Sorry for the long wait, and even sorrier for interrupting the wait with a video that's not an actual Guide, Review or Playthrough. I had to clarify some things before moving onto my next projects. But during this video's rendering process, I slightly reconsidered some of my plans. The original plan was to do Secret Project > Bannerlord Review > Bandit's Ballads, but after careful consideration, I'll switch things around like this: Bannerlord 1.9 Streams (preparing footage and my thoughts for the review) > Bannerlord Review (hopefully finished no later than 30th of October) > Secret Project (2-4 weeks of editing) > Quick Bannerlord Build Guide (1-2 weeks of editing) > Bandit's Ballads episodes 12, 13, 14, +++++ until it's finished or Balon loses his life in his reckless pursuit of power. Not all of you may be thrilled to hear this, but I kind of need to do things this way in order to alleviate the damage done by the Tax-Collection-Office, because 50% of my pathetic income goes to pay taxes, but I can drag that percentage down and even get deductions if I increase my earnings. I won't ask for financial support, all I ask for is your understanding as I attempt to improve my financial situation. :)
I think you should focus on guides, I mean I like the series but is much better your guides and all the series you do be on live streams and just do guides. And you should focus do guides on cyberpunk to get more views.
I would've gotten a whole of a lot more if I focused on making guides for all aspects of the game, as I was originally planning. I kind of regret not doing that, and instead invested 1.5 years into making Trader Stories and the Ballads, BUT.. these playthroughs did give me some experience with the game and will undoubtedly shape my upcoming review into one of the best videos I'll ever produce.
Well, the script is 99% finished. That last 1% is cutting some of the excess fat on it, trying to get it shorter than 50 minutes. But thanks for the offer! :)
Hal your channel is an absolute gem and I love your content!! A lot of your viewers genuinely love your work. Look after you first- and know we have your back!
@@Halcylion hahaha no I was genuinely petrified of spiders and hated them up until about 3 years ago. I decided to study them to try to overcome my phobia.... The more I learned the more fascinated I became!! Spider lovers are weird af haha
I can tell you what I personally like from the channel and that is the long form challenges like the raider playthrough. It could work for many games though just make it hard on yourself and it becomes a joy to watch you persevere. But honestly make whatever content excites you man the only thing that matters is that you are good at making gaming UA-cam videos. Don't worry too much about what your viewers want to see and just make what you want. Also that first raider video did well in part to the great thumbnail so take that into account (its why I clicked on it)
Thanks for the feedback! I honestly enjoy making all of my videos, but I think I'll reserve my heavy editing for Guides, Reviews and other Single-piece-content. When it comes to playthroughs, I'll go easy on the memes, transitions and other complex tasks, so I can upload more than once per month. It probably won't help the content spread, but at least it'll allow me to move onto other projects more rapidly. :)
Love your videos man, keep it up. If you've got a thousand fans, I'm one of them. If you've got one fan, I'm him. If you've got no fans, I have died. If it's you against the world, we'll be standing back to back, brother. Love you, no homo.
I will never forget about the bandits ballads its probably one of the best mount and blade bannerlord series in youtube its a shame that youtube is being dum and doesnt give the love it deserves!!!!
If BB won't make youtube happy, maybe my other videos will. Either way, I won't abandon the series, but I have to take a short break from it and pursue other projects.
@@Halcylion hey man! it’s me the guy, who got dumped by his gf a few months prior, and wrorte a comment about how your youtube videos kept me temporarily happy. Everything ok now, i have a new gf still bb rocks.
As a new subscriber, I only started getting your videos recommended after I started doing some research on Google for Bannerlord. I don't watch a lot of guides and tutorials because I enjoy the challenges of figuring it out myself. Your content is awesome because you're creating characters and stories for us to immerse ourselves in. I would prefer to watch that than a guide on how to build the most profitable workshops. Plus, the effort you put in to making these episodes is nothing short of amazing. To me, the amount of time you take to make an episode is nothing compared to the quality of the end result. If it wasn't for youtube's stupid algorithms, I would say to just focus on creating awesome stories. I would gladly wait a month for an episode. I hope you will continue to make more stories.
Hal, your videos are amazing. Eiting, script and jokes are so on point! I really hope you'll figure out how to catch with algorithm. Your content keeps me going, it's truly inspiring ^^
We love you bud, I still follow all Bannerlord videos because your way of doing videos is so unique and that carries a lot of weight for me. Your accent is so great for narrating
This is great introspection into the channel, Hal. I understand the challenge of striking the balance of job and hobby. I checked out your competitors, and the biggest difference by far is upload frequency. The guys who are getting 100k+ views are putting out videos every 4-5 days. It actually compounds on itself because they get more views with more videos up. Something is jamming your logistics. You may be overvaluing editing and scripting. I think for a guide that type of work is much more valuable than a long format series. Most people just want something consistent to be part of their life and schedule. Working on the niche guides at your own pace, while maintaining a steady stream of long format content is probably healthier for the channel and yourself.
I've been planning to run things like you've suggested for a while now, and other people have made the same suggestion. As soon as I set some things up and get those 2 reviews finished, I'll get back on the Ballads and use a "time & effort budget"... I'll limit the scripting to 8 paragraphs MAX, and the editing to 50-60 hours. If I budget my time correctly, I should be able to upload on a weekly basis.
I love your channel. I watched all your older bannerlord videos at least 2 times now, including the trader series, and get excited everytime I see a new episode of bandits balldads pop up in my sub box. I have to say though that yes... new eposodes of that series dont get recommended on the start page every time, even to me who has watched every single episode. I just love your content and especially the way you present it, be it a series or anything else. So do what you think is right... I'll enjoy the videos whether it is a series or single videos, be it bannerlord or other games.
