How to stream Cogmind (macOS and Windows)So, you wanna stream the best roguelike out there? Here's my setup on Windows and macOS, I hope it helps you.
Note: Some of this is paid software! I will link free alternatives where I can, but you're on your own to make them work. The internet has a vast wealth of resources
The Core: Open Broadcaster SoftwareEveryone and their grandma is using OBS to stream these days. It's Free (as in beer, not as in puppies) Open Source Software.
https://obsproject.com/Notes for all users:Follow the tutorial after install. I suggest using a twitch.tv account. There is a wealth of tutorials on basic OBS mechanics on YouTube.
You'll be put in a studio-like environment where one creates "Scenes" that are composed of "Sources" layered on the "Canvas" in the center of the application.
Users will see what you place on the canvas. I suggest adding a source for "Desktop"
Most users will only need one scene. I personally have three -- one for Cogmind streaming (in Desktop capture mode), one for Window capture, and one for transitions that loops a video by our Discord resident and streamer Runia.
Create at least one source in your default scene that captures your entire screen. Be mindful that others will see everything you can see on that screen.
It is possible to capture just the window on some systems -- your mileage may vary on newer Windows systems.
I highly suggest trying out my GPU support builds of Cogmind -- DirectX for Windows and OpenGL for macOS/Linux.
It can make your streaming experience faster on machines with less power.
https://www.gridsagegames.com/forums/index.php?topic=1567.0Notes for Windows Desktop users:NVENC (hardware) stream encoding is often much faster than x264 encoding. It uses your GPU, at the cost of lower graphical quality at the same bitrate.
This is why people turn up their bitrate to 6000 mbps -- the highest twitch.tv will allow. Your mileage may vary.
Auto-Duck is an amazing software I use to both route audio from Cogmind to sound devices live (this is not supported in the retail application) and to add auto-ducking to my streams.
Auto ducking can also be obtained via OBS filters on your audio devices. Your side channel is the microphone.
Play around with delay, attack, and threshold and listen to yourself through the configurable "monitor device" in OBS or Auto-Duck, or take a recording and play it back.
https://auto-duck.com/Note for users with a NVIDIA RTX series GPU who want a green screen or better audioNVIDIA broadcast is an amazing piece of software. I use it on my Windows desktop to add a virtual green screen to my streams through a basic webcam.
It can be heavy on the GPU. You may want to use the x264 CPU encoder if using this while gaming with your GPU.
It also supports filtering noise from microphones, it's very useful. And if you have a supported card, it's free!
I've also heard rumors it can be run on older NVIDIA cards without RTX but I don't know how to do it.
https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/broadcasting/broadcast-app/Notes for all Mac usersA system-wide audio plugin is required to capture audio on macOS. I have found great success in using Loopback, which retails for $100.
https://rogueamoeba.com/loopback/It, like Auto Duck above, comes with the added benefit of letting one route Cogmind's audio to any device they choose. You can route to a monitor device live.
Here is an example of my setup:
A free alternative is Blackhole as your sink device for Cogmind. You will need to have it selected when you boot Cogmind.
Note there is a subscription wall! I think there are builds on GitHub one can find as well.
https://existential.audio/blackhole/Notes on green screen for Mac usersI don't have a formal green screen, so when I'm not using my desktop to stream I use the (paid) software XSplit VCam.
Note that they have many other associated apps that are expensive and I can't vouch for.
I just got the virtual webcam connected to OBS, set my background to 0x00FF00, and used a chroma key in OBS.
The free trial isn't too bad either.
https://www.xsplit.com/vcam/Notes for M1 MacBook usersThere are ARM native builds for OBS Studio in the thread below that are much faster. You will have to start from the end and go backwards to find newer builds.
I cannot vouch for the integrity or stability of these builds, though I can say that streaming on my base model M1 MacBook Air with one was a delight.
I suggest you choose the Apple HTV hardware encoder and set it to as high as you can for performance. The same caveats apply as for NVENC on Windows above.
https://obsproject.com/forum/threads/obs-on-apple-silicon.133606/How do I get those follow and subscribe alerts like other streamers?Coming soon...Can you recommend any specific hardware?I personally use these tools to stream:
- Ryzen 7 5800X CPU, though my Ryzen 5 2600X worked just fine on Windows
- NVIDIA RTX 2060
- Astro A50 Gen 3 headset (PS4 edition)
- AmazonBasics webcam ($30)
- Two monitors, one for Cogmind, one for stream interaction
- The Twitch app on my phone for viewer interaction before I had a second screen
I have also had great luck streaming on my M1 MacBook Air (8 GB model) while using native software and GPU support for Cogmind.
Streaming on an Intel MacBook was an okay experience without GPU support, but I can't recommend it.
