Big Exciting Changes Coming to Noclip & Our Patreon in March
Added 2021-02-09 17:20:20 +0000 UTCMAYBE WATCH THE VIDEO FIRST: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYUQGSR9qJE
Hello ALL PATRONS,
Far be it from me to tell you what to do with your time but the video above is a fairly comprehensive breakdown of not only what changes we're making to the channel and Patreon, but crucially the reasons why. So if you have any questions that's the first place to look. That said, I know a lot of you have busy lives and want the cliff notes - so let me attempt to summarize...
Over the past four and a half years I've learned a lot about what works and what doesn't work. I learned about my work-life balance, our audience's expectations, what I enjoy, what I don't, how to grow a business, and how not to. I've learned where my limits are and where I can grow more. And crucially I've learned when change feels natural and positive, and when I'm trying to force it.
So, what's the plan?
On March 1st 2021 we're going to be modifying the Patreon tiers and those modifications reflect a broader change in the focus of Noclip. We will still be filming documentaries and features about contemporary games of all shapes and sizes - that's our bread and butter. We are currently working on docs for two great games from 2020 alongside our big projects on Dishonored, Prey, Black Mesa and Bugsnax.
But in the future we're also going to be putting a heavier focus on classic game documentaries, creative film production and community collaboration. Our goals are to make the best work we can regardless of the restrictions COVID-19 has places on us, to encourage more people to become patrons, and to increase our average patronage with insider productions we're excited to make. These tiers will be going live on March 1st.
Okay, what's changing in the tiers?
So please watch the video above if you want to get a better understanding of where these changes are coming from - but in short are a bunch of new rewards, one new tier and one tier being removed.
The $3 tier is being unpublished but those of you in it are grandfathered in meaning that new patrons won't see it but you'll get the rewards for as long as you're in it. I go into more detail on why $3 is being unpublished in the video above but the TL:DR is our average patronage is really low compared to other media companies and we don't talk to those people enough on here.
The $5 is remaining largely unchanged except Edit Club is moving out of it (most user engagement was in higher tiers) and we're going to be publishing early documentary sneak peek clips in this tier for you instead. Think 3-5 minute teasers from upcoming docs. From our community poles and feedback we understand that most of the $1-$5 Patrons are primarily doing so because they believe in our mission and don't want much in return so which is why we are keeping these tiers largely unchanged.
The $10 is where it starts getting interesting! On top of our ever popular Early Access we're adding three new patron-only productions; a new community podcast we're tentatively calling Loot Box where we talk candidly about our work, take questions, and review games & films. Edit Club which we've been piloting the past few months will now be in this tier alongside a monthly travelogue show called Location Scout where I take a day off editing to get lost somewhere in California, filming the entire thing. So camping in bear country while filming b-roll, talking about cameras, life and work. Think of it as our community's monthly forced vacation leave. A way for us to get out of the house and keep those filming muscles from atrophying.
Okay here we go - our new $20 tier is where is get's really strange. We're launching a new series on the YouTube Channel called Noclip Greatest Hits and people in this tier are going to help us produce it. Episodes come out every two months and each one focuses on a classic video game or studio. $20 Patrons will vote for the game we cover, join in live production meetings (or just watch the archives) and access an exclusive discord channel where we share updates on the project. Greatest Hits will feature the same production values of a typical Noclip documentary, but with the scripts and creativity of my old GameSpot shows as we interview developers and fans about classic games. So kind of like our Half-Life documentary, except shorter, every two months, and produced with our community. I cannot wait to see what people vote for.
And $30 Patrons, well - you get all the new rewards from the previous tiers so we think you'll be excited with all that! Thank you!
We will be launching the above tiers alongside a new trailer and plenty of information and fanfare on March 1st. We're also going to be using the podcast and twitch streams to record interviews for Greatest Hits and talk about the game(s) we're covering in that upcoming episode. So while the show will be produced by $20 Patrons we're also going to have that show spread out into the wider community and be part of our story on a week by week basis - as so many of our other projects have to be kept in the dark for so long.