I don't mind you asking for likes, personally. Sometimes clicking the like button simply does not cross my mind, so because not liking is not a conscious decision, it gives me no trouble whatsoever to be asked to do it. I check in somewhat regularly even without any suggestions from UA-cam. The UA-cam algorithm is far from unbiased though, as you have seen so much evidence of already, but it may be black box AI technology, meaning no one knows exactly how it works and it seemingly does whatever it likes, to absolve the makers of responsibility when it does something offensive or stupid. I have no doubt that the algorithm learned its stubborn favoritism from the people running UA-cam. Also, and I feel this is the most important thing I have to say to you, if I may share some experience from over a decade of watching UA-cam, long form series on this platform have always had a tendency to diminish in views with each successive upload. Even if only as a side thing, doing one-off videos on a variety of different games may help your numbers considerably, and they don't even have to be the latest most popular ones either. I am not certain but I believe you should be able to pick whatever you want and still benefit, but novelty is the key here. It might help break any monotony you may be experiencing in your work, if it helps to see it that way. Hope I helped, and I am glad to be among the Halcylion gang!
Really like your quality content and style (and games you play). Just sad to hear about the BS system on YT. At the end do what you must to survive and have a good time. Will keep on supporting your vids. Good luck
This is extremely interesting to watch especially for me and other "playmen" tubers. Probably. Don't know if this ever crossed your mind but here is a tip. You could livestream when you are editing the videos for a behind the scenes look. People who want to learn something about editing might learn something AND your getting exposure or err PREexposure for the upcoming video. And hey Mr Al Gorerythm probably likes it. Anyways keep on keeping on love your stuff.
You are probably one of the most respectable youtubers I have ever watched, 90% of people would've given up of Bandits Ballads after episode 5, and yet you made a promise and keep chugging along. I sincerely wish you the best in anything that happens and I'm sure that your other 42,000 subscribers do it.
This is truly one of my favourite channels on UA-cam. I almost never comment on videos but always drop one on your videos in hopes that it saves you from the algorithm. I hope to see your channel grow more in the future!
Vaas is cool I agree and get it if you need a break or something along the lines of that, all in all I really don't mind what videos are made as long you deem you are in a comfortable state, channel and personal wise, I wish the best and will be keeping up with the channel man. 🤠👍
@@Halcylion got hooked on you with the Denrs Bannerlord Tutorial and since i own KCD i watched them too so those were my first vids from you, so your theory is probably right, no matter i enjoyed the BB anyway
I absolutely love Bandits ballads and stuff like it but if you put up something in between those uploads to get the algorithm working for you it's not like we'd stop watching.
@@Halcylion that's what I mean, I'd wait longer for an episode for you to work on other stuff. You've gotta eat and you've got goals you want to hit, I'm just grateful for the episodes you give us.
And i thought UA-cam exiled you on a Greek island in the Aegean Sea... missing in action , banished , prison colony , or got a new job as a professional beach bum.. what ever happened , just get back to making videos ....... 😉
I'd expect a resurgence in bannerlord views later in the month Providing the devs don't fuck the console port. And please don't make the conan video too entertaining, I don't want to install it ever again. Your bannerlord stuff makes me do this lol Regardless, I hope everything works out, I look forward to your future content
Just like all the other comments say, your channel is absolutely fantastic. I can't say any more about how good your channel is than anyone else, but on the topic of streaming - it may be a good idea. I can't boast an exceptional knowledge of UA-cam (really any knowledge on UA-cam at all), but if streaming helps your channel grow and/or put food on the table it could be worth a try. You mentioned needing to make a script, and I really don't have any preference as to if you stream or make videos (as long as you make soooommmmee videos), but if you can stream well it may help appease the algorithm and take some stress off your shoulders. Just do what you gotta do man, we'll support you with whatever.
Hal you should start clickbaiting bandits ballads lol, i'm sure the rest of the community won't mind if it means you get more views. love your content man, if i didn't i wouldn't be watching you talk about your channel for 17 minutes haha. keep making videos, regardless of the content
I think i've heard you explain the optimal method for robbing a caravan so much that I might accidentally use it when robbing one in real life; if my local robbery crew goes to jail because of your videos you might make the news.
Just in case you forget: you first have to sell them your loot, (to take their money,) then you have to attack them in a systematic way that first eliminates their cavalry after which you charge everyone into their archers. Make sure you leave at least 1 survivor, so that you can rob him afterwards. Godspeed!
I do think Bannerlord will catch a second wind with the console release. You put so much effort into these videos that they take so long to make and the algorithm punishes you for the infrequent uploads. Like the cyberpunk video mentioned , these high effort bannerlord will get more views later once more players pick up the game.
My guides and upcoming review for Bannerlord are surely going to rake in a lot of views, but my playthroughs have no chance of amounting to anything. At the very least, they were experiences that will improve my future content. :)
I think most people who see any of your videos, subscribe right away and jump on any new video you post. I sure am. I hope you find a good solution and can keep creating for everyone to enjoy. And on a side note, this is the first channel update video i have ever seen that i found enjoyable in its own right.
I can only speak as a consumer as my own success on the platform is just a hobby but I can at least say what I enjoy the most about your channel. My favorite episodes are your edited playthroughs, Bannerlord for me is a lot like Totalwar in that I love playing it but it can be a struggle to watch. However with your work do to the heavy editing and scripting I find myself actually wanting to watch as you cut out the slow moments or describe them in an entertaining manner, yet even I have to admit after maybe 5 episodes I started to feel my enjoyment waver, it never went away but I did stop looking forward to it and it was more of a happy surprise when the next installment came out. I don't know if this would be asking for you to work harder and longer and that will be up to you on the effort I won't ask you to put 60 hours into a video, but I think shorter more condensed playthroughs at 3-5 episodes would be great. I am still sitting on the edge of my seat for that necromancer playthrough and I can slit ball a few other ideas such as a mercenary playthrough, cult leader, displaced prince, and a few others. But at the end of the day so long as it has your stamp of approval I'll look forward to whatever content you make, be safe man.
Hey Hal, I know the feeling. This isn't my account for it (I intentionally separate work and play on this platform), but it also takes a lot of time for me to make videos, and as a result... two years in, 100 subscribers, and I struggle with so much as monthly uploads. Granted, this isn't my full-time job, and that's what takes my effort instead because... lights don't shine on hopes and dreams. Keep up the awesome work, thanks for being transparent, and I'm a huge fan of Bandit's Ballads. You can count me as one of the views every time you put it out. ...side note, I watched the Trader playthrough twice, end to end, it was that good.
