Looking for “Simplify3D free download” and don’t want to commit to buy the popular slicer software? Here are the best answers to the question: Is there a free full version?
The correct answer to the question if there is a free full version of Simplify3D, would be “Yes, but …” or “No, but …” depending on your point of view.
Simplify3D is a popular 3D printing slicer, capable of converting your 3D models into optimized instructions for your 3D printer, and much more besides. In our Simplify3D review, we found it to be the most capable and feature-rich slicer software available. And it costs $149.
Luckily (here’s the but), there is a way to test Simplify3D for free or check out the best free Simplify3D alternatives.
Simplify3D Free Trial: Full Version
The only way to get a kind of Simplify3D free trial is to buy it for $149. You then have two weeks to try it out, and if by the end of that period it’s not to your liking, you can return the software for a full refund.
Getting set up is easy. Upon buying Simplify3D through their website, you’ll instantly receive an email with instructions to download and install the software. After that, it’s a simple matter of connecting to one of the hundreds of 3D printers supported by the slicer.
Please remember: If you don’t want to keep the software, you will have to cancel within two weeks to get your money back.
Simplify3D Free Trail: Available Features
Simplify3D offers a ton of interesting features for the magnitude of FDM 3D printers, so it’s definitely worth a try.
Because you have to buy it to try it, the full range of features are available to you from the very beginning. These include, among others, simulating prints in advance, determining optimal support structures, and a plethora of variable print settings.
If the $150 is out of your price range, there are a number of free 3D slicers that are just as popular. Chief among them are Cura, Slic3r, and Repetier.
Cura comes from 3D printer company Ultimaker. With an intuitive user interface and over 200 settings, it’s well-suited for both beginners and experts. It also offers a lot of 3D printer profiles.
Slic3r incorporates a number of useful tools, such as a bleeding edge feature, multiple views with which to preview a print, and a strong alternating honeycomb infill. It’s also known to operate relatively quickly, even on slower computers.
Free Simplify3D Alternative #3: Repetier
A well-established slicer in the 3D printing community, Repetier tends to be favored by users of an intermediate to advanced level. It supports plugins for multiple extruders and virtually any 3D printer on the market.
We dove into Twitch chat during the Pokémon Marathon, and found key moments when viewers sing, cry, and laugh together. Sometimes, weirdly, all three happen at the same time.
Context and dataset
Twitch ran a marathon of all Pokémon episodes and movies. The first 13 episodes aired on August 27, from 10am to 4pm PST. While watching Pokémon, we noticed a lot of meming and spamming in chat, even by Twitch standards. So we decided to dive into it.
Our dataset has two tables. One consists of all 269k messages posted by viewers during these 6 hours. The messages are lowercased for convenience. The second table consists of emotes usage, it’s also indexed on message id, and has one row per emote use.
Twitch chat likes emotes: 61% of chat messages have at least one. Twitch chat also likes to spam emotes: a total of 359k emotes were used, i.e. chatters use on average 2 per message with an emote.
Gotta Catch ’Em All
Each of the 13 episodes opens and concludes with the Pokémon theme song, “Pokémon, gotta catch ’em all”. It is a catchy song written in common meter with classic anime lyrics. Its most frequent non-stopword token is “pokemon”, appearing in 14 out of the 45 lines of the theme song.
Throughout all 13 episodes, viewers sing along in chat to the theme song, during both the intro and outro. While the average 10-second window during the marathon sees 1.5% of chat messages with the token “pokemon”, this can reach up to 18% during the theme song.
The graph below shows a heartbeat-like pattern in the proportion of chat messages with the “pokemon” token. Since each episode is 22 minutes, and intermissions between episodes 4 minutes, this proportion spikes twice every 26 minutes.
The proportion of chat messages with the “pokemon” token spikes when the theme song plays.
Text memes: “never seen again” and “pity badge”
Throughout his adventures, protagonist Ash encounters various characters whom he leaves but promises to see again. Twitch chat, in disbelief, spams “never seen again”. This goodbye meme started modestly in episode 4, peaked at episode 8 at 17% of chat messages in a 10s window, and dwindled in the following episodes played that day.
However, another raw-text meme stayed strong after episode 7. When Ash challenges the three Cerulean Gym leaders, they tell him their Pokémon are exhausted and forfeit their Cascade badge to him without a fight. This prompted chat to spam “pity badge”. This meme peaked at 25% of chat messages during episode 13, when Ash showed his badges proudly.
The proportion of chat messages like “never seen again” and “pity badge” spike at different moments.
We’d like to explore trends involving both emotes and raw text throughout the day. Moreover, in Pokémon, the scenario moves quickly: one minute is slapstick running-around, with chat laughing, and the next tearful melodrama, with chat crying. LDA seems appropriate.
We first remove stop words (“the”, “is”, “are”, etc.), then treat each minute of chat as a document for LDA. LDA then treats each minute of chat as a mixture of topics, and outputs the top words for these topics. A topic is an assignment of a weight to each word, for example {‘pokemon’:0.9, ‘sourpls’:0.8, …}. All words appear in all topics, but the topic’s top words enable us humans to interpret it. We played around with the number of topics, and ended at 11, a local minimum. The resulting topics are displayed below.
Let’s deep dive into 2 of these topics: the sad topic, and the Team Rocket topic.
The sad topic
The BibleThump emote
Topic 9 is about the sad moments in Pokémon. It loads heavily on tokens like “biblethump”, which is a tearful Twitch emote expressing commiseration, sometimes used sarcastically. It also loads heavily on words related to the Pokémon Charmander.
Topic 9 covers the sad moments in Pokémon.
We believe that words related to Charmander are prominent in topic 9 because of episode 11, in which Ash meets Charmander, and a very sad and melodramatic story unfolds. Chat was ready to react. Here’s a close-up of episode 11’s BibleThump-ness.
While the episode is very melodramatic in the beginning, it quickly turns around, and chat spams PogChamp, an emote indicating amazement.
These flip-flopping emotions remind us of the 6 shapes of story arcs. In our case, Twitch chat lets us analyze these story arcs via the audience’s reactions.
Prepare for Trouble Make it double To protect the world from devastation To unite all people within our nation To denounce the evils of truth and love To extend our reach to the stars above Jessie James Team Rocket Blast off at the speed of light Surrender now or prepare to fight Meowth, that’s Right!
Starting with the Team Rocket’s first appearance in episode 2, and every time they appear thereafter, chat just spams the villains’ motto.
Topic 10 tracks with Team Rocket appearances.
Wrapping up
This article dove into chat during the first day of the Pokémon marathon on Twitch. Pokémon brought viewers together in chat, via memes involving raw text, emotes, or both. LDA helped us discover that the most intense memes stem from silly plot elements, melodramatic moments, and catchy theme songs and mottos.
This article was co-written by Thomas Debeauvais, Sanjay Kairam, and Brendan Rocks.
From January 21st through January 23rd, Twitch Prime members will be able to claim and own Devolver Digital’s latest quirky title, Pikuniku, for free before it’s on sale everywhere else! Be one of the first to check out this absurd puzzle-exploration game in which you set out on a single mission: to make people happy.
Help the townsfolk face their fears, uncover a deep state conspiracy, and rebuild a cheerful community in a delightful dystopian adventure.
Claim the offer by heading here and keep the game forever.
After the exclusive early access period is over, Twitch Prime members will still be able to claim the offer through February 28th.
