Ability to see into the future

Unfortunately, for this to work, fate would have to exist and we would have to be able to predict it. We're talking a big philosophical problem here. You're assuming, for some reason, that it's possible to know what an area will look like 30 seconds ahead. It's not.

Let's say you cast this spell; it works like a terran scan and clears out a circle, showing you what will be there in 30 seconds. Like, if units have waypoints that pass through or land in that area, you'll see what the units would be doing 30 seconds ahead. If a building has started building or a command has been sent to build in that area, you'll see what it'd look like 30 seconds ahead. I'm guessing this is what you're suggesting.

The problems are too many to count, but I'll give a few examples. For one, buildings can be canceled. Just because a building is started doesn't mean it'll be finished. Second, if a building has started AFTER the spell, how does one reconcile the fact that you're seeing 30 seconds into the alternate future where the building wasn't started? Third, if the building were to be used to build units, how would it be predicted? Which units? Would any units be produced at all? Fourth, even if units were waypointed to the area, how do we know they wouldn't move out of the area before the 30 second mark, or better yet, that a battle might occur there? I could go on, but I need to go to bed. The problem, in summation, is that it's not just AI vs AI where outcomes can be determined by the CPU because that information is already available. When you add outside interaction (IE humans), it's just silly to think that a computer will be able to accurately predict their actions.

If you're talking about having the PC try to predict the future, it's useless. There are far, far too many variables for any sort of random prediction to mean anything.

 

The ability would predict what is in the area based on what the PC knows or based on waypoints or troop movements etc.. It would not be 100% accurate, but that is not the point of the ability. The fact that the enemy knows the protoss have this ability, they would be able to counter and mimic movements to an area i.e. a mineral field or choke-- and then cancel these movements, letting the protoss think that is whats going to happen. The ability would be quite inaccurate, but it would serve a purpose. Let me explain a few examples:

1. The Zerg have a drone on its way to a mineral field. The zerg player has already clicked the final destination for the drone, and it has been designated to then morph into a base. The Protoss player casts the ability on the mineral field and sees the faint outlines of a zerg base being built, as based on the waypoints, and build queues, that is the most likely thing thats going to happen at that point in time. If the zerg cancels the drone after the spell is cast, then too bad for the protoss, it is inaccurate and the spell has failed them. It could work for them or against them.

2. The protoss casts the spell on the terran base. Based on what is being built in the terran buildings and on the waypoints set for the building's units, it is likely that the ability would tell the protoss what units will be next to the buildings (if no waypoints set).

3. The protoss cast the spell on an area where a nuke is about to go off. It will show a possible outcome of damaged buildings and not many units.

The point of the ability is that it can never be always 100% accurate. It can have levels of accuracy, and whether the protoss with to use the ability or not, that is up to them. I am not saying the ability should be accurate, but only a most likely or possible outcome, based on what is known at the time. If a unit is on its way to a location, then it is most likely going to be there after x seconds. if a building is being built, then it will most likely be there after y seconds. if a building is being built, an an army of zerg is on its way, then the ability would show the building, with an army of zerg around it, possibly engaged in conflict.

The coder could take what is known, and then extrapolate or run the game as if there were 2 AI players using all the designated waypoints and then extrapolate what will most likely be in say 30 seconds. It could be a bit CPU intensive, but with modern PC's, that should not be such a huge problem.

It would add a lot of new strategy into the game.

The ability to see the past would also work:

The protoss could cast the ability and then see faint "ghost" images of the zerg having passed through there just 10 seconds ago. the fainter, the more time that has passed. The brighter the "ghost" image, the more recent. It will let the protoss know at least what units the enemy may have, where they were headed etc.. This would be known as the protoss tracker spell. Like a tracker of animals etc..

 

1. What would you consider to be most likely? How do you expect the CPU to calculate the possibilities given? I know you're not a programmer, but take a shot at this because it sounds very far-fetched to me. Consider all variables.

2. Once again, not considering the fact that you're asking your CPU to crunch vast variables on the fly, the ability is overall useless in this respect. If you are a good player, you should constantly be scouting and pressuring and harassing, at which points in time you can see what build your opponent is going for and thus know what units to expect. Assuming it's possible to predict with even 10% certainty, the future, this ability would be useful all the way up to 2 months of play. It's just not good policy to create abilities only useful to noobies.

