The 2TonWaffle Community

Welcome on in travelers! I'm Josh, the founder and head Waffle of the 2TonWaffle Community. I would like to introduce myself within this thread and invite other visitors and members to do so as well.

I've been creating content for almost eight years now, streaming to essentially every service and platform that exists and has existed. Starting from humble beginnings on Twitch and moving to Mixer after the Microsoft acquisition. Eventually making my way over to Trovo when Mixer shut down. I've also streamed on Facebook Live for a bit and tried out the other smaller platforms when they came about. Glimesh and Beem are those that I've tried, I've also been on DLive back in the day as well. Landing within the world of Shareplay and LiveSpace. Currently, I live stream to Twitch, YouTube, and my own Owncast server as the places for which people may find my live streams.

Not only do I enjoy exploring the alternative platforms that other livestreamers might find interesting, but I also enjoy the world of indie gaming. To see the work and dedication that these small, sometimes single-person, teams have crafted is a joy to experience.

And so that is where we are now, within the Community of 2TonWaffle, a place for others like yourself to learn, share, and find new experiences from others. I now turn the thread over to you, let us know who you are!

It's unfortunate that a couple of companies have such a stranglehold on this market. It sadly means that they can pretty much do whatever they want, regardless of how it affects content creators.

Went through a few of the game announcements that piqued my interest during the livestream. There were over 30 game announcements and you really couldn't pick a favorite but I did try.

General Configuration

After getting your Owncast instance installed and running, the next step is to get started with configuration your instance. Make sure that you are logged into your Owncast Admin page by going to https://your-domain-.com/admin

On the option menu that is on the left side, click on the Configuration option. This will open the general instance detail page. Here you will be able to configure your instance name, the server URL, and a short about blurb. You'll also see that there are a lot more options that you can customize.

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The Add Tags section is to help categorize your instance within the Owncast directory. There is also the section for adding your social handles that will be displayed just under the video player on your Owncast instance.

Uploading a custom logo is easy as the requirements are 256px by 256px that also has a max size of 2MB. Just below the logo upload section you have the option to hide the viewer count, and disable search engine indexing.

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Owncast has public directory in which you can enable your Owncast instance to be shown within the directory. There is also a toggle to flag your Owncast instance NSFW, if you plan to stream explicit or adult content.

Finishing out the general configuration is the custom page content section. Here, you can enter anything that you want visitors to know about your instance by using the Markdown syntax. This information will live below your Owncast instance video player and can be as long or short as you want it to be.

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Appearance Customization

Owncast has the ability to customize the coloration of the instance interface. Giving you options to change the color of the background, action hover, chat background, and more.

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Continuing the customization with providing your viewers the option in selecting different colors that they can use in order to change the color of their user names. You can also change in how rounded the corners of buttons can be.

For those of you who are familiar with CSS, you can enter custom CSS that will change how your instance looks.

Custom Scripting

Using custom Javascript to add more functionality into your Owncast instance, or to add 3rd party scripts.

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Server Configuration

This is the first page you should visit right after installing Owncast. Changing the admin password is very important as the default is quite easy to guess. For the FFmpeg Path, Owncast Port, and RMTP port should be left with the default settings. You can change them but, be sure in that you are comfortable to make those changes.

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Within the advanced settings section, you have the option to enter information for the case of using a CDN for your Owncast instance. You are also able to reset your directory listing if you are experiencing issues. This will submit your instance to re-register into the directory the next time you go live.

Stream Keys

Stream keys are essential in getting your broadcasting software connected to your Owncast instance. You can create multiple keys that can be used. One use case is if you have someone streaming to your Owncast instance, without giving them the main key.

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S3 Object Storage

If you are experiencing issues while streaming on your Owncast instance, you can setup an external S3 Object Storage that will take your live feed and improve the viewer experience. This is not for archival, recording, or VOD storage.

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Video

Setting up your video configuration is important as without this setup, your viewers would not be able to view your live stream. Depending on your server hardware, you can add as many outputs as your hardware can handle. As is noted in the description "start conservatively" and experiment to see how things work out.

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By clicking on the "Add a new variant" button will open a new modal window in which you will be able to setup this new output. Be sure to set things on the lowest setting for this particular output and move items up if needed.

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Chat Settings

For some Owncast instance owners, they prefer that only the video be shown and though this section will offer them this option. You can have the chat feed appear next to the video player, or turn it off by clicking on the toggle button.

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When viewers first enter your instance, there will be a notification shown within the chat "user has entered" for some, this call out is not preferred and results the viewer leaving your stream. Wanting to only lurk without being seen is important to them, allowing them to make the decision in first making contact. You can also have only established users be allowed to chat with this option. The welcome message is a great option to fill in, as it gives new viewers a quick note in letting them know the rules or to point them to certain areas within your instance.

To keep viewers from taking a name you don't want them to use, enter the name within the field below the current defaults. The great thing about Owncast is the random name generator for viewers. There are some interesting combinations that have been made. You could disable this feature and use a list of usernames that you want to use.

Social

The social configuration section provides some great features for your Owncast instance. Enabling social features help push going live posts out to the fediverse. You can turn this off if you wish to have a more private instance. This leads into the Private toggle, making any new follow request having to go through a approval process.

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If you are going to stream explicit or adult content it is probably a good idea in turning this toggle on as it'll mark your stream previews as potentially sensitive.

The username and Now Live message is for your going live posts that will be posted out to the fediverse. For the username it would be ideal in creating one that you will use for a long time. This will be what viewers and visitors will see out on the fediverse. Changing this may confuse and annoy visitors. The Now Live message is what the actual post will be. You could leave it blank to disable, have a consistent message, or describe what this particular stream is about.

