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Waypoint+ |OT| "Fuck Capitalism, Go Home"
- Thread starter Mezentine
- Start date
from the fine folks at bulbapedia:
Drowzee said:
also their names in the japanese version are apparently Sleepe and SleeperHypno said:
so that's how they wear their pantsdrowzee is more like a tapir than an elephant
The convenience of having all my music and podcasts in one app that syncs between multiple devices. Plus the Spotify iOS app's works over Airplay to my Sonos One miles better than Overcast's shitty, crackly mess.
I've honestly stopped listening besides when they're breaking down a big news story like only they can. Might listen to the podcasts that dig into Fallout, though.
That's actually true for me, too. Especially the Waypoints, which are all over the place, and 101s. Regular podcast with interesting topic is where it's at.
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I wonder why they're doing this. Does it cost so much more to do streams? I know podcasts are probably a fair bit cheaper to produce, but I didn't know it was that big of a difference.
I think they're close to done for though. If their steaming wasn't pulling in enough audience to keep it going, I don't see how podcasts are going to expand their audience. Waypoint is already pretty niche, I don't know if completely moving away from the entertainment side of what they were doing will do anything but entrench them deeper in that niche.
I think they're close to done for though. If their steaming wasn't pulling in enough audience to keep it going, I don't see how podcasts are going to expand their audience. Waypoint is already pretty niche, I don't know if completely moving away from the entertainment side of what they were doing will do anything but entrench them deeper in that niche.
I can't think of much of a material difference. Cado is still there doing production work on the podcasts, you just don't hear much from him. It's gotta be a directive from on high for some reason.
And it's a huge shame. That little window of numerous streaming series and Hot Mic Mornings was great!
Podcast monetisation can be very profitable. And you're not reliant on a third party like YouTube. Though Waypoint's ham-fisted advertising system is well documented at this stage. Someone is doing a bad job somewhere along the line.
Oh yeah, the ad thing is absolutely true. I was just saying that it didn't seem particularly cheaper to produce, but I guess the ads bring in money to offset that and the videos had no equivalent.
I missed 90% of their streams because they were so rarely or slowly mirrored on YouTube. I'll miss the scraps I was given though.
This is all complete theorizing, but Waypoint seems like something that could or should have been a Patreon campaign. I dunno, they're so community focused and easily exploitable from that perspective but they just don't have the structure to exploit it. Hell, Austin is already doing that with FATT.
They don't need a studio or complicated production. Their best stuff is the same stuff Austin was doing in his old Stream Friends days. Everything they do now could be used to drive a Patreon.
Then again if you got a wife and a kid and a house I can see why leaning on something so unpredictable maybe not be so appealing.
They don't need a studio or complicated production. Their best stuff is the same stuff Austin was doing in his old Stream Friends days. Everything they do now could be used to drive a Patreon.
Then again if you got a wife and a kid and a house I can see why leaning on something so unpredictable maybe not be so appealing.
Waypoint having Vice backing allows them the opportunity to work on stories or ideas that might not be viable or possible through crowdfunding. The gaming in prison stories would certainly have been harder without someone to vouch for them. It sucks that they're limited by what the Vice management wants, but it's the same management that allowed them to grow to this size in the first place.
That said, I wouldn't mind a paid membership option like Giant Bomb or Era.
That said, I wouldn't mind a paid membership option like Giant Bomb or Era.
Yeah I'm pretty sad about it tbh. I loved their streaming content, especially when it was about playing a variety of games. I really miss Natalie playing Bloodborne/souls too.
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That was like 16 months ago, and there's no indication they're pursuing anything like that ever again.
Yeah. Of all the world's gaming sites, Waypoint most seems like they should have some premium, direct-support option. I'd sign up on day one.
i work at let's say a place with similar ideals regarding long-form investigative journalism projects and i'll tell you right now, that stuff is largely pursued for the prestige and purpose of creating quality journalism. It absolutely, positively, 100% does not get the clicks, sad to say. So they need that revenue generator to fund the rest of it... whether that be direct subscriptions or other more clickable articles, they need that first.
I mean that it wouldn't have happened at all if they started as a Patreon site. It's a pity that their long form project didn't take off, but at least they've found a niche that they're good at.
