Month: October 2019

Whether you are a diehard survival horror gamer or are just looking for something a little creepy to help set the mood, we have curated a list of 7 games for you to stream this Halloween!

It’s Halloween! A time for Trick or Treaters, pumpkin carving, or dressing up in costume and hitting the town. Or you could just stay in and stream video games. Though what game are you gonna play?

You could go with the classics such as Resident Evil, Silent Hill or Outlast or even jump into Dead By Daylight. We wouldn’t blame you. But for those looking for something a little different, we wanted to suggest a handful of games that have maybe been somewhat overlooked and will help your live stream score extra points for originality this October 31st. 

Lost in Vivo

Released towards the end of last year, Lost In Vivo is an indie horror title in the vein of classic survival horror games such as Silent Hill or Fatal Frame. Developed by KIRA and played entirely from a first-person perspective, Lost In Vivo tasks you the player to venture down into the storm drains and sewers in search of your lost corgi. It’s a deliciously simple setup beautifully realized in the game’s opening moments, with a grimy aesthetic reminiscent of classic PlayStation games and a whirring industrial soundtrack that recalls the work of Akira Yamaoka.

As you venture deeper into the sewers and soon into a whole manner of other locales, Lost in Vivo continually twists and turns, disorientating the player into a nightmare dreamscape from which to escape. A stunner from beginning to end, Lost in Vivo is a fantastic throwback to classic horror games, reinterpreting and remixing what makes them work for modern players. Also, it has a Corgi. A CORGI!

Pathologic 2

Developed by Ice-Pick Lodge and published by tinyBuild Pathologic 2 casts you in the role of a doctor, thief, detective, or all-round miscreant in a small town slowly being devoured by a deadly plague.

You the player have 12 days to save the town from a fast-spreading disease and itself, all while staving off illness, hunger, and keeping yourself alive and relatively sane. Pathologic 2 moves away from linear jumpscares instead opting to create a deeply unsettling atmosphere, where characters talk to you in cryptic riddles all while a clock slowly ticks down to you and the town’s demise. At the time of its release, Pathologic 2 received some critical backlash for being too difficult but has since been updated to include all manner of options to tweak the game as you see fit. Pathologic 2 is a great title to stream due to its semi non-linear narrative and its ability to give the player many tough choices which can be a fantastically engaging experience for you and your viewers. 

The Missing: J.J Macfield and the Island of Memories

How is this for a hook? The Missing is a 2D puzzle platformer that often requires the player’s character to inflict self-harm as a means of progression through the game. A small game with something to say, The Missing is a slightly different approach to horror, catapulting the player into a ghoulish premise with a multi-layered narrative.

Cast in the role of J.J, you the player must explore the island of Memoria in search of your missing best friend. As you proceed through the game you quickly discover that as you sustain injury your character always survives, regardless of being battered, bruised, burned, or missing limbs. Both a deeply personal work that meditates on life, love, and loss and a twisted darkly comic body horror, The Missing is a singular work by White Owls Inc, directed by seminal auteur Swery65. 

Man of Medan

Developed by Supermassive Games, Man of Medan is a spiritual successor of sorts to Sony’s 2015 horror adventure Until Dawn.

Pitched as the first of a new series of short stand-alone games known as The Dark Pictures Anthology, Man of Medan at once feels like a throwback to classic adventure and survival horror games, while also utilizing similar choice-based mechanics seen in the likes of Telltale’s The Walking Dead series. Utilizing a continuously branching narrative, a full cast of controllable characters and a rather unique online co-op mode optimized for audience interaction, Man of Medan is a ghost story perfect for a short concentrated burst of terror. 

Hunt: Showdown

Set in a fantastical interpretation of the backwaters, bayous, and swamps of Louisiana, Hunt: Showdown is a tactical PVP first-person shooter that utilizes a dynamic environment full of all manner of nightmarish creatures.

Each game supports up to 12 players, who set out to track a monstrous bounty. Choosing to either team up, or go it alone you must stalk and hunt the monster all the while collecting gear and avoiding mobs of smaller creatures, and other players. Developed by Crytek, the makers of the Crysis trilogy, Hunt: Showdown is beautiful, dynamic, and quietly revolutionary in how it aims to mix up the ebb and flow of multiplayer games, creating dynamic and shocking moments for you and your audience. 

