The current format for Marble Operator includes a recap of previous entries.  We’ve gone from Introduction and Entry #1 and will be going up to Entry #48.  Previous episodes have seen us discuss subsequent entries in the news segment (Entry #49 was the first to be posted since the beginning of the podcast’s live episodes), so there’s no need to go over those entries a second time.  (Same goes for totheark’s replies since Sidenote)

So the question becomes, what to do on the podcast once we’ve reached that point?  What do we spend the episodes doing?  We can analyze different characters, discuss different theories for the story, and so on.  Or we could do whatever you, the fans, suggest.  If you have a suggestion, feel free to leave a comment.

Once we’ve discussed all the entries, I might cut down on the frequency of new episodes, and switch to just once a week, on Tuesday nights. 

As for things I’m planning, it would be fantastic if we could get the Marble Hornets guys themselves (Troy, Joseph, and Tim) on the podcast for an interview.  I’ll definitely be investigating that possibility, but I know how busy they are with University and work, and the series itself.  Perhaps we can talk with them during the break between seasons two and three.

Anyway, just wanted to update you guys on the state of things for the podcast.  I’d like to thank KissofJudas for joining as a co-host, and all the myriad people who show up every now and then, including Tycho, Werebuffalo, and everyone else.

Hear me talk about this.

Details from his YouTube posting:

Details about the Donation stream here: http://arcladsblog.wordpress.com/2011/09/26/info-for-upcoming-donation-stream/

List of games I have available to choose from: http://arcladsblog.wordpress.com/2011/08/20/list-of-games-for-streaming/

Download link for this video to mirror: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=I3F8R99J

Link to the stream: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/arclad-s-stream

Arclad’s channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/arclad84

A video will be posted before going live on Friday. Hope to see you guys this weekend. Thanks so much!

Several problems have hindered my progress, including the fact that I have no friends nearby. Most of my friends are off at Uni (the fall semester began today, actually), or they are off at other cities living their lives. I stay in contact with them as best I can, though. Either way, I need other people to help out with this, as doing a gaming marathon solo is a horrible idea that should never be attempted.

Then there’s other things that need to be sorted, such as hardware and software necessary to broadcast the marathon. I have everything needed for that. I’ve been practicing using the software, with my Let’s Plays and occasional live streams, so I can handle that.

(Maybe I could talk with friends in the gaming club at my Uni, and work something out. I’m sure some of the guys there would be happy to help with something like this)

So let’s say I’ve got friends agreeing to help, and I’ve got the hardware/software side sorted. The next step is to decide on a theme; what games will I be playing during the marathon? I could go with a single franchise, as many other marathons have done (I’m now watching Rupeethon 2: Skyward Rope, and they’ve been playing Legend of Zelda games), or I could go with separate games that share a theme (ExtraLives is doing a Bootleg Bonanza marathon this coming weekend). What could I do? What franchises haven’t had marathons focused on them? This requires quite a bit of research. First, find a franchise to work with (or a unifying theme), then look through the list of games in that franchise.

That’s not saying I’m doing a Kirby marathon. There are plenty of other options, or I could do a minithon of something like…multiplayer Minecraft, or Terraria. The options are plenty.

After the theme is chosen, then I need to work on scheduling. What would be a good timeframe to do the marathon that would work with the schedules of everyone involved? I want the people playing and participating on-screen to have time set aside from their jobs, classes, whatever so the marathon can proceed with as few problems as possible. This is something else that requires a lot of chatting back and forth.

Then, not necessarily the last step, but must be decided at some point: which charity will my marathon benefit? Among the gaming marathons I’ve watched, the most common charity is Child’s Play. That’s an obvious choice, as that charity was founded by the Penny Arcade guys, and deals with buying games and toys for sick kids in hospitals. I don’t have to do a marathon benefiting them, it’s just an obvious choice. ExtraLives has taken to doing marathons that benefit Free the Children, lately. I’ll probably do my charity to benefit Child’s Play, but choosing another charity would certainly help my marathon to stand out from the crowd.

Okay, let’s assume I have all of the above sorted out. Friends to help run the marathon. Hardware and software to broadcast the marathon. A theme for the marathon. A charity that the marathon will benefit. What does that leave?

Then I need to find a physical location to hold the marathon. A place where friends and I, those running the marathon, can hang out without interruptions, for however long the marathon ends up going (let’s say three days, or 72 hours). A place where I can monitor the Internet connection, the hardware, the software, and keep as many distractions from the broadcast as possible, at all hours of the day.

After all of this, I’d need to figure out how I’d interact with people watching. Obviously, there’s the chat on UStream or Justin.tv, but would I have any incentive for people to continue watching? Sure, the interaction would be good, but pretty much every gaming marathon I’ve watched has offered prizes for viewers. What sort of prizes would I offer? Obviously, the prizes should match the marathon’s theme; it’d be a bit weird to offer, say, Legend of Zelda-themed items for a Minecraft minithon. Either way, I’d need to obtain said prizes and work out some way of offering them. Some I would award via twitter drawings, others by donation raffles.