Like I said the video above goes into more detail over the "why" of all this change, but the simplest way of putting it is after almost five years of this I imagined what I'd do if I could relaunch the patreon - and this was the result. And I've tried to do my best to add new ideas without leaving anyone behind.
I hope you're as excited as I am to take this next step. My ambition for Noclip has never waned but this refresh has me even more excited for the work we can accomplish in 2021 and beyond.
As ever your feedback is appreciated. If there anything above that you are particularly excited or disappointed about please let us know. We are still a few weeks away from launch so there is always room to wiggle stuff if we see the desire inside the community.
Thank you all so much for your continued support. It means everything to us.
I hope you'll join us on these next big steps for Noclip.
Thank you,
Danny
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NEW TIERS AT A GLANCE;
$5 - Supporter
- Exclusive Update Videos
- Exclusive Sneak Peek Clips of Upcoming Projects. (new)
- Access the Noclip Discord Server
- Access to our Behind the Scenes Video Archive
$10 - Crew Access
- Early Access to New Documentaries
- Monthly episodes of “Loot Box”, community podcast. (new)
- Monthly episodes of “Edit Club”, our video editing series. (new, kinda)
- Monthly episodes of “Location Scout”, our travel & filming series. (new)
- All previous rewards
$20 - Production Team (whole new tier)
- Help Noclip produce Greatest Hits, our new series focusing on classic games.
- Vote for the Game / Studio we cover.
- Access a Private Discord Channel where we share research and progress.
- Participate in Live Production Meetings (or watch the archive)
- All previous rewards.
$30 - Executive Producer
- Your Name in the End Credits of every Noclip Production.
- All previous rewards.
Comments
Thanks for the update. I'm happily in the $3 club. I don't want all that other engagement, I just want to support you making the content that many people get for free anyways. I have a budget of 100€ a month to spread out on Patreon (and will probably go higher over time).
Scott Muc
2021-02-23 10:35:01 +0000 UTC‘m one of those small pledges who’se just hanging around because the community deserves noclip to survive. Good luck going forward.
Quill
2021-02-13 21:59:37 +0000 UTCthe greatest hits sounds brilliant...glad to know you found projects that you're excited about. I've been more than contented to support your projects generally; it has certainly been notable how many times you seem close to pulling your own luscious hair out because you found it difficult to 'stick' to some of the new shows/podcasts you tried in the past. Looking forward to the the rest of the year
Dean Yamak
2021-02-13 04:19:26 +0000 UTCSir, you have convinced me to double my donation!
James Medd
2021-02-12 09:10:51 +0000 UTCQuestion - what about those of us who have already committed to a yearly previous tier? I originally committed to the $5 tier yearly lump before this change. Will we pay an adjusted upgrade annual fee to get the new features? Or should we wait till it expires and upgrade then?
LadyOphelias
2021-02-12 03:56:43 +0000 UTCAs an aside, I’d like to submit Metal Arms: Glitch in the System for consideration in GH. So few played such a rad, rad game. The vehicles, weapons and open map design were pretty fantastic.
Landon Robinson
2021-02-11 19:17:35 +0000 UTCSounds great. Currently in the $10 will probably bump it up when I'm in a better situation. I assume ounce it's done greatest hits will be available for everyone. Question ❓Will greatest hits be available to everyone and will it be included in early access. I wish all of the noclip community was allowed to vote or at least see the nominations and let the $20+ tiers colaborate. But you would probably just end up with the from software doc Nominations for greatest hits: Freelancer (2003) it was one of my favorite games of all time. Star Wars Knights of the old republic 1 & 2 (2003 & 2004)
Josh Daniels
2021-02-10 23:05:38 +0000 UTCI’m old school. I’d honestly be open to going STEEPER with Greatest Hits and going with the original Unreal. Was originally packaged in with Monster Fusion graphics cards. Heck, the Unreal series including UT would be cool since that game series was a watershed moment for graphics. That and the soundtrack is fun.
Jesse James
2021-02-10 10:40:59 +0000 UTCGod damn! That is one hell of an update! Currently in the $10 tier, butI really want to join the $20 tier to be a part of Greatest Hits. It sounds so exciting! Coincidentally, March is Resident Evil's 25th Anniversary!
