The Records of Battle – Part I

Xfire is hosting their first ever Video Capture Awards, and we are going to show you how you can make your own video. Ever wonder how people record game play or even stream it live online? Well wonder no more! In this three part article we will go over recording game play to a hard drive as well as streaming it live!

Before we get started lets get a little more familiar with the terminology used in these programs.

• FPS – Contains the frame rate value for each second of the benchmark
• frametimes – Contains the time (in milliseconds) of every frame that was rendered in the benchmark
• minmaxavg – Contains the total frame count, benchmark duration, minimum, maximum, and average frame rate values.

There are countless programs and ways to record or stream live game play on the PC. Hopefully in the future we will be able to give you guides to alternate programs and methods, But as we don’t have unlimited time here is how we will do it:
For Recording to a HDD we will use two programs known for their wide range of uses and popularity. Fraps and XFire!
Currently one of the most well known game play screen capture programs on the market, and for good reason. Although the program is resource intensive it still gives some of the best quality footage you can get! Features like FPS Overlay and simple resolution setup makes Fraps a favorite of gamers for over 5 years. The maximum resolution for full-size and half-size capture is currently 2560×1600, which gives you the option of recording is almost full HD! With the release of 3.0.3, Fraps has given players control of more complex audio options like dual channel audio overlapping while recording. These features are only available on Windows 7 and Vista sadly, so I have chosen not to upgrade. I am currently using version 2.9.8 which is the most widely used copy in use. Fraps sadly isn’t free and will cost you around $40.00. Lets get started with the basic recording setup:

STEP ONE – Setting up your Overlay Options
Once you’ve installed Fraps to your HDD and have opened the program you will be faced with a screen giving you information about your license and ownership. On top you will find 3 additional tabs; FPS, Movies and Screenshots. Make your way to the FPS tab where the recording overlay options are located. These options control the overlay display given while recording game play is enabled. You can choose what fits your needs best. I use the option that allows the Benchmark to stop after 60 seconds so that I can make sure its running properly, then not be worried with the overlaying text. Next, select the Movie tab. This is where the options for the recording are located.

STEP TWO – Configuring Movie Recording Settings

The best way to make you aware of what these options should be for you, is to explain what they do. First is the location where your video will be saved. In this example it is writing it directly to the C:\ Drive in the sub-folder with the name of “Fraps”. This can be changed to anything. In cases where the recording is done at high resolution with higher graphic settings it is smart to have a second drive to record to. This allows the system to partition and allocate its needs in 2 places instead of forcing 1 drive to take all the work. You can change the location by selecting the Change button.

The next option is the Video Capture Hotkey. This hotkey can be set to anything on your keyboard or mouse. The hotkey is what activates the program to start recording. Depending on your preferences and settings this could be anything you want.

Next you’ll see “Half-Size” and “Full-size”. These options refer to the size or resolution of your recording footage. Depending on your system’s hardware this could very.

Along with the size you are recording at, the FPS is very important to set correctly. From 25 to 60 FPS can be selected by checking the box adjacent to the setting you would like. At the bottom is a field that allows you to set a custom FPS. This can be anywhere from 1 to 100. As I mentioned in the size settings, FPS plays a big role in the quality of your footage. Higher FPS will make your footage look more smooth and lag free, but forces your system to work harder! Most computers will not be able to record at anything more than 60 FPS. With that in mind, remember that the eye only sees at (or around) 30 FPS, so more can be overkill at times.

Next you’ll see options related to sound. These options can be difficult to explain, as many computers use different setups for sound. These options are important as they delegate the sound source for your footage. Its best to play with these till you find what works best for your setup.

Once you’re recording your game play you’ll notice that your system has slowed down quite a bit! This is normal. Fraps uses a lot of system memory and as a result it slows down your computers processing ability. The best way to maximize your footage quality is to have a good video card, more than 2g of RAM, and a decent processor. Finally you have the option to set your “No Cursor”. Some players like to turn off the cursor, go ahead if you’d like to.

Once you’ve recorded your footage check it out and have fun! Basic editing tools like Microsoft Movie Maker or the Apple Movie Maker will allow you to edit and have fun with your footage!

In Part II, we will look over the amazing program abilities of XFire and how you can both record video and stream it live to XFire.com! Remember we love hearing from our readers, so don’t be afraid to leave comments or questions below!

Read Part II  about Xfire || Read Part III about Streaming