The Future (part 1 of an uncertain number) (Patreon)

Well now, change is coming friends and it's making me a little apprehensive. 

As of the end of November I will no longer be employed full time with my existing 40 hour/week contract coming to an end. I have a few part-time consulting gigs lined up and they pay quite nicely, but they are far from providing the kind of continuing income a growing boy needs. 

Article 13 is also cause for concern. The brief snapshot, for those of you out of that particular loop is that, if the worst-case scenario plays out, content sharing on any platform will become hellishly difficult in the EU. The UK's endlessly facepalmworthy Brexit machinations aside, this would directly affect my viewers in the EU, and as a result my numbers will take a big hit. That is if the worst case happens, and while possible, many fingers are being crossed that it won't. I've written to all my MEPs... yup, that's the level to which I'm taking it seriously.

Let's leave that to one side.

The transition at the start of December will also mean that I have a lot more time on my hands. I'd throw a large party if it weren't for the financial uncertainty (relax - I'm not about to become destitute, but it may mean moving house again). This time will be wholly invested in propelling my own projects forward, because I'm angling to build a job where I entirely control my continued employment.

This brings us to the schedule, which will be changing for the better.

Monday: Transport FeverTuesday: B SeriesWednesday: One-offsThursday: B SeriesFriday: Transport FeverSaturday: SimulatorSunday: Electrosports

I'm setting this schedule into stone as we speak. Here's the rationale.

Based off the ongoing survey I should focus on City Builders, Trains and Management games. The results aren't quite ready for public consumption yet because I've not yet linked to the survey from a Transport Fever or Train Sim video, which means I've not had the vote from the trains-only audience. The good news is that I've had 500 responses so far which is extraordinary - I do a lot of surveying as part of my professional life, and this response rate is fantastic.

The B-series will be a long running series, perhaps as long as Transport Fever. I've not yet decided which game this will be, but it will tick one of the primary 3 genre boxes (hopefully more than one). Colonel School folks will learn the methodology used for this in the upcoming video. I may reconsider this approach, but I'm looking at long-term growth prospects and right now I'm doing it wrong. Baffling, I know, but true. If nothing else the B series will be substantial - 20 parts or more - before any change of game.

The Saturday Simulator Show (a title I won't be using) will alternate between trains and other sims, including farming, bus driving, flight... Always vehicular in nature. Thief Sim would sit into the Wednesday "one-offs" slot. Which might end up being 1-3 episodes depending on the game. Regardless of the number of parts, they'll all be released on one day. My schedule gets very messy any time I have more than a game or two on the go.

This leaves Electrosports on a Sunday. Yup, I won't let it die despite it never really picking up good numbers. The reason for this is that without fail, Electrosports whether Motorsport or Baseball, even Wrestling, has found fans with those who most enjoy the bleaker side of my sense of humour. This is especially true when there are ongoing digital personalities with whom I become irate. I've an inkling that the Electrosports line will be the one around which a cult of fandom forms: viewers who kinda like sports but not to any great degreee, but do like the soap-opera aspect of the series. Plus, I love my sports games.

The final piece of this puzzle is streaming. I want to do a weekly stream, at least half of which is dedicated to Bad Company multiplayer in some fashion, but I need to negotiate a time to do this with herself as I want to be consistent. The challenge here is that Saturday is the best evening to do this in order for international viewers to be able to join in the fun, but that's also the least convenient time we have for family reasons. As a wise man frequently says, "knickers."

More to come on this subject, but you are now up to date.

-CF