Also, don’t forget to claim the Devolver Digital Holiday Pack, which includes Broforce, Hotline Miami, Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number, The Messenger, STRAFE, Crossing Souls, and The Swords of Ditto.
What is Twitch Prime?
Twitch Prime is a premium experience on Twitch that is included with Amazon Prime. Benefits include in-game loot, free games, a free monthly channel subscription AND all the benefits of being a Prime member.
You can try it for free for 30 days right here, and when you do, you get all the Twitch Prime benefits instantly just by linking your Twitch account to your Amazon account.
Starting January 17th through February 18th, Twitch Prime members can get Gear Bundle #2 for Warframe that includes 50 Platinum (non-tradeable) to use towards new equipment, a 7-Day Affinity Booster to double the rate in which players upgrade their equipment, and a 7-Day Resource Booster to double the amount of Resources players get from pickups.
What is Twitch Prime?
Twitch Prime is a premium experience on Twitch that is included with Amazon Prime. Benefits include in-game loot, free games, a free monthly channel subscription AND all the benefits of being a Prime member.
You can try it for free for 30 days right here, and when you do, you get all the Twitch Prime benefits instantly just by linking your Twitch account to your Amazon account.
Starting today, January 15th, Twitch Prime members can join in on the celebration of the launch of Neverwinter’s latest major update, The Heart of Fire, with a special bundle which includes 30 days of in-game VIP status, an Intern Companion, Bonding Runestones, and more! Head over to this page and follow the account linking and claiming instructions for the Elite Intern Bundle, which includes:
Intern Companion
Fierce Holy Icon of the Companion +4
Fierce Sword Knot of the Companion +4
Fierce Talisman of the Companion +4
30 days in-game VIP
3x Rank 8 Bonding Runestone
1x Runic Bag of Holding
This bundle can be claimed on the PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 versions of Neverwinter and will be available until 2/13/2019. All items are Bind on Pickup. Rewards can only be claimed on one character per account.
This is the first of three bundles, so be sure to check back next month for the next!
What is Twitch Prime?
Twitch Prime is a premium experience on Twitch that is included with Amazon Prime. Benefits include monthly in-game loot, free games every month, a channel subscription every 30 days AND all the benefits of being a Prime member.
You can try it for free for 30 days right here, and when you do, you get all the Twitch Prime benefits instantly just by linking your Twitch account to your Amazon account.
We heard you when you said you want more Twitch Rivals, so this year, we’re bringing you more weekly events and making all of them even better. Get ready for the biggest names on Twitch, top prizing, fun formats, and your favorite games — Twitch Rivals kicks off on January 15, 2019 with a League of Legends Qualifier Challenge and continues with 100+ events on Tuesdays and Wednesdays throughout the year.
The first Rivals event took place on February 28th, 2018, and as of now, 38 events have been produced featuring approximately 800 different Twitch partners & affiliates. The 38 events included seven different games and a ton of cool formats. And when all was said and done, we learned that for streamers, Twitch Rivals is an amazing way to grow a community while also earning revenue by playing with fellow Twitch streamers. And for viewers, Twitch Rivals events provide an easily discoverable stage where the brightest streaming stars compete in the most popular games on Twitch.
In 2019, all 100+ Twitch Rivals events will be available from the /TwitchRivals channel complete with an anchored studio show to provide coverage and spotlight participating Partners & Affiliates.
Ready to watch? Go to /TwitchRivals and hit that Follow button to get a notification whenever Twitch Rivals goes live!
January Schedule:
January 15th — League of Legends Qualifier Challenge
January 16th — Starcraft II
January 21st — League of Legends Streamer Showdown
January 22nd — League of Legends Streamer Showdown
January 23rd — League of Legends Streamer Showdown
January 29th — Hearthstone Arena Draft Team Challenge
We caught up with Steve Filby, Marketing Manager at Motion Twin, an indie game studio based in Bordeaux, France, to talk about their wildly popular game Dead Cells and its integration with Twitch.
Dead Cells had one of the most innovative Twitch game integrations in 2018. Leveraging Chat, Dead Cells uses chat commands that let game viewers play an active role in the outcome of the game for the streamer.
Check out a quick Dead Cells demo from TwitchCon Developer Day.
TwitchDev: Tell us a little about your company, goals, and experience with Twitch. Filby: Our goals with Twitch have always been about reaching new players and engaging with them. We’re acutely aware of the cult status that Twitch has developed among gamers and the way that’s changed the landscape in terms of how to get noticed. These days, there are literally hundreds of games coming out each week (even if you’re only competing against the five good ones), as well as many, many esports and F2P games that command a huge share of the audience at all times, so you really have to be thinking about how to break in and get some eyeballs on your new title.
Our experience has been that if you pay attention to the most important discoverability platform on the internet and build a strategy around it, as well as make an exceptional — good is no longer enough — game, then you can break through the noise.
TwitchDev: Can you tell us a little about the Dead Cells integration and where the idea came from? Filby: Well, the idea really came from trying to work out how to get streamers to cover our game a second time, given that we launched into early access and a lot of people had already played the game. We needed to offer them something that was built for them and took their needs into account, so we talked to a bunch of them and asked what they needed as streamers.
Overwhelmingly, they told us that new, exciting ways to engage with their audience was really what was missing. They often referenced the few “good” integrations that they had seen (Choice Chamber, etc.) and encouraged us to do something like that. So we did.
TwitchDev: Who did you build this integration for? We built it for streamers, particularly our friends who have followed and pushed the game since early access. They worked with us giving us ideas, beta testing for us, and generally helping us to build something that they could use to engage their audience.
Obviously, to engage the audience, the thing needs to be fun for the viewers too, so we built the platforms as much for the viewers as for the streamer, perhaps a little more so in terms of the gameplay. Chat can really give the streamer hell if they want!
TwitchDev: What does the integration contribute to the Twitch community? The integration is really meant to create a new type of hybrid gameplay, where a kind of hive mind collective of people (Chat) are all playing with or against the streamer. This really makes the viewers feel like they’re part of the game — because they literally are. Chat will literally replace some of the algorithms of the game, replacing the Random Number Generator (RNG) with ChatNG and allowing for bargaining between the streamer and the game; you can’t beg your game to give you good RNG, but you sure can beg Chat.
We’ve noticed that the integration is seen as a kind of extra value by the streamers in that they use it complimentary with their standard runs of the game. It provides a new way of interaction with the fans and an entirely new way of playing the game, kind of like an NG+.
TwitchDev: Can you talk about any events you’ve done in conjunction with the integration? Our launch (PC 1.0 and console) was built entirely around our Twitch strategy and the integration was a core part of our “second” launch. Basically, we used the integration to build buzz among bigger streamers. About three weeks before launch, we were distributing the integration to hand-picked friends and key people. This piqued the interest of certain bigger guys, so when it was time for our PR team to reach out and hustle for reviews and coverage, we already had a decent amount of inbound requests for access. This allowed us to reach a huge audience during the launch week.
In fact, it was something that really, really surprised us in terms of impact. We pretty much doubled our all-time minutes watched count in a month…
With the Twitch integration, Motion Twin almost doubled their Dead Cells all-time minutes watched count in a month.
TwitchDev: What results and community response have you seen so far? As I mentioned above, we pretty much doubled our all-time minutes watched count in a month.
Since then, we’ve seen a baseline pickup in the amount of people continuing to stream the game after an initial playthrough and our base audience numbers have gone up. It’s just been across the board a success.
