Just as a preface, the posting of scheduled matches was so often short notice not only because Console was doing so much work for RGB in the early season, but also University stuff in the later season. We provide all this coverage and work out of our time, but we can't always make it a priority.

Honestly I would like to see some small things come back like showing player rosters on the stream before the game actually begins with their season stats if possible

i miss when you guys used this hud https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpDRCs78gqE

I agree with bringing back the rosters/season stats visuals if possible, I feel like it gives viewers some small level of insight into how the teams play + who the play makers are if they don't already know the teams. The commentators usually do a decent enough job of it with voice alone, but the visuals definitely used to help.

Plus the graphics just look really nice during the match intros vs just watching players warm up (imo).

Oh yes the team health bar was fun

I'll just mention some things as an observer with no ties to this community:

- The posting of scheduled matches were very bad this season. I haven't been watching for a very long time or anything, but this season was particularly bad about posting schedules. I realize that's just how it works sometimes since the match dates aren't fixed and usually it's just scheduled only a couple days out - but yeah it's definitely not good for people who aren't closely tied to this community who don't check the esea schedule page every day. I think one of the froyotech playoff matches didn't get a match post until like an hour before and then there was the whole Grand Finals things. I don't know what needs to change, but we just can't have the Grand Finals of Invite announced an hour before hand. Not a good sign.

- I also like the roster rundowns with the stats graphics from previous seasons. Those were nice and professional. Of course that's more staff needed for that, so hopefully someone can step up for this next season.

- The times of matches are bad, but that's not something that is going to change. No way I'm staying up that late EST on a weekday so I just have to catch the VOD the following day. Won't change - but thought I'd mention anyway.

- I don't remember, but were there stats brought up on stream during halftime and postgame this season? I think someone mentioned something was broken. But when tino observed for GF he had the stats up. Those stats add a lot to the stream.

- I like when invite players do guest casting. Maybe you can push for some more invite level talent to participate next season. Bdonski cast incoming?

Anyways, just wanted to say thank you for all of you guys who keep the broadcasting going. I understand you're understaffed and aren't compensated so I do appreciate it.

I think you guys should solicit for volunteers more often. I'm sure if you bug enough people more would be willing to volunteer. At least I hope.

get more sandblast casts if possible

also based on aim's casting last night I think he would be pretty entertaining

I have a pet peeve that I've noticed a lot from some of the casting this season. Particularly when the caster isn't a high level player (might be a coincidence) they feel the need to shit talk all the decisions the players make and it's pretty distasteful imo. It's easy to act like you know exactly what someone should have been doing when they make a mistake when you have access to all the information on the map and aren't feeling nervous or pressured. I have noticed it more with high open - low im level casters than invite casters. I often hear sandblast or meyy for example say something like "personally I think they should have taken an exchange instead of sacking because x" and the open casters go like "LOL what is (team or player) doing? This is so bad." Last night's open GF casting was particularly bad in this regard. I don't think this means you need more invite casters necessarily but casters that come on should be more respectful imo.

yeah i dont wanna see open/im players shit talking other players i wanna hear aim go "WTF IS HAPPENING" when juju bottles alfa and escapes on 5 health

open+im players shit talking invite players: >:(
invite players shit talking open+im players: :D

I think anyone would say "WTF IS HAPPENING" if they saw someone kill another player with a bottle and got away with 5 health regardless of division

i cost my team playoffs :(

Just a little bit less of sandblast chewing into his microphone while continuing to cast and talking through 2 pounds of food in his mouth otherwise things are alright.

Also with the HUD... There's a certain thing that I find annoying with this common layout. It's that the medigun looks like the 7th player on each team and as it fills it looks like a player who's being healed up since the ubercharge bar and the health bars are basically the same style. I definitely prefer the type of HUD that RoL posted with regard to this sort of thing.

whoever the camera man is that keeps opening STV chat and typing mid cast needs to not do that ever again

a lot of casters in the tf2 community do a word-heavy radio-style broadcast, but tf2 is the equivalent of tv -- viewers can see what's happening. so casters shouldn't list every single thing they see. during chaotic fights no one can speak that fast anyway.

try to complement what the viewer is seeing on-screen, instead of obscuring it. sideshow was the best at this.

There's a big challenge in making this happen in practice, mostly because the producer has to evaluate what is currently on their screen, what the caster is speaking about, and what is actually happening in the match, to capture what the viewers see.

Additionally, several casters, myself included, do third person view whenever casting, so it becomes commonplace to narrate what we see via bird's-eye, rather than from the first person perspective (for example) of the scout/soldier about to get ubered through a choke. I sometimes try to make the perspective shift so that casting becomes more in tune with the push and (hopefully) the camera, but overall it's challenging to coordinate caster + camera during the cast, concurrently.

it's uniquely difficult in esports because the observer controls what the viewer sees, which is not always what the caster sees.

something that happens a lot is that the viewer watches a big pick play out on the observer's cam, but the caster is on another cam and misses it, so the viewer actually knows what the caster is saying is wrong/irrelevant while he's saying it.

I guess your right, but I've seen it more often where the casters mention something like a pop/force, air shot etc... that is not captured by the observer, and I would have no idea how it happened or where unless the casters mentioned it

ik for a fact that this is what happened at rewind 2 but thats because the casters were sitting in front of a large ass screen with the observer's pov on it, so they could cast what they were seeing on the observer's screen, making this much much easier. otherwise i can confirm it is basically impossible to tell what the observer is observing and commentate accordingly

shoutouts to console

+1

Hi, couple of updates for people who are curious regarding feedback ITT:

• We're currently working on some new graphics things that may or may not be related to new roster viewers and stats viewers
  
• Staff LFP thread will be posted soon, keep your eyes out if you have interest in helping make the livestreams tick
  
• Though a full HUD redesign back to 2015 is not happening, please tell what specific HUD elements you like/dislike so we know what we can change to improve current HUD :)

I really like team health bars personally, it's a speedy way for me as a viewer to track how teamfights are developing in general without having to look at the health bars of 12 individual players and miss onscreen action.