Geometry Trash: MegaCollabs 

idk how you guys are all such experts on gd history but the GD wiki told me that collaboration was the first rated collab so if you have a problem with that please complain to them!

Just want to point out that prior to me actually building anything, Anubis did give me forewarning that my part in Night Rider would likely have been cut off for cutscenes, and I still decided to build for the entire section just in case the cutscene idea didn't play out, and the only reason it doesn't still have cutscenes is because people got pretty upset about it without knowing it was kinda already planned from the get-go. Besides that and the other stuff people have pointed out, very solid video. I really appreciate the neutral tone of these videos in a sea of either unnecessarily excited, negative, or just directionless content surrounding this game and its community--well done!

Ive built 6 collab parts in 6 collabs theyre dead and took my parts with them

I agree with you pretty much fully. A megacollab can be good, but that requires a good host and a proper plan for the level. Unfortunately a lot of people forget that, just like with making extreme demons, and the main point of their megacollab is that it's... a megacollab. Something that will pretty much never end up with a good end result. For example, there's Ocular Miracle, which is supposedly space-themed, but yeah, we all know it's actually "hey let's cram 600k objects in a single level". I know I made a non-space part in it myself but hey, being part of a problem doesn't stop me from complaining about the problem.

ngl I forgot about Night Rider super quickly after that one progress video that Anubis uploaded

About Night Rider. I've taken some measures in trying to get it finished because after all, Anubis has been very inactive for the past what's almost a year now. The cutscene implementation was our idea from the very beginning, but since Anubis didnt have any concrete ideas for it and how to execute it, we're discussing its implementation in the level. In a way your speculation about the storyline thing was correct. The level has picked up some steam again but don't get your hopes up. In the end its just a level and nothing to get worked up about whatever may happen to it. Another point about megacollabs: Hyping them up way too early is a mistake and let Night Rider be an example for it. Anubis announced the level way too early in regards to its development and that created way too much hype for the level while it still was in development. This caused the creator team to be fairly active at the beginning, but when the hype died out and everyone sort of forgot about the level. The creating team started to lose interest and people started dropping parts. This was also because of poor creator choices for the level. Setting a way too high standard isnt good for your level since it will be hard to reach those standards, especially when they amplify in people's imaginations. Lower standards for yourself makes exceeding the expectations much easier and thus creates a positive surprise. I guess that's it then. Dont get hyped up about anything. Especially about GD levels. EDIT: And for the record, Anubis DEFINITELY did NOT replace creators after they finished their part. One part was lost because the creator abruptly disappeared when he was building.

WHErwin, I only have one issue, the proper response to "hi wanna collab" is "Yes, as long as you do all the work, and i get to put the level on my account"

everytime i start a solo i lose inspiration and give up so i just build in collabs so i can build something that actually goes in an actual level

the first collaboration was Velocissimo actually i do agree that megacollabs are extremely... lets say.. *fragile* without proper supervision, any megacollab is doomed to fail whats interesting is that megacollabs are arguably the most polarised type of levels in GD, since both good and bad ones definitely do exist. Some of the best levels currently are megacollabs (such as Ouroboros, Idols, Catharsis and the list goes on), but there are a lot of fucking bad ones (no examples neede i guess) one more point is that the increasing popularity of megacollabs derives from the high standarts for creators, as well as laziness. Of course, people would prefer to build a 15 to 30 seconds long part than creating a solo levels which are usually several times longer than that great video, all points are solid and well-presented, good job)

People making megacollabs to get their first creator points is also a problem. You gotta make solo levels before you should join megas imo.

