EPT![[image loading]](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/49867307/GAMEHEART/Blog/Images/header.jpg)
Introduction -
Hello everyone! I am starting this blog as a way to keep you guys updated on the progress of the GameHeart Redesigned project, and also to get your ideas on how GameHeart can be improved.
Before going into what I am working on specifically I want to talk about the structure of the project and GameHeart itself for the future. When I announced this project the plan was to remake GameHeart in a way that it uses real observers to spectate games as opposed to players that have no units. While this provides immense advantages it also comes with some drawbacks which I did outline in the IndieGoGo project page. So what does this mean for GameHeart? For the time being it means I will be maintaining two versions of GameHeart. The older version, which uses players that have no units to spectate can be found in the arcade as “GHClassic.” The newer version, which uses real observers to spectate will be found as “GHLight” once it becomes available. I have hope that someday Blizzard may make a change that will allow us to get the best of both worlds in a single map, but for now we have to work with what we’ve got!
During this project I will not only create the new version of GameHeart, but I will also overhaul the older version. They will use the same structure so that mod files are interchangeable between them, that way when I want to add new logos I only have to update a single mod file and both versions of GameHeart will be update automatically. Lucky for me, Blizzard recently added a lot of functionality to mod files and the editor to make this possible.
Really quickly I want to go over the primary differences between these two different versions of GameHeart. I hope tournaments will find that either one suits their needs. I created this comparison chart to help.
![[image loading]](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/49867307/GAMEHEART/Blog/Images/FeatureComparison.jpg)
It is important to remember that this chart is only to describe the differences between the two different versions of GameHeart. Both versions will have features like team/league logos, production icons, stronger team colors and upgrade notifications.
What I am working on now -
Logos mod
So the first step in this process will be to construct a mod file which manages the nearly 250 logos for teams and tournaments that are currently in GameHeart which will function in both versions. However, I also want to make this mod file a general resource for mod and map makers. So if for example IcculusLizard were to decide he wanted to add team logos to Peepmode, or if Payne wants to add logos to Star Strikers they could do so without having to create and maintain a database of logos when I have already done so. I am not sure what other custom games are out there that can make good use of team and tournament logos, but I will also make the system that displays the logos on the map a separate mod as well so if they just want to use that and don’t need the team and league logos they can do so without adding any unnecessary extra filesize to their maps.
Because I have formatted most of these logos already (you can view the list here) I can focus primarily on the actual functionality of the system. Something that has been a problem with logos in the past is their level of transparency. The logos are actually a special type of 3D model inside of the map that seem unaffected by the usual methods you would use to control their transparency. While I cannot make any promises on this front something I will be doing during this part of the project is exploring a lot of new options for trying to gain more dynamic control over the transparency of logos as they display on the map. What that hopefully means, is allowing tournaments to decide for themselves how transparent they want the logos on the maps to be.
I also want to refine how map makers/tournaments can select not only where to put the logos on their maps but also to determine their rotation to make them look as good as possible as quickly as possible.
STC mod
I am also running tests on the Stronger Team Colors mod system which will allow STC to only display for observers and leave players unaffected. Hopefully this will encourage tournaments to seriously consider using STC as I feel it dramatically improves the readability of the game on web streams, particularly the ZvZ matchup. This functionality is only possible because of the amazing work of ‘Renee2islga’ on his GAx3 mod which adds many functions to the editor which are not necessarily natively supported. Renee is a regular on SC2mapster and the Battle.net forums and is constantly producing new content that helps all SC2 modders.
Unfortunately because of the nature of the work around Renee uses to add this functionality to the editor it does not really work with observers naturally. This adds a little complication to the STC mod part of the project but we will still be able to make it work.
Okay so that is it for the custom map portion of the project for this blog. The next thing I want to talk about is interface files.
Interface files
After speaking to my partner Ahli who is primarily responsible for coding the interface files we will be releasing, we have decided to try to release one every two weeks for the next two months. That means four new high quality interface files in total by the end of the project. They will range in style and function, but they will all be usable whether you choose to use the new GameHeart or normal custom games for spectating.
My personal goal for GameHeart has always to make an interface that is as unobtrusive as possible. It is becoming quite popular to add as much information as you possibly can to an interface, but that has never actually been my goal. While the amount of information available in the GameHeart interface has increased over time, I have always tried to temper that by having it only visible temporarily or constraining the information to singular contained spaces so it does not make the interface feel too complex. Or at least that has been my hope.
At times in the past I have had many complaints about my decision to move the resource numbers to the bottom of the screen. I have been very resistant to calls to move them back to the top right, and those of you who hold that hope will be disappointed with this first interface we release. I am still firmly of the belief that the number one priority for these interfaces must be to contain the UI information to one area as much as possible to allow the game to shine and to ‘breathe’ in a way. I want to free the top of the screen from UI elements so the game feels more open and less claustrophobic. Do you remember the first time you watched a football game on a high definition TV? My goal with GameHeart has been to create that feeling with Starcraft.
With that in mind I have taken all UI information including the production tab and contained it in the bottom left of the screen alongside the minimap. I have given the numbers a solid background to make them easier to read. The unit selection panel is simplified, though we have found in testing that many things about the unit selection panel are unchangeable. Perhaps we just do not have enough knowledge yet of how the interface files function, but the unit selection panel appears to be a blizzard locked feature which greatly limits what we can do with it.
So that means keep in mind the following image is a mock-up and not a screenshot. The final interface absolutely will look different, but this image represents my general goal for the interface. Clicking on the image should bring up a larger version.