Hey Halcylion! I'm a new subscriber, but I always liked watching your videos that popped up on the ol' feed. I honestly don't subscribe to many youtubers, but I really love your humor, and video style! Since this video is sort of a discussion as to how you produce content, If I may be so presumptuous as to offer a suggestion, I'd maybe recommend you go check out SplatterCat's content. He's a pretty big youtuber (not in the millions, but bigger), and from some of the stuff you've said in this video, you might get something out of checking out his content style! Maybe some inspiration, or something. Anyways, good luck with your channel. I'm here for the long haul now 👍
Interesting look into the world of an aspiring youtuber. Refreshing transparency! One vid a month is out of the question, very very few channels can make things work that way. But daily uploads are also not required. From what I've seen through tons of YT usage over the last couple of years, the sweet spot for channels like yours is like 2-3 vids a week. 1 vid as the absolute minimum and it would have to be an absolute banger view wise.
Amazing! I have been playing conan exiles for the first time recently, awesome to see it coming up. Thanks for bandits ballads, looking forward to where the channel goes afterwards
I always love your content. Especially the long form campaigns. It's where your talent truly shine. It's just so unfortunate the the algorithm is skewed in a direction away from that.
Perhaps ask people to press the bell button. In that case YT should send notifications to your subs whenever you upload a new episode. Your content is more than worth it. I only recently did it, only because I simply didn't think about doing it before... If I had, I would have.
I'll be here for whatever content you make man. I have not played a single minute of Bannerlord nor do I own the game. It's obvious you are a perfectionist and personally I don't mind waiting for new content. I look forward to seeing new content, even if you must change up your process. Good luck! I hope it all works out for you.
maybe do mass releases, your first bandit ballads has 200k views now, but falls off heavily later. if you release it all at once, you can put it in a playlist and it'll be more likely to be binge watched. i didn't even know you released two more episodes. i saw strat gaming recommendations then remembered you and wondered if you released any bandit ballads yet.
I've been watching your channel for a long time now and the fact that you posted this video just to explain things and keep everyone updated. Thank you. I cannot think of hardly any other channels or streamers that take the time to produce content or educate the way your channel does. Thank you again Halcylion
I would say I’m a majority when I say we aren’t just here for Bannerlord gameplay. You’re a great script writer and your style would translate well to many games. Keep it up and feel free to explore.
hal, we all love you lmao. i would wait for years for the next episode of bandits ballads if there is a chance of it coming at all. take your time and do what you enjoy
My advice, focus you content on your self. The rockbottom video was great because of you, if you change it to be a series is not about you, is about the game.
This one never showed up on my feed but I was curious if you had been posting since the release so I checked. Hit me up on discord if you ever want to chat. I've got a few things I've figured out over my short UA-cam career and I'm happy to bounce ideas back and forth with you sometime. Otherwise, best of luck on your channel and keep up the fight my man!
Fair enough.. the gameplay can be a bit repetitive at times. But there's a lot little variations in each encounter which come with their own set of challenges, and I like taking the time to show how Balon overcomes those challenges. I do try my best to make the commentary interesting and crack jokes at every possible opportunity, but apparently that doesn't work for everyone. :(
Thanks for the update. I'm on the threshold of attempting a 'narrated-after-the-fact playthrough' as opposed to a 'Let's Play' series, that also reveals all the little hidden things about the game in question, and frankly this video is immensely helpful as to tempering my expectations. I wish you all the best and just so you know - you can apply a script in many creative ways to gameplay footage. In the end to be profitable here, it's all about what you can make yourself comfortable doing and somehow syncing up with UA-cam's all-viewers-have-the-memory-of-a-fly algorithm.
Whatever you do, keep them under 15 minutes. If something ends up being 20 minutes long, you could leave like that, as an exception, but if it goes beyond 20 minutes, chop it up into smaller parts.
Halcylion: "SAUL I have to say" UA-cam Algorithm: You might like this clip from Better Call Saul even though you have never seen anything related to it or Breaking Bad in your life Honestly, I found your Trader series so entertaining that I watched the entire thing 3 times over. People really are missing out. If you could transfer your patented Halcylion Humor™ from the script to streaming or let's plays (which I think would turn out better because that would allow you to pepper in the related pictures to your jokes when you make them) with practice, that would work wonders with Bannerlord. As you want to do other games though, that strategy might backfire and just create a strong cult-like fanbase that will tie you to this game like the slaves shown at 15:21 ; constantly churning out Bannerlord content with your fellow Bannerlord UA-camrs until every last drop of butter has been squeezed .
There's this GTA&RDR youtuber, TheProfessional, who made a video about creating a gaming channel, a long time ago. In that video he warned that one of the worst things that can happen is attracting people who are extremely infatuated with just ONE type of content on the channel, and will endlessly complain about and dislike any videos that are not that exact type of content that they subscribed for. He calls them "demanding subs". I experienced that when I added Cyberpunk to the channel. In the future, I'll try to cover a lot more games, but I'll probably have to stick to a single type of content... most likely tutorials.
I liked the bandit series, but sometimes, because of the videos coming out a month apart, when the new episode came I have half-forgotten what was happening in the previous one so I didn't have an immediate itch to watch it and I thought "hey new Hal video, nice, I'll add it to watch later and come back to it" but because of the length of one video I never came back to it because there's rarely time to fully immerse yourself in a 30-or-longer minute video among other "life stuff". I don't know sh*t about youtube but maybe you'd like to try to split the next episode in 4 10-15 minute pieces and release weekly? that way you'd have uploads for the next month while you're working on the next vid. Thanks for content!
It is unfortunate that YT sees likes more powerfully than views, having watched so many of your intricately planned and narrated walkthroughs but as many viewers, not having spammed the like button. Perhaps the same effort could be put to greater effect if you recorded an hour of output (a typical current episode) but then released it as 4x 15min weekly drops? Might keep viewer momentum and the YT algo in your favour. Keep it up chief, we're still watching
In my case, not even likes help a whole lot. But in future episodes, I might limit them to 15-20 minutes if they end up being too long. I've already done so for episode 7, which was extremely long and contained the events of episode 8 as well, but because the 2 halves of that original recording were thematically different, I split them in ep 7 and 8.