TwitchDev: What are your future plans or considerations? What else would you like to build? We’re actually in the process of building an influence program; the idea being to reward streamers and viewers alike for playing, watching, and generally liking our game. So we’re thinking about ways that we can include some kind of non-abusive incentive program in the integration.
Outside of that, we’ve got a bunch of ideas about how to improve the actual gameplay. We’d like to consider an actual Extension, but right now we’re holding out for an official game SDK. Basically anything that we can do to reduce latency will allow us to include a bunch more real-time stuff, things where the player and the viewer can work together in a much more direct way.
I’d really like to see a more custom version of the game available, too. For example, Chat could choose from all of the known levels in the game and put them in any order they wanted for the streamer to playthrough. Really giving the keys to the community when it comes to creating challenges for the streamer.
For more information on Dead Cells or Motion Twin, visit motion-twin.com.
Twitch Prime membership included access to epic in-game loot for 20 blockbuster games, more than 70 Free Games with Prime, a free subscription to their favorite Twitch broadcaster every 30 days, plus all the benefits of Amazon Prime
In 2018, Twitch Prime members in more than 200 countries enjoyed the Best of Prime with:
· More than $3,000 in gaming goodness — including free in-game loot, free games, and free subscriptions to their favorite Twitch broadcasters.
· Over 70 great games. As part of Free Games with Prime, members received critically-acclaimed titles including 85+ rated Metacritic favorites like Civilization IV, Pillars of Eternity, Psychonauts, Gone Home, SteamWorld Dig 2, Tales from the Borderlands, Shadow Tactics, and System Shock.
· Over 1,000 hours of entertainment. If a member played through every Free Game with Prime, it would add up to more than 1,100 hours of gameplay– the equivalent of watching every episode ever created of The Simpsons, Seinfeld, Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, The Office, 30 Rock, Family Guy, Friends, and Parks and Recreation back-to-back — with enough time left over to watch all the Harry Potter movies (including Fantastic Beasts!)
· Tons of in-game Loot. Twitch Prime members made their favorite games even better with free epic loot in 20 of the world’s biggest blockbusters across every platform. Members racked up perks like a legendary skin shard in League of Legends, celebrated Prime Day with exclusive deadmau5 skins in PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS, a Golden Classic Card Pack for Hearthstone, and of course an exclusive skin, emote, pickaxe, glider, and back bling in Fortnite.
· Free Twitch Channel Subscriptions. Twitch Prime members hit that subscribe button like crazy and stepped up to support Twitch’s vibrant community of passionate creators. Members helped hundreds of thousands of broadcasters grow their channels by using their free subscription credit every 30 days.
· Members also enjoyed all the benefits of Prime* at no additional cost, including unlimited access to critically-acclaimed movies and TV episodes like Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel with Prime Video; ad-free access to more than two million songs and over one thousand playlists and stations on Prime Music; more than a thousand books, magazines and comics with Prime Reading; deep discounts on select popular products at Whole Foods Markets; and unlimited fast, free shipping on more than 100 million items.
And Twitch Prime is just getting started … there are lots of surprises in store for next year, with content on the horizon from some of the biggest hits from this holiday season. What would you like to see in Twitch Prime this year? Hit us up on Twitter @twitchprime. We’re listening!
Basically, there is one software tool you do need: that is a slicing software. Optionally, you may want to use a software to create 3D models for printing.
But let’s start with 3D modeling software as that comes first in the process.
3D modeling software
When you wish to design the 3D printable model on your own, get a 3D modeling software tool that outputs your digital model in the standard STL or OBJ format. There is a wealth of more or less powerful tools for this purpose – we selected a few recommended tools.
Free 3D modeling tools
Extracting a 2D drawing to create a 3D model in FreeCAD (source: Freecadweb.org)
* SketchUp Make is a feature-rich tool for both beginners and advanced users. It is easy to learn – especially, with the help of All3DP’s beginner’s workshop for SketchUp. There is also a commercial Pro edition with additional functionality. Please note that you need to install a plug-in to be able to export STL files for 3D printing (see our workshop).
* Blender is a feature-rich 3D modeling and animation tool. It is designed for advanced and professional users and is often used for 3D applications, animated films and games. But it is also a great tool for 3D modeling.
* 123D Design is a simple 3D modeling tool that gets you easily started; there is a commercial version with more features.
Commercial 3D modeling software
Don’t let the overabundance of buttons discourage you – SketchUp is easy to learn (from the All3DP SketchUp workshop)
* Solidworks is a very popular 3D CAD tool; it is used by over 2 million engineers and designers.
* AutoCAD and 3ds Max are also widely used professional CAD and 3D modeling tools.
Other tools that create 3D models
* 123D Catch is a free 3D scanning app (Windows, iOS, Android) that lets you create 3D models by taking a series of photos of an object.
* 123D Sculpt+ is a tactile modeling app for the iPad and Android tablets. It allows you to use your fingers to work on a model like you would when modeling with clay.
Slicing software
Slic3r allows you to adjust the print, printer and filament settings (source: slic3r.org)
A slicing software is something you definitely need for 3D printing. The slicing software converts a digital 3D model (a STL or OBJ file) into printing instructions for your 3D printer – i.e., it generates so-called G-code. The G-code then is sent to the 3D printer where it is executed and turned into a 3D printout.
The slicing software cuts the model into horizontal layers (slices); the printer outputs one layer after the other. Additionally, the software also creates the paths needed to fill the layers and to build the support structures. It also calculates the amount of material required.
3D printers from commercial providers come with a slicing software designed for that printer. If you built your 3D printer by yourself or if you are not satisfied with your printer’s slicing software, you can use the free slicing tools Cura (that comes with the Ultimaker printers) or Slic3r. Many expert users prefer Cura or Slic3r over their printer’s software.
With over 60 percent of Partners and Affiliates already using Extensions, they’re quickly becoming one of the best ways for creators to connect with fans and support their channels.
For developers, it’s good to know that themed Extensions around events and holidays are something that streamers love to use to engage their community and customize their channels.
Check out how these Extensions are helping them do it during this holiday season.
This Christmas Extension helps streamers engage their community and even give has a new way of monetization. Viewers can choose among different Christmas tree decorations and even leave a message on every decoration.
The Christmas tree will be displayed on the stream, but the viewers have always the option to hide it. If a tree gets too full with decorations, viewers will also be able to add new trees.
This Extensions allows streamers to automatically import an Amazon Wishlist and show the items in their channel. This let’s fans see what streamers want and maybe they’ll do their part to help their favorite streamers get these items.
‘Tis the season! The Tiltify Donation Extension makes it easier than ever to fundraise for charity. At a glance, viewers will know who a streamer is fundraising for, what the fundraising goal is, how much has been raised, and an on-page donate button to take audience engagement to the next level.
Hopefully these Extensions will inspire you to think about the possibilities for other big experiences that streamers come together for like New Year’s Eve, major sporting events, or other seasonal celebrations.
War Chest: Katowice 2019 brings two brand-new features to StarCraft II and Twitch alike.
First, each race in StarCraft II is receiving a full suite of custom building skins. By purchasing this season’s War Chest, you’ll be able to complete your transformation with the Simulant Zerg, Terran Special Forces, and Protoss Forged sets.
Second, Blizzard is adding even more ways to earn War Chest XP. Now, not only can you earn War Chest XP by playing StarCraft II, you’ll also be able to earn War Chest XP by watching StarCraft II on Twitch. For this entire War Chest period, spend time with your favorite StarCraft II broadcasters & earn experience towards this season’s War Chest loot.