Christopher Kelly
2021-02-10 10:19:41 +0000 UTCCurious if there is a chance to have a $15 tier that one could do? I would like help contribute to Greatest Hits series as I'm 100% in on, but too busy for the community features outside voting. And I would like to say I would love to see Greatest Hits have some big deep dives for juicer/larger stories ie like the FFXIV doc series
Steven Ngu
2021-02-10 08:57:28 +0000 UTCI also switched to annual so wondering what will happen if I switch to a higher tier. will I just get charged the difference?
2021-02-10 08:37:05 +0000 UTCI probably wasn't at much risk of dropping out of the $30 tier, but I make a bit less than I did last year, so the value analysis did cross my mind. I think this further cements me in though, because even though these are all adjustments to lower tiers, it feels like $30 is going to more. More than anything though, I'm just excited to see how enthusiastic you are about these moves. If we get UT in Greatest Hits, I hope we'll finally get some pieces of that Facing Worlds idea you teased a while back.
Brandt Hughes
2021-02-10 05:59:50 +0000 UTCAwesome! I’m at the $10 tier and recently switched to annual once you guys announced it was available. I’d be interested in switching to the $20 tier to support that new series (and plus I get more value and enjoyment out of NoClip than a streaming service that costs less than that, so mostly to support y’all), but need to see how easy that is now that I’m annual. Very much looking forward to the new year for NoClip. Don’t forget to take more than one day off a month Danny :) taking care of you makes it easier to take care of your family, so get that R&R fam.
Landon Robinson
2021-02-10 03:31:19 +0000 UTCVery exciting! I wonder if it would be fun to do a recurring show on twitch where we can re-watch some previous docs as a community, but with your added live commentary.
Andrew Reeves
2021-02-10 03:10:58 +0000 UTCReally looking forward to seeing the new content. The Greatest Hits sounds great. I may have to up my pledge to $20 and be involved. Keep it up. Nice to see the passion still, despite the frustrations of the last year. The Location Scout is a cool idea too. All the best for the March launch. Also, I'm going to be cheeky and suggest a belter of a game for Greatest Hits - Speed Freaks. The very overlooked Kart racer and made in Funcom studio in Dublin. I was actually looking at doing a piece on it. Ridiculous game.
2021-02-10 01:34:42 +0000 UTCLooks like I'm updating my tier to $20. Noclip Greatest Hits seems like a really cool idea but I just hope you don't possibly get burnt out doing docs on games the community votes on but maybe you don't want to do? That's my only fear. Everything else sounds wonderful (and I secretly would do anything for Noclip to do a documentary about the making of Knights of the Old Republic I or II).
Robert Pigott
2021-02-10 00:51:16 +0000 UTCI’ve been in that executive producer tier since day 1 and I have no plans on leaving. Very cool to hear about the classic games stuff, it turns older games also have interesting development stories! 😀
Anthony LaBella
2021-02-10 00:49:45 +0000 UTCClassic studios for sure. We'll be laying out the ground rules on the first voting posts. I'm gonna be throwing Psygnosis in the hat myself!
Noclip
2021-02-10 00:14:00 +0000 UTCIs Greatest Hits strictly limited to single games, or could it also be about legendary studios and their seminal games, like Eidos or Looking Glass for example?
TheWirv
2021-02-09 23:49:40 +0000 UTCExcited about all the new stuff coming up! Also happy I don't have to leave my $30 spot lol. Y'all have never let me down.
takeshikitano3
2021-02-09 23:30:31 +0000 UTCDanny, I love the content you are making at Noclip! And it have even introduced me to games I would not even have tried if it had not been for the docs you have made about them. Keep it up!! And I can recommend the "Executive Producer" tier for anyone that have the possibility to go for it. Thx, Danny
Kenneth Soerensen
2021-02-09 23:17:15 +0000 UTCThanks so much! but FYI the new show is public on the channel so everyone can watch it. It's just folks in that tier helping us to produce it.