I like your channel but a lot of your content lacks a common thread and continuity, a theme so to speak. For example Exploit-Tubers are very popular. Legend of Total War and the Spiffing Brit are great examples. Spiff does exploits for the latest trending games and Legend does Total War 95% of the time although he'll jump on the occasional hype-train. If I'm stuck on a game those are the sort of channels I actively seek out. I think that although trend-chasing may be necessary for you in the short term you are going to have to find yourself an audience that can grow and returns to your content consistently.
Well, that common thread was supposed to consist of highly edited and concise tutorials, but I got roped into creating playthroughs as well, and lately, I kinda lost the thread. As soon as Balon's journey ends, I'll try to get back to that kind of content.
I also enjoyed the long playthrouhs and watched all of them. But I think that you put too much work im them. Dont get me wrong I really enjoy these but as youve said they dont perform as good and use a lot of your time. If I were you I would still make high quality videos but not as a series. Or you could make it like koifish and not actually call the videos 'traider stories #6'. Then the viewer wouldnt know that he dont needs to watch episodes 1-5 and if he likes episode 6 he might even watch 1-5.
I did consider using this bait-and-switch method. Actually tried it with episode 10, but it still performed poorly. Maybe I need to change the keywords around in order to not tie it to the series.
Quality vs Frequency Consider releasing shorter videos. Ten minutes should be the limit for one topic. If it's a topic that requires deeper explanation, then dice the topic into short subtopic episodes.
I've just recently discovered your video since I just started playing Bannerlord. My favorite videos are roleplaying videos so I've loved your Bandit and Trander playlists. Wherever you go moving forward, I will continue to watch. Also, I always forget to give thumbs up, but I appreciate when creators ask for likes because it reminds me!
I have no intention of abandoning the Bandit series. Especially after patch 1.9, combat loot got much better and that means Balon will unlock his full potential as a raider. But since the series was slow, I needed to add something else to the mix. :)
yo Hal! looking forward to your next video, hoping for another bandits ballads but not holding my breath haha. regardless of what it is i’m waiting haha! lots of love man god bless!
Shorter vids, less detailed scripting, simpler editing, and setting a time limit. I need to make these 4 compromises in order for the series to survive, or at the very least, reach the end faster and allow me to move onto greener pastures. The rest of my projects will mostly remain unchanged... maybe I'll learn to better manage my time and become more efficient.
I wish you luck in your battle with the algorithm but i must know where you will be streaming. do you stream on youtube or twitch as i would love to come watch you play some rimworld or xcom 2
Because the government allows me to mark them down as Business Expenses and not have to pay taxes on them. But paying for software wouldn't be an issue if my channel was economically viable, so my focus should be on solving that problem, not switching to a free software that I have 0 experience with.
I have an idea like that... there are some old as fuck scuffed games from my childhood that nobody has ever covered, so as soon as I'm able to, I might make a couple Sseth-styled reviews about these ancient games.
Is there anything I can do bro? I’ve been watching a lot of your content and even though I don’t have much money myself it’s infuriated me that no one in your comments seems to genuinely care about your situation with content creation
Sorry for the long wait, and even sorrier for interrupting the wait with a video that's not an actual Guide, Review or Playthrough. I had to clarify some things before moving onto my next projects.
But during this video's rendering process, I slightly reconsidered some of my plans. The original plan was to do Secret Project > Bannerlord Review > Bandit's Ballads, but after careful consideration, I'll switch things around like this: Bannerlord 1.9 Streams (preparing footage and my thoughts for the review) > Bannerlord Review (hopefully finished no later than 30th of October) > Secret Project (2-4 weeks of editing) > Quick Bannerlord Build Guide (1-2 weeks of editing) > Bandit's Ballads episodes 12, 13, 14, +++++ until it's finished or Balon loses his life in his reckless pursuit of power.
Not all of you may be thrilled to hear this, but I kind of need to do things this way in order to alleviate the damage done by the Tax-Collection-Office, because 50% of my pathetic income goes to pay taxes, but I can drag that percentage down and even get deductions if I increase my earnings. I won't ask for financial support, all I ask for is your understanding as I attempt to improve my financial situation. :)
I loved the bandit story’s and your story telling
Uuuuh Rimworld :)
Brother, youtoube has excomunicated you, forsaken you!
So it seems... Let's hope it's something that can be fixed.
I never see your vids in my sub box idk y
I think you should focus on guides, I mean I like the series but is much better your guides and all the series you do be on live streams and just do guides. And you should focus do guides on cyberpunk to get more views.
since Bannerlord is just about to fully release, I suspect you will get more views.
I would've gotten a whole of a lot more if I focused on making guides for all aspects of the game, as I was originally planning. I kind of regret not doing that, and instead invested 1.5 years into making Trader Stories and the Ballads, BUT.. these playthroughs did give me some experience with the game and will undoubtedly shape my upcoming review into one of the best videos I'll ever produce.
@@Halcylion I have a lot of time in Conan Exiles on more than the official maps with tons of mods, if you want some opinion on it.
@@Halcylion Also I am surprised you have not done the Manor Lords demo....too bad it does not have the fighting of Bannerlord...
Well, the script is 99% finished. That last 1% is cutting some of the excess fat on it, trying to get it shorter than 50 minutes. But thanks for the offer! :)
Hal your channel is an absolute gem and I love your content!! A lot of your viewers genuinely love your work. Look after you first- and know we have your back!
Thank you, my spider friend!... Oh fuck, I just remembered.. I make a mean joke about Spider Lovers in my Conan video. Hope you won't mind. :)
@@Halcylion hahaha no I was genuinely petrified of spiders and hated them up until about 3 years ago. I decided to study them to try to overcome my phobia.... The more I learned the more fascinated I became!! Spider lovers are weird af haha
I can tell you what I personally like from the channel and that is the long form challenges like the raider playthrough. It could work for many games though just make it hard on yourself and it becomes a joy to watch you persevere. But honestly make whatever content excites you man the only thing that matters is that you are good at making gaming UA-cam videos. Don't worry too much about what your viewers want to see and just make what you want. Also that first raider video did well in part to the great thumbnail so take that into account (its why I clicked on it)
Thanks for the feedback! I honestly enjoy making all of my videos, but I think I'll reserve my heavy editing for Guides, Reviews and other Single-piece-content. When it comes to playthroughs, I'll go easy on the memes, transitions and other complex tasks, so I can upload more than once per month. It probably won't help the content spread, but at least it'll allow me to move onto other projects more rapidly. :)
I agree - just like the Halcylion style.
