Topic: Ideas to Save Steve Time

[gregor_jk]

Hey Steve,

First of all, this is my first post and I have been a listener since Christmas.  Good job on the podcasts. 

Secondly, I feel for you. Because you do such a good job on the podcasts and the website, you ultimately keep investing more and more time making it better.  The bad thing, is that you hit a tipping point where a fun podcast becomes a job.

So, here are my suggestions to save you time. 

1) Don't answer all the mail.  Yes, I realize that people love hearing there questions on the podcasts but it does take a fair bit of time for the show and the prep work before the show.
2) Maybe you need some help?  For instance, do you need to do a review each week or could a trusted friend give a review for you?  Sort of like you being a news anchor with your *Gaming Steve* correspondants in the field. 
2) Spore will eventually come out.  There's 20 to 30 min that will be saved in each podcast plus all the research that you do to prepare.
4) Maybe you don't need full blown reviews, maybe just your quick thoughts on the games you are playing at the moment.
5) I love reviews of the older games but ... do you really need it?  I love hearing your reviews about the older games and some I have even picked up but ... do you really need it?
6) Consider bi-weekly episodes rather than weekly episodes.
7) Automation...this is the one I use at work to save me time!  I don't have a clue how this could help you with your podcast but what the heck. =)

These are just a few time saving suggestion that maybe you could use.

Again, I love your podcast (yes, I realize you can love people but not podcasts), keep up the good work.

GLW

[scottsh]

I wouldn't miss the retro reviews - if its a game I played I suppose I like hearing about it because its a trip down memory lane, however if it isn't one I played, then it doesn't do much for me (except frustrate me to know I can't easily locate it or sometimes even play it now.)

I really like the news and feel Steve has to keep this - it's where he can give us insight into why things are done they way they are in the industry.

I really like the show mail - again, it gives us a chance to hear the 'why and how' of the game industry.

The reviews are OK, but there are so many review sites out there it isn't always clear why we need yet another reviewer.  So Steve, rather than trying to do one every podcast, I'd  recommend only reviewing the ones you feel need to have the story out.  I'm not dissing you in any way, but do we really need another review telling us how good a game like HL2 or Dragon Quest 8 is?  On the other hand, promoting a game like Psychonauts is all good.

[danddman]

I would say, cut the retro reviews. Yeah sure, they have some memories, but I haven't tried ONE of the games Steve has retro reviewed. I haven't even heard of some of the systems he is reviewing.

[Samog]

I think that you should all give your comments and questions to me to approve and send to Steve, because it will be so much better that way.

I AM THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN SEND MESSAGES TO STEVE FROM NOW ON, MODS PLEASE LOCK/DELETE ALL OTHER TOPICS IN THE PODCASTS AND SITE SECTIONS.

[Oviraptor]

I think that you should all give your comments and questions to me to approve and send to Steve, because it will be so much better that way.

I AM THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN SEND MESSAGES TO STEVE FROM NOW ON, MODS PLEASE LOCK/DELETE ALL OTHER TOPICS IN THE PODCASTS AND SITE SECTIONS.

Fat chance.

[Samog]

Oh man, I forgot to increase the font size and say "redundancy". It would've worked then.

[Leetard]

I posted before in the Episode 41 forum, thought id just recap in this one a bit, since it seems a bit more of a formal thread for it.

Yeah, retro reviews to me are interesting, and definately fun to listen to, but to me id rather listen to a detailed preview.

Unlike the reviews that we've heard or already read a bit on, previews and special interviews from you are always very interesting.

I like reviews a lot also.... but doing both an extensive review and preview can together be very lengthy and take much prep. Maybe alternate weekly? Review week 1, preview week 2? You already mentioned in one of your recent episodes on how content is always changing, which is why it can be tough to cover for some of those TV shows. It all depends on the industry, whats coming out and what just came out, and what youre really interested in yourself.

Whatever happens, if it stays the same or changes, im sure everyone agrees that one meaty review or preview per episode would be great.

Spore coverage again, in my opinion be cut, maybe do a monthly or bi-monthly update? Its a very intriguing game, everyone is excited, so we'd all still want to hear a little bit of a something sometimes 

News and showmail are favorites among everybody. The more news you can scrounge up, the better dude. As others have already said, your opinion and insight on the industry is why you have all of us listening now every week

Thats about it here, I like this post more than my other one in the Episode 41 thread. Thanks Steve.

[Samog]

I think SporeTalk should be skipped unless you have something to say about Spore. (e.g. if your emergency rations exist, use them!)

[beo]

don't have time for a review? do 2 (or 1) retro reviews! lots of old games that need some time in the lime light!

[tals]

Definitely could do without the Retro reviews. I enjoyed the review of the unusual games - ticket to ride being a good example (shame they don't provide a demo).

Interviews definitely have these as top of my list for providing most enjoyment - certainly if the GW one is a reflection of this.

News/Previews and of course reviews (in the form of walking through the game ala Oblivion (without spoilers ).

Tals

[LucasUP]

Something that hasnt been said yet,

No offence, but sometimes Steve, you repeat yourself, and not just inside a podcast, youll do a whole double take on something you said in  previous podcasts and spend almost the same amount of time on it as you did the other podcast. For example, the whole "Why NA games don't do well in japan" discussion, you must of spent quite a while repeating yourself three times in different podcasts, mabye you could do more of "Listen to episode #30 where I talk about this in more detail" and then go on to another subject.

You also sometimes seem to repeat yourself inside a signle podcast, saying something, then later summing it up, mabye even saying it three times in the course of a podcast,

Yes, repeating yourself, especialy inside a podcast, is a good way to get a point/message across, and I don't mind it; but if you want to save time, try to lower the amount you do it. You could actualy save yourself a chunk of time.

[LadyM]

You have to remember he does not go off a script, he has notes and is just talking. In normal conversation repeating yourself can happen. I do it all the time. Sometimes having thing repeated can be good in getting a point across. I've never noticed that he does this so it's not a problem for me.

[LucasUP]

Did you read my full post? I said basicly that exact same thing. Its not a problem for me either, Its just something that could possibly save Steve some time. I'm mostly talking about repeating discussions in multiple podcasts, which can use alot of time.

[LadyM]

Yes, I did read your whole post and I didn't think you were saying the same thing. It probably would be a time saver but I just don't think it can happen. Not everyone listens to every podcast and I doubt Steve keeps detailed lists handy of what he has said several podcast back. Part of the appeal of the show to me is that fact that he can just talk with whatever comes to mind, even if it is repeated. 

[Sander Scamper]

As a younger (teenage) avid gamer, I often feel like I missed out on a huge, some would say, golden age of gaming. Rogue and some of the other games that came out when I simply was not as aware and connected to the internet (where I get my information from)  as I am now, or indeed, games that came out before I could walk or were even born, I just simply can't have played thus don't know how groundbreaking or important these games were. Retro Reviews may not interest some listeners but for me they're just like learning about how the first cars came about or learning about how the modern world came to be what it is, and while some people think about history like "It's already happened, why bother learning about it?" I really do like the Retro Reviews, especially when you do a game that impacted on me a great deal (Sander is the name I gave to a rogue in Baldurs Gate 2, and have kept it ever since, so that held a lot of memories.