[Zanderax]

So I've seen it done and I want a try it out but I have no idea where to start. It's a hobby so I need something that will just let me start casting straight away. I have a mic and I can get a webcam if I need but apart from that what software do I use. Any ideas are very welcome

[Frogmite]

You can use xsplit which is free http://www.xsplit.com/ and is doing just great. For the score board you can use scoreboard-sc2 at http://www.gosugamers.net/starcraft2...ownload-it-now
I hope it will help.

Quick Comments

Zanderax:

Thanks :)

[Synizta]

you need something that can record casts from a replay, or software if your going to live stream tourtaments, also what annoys me alot of casters personally is a lack of casting knowledge. So make sure you have your knowledge of the game up to stratch.

[Zanderax]

I was just interested in the software but thank you Syn. Ill keep that in mind. I know my stuff pretty well. I hope. Feel free to judge me if I ever get up and running

[MazEi]

Well something like Fraps can be useful for casts you want to upload onto youtube. Audacity is a great tool for audio recording. If you're doing VOD's be sure to get a good video editing software, Sony Vegas and Adobe After Effects are the two I highly recommend.

Good luck bro =)

[nard]

hey zanderax! i've always wanted to try casting myself but never had the balls to do it. good luck with your endeavour!

[TAEdgE]

good to hear! follow your dreams! ♥

Quick Comments

	NvRossi:	this is bum rub worthy!
	TAriiChard:	inspirational!
	Zanderax:	Thanks

[NDG.Stitch]

hehe, casting is good fun if its what you like to do!
for me, the best advice from a senior caster that I got in my first few weeks till now (hdphoenix) is to put emotions into casting. make it sound exciting like a sports game and intense like a fight. and that is when people will see your natural self in casting besides reciting facts over facts about the game!

[Maynarde]

I'm quite new to casting, and there's some useful info in this thread already. Frogmite's software suggestions are definitely where you should start to get the tools of the trade.

The other thing you need if you want to run a quality stream is good upload speeds. Around 1mbps upload is quite standard for many people these days in Singapore and near major cities of Australia. This is more than enough to stream high qual video (480p+) and have your beautiful voice come through without being too lossy provided your headset / mic is a decent one of course. Most modern headsets have pretty high quality microphones, alternatively you can use an external audio mixer and a stand alone mic like a Shure vocal model (SM57) or even a condenser mic if you're super serious about quality and have the cash.

Stitch is right about the emotion. If you're passionate about SC2 and love watching it as much as you love playing it, then don't be afraid to scream like a school girl when a huge storm destroys 50 units or a clutch force field saves a player from certain death. This isn't true for everyone's taste of course, but most people will warm up to you if you project your love for the game in an entertaining way like any good sports caster.

Just like when you're playing the game in first person, a little bit of game knowledge can help you do things like predict builds based on what you've seen which is good for keeping interest during the early stages of games when not much action is going down. Also like playing the game, keep active with your observing without being schizophrenic. Look at the mini map, is there a structure going down that you're missing and should point out? Is there a push moving out? Have the production tab open 99.9% of the time will help you in case you miss something (Hotkey = D), so keep an eye on that too.

Blizzard also has some cool bindings to show units lost and income etc which is what you should switch to when a player has a huge worker advantage or if you want to talk about how imbalanced MULEs are. Bring up the big displays (Ctrl+A, Ctrl+R, Ctrl+I, etc etc) so that you don't need to take down the production tab.

Learn observer hotkeys! They're all here: http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft2/Replay_Features

Good luck with it man

Quick Comments

nirvAnA:

You surely are worthly of the record for most reputation points over the shortest time :)

[ETL.Santi]

You should try be a good player first if you havent. If that fails then you become a caster.

Quick Comments

	nirvAnA:	Not nice santi!
	NDG.Stitch:	So you're saying casters are the fail players?
	Synizta:	VilePsy, StitchStarcraft, HDStarcraft,among others are all bad players then?

[matthras]

To possibly add some depth to Santi's comment - from memory I've heard that part of Mr.Bitter's casting job at ESL.TV is to maintain at least a mid-high Masters ranking (naturally, on EU) since it's all about being exposed to the current metagame. I wouldn't be surprised if the same goes for IPL, and other places who have professionally employed casters.

That said, I don't think it's too much of a stretch to expect casters to at least be Diamond level, but that's just my opinion.

[iMSystem]

When I started up I got a lot of criticism because I was only still in Gold league, and although I didn't really take it to heart, it still made sense to me. Mainly this affects me because 95% of my casts are solo so I can't just do play by play while someone else does the technical stuff, so I had to learn things and the only way to learn the game more is to play the game.

Hence now I am in High diamond playing masters and I feel that now I can give a very detailed overview of the game I am casting and whereabouts it is headed and be more in depth with my analysis.

but grab yourself a copy of fraps and start off with YouTube casts, see if you like it, link them around and see if other people like it and if you enjoy it keep it up! And then you can go with Live casting

Good luck!