Love your videos man, keep it up.
If you've got a thousand fans, I'm one of them.
If you've got one fan, I'm him.
If you've got no fans, I have died.
If it's you against the world, we'll be standing back to back, brother.
Love you, no homo.
I Am Also One Of Thousands!
Hear, Hear!
I will never forget about the bandits ballads its probably one of the best mount and blade bannerlord series in youtube its a shame that youtube is being dum and doesnt give the love it deserves!!!!
If BB won't make youtube happy, maybe my other videos will. Either way, I won't abandon the series, but I have to take a short break from it and pursue other projects.
@@Halcylion hey man! it’s me the guy, who got dumped by his gf a few months prior, and wrorte a comment about how your youtube videos kept me temporarily happy. Everything ok now, i have a new gf still bb rocks.
@@Halcylion hopefully the break wont be long becos i cant live whitout my monthly dose of bandits ballads :>
As a new subscriber, I only started getting your videos recommended after I started doing some research on Google for Bannerlord. I don't watch a lot of guides and tutorials because I enjoy the challenges of figuring it out myself. Your content is awesome because you're creating characters and stories for us to immerse ourselves in. I would prefer to watch that than a guide on how to build the most profitable workshops. Plus, the effort you put in to making these episodes is nothing short of amazing. To me, the amount of time you take to make an episode is nothing compared to the quality of the end result. If it wasn't for youtube's stupid algorithms, I would say to just focus on creating awesome stories. I would gladly wait a month for an episode. I hope you will continue to make more stories.
Hey man i love your videos, please do not be dissuaded from you path of entertainment. It would greatly upset a great many viewers, me included.
I love your content though. Screw the algorithm. Robots can’t judge how good content it.
I share the same opinion... but robots do determine how much I'm getting financially screwed, so I have to make them happy from time to time. :)
Man i don't care what you upload I just watch you coz you got a great personality
can relate, cool videos 👌
Hal, your videos are amazing. Eiting, script and jokes are so on point! I really hope you'll figure out how to catch with algorithm. Your content keeps me going, it's truly inspiring ^^
We love you bud, I still follow all Bannerlord videos because your way of doing videos is so unique and that carries a lot of weight for me. Your accent is so great for narrating
Thanks, man! Your narrations are also great, clear and concise, especially for tutorial vids. :)
@@Halcylion I had a teacher, learned a lot from you
What
yes.
@@Halcylion so deep
This is great introspection into the channel, Hal. I understand the challenge of striking the balance of job and hobby. I checked out your competitors, and the biggest difference by far is upload frequency. The guys who are getting 100k+ views are putting out videos every 4-5 days. It actually compounds on itself because they get more views with more videos up. Something is jamming your logistics. You may be overvaluing editing and scripting. I think for a guide that type of work is much more valuable than a long format series. Most people just want something consistent to be part of their life and schedule. Working on the niche guides at your own pace, while maintaining a steady stream of long format content is probably healthier for the channel and yourself.
I've been planning to run things like you've suggested for a while now, and other people have made the same suggestion. As soon as I set some things up and get those 2 reviews finished, I'll get back on the Ballads and use a "time & effort budget"... I'll limit the scripting to 8 paragraphs MAX, and the editing to 50-60 hours. If I budget my time correctly, I should be able to upload on a weekly basis.
I love your channel. I watched all your older bannerlord videos at least 2 times now, including the trader series, and get excited everytime I see a new episode of bandits balldads pop up in my sub box. I have to say though that yes... new eposodes of that series dont get recommended on the start page every time, even to me who has watched every single episode.
I just love your content and especially the way you present it, be it a series or anything else. So do what you think is right... I'll enjoy the videos whether it is a series or single videos, be it bannerlord or other games.
The Bard will not stop singing the Ballads until they're finished, but he has to have a sip of wine every once in a while.
I don't mind you asking for likes, personally. Sometimes clicking the like button simply does not cross my mind, so because not liking is not a conscious decision, it gives me no trouble whatsoever to be asked to do it. I check in somewhat regularly even without any suggestions from UA-cam. The UA-cam algorithm is far from unbiased though, as you have seen so much evidence of already, but it may be black box AI technology, meaning no one knows exactly how it works and it seemingly does whatever it likes, to absolve the makers of responsibility when it does something offensive or stupid. I have no doubt that the algorithm learned its stubborn favoritism from the people running UA-cam.
Also, and I feel this is the most important thing I have to say to you, if I may share some experience from over a decade of watching UA-cam, long form series on this platform have always had a tendency to diminish in views with each successive upload. Even if only as a side thing, doing one-off videos on a variety of different games may help your numbers considerably, and they don't even have to be the latest most popular ones either. I am not certain but I believe you should be able to pick whatever you want and still benefit, but novelty is the key here. It might help break any monotony you may be experiencing in your work, if it helps to see it that way.
Hope I helped, and I am glad to be among the Halcylion gang!
Really like your quality content and style (and games you play). Just sad to hear about the BS system on YT. At the end do what you must to survive and have a good time. Will keep on supporting your vids. Good luck
This is extremely interesting to watch especially for me and other "playmen" tubers. Probably.
Don't know if this ever crossed your mind but here is a tip. You could livestream when you are editing the videos for a behind the scenes look. People who want to learn something about editing might learn something AND your getting exposure or err PREexposure for the upcoming video. And hey Mr Al Gorerythm probably likes it.
Anyways keep on keeping on love your stuff.
You are probably one of the most respectable youtubers I have ever watched, 90% of people would've given up of Bandits Ballads after episode 5, and yet you made a promise and keep chugging along. I sincerely wish you the best in anything that happens and I'm sure that your other 42,000 subscribers do it.