Any and all broadcasters can help their fellow RTS fans gain experience for their Katowice 2019 War Chest simply by streaming StarCraft II and activating the StarCraft II War Chest Extension.
Phase I unlocks: December 20
Phase II unlocks: January 17
Phase III unlocks: February 14
Double XP begins: March 14
War Chest concludes: April 11
Here’s how to earn experience for your War Chest by watching StarCraft II on Twitch:
StarCraft II streams on the official StarCraft II channel will always be eligible to provide War Chest XP. Other channels that stream StarCraft II will have the opportunity to provide War Chest XP to viewers, as well, so long as the War Chest extension is activated. You can check to see if the War Chest extension is available on a particular channel by looking for the extension icon near the edges of the Twitch video player.
Want to take all the guesswork out of finding eligible channels? We’ve got you covered. We’ve partnered with several streamers from around the world (listed here) to ensure they are ready to provide XP-unlocking entertainment starting today and continuing throughout the entire War Chest period! If and when these channels are streaming StarCraft II, they will be eligible to provide War Chest XP.
Once you find a StarCraft II stream to enjoy, the War Chest extension activated on their channel will serve as your guide, keeping you up-to-date on your eligibility and progress.
After watching for about 20 minutes, you should unlock your first War Chest XP reward and the extension will notify you that you have War Chest XP to claim. You must click the “Claim XP” button to redeem it in-game on your linked account. Clicking this button will also allow you to continue earning XP on Twitch. Please note thatyou cannot earn any additional experience if have pending experience to claim. The War Chest extension will let you know once you’ve earned enough XP to unlock all War Chest items currently available; however, any time you want to see exactly where you stand, you can always log into StarCraft II to verify your earnings.
Once the War Chest extension is installed and activated, just stream StarCraft II like normal and you’ll help your viewers unlock those sweet building skins, plus a variety of other in-game items as well!
The Spoils of War Await
You are now armed and ready to begin your War Chest: Katowice 2019 campaign. Get comfy and then get to watching your favorite StarCraft II streams. For even more details about this program, please review the FAQ here. GLHF!
The holidays are here and Devolver Digital is bringing a slew of awesome PC games to Twitch Prime members. Starting today, you’ll be able to claim and play all of the games within the Devolver Digital Holiday Pack. As always, once you claim a game, it’s yours to keep forever.
Here’s the lineup:
Broforce: Deliver your own brand of shock and awe with dozens of bros each with their own unique weaponry and special attacks designed to dispatch freedom across the world.
Hotline Miami: A high-octane action game overflowing with raw brutality, hard-boiled gunplay and skull crushing close combat.
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number: The brutal conclusion to the Hotline Miami saga, set against a backdrop of escalating violence and retribution over spilled blood in the original game.
The Messenger: As a demon army besieges his village, a young ninja ventures through a cursed world to deliver a scroll paramount to his clan’s survival
STRAFE: A roguelike first-person shooter that generates unique, full levels every time you play.
Crossing Souls: An action-adventure set in a California suburb in the midst of a supernatural event that rocks the small community as grand forces siege the town.
The Swords of Ditto: A roguelite action RPG that creates a unique adventure for each new hero of legend in the relentless fight against the evil Mormo.
What is Twitch Prime?
Twitch Prime is a premium experience on Twitch that is included with Amazon Prime. Benefits include monthly in-game loot, free games every month, a channel subscription every 30 days AND all the benefits of being a Prime member.
You can try it for free for 30 days right here, and when you do, you get all the Twitch Prime benefits instantly just by linking your Twitch account to your Amazon account.
Summary: VP9 will soon help Twitch offer a better viewing experience for premium esports and partner channels
Video compression is the key to successful delivery of digital video across various applications like broadcast, teleconference, surveillance, and online streaming services. Since 2003 (i.e., 15 years ago), H.264 has been the state-of-the-art video compression format and has enabled HDTV, Blu-ray Disc, Internet video websites (e.g., YouTube, Twitch), and so on. Nevertheless, according to Twitch’s recent analysis, H.264 has reached its compression performance limit, particularly for real-time encoding of gaming content at the HD resolution (1080p60). On the other hand, newer-generation video standards, namely VP9, HEVC, and AV1, show significant compression gain, which can bring considerable commercial benefits to content platforms (e.g., offering viewers better video quality, reducing the video loading time and the buffering rate, increasing the customer reach, decreasing the IP transit cost).
Currently, although decoding and playback of VP9 video are widely supported on devices and browsers used by Twitch’s audience, encoding gaming video content with a high efficiency and real-time performance is a substantial challenge due to the high complexity of VP9. Through a rigorous feasibility study, we have eventually selected FPGA as the hardware platform for real-time VP9 encoding and are deploying it to broadcast our premium eSports and partner channels in the near future (please watch the presentation given by Twitch’s Principal Research Engineer, Dr. Yueshi Shen and Xilinx’s CEO, Victor Peng, during the keynote talk of Xilinx Developer Forum 2018).
Twitch’s Principal Research Engineer, Dr. Yueshi Shen, and Xilinx’s CEO, Victor Peng, speaking at Xilinx Developer Forum 2018
In this article, we will show that the FPGA-based real-time VP9 encoding can deliver at least 25% bitrate savings compared to the highest-quality H.264 encoders deployed in Twitch’s production today. Also, we will deep dive into VP9’s compression tools to explain how these features are used in the encoder implementation to realize the compression performance improvement promised by the simulations during the standardization process.
VP9’s Compression Efficiency for Live 1080p60 Encoding: We Can Achieve At Least 25% Bitrate Savings
In the following study, we are not running an academic evaluation of the VP9 compression standard, but comparing a practical 1080p60 real-time VP9 encoder implementation against a commercial state-of-the-art real-time H.264 encoder.
H.264 Anchor
For the anchor, we picked the open-source x264 encoder running on Intel Xeon E5–2697 V4 (18 cores, 2.3GHz, 145W) CPU. The configuration of x264 is:
medium preset,
high profile,
constant bitrate (CBR) mode,
GOPs of 2 seconds,
lookahead of 1 second, and
VBV buffer of 1 second.
Based on our knowledge on encoder’s performance and Twitch’s content/operational point (i.e., resolution, frame rate, bitrate), we find the above x264 configuration can deliver a comparable or even higher video quality, compared to most professional broadcast quality video encoders in the market. Furthermore, running a higher quality x264 preset (like slow, veryslow) can neither hit the 25% bitrate saving goal nor achieve the real-time encoding (see our experiment result below).
Video quality and encoding speed of x264 at various presets
Test Content
In our comparison, we used the following five 1080p60 gaming clips:
EuroTruckSimulator 2,
Rust,
Witcher 3,
CSGO, and
Fallout 4.
The uncompressed raw video can be downloaded from the official webpage of the Alliance for Open Media (AOM)’s test sequences (search “Twitch”). These five titles cover a wide set of content characteristics (e.g., fast motion, high texture, saturated colors, and large contrast) and are very challenging for video encoding, in fact, much harder than camera-filmed video. Below is a screenshot from the game Witcher 3, and you can find the picture has high contrast, sharp edges, and a lot of details.
A screenshot from the game Witcher 3
Subjective and Object Test Results
With a subjective viewing test at Twitch’s operational point, we concluded that VP9 can deliver the same or better video quality than H.264 at 6Mbps while only using 4.5Mbps. Below is a screenshot of H.264 6Mbps (left) vs. VP9 4.5Mbps (right). The VP9 has a cleaner road surface and has less mosquito noise around the edge of the text, but the H.264 has slightly more texture on the tree and the grass.
