Chatroom FAQ

Why won't you show us your screen?!

Right now it's a technical reason. I switched over from using my own computer to stream to using a dedicated secondary computer to stream. This works better for me, since I no longer have to dedicate 50% of my processing power to streaming, but it creates a lot of problems - most notably the inability to stream my desktop.

It's a problem that I'm trying to solve, but it's an extremely difficult - and expensive - one to solve. Unfortunately, this problem might not get fixed until 2011.

What is that he's doing?

If you see code, I'm coding something - probably an IRC bot and MUD server.
If you see a game that looks like Counter Strike, it's probably Urban Terror.

How come nothing is happening?

I can't be here 24/7, so if you're bored, just relax for a while and
something will happen eventually.

What's that noise?

That's probably some music being played. If you think you hear fapping, it's my nervous twitch where I slap my kneecap.

Are we on fire?

No!

How do I become a mod?

Hang out in the room and help the community build itself up. There's no point in making you a chat moderator if you're not an active member of the community!

Beyond that, moderators are selected on an as needed basis. There's no application process, just good old fashioned personal networking.

When is the next UWW?

Whenever it's done. I try to make UWW once a week, usually on the weekends, but sometimes life gets in the way and I can't. You can usually follow the creation process by watching the live stream - I'll capture footage, script, record, and edit UWW on the stream.

Will you do X/Y/Z/System/modern/classic/stuff for UWW?

Yeah, probably. I stick with NES games for the most part because those are the ones I grew up on; but, I'll do games from other systems from time to time.

Yes, I plan on doing modern games in the future.
No, I will not do puzzle games.
No, I will not do text adventure/nethack/roguelike games.
No, I will not do adventure games (what's the point ... and click?)

When is the next D&D session?

We try to have a campaign going at least once a week, but D&D is a complicated thing - you're basically at the mercy of several peoples schedules all of which can change rapidly from week to week.

Who's in D&D?

Oh god. There are so many people that I just won't list them here.

Can I join your D&D campaign?

No.

Can I PLEASE join your D&D campaign?

No. No matter how many times or how nicely you ask, the answer is no, for one main reason:

We run D&D campaigns for our friends, and as much as we love our fans, D&D is meant to be played by a bunch of friends - it makes the dynamics of the game all that more interesting.

Let's be honest, if we did nothing but game with fans the D&D sessions would go something like this:

DM: You see a large spider with 12-inch fangs in the room ahead. It hisses in displeasure at your presence.

Player: Was Earthworm Jim REALLY that hard?

DM: The spider throws a gazebo at you.

Player: Are you SURE Pumpkinhead was as convoluted as that?

So, nothing personal, we just need some kind of escape every once in a while.

How do you run D&D over the Internet?

We use Skype for voice chat and OpenRPG as a tabletop emulator.

How do you make those maps?

I use images collected from Wizards of the Coast and put them together in an image editor (like Photoshop or The GIMP), then use those maps as a background image.

What is OpenRPG?

OpenRPG is a versatile tabletop gaming tool, although we use it primarily to simulate a tabletop environment over the Internet.

How do I use OpenRPG?

Watch this video

If you don't want to watch the entire video series, the simple procedure is:

1. Start the OpenRPG server
2. Start OpenRPG
3. Connect to your OpenRPG server
4. Have other people connect to your server
5. Add miniatures to the map, and have fun

What do you use to stream?

Currently I use:

• One dedicated computer for streaming, using Windows XP.
• VH Screen capture to capture the X-Chat IRC window on the streaming computer.
• VH MultiCam to position the captured screen, live.lordkat.com overlay, and camera
• Adobe Live Flash Media encoder to stream to Ustream.tv
• Internet Explorer to use UStream.tv's broadcaster applet

How do I play Team Fortress 2 with you?

First, get TF2 on your computer (Xbox 360 won't work), and add the following server to your game favorites list:

Server: lkmafia.game-server.cc:27015
Password: mafioso

Feel free to use the server whenever, but keep an eye on the stream to find out when I'm playing.

Help! The server is full, what do I do?

For now you have to reconnect automatically. I'm thinking of putting in some kind of time limit for players, but right now that's far into the future.

Where can I send suggestions/comments or how do I contact you?

There are a TON of ways to get in touch with me!

E-mail: lordkat@lordkat.com
Facebook: LordKaT
Twitter: LordKaT
IRC: irc.geekshed.net, #LordKaT
Steam: LordKaT
Steam Group: LordKaT Mafia
SMS/Voicemail (yes, I REALLY do get these): (812) 567-3528

Can I contact you on Skype?

No. I use Skype for business, not chatting, and I use it only for associates I've contacted before.

If you have a business proposition, feel free to use my e-mail address (I comb through it twice a day, at least)

Will you do a cameo for my show?

Probably not. Feel free to contact me about doing one, but don't be surprised if I decline the offer - I simply don't have enough time in the day to do the numerous cameo requests I get.

Will you review my show?

Probably not, for two reasons: I'm not a big fan of online videos (only a very select few, and UWW isn't one of them) and I'm NOT a good source for an opinion on how to improve. Usually my opinions boil down to "it sucks" or "it doesn't suck."

How do I get on TGWTG?

Hard work and luck. UWW didn't start out as some golden project - I got lucky, I was in the right spot at the right time, just as Channel Awesome was looking to fill out the roster for Blistered Thumbs.

I also put a lot of effort into my show - I start off bi-weekly, then quickly decided to make it a weekly show - and I kept at it. In the same light, YOU need to keep working on your product to make it better.

And that's the key concept here: continually work to make your product better.

Of course, that's no guarantee you'll get picked up. Sometimes things just don't happen or don't work out.

Will you put in a good word with Doug/Rob/Mike/Bhargav? Can you get me unbanned from TGWTG? Can you talk to Spoony for me? Will you get Lindsay to send me a photo?

No. No. No. No. No. A hundred times no. I'm not your personal "in" at Channel Awesome. I have business relationships to maintain, new ones to make, and a life to build.

Unfortunately, that means I can't go around asking favors for my fans.