This is truly one of my favourite channels on UA-cam. I almost never comment on videos but always drop one on your videos in hopes that it saves you from the algorithm. I hope to see your channel grow more in the future!
Vaas is cool I agree and get it if you need a break or something along the lines of that, all in all I really don't mind what videos are made as long you deem you are in a comfortable state, channel and personal wise, I wish the best and will be keeping up with the channel man. 🤠👍
I haven’t gotten recommended video of yours in a while finally got this one
To be fair, it has been a month since my last upload...
just an idea if the algorithm wont suggest a series dont number the title or descrpition
I've considered it... It might be a good idea, when I finally return to the Ballads.
Commander Halcylion demands that order 227. Will take Immediate effect! FORWARD, ONLY, FORWARD
No orders have been issued yet, Private Henry! But the Assault will commence sooner, rather than later.
@@Halcylion got hooked on you with the Denrs Bannerlord Tutorial and since i own KCD i watched them too so those were my first vids from you, so your theory is probably right, no matter i enjoyed the BB anyway
I absolutely love Bandits ballads and stuff like it but if you put up something in between those uploads to get the algorithm working for you it's not like we'd stop watching.
Well, it's not really "putting up something IN-BETWEEN" Bandit's Ballads... it's more like pausing BB to do that something else. Wish I could do both.
@@Halcylion that's what I mean, I'd wait longer for an episode for you to work on other stuff. You've gotta eat and you've got goals you want to hit, I'm just grateful for the episodes you give us.
Damet garm !! dude we here again
And i thought UA-cam exiled you on a Greek island in the Aegean Sea... missing in action , banished , prison colony , or got a new job as a professional beach bum.. what ever happened , just get back to making videos ....... 😉
Technically, I don't need to "get back to making videos"... I already work on them non-stop, it's just that they take too long. :)
I'd expect a resurgence in bannerlord views later in the month
Providing the devs don't fuck the console port.
And please don't make the conan video too entertaining, I don't want to install it ever again.
Your bannerlord stuff makes me do this lol
Regardless, I hope everything works out, I look forward to your future content
You will play Conan again after my review. >:)
Just like all the other comments say, your channel is absolutely fantastic. I can't say any more about how good your channel is than anyone else, but on the topic of streaming - it may be a good idea. I can't boast an exceptional knowledge of UA-cam (really any knowledge on UA-cam at all), but if streaming helps your channel grow and/or put food on the table it could be worth a try. You mentioned needing to make a script, and I really don't have any preference as to if you stream or make videos (as long as you make soooommmmee videos), but if you can stream well it may help appease the algorithm and take some stress off your shoulders. Just do what you gotta do man, we'll support you with whatever.
Well, once I'm done getting some things ready, I will stream Bannerlord 1.9, to prepare myself for the upcoming review.
Hal you should start clickbaiting bandits ballads lol, i'm sure the rest of the community won't mind if it means you get more views. love your content man, if i didn't i wouldn't be watching you talk about your channel for 17 minutes haha. keep making videos, regardless of the content
I might combine that with the "trick up my sleeve" that I mention towards the end of the video. >:)
I think i've heard you explain the optimal method for robbing a caravan so much that I might accidentally use it when robbing one in real life; if my local robbery crew goes to jail because of your videos you might make the news.
Just in case you forget: you first have to sell them your loot, (to take their money,) then you have to attack them in a systematic way that first eliminates their cavalry after which you charge everyone into their archers. Make sure you leave at least 1 survivor, so that you can rob him afterwards. Godspeed!
I do think Bannerlord will catch a second wind with the console release. You put so much effort into these videos that they take so long to make and the algorithm punishes you for the infrequent uploads. Like the cyberpunk video mentioned , these high effort bannerlord will get more views later once more players pick up the game.
My guides and upcoming review for Bannerlord are surely going to rake in a lot of views, but my playthroughs have no chance of amounting to anything. At the very least, they were experiences that will improve my future content. :)
I think most people who see any of your videos, subscribe right away and jump on any new video you post. I sure am. I hope you find a good solution and can keep creating for everyone to enjoy. And on a side note, this is the first channel update video i have ever seen that i found enjoyable in its own right.
I can only speak as a consumer as my own success on the platform is just a hobby but I can at least say what I enjoy the most about your channel.
My favorite episodes are your edited playthroughs, Bannerlord for me is a lot like Totalwar in that I love playing it but it can be a struggle to watch.
However with your work do to the heavy editing and scripting I find myself actually wanting to watch as you cut out the slow moments or describe them in an entertaining manner, yet even I have to admit after maybe 5 episodes I started to feel my enjoyment waver, it never went away but I did stop looking forward to it and it was more of a happy surprise when the next installment came out.
I don't know if this would be asking for you to work harder and longer and that will be up to you on the effort I won't ask you to put 60 hours into a video, but I think shorter more condensed playthroughs at 3-5 episodes would be great.
I am still sitting on the edge of my seat for that necromancer playthrough and I can slit ball a few other ideas such as a mercenary playthrough, cult leader, displaced prince, and a few others.
But at the end of the day so long as it has your stamp of approval I'll look forward to whatever content you make, be safe man.
Love the transparency. I want to grow a channel and this is very informative. Thank you
i love some of your videos🙂for example bandit‘s ballads but also others
Hey Hal, I know the feeling. This isn't my account for it (I intentionally separate work and play on this platform), but it also takes a lot of time for me to make videos, and as a result... two years in, 100 subscribers, and I struggle with so much as monthly uploads. Granted, this isn't my full-time job, and that's what takes my effort instead because... lights don't shine on hopes and dreams. Keep up the awesome work, thanks for being transparent, and I'm a huge fan of Bandit's Ballads. You can count me as one of the views every time you put it out.
...side note, I watched the Trader playthrough twice, end to end, it was that good.
Hey Halcylion! I'm a new subscriber, but I always liked watching your videos that popped up on the ol' feed. I honestly don't subscribe to many youtubers, but I really love your humor, and video style!
