Streaming SimCity 4

[Haljackey 17,302]

I am curious, does anyone here watch a lot of gaming steams? Twitch and Youtube Live are the largest platforms out there.

I haven't really come across any big streaming names / platforms that do SimCity 4

https://www.twitch.tv/directory/game/SimCity 4

 

As you would assume, Cities Skylines is much more popular

https://www.twitch.tv/directory/game/Cities%3A Skylines

 

How much interest would there be in doing more steaming for this game? I know some folks like @MandelSoft have done it in the past but nothing really long lasting. (https://www.twitch.tv/mandelsoft/videos/all)

 

I was told recently that I should just pretty much stream SC4 any time I play it. While I think that's kinda excessive / low quality content maybe there is a demand for it? I dunno, thus why I started this thread.

 

[matias93 7,535]

Sounds fun, but I have almost no understanding of spoken English, and only seeing the screen is a lot less than the full experience. I guess most active users could be interested, though...

[CorinaMarie 29,605]

I don't personally watch peeps while they play a game, but I can imagine some would love to peek in while you do what you do. Most especially if you are explaining your techniques for creating your cities. Also, you could add a poll to this thread if you want.

[T Wrecks 10,209]

I don't watch live streams at all, but I do enjoy the occasional Let's Play video on YouTube. Of course, there's content that's less suited for LPs - such as when you watch a person fiddling with the controls or traveling from A to B without anything actually happening. Other videos are boring because the creator just clicks around aimlessly and does some stuff, but you never see any rhythm or rhyme to it.

However, a well-structured SC4 video where you explain what you're going to build and show the building process as well as the result might actually work. I must confess, however, that I'll not be part of the audience (A) because I lack the time, and (B) because I'd much rather play/mod myself than watch others. I often enjoy watching LPs either of games that I can't play due to my potato computer although I'd like to, or of those that I used to play badly and incompletely many years ago, but remember fondly...

[twalsh102 1,601]

Personally, I have to second @T Wrecks' post. 

I might be wrong, but I think you would have a very limited, dedicated audience base for streaming SC4.  I think it would be limited to those who are looking for tutorials of how to do specific things, and those who would like to learn your particular city-building philosophies.  In both cases, the streaming would be more successful/interesting if a well-scripted voice-over of exactly what you're doing is included.  Maybe streaming a U-Drive-It tour of one of your cities, or one of the U-Drive-It missions would generate further interest.

Otherwise, most random non-SC4 players coming across a stream of someone "playing" SC4 are going to last about 5 seconds before they decide it's as boring as an accelerated close-up video of weeds growing in the front yard.  Mostly, there just wouldn't be enough "action" to keep most people interested.  Just think what the audience would be for SC4 being played on one of the many video game championships showing up on TV (Who can be fastest to build a city with a population of 1 million without using any cheats!) (yeh, I know it's not quite the same).

[Beren Erchamion 12]

A lot of us are interested in SC4 less as a game and more as an artistic medium.  Which is great for doing, but a stream would feel like watching Bob Ross.

[matias93 7,535]

Well, Bob Ross HAS an audience, mind you

...

Now I want Hal making a Bob Ross-styled streaming:

The Joy of Highway Building

[Haljackey 17,302]

6 hours ago, CorinaMarie said:

I don't personally watch peeps while they play a game, but I can imagine some would love to peek in while you do what you do. Most especially if you are explaining your techniques for creating your cities. Also, you could add a poll to this thread if you want.

I thought about adding a poll but decided against it.

I also submitted this to the SimCity 4 subreddit and it seems to be  somewhat popular there:

 

 

Also for the record: Bob Ross is awesome. They actually streamed the whole Joy of Painting series and the chat was always nuts.

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2015/11/twitchs-bob-ross-marathon-is-the-most-beautiful-thing-the-internet-has-ever-created/

 

 

[Propfam 2,288]

I want to stream my SC4* to YouTube but my 1 Mb (megabit) internet doesn't allow it. So, I need to bring my laptop/flash drive (no, not an external SSD) to my friends. Also, my computer (2nd-gen i5 without dedicated GPU) is powerful enough only to edit the first videos. As time goes, my video may going complex so I need a new laptop/desktop. Helps are welcome below.

Thanks.

