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Getting started

Retro Creator runs next to RetroBat and turns real gameplay data into stream overlays and automations. Here is the full path from zero to a live overlay.

0. Install

  1. Download and run RetroCreator-Setup.exe: it installs Retro Creator into RetroBat\plugins\RetroCreator\ and can launch it right away.

Windows SmartScreen

The installer is signed CN=nelfeTech (self-signed). On first launch Windows may show a SmartScreen warning: click More info → Run anyway. You can verify the download with the SHA-256 published on the release page.

1. Launch and connect

  1. Start RetroBat (EmulationStation), with the APIExpose plugin enabled.
  2. Launch Retro Creator. The app opens on the Listener view with a single button: Connect.
  3. Click Connect — the status bar at the bottom turns green (Connected). From now on every game you browse or play feeds the app.

No RetroBat around?

Click Try demo mode under the Connect button: a simulated game session runs through the whole pipeline so you can explore every view.

Under the hood — what Connect actually does

Retro Creator talks to the local APIExpose service (127.0.0.1:12345) shipped with RetroBat: current game and artwork, plus the live gameplay events of the running game. Nothing leaves your machine at this stage — the connection is local, read-only, and reconnects by itself if you restart RetroBat.

The interface is organised around the Mode menu:

Mode What it is for
Listener The pulse of your stream — every game event orbits the current game logo, live.
Designer Compose your overlay views, popups and components.
Flows Condition your automations: When… If… Then… — triggers can target one exact moment (Life lost) or a whole family (any score/collectible moment).
Event The dashboard: activate your automated games, run chat contests and Live Contests.
Widgets The catalogue of 20 ready-made stream mechanics — with a per-game compatibility badge and a 🧪 Test button that replays the moment without playing it.
Templates Ready-made event views: one click creates the view in your workspace and opens it in the Designer.

The Editions menu shows your license tier (Lite, Pro, Studio), and File → Settings holds your connections (OBS, Twitch, NelfeTech…).

The Monitor button in the status bar opens a terminal with the raw event log (6 lines) — handy to check what the games actually emit.

2. Build a view in the Designer

Designer

  1. Open Mode → Designer.
  2. Pick elements from the left palette — they are grouped by usage (Media, Game data, Variables, Popups, Shapes) and arrive pre-configured: Game title, Year, Rating ★, Marquee, Boxart, System logo…
  3. Everything follows a layers logic: reorder by drag & drop, group into folders, hide (👁) or lock (🔒) layers, rename them.
  4. Properties are grouped in three collapsible sections: Layer (position, size, fill, update transition), Content (data binding, composed text), Style (font — system or your own files —, size, colour, alignment, drop shadow, stroke).
  5. Live preview is on by default: the canvas shows the real data and artwork of the current game.

3. Send it to your streaming software

Click Add to OBS in the Designer header: the view is saved and pushed as a browser source named RC - <view name> into the current scene (requires the obs-websocket password, see Settings). After the first push the button becomes Update in OBS.

Any web-capable streaming software works: the view is a plain local URL (http://127.0.0.1:19780/overlay/<view>), so you can paste it manually into Streamlabs, Meld Studio, etc.

4. Automate with Flows

Open Mode → Flows and describe reactions in plain sentences:

When life lost → Then show a popup « 💥 {game} strikes again! »

Conditions accept numbers (counter at least 100) and text (chat command equals ring). Actions include popups (simple or a popup you designed), counters, OBS scene/source/media control, webhooks, Discord — scene and source selectors list your actual OBS content.

5. Settings

File → Settings… opens a dialog for:

  • Twitch — your channel name. That is all it takes to read your chat (anonymous, read-only, no key): see Twitch integration.
  • OBS Studio — the obs-websocket password (Tools → WebSocket Server Settings in OBS). Stored encrypted, never displayed.
  • My media — a folder of your own images/videos, exposed to the Designer as user: sources.
  • Discord — a default webhook for announcements.

A light/dark theme toggle lives in File → Light/dark theme.

6. Save your work

File → Save writes your whole configuration (views + flows) into a single .rct project file; File → Open… restores it — handy for backups or for sharing a complete stream setup between machines.