Quick Comments

	Halstrom:	Great advice
	PiG:	I'm still jealous this guy gets a rainbow in his avatar..

[Halstrom]

There's is really a lot of great advice here already, but a few things I've learned in my short time casting mostly internal clan stuff.

1/. Be yourself. If you strength isn't the detailed understanding behind whats going on in the game, then stick to calling what you see. If it's more about analysis for you than super excitement, then go for it, but do your best to make sure the analysis is in the ball park. Ultimately casters have styles just like players. Don't be afraid to explore your unique style before working on any gaps.

2./ Figure out if you want to cast solo or with partners. These are two VERY different ways to cast. One calls for you to be able to talk about topical things almost constantly, while the other calls for you to know when to speak and when not to, and also how to bounce topics and create things for your partner/s to say. I can't tell you how many solo casters I've seen try to do co-casts and just end up stomping all over their partners commentary. Both have different challenges, and one will usually suit you more than another. My advice would be to avoid trying both till you are comfortable with one.

3/. Practice with your friends. If you are in a clan or have a group of friends that play, then grab fraps and (low-tech) cast their games. Fraps is basic, but is great to easily get a recording going. Then you can post it on YouTube and share it around for feedback.

4/. As Maynarde said, learn to use obs controls and overlays. There are some great tools Blizz have provided to help you paint the picture of the game, so don't forget to use them, BUT use them to tell a story. Don't flick through them randomly and without comment. If you watch the pro casters like Tastosis, you will see them stick to basic tools like name plates and the production tab until they have a use to comment on the others. If a player seems to be everywhere, doing everything, then take a look at APM. If there is a big battle, follow up in the lull by looking at units lost, resources lost, etc. If there is a big engagement brewing, take a look at the units tab to see what the compositions are, etc.

5/. If you are casting as a hobby and are happy just doing it, then keep on casting on. If you are looking to improve, just like a player, it is helpful to re-watch your own replays Look for little things you do that you might want to change or fix. If you make a wrong call, you can look at why and figure out what you could have checked to make a different call. Basically this is a great way to learn from your mistakes, and to learn what you did well so you can keep doing it.

6/. Welcome criticism. Most people that give you feedback (positive or negative) will be giving you the opportunity to improve. Unless someone is just attacking you without basis (in which case it's best to just ignore it) there will something to learn, so take on board what you can. Ignore any bad manners that you might get, and thank everyone that gives you feedback. Feedback is a gift that people take the time out to give to help you.

7/. Most importantly above all else.....HAVE FUN!!! You are doing this for enjoyment after all, and nerves or discomfort will show. So relax, crack a beer (or insert your favorite drink here), and enjoy yourself.


Wow......more there than I intended. Hope it was helpful.

PS. Oh, one more quick thing. XSplit is a great and modern tool, but it's nearing the end of it's beta period and soon will have a cost (special offers are out for testers now). While I'd recommend just frap'sing your first casts to avoid technical issues while you focus on the casting, I also STRONGLY recommend grabbing XSplit and having a play while its free. Just so you know what it can do if you face a purchasing decision later.

Quick Comments

	nirvAnA:
	Synizta:

[Zanderax]

Thankyou all for the helpful advice. Here's a summery of what I'm going to do:

First off I'm setting up a channel on YouTube and just practice casting some of my replays and some of my friends to get me some experience. I really don't right now if I only have one subscribe and that is me.

Secondly. If I end up liking casting and am reasonably ok. I'll invest in some more expensive gear and start making some more professional casts.

Thanks for all your help. I'll certainly use fraps to start off with. It's free and that's just what I want.

One last question. Can I upload videos straight from fraps to YouTube?

Again. Thanks for all of your support.

[Frogmite]

Originally Posted by Zanderax

One last question. Can I upload videos straight from fraps to YouTube?

Again. Thanks for all of your support.

I don't think so. But from twitch.tv you can. Just link a youtube account to your twitch.tv
Bonne chance!

[Brultze]

Originally Posted by Zanderax

Thanks for all your help. I'll certainly use fraps to start off with. It's free and that's just what I want.

Fraps is free? I thought you have to pay like US$37 for it? Anyway, good luck with this Zan . I'm hoping to try casting too (after my exams though) so this stuff helps me too

[MazEi]

I would recommend not uploading straight from what fraps recorded, since its in parts and the file size is huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge. Remember to compress those videos a little to cut down on upload time =)

[crAzerk]

Fraps isn't free

One last question. Can I upload videos straight from fraps to YouTube?

You probably have to compress it first. There are a ton of Casting tutorials (i.e. what software to get ) on Youtube you should have a search.

[Zanderax]

Thanks crAzerk. I'll look them up

[Frogmite]

You can use windows movie maker (that is free and already on PC) but i agree there must be much better software than this one.