The Battle Plan - 10 August 2021 (Patreon)

Hey there, my erratic second voice, how's it going?

Oh you know, it's going.

Actually, I'm not so sure it is. Do you have a plan... like at all? You're all over the place right now and violating one of the key pieces of advice offered by pretty much every cut-n-paste YouTube Success Hacking wizard out there.

Huh?

You're being inconsistent. Explain yourself.

Yeah, so I had two "get in there early" opportunities land at the same time, and I rather like both games. But I know that the ole viewcount will drop off pretty swiftly...

[voice two goes to check the viewcounts, points]

See?

Hmm. Yes, I see.

Both those episode ones have done nicely, but then it's following the very same attenuation pattern I observed when working on something with a particularly complex DLC catalogue. No, not that one. No, not that one either. Yes, that one.

We all know the pattern, cowboy.

*We* do, but *they* might not. It goes like this - week 1 sales are the 100% mark. That's your high water mark right there. Week 2 sales will have dropped to 35%, week 3 drops to 20%, by week 6 you're rocking at 3-6% which is where it sits unless there's a sale or some such. In a YouTube sense we apply this to episodes - part 1 is the 100% mark, part 2 is around 35% (give yourself a +/- 10% variance here - the more people dig part 1, the better part 2 will be) and so on. The curve applies to videos.

So what you're saying is...

...the higher part 1 goes, the better subsequent parts are likely to be. You won't get another part one. Not without clever abuse of people's expectations.

Do we do that here?

From time to time, yes.

And it works.

Yes. You see, the problem with your let's play endeavours is that they intrinsically link together. If any episode leaves the viewer in a state of less than wanting more, they leave. Part 17 doesn't attract new people. No. That ship has sailed by part 2. Certainly, if part 1 is some kind of blockbuster fandango and part 2 is like 50%+, then you are IN BUSINESS but even then you're just losing people over time. There are long tail views, which are nice, but fundamentally if part 1 is a bust so will everything else be.

So, these two games. A bust?

Not at all, they were pretty good. But I'd have been better off doing a one and done in both cases. I don't really like one and dones. I like telling stories.

The regulars like that too.

They do.

So, what's your point?

I don't have one.

And they all lived happily ever after.

Let's talk battle plan, even though there's going to be some vaguery in it.

• Tue: City of Gangsters
• Wed: City of Gangsters and Minecraft
• Thu: Car Mechanic Simulator
• Fri: City of Gangsters
• Sat: Bannerlord, the live stream. Gangsters maybe
• Sun: Baseball, Gangsters maybe

I've missed 2 weeks of backers videos. I'm going to make that up to people starting either Wednesday or Thursday. I've had a lot on in the real world which has interfered with my normal production schedule. Nothing bad, just busy.

Next week I'm going to bring on a Transport Fever Japan. Beyond that, I don't know.

Also, the Red Line is soon. Really soon. I'm hanging the last baubles on that tree and am about to see if the fairy lights work.

I CAN BE CRYPTIC IF I WANT TO.

-CF