Moons of Madness

Moons of Madness wonderfully asks the question, “what if Doom except you’re not the Doom Slayer?” Facing off against cosmic horrors, Moons of Madness is a first-person adventure set on Mars. As an ordinary engineer stationed on a remote research outpost, you must do battle against your rapidly deteriorating satiny and all manners of Lovecraft-inspired denizens. By far the newest release on this list, Moons of Madness has already started to generate some buzz, offering a beautifully realized and terrifying world for players to explore, and a fantastical narrative grounded by an interactive explorable station.  

Darkwood

After a protracted phase in Early Access, Darkwood was released back in 2017 and has quickly grown a cult following thanks to its eerie and inspired setting, and unique take on survival horror gameplay.

Finally making the jump to consoles earlier this year, there has never been a better time to check out Acid Wizard Studio’s Darkwood. A top-down horror roguelike, you are tasked with choosing to fortify your cabin or venturing out into the night, scavenging and exploring a dark and shifting world. Featuring some wonderfully acerbic dialogue, a cast of colorful characters, and some truly shocking set pieces, Darkwood offers an incredibly unique and new perspective on classic survival horror. Just make sure you are holding a weapon when you hear a knock on your cabin door at night. 

These are just a few games we handpicked on sale now but do let us know what spooky games you will be streaming over the Halloween weekend.

Streaming is a great way for players to share their own personal gameplay experiences online in real-time. Here gamers have the chance to display their talents while sharing their own unique reactions to certain set-pieces to entertain people. All you have to do is just be yourself, this is a great way for players to kickstart their online gaming careers, by putting themselves out there, and finding an audience who wants what they have to offer.

It all sounds great, but just like driving, or performing surgery, there are a lot of different ways it can go wrong, and a lot of different problems that you’ll encounter along the way, some more than others.

Here are three of the most common problems that people face whenever they’re trying to do a live stream.

Insufficient Bandwidth

This is something a lot of first-time users find themselves facing whenever they try to live stream themselves gaming. They try to use the live gaming feature on their console or PC, but then they get a warning saying they don’t have enough signal strength to broadcast, and when they try to share their gameplay anyway, they end up getting cut-off in the middle of playing.

This can happen unexpectedly too, sometimes you can’t even start broadcasting video for more than ten minutes without the signal cutting off, other times you manage to record a live stream for more than an hour before the video starts to cut out. 

This happens for a multitude of reasons, one can be because there’s more than one person using the wifi in your house, and you don’t have enough internet to share. Or it can also mean that your wifi connection doesn’t have enough gigahertz to support a live broadcast, which is understandable. 

For players who want to record videos of their gameplay or do a gaming livestream, you’re going to need a network connection strong enough to carry your broadcast for as long as you need it to.

A lot of general wifi networks don’t normally have the capacity needed to properly support a video stream, and uploading one takes up a lot of data, but that doesn’t mean you should start spending money to better upgrade your plan. There are other options you can go for so that you can save money, and apply for another data subscription.

The best solution you can look for is to use the XSplit Broadcaster software in order to give you a better signal strength connection that can support video streaming, and uploading. This streaming software will allow you stream yourself doing gameplay, or a podcast for as long as you want, hours on end without having to worry about getting cut-off. XSplit will also allow you to upload pre-recorded videos faster in a matter of minutes instead of just hours.

Bad Audio Output

There are going to be few instances when your streaming, and you’re going to find the sound quality on your videos to come out a little choppy, the audio will probably start cutting in and out while you’re talking, and you might hear some static on your chat frequency. 

For players aiming to be the next Pewdiepie, or the next Ninja, it’s one thing to want to simply broadcast your gaming footage online, but it’s another to want to be able to showcase your own reactions and personality while playing. And in order to do that, you’re going to need the right set of equipment so that you can capture everything you say and do while you’re playing.

First-time players will probably want to resort to using the earbuds that came with their console-setup, which will work for a few months, but after a while, they start to get worn out, and they begin falling apart. This means you’re going to need a proper gaming headset with a built-in microphone so that you can hear your teammates online better. 