And if the ability was able to somehow impossibly calculate with even 25% probability, it would be an unfair advantage. Other races can't be trying to build and train deceptively all the time. In SC, it can be time consuming to do one feint. Consider having to do that all of the time in fear of protoss units knowing everything about you without even having to scout. It would be mentally exhausting, wasteful of minerals and time, and assuming the protoss is any good, he/she would run you over.

3. So you should get this because it would help you to unreasonably easily dodge powerful, expensive, risky attacks made by the opposition?


I would venture to say that it would be so inaccurate that having it would be pointless. Trying to get a CPU to crunch numbers to make it even as reliable as a 1/50 chance would be asking too much. That's alot of math and variables. Even things as simple as waypoints aren't that easily calculable. Pathing has to be determined on the fly depending on what the unit runs into.

Say, for example, the pathing expects a perfectly uninterrupted trip for unit 1 to waypoint a. What you're now asking the CPU to do is calculate how long it will take for unit 1 to get to point a, which is something the CPU didn't have to do before. Now assume one of your waypoints for attacking units crosses that path. The CPU will now have to determine if a unit will be out and considering how fast they travel and assuming they also path just as expected, that given the time variable at point x where the waypoints cross, they might meet. Add infinitely mutating variables such as units getting stuck, armies heading to point x and how long it will take every single unit to get there, armies being sent there but changing direction halfway through, etc.

You also have to take into account that this ability lends itself perfectly to hacking. You might not have known this, but the information your computer receives about your opponent in SC and every other RTS is 100% limited to what they are doing in relation to you. This is what allows for maphacks where one can see everything that is currently happening on the map. In order for your ability to work, your computer would have to receive information of every single command, building, unit, and process of your opponents. Given a hack (that could be patched after every Blizzard patch), you could see your opponent's waypoints, what units they're building, what buildings they're about to build, etc. without even wasting mana/energy.

 

I am a programmer (C,C++, Delphi, Asm, Pic, 8051, ARM), and it is possible with very fast PC's to get say 20%...maybe??

But if the future is not possible at this time, then how about looking at the past? The protoss could cast the ability on the area. All units paths could be logged (and they are already as there are replay type functions for looking at a game after - it think?).

The protoss could cast the ability on an area, if a unit had just been there, it would show almost like a hologram of it in - and if it were there a little longer ago, it would be more feint. This doesn't require much CPU intensive stuff.

It would allow protoss to see if zerg had come past an area.. For instance if it shows a hologram of zerg with no trails leading away from the location, then most likely they dissapeared/burrowed. It would allow for interesting gameplay.

The Zerg could also have a tracking function - much like a bloodhound - smelling the footsteps of marines.

How about that idea? Seeing the past. i.e. the energy that was there.... It could for instance look 10 seconds into the past.. or it could be sensing the energy - say zerg energy, zeolot energy.. etc...

 

So in summary:

1. The ability to see into the future - possible to an extent depending on the CPU power. But cannot be 100% accurate always. Most likely about 20% accurate.

2. The ability to see into the past - 100% possible. Would be a cool feature - I think. Zerg counter could be smelling/tracking ability.

 

very neat idea ... however It's going to be a hell of a nightmare for the Blizz team to program and to balance it!

 

See Future: I think it is self balancing. If the protoss choose to rely on the ability, then the enemy could feint movements to fool the protoss - or bluff them...

See Past: Now that could work..

 

That definitely deserve a skill spot perhaps for the observer if it was possible but why waste energy when theyve got the very reliable observer??? its why the unit havent changed right?, yes the observer is the ultimate voyeur machine that was intended solely for gathering data on whatever the protoss wants to get, and have you guys ever imagined how evil that machine will be once obtained by terrans?? the terrans will definitely enmass them for their own good and for the boys good.....

PS if you have predicted that i will be posting in these section then my friend you are a psychic... as if.....

 

The problem is that this spell would only work when playing in campaign mode because real players are unpredictable. Also, it would be too hard to do it in campaign mode, because I am sure that the opponent will behave differently depending on the moves that you make. So there would be infinite possibilities for what your opponent can do depending on what you do. It just wont work. Though having such a spell with the Protoss would be awesome.

 

You talking about Achron?

I dont like the ability to see into the future, as it wouldn't fit in with starcraft. It also doesnt make any sense that a protoss unit would be able to see into the future.