PartyElite

Hey folks!

I'm here today with some very sad news, especially for anybody who's followed the channel for a long time. I'll warn you in advance - I'm probably going to start rambling at some point.

The year started off promisingly - got a couple videos out, made a gameplan to start hanging out on the discord again, and got straight to work on scripts for the next couple videos that I'd promised, with a clear plan to release two in February - and then everything ground to a halt, literally overnight.

I'm still alive, the channel is still alive - I'll be out of the country for a big part of March, but I've been working on a couple deep dive videos that I'd recently promised, and I've got a sponsored video for another exciting game lined up for "soon" that I'm finishing off, too - at this rate, that'll probably be the next video on the channel. So I've been working away at a variety of things, but much more slowly than I'd anticipated, because things got very busy from some unexpected angles. More than busy... things started occupying more of my headspace, and I've been unable to concentrate on the channel. Frankly, I'm probably going to remain in this funk for a little bit longer - I apologize for how slow everything has been lately, and how I'm still MIA on the Discord, but life has been somewhat unrelenting for the past 3 or so years, with something or the other constantly slowing my roll, but today...

Unfortunately, we've had to make the very very difficult decision to put Elizabeth (our lovely pet rabbit, for those who don't know) to rest. She has been with us for over 12 years - that's an exceptionally long time for a rabbit - and she's seen us graduate university, start our careers, buy a home, get married... she's been with us for a third of our lives, and she will be sorely missed.

She was doing perfectly fine until halfway through January - we woke up one day and she was showing signs of distress, so we rushed her to the vet, and thought that would be the day. But, fighter that she is, she recovered, and we thought "wow, she just keeps on ticking". But that day must've been the catalyst for what followed - she started slowing down and losing her balance, infrequently at first, but it got worse as the weeks went on. Monthly vet visits from last year quickly became weekly, and then bi-weekly, and then tri-weekly - we had her on all sorts of medication to help her fight what we thought may have been an infection... and it seemed to be helping. She was still doing all the things happy bunnies do, just more slowly - she was old after all. The vets even confirmed that her quality of life was still great. But then she stopped improving. Shortly after that, her condition started deteriorating, and we realized the right thing to do - I know what I would like for myself if I were in her position. And so we made the call and booked it in for today and, as of a few hours ago, she's gone.

The veterinary staff were all very sweet - they'd grown to love her over the years (how could you not?), so they all came in one by one to say goodbye to her too. My heart goes out to the vets and vet techs who have to perform the procedures - I don't know how they do it.... but Elizabeth quietly passed away to the sounds of our voices, receiving copious amounts of petting, and we were with her right to the end.

Even though I've had four days to prepare myself for today, I've certainly not yet processed how I feel. Writing this all out is helping, and maybe that's why I'm rambling to anybody who's still reading. I'm going to miss her - I'm going to miss how she'd come running over to the words "breakfast" and "dinner" and "cookie", or how she'd recognize the bedtime routine starting and rush over to where she'd get her nightly treat before the lights turned off, or how she'd camp outside my studio's closed doors if she hadn't seen me all day. I'm going to miss when she'd waltz into the room hearing the sound of my recorded voice making some stupid pun or getting overly excited about some upcoming game... I'm going to constantly think about how she'd come over to watch action movies as soon as the gunshots started, and how intently she watched us play The Witcher 3 (I think she had a crush on Geralt). And I'll never forget, years ago now, when she hopped onto the couch to help me test the Steam Link and Steam Controller - I was playing EU4, and with a name like Elizabeth, how could she resist joining me and teaching me how to rule?

She was more than just an amazing rabbit - she felt like she was meant for us, with a personality and tastes to match our own.

Many of you have been hearing stories about Elizabeth over the years, have asked about her, and have shared your love for her. So I only thought it right that I let you all know that this inevitable moment has come to pass.

I'm gonna need a moment folks.

Thank you for reading, and thank you, as always, for your patience.
Party

1 month ago | [YT] | 643

PartyElite

Hey folks!

Another semi-bummer of an update message from me this year, unfortunately! As you may have noticed, things have been real slow around these parts - I've had a bit of a rough October for a variety of reasons, and I've struggled to get momentum going with recording. Whether it's been bad news, hardware issues, construction sounds, or health (like this migraine I've been nursing for the last three days), it's not been a great time. I don't want to trauma dump or anything, but I did want to share an update as I've been quiet for a while, and I keep thinking I'm right around the bend from dropping some new videos before something else comes up. It's not all doom and gloom though - I got distracted by this one Civ 7 video that I thought I would've released by now, but the devs keep revealing more and more, so my script hasn't been able to keep up haha. I'll get there eventually!