As for the microphone, you can have the option to use the one built into your headpiece, but if you plan on using your streaming channel for a podcast or to record commentary, getting a high-def recording mic so that you can get a clearer sound quality on your channel.

System Crash

If you don’t take good care of your gaming system there is a definite chance that it will break down while you’re playing, either from loose snack crumbs, or from a broken exhaust fan in your system, or worse…

Any computer owner can tell you that there are plenty of different ways for you to wreck your system, a lot of them are pretty obvious, but there are times when you could be breaking your computer without really knowing it. One day you’ll find yourself online, and next thing you know your cursor won’t move, or your screen froze, and next thing you know, you’re going to have to buy a new computer altogether. This can mainly stem from accidentally downloading malware data from random browsing sites, or from a lack of using your computer’s built-in antivirus software.

In order to prevent this kind of thing from happening, or from happening again, it’s important that you get a security software that can actually tell you which you surf websites are actually harmful to your computer before you actually log-in to them. 

Another thing you need to do to keep your computer safe is perform regular quick system scans on your PC on a daily basis (at least) in order to make sure that there aren’t any problems with your software updates. 

And along with doing quick scans, you should perform a full security scan at least once a week, in order to be extra thorough. Full scans take about two to three hours, depending on how much data and programs you have stored in your unit.

These are all pretty common accidents that happen to a lot of gamers, especially for the first-timer streamers, but as long as you remember to learn from your past mistakes, and have all the right equipment ready, you should be fine.

So have fun and try not to accidentally set your system on fire.

Ninja, Shroud and now you too!? Thinking of making the jump to Mixer? Well, here is everything you need to know.

This year has been an interesting one for Microsoft’s Mixer (formerly known as Beam). In the last few months alone, the platform has gone through some tremendous transformations, losing both of its co-founders to bringing on two Twitch heavyweights with Ninja (and more recently) Shroud joining its ranks of celebrity streamers.

Whether you are a die-hard bleed purple Twitch fan thinking of jumping ship or just looking to get an idea of what’s on offer, we wanted to prepare a handy guide telling you everything you need to know about this brand new platform, how it compares to the likes of Twitch, and MOST importantly build a case for why you may want to consider making the switch.

Before we dive into the nitty-gritty of what makes Mixer different, it’s worth mentioning that both of our streaming apps XSplit Broadcaster and the new and improved XSplit Gamecaster both have native streaming support to Mixer, meaning easy login, authentication along with widgets for chat and alerts being automatically set up. In the case of XSplit Gamecaster, you can also choose from hundreds of beautiful overlays pre-configured for use with Mixer too! 

So you now know what it takes to stream to Mixer, but why should you bother? What does Mixer have to deserve your attention, and how can a new Microsoft backed platform compete with the likes of Twitch?

Give me that sweet sweet FTL

Right out of the gate, one of Mixer’s most touted features is that it gives their users the ability to stream in super-low latency, which essentially means less delay between you “the streamer” doing something, and the time it takes for your viewer to see it happen. Dubbed FTL or the Faster Than Light streaming protocol, this feature aims to offer users sub-second delay as opposed to RTMP’s more standard delay which can be anything upwards of 5 seconds. But what does this mean for you? 

Well, ideally it means less stream lag for your audience, meaning a practically instantaneous back and forth between you and your viewer, which can help create a more authentic rapport with your audience and build stronger connections with your community. Well, that’s the promise anyway. As with most of these types of features, your mileage may vary due to a number of different factors such as unstable connections or fluctuating internet speeds which can in (the worst case), offer a less than ideal presentation (we’re talking dropped frames and stuttery video). So make sure to test a little and see if you can find that sweet spot. The good news is Mixer’s Low Latency FTL protocol is fully supported within XSplit making it easy enough to get started with this rather unique feature. 

A whole new way to interact with your audience 

Another area Mixer touts is the gamified nature and level of interactivity on offer to audience members. Now admittedly this is not wholly unique to Mixer with Twitch closing the gap somewhat through its bevy of extensions. However, it is fair to say that Mixer does execute things with a little more panache, offering some neat visual feedback for both streamers and viewers through its XP and sparks system. Just like an RPG you can earn XP and level up to unlock new features, or even influence the gameplay on stream through Mixplay. it’s pretty unique and creates quite a sticky user experience which when utilized properly could very likely lead to better viewer retention.  That’s the promise anyway.