Since this video is sort of a discussion as to how you produce content, If I may be so presumptuous as to offer a suggestion, I'd maybe recommend you go check out SplatterCat's content. He's a pretty big youtuber (not in the millions, but bigger), and from some of the stuff you've said in this video, you might get something out of checking out his content style! Maybe some inspiration, or something.
Anyways, good luck with your channel. I'm here for the long haul now 👍
Interesting look into the world of an aspiring youtuber. Refreshing transparency! One vid a month is out of the question, very very few channels can make things work that way. But daily uploads are also not required. From what I've seen through tons of YT usage over the last couple of years, the sweet spot for channels like yours is like 2-3 vids a week. 1 vid as the absolute minimum and it would have to be an absolute banger view wise.
Amazing! I have been playing conan exiles for the first time recently, awesome to see it coming up. Thanks for bandits ballads, looking forward to where the channel goes afterwards
I always love your content. Especially the long form campaigns. It's where your talent truly shine. It's just so unfortunate the the algorithm is skewed in a direction away from that.
Perhaps ask people to press the bell button. In that case YT should send notifications to your subs whenever you upload a new episode. Your content is more than worth it. I only recently did it, only because I simply didn't think about doing it before... If I had, I would have.
an ABSOLUTE lad, keep up the great work man you are truly an inspiration
I'll be here for whatever content you make man. I have not played a single minute of Bannerlord nor do I own the game. It's obvious you are a perfectionist and personally I don't mind waiting for new content. I look forward to seeing new content, even if you must change up your process. Good luck! I hope it all works out for you.
maybe do mass releases, your first bandit ballads has 200k views now, but falls off heavily later. if you release it all at once, you can put it in a playlist and it'll be more likely to be binge watched. i didn't even know you released two more episodes. i saw strat gaming recommendations then remembered you and wondered if you released any bandit ballads yet.
I've been watching your channel for a long time now and the fact that you posted this video just to explain things and keep everyone updated. Thank you. I cannot think of hardly any other channels or streamers that take the time to produce content or educate the way your channel does. Thank you again Halcylion
I would say I’m a majority when I say we aren’t just here for Bannerlord gameplay. You’re a great script writer and your style would translate well to many games. Keep it up and feel free to explore.
hal, we all love you lmao. i would wait for years for the next episode of bandits ballads if there is a chance of it coming at all. take your time and do what you enjoy
Yes mate, love the positivity man
I really like your content but yt doesnt show me your videos so i miss like 5 of your masterpieces
I send support from Europe🎉
Love the vids man, I've been following the bandits raiders ballad series and ive been enjoying it please dont stop.
Good luck with youre chanel. Wish you all the best
I quite enjoy the bandits ballads series but UA-cam hides your videos from me so I’ve made a point to search you up every couple of weeks to see
Been here since episode one I will wait every month and you’re still one of my favorite UA-camrs
My advice, focus you content on your self. The rockbottom video was great because of you, if you change it to be a series is not about you, is about the game.
For the last year you've been a bannerlord youtuber. Do you think about having content of other games again?
We love you and your channel keep dooing it your way and we watch and like all of your perfect content 👍😘
Do what you gotta do man. We’ll light the beacons at the return of the king.
saw the first bandit ballads and watched every video since, stay strong big man.
Though I think what can work well in UA-cam is the challenge in it
We gotta get up to 20% likes
That would actually be quite damaging, because if the ratio is 20%, then it means the video isn't being recommended to other people. :D
what platform are you thinking of streaming on??
He's says yt on a comment
thnx
This one never showed up on my feed but I was curious if you had been posting since the release so I checked. Hit me up on discord if you ever want to chat. I've got a few things I've figured out over my short UA-cam career and I'm happy to bounce ideas back and forth with you sometime. Otherwise, best of luck on your channel and keep up the fight my man!
I might take you up on that offer when I have the time.
@@Halcylion Looking forward to it bro, it's a love-hate thing with UA-cam lol!
Hal plays Rimworld sounds amazing, ngl.
Take your time Hal, we'll wait as long as we need!
Agreed mate
Des-pa-cito!
Finally yes i love it move on Don't beat a dead horse
I have loved the series. Been listening to it whilst working :)
Just wanted to say you make the best content Hal
Wish I had money to throw at your pocket
I stop seeing the rock bottom serie because I think is was repetitive, not for the algorithm
After a time UA-cam recommended it to me and I think nop
Fair enough.. the gameplay can be a bit repetitive at times. But there's a lot little variations in each encounter which come with their own set of challenges, and I like taking the time to show how Balon overcomes those challenges. I do try my best to make the commentary interesting and crack jokes at every possible opportunity, but apparently that doesn't work for everyone. :(
When is connon exiles vedio comes
Thanks for the update. I'm on the threshold of attempting a 'narrated-after-the-fact playthrough' as opposed to a 'Let's Play' series, that also reveals all the little hidden things about the game in question, and frankly this video is immensely helpful as to tempering my expectations. I wish you all the best and just so you know - you can apply a script in many creative ways to gameplay footage. In the end to be profitable here, it's all about what you can make yourself comfortable doing and somehow syncing up with UA-cam's all-viewers-have-the-memory-of-a-fly algorithm.
Whatever you do, keep them under 15 minutes. If something ends up being 20 minutes long, you could leave like that, as an exception, but if it goes beyond 20 minutes, chop it up into smaller parts.
Halcylion: "SAUL I have to say"
UA-cam Algorithm: You might like this clip from Better Call Saul even though you have never seen anything related to it or Breaking Bad in your life
Honestly, I found your Trader series so entertaining that I watched the entire thing 3 times over. People really are missing out. If you could transfer your patented Halcylion Humor™ from the script to streaming or let's plays (which I think would turn out better because that would allow you to pepper in the related pictures to your jokes when you make them) with practice, that would work wonders with Bannerlord. As you want to do other games though, that strategy might backfire and just create a strong cult-like fanbase that will tie you to this game like the slaves shown at 15:21 ; constantly churning out Bannerlord content with your fellow Bannerlord UA-camrs until every last drop of butter has been squeezed .
