Setup Volunteer Guide
Thank you for volunteering as a setup volunteer at an upcoming event. The setup volunteers prepare runners and hosts, ensuring stream information and audio levels are correct ready for the tech volunteer to get them started.
General Duties
You'll organise and work alongside tech volunteers, runners and hosts. Whilst a run is ongoing, you'll get the next run setup. Your workflow will be as follows:
Give runners and hosts a suitably timed heads-up that their run is coming up
Check the runner's stream to ensure their video and audio looks and sounds correct
Double-check the stream information with the runner and commentators to ensure details are correct
Once the current run has ended and gone to intermission, assist the tech volunteer in ensuring the runner, host and commentators are audio-balanced and ready to start
Getting the Next Runner Started
It's important to ensure the next runner is set up in good time to reduce intermission time and keep the marathon flowing. About 20-25 minutes before the current run is due to end, ping the next runner on Discord and ask them to join you in the 🔊GREEN ROOM. Don't worry about pinging any commentators, it's the runner's responsibility to have their commentators ready with them. If you've had no contact after five minutes, ping them again. If you've had no contact after 10 minutes, contact a staff member.
If the host of the upcoming run isn't already hosting, ping them to join you as well. If they're hosting the current run, you'll need to do any checks for them during the intermission.
Viewing The Runner's Stream
You'll need to give the runner their stream key. The stream key and stream number for each runner should be advised in the stream schedule you've been provided. If a runner has already performed a run this marathon, their stream key should still be the same.
In their Runner OBS stream settings, they should choose their closest Twitch server, enter the stream key you provide, and then start streaming. Visit the Twitch channel the runner should be streaming to, which will be one of the following URLs:
If their stream is not showing check that the runner is definitely streaming and they have entered their key correctly. If you're confident both of these are correct and the stream still isn't showing, contact a staff member.
Check the stream looks correct:
The runner is using the correct stream layout
If incorrect, ask them to select a different scene in their OBS; you can check the schedule to see which one they should be using.There are no black borders around the webcam or game feeds
If the runner's feed is purposefully black, ask them to show you some gameplay where the background isn't black. If there are black borders, ask them to adjust the crop filter on the game/camera source.Check if you can hear them, Discord and the game audio
You'll do a full audio check later, but check you can at least hear the game, runner and any commentators.
Check the Run Details on NodeCG
If you've been on tech for a marathon before, you'll likely be familiar with NodeCG. Ours is accessible at https://node.nickrpgreen.com. You'll be asked to log in with Twitch or Discord. If you cannot log in, please contact a staff member or @NickRPGreen.
You'll only need to use the Runs tab of the four tabs in top left. You should leave all other tabs as these will be controlled by the tech volunteer.
The Run Editor is where the run details are entered that will show on stream. All of these details should already be prepared and shouldn't need any manual entry unless changes are required. To do this, click on the Edit Run button (third circular button under the details) which will open up the Edit Run panel. Do not use any of the other buttons under the run info. You won't need to use any of the other panels in this workspace.
The run editor is fairly self-explanatory, and any details can be updated by typing in each box. Every entry is case-sensitive except for pronouns.
Check with the runner, commentators, and host to ensure all the details in this box are correct. You can share a screenshot with them so they can check spelling and case. Ensure they're happy that their names and pronouns are being displayed correctly and that the game's run information is correct.
Make sure that all changes you make are completed before the current run goes to Intermission. Making changes to the run whilst at Intermission will cause the Intermission screen to refresh with the new details - even if they're details that aren't shown on the Intermission screen.
Notes about these fields:
Region isn't used and can be ignored - it doesn't matter if there's already information there.
Released is used and should contain a four-digit year, unless the runner is running multiple games back-to-back.
Game (Twitch) should match Game unless the game's name isn't a registered Twitch category. If this is the case, this should have already been replaced, but it's worth checking with the runner in case they recommended a different category.
Layout Code must match the Layout Code shown on the runner's stream overlay - see below.
Team Name, YouTube, and Country Code are not used and can be ignored - it doesn't matter if there's already information there.
Name isn't used, the runner is shown on stream from the Twitch entry.
Pronouns can be left blank if a participant does not want any displayed. Pronouns are always shown on stream in lowercase.
Stream is the numbered version of "speedruntoolsukstream#" that the run should be streaming to. This must contain a single digit from 1-4.
Cam determines whether the runner has the webcam area shown on the layout. Any text, including leaving it blank, counts as yes. The webcam area will only hide if "no" is entered.
If the run is a race, there'll be a separate team at the bottom for each racer. In a solo run, there will just be one entry.
Layout Code
When checking the layout code in the run editor, it must match the code shown on the runner's stream. In the example above, the layout code is "16X9_1P". If the layout code in NodeCG is incorrect, change it to match the code on the player's stream. The code must be entered EXACTLY as it appears on the runner's stream.
Audio Check
Whilst you'll need to do a final audio check during intermission, you can still get ahead and be as prepared as possible. You need to make sure the gameplay and all comms are at good levels. For this, it's best to ask the runner to stream their OBS in the Discord channel so you can look at their volume levels:
Get the runner to play a particularly noisy section of the game, and get them to adjust their own OBS slider or in-game volume until the audio is peaking at the top of the green area. If very loud noises occasionally hit the orange area, this is fine as long as it's not consistent.
Ask each person present, in turn, to say a few words and check that each person is peaking at the top of the orange area (the occasional loud speech hitting the red is fine). If they need adjusting, ask them to adjust their own audio levels first, and then ask the runner to adjust their output levels on Discord. This is done by right-clicking on a speaker and using the User Volume in the menu shown on the right.
If either audio is too quiet and the runner can't turn it up any further, ask the runner to right-click on the source in OBS, click 'Filters', and add a 'Gain' filter. Ask them to adjust this filter until the volume is correct.
Make sure you listen to all the audio through the runner's stream on Twitch. If the runner's audio is peaking in the correct places on their OBS but they sound too boomy on stream, make adjustments as necessary.
Final Notes
Once you're satisfied the runner is ready, let the current tech volunteer know on Discord. Let the runner and commentators know:
How long is left of the current run, this gives them time for any last-minute prep
They don't need to be quiet when moving into the 🔊LIVE ROOM as the mics will be cold.
Once they're in, the tech volunteer will check the stream and audio to ensure it looks good on our end. If the host for their run is hosting the current run, they'll need to quickly balance the host's audio as well.
The runner should let the tech volunteer know when the timer needs to start and stop, as well as a rough idea of what will be happening about five minutes before the end of the run.
The runner and commentators should work out before going live who the host should introduce first and how they'll then introduce themselves.
If the runner has advised of any flashing lights or any major content warnings in their run, ask them to give viewers a heads up when something is about to happen. You can find the content warnings they advised in the volunteer schedule.
When the stream goes to intermission the tech volunteer will pull you, the runner, and commentators into the 🔊LIVE ROOM. Assist the tech volunteer to help answer any questions or with further audio balancing. Once the tech volunteer is satisfied, your job is complete!