To record an OpenTTD gameplay tutorial on my PC with voice narration, I need a basic combination of hardware (a microphone), recording software (like OBS Studio), and video editing software. Because OpenTTD is a lightweight, low-resource game, I do not need an expensive high-end computer to capture smooth, professional-looking footage. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Note: I am not promoting any of these items nor am I an affiliate.
Here is everything I will need to create a tutorial video:
1. Hardware Requirements
- A Computer: Any modern Windows, Mac, or Linux PC capable of running OpenTTD. [1]
- Microphone: A dedicated USB microphone (like a Blue Yeti) or Razer Seiren) or a high-quality headset mic. Avoid using built-in laptop microphones, as they capture loud fan and keyboard noises. [1, 2]
- Headphones: Essential to wear while recording so the microphone does not pick up echoing game audio or sound effects from the speakers. [1]
2. Software (Free Options)
- Screen Recorder (OBS Studio): The industry standard for game recording. It is completely free, open-source, and allows capture of the game and voice onto separate audio tracks. [1, 2]
- Alternative Recorder (Windows Game Bar): Built directly into Windows (accessible by pressing
Win + G). It is easy for beginners but offers fewer advanced configuration features than OBS. [1, 2] - Video Editor: Needed to trim mistakes, add zoom-ins (critical for showing small text or grid details in OpenTTD), and render the final clip. Great free options include CapCut, DaVinci Resolve, or Shotcut. [1]
3. Recommended OBS Studio Configuration
OpenTTD relies heavily on dense menus, small UI text, and grid layouts. Setting the recorder up correctly ensures the viewers can actually read the station names and train schedules: [1]
- Video Resolution: Set the Base (Canvas) and Output resolution to 1920×1080.
- Frame Rate: Set this to 60 FPS for smooth map scrolling and train movement.
- Recording Format: Use MKV. If OBS crashes mid-game, an MKV file saves the progress up to the exact second of the crash, unlike MP4 which gets entirely corrupted. It can be automatically converted to MP4 inside OBS later via File > Remux Recordings.
- Sources: Create a new scene and add a Game Capture source set to “Capture specific window”, choosing the running OpenTTD application. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
4. Audio Management
- Separate Tracks: Configure OBS to record the desktop audio (game sounds) on Track 1 and the Microphone on Track 2. This allows to lower the game’s background music in editing if it drowns out the voice.
- Filters: Right-click the Microphone source in OBS, click Filters, and add a Noise Suppression filter to instantly eliminate background PC fan hums. [1, 2, 3, 4]
To see a visual step-by-step layout of how to configure these audio, video, and source settings inside the OBS interface, watch this beginner tutorial: How To Record Gameplay On PC With OBS – Step By Step
5. OpenTTD In-Game Adjustments
Before hitting record, I need to change these settings inside OpenTTD to make the tutorial look cleaner:
- Interface Scale: Go to Game Options and increase the Interface scale to 2x or 4x. OpenTTD’s default font is incredibly small on modern monitors and looks illegible in compressed online videos.
- Screen Mode: Run the game in Windowed (Borderlined) or Fullscreen matching the monitor’s native resolution. [1]
Conclusion
This lays out the five steps/parts to getting set up and recording my own video clips with what hardware and software I will need and how to get everything set up and working. I will come back and update this page once I have done some experimentation and get some ‘hands on experience.’