This video is largely correct, megacollab oversaturation is a huge problem and even worse is hosts and collaborators that just don't care (not that I've never done that, because I have). But you did skip out on the fact that theres a good amount of megacollabs that properly represent the style they're conveying. The best examples I can give from personal experience are PanMan's megacollabs, all 3 of them have solid themes that are done well, and though they have style variation, I think that brings charm and personality to megacollabs. Either way its a good video, I just think you could have spent a little more time focusing on the good than just the bad.

this video is odd for me since i gain well over 50% of my audience from various megacollab parts, mostly due to being in like 20 megas overall, and quite a few big ones at that. if you're just as dedicated to megacollab parts as you are to solos, then it will very likely pay off. However, I still dont recommend going down this path, as it eventually becomes really boring and repetitive. oh and yes gridlocked is insanely unbalanced and unfun

Velocissimo was the first megacollab, other than that good video

"WHErwin wanna collab" "No die" (die is optional but recommended) I laughed so hard at this IDK why 🤣

"toxic electricity" that's just what happens when a mom finds out her electricity bill is being wasted entirely on a stupid megacollab

Your part in Spacial Rend is actually my favorite part.

“This is Geometry Dash not Persona 5” that quote made my day

The only thing you missed is that Artificial Ascent is also a very good megacollab with a well executed futuristic heaven theme, I wish we could see more levels like this being made, plus it had great gameplay.

I agree with all your points, this was actually a pretty well made video. Also, there’s still a ton of megas with good themes but aren’t as well hyped as stuff like ouro, like distraught, Belloq, and The Yandere. Madmansion, a remake mc of Madhouse, is also soon to be one of those, I respect this mc a lot since Mindcap is taking extra long on this to ensure the parts are well balanced and consistent with theme!

I missed your rants and commentary videos so much dude. keep uploading it. This is actual content id be down to watch man.

This is the first time I come across you and I came. I absolutely love this content (GD, informative, actually learning something, fun to watch, talking while there is gameplay on the bg, slightly sarcastic at times). Keep it up!

I agree with everything you said, and you somehow keep it entertaining, funny, and amusing. The part about playtesting that cut to God Eater was hilarious, and the dead collabs part with Fusion Z was also great. My favourite video of yours, and I'd love to see some more quality content.

I personally think of Zodiac as (Phobos 2.11)

Zodiac synced perfectly with wherwin going wherwin mode, 6:18

I think that there are so many megacollabs because for some people it's just difficult to gain enough motivation to finish a solo level, and in a megacollab you usually just make a 5 seconds part. Because of that, it's much easier to finish your work, and it's often a good idea to get more experience in creating when you're fairly new into it. I still think that if you want to get significantly better at creating, you need to make at least one solo level, as they often are a test of your patience and creativity. There are megacollabs that have a good and consistent theme but yeah, it seems that for a lot of people it's difficult to stick to a theme, making some parts look out of place. Also about Night Rider, I think the main reason why it's going so slow or it has failed so much, is that they've set too high standards for them. Why did they act like it's the "best level ever"? I'm pretty sure that if they weren't that overly confident about the level, it'd be much easier to build it, as they've just put unnecessary pressure on them.

This is the first video of yours I've seen, and it's very entertaining. I'll be watching a lot more of your videos from now on.

I clicked this half expecting a joke, but you actually made a lot of clear and good points which I’ve personally witnessed before. Nicely done!

Really well said, it’s sad to see such a cool idea like megacollabs turn into this

I like how WHErwin is secretly harassing visible ray through the entire video

I love how the only reason Mystic is memorable was due to it being bad lol. But now it's regained popularity due to those cursed "mystic clubstep monster" memes.

The one thing I have to say is that Megacolabs give you experience. I always join them so I can try something new that I might not be willing to make a solo level for, I then can use the skills I've learned from working with other people for myself.

Your new narration style sounds good by the way.

A note about NR. I have not changed anyones work who has built in the level. From the beggining parts where 10 seconds so when i gave it to krmal i told him he could build 20 but we wanted a cutscene. It was my plan from the start to have this interactive cutscene and the story was one of the first things i thought about. I believe that a bit of your information sounds like it has come from people who are upset with me, which i can agree with as the level has taken a long time to come out. What you all dont understand is that i started the level even earlier than the first preview, so i have been waiting the longest for what i consider my prize mc. Of course i do agree, it has been taking a long time and this is my fault, but it is very hard to "motivate" players when all you can do is say "build, your part is great lets finish it". I believe that it is far more complicated than most people think, as they also do not know the countless hours and hours i have put into hosting this mc. School has gotten in the way so can you really blame me? If you still can then you dont deserve the level to come out. Honestly, i want the level out because it is for the builders in the level. Its supposed to bring together my favorite creators of gp and decoration for one final parting gift. This level is made for the community yes, but really its made for everyone who has participated in it. I want everyone to enjoy the level. So lets get this shit finished ya?