When others share your Now Live post on the fediverse, a notification will display within the chat. This will also show new followers and new likes.

Notifications

This section is used for connecting 3rd party services for the case of sharing your notifications from your Owncast instance. If viewers have enabled browser notifications, they will see this notification from within their browser.

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For the Fediverse Social section, clicking on the configure button will direct you back to the previous section.

Discord is a great platform that many people utilize mass communication. By connecting your Owncast instance and your Discord server, you can notify your community members when you go live within a dedicated channel.

There is so many customization options that are available within Owncast and with the custom web hooks, you can bring Owncast notifications out to other 3rd parties.

The inaugural episode has been unleashed! You can watch it on the 2TonWaffle Community #PeerTube instance or listen to the audio-only version wherever you may listen to #Podcasts

Got through some technical difficulties in the beginning but, that didn’t deter me at all. The next episode will be in 2 weeks.

Supporting Indie Game Developers and Considering Game Value | Indie Basement | Episode 1 Supporting Indie Game Developers and Considering Game Value

When I first heard about LiveSpace, I immediately recognized some innovative ideas that certainly had the potential to be a huge advantage for content creators seeking new platforms. Many of the features rumored to be in development seemed particularly promising and well-conceived. One such feature was the integration of squad streaming, allowing multiple creators to broadcast together within a single viewer window—a concept we've already seen successfully implemented on platforms like Mixer and currently enjoyed by users on Trovo. Admittedly, while these exciting features appeared to be a bit down the line, I couldn't help but eagerly anticipate the possibilities of what LiveSpace was envisioning.

One of the distinct benefits that a smaller company like LiveSpace potentially offered was the ability to rapidly innovate and roll out new features, possibly outpacing larger, more established players like Twitch. Indeed, over the preceding months, LiveSpace had been consistently pushing updates at an impressive speed. Observing this momentum, it felt exhilarating not just to use the platform but also to chronicle its evolution and burgeoning success.

However, troubling signs began to emerge rather recently. Roughly a month ago, it became noticeable that something was amiss. The tempo of regular updates had slowed, much akin to dark clouds gathering ominously on the horizon, portending a storm. In tandem, community outreach initiatives appeared to have ground to a halt. The co-founder, Todd, maintained his bi-weekly livestreams, which continued to provide a direct line to the community—an essential aspect of any growing service. Nonetheless, these sessions were frequently marred by technical difficulties, a stark reminder that the challenges of operating and scaling a live-streaming platform can become daunting, even for those at the very top.

Another complicating factor for both creators and viewers was the website's near-constant layout revisions. While consistency is often key for user experience—a point I begrudgingly concede in favor of Twitch, known for its infrequent UI changes—their current design, though arguably lacking in user-friendliness and aesthetic appeal, does maintain a certain level of stability that users could rely on. Before the unfortunate shutdown, navigating LiveSpace to find which creators were live from your following list was becoming unnecessarily cumbersome. The issue with persistent notifications was equally vexing; the magenta dot persistently glaring from the bell icon, stubbornly refusing to disappear no matter how many times it was clicked, signaled perhaps a too fervent adherence to the “move fast and break things” mentality that pervades Silicon Valley startups. While such an approach isn't inherently negative, the necessity of establishing a stable and consistent user interface for a prolonged period would likely have been pivotal in encouraging creators—and, by extension, their viewers—to migrate to and stay with LiveSpace.

This reflection isn’t intended to be an excoriation of what LiveSpace was attempting to achieve; on the contrary, I embraced their vision and ardently hoped for their triumph. As someone deeply invested in reporting on LiveSpace’s endeavors to an audience increasingly disillusioned with the dominant platforms, the closure of LiveSpace represented a significant loss for the streaming community. Many of us have, regrettably, witnessed this scenario unfold with various platforms over recent years, and such experiences taint the prospect of investing time and energy into emergent startups. The concerns are valid: Why should a creator dedicate effort to mastering a new platform if there lurks a possibility of its disappearance within a year, leading them back to square one in search of yet another digital refuge? This cyclical ordeal was familiar to those who transitioned from Mixer to Glimesh, only to endure it once more with LiveSpace. Naturally, my remarks here pertain to the more prominent alternatives—the likes of Altair and Brime struggled similarly to garner the requisite backing to take off and ultimately succumbed to early obsolescence.

LiveSpace differentiated itself as more than just another gaming-centric live streaming platform. Their concerted focus on the creative community—artists, musicians, crafters—heralded the promise of carving out an underserved niche within the live-streaming ecosystem. There was a space brimming with potential, a space that major players like Twitch had dabbed in promoting but eventually eschewed due to strategic priorities pivoting towards profitability—an understandable goal, especially given Twitch's lack of profit throughout its existence. With Amazon exerting pressure on Twitch to turn a profit, it seems unlikely that Twitch will gamble on supporting specialized niche programming and creators, preferring instead to double down on safer bets like IRL segments and creator events with production value.

This leaves a palpable sense of disenchantment among many creators who regarded LiveSpace as perhaps their final bastion of hope in their journey across digital platforms. Returning to Twitch is less than ideal for many, as they feel that the platform doesn't prioritize their interests or those of their communities, having been shuttled from one platform to another. For those who find themselves considering ceasing their online presence altogether, I extend my deepest sympathies. Meanwhile, for the resilient creators still searching for alternatives, I suggest exploring decentralized solutions like Peertube or Owncast. These open-source options represent new avenues where creators can retain greater control, hone their craft, and potentially foster unique communities centered around their content.

Whichever path you decide to embark upon, remember that your efforts thus far represent progress, not failure. Your journey through the tumultuous world of content creation is a testament to your dedication, and whatever endpoints or new beginnings lie ahead, your work has undoubtedly made an impact.