I felt free again: One of my biggest projects was over. I spend one year of work in this two campaigns. First I started to record the MS-DOS version. It was the only C&C version that I could record without lag. It was the first I ever played, too. My uncle gave it to me back in 1995. I still have the original boxart, manual and CD-ROM for MS-DOS laying inside my shelf.
But then I had the chance to capture the 1996 released C&C95 (better known as C&C Gold) without any lag on the computer of my wife. I did a long break after NOD was completed before I started GDI. I wanted to cancel GDI until in September 2009 another Lets Player started to upload it, aswell.
Lets take a look at the past before I start to continue this Diary about the next big Command and Conquer Lets Play on this planet!
Technical Problems
MS-DOS version running under DOS-BOX or C&C95 running on Windows?
Ugly 320×240p screen ressolution on a slow Pentium 4 machine
or 640×400p on a fast Intel Dual-Core?
My choise was C&C95+Dual Core. 640×400p looks much better after stretching it to 1280×720p. I used FRAPS because the Camtasia Recorder failed.
But Fraps caused lag but not that much in the beginning. The larger the level map of the mission was, the more it started to lag. I could not change this circumstance equal how much I tweaked or overclocked my wifes grafics card. Its a NVIDIA GForce 8800 GTX with a memory of 768 MB. Dont forget the Dual-Core CPU that I was mentioned before.
In the end I stayed with lag and C&C95.
With Lag but still the best video quality for a C&C Guide.
Crisis
I wanted to cancel capturing GDI after I completed NOD, because I lost the fun to play the game. Both campaigns together have a maximum playtime of about 11 hours but I used more as 20 or maybe 30 hours into recording+narrating and cut+rendering the videos! You need to know that I replay the entier game from zero every year again. And that for over 13 years now. My concentration for C&C was over the limit for 2009.
But then there was another Lets Player that played through the GDI campaign – the one I did not finished until now – and added the worst narration I ever heard. A Walkthrough should help the viewer to rule inside the game and show him the best tactics and tricks.
But this guy was unaible to play the game. I felt offendet through his work. He saved and loaded the game like a madman and did not know what to do. I could not tolerate that! I continued my work on GDI and finished it to contribute my C&C veteran knowledge to the Lets Player scene.
TyperZannxxxx: The worst Lets Player of all time? Its your decision.
Next generation
We have December 2007:
Not a single Command and Conquer gameplay video on youtube.
Nobody did a Lets Play and nobody finished a speedrun of the game that I would call my first and most loved game of all time.
It was so disapointing. I had to change this cirmustance and had to start my own Speedrun.
The first Command and Conquer gameplay video was born at the end of December 2007 and it was the first Walkthrough video I ever created.
22 seconds! Still Worldrecord for NOD Mission 1.
In the following weeks my subscribers increased and a fanbase started to grow. I had the first comments from guys saying: “I can do it better as you!”
I always answered: “Nobody believes you without any proof!” This way it started: One after another captured his Gameplay video. I was proud that I inspirated others to upload more C&C gameplay, because I was never exspecting that.
We have September 2009:
All the lag caused through the recording with FRAPS does not fit into this time anymore. There are lot of people out there that run a better computer.
I cooled down from the anger about the other Lets Players GDI guide and then it happened:
I go a private Youtube message fromiCabali. He finished his GDI walkthrough at the same time as I finished mine. And he recordet the game without any lag. I am impressed and I know now that my time is over.
A new generaton of C&C Lets Player starts to grow.
iCabali is the best C&C Lets Player of all time?
Comeback?
But now I want to know it! Is it realy the end of me playing and recording C&C?
Or can a old man return? Claim his place in the next generation?
We will find it out as soon as my next Command and Conquer Lets Plays is starting: TIBERIAN SUN!
I am not going to start uploading until I am finished with recording all the missions. You are welcome to visit my TIBERIAN SUN Diary again if you want to know what I feel and think while I am recording the game.
A3D's Let's Plays 
I would like to say thank you for your compliments on my videos. However, I believe you to be a much better C&C Let’s Player. For a start your subscriber base is HUGE. You also are better at video editing and rendering than me. I still produce black border stuff that is not really good for HD. Also on most levels you are much better, you also give audio commentary which is something I do not. (I instead give useful tips in the description).
I started very low, too. Popularity does not come alone: You need to work hard to get it.