Just thought of this and was wondering if anyone has tried this out / if it helps at all. Basically if you have multiple monitors, you can use xSplit on your second monitor and add a screen region of the minimap from SC2 on your first monitor while it is running in Fullscreen(Windowed Mode). Then just change the view res in xsplit to max so it uses your entire second monitor.

I would imagine this would help out newer players as well as people playing on really small screens/laptops.

Also, in particular, wouldn't this be awesome for large tournies (I am looking at you IPL and MLG)?? Imagine watching a live event with 4 screens, player 1 view on the left, player 2 view on the right, observer view in the middle, and a full screen dedicated to the mini-map below the obs screen so you have a large top down view of everything that going on.

mrtomjones

Canada4020 Posts

March 21 2012 00:13 GMT

Uhh then you wouldn't be able to watch what happens on the normal screen as well... how would this help new players? Maybe advanced players but not new ones...

warblob004

United States198 Posts

March 21 2012 00:14 GMT

Seems all a bit too inconvenient/too far away? Maybe it'd be freaking awesome for viewing replays though - epic ones at least

Mr Showtime

United States1353 Posts

March 21 2012 00:15 GMT

It's like practicing basketball with a hula-hoop instead of a standard sized rim. Silly and ill-advised. Learn how to play right. It's the only way to actually get better. Looking at another screen to use your mini-map is pretty absurd.

ipwntbarney

United States141 Posts

March 21 2012 00:16 GMT

That might be a cool idea for a BarCraft/live tournament, but having a multi-screen set-up for actually playing the game seems kind of silly.

Outsited

United States189 Posts

March 21 2012 00:22 GMT

been discussed. you can use the default magnify glass app in windows to do this. however doing this is illegal in tournament play because it gives you an unfair advantage

CyDe

United States1010 Posts

March 21 2012 00:24 GMT

As everyone said, it seems good for observing games, but unpractical for anything else. Plus I think that would be considered cheating... maybe? I don't know. I mean obviously you wouldn't be able to do it in any sort of tournament so it just seems like a waste to train yourself this way.

Fyrewolf

United States1533 Posts

March 21 2012 00:25 GMT

Barring the ethical implications, it just isn't good practice and is probably detrimental to good play. You should never not be looking at the minimap, so it should be on your main screen to keep one eye on(even peripherally). You should be able to look at the minimap while also checking your resources at the same time and be able to set down a building when the resources get to the right point. Without taking your one eye off the minimap.

As for the large screen at tourneys, is it really needed? I can watch the minimap in the corner just fine, I don't need a 2nd giant one to see something moving on it.

Rockztar

Denmark210 Posts

March 21 2012 00:25 GMT

No matter the screen sizes I doubt I'd have the periphal vision to use this unless I'd been kicked hard in the b*lls prior to this.

I like the usage of several screens for tournament spectating though!

emc

United States3088 Posts

March 21 2012 00:30 GMT

#10

just learn to play the game like everyone else. pros didn't become pros by having external programs helping them

SigmaoctanusIV

United States3313 Posts

March 21 2012 00:30 GMT

#11

This is a dumb idea to be blunt. No tournaments support dual monitors and you don't want to strain your eyes but constantly switching monitors.

skeldark

Germany2223 Posts

March 21 2012 00:30 GMT

#12

it would be really good if you can move the minimap, e.g under the min/gas values ingame.
I hoped for moveable ui in sc2, so i can change the textsize of the min/gas and the size and position of the minimap.
If i watch tournaments i sometimes do it with xsplit.

Torte de Lini

Germany38463 Posts

March 21 2012 00:31 GMT

#13

Hm... now if only I could use my laptop as a second monitor!

DefJukie

20 Posts

March 21 2012 00:38 GMT

#14

I personally wouldn't use this either, I am completely used to the minimap on the bottom corner as I would imagine most of you here are too. I can definitely say though, when I was at IPL3 in AC, even though I was sitting pretty far in front, it was really hard for me to see what was going on on the mini-map AND the observer/casters didnt always have the camera in teh best position to see what I wanted.

Fealthas

607 Posts

March 21 2012 00:39 GMT

#15

I don't think blizzard will like this much. Seems kinda cheatish to me.

fezvez

France3021 Posts

March 21 2012 00:43 GMT

#16

First of all, I respectfully disagree with all the people saying that "it's unfair" and "pros got good without it". Yeah, and before, people got good without replays, they learned stuff themselves instead of mindlessly copying. Seems everyone watches replays now, and no one complains. It might be just the same in this case.