There's this GTA&RDR youtuber, TheProfessional, who made a video about creating a gaming channel, a long time ago. In that video he warned that one of the worst things that can happen is attracting people who are extremely infatuated with just ONE type of content on the channel, and will endlessly complain about and dislike any videos that are not that exact type of content that they subscribed for. He calls them "demanding subs".
I experienced that when I added Cyberpunk to the channel. In the future, I'll try to cover a lot more games, but I'll probably have to stick to a single type of content... most likely tutorials.
i am here for long long time
I liked the bandit series, but sometimes, because of the videos coming out a month apart, when the new episode came I have half-forgotten what was happening in the previous one so I didn't have an immediate itch to watch it and I thought "hey new Hal video, nice, I'll add it to watch later and come back to it" but because of the length of one video I never came back to it because there's rarely time to fully immerse yourself in a 30-or-longer minute video among other "life stuff". I don't know sh*t about youtube but maybe you'd like to try to split the next episode in 4 10-15 minute pieces and release weekly? that way you'd have uploads for the next month while you're working on the next vid. Thanks for content!
You hit the nail on the head.
It is unfortunate that YT sees likes more powerfully than views, having watched so many of your intricately planned and narrated walkthroughs but as many viewers, not having spammed the like button. Perhaps the same effort could be put to greater effect if you recorded an hour of output (a typical current episode) but then released it as 4x 15min weekly drops? Might keep viewer momentum and the YT algo in your favour. Keep it up chief, we're still watching
In my case, not even likes help a whole lot. But in future episodes, I might limit them to 15-20 minutes if they end up being too long. I've already done so for episode 7, which was extremely long and contained the events of episode 8 as well, but because the 2 halves of that original recording were thematically different, I split them in ep 7 and 8.
I like your channel but a lot of your content lacks a common thread and continuity, a theme so to speak.
For example Exploit-Tubers are very popular. Legend of Total War and the Spiffing Brit are great examples. Spiff does exploits for the latest trending games and Legend does Total War 95% of the time although he'll jump on the occasional hype-train. If I'm stuck on a game those are the sort of channels I actively seek out.
I think that although trend-chasing may be necessary for you in the short term you are going to have to find yourself an audience that can grow and returns to your content consistently.
Well, that common thread was supposed to consist of highly edited and concise tutorials, but I got roped into creating playthroughs as well, and lately, I kinda lost the thread.
As soon as Balon's journey ends, I'll try to get back to that kind of content.
are you indian btw..?
DO NOT REDEEM THE CARD!!! No, I'm not indian.
Are you from earth? Asking for a friend
I also enjoyed the long playthrouhs and watched all of them. But I think that you put too much work im them. Dont get me wrong I really enjoy these but as youve said they dont perform as good and use a lot of your time. If I were you I would still make high quality videos but not as a series. Or you could make it like koifish and not actually call the videos 'traider stories #6'. Then the viewer wouldnt know that he dont needs to watch episodes 1-5 and if he likes episode 6 he might even watch 1-5.
I did consider using this bait-and-switch method. Actually tried it with episode 10, but it still performed poorly. Maybe I need to change the keywords around in order to not tie it to the series.
Quality vs Frequency
Consider releasing shorter videos. Ten minutes should be the limit for one topic. If it's a topic that requires deeper explanation, then dice the topic into short subtopic episodes.
I forgot to mention that while I do enjoy your videos, many of them don't get my attention because I cannot commit the time to them.
I've just recently discovered your video since I just started playing Bannerlord. My favorite videos are roleplaying videos so I've loved your Bandit and Trander playlists. Wherever you go moving forward, I will continue to watch.
Also, I always forget to give thumbs up, but I appreciate when creators ask for likes because it reminds me!
I have no intention of abandoning the Bandit series. Especially after patch 1.9, combat loot got much better and that means Balon will unlock his full potential as a raider. But since the series was slow, I needed to add something else to the mix. :)
OMG please play XCOM
3:03 a man of culture :)
yo Hal! looking forward to your next video, hoping for another bandits ballads but not holding my breath haha. regardless of what it is i’m waiting haha! lots of love man god bless!
SPOILER for my next video:
It's scheduled for Christmas.
It's a 57 minute long review for Bannerlord.
Seems like the core problem is frequency, right? If you made shorter vids (same quality), would that allow you to publish more frequently?
Shorter vids, less detailed scripting, simpler editing, and setting a time limit. I need to make these 4 compromises in order for the series to survive, or at the very least, reach the end faster and allow me to move onto greener pastures.
The rest of my projects will mostly remain unchanged... maybe I'll learn to better manage my time and become more efficient.
LOVE YOUR VIDEOS!
Your shit is good. =)
I wish you luck in your battle with the algorithm but i must know where you will be streaming. do you stream on youtube or twitch as i would love to come watch you play some rimworld or xcom 2
For the moment, I'll keep my streams on UA-cam, but if I ever change my plans, I'll post an announcement on the channel.
You mention you pay for software to make your videos why dont you use free programs or just download them cracked so you aren’t making a net loss lol
Because the government allows me to mark them down as Business Expenses and not have to pay taxes on them. But paying for software wouldn't be an issue if my channel was economically viable, so my focus should be on solving that problem, not switching to a free software that I have 0 experience with.
hello, it might take a long time for your vids to get released, but they are perfect, congratulations
Multumesc!
A Idea worth considering also is to show fun games that are not in vogue anymore, old games like mini car racing and stuff.
I have an idea like that... there are some old as fuck scuffed games from my childhood that nobody has ever covered, so as soon as I'm able to, I might make a couple Sseth-styled reviews about these ancient games.
Is there anything I can do bro? I’ve been watching a lot of your content and even though I don’t have much money myself it’s infuriated me that no one in your comments seems to genuinely care about your situation with content creation
Not much you can do... It's up to me to find solutions, but if I can find a way to include other people, I'll let you know.
While I enjoy the let's plays I think I'd prefer a stream of the game tbh
Streams are coming soon. At least until I begin the heavy production on my Bannerlord review.
Bro, I’ll watch channel updates as if they were a bandits ballads series.
Too bad they're nowhere near the same quality.
It would be nice to see a revamp on your cyberpunk video and I have been following you since then
I'd love to return to Cyberpunk one day.