Sought out the thread to ask about content and what was happening recently, so glad & sad to see it already being discussed.
The number of articles on the site feels like it has slowed to a trickle.
The streams have disappeared.
The number of podcasts has ballooned and honestly I'm not enjoying them as much as I used to.
The occassional waypoints is good but not interested in those episodes very regularly.
Worried about where the site is right now :-/
The number of articles on the site feels like it has slowed to a trickle.
The streams have disappeared.
The number of podcasts has ballooned and honestly I'm not enjoying them as much as I used to.
The occassional waypoints is good but not interested in those episodes very regularly.
Worried about where the site is right now :-/
The other weird thing with podcasts is that more of them in a feed is just a constant increase in perceived ad views, I guess. I mean, that's obviously not true, but it's not like a video where you can literally see where people start falling off. Most people's devices just sync new podcasts. Bam, +1 download. I don't even begrudge them for it, I'm glad there's lots of cool stuff to listen too. I just wish I had the time.
It feels like austin is working harder than ever but that I get less and less content with him in it as he seems to continually be in meetings or at previews, and i wind up visiting the site less and less. No offense to the rest of the crew but I generally find myself tuning out of the episodes when they don't have his charisma and focus.
I don't understand the people having problems with this. I'm looking at the podcast feed right now on my phone and it's pretty clear which podcast is which.
Main podcast is titled with the episode number
Waypoints is Waypoints
Waypoint 101 is Waypoint 101
Be Good and Rewatch It sounds like the name they've decided on the rewatch podcast.
Bit extreme to unsubscribe.
If waypoint goes under, I could imagine Austin following a path of someone like Leigh Alexander, departing a gaming specific or centric career and folding it into a wider popular culture focus (with gaming as a featured element). Which I guess they're kinda trying for a little bit anyways right now.
The lack of streams is a bummer to me. For a long time I wanted to hang out with them in the chat but I'm not a fan of strategy games, so xcom/stellaris//into the breach/tactical tuesdays weren't my thing. Then we got big boy season and, later, hot mic mornings, and I even subscribed/followed (the thing that notifies you when a streamer is online) their channel so I could be there to watch those.
But then, to my knowledge at least, both these shows ended abruptly, without a clear message "hey, we're not doing this anymore", and we're back to types of games I'm not interested.
At this point, I think the only ways I can engage with them and the community is using their forums (which I used in the first months, but I don't have the time to pay attention to 2 forums) or their discord (I'm not in it because I've never seen an invite link to it), and I wish there were more ways.
But then, to my knowledge at least, both these shows ended abruptly, without a clear message "hey, we're not doing this anymore", and we're back to types of games I'm not interested.
At this point, I think the only ways I can engage with them and the community is using their forums (which I used in the first months, but I don't have the time to pay attention to 2 forums) or their discord (I'm not in it because I've never seen an invite link to it), and I wish there were more ways.
Their site is also just broken. If you click on "Read", it will lead you to all of their latest output, so it's mostly podcasts and not articles, like it should be. "Forum" and "Watch" open new tabs, which is kinda weird and "Play" is apparently just dedicated to Free Play articles, which had exactly one in 6 months. "Schedule" and the other categories are hilariously out of date. You'd expect Vice to have the ressources to somewhat keep all of that in a decent shape.
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It really does feel like they've been set up to fail a half dozen different ways. I'm sure they wouldn't have gotten the podcast directive if it wasn't necessary for their longevity but it still manages to feels like a misallocation of resources
I was even less interested in their streams and writing than I am the podcasts. I dunno if Waypoint's style is a viable business at all. Crowdfunding might be the only way something approaching it could even work.
I think Vice just ultimately wasn't a good fit for the talent at waypoint. Vice is basically corporate watered down left leaning clickbait, which for obvious reasons won't allow for the depth the people at waypoint are good at exploring.
Motherboard is full of articles that would also fit Waypoint, it's weird.
https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/...er-algorithms-fall-in-love-in-badcupid-kitfox
https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/...-the-console-rpg-i-desperately-wanted-in-1998
https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/59v3nk/playstation-classic-release-preview-all-20-games
These are all from the last few days.
https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/...er-algorithms-fall-in-love-in-badcupid-kitfox
https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/...-the-console-rpg-i-desperately-wanted-in-1998
https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/59v3nk/playstation-classic-release-preview-all-20-games
These are all from the last few days.
