Help Please: How to record CO2 play (2 displays)?

[MarkShot]

I own SnagIt. It will do video capture.

I am playing CO2 on two displays.

Primary = Map

Secondary = Various Windows

It seems SnagIt will record either Primary or Secondary, but not both at the same time. However, without both displays, the recording is not really coherent.

What I want is a single video that puts the two displays side by side.

Anyone know how I can do this? Thanks!

 

[MarkShot]

I have searched the Internet and this seems no easy task.

Even tougher is if you want your video to playback on the two original displays just like it had appeared.

I could just throw the time control overlaying the map and just record a single display. The map is not the whole story, but without the battle clock, the map is useless. With the clock, it is about 75% of the story.

 

[Dave 'Arjuna' O'Connor]

Mark,

Just did a little experiment with Camtasia, the software I use to produce my videos. It has a screen capture capability and I can set the area of capture by dragging across both my monitors. It records the video of both monitors but it is limited in playback to max screen sixe of 2048 x 2048. So at best I can get it to replay on one large monitor. Here's a link:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/z6jqil8d8rw51oh/Dual Monitor Recording v3.mp4?dl=0

 

[MarkShot]

Dave,

A very interesting demo! That's what I am looking for. I don't have two identical displays.

Display 1 = map; native resolution at 1920x1080

Display 2 = game windows; non-native at 1024x768 (done to make the text very big and easy in the UI objects)

I checked Camtasia's pricing $300 USD and it is a bit much to video record one game. As it is the only dual display aspect that my other recording software has problems with.

I own SnagIt 11 which is one version back (TechSmith produces both products) and an upgrade is only $25 USD. I will contact their tech support and see if SnagIt can do the same. I don't really need any of the editing capabilities of Camtasia.

As I said, a compromise is to put the game clock on the same display as the map; despite it will obscure a corner.

I tell you what you need software wise to make your training videos with CO2 versus the older BFTB. You need a recorder which automatically tracks the active window and just records that. Otherwise, you end up with the narrow ribbon effect in the sample you showed me. Of course, you can always do tutorials with only a single monitor, but it doesn't show case the new UI as well.

PS: Many of my games have a form of replay facility. But I have come to the conclusion that in most cases, a straight video recording is the easiest way to review play. (also disk and CPU are not a problem)

* Viewing and positioning (and going backward) is generally much faster in multi-hour games, since most don't record, but re-simulate.

* Many do not make clear exactly the same player perspective. However, it is the player perspective which tends to be the key to success and failure.

* Replay controls varies from game to game, but a video recording is only one set of controls.

* Long-term storage of huge recordings is irrelevant; it is only short-term which is interesting.

* If I want souvenirs, it is very easy to spice and merge with the video editing software I do have.

 

[MarkShot]

It looks like a free minor version upgrade of SnagIt may do dual monitors. It will give that try first.

 

[MarkShot]

I upgraded to the latest minor SnagIt upgrade. It won't do two displays. I think this is because it wants a rectangle, and I don't have a rectangle.

But I have ultimately concluded that it (recording two displays) would make the game action too hard to follow. I pretty much know my orders anyway. So, I decided move the game clock to the PRIMARY DISPLAY. That is the one key piece of information that is essential for personal performance review.

All and all, I am happy with what I have now.

Dave, thanks for taking the time to show me Camtasia!