Video quality comparison of H.264 6Mbps (left) vs. VP9 4.5Mbps (right)
You can download the demo video of 1080p60 H.264 6Mbps vs. VP9 4.5Mbps here.
For the objective analysis, we use both PSNR and VMAF and the video bitrate are swept from 2Mbps to 12Mbps. The average PSNR and VMAF values over the 5 titles are provided in the table below. Both metrics show that in the 4Mbps to 6Mbps range, VP9 provides a bitrate savings of approximately 25% over H.264. Additionally, VP9 maintains significant compression efficiency advantage over H.264 for all bitrates.
VP9 bitrate savings against H.264 based on PSNR or VMAF, at various reference H.264 bitrates
Here are the PSNR and VMAF curves for x264 and NGCodec VP9.
Average PSNR comparison of H.264 vs. VP9
Average VMAF comparison of H.264 vs. VP9
Using VMAF, at a score of 80 or higher, Twitch’s video quality is comparable to broadcast quality video. Some analysis suggests that in general, a score of 90 or higher indicates a high video quality. However, due to the high texture nature of gaming content (as explained in the previous section of “Test Content”), the score of 80 indeed reflects a very good quality for Twitch’s titles.
Deep Dive into the VP9 Features: New Compression Tools Require Effective Implementations and Exhaustive Search (Enabled by FPGA) to Deliver the Bitrate Savings
The compression gain claimed in the previous section stems from a number of new or improved coding tools defined in the VP9 standard. In this section, we will demonstrate the effect of these new tools that have been implemented in our FPGA VP9 encoder through sophisticated video compression algorithms.
Wider Choice of Larger Prediction Block Sizes
VP9 divides a picture into 64×64 regions known as superblocks that can be further subdivided in a quadtree structure into smaller regions down to 4×4 for prediction. Rectangular partitions such as 32×16 or 4×8 are also supported. Larger prediction block sizes are particularly useful for saving inter-frame bits on predictable content (e.g., flat area). By minimizing signaling overhead, larger block sizes also provide good compression efficiency for higher resolution content.
As can be seen below for a sample frame in the EurotruckSimulator clip, the VP9 encoder uses larger block sizes for relatively flat areas like the sky, roads and pavements and smaller block sizes in highly textured areas to preserve fine details. While H.264 uses 16×16 macroblock for the entire picture, which wastes bits in flat areas and sacrifices video quality in highly textured areas.
Larger block sizes up to 64×64 used in the VP9 encoder
Smaller block sizes up to 16×16 used in the H.264 Encoder
Wider Choice of Larger Transform Sizes
Along with larger prediction block sizes, VP9 also supports transform sizes up to the prediction block size or 32×32, whichever is less. Therefore, the transform size can be 4×4, 8×8, 16×16 and 32×32. In comparison, H.264 only supports 4×4 transform throughout (8×8 transform in High Profile only), and a special two-step transform for 16×16 intra prediction. The figure 3a below shows the transform sizes using a blue grid from the EurotruckSimulator clip. Larger transform sizes reaching 32×32 lead to better preservation of detail in the smooth areas such as the sky and regular textures such as the road. On the other hand, smaller transform sizes are better able to capture the fine details of the road, lampposts, and building in the distance, as well as the changing reflections on the side of the truck.
Complexity-based transform sizes up to 32×32 used in the VP9 encoder
Fixed transform sizes of either 4×4 or 8×8 used in the H.264 encoder
Full Mode Search for Rate Distortion Optimization (RDO)
In order to fully take advantage of larger prediction and transform sizes, the VP9 encoder uses dedicated hardware FPGA acceleration to compute the most optimal RDO mode decision through evaluating the options of all intra modes and a comprehensive list of inter mode candidates, as well as all prediction and transform block sizes.
The exhaustive RDO evaluation ensures that the best prediction and transform modes are selected, which directly accounts for the video compression efficiency gain described in the previous section of “Subjective and Object Test Results”. For example, in the figure below, the VP9 output is consistently sharper on the road surface because of the large prediction and transform sizes, and has finer details on the side of the truck because of a mix of large and small transform sizes. All of these mode decisions are optimally chosen through the exhaustive RDO mode search, which is only made possible by FPGA.
VP9 encoder shown on the left produces higher fidelity in difficult regions than H.264 encoder, due to its optimal mode decisions using the full RDO search
Rate Control Optimizations: Smart Algorithms Know Where to Spend or Save Bits
Besides finding the most efficient way to predict pixels, another key aspect of improving encoder compression is to plan and execute the bit expenditure in a smart way, e.g., to give more bits to areas that human eyes are more sensitive to, to avoid video quality fluctuation that can be annoying to viewers. In this section, we show two powerful implementations in the NGCodec VP9 encoder that budgets and controls the bit allocation among blocks within a frame and across multiple frames in a video sequence.
Enhanced Adaptive Quantization (AQ)
The NGCodec VP9 encoder has advanced spatial and temporal AQ algorithms coupled with a dual-pass process for scene content and lighting condition analysis. These technologies help to calculate and optimally allocate the bits at the block level, based on scene complexity. In the example illustrated below, flat areas like the sky or the side of the truck do not cost as many bits as complex areas like the road, wall, or building. However, these areas can exhibit blocking artifacts that human eyes are more sensitive to, particularly when they are not allocated with sufficient bits.
A scene that has both flat areas (sky, truck) and complex areas (road, building)
Heat map of block quant showing the VP9 encoder can accurately identify the flat and the complex areas
In VP9, quant offsets are mapped to one of eight segments which allow a balanced spatial quality throughout the picture. The AQ mapping is depicted in the above figure, where the segment values are mapped to a luma heat map. As explained above, flatter areas like the sky and the truck (shown in a lighter shade) are given more bits with a negative quant offset, avoiding visual artifact. On the other hand, higher textured areas like the logos and the side of the building (shown in a darker shade) are given positive quant offsets.
Advanced Rate Control
Aside from the block-level adaptive quantization within a frame, bit allocation across multiple frames are even more critical for achieving decent compression performance. The goal of a rate control algorithm is to avoid violating the Video Buffer Verifier (VBV) model and to maximize the overall quality of a video sequence by allocating the proper amount of bits to different video frames (e.g., reference/non-reference frames, frames at scene changes). In other words, VBV is the mathematical model that defines how the bitrate of a video sequence can be regarded as constant.
The NGCodec VP9 encoder’s robust rate control system uses Machine-Learning techniques to realize more consistent video quality than x264, especially after scene changes, the most challenging situation for rate control. The algorithm has been validated on a wide range of content and encoding parameters and is particularly optimized for gaming content.
NGCodec VP9 encoder demonstrates more stable video quality (i.e., average frame quantization parameter) than x264
x264’s poor VBV buffer management causes high QP (i.e., poor video quality) after frame 35
The two figures above show the NGCodec VP9 encoder’s and x264’s average frame quantization parameter (QP) and their corresponding VBV buffer level, during a scene change situation in the video sequence of Witchers 3. Note that the VP9 quantizer levels are mapped to the equivalent H.264 QP values in the first diagram above. We can see that around frame 35, the x264’s rate control unnecessarily panics which pushes its QP 51 leading to very poor visual quality (see the left side of the figure below). On the other hand, the NGCodec VP9 encoder’s rate control chooses to keep the QP stable and avoid the VBV buffer level hitting 0% (i.e., buffer underflow).
