It's ten minutes to kickoff and the scorebug isn't in OBS, or it's there but the score isn't moving. The overlay page is built to hold on to what it's showing and to stay transparent rather than flash errors on air, so it won't tell you what's wrong. This checklist will. Start at the top: the early checks are the most common causes and take seconds.
First, split the problem in half
- On the match's Control Dashboard, open Overlays, then Live Preview.
- In the OBS Integration card, click Open Channel 1 (or Open Channel 2, if that's the source that's failing).
- Look at the new tab.
| What you see in the tab | Where the problem is | Go to |
|---|---|---|
| Graphics show and update | OBS | The OBS checks below |
| Nothing shows | ScoreCastr | The ScoreCastr checks below |
The Preview card on the same page shows Channel 1 too, so if it's blank there, start with the ScoreCastr checks.
ScoreCastr checks
Is the graphic switched on? In the Overlay Visibility panel, a graphic that's on air has a filled-in button that reads Hide .... If it reads Show ..., it's off. Go to Break hides the scorebug, so if the button reads In Break, the scorebug is off on purpose. See Show and hide graphics.
Is it on the channel you're looking at? Under Overlays, then Customization, each graphic has a Channel Assignment. A graphic set to Channel 2 never appears on the Channel 1 source. See Use two output channels.
Is it the right match? Every match has its own overlay link, with the match number at the end of /obs/channel1/output/. A link from last week's game shows last week's match. Copy the link again from the match you're running today.
Was the match deleted? A deleted match's overlay goes blank and stays blank. Create a new match and copy its link. If you only want to start the game over, Reset Match keeps the same link. See Reset or delete a match.
Was the match ended? After End Match, the score and stats are locked, but the overlay still shows and you can still show and hide graphics. A score that won't change after End Match is expected. See End a match and show the final.
Is the graphic filled in? A graphic that's on air but empty, or showing old text, needs its section filled in under Overlays, then Customization.
Which plan are you on? Free includes the scorebug only. If the match uses Apex or Primetime and the account moves to a plan without them, the overlay switches to Classic on its own. See Switch templates and set your colors.
OBS checks
The link is complete. Open the source's properties and look at the URL. It should start with your ScoreCastr address, include /obs/channel1/output/ or /obs/channel2/output/, and have the match number and ?public=true after it. A link cut short on paste is the most common cause of a blank source.
The size is 1920 by 1080. Graphics are placed in exact pixels for a 1080p frame. At a smaller width and height, graphics near the edges fall outside the source. Set it back to 1920 by 1080 and scale it down with Transform, then Fit to screen, if your canvas is 720p.
The source is on top. In the Sources list, the overlay must sit above the camera. If the eye icon next to it is off, it's hidden in OBS.
It's in the scene that's live. A source added to your pregame scene isn't in your live scene unless you add it there too. Use Add Existing to put the same source in several scenes.
Scene changes don't reload it. In the source's properties, turn off Shutdown source when not visible and Refresh browser when scene becomes active. With either on, the overlay reloads each time you switch scenes, and the graphics replay their entrances.
Refresh it. If the overlay showed once and then stopped, open the source's properties and click Refresh cache of current page. This reloads the page fresh and reconnects it.
When it stops updating mid-game
Look at the status dot at the top of the dashboard first.
- Live (green): the dashboard is getting changes through. If OBS is still stuck, refresh the browser source as above. Also check the OBS computer's own internet connection: it needs one too.
- Slow or Offline: the scorekeeper's connection is the problem. Changes are saved on the device and send when the connection comes back; the overlay keeps showing the last graphics it had in the meantime. See The status dot.
See the overlay's connection
To see whether an overlay page is connected, open its link in a normal browser tab and add &debug=true to the end. A small box in the corner shows the connection state and where updates are coming from. Use it for checking only: don't put the debug link in OBS, or the box goes on air.
Checklist
- Open Channel 1 shows the graphics in a browser tab
- Graphic switched on and assigned to the channel in OBS
- Link copied from today's match, complete in OBS
- Browser source at 1920 by 1080, above the camera, in the live scene
- Shutdown and refresh-on-scene-change options off
- Status dot shows Live