ConflictNerd

The short-lived "Blue Era" is over!
Long live the "Dark Blue/Purple" Era!

Also, Anno 117: Pax Romana starts TOMORROW!

1 week ago | [YT] | 185

ConflictNerd

Here's an update on the Manor Lords A/B testing that started about a week ago, for those of you that may be curious! :)

Numbers are currently putting Thumbnail B (no border, game name in corner) in the lead, with Thumbnail C (no border, episode number in corner) in second, with Thumbnail A (border, game name in corner) in third.

The percentages don't vary by all that much, except for Episodes 2 and 4, so I don't think there's a definitive winner here, but interesting either way. I had a feeling that this would end up being the outcome though.

1 week ago | [YT] | 85

ConflictNerd

You might have spotted some thumbnails changing back and forth today. That's because I'm running a handful of A/B/C tests to see what works and what doesn't, based on the numbers YouTube throws my way.

For now, the tests are just running across all Manor Lords and Jurassic World videos, with Manor Lords also having a set of thumbnails in the mix that feature the episode number in the bottom left corner.

My goal with this is simply to see what gets more clicks and what doesn't. I really like the colorful borders around videos, and it makes it easy to spot specific series at a glance, but it does look a bit messy on the channel's videos tab. The lack of a border, while keeping a specific color for accent text (or the corner accent on the numbered thumbnails) is undeniably cleaner, while keeping a bit of that series-branding idea.

All of this is to say that I'm curious about your opinion on all of this. Do you prefer Thumbnails A or B? Do you prefer episode numbers, or no numbers? Which thumbnails, from your time on the channel, have been your favorites?

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2 weeks ago | [YT] | 148

ConflictNerd

Hey everyone,

First off, no I'm not quitting YouTube, taking a break, or any of the usual list of reasons that cause me to write-up some kind of big ol' announcement - although, yes, this is a health thing... again...

Cutting to the chase, I'm pushing really hard for some tests to find out what the hell is wrong with my ol' brain. I've known for a few years that something was up, but these past weeks and months my mind has just become an absolute cacophony (which is a wonderful, underused word) of thoughts that I can't stop. They're not bad thoughts. it's nothing like that. It's just... all thoughts, all the time, without an off switch, ever. From the moment I wake up, until I finally pass out from exhaustion because I can't switch-off to sleep, it's an absolute artillery of non-stop nonsense.

Sometimes it'll be a song, or a memory, or something I can't do anything about right at that moment, or I'll end up wondering if I should have done X when I did Y in some situation either five minutes or five years ago, or it'll be a moment from a TV show, or movie, that plays on repeat, or it'll be thoughts of how I should be working, but then I can't work, but then I should be, then straight into thoughts about how maybe I should clean the house, but I can't focus, but my bedroom needs a dusting, the yard's filthy, I need to mow the lawn... The list goes on, and on. I'm almost thirty-two, so it's not so much that I'm struggling to do the basics that any grown adult is expected to do, it's that even when I manage to get something done it's a struggle to focus on that very task that's right in front of me.

Having talked with many, many people about this these past few months, everything I'm experiencing points to a form of ADHD that's likely been manifesting itself for a majority of my life. Of course, I'm not going to self-diagnose and be that guy that tries to tell doctors what I've read about online - but I've also spoken to some friends that work in the mental health field and... yeah, it's looking that way which is, in a way, a relief because it's something that can be tackled and maintained and controlled.

The truth is that this has impacted just about everything I do, from hobbies to work. I'll sit down to play guitar for a bit and, within minutes, my mind has gone off elsewhere. With work, I'll sit down to make some videos and, within another handful of minutes, I find myself struggling to focus on what's right there in front of my face, and I scrap it because the video just kind of sucks in the end. This all tends to culminate in days and nights where I start five or ten different tasks, while completing none of them. Even when I just try playing games for fun, or going for a walk, or watching a movie... My mind's never focused on that task for long at all.

Unfortunately, Northern Ireland's healthcare isn't particularly fast and so if I stick with that as my only angle of attack then I could be looking at between three and eight years for an actual diagnosis and treatment as an adult. While private healthcare options are much more expensive, they're also considerably faster, averaging between two and three months between beginning the process of seeking a diagnosis and receiving treatment. In short, I'll be taking the private healthcare approach, and hoping to start really turning this around in the next few months - and, honestly, I couldn't even look at that as an option without your continued support, so thank you - seriously.

When it comes to YouTube and Twitch stuff, I'm just going to do what I can, when I can. If we still have a working channel by the end of this, that's great. If not, and the algorithm's finally had enough of me, then that's cool too. All I'm saying is that I'm not giving up on this, and I'm hopeful that this'll be a major step in getting back to where I want to be, and who I want to be again.