Left: x264 results in artifacts due to its rate control’s poor performance at a scene change; Right: NGCodec VP9 encoder delivers consistent visual quality at the scene change
As Twitch has grown and evolved, so has our approach to ensuring that the community has tools to stay safe. One of our earliest efforts was the Global Moderator program, a group of dedicated community members who helped monitor the site and report unacceptable behavior across channels on Twitch.
As any OG Twitch fan can tell you, we’ve been growing. The number of channels and the number of viewers tuning in has exploded in recent years. To empower the growing community, we’ve invested in building tools like Automod and the upcoming Moderator Tools in chat that help streamers and their channel mods safeguard their own channels. We also encourage streamers and viewers alike to use the site-wide reporting tools to alert us of behavior that goes against our community guidelines. To support this, we’ve also expanded our internal moderation team, a group of employees across the world who review and act on your reports 24/7.
As a result of these investments, we no longer rely on Global Moderators the way we did when the program started. Today, we want to extend a heartfelt thank you to the current group of 16 Global Moderators, and all of our past Global Moderators, as we announce the end of the Global Moderator program. We look forward to continuing the legacy of their contributions and the spirit of the program through the investments we’ve made in new tools to support all channel moderators within the community and our internal moderation team at Twitch.
We also want to thank everyone in the Twitch community who makes Twitch the best place to enjoy live, interactive entertainment. Whether you’re a Channel Moderator who spends hours monitoring chat or just someone who took the time to send us a report, we remain committed to supporting your efforts to improve the Twitch community.
Starting December 13, 2018, Twitch Prime members can both claim each Free Game with Prime for themselves, and send one copy as a gift to a friend — even if they don’t have Twitch Prime!
Twitch Prime members can find Free Games with Prime on the Prime Loot page. If the game is eligible for gifting, a “Send as Gift” button appears next to the “Claim” button. To send the game as a gift, the Twitch Prime member can select the “Send as Gift” button and send the gift to their friend’s Twitch.tv account.
The recipient is notified of the gifted game via both an email and a push notification. They can claim their new game from the Prime Loot page. The recipient does not have to link an Amazon account with Twitch in order to claim the gift.
Just make sure your friend claims their Free Games with Prime before the game’s offer expires, otherwise the recipient loses access to claim their game.
What is Twitch Prime?
Twitch Prime benefits include free games, in-game loot and a Twitch channel subscription every month PLUS all the benefits of being an Amazon Prime member. See all the Twitch Prime benefits here.
Check out the full list of Amazon Prime benefits in: US, UK, Canada, Germany, France, Austria, Belgium, Italy and Spain. You can try it for free for 30 days right here, and when you do, you unlock access to all Twitch Prime benefits just by linking your Twitch account to your Amazon Prime account.
Wowsers! Not only is every episode from Season 1 of Inspector Gadget coming to Twitch, but some very special friends are joining in to make this a one of a kind event you won’t want to miss. If the words “Go Go Gadget” mean anything to you, you may want to sit down.
Beginning December 17 at 10am PT we’ll be airing five hours of Inspector Gadget episodes every day on /twitchpresents through Christmas Eve, December 24. The block will repeat over the course of every day so you can watch them all no matter what time zone you live in.
But this won’t be any ordinary marathon. And here’s why.
Show co-creator Andy Heyward will be joining you in chat every day for an hour to watch along and share stories about the show. Is Inspector Gadget more machine than man? What does Doctor Claw look like? Will he ever get Gadget next time? Watch and you may find out. He’s also teaming up with Kid Genius Channel to have Go Go Gadgets inspired by your usernames sketched out and shared on social media after the show.
Andy will be online 12/17–12/20 from 10:15–11:15am PT and 10:30–11:30 on 12/21.
And finally, have you ever wondered what some of Inspector Gadget’s gadgets would be like in real life? Prepare to find out. The team at Tested.com is going to be building real-world versions of some of his gadgets LIVE on twitch.tv/tested and challenge some of Twitch’s best and brightest builders with the task of making the Gadget Mobile.
Before you ask, yes this marathon is co-streamable and clippable, so go nuts.
It all starts Dec 17 at 10am PT. Don’t forget to follow /twitchpresents so you don’t miss an episode.
The growth of Twitch as a targeted developer destination is creating a cottage industry of developers who build custom and off-the-shelf solutions that allow Extensions developers to create powerful experiences.
Still, a common blocker we hear from Developers eager to build Extensions is knowing where to start. While we recommend working backward to solve a specific streamer problem, want, or need — it’s also just as crucial to be aware of the tools and building blocks at your disposal. In other words, there’s little reason at all to go it alone.
The Power of the Genvid SDK
Imagine building new ways for viewers to engage and interact with their favorite streamers and having access to things like multiple camera angles or secure interactions into those games. The Genvid SDK does just that and a whole lot more. Genvid is an interactive streaming engine, but the SDK they created allows game developers to easily pull data from games to power synchronized interactivity. This enables developers to create incredibly powerful Extensions that communicate directly with a wide range of mainstream and indie games.
“Our goal is to enable new, interactive experiences on Twitch for game developers. There are a lot of tools for streamers, but we pride ourselves on having the first developer-grade SDK for interactive streams,” says Jacob Navok of Genvid. “We have support for UE4 and Unity out of the box and a suite of tools to help you deploy on AWS, as well as samples that you can draw upon to create your first experiences in hours.”
Lately, Genvid has been busy powering Twitch Extensions, from fighting games like Omen of Sorrow to the first-person shooters like the Counter-Strike Twitch Premium Pass for their Counter-Strike: Global Offensive FACEIT Majors, as well as arcade games like Killer Queen and even a Japanese 3v3 competitive VR tile called Blitz Freak.
Take a closer look below at how developers have used Genvid to power their Extensions.
CS:GO by STATSHELIX
StatsHelix was founded with the goal of providing the best stats and analytics products to esports games and players. Since then, they have become known for using game data to enhance gaming experiences and delivering tools for broadcasters, pro-gamers, and viewers.
StatsHelix empowers viewers to be more than mere spectators. Their Extension, built on top of Genvid’s datastreaming building blocks, allow users to interact with the live stream in the way they please.Want to know the scores? No need to wait for the broadcaster to bring them up!
“Twitch has a great and diverse community, and not every viewer wants the same experience. These Extensions make the stream more enjoyable for everyone, by letting users decide what’s important to them,” says Moritz Uehling, COO, StatsHelix.
In the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive FACEIT Majors, StatsHelix exposed internal game data to power new experiences for the tournament viewers, and using Genvid’s datacapture and web APIs made those interactive and synchronized to the Twitch video frame. Some of the features that viewers gravitated toward demonstrated the pent up demand for viewers to be a part of the game rather than simply watching a game. Some of these features were a customized UI, which — among other things — allowed viewers to change the weapon’s crosshair view, the ability to call the scoreboard at any point in the game, and a live-updating minimap that showed a more detailed view of the main map, including player positions.
StatsHelix has shared some key learnings from building the CS:GO Extension that will help developers create their own Extensions. First, people love to customize things and will use almost every option you give them. It’s not necessary, of course, but it makes the experience feel so much more complete.
Onboarding matters. Viewers aren’t used to clicking on videos — make sure to teach them well.
Viewers still love the stream! Any Extension you build should enhance the stream, and not distract from it. A feature like the scoreboard is a perfect example; it helps the viewer just when they want.
And most importantly, StatsHelix says they learned that the Twitch community is amazing, and they are eager to provide the feedback that will help you build a better game for them. Don’t pass up this opportunity!