Night Rider is a big example of a level being overhyped, set with too high standards, and lack of management from Anubis. That's kinda why most of the creators in the MC (including me) either were inactive or just left.

This right here is why I don’t join megas

nice work dude! Amazing video with great points and facts, keep it up!

You're honestly the only good gd RU-vidr anymore. Great video

Space Magic is also a good example of putting a story in your level.

Great video. I organised a collab with some friends from everyplay for the heck of it, and decided to make it 1.9 styled, which sounds generic but I didn’t want a “modern” level that could have looked ugly as shit, just something we were happy with.

I also think megacollabs where one person makes gameplay and a bunch of other people decorate with a somewhat consistent theme in mind can come out well too, and gameplay can even help make deco more cohesive in the end. The best example of this: belloq

Viprin be like: WaNnA CoLlAb fRiEnD, cReAtE 90% oF ThE LeVeL. aNd uPlOaD On mY AcCoUnT!!1!

I agree with most your points here, but there's a few I have to disagree on. The most prevalent one being that people only become popular through solo levels, and no one gets popular by just making collab parts. I know of lots of people that gained popularity from megacollabs; Isane, Brittank88, Helpegasus, Voltrix, GaidenHertuny, Zero, SuRge, and many more; all these people have either zero or a very small amount of solo levels that haven't gained much traction, and most if not all of their popularity has come from their parts in megacollabs. I'd also like to say that megacollabs CAN take a much shorter time than solos, and that depends entirely on the host. A host that doesn't keep the spirit of the level alive is what causes megacollabs to die. This might be a bit egotistical to use myself as an example, but I've basically been carrying Calculator Core on my back and that's why it's been done so efficiently. There's only one part left and the creator is almost finished, and the level was only revealed 5 months ago, which is loads faster than any recent megacollab of this size. And it's got a lot to do with me basically pouring my heart and soul into it. Instead of trying to work to find another person after someone drops it, usually I finish their part for them. I've done that to 6 different parts so far which is more than 25% of the entire level. Not saying this to pat myself on the back (even though I am quite proud of myself lol); but the host is entirely responsible for keeping the collab afloat. The reason megacollabs take so much longer is because of the host. With the right host, a level can be built in as little as 5 months, or maybe even shorter (I definitely have made a few errors, and I believe that if I didn't make those errors, the level would actually be done by now). I guarantee that a 3.5 minute solo level would have taken far longer than that. TLDR: Everything depends on the host. Everything. A level doesn't just fall apart for no reason if the host is good. If a level does well, that's because the host was good. If a level does poorly, that's because the host was bad. It's honestly as simple as that.

My favorite MC gotta be Idols. The lvl feel so organized and has a themed. I hope to see future MC like that.

I was in a megacollab once in which we managed to build three parts in about 9 months then it died.

Next video: Geometry Gangs: SCROLL WHEEL GANG

At first I thought you would just hate on megacollabs but you actually said some important and good thing. Good video!

if i took a shot every time you played footage of a megacollab i'm in, i'd be fucking dead nice video tho, made some good points and i agree with pretty much everything you said tbh

Hosting one is a nightmare so I gave up

Question for Anubis: Who the hell is good enough at gd art to make a cutscene. Multiple, actually.

Ur an actual hero for saying people care about zodiac for its difficulty. I would also put crimson planet there. Anyways I agree with ur points u made but I think u forgot the fact that everyone tries to be the new hardest level, takes a too long for verification, doesn’t get rated because it’s not impressive, and everyone cries and says GD is dying. I wish megacollabs were what they once were, a group of friends doing it for FUN.