![[image loading]](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/49867307/GAMEHEART/Blog/Images/Interface1_01_lrg.jpg)
So within two weeks we hope to make this interface file available to tournaments so they can start using in their broadcasts immediately. I have already shown it to several casters, observers and organizations and have received mostly positive feedback. I know it is not perfect for everyone, but by the end of this project I hope at least one of the four interfaces we release will fit your needs. So if you are not happy with this one do not worry we will get something you like out there.
For those of you unfamiliar with Ahli, he is a stellar custom map maker who has helped me with my project on countless occasions. His expertise with the interface files is a huge boon to the GameHeart project.
What I want from you -
Alright so we have talked about the structure of the project and what both myself and Ahli are working on at the moment. But I also want to crowd source some ideas a bit with this blog, and hopefully you guys are willing to humor me.
Let's talk about UIs
There is a great article a friend linked me to once about UI design in games. You can read it here. It talks about the different types of UI elements you see in games and how they work. Even if you don’t read the article it is worth visiting the link to see the small chart at the bottom that describes the four different types of UI elements.
In Starcraft we use a lot of non-diegetic interface elements to display information to the viewer. While these are great for feeding you information, they tend to be very obstructive and take up a lot of valuable screen real estate. In GameHeart I try to make use of spatial interface elements (like the team/tournaments logos on the maps, or the icons that appear above buildings showing you what they are producing) to limit the need for these non-diegetic elements.
One way I think we can improve Starcraft spectating is by studying other sports to see how they use these spatial elements to help viewers understand what is going on. An obvious example is the first down line in American football. But the big sports like basketball and football are quite self explanatory. They are easy for a new viewer to sit down and watch because they for the most part immediately understand what is happening. Those guys are trying to kick the ball into that goal, or those guys are trying to put the ball through that hoop. These are simple concepts, and while the games themselves are deep they are easy to jump into as a viewer.
Starcraft is not so simple. So we need to look at more complex sports that are constantly trying to make their sport more accessible to the uninitiated. By adopting this strategy perhaps we can boost viewership of Starcraft as an eSport and inspire growth and sponsorship. One example of a complex sport that is doing a fantastic job of using these types of elements to improve the viewing experience, particularly for new viewers, is sailing. The America’s Cup has taken huge strides in making their sport easy to understand. They recently posted a video about this system, and you can check it out here:
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With this in mind, if you have any ideas on spatial interface elements we can add to GameHeart that will make improve the spectating experience particularly for new view please let me know! What do expert players see that a new player might not that we can show them using custom maps?
The unit selection window
The production icons over buildings were added because in the original version of GameHeart I removed the unit selection panel entirely, which prevented the observer from seeing what a building was producing. Eventually when GomTV was considering using GameHeart for the GSTL they requested that I add the unit selection panel back in, because it was too dramatic a change for them. It is now my goal to go back and try to completely eliminate the need for the unit selection window. To do this we need to consider all of the information we get from it, determine what is ‘necessary’ and what can be discarded for spectating.
No matter how trivial a piece of information is, there will always be people who feel like it is very important. Unfortunately it really is impossible to push the spectating experience of SC2 forward without rustling a few feathers. But I want to start a discussion about this topic in particular anyways. So I am going to make a list of information we get from the unit selection window which is not available already elsewhere.
-The name of a unit. (We really don’t need this)
-Precise unit hitpoints, shield and energy information.
-Unit upgrade levels (GameHeart maps and interface files provide this elsewhere already)
-Unit rank
-Unit kills
-Unit properties (robotic, biological etc)
-Unit cargo (what is inside a medivac or a bunker)
-Unit production (GameHeart maps eliminate this need)
-Unit buffs
-Unit abilities (like blink, this is normally in the command panel but most modern spectator UIs group it with the selection panel. These are actually also visible in the upgrades tab of the leader panel but do not give unit specific information)
Am I missing anything?
So what of this list can we eliminate entirely, and what can we replace with spatial or diegetic UI elements? So for example if we look at unit abilities, we know that many units have visual indications that they possess an upgrade or ability. Banelings roll when they get their speed upgrade instead of walk. Zerglings get wings. Marines get shields etc. These are actually diegetic elements but I am open to spatial elements as well. One idea might be to add visual indications for all abilities in the game that not only show that a unit has an ability, but also that they have enough energy or it is off cooldown so they can use it. So maybe if stalkers have blink upgrade their feet glow. If we can come up with ideas like this for every ability and make them work then we can eliminate the need for the ability icons entirely for spectators.
Another idea might be to have a number appear above a units head when it drops below 20 hitpoints so you can see how close it was when it barely got away. Eliminating the need for precise HP numbers.
I want to hear your ideas so I can steal them! The more information we can put into the game as diegetic or spatial UI elements, the more compact we can make the non-diegetic elements we use which will dramatically improve the spectating experience overall.
About this blog -
So this was the first blog for the GameHeart project. If you have any comments or critiques on how it is organized, or ideas for things you would like me to talk about or cover in future blogs please let me know. Is there too much information? Too little? How in depth do you want me to go into about the work on each part of GameHeart? Also if anyone knows how to fix youtube embeds so they fill the width of the blog let me know.
Frequency wise I am considering either 1 or 2 week intervals between posts.
Anyways, thank you for your time and please share with me your ideas. Lets get a real discussion going about how we can improve starcraft 2 spectating!
-Ryan
Can't wait to see the update in a few weeks!
