We've seen that in SC2 cloaked units when detected are outlined by blue color. In my opinion, the overlay is way too heavy and obstructs the unit model (the new DT ain't so pretty with it, but may look just fine without it). I find it unattractive and generally unpleasant. Does it need some rework?

Poll: Cloaked unit blue overlay needs rework?
(Vote): Yes, it does not look good enough
(Vote): No, it seems just fine

EDIT:

Screenshot with Dark Templar (click to enlarge):

Link to Banshee SC2 page:
http://www.starcraft2.com/features/terran/banshee.xml

alphablend

647 Posts

September 11 2007 10:32 GMT

You should embed some pics for people to look at in OP to make a decision.

Manifesto7

Osaka27139 Posts

September 11 2007 10:33 GMT

yes please include pics.

New Zealand6138 Posts

September 11 2007 10:41 GMT

I think it looks terrible, and would even prefer the original effects in SC1 over the current ones in SC2.

BluzMan

Russian Federation4235 Posts

September 11 2007 10:49 GMT

Oh, my bad, I was somehow stupidly convinced that every reader on this forum watches SC2 screenshots and videos day and night. I'm abit in a hurry atm, but will add them ASAP.

EDIT: SC2 screens are xml-coded on the official site (I have no experinece in dealing with this), so I don't have the time to link to another source, however, I can link to this atm:

http://eu.media.blizzard.com/starcraft2/flash/global/movieplayer_protoss_dtemplar.swf

Will add more when I get home from the university.

Stegosaur

Netherlands1231 Posts

September 11 2007 11:22 GMT

It looks pretty cool, just check out the banshee page on sc2.com. It's not a blue outline, but some kind of energy/electricity surging over it.

Famehunter

Canada586 Posts

September 11 2007 11:34 GMT

I think most people know what you re talking about. Personally I think it looks perfect since if you put all "revealed" units in the same shade of color it will be easier to identify them in the heat of action.

A3iL3r0n

United States2196 Posts

September 11 2007 13:52 GMT

That's a good point, but the effect itself is pretty crude looking. In the end though, I'd rather have the existing way they identify cloaked/uncloaked units than something that was nicer looking but added more clutter.

KwarK

United States42283 Posts

September 11 2007 17:06 GMT

It's a nice concept but the blue is just too heavy. If the blue was much paler and was a thin highlight rather than a unit colour it'd look awesome. I've always thought comsat gave off a surge of energy which glowed in contact with anything (because of the blue swirl and because of the film Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within). I like the idea that, as Stegosaur says, there's "some kind of energy/electricity surging over it".

lololol

5198 Posts

September 11 2007 17:22 GMT

#10

It looks like crap, so I bet they'll change it long before release.

zer0das

United States8519 Posts

September 11 2007 17:29 GMT

#11

Yeah, it looks pretty bad...

Luhh

Sweden2974 Posts

September 11 2007 17:37 GMT

#12

That's rather good. Good enough in my book in any case.

For people complaining about the border, the border is there so you'd know what type of unit it is, and this is a good thing. Feedback owns no feedback in strategy games. Perhaps a tad too much, but whatever. Perhaps like some say it's because it's fading into view or something. *shrug*

The only problem as I see it is that cloaked units may be a bit harder to spot in SC2, (higher resolution, less pixeling, more movement and animations in general etc) but that is not necessarily a bad thing.

Stegosaur

Netherlands1231 Posts

September 11 2007 17:49 GMT

#13

I think the templars in that screenshot are in the process of fading out or in, after being uncovered by a detector, or after a detector lost sight of them. When that happens a small animation appears which displays some blue kind of current covering the unit, cloaking/uncloaking it.

Look at the banshee page
http://www.starcraft2.com/features/terran/banshee.xml

The 'cloak' animation is pretty long, but after it goes into the 'cloaked blur' phase, it will switch to 'detected' state after about 10 sec, and it's transparent with some subtle blue outlining which IMO looks good. I think DT's will look the same and these shots are just unlucky 'heat of the moment' shots where they uncover/cloak animation was playing.

Tiptup

United States133 Posts

September 11 2007 22:07 GMT

#14

Yes, the blue outline is messy and needs work. It may help you to see where a unit is, but it hurts your ability to see what that unit is doing (since the cloak shine is shifts in shape) and, even more importantly, what team a cloaked unit is on.

I made the following comparison screenshot a couple days ago for a thread I made on b.net suggestion forum. I toned down the heavy blue nature of the outline to a more neutral white (with only a slight blue tint remaining). Then I gave the green DTs more team coloring (so you can actually know they're on the green team!) and darkened/desaturated the purple in the terrain and made the color more blue (and lightened the orange lines). Basically, in the original version of the screenshot you have a mess that looks like everything is blue and purple.

Blizzard needs to realize that team colors are what convey the most important information about a unit. They somehow forgot this in WarCraft 3, but the original StarCraft had team color down perfectly (whether intentional or accidental). If team color blends in with a bunch of bright, heavily-saturated colors (whether from the terrain or special effects), then it makes the game too visually noisy. Maybe it looks pretty (in some ways), but our eyes will be tracking crap all over the place. In the original StarCraft it was possible to instantly comprehend everything on a screen in almost every case and your eyes immediately were drawn to the most important things.

(Also, why do the DT have cone heads?)

pzea

United States25 Posts

September 11 2007 22:28 GMT

#15

they should make it so the blue outline is only blue if ur team color is blue. So basically what im saying is they should make the outline whatever color ur team is. just a thought

BluzMan

Russian Federation4235 Posts

September 11 2007 22:35 GMT

#16

Well, I think is that invis units need more team color and the brightness of the overlay toned down. It's not well-blended enough.

Smoov

United States37 Posts

September 11 2007 22:40 GMT

#17

I think you guys have ran out of things to complain about....musta got bored with complaining about unit names....

BluzMan

Russian Federation4235 Posts

September 11 2007 22:44 GMT

#18

It's just because we want SC2 to be as good as possible. If you don't, why the hell post here?

Live2Win

United States6657 Posts

September 11 2007 22:57 GMT

#19

I love how in that pic there's a phase prism relaying units behind enemy lines.

Auspicious

United States175 Posts

September 11 2007 23:05 GMT

#20

I think it's ok if like a bomb (ala spider mine) blows up and outlines them in that blue thing for a second, but if you have a detector it should definitely show them fully

On September 12 2007 02:49 Stegosaur wrote:
I think the templars in that screenshot are in the process of fading out or in, after being uncovered by a detector, or after a detector lost sight of them. When that happens a small animation appears which displays some blue kind of current covering the unit, cloaking/uncloaking it.

Look at the banshee page
http://www.starcraft2.com/features/terran/banshee.xml

The 'cloak' animation is pretty long, but after it goes into the 'cloaked blur' phase, it will switch to 'detected' state after about 10 sec, and it's transparent with some subtle blue outlining which IMO looks good. I think DT's will look the same and these shots are just unlucky 'heat of the moment' shots where they uncover/cloak animation was playing.

I agree, the banshee cloaking looks pretty sweet