You'll see a few things in the very near future for sure, though - I've got a sponsored video lined up that I'm excited for, and I'm doing some deep dive videos into upcoming games that I'd promised at the start of the year. Script writing has been slow going, but progress is happening behind the scenes.

I'm hoping to return to Workers & Resources next week, and I'm poking around in Victoria 3 and CK3 again, too. I've been meaning to dive back into those for a while, and some of the upcoming / recent DLC has certainly piqued my interest.

There's other cool stuff on the horizon too, and of course the usual slew of end of year / start of year videos that I like to do as well! So keep your eyes peeled (and wishlists ready) for those.

Just wanted to give a little update on this end, and thank you again (as always) for your patience. This has certainly been an awkward year, and I'm looking forward to getting over this prolonged hump.

Cheers,
Party

5 months ago | [YT] | 749

PartyElite

Hey all!

As you may have noticed, there haven't been any videos for the last handful of days. Sorry about that! I've not been feeling great since about the end of last week (migraines and just generally not feeling too well) so it's been a bit of a challenge to record unfortunately. I haven't been able to shake it yet either, so there's a chance that I can't get any videos done this week unless things magically turn around later tonight...

Apologies for the delay, and for the delay in sharing this update - I kept thinking I was almost good to go, but I think reality has finally set in today. Don't worry though, we'll be back in full force shortly!

Cheers,
Party

9 months ago | [YT] | 732

PartyElite

Heya folks! I hope you've been enjoying the Manor Lords coverage for the last couple of weeks - I've been having a blast, and I can definitely say "it's good to be back". I've missed the conversation in the comments, the excitement of sharing stories, and the moments that can only really happen when playing for the channel, all thanks to you!

With the game releasing tomorrow, I'm currently working full throttle on a beginner's guide series - the first video (scheduled for tomorrow!) is an absolutely massive video... there's a lot of stuff that this game does that will be completely foreign for newcomers to the genre, and even for people who are fans of city-building and colony management, so I wanted to take my classic approach here. If you have any topics you'd like to see me cover, let me know - I've got plans for a few videos, but I'm always open to your requests, as you well know.

With that said - I won't be releasing a new LP episode today or tomorrow. I've been focused on these guide videos, and so some things needed to shift around. After launch, though, we'll continue - I'm having too much fun. We'll probably go with a more reasonable "every other day" kind of schedule - I'm thinking Monday, Wednesday, Friday? We'll see how it plays out. Probably want to do a couple episodes for the weekend still.

Anyway - just wanted to share an update in case you're wondering where the video's gone for today and tomorrow - apologies to those of you who have so kindly made it part of your morning routines. It has been heartwarming to read those comments by the way - as always. Forgive me this transgression, though, as I run to the finish line for these guide videos. The series will continue, this I assure you, and there will be plenty more Manor Lords coverage beyond it too.

Cheers, and thanks as always,
Party

1 year ago | [YT] | 557

PartyElite

Had a chance to cover the new Primal Fury DLC for Age of Wonders 4 thanks to the lovely folks at Paradox. There's so much new stuff, but I was able to showcase quite a bit of it here. Now the question is - should I continue the playthrough? Who's down for more? I promise I'll try to finish the run this time! If you want to check the DLC out for yourself, hop on over to this link here - play.ageofwonders.com/PartyElite #ad

1 year ago | [YT] | 46

PartyElite

Heya folks! It's been a helluva few weeks (few months even) as you may have noticed, with the channel slowing down rather significantly lately.

Things have been a little rough for the last little while - apart from my own health issues in October and early November, my father-in-law had a heart attack in October, an uncle passed away in late November, and then two Fridays ago (Dec 7), my father-in-law suffered a cardiac arrest. He just got out of ICU and things are looking better now, for the most part, but as you might imagine, I've not been feeling like playing video games or being particularly social for the last little bit. This past week in particular, I spent very little time at my desktop, and was mostly at the hospital instead. So videos slowed down rather significantly.

Now that my FIL is in a regular ward, and visiting hours are a bit more limited, I'm going to focus on crunching my end of year / start of year videos ("best of" and "most anticipated" and the like - I love making them, they have a special place in my tradition-loving heart). I've been able to write here and there while waiting in the ICU, but you can't really record or edit videos at a hospital. Hopefully I'll be able to stay on track with those, but at the cost of let's play episodes.

