plays, interviews with Let's Players and CS designers, etc. Perhaps a special edition for speedrunning.
    
  • Discussion about horror game development, along the lines of Thomas' tweets and blog posts.
    
  • Q&A session, in which questions asked by forum members are answered "on air". Not sure what subjects they could cover, though.

I think the shows should be somewhat scripted, or at least heavily stage-managed. The last thing we need is some meandering, rambling shit-shooting party. We already have the Skype thread for that!

[CarnivorousJelly]

Is it going to be an audio or visual podcast?

Also, (personal opinion time) half an hour might be a bit more of a manageable time-length for the podcast. It'll cut down the amount of meandering time available and, if the subject is going really well, it can still be extended towards the hour-mark without seeming too long.

I definitely love the idea of a podcast though, it would give me something to listen to on my hour-long train ride to school in the morning :D

[Yuhaney]

I don't see point doing it. You already made threads about the subject.
If you still want to do it, then you do it.