Q&A: August 17th, 2023 (Patreon)

DiKel91 Asks
If you wanted to show someone 1-3 videos as a This Is Raycevick showcase, which one(s) would you pick so someone could get as distilled and pure and whole a picture of you(r channel) as possible?

I'm glad I've been able to avoid this scenario as long as I have.

It used to be that my cut off point for which videos I was hapy with was Mass Effect 2 Years Later onwards, but that's changed since then, now it's everything after Metro Exodus Years Later (that video I'm not a fan of).

There's exceptions before it.

King Kong, SIFP Control, Bring Back Burnout, Nightfire, etc.

Three videos that encompass my channel though, I'll pick Andromeda Years Later, Racing Games Suck, and flip a coin between Far Cry Campaigns or Jealous of Warhammer.

I think those three illustrate my balance between analysis and fun.

Jake Malone Asks
Do you think Dragon age has gone through an identity crisis? And what do you think the series could do going forward to rekindle the spirit of Origin?

I think Bioware is still going through an identity crisis. 

They got exactly what they wished for which was more mainstream games, and it hasn't worked out for them compared to when they were just "that RPG studio with good writing."

Now, in the case of Dragon Age, the three games are so different that I honestly don't see much pressure to make a new game specifically like Origins. It's not like the Halo series where there's two distinct eras of games between developers, each Dragon Age has essentially been its own reboot, and while to varying degress of quality, all received relatively well, and sold well.

The bigger problem is that I'm not sure Bioware is capable of making a Dragon Age game that truly has its own vision like Origins or Inquisition did, I'm expecting the latest game to be an incorherent mishmash of their past games and their competition, as that's what Andromeda and Anthem both were.

boxofonions Asks
how do you feel about studios making “shared universes” out of their games? alan wake/control is probably the more obvious example in recent years, but do you think more studios should be connecting their worlds/characters like this more often? or do you think these games are better off building their own self contained stories instead?

It's just like film.

Really awesome...

Until the stock-market likes it.

Absolutely a shared universe could work, and whether it's copy/pasting gameplay in different contexts, or creating entirely different gameplay within the same universe, both scenarios have the potential to be awesome.

I've said for years that I want more spin-offs and different genres of games within the same franchise. A Call of Duty style game for Cyberpunk. A Need for Speed style game for Cyberpunk. A Splinter Cell style game for Cybe-

You get the point.

In the litmus test of choosing a world with no sequels or only sequels though, the former wouldn't be as sacrificial as it normally is, because unlike other artforms which aren't interactive, games can be "new" while still very much carrying an existing gameplay loop.

Imagine if DOOM's gameplay loop had to be put into a different world each time it was done.

I'd be cool with that.

To answer your question directly, no, I don't think studios should be connnecting worlds more often, but I definitely think it's going to happen more often very soon.

GiantPurplePen15 Asks
You're in a life threatening situation and the protagonist of the last film you watched is responsible for saving your life. Who is it and how likely are you to survive?

...Fuck.

slovakian_shmack Asks
Given how long your videos are, you must record HOURS of gameplay footage to explain your thesis. However, I’m sure you can’t get exactly what you need yourself all the time whether it’s because you don’t have the game, can’t get the shot you want, etc. So my question is, do you sometimes have to borrow footage from another user’s play through? Or is all what we are seeing really 100% your captures?

I borrow footage all the time.

My personal ethics rule is if the gameplay is specific, IE, showcasing the hitboxes in Halo 1, I directly credit them on-screen. If it's just generic gameplay footage I don't, as I don't care when people use my gameplay footage either, which has happened. I do try to just use official gameplay footage whenever I can, though that's usually off limits for things like endings.

I do capture a shitload of footage though.

I'd estimate that 95% of gameplay footage is mine in most videos.

The trouble is even in those scenarios, I often also download a shitload of interviews, behind the scenes, articles, featurettes, etc, and those eat up a lot of time as well.

It's the main reason I haven't bought an Ultrawide monitor. While I could realistically get 21:9 footage myself for most things I need, virtually no "Extras" as I label, are in that aspect ratio, so it's not worth buying the monitor just to make regular 16:9 videos.

Whenever I do use borrowed footage though, it's almost under three situations...

-The game in question doesn't work on my devices
This usually happens with older games from the 90's or 00's that aren't optimized.
-The game is only on-screen for 5-10 seconds
It's not worth downloading, installing, and slogging through the opening hours just to get one combat clip of, especially if the game in question is 50+ gbs.
-Ending + Missed Cutscene + Specific Event
This usually happens with RPGs, sometimes, getting a brief sequence just can't be done conveniently, especially if the game in question has no method of save file editing or level selection.

It's not 100%, but I always try to get as close as possible.

Dario Asks
Would you ever consider doing a fan meet up?

Very unlikely.

Maybe one day when I'm less camera shy, I'll let people know if I'm going to a particular event or location to allow the possability of meeting up, but going to a place specifically to meet up with fans?

I don't think I've got that clout yet, or self-love to even ask people to meet up with me. I get enough anxiety as it is just @'ing on Discord.

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