Yeah. I've absolutely loved a bunch of their streaming series - Austin and Rob's XCOM Tactical Tuesdays are up there with my all-time favourite Giant Bomb series - but the inconsistent schedules and slow-to-upload archives have made it really difficult to get other people to give them a go. It just feels like they're being jerked around a bunch by forces outside of their control.
I hope the podcast thing works out for them, but I'm really worried it might not?
(As an aside: I just went to leave a review on the iTunes page - I don't have an iPhone, or I'd have done it ages ago - and, while the star rating is high, there's a distressingly large number of 'wah SJWs!!!!'-type reviews stinking up the place.)
I'm guessing that just uploading completed videos straight to YouTube/Vice's video platform, Giant Bomb style, and trying to build a presence that way would be even less likely to pay off than the streaming stuff? It's how I prefer to watch things, but I get the impression that model's not nearly as successful as Twitch these days.
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Sadly, given the current situation at Vice (apparently stalling in negotiations with the union, combining verticals to reduce cost) my guess is they'll have significant layoffs soon. And since the pivot to podcasting hasn't come with better ad strategy and more of an effort to bring in new listeners, it really feels negative for Waypoint's future. So yeah, this pivot by Motherboard looks like Vice's solution might be to cut some staff and combine the two.
There's no chance I could ever catch up on all these podcasts, so even if something happened, I could still continue on for maybe 2 years after the fact.
Downcast automatically downloads each and every episode, and I usually just end up deleting every episode as soon as I have 3 built up unlistened to.
This is some real monkey-paw shit- years ago I would have killed for a podcast I liked putting out more than 1 episode a week, but now Waypoint is putting out 5ish hours a week of podcasts and it's just impossible to keep up, and if it doesn't seem really interesting from the description i'm just swiping and deleting it.
This is some real monkey-paw shit- years ago I would have killed for a podcast I liked putting out more than 1 episode a week, but now Waypoint is putting out 5ish hours a week of podcasts and it's just impossible to keep up, and if it doesn't seem really interesting from the description i'm just swiping and deleting it.
Pivot? Motherboard have been doing gaming articles since even before Waypoint existed IIRC.
I have a job where I can listen to podcasts most of the time and even I don't listen to all of WP's pods. I liked their streams. The podcasts are very hit or miss for me. Austin and Rob are the most interesting people on them and when either of them is missing I tend to not be as interested. Also the production just isn't as good as it needs to be, people are always at different volumes and recording on different setups remotely, and you can hear it.
Yeah, the podcasts really suffer when Austin or Rob are gone. Austin especially -- when he's not there to moderate or drive discussion, there's more awkwardness/dead air. When Danielle is hosting it sometimes reminds me of a high school class discussion where no one is raising their hand and the teacher has to call on someone to force conversation.
Ehh. Austin has a tendency to dominate discussions when he's on. I don't think the dynamic has ever been perfect on the podcast. The best ones were usually when Danika was on and could knock Austin or Rob out of their self-serious modes.
That's kind of been how I feel. I very much like all of the participants, but together they don't click like I wish they would. Far more interested in their individual work than the work they do as a collective.
Danika podcasts didn't happen anywhere near often enough. They were always great.
To me this is why they worked so much better as a group when streaming. Their chemistry just flowed better in that format and allowed for a critical outlook while blending with the casual vibe of playing a game together. Playing a game with your critical mind activated allows for those kinds of thoughts to be pulled out of the ether on occasion while also chilling through play. It's an interesting mix which is what excited me about waypoint, and something they could have been doing that is kind of unique in the field. But yeah, Vice just isn't the place for it I guess. It's the kind of thing that sort of demands experimentation, at least for a while, and not the rote clickbaitization of places like Vice.
I think beyond a bad layout Vice aren't particularly the reason Waypoint don't seem to be connecting. I think the idea there's enough of a demand for this type of content to support it by ads alone is a flawed one. That's as much on Austin and his direct managers as it is on Vice as an entity.
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