Love you guys. ❤️

1 month ago | [YT] | 760

ConflictNerd

I've seen some comments on my first two videos back that are "for the algorithm," or along those lines - or that are talking about struggles that some of you have been through over the last thirteen years that this channel's been around...

I see you, and I appreciate you more than I can put into words. Thank you for your patience while I've been away. It's good to be back, and it's good to see so many of you still here and still commenting after all these years. ❤️

2 months ago | [YT] | 381

ConflictNerd

I made another YouTube channel where I can do some very "Not ConflictNerd" things, like playing, sharing, and talking about all of the other games I love outside of the simulator, management, and city-builder genres.

First video's up on ‪@PeacefulDork‬ right now! :)

3 months ago | [YT] | 38

ConflictNerd

📢 IMPORTANT UPDATE

I'll have a video about this closer to the time, but at some point in the next couple of weeks I'm going to be taking a break from posting for a little while - probably no more than a month.

To be brutally honest with you... I'm just really burned out.

I haven't been posting on YouTube as regularly as I promised, but lately it's like the universe has just been throwing more and more shit my way to stop me doing the things I love to do; so I'm going to take some time off to deal with that shit, and kick the universe's ass a bit.

My entire recording setup is acting up due to a combo of old hardware and recent damage due to extreme temperatures in the office (I wish I was joking), I'm hopefully getting A/C installed in the office soon to deal with the 35C+ temperatures in here lately, my audio hardware is on the way out... but I'm also finally picking up a standing desk and ergonomic chair... so the office will be getting a bit of a rebuild soon! It's just a bit of a warzone right now.

Before my break, I want to wrap up some of the ongoing series, but not by rushing them or cutting them short, so Transport Fever 2 has plenty more episodes to come, and I'm bringing back Two Point Museum (again) 'cause I've been having a lot of fun detailing in that game lately and I think we can have some good vibes with it.

Anything else will have to wait.


Finally, and importantly, a major part of taking this break is going to involve me trying to find a new approach to what I do. The same format I've been using for almost thirteen years is, sadly, a bit tired now. I want to shake things up, grow, and adapt, while still staying very true to who I am.

So, basically, expect the same rants and rambles, the same nonsense, just in a slightly different package, eventually.

And no, this change isn't going to be paired with a rebrand... this time. Some long-term viewers will know just how common those used to be!

3 months ago | [YT] | 525

ConflictNerd

Two Point Museum has a new DLC! I was going to have a video about it going out yesterday, but my recording corrupted... So let's restart Momento Mile, right now, over on Twitch, and then I'll get a video of the new stuff for ya' tomorrow! :) www.twitch.tv/ConflictNerd

4 months ago | [YT] | 130

ConflictNerd

News!

Sorry for the radio silence this past week. Thanks to the recent heatwave here in the UK, my office got up to 35C - 40C (95 - 104F) at times, without any air conditioning, and with super-high humidity. It was like a soupy, sweaty, swamp in this room and, despite my best efforts, there was little I could do to cool it down enough to consistently have any machines running, so everything was just off for most of the day, for about a week. I tried just putting up with it but... yeah, that made me sick as hell.

Thankfully, progress is being made on a proper air conditioning solution so, if all goes to plan, this is the last summer where I'll have to miss out on days and weeks of work due to the weather... which is weird, because I play video games... yeah...

To be clear, I know this is very much a "first world problem," and I know that there are people out there working in that same heat, and pushing through. I am, as I have been told, "built different." That is to say that I'm built like a carton of milk and react similarly when left in the heat for too long.

Anyway, there's some more Transport Fever 2 available RIGHT NOW for Channel Members, which will be available for everyone at 5pm both today and tomorrow, with the now-overdue Members Q&A going out on Sunday. I'm aiming for more Cities: Skylines 2 on Monday and Thursday next week, at which point I'm hoping to keep it somewhat regularly scheduled.

Appreciate your patience! Thank ya'! :)

4 months ago | [YT] | 318

ConflictNerd

Some News!

🏙️ Cities: Skylines II was going to be back today, but some mods are still acting weird!
I'm hoping to be back in Columbia County on Saturday, and playing around with a bunch of the new stuff that came in the Quays & Piers Update yesterday!

🚆 We're returning to Transport Fever 2, for one last series, and it starts TODAY!
Members can catch the first three episodes of the series right now, otherwise they'll be out for everyone at 5pm BST on June 12, 13, and 15.

⭐ Members Q&A!
There'll be a Members-Only Q&A video going out next week, so if you haven't submitted your question either on Discord or on the recent Members-Only post right here on YouTube, make sure you do it soon!

5 months ago | [YT] | 144