A chance to stand out?

Now take this one with a huge pinch of salt, but one of the most common reasons for why you should consider streaming to Mixer is the ability to stand out from the crowd. With Mixer being one of the younger platforms, its audience and pool of creators have yet to grow to the megaton levels of Twitch or YouTube, supposedly meaning that as a new streamer you have a better opportunity to gain viewers similar to the early gold-rush days of Twitch. 

This essentially gives you an advantage, going up against a far less competitive community giving a shot of being the big fish in the still relatively small (but rapidly growing) pond. Which, I dunno…while there have certainly been some success stories on Mixer, with a few folks streaming professionally, it is still very much a hustle. So maybe not make this your sole reason for jumping across. Props to Mixer though for proactively showcasing up and coming streamers on their homepage, and having some well thought out community guidelines. 

Co-Streaming for everyone

So look, Twitch has Squad Streaming, but right now it’s still only limited to members of its partner program. However, Mixer lets you try this feature out for free without the need for partnership status. Co-Streaming essentially allows for you and up to three friends to simultaneously stream to a single channel. This can be especially great for team-based multiplayer games such as PUBG, Minecraft or Apex Legends creating a streamlined presentation where the viewer can easily hop between each player. Even more, mind-blowing, you can even co-stream with your friends from an Xbox One, eliminating the need for any sort of 3rd party app entirely. But, you didn’t hear that from me. Please use XSplit.

Get Hype in the HypeZone

Dumb name, awesome feature. Mixer’s HypeZone is like a never-ending highlight reel except happening live. Thanks to some rather cool integrations between Mixer and various game developers, Mixer’s Hypezone cycles between final moments of matches in a variety of games such as PUBG, Fortnite, and Apex Legends. Essentially giving you all the meat of those final chicken dinner moments without the slow-paced build-up. This can be a great platform for more skilled streamers to showcase their wins and can be a pretty addictive viewing experience for those watching. It’s a neat if relatively niche feature that won’t be for everyone but is very cool nevertheless. 

You really really like Xbox. 

Mixer is owned by Microsoft, creators of Xbox. If you really really like Xbox, Mixer has had a knack so far of rewarding that loyalty. Whether it’s the native Mixer integration on console or the array of official Microsoft game-related community streams, Mixer really is the best choice if you are a fan of the platform and its growing ecosystem. Even better Mixer streamers can earn money through Xbox Gamepass if a viewer signs up through their channel, offering additional opportunities to earn revenue which brings us on to… 

Easier ways to start earning 

Unlike Twitch, which has some fairly lofty restrictions to become an affiliate and the coveted Twitch Partner, Mixer offers a variety of options to create engagement and start earning money. Mixer’s use of donation systems and currencies (such as sparks embers and subscribers) provides it’s streamers with more monetization options some of which very similar to Twitch albeit, with a much lower barrier of entry.

Is Mixer for you?

Ultimately whether you decide to stream to Twitch, Mixer, Facebook or DLive, there is no fast pass to becoming the next Ninja or Shroud. However, the folks over at Mixer have definitely put together an appealing package. With features geared towards offering streamers minimal lag while offering audience interaction and unique player participation perks such as co-streaming, Mixer is definitely worth checking out.

For now though, in terms of raw users and viewership Twitch is still king, but that doesn’t mean you should sleep on Mixer. Plus by offering a range of additional perks like no platform exclusivity, xbox integration and of course the vague possibility of viewer success due to not being the biggest. You could do a lot worse.

The beauty of streaming is the ability to create your own content and choose where to put it, and thanks to XSplit it really is simple to set up and start streaming to Mixer just to try it out. In the case of XSplit Gamecaster, it’s as simple as logging in with your Mixer account, choosing a theme and hitting stream.

So what about you? Are you thinking of streaming to Mixer? Have you tried already? I’d love to hear your thoughts, so leave a comment below or join our discord where you can tell me why I’m wrong in real-time! It will be great!