*I want stream C:S too. But, with lowest setting, the game may not run flawless. I will need performance mods, which in my knowledge isn't updated to the latest DLC & updates.

[Duco 546]

Streaming isn't all about the game I think.

I like to watch videos, just as I watched Bob Ross in the 80's

It can be very relaxing, but a lot depends on the voice of the person, the movement of the camera and all kind of things I'm not aware off.

 

 

[TekindusT 3,809]

I confess I'm quite old already, part of that generation that preferred playing videogames rather than watching others doing so. A bit on the T Wrecks camp here. That being said:

I follow a few C:S authors, namely: Infrastructurist and the FBS International Airport team (Fluxtrance, bsquiklehausen and Strictoaster) and I have the feeling I know why. These guys are crazy about the tiniest detail and they give clear arguments and reasons why these details are needed and used. The three FBS players have conversations in the videos about the adequateness or not of making that decision, and that's what's intersting to the viewer. That is, in my opinion, what makes it fun, to see how other players think and reason and have ideas that would have never crossed my mind. Also, these are not pure livestreams, but edited videos, showing the most interesting parts. Most of the work goes behind the scenes, as it does for any of us city-simulation players.

The other side would be a SC4 stream, in which 4 minutes are spent just scrolling down the Landmarks menu just to find that specific ploppable BAT you need for that specific application meanwhile the player goes like "eeerrrmmm... it must be somewhere here... in between the HK container port building and that obscure BAT I downloaded once from that Japanese site which is down already". SC4 is in my very own opinion, not very inviting for me to watch how another person plays, part of that would be navigating these huge menus (which also can be partly solved), but have in mind things like regional gameplay. You have to go jumping from city to city in your region to make everything grow realistically, this means what... 5 minutes load time? I won't stick around for long in the livestream if there is no action for 5 minutes...

Just my 2 cents; if you want to pursue your endeavor, I'll be the first to wish you luck and to check it out

[T Wrecks 10,209]

3 hours ago, TekindusT said:

The other side would be a SC4 stream, in which 4 minutes are spent just scrolling down the Landmarks menu just to find that specific ploppable BAT you need for that specific application meanwhile the player goes like "eeerrrmmm... it must be somewhere here... in between the HK container port building and that obscure BAT I downloaded once from that Japanese site which is down already". SC4 is in my very own opinion, not very inviting for me to watch how another person plays, part of that would be navigating these huge menus (which also can be partly solved), but have in mind things like regional gameplay. You have to go jumping from city to city in your region to make everything grow realistically, this means what... 5 minutes load time? I won't stick around for long in the livestream if there is no action for 5 minutes...

Good point IMO. This is why I generally prefer LPs over live streams: you can cut out the junk. Of course, hunting for stuff in the menus would be part of the game experience, and you can't make a cut whenever you set out to plop a building. Therefore, a streamer would have to be very focused and organised. Switching between city tiles and loading the game, however, would still be a problem and could only be done off screen in a conventional LP.

On a side note, I guess the chat aspect of streams doesn't appeal to me because, personally, I hate chatting with a passion.

[Haljackey 17,302]

3 hours ago, T Wrecks said:

I guess the chat aspect of streams doesn't appeal to me because, personally, I hate chatting with a passion.

See, to me the chat is what makes the live stream, either via text or a skype call. If you can't engage with viewers in real time then you may as well make a let's play where you can cut out all the junk, like the loading times between cities.

[T Wrecks 10,209]

Of course the chat and the interaction is what makes the live stream live, I fully agree. I only meant that it's not what would attract me to a live stream because I don't care about the chat at all personally. And - I agree again - if you aren't into chatting and interaction, you might as well make or watch a regular LP.

[dubldrop 43]

As a twitch streamer myself I can give you a little bit of insight Hal. 

 

Personally I follow SC4 On twitch kinda just to see if someone who plays with a similar play style is playing. I get a lot of inspiration from checking out others work, and in your case in particular, from your amazing work with the RHW.

Now to answer your question. I think SC4 is one of those games that on twitch you wouldn't get viewers based on the gameplay. For the reasons stated above, SC4 is for a lot of people a sandbox game, one that's at the gamers pace, and you are thus unlikely to get viewers looking for in depth gameplay.