That’s a fairly complete list of everything I need to figure out for my gaming marathon. If you have anything to add, or if you’d like to help out in some capacity, leave a comment, and we’ll get in touch.

I’m thinking of doing a new podcast, this one to be focused on discussing Marble Hornets.

I’m still figuring out the structure of this podcast, or even a schedule for it. I’m sure there won’t be a regular, weekly schedule, but this podcast will be about discussing the series, theories about the story, and so on. I’ll also likely be doing specific episodes dedicated to watching, reviewing, and discussing each Entry and totheark response.

There is now a TalkShoe page for the show. I’ll probably do some lives shows there at some point. As with RFC and RaT Project, I’ll announce all live shows well in advance. If you’re a fan of Marble Hornets, feel free to join in.

More information on this podcast as I figure things out. Expect an Introduction episode to be posted shortly.

All sorts of fun trivia, and shenanigans. Hope to see you there.

The annual Electronic Entertainment Expo is set to take place in early June, and The RaT Project Live is ready to cover the big three press conferences. Just as last year, The RaT Project will go live on TalkShoe just before each company’s conference starts.

Here’s a breakdown of when each conference takes place:

Microsoft kicks off this year’s press conferences at 1.00pm EST on 6 June.

Sony follows up much later in the day, at 8.00 pm EST, also on 6 June.

Nintendo have just confirmed their conference: noon EST on 7 June, just as I’d predicted.

As for what’s going on with each conference, it’s mainly speculation at this point. There is talk of Microsoft discussing a new console, a follow-up to the XBOX 360. At last year’s event, they revealed Kinect and the XBOX 360 “slim”.

With their PlayStation Network still down, and upwards of 90 million accounts hacked, Sony has a lot of explaining to do. PlayStation is a brand in serious trouble right now, and all eyes and ears will be on Sony reasoning, defending, and explaining themselves.

Nintendo recently confirmed they are working on a new home console, a successor to the Wii, currently under the supposed code-name “Project Café”. Nintendo have also confirmed that they will have playable units of this new console on the show floor, so expect Nintendo to reveal the new console there at E3. Plus, there are plenty of games for Nintendo to discuss, including Super Mario 3D and probably more info on Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.

Hope to see you at the live broadcasts!

UPDATE: Join Rand and guests on 14 May, 2011 at 8.00pm EST (TalkShoe ID 21129) for discussion and speculation as to what will be revealed at this year’s E3.

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Show Notes:
The Reporter article about Takeda and Ono’s fundraising efforts.

MonotoneTim and Extra Lives, Tim Troppoli’s Twitter and official Twitter for Extra Lives fundraiser.

Wherein Rand discusses some miscellany topics, and presents his review on Pokémon Black and White Versions.

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Joining me were CharlieP79, Darth Skeptical, DaveAC, and Ian The6thDoctor. Category topics ranged from geography, to comic books, to classical music, and more. It was an excellent episode, if I do say so myself, and well worth a listen.

FNT will return this coming Friday, Christmas Eve, with a holiday-themed episode. Hope to see you there.

Besides that, my flagship show, The RaT Project Live, will be on the air at least twice this month. Next live show is 18 December at 8pm, where the topic will be, “What Makes a Villain Memorable?”. This topic looks at villains from across all forms of media (books, comics, animation, movies, video games, TV shows, etc) and debates what qualities set a memorable villain apart from all the others. Feel free to mention your own favorite villains, and explain why they are favorites.

Following that, The RaT Project Live will go on the air on Sunday, 26 December, at 8pm EST, when I’ll be hosting my second annual “Game of the Year” episode. Join Rand and guests as they look back at all the video games that came out this year for PC, PS3, XBOX 360, Wii, Nintendo DS, and PSP. Also up for discussion are new trends in the gaming industry that arose this year, including Kinect and PlayStation Move, OnLive, and many others.

Hope to see you on the live shows.

So, for those playing along at home, here’s the schedule for upcoming live episodes:

17 December, at 9:30pm EST: Radio Free Caemlyn: Friday Night Trivia XXXVII – Riddles Before the Solstice

18 December, at 8:00pm EST: The RaT Project 95 – What Makes a Villain Memorable?

24 December, at 9:30pm EST: Radio Free Caemlyn: Friday Night Trivia XXVIII – Yuletide Obscurity

26 December, at 8:00pm EST: The RaT Project 96 – Games of the Year 2010 Edition

31 December, at 9:30pm EST: Radio Free Caemlyn: Friday Night Trivia XXIX – At Year’s End

1 January, at 8:00pm EST: The RaT Project 97 – Untitled Episode