Noclip
2021-02-09 22:03:26 +0000 UTCOooh, look at all the new things I'm getting 😆 Seriously, excited about the new direction you're taking this. One classic that just crossed my mind is that super old Lion King Jump'n'Run (probably way older than 15 years) that I was never even close to beating. Remember it vividly though because my dad and uncle basically locked themselves into my dad's office for the duration of a whole family reunion just to get it installed from three floppy disks and make it a surprise birthday present for me. Aaaand then I quit after falling off the giraffes' heads for a couple hours. 😂 Another thing I'd be really excited about is if you would consider Remedy as a target for another studio doc. Because I loved how Arkane let you in on their stuff and I would love to see the people around Sam Lake do that. They've made some of the most stunning games I've ever played and I feel like they've been awfully secretive about themselves, the reasons for which I can't possibly imagine. So yeah, that would be a treat. Regardless of any of that, keep up the good work. All is well. And as always: Thanks!
Björn Vahle
2021-02-09 21:47:07 +0000 UTCI'm glad to see new stuff, but $10/mo for access to Edit Club feels steep. I would love to see that included in the $5 tier!
garret
2021-02-09 21:27:45 +0000 UTCWill be bumping myself up to $10. Sad to be missing the new show, as it sounds splendid. Even though I won't see it, I'll be silently rooting for a Commander Keen doc.
W. Fry
2021-02-09 21:21:33 +0000 UTCI’ve been around $10/hr for year now. Happy to help support, i think that’s a great tier for me to stay at. Excited for greatest hits and new podcasts and stuff! Keep up the great work!
Dylan Juran
2021-02-09 20:15:34 +0000 UTCLooking forward to Greatest Hits! A bizarre game from my childhood that id love to know more about is Shufflepuck Café on the Mac. I never was able to beat Biff and frightened me as a child. Its probably too old and obscure but one that came to mind and still remember to this day :D Also, Location Scout will be a nice respite from cold long winter.
Daniel Maurath
2021-02-09 20:14:59 +0000 UTCReally excited about these new projects! I’m definitely gonna try out the greatest hits tier.
Xin Bin
2021-02-09 20:06:08 +0000 UTCJust watched the whole thing, all very exciting stuff!! Will probably be bumping myself up from $3 to $10! Cannot wait!!
Dylan Gearlds
2021-02-09 19:58:19 +0000 UTCWatched it all. Impressed with the new ideas. I'll have to check my tier now.
Bester
2021-02-09 19:51:06 +0000 UTCOhhhh this is exciting! I am already brainstorming some Greatest Hits ideas (and a few chaos picks).
Kevin O'Neil
2021-02-09 19:21:46 +0000 UTCThe Greatest Hits sounds really cool! Can't wait! I'll have to get on Discord now! And curious for the Location Scout thing!
Bavo Debraekeleer
2021-02-09 19:02:09 +0000 UTCI'm so excited for the Greatest Hits feature!
Jonathan Beckham
2021-02-09 19:00:15 +0000 UTCGreat ideas, I'm looking forward to it!
Joe Kafchinski
2021-02-09 18:18:29 +0000 UTCYea fingers crossed. Even a 25% increase would give us so much headroom. We gotta earn it though.
Noclip
2021-02-09 18:16:09 +0000 UTChaha
Noclip
2021-02-09 18:15:42 +0000 UTCGreat stuff Danny! Cool to see you so excited about it. Hoping it levels up the business like you all are hoping it will.
Steve Dennis
2021-02-09 18:12:21 +0000 UTCSkip to tiers you monster 😆
Dean Parker
2021-02-09 18:04:17 +0000 UTCIf it falls within the realm of "classic games" I would love to see something about Command and Conquer Renegade
A1steaksa
2021-02-09 17:44:08 +0000 UTCYes it's a regular show on the YouTube Channel. Sorry if that wasn't clear!
Noclip
2021-02-09 17:31:45 +0000 UTCIs the new Greatest Hits series available to watch for everyone?
Brian Rickard
2021-02-09 17:27:29 +0000 UTCLooking forward to 2021 with /noclip :)
spucktier
2021-02-09 17:26:18 +0000 UTC