CHKN by KATAPULT
Katapult Studio is an interactive entertainment company committed to developing products for creators. Their game CHKN is an fantasy game where you choose your own adventure. Players can design fantastic animal creatures using “life blocks” that are powered by AI. It’s a toolset for players to create their own stories and characters.
Viewers can interact with a brand new Arena mode for CHKN that exists only through the stream on Twitch and is powered entirely by Genvid + Unity on AWS. Using the Twitch Extension, viewers can vote for the CHKN that will appear, clap, and cheer for their favorite CHKN, and buy items to enhance the CHKN via Bits which Genvid encourages.
“ The interactive Extension allowed us to think about how a larger community of players, streamers, and non-playing viewers could all interact with the world of CHKN. We are still early in our journey with interactive streaming but excited to be learning from our streamers and beta audience,” says Kyra Reppen, CEO of Katapult Studio.
A major part of Katapult’s journey with CHKN has been seeing just how their player community creates unique and extraordinary creature characters — that were as entertaining to watch as they were to build or interact with in-game. The interactive Extension allowed Katapult to think about how a larger community of players, streamers, and non-playing viewers could all interact with the world of CHKN.
“ Working with our Twitch users from the prototype phase, we’re able to focus on making the best experience possible through iteration on features, including balance of the level of viewer interactivity (including viewer control moments), in-game camera behavior during broadcasts, the pacing of the Arena rounds, and even in-Extension UI,” says Reppen. “We see this as the future of entertainment.”
KILLER QUEEN by BUMBLEBEAR
BumbleBear is an independent Brooklyn-based arcade game company focused on multiplayer games set in real-world environments. The flagship product is Killer Queen, a competitive 10-player arcade game. Two new arcade games are in the works, including Black Emperor, a motorcycle endless runner that is based on the teenage bike gangs of Japan called Bosozoku.
Killer Queen is a public game meant to be played in arcades so it has no customization; this is where the Genvid SDK Extension comes in — data normally not accessible became accessible, and games normally only watcheable in arcades could be seen anywhere. The Extension allows spectators to customize characters and add flair and functionality that does not exist in the game, as well as educate players about aspects of the game by allowing them to click on key elements to find out what they mean and how they are useful in the game. In future versions of the Extension, the BumbleBear team plans to integrate more stats that will add new dimensions to the game.
“The response so far has been very positive,” says Nik Mikros, CEO of BumbleBear. “We showed a prototype of the extension at GDC and many of our players came by and checked it out. I think they were all universally excited by what it will grow into.”
BLITZFREAK by ACTEVOLVE
ActEvolve are a startup developing VR content. Blitz Freak is their first title, and it was created to focus on both player and viewer entertainment.
“VR games tend to focus too much on immersive experiences for the players and leave out the people not playing,” says Kei Sato from ActEvolve. “For VR games to develop commercially, and become an esport genre, it has to be appealing to the people watching. As we were searching for ways to make the game more appealing to audiences, we engaged with Genvid Technologies, the developer of the Twitch Extension.”
The Genvid-created Twitch Extension allows the audience to not only see player status as an overlay, but also to actually participate in the match. Extensions were used to add cheer buttons and bomb buttons, which allow the viewers to cheer or bombard chosen players. This gives viewers the ability to affect the outcome of the game through active participation.
A Blitz Freak tournament was held and live streamed on Twitch with the Genvid Extensions in September 2018. Over the course of the two-and-a-half hour live stream, they had an average of 200 viewers and 313 viewers at the peak. There were over 5,000 likes and 1,000 bombs initiated via the Extension.
One learning from the tournament was the difficulty of getting the players to actually use the Extension features and getting them involved in the match. “Since the Extension features are a completely new thing for viewers, they are not used to the viewing experience they provide,” Sato says. “To have viewers constantly using the Extension features to interact with the game, we need to communicate the potential that it has, and show them how it can change the game viewing experience.”
We hope you are inspired by these shining Extension examples and leverage the growing community and powerful tools like Genvid’s SDK to power your next Extension — and you can always reach out to TwitchDev for help through our forums, on Twitter, or during our monthly live streams.
By the end of 2018, a new proposal to a European Union Directive might pass that could limit you from sharing content and earning a livelihood — not just on Twitch, but on the internet at large. It’s called Article 13, and even if this is your first time hearing about it, it’s not too late to do something.
You and your communities have worked hard to build this incredible place, and it’s worth protecting. The fallout from Article 13 isn’t limited to creators in the European Union. Everyone stands to lose if content coming out of and going into the region is throttled. So we’re writing to all of you — every creator on Twitch — to make sure you’re informed about what’s happening. If you share our concerns about Article 13, we’re also including a list of ways you can help us fight against it. We know amazing things are possible when Twitch bands together. A little bit more of that magic right now could go a long way.
What’s happened so far?
Recently, the European Parliament voted in favor of an amendment to the Copyright Directive that is intended to limit how copyrighted content is shared across online services. While we support reform and rights holders’ ability to be compensated for their work, we believe Article 13’s approach does needless damage to creators and to free expression on the internet worldwide.
If you’re looking for more, this website provides a thorough rundown of Article 13.
Why are we concerned?
Article 13 changes the dynamic of how services like Twitch have to operate, to the detriment of creators.
Because Article 13 makes Twitch liable for any potential copyright infringement activity with uploaded works, Twitch could be forced to impose filters and monitoring measures on all works uploaded by residents of the EU. This means you would need to provide copyright ownership information, clearances, or take other steps to prove that you comply with thorny and complicated copyright laws. Creators would very likely have to contend with the false positives associated with such measures, and it would also limit what content we can make available to viewers in the EU.
Operating under these constraints means that a variety of content would be much more difficult to publish, including commentary, criticism, fan works, and parodies. Communities and viewers everywhere would also suffer, with fewer viewer options for entertainment, critique, and more.
What can you do?
The European Parliament could finalize the proposal to the Directive within the next several weeks. It’s crucial to lend our voice to this issue, as well as educate the community and empower action today.
At risk are your livelihood and your ability to share your talent and experiences with the world. If you are a resident of the EU or a concerned member of the creator community elsewhere, we ask that you consider the following:
Speak out: inform and educate your community during a broadcast of the issues with the European Union’s approach to copyright law and motivate folks to take an interest on this topic. Be sure to title your streams #Article13.
Although this issue is timely in the European Union, similar conversations are taking place in other countries. Wherever and however this issue arises, we will continue to advocate for you, our creators. We hope you’ll join us.
December has arrived, which means we’re bringing you a new slate of Free Games with Prime. Starting today, you’ll be able to claim and play all of December’s free games. Once you claim a game, it’s yours to keep forever. Here’s the lineup:
· Hacknet: follow the instructions of a recently deceased hacker in this terminal-based hacking simulator.
· Poi: Explore uncharted lands, compete in challenge levels, meet quirky characters and defeat comical creatures in this 3D platformer featuring two kids on a grand adventure.
· Smoke & Sacrifice: Sachi, a mother forced to give up her son, adventures into a grotesque underworld on a quest that will lead her to a darker truth.
· SNK Bundle: Get 5 games from SNK: Pulstar, Metal Slug 2, Samurai Shodown II, Fatal Fury Special, Baseball Stars 2.
What is Twitch Prime?
Twitch Prime is a premium experience on Twitch that is included with Amazon Prime. Benefits include monthly games and in-game loot, a Twitch channel subscription every 30 days AND all the benefits of Amazon Prime. See all current Twitch Prime offers here.