So what happens to let's plays? Well, at this point, they'll likely not return until the new year - at that point, if folks are still interested, we'll keep em going. I've got a lot of plans for videos on the channel in 2024 - this past year has handed me a lot of lemons, and I'm looking forward to turning them into lemonade real soon.

Thanks as always for your patience and support - it really is greatly appreciated.

Cheers,
Party

1 year ago (edited) | [YT] | 1,198

PartyElite

Hey everybody! Little scheduling update!

As you may have noticed - release timings have been out the window for the last little while. Sorry about that - unfortunately, I got sick. It was pretty rough when I woke up last week (Friday I think it was) without a voice, and I've been extremely slowly recovering since then. While I'm a lot better now, I'm still coughing or sniffling or otherwise making sick-people-noises every couple of minutes which, I imagine, doesn't make for the greatest viewing/listening experience. I've been able to record videos that tend to have a lot of editing in them because I can do a few minutes at a time and edit around the sounds of me coughing a lung out, but an hour long episode isn't really something I can string together like that, unfortunately.

On the bright side, I'm on the tail end of it, I can tell. Next week I should be back up and running, and hopefully you guys are still interested in seeing our Baldur's Gate adventures continue (because I sure as hell am, dammit!).

In other news, despite not feeling 100%, MrsElite and I had booked a little getaway for this weekend that I'm not about to cancel - we're celebrating 1 year of being married (and moreso 16 years of being together) by going off and chilling at a cottage for the weekend. I can't believe it's been a year, what an absolute wild ride it's been haha. You can expect at least one video to release early next week, and hopefully once I'm back, I'll be feeling better and everything will be back to a degree of "normal" - if there ever was such a thing. October has some pretty exciting things coming too!

It's also Thanksgiving weekend here, and though I don't really celebrate, I DO like to thank you guys for your support over the years at every given opportunity. So, as always, I wanted to say thank you - except this time it's thank you with a turkey!

Jokes aside, thank you all for your support through the years - seriously. This last year in particular has been quite a rollercoaster with the end of last year having its residual impact on me and the channel last for a lot longer than anticipated. Knowing I have you folks at my back makes things easier, that's for sure, and so from the bottom of my heart, thank you all! With or without turkey, your call.

Cheers, and thanks again for everything!
Party

PS: Oh and here's a little look at the suit from last year. Credit to MrsElite for that tie knot (it's a little loose at this point in the night because, well, that ain't apple juice in my glass)

1 year ago | [YT] | 236

PartyElite

Struggling with The Lamplighter's League? Check out this handy set of essential tips by yours truly - https://youtu.be/yW-zz26k8qc #ad

1 year ago | [YT] | 20

PartyElite

Hey folks! Unfortunately lost my voice yesterday and still not feeling great, so the schedule is a little messy, sorry! Will be back on track soon I hope! In the meantime, on the topic of things that are SICK - check this video out: https://youtu.be/9Me3b3amQm8 #ad

1 year ago | [YT] | 23

PartyElite

Alright folks - I've spent a lot of time mulling this over, and now I'm torn. Who do we play as in Baldur's Gate 3? I've decided to go into the game with blinders on - I played partway through the opening few sequences in Early Access, and then put the game aside for a fresh playthrough experience at launch, and I'm really excited for it (and I hope you are too)!

As always, I like to roleplay rather than min-max, and not knowing what's coming is a great way to help along that path. With that said, I'm torn between two characters, and I need your vote to break my mental tie!


I'll likely kick the playthrough off on Friday with the character picked largely influenced by your vote below. Here are some details on both:

MAXX RIZZMAN

A half-elf bard, he's probably felt quite alone and isolated all his life, never really having a "tribe" to call his own. Neither elf nor human, he feels unwelcome in both spaces, and is desperate for connection, willing to go out of his way to please people (and will likely take on a lot of side-quests as a result). He hides all this behind his stage name, his music, and his ability to entertain others. A bit of a charlatan, he'd talk, lie, cheat, and charm his way in and out of trouble, and likely cause some chaos along the way. In battle he's likely to provide a support role.

BEÂR THRYLLS

A dwarf druid fascinated by root and branch over rock and gem, Beâr spent his time picking flowers and crushing herbs and wishing he were an animal, and over the years he formed an intimate connection with nature. He is jovial by nature, but stout and stubborn if pushed - willing to help people in need until they ask him to do things that would break his oaths. Infinitely curious and a little aloof, social norms and cues probably escape him, and I suspect plenty of hijinks. In battle, he'll eventually be able to turn into a bear and fight, living up to his name - I suspect he'll start in more of a support role, though.


Can't wait to get started as either of these!

Cheers,
Party

1 year ago | [YT] | 72