Now, as a person who tries to play Supreme Commander with two screens, I have to say that it's incredibly hard to focus your attention on both screens, and just the proximity of the current mini map is much better than having a big wide screen. I know, at first, I thought "a glance is a glance, the distance doesn't matter", but in reality, a second screen doesn't help. At all.

drooL

United Kingdom2108 Posts

March 21 2012 00:52 GMT

#17

I thought about that pretty much when Xsplit came out and I immedeately decided that it was cheating. I think it shouldn't be allowed. Of course it can't be stopped by Blizzard but a live tourney environment doesn't allow it anyways.

zergrushkekeke

Australia241 Posts

March 21 2012 02:59 GMT

#18

Can Xsplit be used to also blow up the min gas food section at the same time? It would be a much better use for my second monitor which at the moment is usually a web browser with something totally unrelated up. And I love how fast clever uses of things like xsplit, irfanview, task manager and batch files get labeled OMGHACKS.

I saw someone play supreme commander dual screen, where each could be fully zoomed in and out, so you could use 1 as a mini map and the other as the game window, or have 1 for econ stuff in your base and the other one right on the fight.

Kuni

Austria765 Posts

March 21 2012 03:03 GMT

#19

What if I have a second person sitting next to me, who is watching the minimap ALL game, telling me when something's up and I need to watch out for something !

genius !

zergrushkekeke

Australia241 Posts

March 21 2012 03:09 GMT

#20

On March 21 2012 12:03 Kuni wrote:
What if I have a second person sitting next to me, who is watching the minimap ALL game, telling me when something's up and I need to watch out for something !

genius !

He could also fetch beers, answer the phone and shoo away the crocodiles so you wouldn't have those games you lose because of the 5 minute interruptions that the opponent unpauses on! Nah that would be totally unethical and I think it would count as cheating.

Insomni7

667 Posts

March 21 2012 03:15 GMT

#21

I think it would actually be much harder to see the minimap for both those with small monitors and new players. It doesnt make sense to me to make it so you have to move your head more to see the minimap. Also, there really isnt a point in tournies, afterall, what interesting things to see are there on the minimap? Sorry, but I don't think this is a good idea at all.

Bashnek

Australia895 Posts

March 21 2012 03:20 GMT

#22

idk about for players or to watch, but it might help some tournies, or be a useful tool for the observer so they dont miss anything?

Indolent

Poland137 Posts

March 21 2012 03:36 GMT

#23

Well, technically you don't modify your game so it's legal...but I feel it's too inconvenient to play. But doing this in tournament would be an awesome idea!

docvoc

United States5491 Posts

March 21 2012 04:23 GMT

#24

I'm sorry but i really don't see this as a great idea, if it works for you though, more power too you good sir

d00fuz

Malaysia129 Posts

March 21 2012 04:28 GMT

#25

Then it wouldn't be a minimap already.

Adonminus

Israel543 Posts

March 21 2012 05:12 GMT

#26

There's nothing special about the minimap that you need it on a separated screen, either you look at it carefully, either you don't. Plus if you put it on a second monitor, it's hard to turn your head each 0.5 second to look at it.

a9arnn

United States1537 Posts

March 21 2012 05:18 GMT

#27

It doesn't seem to be a useful tool for players (edit: or at least for tournaments and such, using this outside of tourneys will only hinder you when you're in them), but for tournaments holy crap this would help out so much in tourneys without dedicated obs. They can still commentate while looking at the minimap, so this does seem to have its uses

Grobyc

Canada18410 Posts

March 21 2012 05:20 GMT

#28

On March 21 2012 09:16 ipwntbarney wrote:
That might be a cool idea for a BarCraft/live tournament, but having a multi-screen set-up for actually playing the game seems kind of silly.

I think that would be really neat actually. Too bad the bar my upcoming barcraft is at doesn't really have the screen configuration for such a thing.

FeyFey

Germany10114 Posts

March 21 2012 05:27 GMT

#29

okay ... so i use a laptop with a small screen ... it really sounds clever to use another screen ... for the minimap. Or maybe i just use the screen instead of the laptop one. Sorry found the laptop part in the op funny.
I like to use the boundaries of the game it keeps everyone on a fair level to compete.

If done right the second monitor is an advantage, especially for multitasking. But it doesn't come from having a bigger mini map to look at. Anyway i think its an advantage that shouldn't be used. But anything you could do with it you could do in the normal size minimap, just need to train your accuracy.

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