With esports on track to becoming the next big industry in entertainment, more resources will be required to ensure high-level gameplay and entertaining matches. One of these resources is coaches, which has grown within the industry over the years with a variety of websites offering coaching services. If you’re looking to coach the next Bugha, Shroud or just some casuals with limited time to practice, then make sure to give yourself a competitive edge with these important tools and tips. The tools outlined in this post are available in XSplit Broadcaster, which you can start using for free by signing up for an account.  

Using Skype and NDI to review student gameplay

One of the most important aspects of a coach is to be able to view your student’s practice and give feedback with minimal delay. This is best achieved by using Skype’s NDI functionality. Have your student install skype and set XSplit Broadcaster as the video input on Skype using the settings menu.

Now go to the calling section, click on advanced and allow NDI usage.

In XSplit Broadcaster have your student add gameplay source to capture their PC gameplay or use a capture card for console gameplay.

Now when you start the skype call you will be receiving their gameplay feed with minimal delay. You can also capture this feed in XSplit by going to add source, streams, and adding the NDI stream from the Skype call. This will be useful for recording and giving feedback on their gameplay using the other tools mentioned in this blog post. 

Recording and Editing sessions

XSplit Broadcaster allows you to local record your coaching session so that your students can review your lessons. Some useful features for local recording are the ability to automatically split files based on time and pausing recordings, so you can avoid recording downtime during the session.

After a few sessions with a student, you can use XSplit’s express video editor to pull together clips from various sessions to show their progress. The express video editor is 100% free and easy to use. You can also insert cue points into your recordings to make it easier to locate highlights.

Reviewing Replays with Whiteboard Source

One of the most common coaching practices is reviewing replays of matches and pausing to point out strategies. One powerful tool is XSplit’s whiteboard source. To enable the whiteboard source, go to add source > general widgets and click on whiteboard. Right-click on the whiteboard source to view the instructions. 

Using the drawing tools from the whiteboard source you can review your student’s matches and outline strategies or highlight mistakes they may have made in their gameplay. 

Teaching advanced techniques with gamepad and keyboard visualizers

One of the newest additions to XSplit Broadcaster is the gamepad visualizer. This lets you display the inputs of any gamepad device connected to your PC. To use the gamepad visualizer, go to add source, find more sources and install the gamepad visualizer. Once you have added the gamepad visualizer as a source, you can right-click on it to choose from a variety of skins, even arcade sticks!

This is a great tool for showing off advanced techniques like combos, option selects and more. With the power of recordings and the replay feature, you can also see where you may have missed an input or blocked in the wrong direction. If you’re teaching PC games, we also have an input visualizer for keyboard and mouse.

Virtual Camera Support for One on One Sessions

If you will be doing a private one-on-one session with your students, you can use XSplit Broadcaster’s virtual camera with any of the popular VOIP services like Discord, Skype and Google hangouts. The virtual camera will display your live scene in XSplit. In your VOIP software, look for the menu where you select video input and select XSplit Broadcaster as your camera source. You can also watch this video for more details on how to set up the virtual camera.

Using Projector Mode for In-Person Sessions

If you will be coaching a live session with your students, then projector mode is a helpful tool instead of a group of people crowding around a monitor. Connect a screen to your PC’s GPU and set your desktop to extend.

In XSplit, go to Playout, Projector, select your screen and the scene you wish to display. If you launch notepad in windows and screen capture it, you can also display an easy to edit lesson plan for the day!

Use a meeting scheduler for training sessions

If you are a freelance coach, it can become daunting to avoid scheduling conflicting sessions with a variety of students. I recommend using one of the various free scheduling websites that integrate with popular calendars like Gmail and Outlook. Hubspot offers this service for free, which you can check out here. One of the features to take advantage of is offering multiple slots for your students to choose for training sessions. 

Create a Lesson Plan for Sessions

You are as much a teacher as you are a coach for your pupils. It is good to create a lesson plan in advance for each section. This will be where you can outline your objectives for each training session, working to achieve the desired goal. There are a variety of resources online that will show you how to build a lesson plan online. It is recommended to give your lesson plan to students in advance so they can know and prepare for the session, so they can spend more time improving, rather than listening to the instructions for each session.

We hope these tools are useful for kickstarting your esports career! If you’re an experienced coach, let us know in the comments other useful techniques and tips you’ve learned!