[Guide] How to Use OBS

We are all aware MCC has a problem with hackers. While it is certainly much better than even a few months ago, the reality is there are still large amounts of hackers logging on to MCC everyday, and the staff team cannot deal with them all. This is where player reports come in, to help the community and staff team better deal with the hackers; however, it appears not many players are willing or able to report on the forums. This guide is to help players who want to report, but do not understand how to use the appropriate software; I will be covering how to use OBS' record and replay buffer features. This information is current as of OBS version 25.0.1.

Spoiler: Minimum Requirements

• AMD FX series or Intel i5 2000-series processor
• DirectX 10 capable graphics card
• 4 GB of RAM recommended

In short, if your PC was made in the last 10 years and you can play Minecraft, you are good to go!

If you meet the minimum requirements (which you most likely do), proceed to install and set up OBS.

Spoiler: Installing OBS

To install OBS, you will first need to visit their website. Click the name of your operating system, and the OBS installer will be downloaded automatically. If you are prompted by your browser, click "save file" and wait for it to download. Click to open the file, and if you are prompted select "run", then "yes". You don't need to change any settings during the install; just follow the instructions in the installer.

Spoiler: Setting up OBS

When you first open OBS, you will see a message asking if you would like to run the Auto-Configuration Wizard. This will set OBS up based on your computer's configuration, and is best to use if you are on lower-end hardware. Otherwise, you can go to settings (File > Settings) and change them as you see fit. Here is a quick summary of what each setting will do (make sure you click "apply" before exiting the settings menu):

Spoiler: General

Language - changes the language OBS is displayed in.
Theme - changes OBS' theme. I use Acri.
Automatically check for updates on startup - OBS will check for updates whenever it is launched. I recommend this is checked.
Open stats dialog on startup - This will show you some nitty-gritty data, such as how much CPU power OBS is currently using. I recommend you keep this off unless you wish to test something specific.
System tray: enable - This will allow you to right click on the OBS icon in your taskbar, and hide the window while leaving OBS active. This moves everything out of the way, and I would highly recommend you turn this setting on if it isn't already.

Spoiler: Output

Video bitrate - This will determine the size and quality of the recording you create. Higher values mean higher quality and larger file size. If you ran the Auto-Configuration Wizard, I would leave this alone. Otherwise, feel free to tinker with it until you find the sweet sport for your setup (mine is 4500kbps).
Encoder - Click the dropdown. If you have the option to use "Hardware - NVENC" or another hardware-based encoder, do it! It will make video processing much faster and easier on your CPU, which Minecraft also relies on.
Audio bitrate - This is only relevant if you want to record the sound along with your game. The default setting is 160kbps, which is perfect for most people.
Recording path - I would recommend changing this to your desktop, or a folder on your desktop. When you record a video, the file will be created wherever you have set this path to.
Recording quality - This defines the quality of your videos. I would suggest changing it to indistinguishable quality, large file size" for a good balance of quality and file size.
Recording format - Leave this as FLV. If you cannot play FLV files on your computer, I recommend downloading VLC Media Player.

I will mention how to set up the replay buffer later. For now, this is all you need to change, unless you would like to set up hotkeys (Settings > Hotkeys, then click the appropriate field and press the key(s) you would like to assign) or have OBS automatically convert your videos to MP4 (Settings > Advanced > Automatically remux to mp4).

Spoiler: Recording with OBS

The first thing to do is set up your sources. OBS does not record anything by default, and so you must set this before proceeding. In the OBS window, click the + underneath the sources tab, then click game capture from the dropdown. Give your new source a name, then make sure "make source visible" is ticked. Click OK, then click the first dropdown and select "capture specific window". Go to the second dropdown called window, and select "[javaw.exe]Minecraft x", with x being your version number. If you wish, you can tick "capture cursor" to make OBS record your cursor movements, as well. Click OK, and your Minecraft window should show up in the black box.

If you do not see anything on-screen, right-click the black box and make sure "enable preview" is ticked. Also confirm the eye icon beside your source is not crossed through. If it is, click the icon and restart OBS.

If your game window appears abnormal (too small or too big, which WILL show up on recordings), make sure Minecraft is fullscreen. Then, go to OBS, right-click the source name and select "resize output (source size)", which will force OBS to update the window size.

If you only wanted to record with OBS, congratulations! You have everything set up and ready to go, from your video settings to hotkeys to sources. If you would like to learn about the replay buffer feature, read on.

Spoiler: What is the Replay Buffer?

The Replay Buffer is an OBS feature similar to Instant Replay (ShadowPlay) and ReLive; it will record the last x seconds of gameplay when a hotkey is pressed. No files are saved to your PC until you press a hotkey, which makes this extremely useful for players who are running low on space. This feature allows you to record whatever you just saw, and is immensely useful in catching hackers.

Spoiler: Using the Replay Buffer

To enable the replay buffer go to Settings > Output and tick "enable replay buffer". Below, set how long you want recordings to be (I have it set to 30 seconds, but it will usually save 25-30) and how much memory you want to allot the replay buffer (I have alloted 1024MB/1GB, which is enough for 30 seconds. This only writes to your RAM, so it won't take any space on your hard drive). If you have not already, set up a hotkey for "save replay", then apply your settings and back out.

If you have done everything correctly, you should be ready to record! If you have any issues, feel free to reach out to me or the OBS Discord for more information and help with any issues you may be experiencing. As always, any feedback is appreciated. Thank you for reading!​