That being said, That doesn't mean it wouldn't be successful. Its not the only game out there that is like it. Your main viewership would rather come from your entertainment value and live interaction as opposed to your gameplay. Your ability to make it successful would be how you interact with your viewers, and the topics you discuss with them unrelated to the gameplay. If you provide the viewers with entertainment while enjoying SC4 it could very much work. 

 

TL:DR you will get more viewers come to watch YOU the streamer than the GAME you are playing. If you are okay and interested in that, then you can count me in as one of said viewers

[Jackspital 391]

Honestly, I usually enjoy chilled streams and game playthroughs. For me, this seems very interesting and I would be onboard with it, to have something to listen or watch with some downtime. SC4 streams would for me, and probably others help give inspiration for new styles of play, and new things to build, but it comes down to what everyone wants as a whole, and whether it's viable for Haljacky to do overall. ( But im guessing that live streaming SC4 would be what Haljacky wants to do, seeing as this post exists )

 

[eaglesong 108]

I've added your twitch stream to my list of followed, I will certainly watch if you decide to stream. I enjoy watching streams while I'm playing. The game I watch kind of depends on what I'm playing myself at the time. I've enjoyed your style of chat on youtube. I think that's where you would attract people. That being said, I think it would also take time for your stream to develop, I have no idea as to what the scope of your audience would be. You should probably define in your own mind what a successful stream would be to you.

[c4bl3fl4m3 405]

I've just recently started streaming (my other favorite video game love, EarthBound/Mother 2) and I've been considering streaming SC4. (One of the problems is... most of my cities have my real name as mayor and I don't want to accidentally broadcast that on the internet (and I don't trust I won't forget and show my whole region.))

Personally, I think if someone wants to stream something, they should stream it. It's a form of artistic creation, and more is always better. So you should stream. (Besides, if enough of us start streaming, maybe we can get a renaissance!)

[Edvarz 1,984]

I definitely support more people joining our little community!

You can actually change yor Mayor name. Use Ctrl+X  to open the cheatbox and type "hellomynameis" followed by you new alias

[c4bl3fl4m3 405]

9 minutes ago, Edvarz said:

You can actually change yor Mayor name

Yeah, I know, but when Timbuktu is almost completely filled and I'd have to change the name on each one, that's like 40 cities to do individually.

[infamousjbe 592]

I'm a huge Twitch stream watcher and occasionally stream my game play. I stream graffiti art M-F on YT. Don't even turn on the TV very often because I'd rather watch streamers. 

I've had my eye open for any SC4 streamers on Twitch and there are not many, and the few that do are playing anilla games and ultra gridding. Noob style of play. Any of us that's been playing SC4 for a long time and with MODs will have a hard time watching vanilla game play. As others have stated, it'll come down to the streamers ability to make the content viewage retainable. 

I'm already a follower on YT but was unaware of your Twitch. Will make sure to drop a follow there as well. As a fan of SC4 for a very long time, you could count me in on watching the stream. You have incredible transportation highways that I wouldn't mind watching/learning. 

Any other streamers amungst our community?? If so, post or send the link so I can support. And for anyone interested, I also stream and feel free to drop me a follow on YouTube or Twitch. You can. find me @InfamousJBe on both platforms, though I do most of my content on YT currently. Will be making the switch to Twitch simply due to music guidelines on YT being too strict. Music is important to me and my stream gets shut down on YT... so lame.

ps. I also second that you stream because you want to stream, people will find you.

[Edvarz 1,984]

38 minutes ago, c4bl3fl4m3 said:

Yeah, I know, but when Timbuktu is almost completely filled and I'd have to change the name on each one, that's like 40 cities to do individually.

Well, yes, indeed it sounds daunting. But I hope you don't get discouraged by it. It would be nice to see more SC4 content on other platforms.

25 minutes ago, infamousjbe said:

I've had my eye open for any SC4 streamers on Twitch and there are not many, and the few that do are playing anilla games and ultra gridding. Noob style of play. Any of us that's been playing SC4 for a long time and with MODs will have a hard time watching vanilla game play. As others have stated, it'll come down to the streamers ability to make the content viewage retainable. 

