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WatchDog v1.3.0

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@thrtn70 thrtn70 released this 11 Apr 04:59
· 28 commits to main since this release
v1.3.0
e1d332c

WatchDog v1.3.0

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The biggest update yet — AI-powered highlight detection, a completely overhauled system tray, recording status indicators, smart per-game recording profiles, and major clip management upgrades.

Testing Release — This version is actively being tested and will receive patches and hotfixes as issues are found. If you encounter any bugs, please open an issue.

What's New Since v1.2.3

AI-Powered Audio Highlight Detection

WatchDog can now detect highlight moments in any game using real-time audio classification — no game-specific integration required.

  • YAMNet ONNX model — classifies game audio into events (gunfire, explosions, crowd cheers) using a lightweight neural network running locally on your PC.
  • Auto-downloads on first launch — the ~14MB model is fetched from Essentia's CDN automatically. No manual setup needed.
  • WASAPI loopback capture — analyzes system audio independently of the OBS recording pipeline. Zero impact on game FPS.
  • DirectML GPU acceleration — uses your GPU for inference when available (NVIDIA, AMD, Intel), falls back to CPU (~5-10ms per classification).
  • Universal fallback — any game in the 100+ supported database without a dedicated detector (CS2 GSI, Valorant lockfile, OW2 logs) automatically uses AI audio.
  • R6 Siege fixed — the broken log-based detector has been replaced with AI audio detection. R6 highlights now work reliably.
  • Confidence-based filtering — only clips above a configurable threshold are saved. Adjustable per-game via the Game Profiles tab.

System Tray Overhaul

  • Dark-themed context menu — no more white accent strip or blending text. The tray menu now matches the WatchDog dark palette.
  • Dynamic status items — the context menu shows the current game name, highlight compatibility, and replay buffer status in real time.
  • Color-coded tray icon states — the tray icon shows a colored status dot: gray (idle), green (buffering), red (recording), amber (saving). Icons are generated automatically at startup.

Recording Status Indicators

Three layers of status information at different zoom levels:

  • Status bar — a persistent strip at the bottom of the main window showing buffer state, current game, highlight compatibility, encoder info, and storage usage with color-coded indicators.
  • Floating mini overlay — an optional always-on-top, semi-transparent overlay visible even in-game. Shows recording state in a single condensed line. Toggle with F11.
  • Tray icon — glanceable state via colored status dot (see above).

Smart Game-Launch Recording Profiles

  • Genre-tagged game database — all 151+ supported games are classified by genre (FPS, MOBA, Strategy, Racing, etc.) to determine default recording recommendations.
  • Game-launch toast — when a new game is detected, a non-blocking toast offers recording mode options (Highlights, Session Recording, or Replay Buffer) based on genre compatibility.
  • Applies immediately — your mode selection takes effect on the current session, not just the next launch.
  • "Remember for this game" — check the box to save your choice. Next launch is silent.
  • Game Profiles settings tab — browse all 151+ games, search by name, configure per-game recording mode, resolution, bitrate, and highlight sensitivity.
  • Incompatibility detection — strategy, racing, and sandbox games are flagged as highlight-incompatible with a clear explanation and recommendation.
  • Auto-dismiss — if the toast is ignored for 15 seconds, it defaults to Replay Buffer (safe default).

Clip Management Upgrades

  • Search & filter — filter clips by text (searches name, game, and tags), highlight type, tag, and duration. Filters are composable (AND logic).
  • Batch operations — Ctrl+click to multi-select clips. Batch delete with confirmation dialog and error reporting.
  • Clip tagging — add custom tags to clips (e.g., "montage", "funny", "clutch"). Tags are shown on clip cards and can be used as filters. Up to 20 tags per clip.
  • Highlight badges — clip thumbnails show color-coded badges for the highlight type (K = Kill, ACE, MK = Multikill, RW = Round Win).

Bug Fixes & Security

  • Fixed startup crash — "OBS is not initialized" error when a game was already running at launch (race condition in game detection startup).
  • Fixed capture state race — SaveReplayAsync now properly acquires the state lock to prevent concurrent clip saves during shutdown.
  • Fixed path traversal — StartsWith check on output directory now appends directory separator to prevent prefix confusion.
  • Fixed argument injection — all Process.Start calls use ArgumentList instead of string interpolation.
  • CS2 GSI authentication — the HTTP listener now validates an auth token on every payload to prevent local spoofing.
  • Installer path validation — downloaded update binaries are verified to be within the expected temp directory before execution.
  • 64-bit P/Invoke — overlay click-through uses GetWindowLongPtrW/SetWindowLongPtrW for correct behavior on x64.
  • Case-insensitive clip paths — clip storage operations now use OrdinalIgnoreCase for Windows filesystem compatibility.
  • Thread-safe audio detection — volatile IsRunning, bounded sample buffer, single-inference back-pressure, Interlocked debounce.

How to Install

1. Download

Scroll down to Assets and download WatchDog-Setup.exe.

If you only see "Source code" assets, the automated build is still running — refresh in a few minutes.

2. Run the installer

Double-click WatchDog-Setup.exe. If Windows SmartScreen appears, click More info > Run anyway.

3. Done

Everything is bundled — no .NET SDK or extra downloads needed. The AI audio model (~14MB) downloads automatically on first launch.

Portable: Download WatchDog-win-x64.zip instead, extract anywhere, run WatchDog.App.exe.

Upgrading: Run the new installer — it removes the old version automatically. Settings and clips are preserved. The app also shows an update banner on launch if a newer version is available.

CS2 Users

If upgrading from an older version, update your CS2 GSI config file — the new version requires an auth token:

Copy-Item cfg\gamestate_integration_watchdog.cfg "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps
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