Check out the full list of Amazon Prime benefits in: US, UK, Canada, Germany, France, Austria, Belgium, Italy and Spain. You can try it for free for 30 days right here, and when you do, you get all the Twitch Prime benefits instantly just by linking your Twitch account to your Amazon account.
Simple front-end Extension working without a back-end
Technology shouldn’t stifle your creativity. We want you to spend time realizing your great ideas, not on the infrastructure to make them work. Until now, developers had to build out — and scale — all parts of their Extension backend, even for common scenarios like handling channel- and Extension-specific configuration. That’s why we built theConfiguration Service.
The Configuration Service enables you to store persistent per-channel and per-Extension specific data, and have it provided to your front-end on Extension start up. This is a common pattern needed for most Extensions, and in the past, developers would need to build this themselves. With the Config Service, developers can quickly support scenarios like enabling broadcasters to customize your Extension, store UserIDs to call third-party APIs from your Extension back-end service, or save Extension-wide settings. More importantly, you don’t need to expose your backend to the frontend on initial load, reducing your need to scale.
Sample Extensions using Configuration Service and Extension back-end Service
The Config Service is one of the first of our Scaling Solutions and it’s not a panacea, but it does reduce the complexity of building an Extension backend, because developers shouldn’t need to build for and scale a very common scenario. You can focus more on bringing your ideas to life. That’s certainly what Casperr is excited about.
Casperr has been a web developer for six years, but in his free time, he likes to build things that relate to streaming and gaming. He was already using the Twitch API to experiment, so when Extensions were announced, he got right to work.
“I saw Extensions as a way to integrate concepts I was already working on more easily. I wanted to see if it could be helpful for the community.”
That’s where most of Casperr’s Extension ideas come from. “Most of my Extensions are just things that I thought would be useful. My first Extension was for a notification about latest followers. My stream is tiny, so a new follower is a huge deal,” Casperr said.
For Casperr, while generating revenue is a nice bonus, Extensions are about personal development and the fulfillment of creating something that is useful for the Twitch community.
While Extensions and the Twitch API helped Casperr get started bringing his ideas to life, he hit a pretty big roadblock right away. To build a Twitch Extension, developers needed to build and operate the backend. “I’m a full-stack developer, but setting up the backend put me off some of my next ideas.” For instance, Casperr wanted to develop a Twitter feed, but someone would have to approve the handle and he couldn’t do that without building the server and database.
The Configuration Service was built to help developers just like Casperr.
In mid-November, Casperr launched a new Extension implementing the Config Service: Featured Viewer.
“This one was exciting for me, because it was one that I had the idea for all the way back when I first considered building a Bits-enabled Extension, but held off because I wasn’t comfortable doing the back-end work required. Now with Config Service, I was able to build it with no worries!”
The premise of the Extension is that a viewer exchanges Bits to become a “Featured Viewer” on the channel of the streamer with the Extension installed. This could either be as a means to advertise their own channel, or simply to showcase themselves as a super fan. The Featured Viewer is displayed for 10 minutes, so the metadata about that viewer has to be stored somewhere in order to serve it to all the other viewers who are watching the broadcast at the time of the transaction and those who joined the stream sometime during those 10 minutes.
Without the Config Service, Casperr said he would have likely needed to design and build a relational database with multiple tables and records for every single streamer with the Extension installed, write to it on every transaction, and read from it on every single page view. “While this may be a relatively simple database application, it is not an area I have much experience in,” Casperr said.
With the Config Service, Casperr can store a very simple JSON string in the Config Service itself, which is specific to the streamer’s channel so no fiddling with relationships was required. After 10 minutes, rather than delete the data, Casperr simply stops displaying it. When a new Featured Viewer comes along, the config is overwritten and a PubSub message is sent so all viewers current and future will see the new Featured Viewer.
Casperr does still have to use an Extension Backend Service (EBS)to verify the transaction, update the config (as the initiation of config update comes from a viewer as opposed to broadcaster), and send the PubSub message. However, the Config Service took away his personal concerns of database architecting.
Casperr is next planning to upgrade hisLatest Followers Extension to have monetized features and use theConfig Service to give users the option to toggle features on or off, so that feature will use just the JavaScript API without needing to send any calls from the backend.
With Config Service, Casperr is able to bring his ideas to life easier and faster — and you can, too!
There are a few ways that you can get started with the Configuration Service.
Twitch is partnering with Capitol 360 Innovation Lab as a Founding Member to bring you Capitol Royale, a two-day tech conference and hackathon at the iconic Capitol Records tower in the heart of Hollywood — and we’ll be streaming live for the duration.
The event features a hackathon, partner expo, startup demos, guest speakers, a gaming activation, artist performances, and other activities at the intersection of music, technology, and culture.
Check out the live streams for all the action!
The 24-hour hackathon kicks off at noon on Saturday with hackers competing to build the most innovative products that reimagine the way music and interactive entertainment is consumed and discovered. Participants will be given access to Universal Music Group’s catalog of over 14,000 tracks that have been cleared for streaming, including never-before-seen original content and archival assets.
They’ll be working with APIs from Twitch and other partner companies, including Consensys, Cloudinary, Spotify, TiVo, 7digital, and Qloo.
In addition to all of that, Twitch is issuing an exclusive Twitch Challenge: Build an interactive experience with music, gaming, and live streaming using Twitch Extensions, and the winning team will receive a grand prize of 100,000 Bits.
Then, as a special capstone to the event, Ninja will be making an appearance to stream Fortnite from the famous Capitol Records Studio A, alongside some of today’s biggest Hollywood stars.
None of this would feel complete without an afterparty — and that’s why we’ll be closing out the weekend with an epic party to launch Ninja’s new soundtrack album “NinjaWerks.”
Click the links below to follow these channels and be notified when we go live!
Do you want to help build the future of live entertainment, but don’t know where to start? Or have you been wanting to build a Twitch Extension, but just need an extra push? Today, we’re announcing a challenge that might be just the motivation you need.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Twitch are working together to launch the Twitch Extension Challenge powered by AWS. To enter, all you have to do is build a Twitch Extension and integrate with any AWS service!
An Extension is an interactive experience that works as a stream overlay or as a panel on a channel. Streamers activate Extensions to further connect with their viewers and provide new ways to engage, such as leaderboards, mini-games, polls, and much more.
We will be selecting eight winning Extensions based on the criteria outlined below. The grand prize includes cash awards up to $15,000, tickets to TwitchCon 2019, and even meetings with Twitch leadership to talk through your ideas.
The challenge is three months, running until February 26, 2019. While that may seem like plenty of time to submit your Extension, you can get started now! If you’re not already a Twitch developer, check out these five reasons why you should become one today:
Twitch has a large, highly engaged viewership with 15 million daily active users and 355 billion minutes watched in 2017. This means there is a high potential to get a lot of visibility building on Twitch.
With millions of people gathering on Twitch every day, developers have the opportunity to create new ways to consume and contribute to live programming with Twitch Extensions.
We’re seeing lots of enthusiasm for Extensions from our community of viewers and chatters. Since launch, just over a year ago, people have interacted with Extensions over 4.9 BILLION times.
There’s a full set of developer tools for Extensions, enabling developers to build these immersive experiences easily and quickly.
Developers can monetize on Twitch. Bits-in-Extensions enables viewers to show support to the streamer, enhance gameplay, or express themselves. Streamers and developers share the revenue generated from these Bits.
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