Yes! That is also an issue with many SC4 youtube videos Honestly, @Haljackey's are the only ones I watch, and as far as I knew he's the only one uploading new ones (I could do with some recommendations, if you have some). I also watch a lot of Cities Skylines videos since I can't play that game myself and it seems they are quite succesful.

It would actually be very nice to have NAM related streams, like, say a masterclass for building a highway, tram or rail system; or maybe custom content showcases. Anything to interest more people in our community

[Haljackey 17,302]

I'm still a n00b when it comes to streaming.

Does anyone happen to know the best and/or easiest program to use to stream SimCity 4 on Twitch?

Even recording my SC4 videos locally drops my frame rate to 10FPS or less, and my computer specs far, far exceed the requirements for this 2003 game.

[c4bl3fl4m3 405]

You say you want more SC4 content, and then you say that if you're streaming vanilla or ultra gridding, you're a noob. If you want people to stream, maybe don't judge the way they play? I mean, frankly, saying things like that make me afraid to stream, thinking you'll hate on the way I play. (I do stick with a grid, for the most part.)

[Edvarz 1,984]

I don't think there was any mean intention behind that comment. Everyone has their own playstyle and if there's something true about SC4 it's that there is no "one true" way of playing it. It's a never-ending exercise of creativity.

I too use grids in my cities for the most part, and have found that unless you have a lot of diagonal buildings, orthogonal grids yield the best looking outcome. But that's just me ofc.

 

[xxdita 1,097]

I see streaming or YouTube videos as the logical evolution of Mayor Diaries. And I think that there should be a point to any of it, even if that point is to document your gameplay. It's always fun to see how others play, what content they use, and how they put it all together. 

But I think that just like Mayor Diaries (or City Journals as they're called here, I guess), the best videos and streams will be the ones that provide the most entertaining stories or teach us how to use specific content in ways we haven't thought of. 

@Haljackey, I do watch your videos on Youtube and I enjoy watching what you do with your highways. I've never gotten into livestreaming on other sites though, for anything. I'd prefer to watch on my own schedule. 

[infamousjbe 592]

9 hours ago, c4bl3fl4m3 said:

You say you want more SC4 content, and then you say that if you're streaming vanilla or ultra gridding, you're a noob. If you want people to stream, maybe don't judge the way they play? I mean, frankly, saying things like that make me afraid to stream, thinking you'll hate on the way I play. (I do stick with a grid, for the most part.)

I certainly meant no maliciousness with Noob comment. I'm an old guy that plays with a ton of mods it's hard for me to watch vanilla. The Noobness is also from the streamers playing it for the first time and don't actually know what they are doing yet. If that doesn't describe a noob then maybe I'm out of touch. 

And pls don't let my words EVER discourage you from doing something you're interested in. I'm an advocate and live by the mantra #beinspired. If you ever needed any advice or help in anyway I can, pls feel free to reach out. I'm a friendly and chatty person. 👍

7 hours ago, Edvarz said:

I don't think there was any mean intention behind that comment. Everyone has their own playstyle and if there's something true about SC4 it's that there is no "one true" way of playing it. It's a never-ending exercise of creativity.

I too use grids in my cities for the most part, and have found that unless you have a lot of diagonal buildings, orthogonal grids yield the best looking outcome. But that's just me ofc.

 

Thank you for seeing that I didn't mean any negative judgement with my comments. I was also in a hurry when i wrote mine so it wasn't worded as well as it could've been. 👍

 

Ps. I was actually already a follower on Twitch when I wrote this. Derp.. @Haljackey

  Edited February 22, 2020 by infamousjbe  
Add ps.

[xxdita 1,097]

Sometimes it's hard for me to watch videos without wanting to push the player out of the way so I can fix stuff. Not even in the actual design of the cities, just the freakin Plugins. 

Come on people, DataNode! DatPack! 

[xxdita 1,097]

Actually, I've been watching some videos on Cities Skylines with a guy fixing stuff (mostly traffic) in other people's cities. And I think a channel like that for SC4 would be so much fun. Harder to pull off, really, since we don't have the Steam workshop to load all the mods & assets used in a saved region for us. But there's always a way. 

[CorinaMarie 29,605]

@rhyThmaTik

I noticed you'd posted a video here and so I'm beeping you because you might wish to jump into this discussion. (Scroll up to the top to get the gist of the convo.)