One of the best parts of a megacollab is the different styles!

the only reason zodiac is #1is because of the reason you stated. It's so inconsistent and unbalanced that they had no idea where else to put it

I did a megacollab once Took me 4 months Then tried to do a solo level Took me 3 weeks

I fully agree with the poor management part tbh. Occasionally I join random collabs on the steam forums going like "100 pEoPlE mEgAcOlLaB tOp 1 eXtReMe dEmOn" and some other stuff amongst those lines, and almost none of the tens of megacollabs I joined stayed alive for more than a day. And the ones which DID prevail for more than 24 hours usually had awful decorators/builders in the place of a host who probably was just trying to get some decent creators on board to make a level for him to upload. (for the record, the longest lasting collab I was ever in stood its ground for a week with 2.5 finished parts) EDIT: alright, I am still in one that's been going for about three months by now, but there is barely any activity in that one so I'm counting it as basically dead

This is your best video yet

0:59 idk why, but I love rewatching this part not because of the hate comment, but of the fact that the keyboard clicks sound like they are being synced of to the gameplay in the background of someone playing it lol

Honestly, even with all this true evidence i really can only build 10 second levels so joining a megacollab would be amazing.

I personally think that the main problem with megacollabs is that there are an uncountable number of extreme demon difficulty megacollabs that were created just to be hard. Not much effort was put into the design or gameplay integration and they become forgotten, messy, and super difficult levels that no one cares about.

Nice video, maybe you could make a geometry trash video on bossfights? Cause many of them are so similar even though they've got a lot of potential..

Really elaborare and well planned video *cough* unlike most megacollabs *cough*

If my collab is dead, I'll take all of the layouts they make and decorate it myself

4:04 I joined a small megacollab with a volcano style, I was excited for the experience of working for it. But one of the people made a layout for there part and then went silent. They were on discord so they weren’t dead, but they didn’t do anything for 3 MONTHS, so everyone was sick of the wait and dropped out, so now that level is dead...

I agree with some things with some not quite so I'll just say this You were a bit too harsh because there are some good megacollabs but yeah there are some really unconnected ones But I have to say sth about the night rider thing, I think cutscenes in gd are a good and creative idea and I don't think that's the reason they would suck in NR, I think it's mainly because it's a god fucking extreme demon, if you're putting a cutscene in an extreme demon it's almost as bad as adding that intro to woodkid (oh god that, it's cool but to an extreme demon why) I think the overall theme of night rider (seen from the parts that are finished as of right now) is very well executed but implementing a story mode through cutscenes in an extreme demon is a bad idea That doesn't change the fact gameplay is totally unconnected (eg. surv's and ilreli's part) And yeah cutting krmal part in half was a dick move even tho it got reverted but his gameplay is cancer anyways 8)

About a story thing you should talk about Requiem instead of Killbot because it has a way deeper one and is overally a better level. Anyway good vid.

I honestly feel like we could learn something from the Create-A-Pokemon project.

I don't usually comment but this time I will because this video is awesome I really like it.

Well, WHErwin was correct about Killbot having a story, which was about cyberbullying, Killbot represents the bully, the disturbing message represent the threats you could receive, and the player represents the one being bullied and who is being driven to suicide, but, Lithifusion's other level, Requirem is, meant to represent the grief he had to go through when his friend David, had taken his own life, the spirits in the level are warning you, to not give in, not to make the same mistake that they have made.

I think that a good example of a megacollab is Idols. Idols has a good theme of 1.9 nostalgia that is carried out throughout the level, and it is very memorable and not generic in the slightest. If every megacollab was that good then that would be brilliant. However, that is not the case.

Arround a year ago, I joined a megacollab. It was supposted to be one of the hardest levels in the game. The host organised a CC to choose 12 people to build in it. I actually passed the CC but then, out of the blue, the host organised yet another CC to choose even less people. People (myself included) started building their parts. A week later that Discord server was closed and I later discovered that the verifier (and the host of the level) was a hacker. The level died in less than two months...

The one time I joined a megacollab only 3 parts ended up finished, mine, the host’s, and one other guy. Everyone else just got lazy

This is a very good video

You just earned a new sub! Very good video and I agree with you :) 🔝🔥

RU-vid really likes this video like ive already watched it and it gets recommended to me every 5 videos

Nice editing dude

Host and the other creator's parts: "I'm going down and i'm taking you with me!"

It's difficult to find good solo levels, those are always my favorite kinds even if they have flaws

the funny part is that i’m procrastinating on my part in the megacollab i’m hosting

Hey, I discovered your channel and I love your content! Subbed for future content 😎

A collab can be good, If you do it right. But idk the risk of failing is still high

All the things in this video makes sense, but the main reason i think collabs are better for me because i lose insperation farely quick in a solo level. I aim for around a minute and a half length of a level but can only decorate around 30-40 seconds because i lose interest and insperation quick.

The only time people should ever collab is if there is clear theme, difficulty, responsible verifier, and the creators ACTUALLy CARE ABOUT THE LEVEL

When WHErwin actually likes Lithifusion's creation... That's illegal.

I agree almost entirely. My only gripe is about night rider. Night Rider is my fav level for some reason but i respect cuz that was before night rider was completed. I even like the gameplay and im happy that you did give night rider justice. You said its the best extreme demon megacollab! So thats cool.

Thanks for using like 7 Megacollab parts I made. Lmfao. Good video tho.

A Solo level is just a megacollab but the parts are from You, you in a week, you in two weeks and you in four weeks hosted by You and you in five weeks who then uploads it onto his account after a great act of coordination. You in three weeks dropped out because he was out of ideas and his part was replaced by you in four weeks

i mean,for me personally,i like joining megacollabs,i dont have much talent,and im not really planning on getting popular in gd anytime soon,cause i make levels for fun,and not for popularity,sure it is pretty fun seeing a level you made blow up,but thats not really my goal,so i join mega collabs since i dont really have much to do,so itts not really a waste of myy time,and seeing your part in a giant level is also really fun its like with youtube comments if you make a standalone comment,no one will see it if you comment on a comment that is popular,everyone will see it,and in turn gives you more people knowing about you thats how i describe it at least

So the main idea of the video (at least from what i got from it) was a host needs to be fairly adaptive with the problems that may come up with a megacollab and needs to communicate the idea, and needs to be fair with the distribution of the parts.

This video motivates me to join more megacollabs

I like all the all the colabs terron did

Aight I need advice So I'm in a XL N.O.N.G. Megacollab. Im extremely far from done (not even done with the gameplay) and some people are finishing. It has an extremely boring "glowy 1.0 style that i really hate building. Should i just dip out? P.S. The parts are extremely uneven and i have the longest part by far. Im also out of ideas for the gameplay. Also, im really annoyed at the collab since i built around 20 seconds of gameplay when the host told me to basically redo it all from scratch. P.S. 2: Also im getting a VR headset in a week so the chances of me playing GD any time soon are close to none

I don’t really need to worry about consistancy and stuff because I’m the host and the verifier of an upcoming space themed non-art easy demon which I haven’t announced yet and this whole comment has been written in one sentence, holy moley.

this is a really good video

What about killbot makes you hate it? I don’t think it’s GOOD, but it isn’t BAD, right?

I was gonna make a video exactly like this talking about why extreme demons are bad for GD, but you covered a lot of my points help

Nicely done.

"YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE" died in that part

I always felt this way towards megacollabs. When I tried to make one myself, about 4 years ago, it failed horribly due to bad organization. Glad you addressed that, great video 👍

I like the yandere it’s very consistent and has the same theme the whole level

Yay WHErwin uploaded video

Here's some advice that people used in Construction that could apply in a megacollab. "Measure twice, cut once." Hope this helps when hosting a megacollab, ANUBIS!