Mini map improvement

First of all, we all know that the mini map starts out showing nothing except your relative location to one of the corners of the map (that in itself is valuable information). Let's take it a step further and have the option of the mini map not even revealing the players relative map position until that has been determined by exploration! In other words, the mini map doesn't even reveal the size of the map...all you see is your immediate surrounding and as you explore the minimap shifts to ultimately reveal your true position in regards to the maps perimeter.

It be nice to show the Terrain's nuclear missile leaving the silo and racing across the map in a straight line to its destination. Just a thought.

Perhaps four photon cannons built in a square configuration could be upgraded to a super-rapid fire photon, or a slower firing hard hitter, or just an extended range with dual firing capability.

Give the ramps some more randomness. Make more variety in stepness and shape. The current ramps remind me that this is just a video game....

Some of these seem reasonable. I would like to see some more dynamics on this game.
There's much to be done.

 

Eh, I don't really like the idea. From an "adventure" standpoint it is great, but for game experience it is bad and will confuse many newcomers.

 

hummm like the map system on RA - 2 ????.. quite used to that

 

So you want the minimap to be only as big as the area you've explored? Perhaps it's just me, but that sounds redundant, function-wise; We can already see our unit scouting the terrain from the main overview, and seeing the same information (only smaller) doesn't help the player get his/her bearings. In other words, your idea takes away quite a bit of usefulness from the minimap.

Ah, the classic suggestion. The problem here stems from lore - Nuclear missiles today (ballistic, at least) must actually break the atmosphere and follow a sub-orbital flight path, before dropping down again and hitting their intended target. Assuming the nuke in SC2 is similar to those of today, there's no reason to see it flying across the map; only up from the Ghost Academy it was built in, and down onto the unfortunate enemy.

Why would you need a single "super-rapid fire" photon cannon when you already have four in play? Besides, defensive structures are almost never used in stand-alone situations; they are nearly always supported by units.

Now this is an idea I can get behind. At 1:53~1:57 of this video you can see a ramp in a grassy area up top. I remember it 'blending in' with the cliff much more than that, like a hill rather than a ramp. Hopefully we'll actually see something more natural later on (or at least allow us to string ramps together like certain tourney maps).

 

Your idea about the mini map us really good for single player. Where you do not know how big the map you are in is. But for multiplayer it will not work. Because someone has to set the map size at the begining. And for tournaments most of them they pre pick the map before the match unless it's a random map. But still knowing the map size would be nice.

 

Limiting the minimap is not an improvement. Especially if the terran player has an orbital command; they're supposed to be able to scan anywhere on the minimap.

 

Oh God, no! Please don't let this happen.

This would ruin the game.

 

I understand why the OP wants to do this, but it wouldn't be good imo either. He'd end up bringing luck into the early game (I happened to scout in the right direction, my opponent didn't), which is a critical flaw. I don't like the black mask either. I'd prefer the game to start with an 'already explored' look. An experienced player will have that 'already explored' image in their mind when they start. So there's no good reason to use the black mask in multiplayer; it looks dumb to me.

Agreed. They're only as strong as maybe two units attacking it. But it's cheaper and repairable and has no food cost, which are its advantages. Unsupported by units, it's nothing for any reasonable sized attack group to break through. The role of defensive structures is to supplement your unit group with additional damage when a conflict takes place near to the structure. Also to a lesser extent, they obstruct passage so your ranged units can get extra shots whiie the enemy walks around it. Also, if it steals the focus of enemy fire during conflict, then good for you. In the early game, defensive structures can protect you from rushes if you choose to tech up or expand your harvesters instead.

But no, defensive structures should never be a focal strategy, which is what this idea is leaning towards.

 

Well I'm pretty sure there is some way to add to the Nuke experience. They already added, for the casting side, the big red design where the nuke will fall. That design reduces it's size as the nuke comes closer. I find it pretty cool.

To add to the experience, maybe a doted line on the minimap. Telling the source and destination with a blinking dot to show how close the nuke is to go down.

This would remove the need to stay in the ennemy base to see if it worked or failed, you could follow it directly on minimap.

It's not like that would clutter the minimap that is (imo) not that used much right now.

And if the minimap is already not too used, I would presonnaly add an option to: not only ping the map, but also draw on it , à la Guild War, to express strategies to your team mate visualy.

Even with voice communication I find myself loosing time to explain something when a single line or two could express my startegie directly on the map itself.

 

Um, the minimap is perfectly fine as it is. I don't know about you, but when scouting and moving units vast distances, I use the minimap to get them where I want, if I have to scroll through the black, then idk exactly where I am clicking, when I know where most bases are on maps that are played often, your idea would make things worse, much worse. Instead of better. Hiding the size of the map, what is the point honestly? To annoy ppl that have never ever played the map before? And if you do know the map, but can't see your relative position, then you're really screwed when it comes to scouting, you'll waste so much time just figuring out where you are that the purpose of scouting is actually lost. So no this idea isn't something I'm for.

Ok, it's spelled Terran btw. Terrain means land, lol. Just messing with you.

Anyways, half the reason nukes are so damned effective, is because you have no idea where it is heading, all you know is that it's gonna hit somewhere, and you're freaking out looking for the red dot. If you can see the direction it is heading, then that takes out most of the finding the dot of death. Defending from a nuke would be SO much easier if you knew where it was going. It would also give away the position of the silo, so you could go in and wax it immediatly, instead of having to find it.

The photon cannons thingie. What? Seriously what? Why would you do that? Ok, you make cannons to defend, how much easier is it gonna be to RUN PAST THEM if there is just one? Honestly it makes them less effective, unless you wanna spend billions of minerals on cannons. Pfft, it just doesn't make sense.

The ramp idea, ok yea I can see that, adding more visual flare is always welcomed. So long as it doesn't push back the release date.

 

I hope your not referring to my dotted line idea. Mine is only for the nuke caster and not the opponent

 

No it was to OP. Sorry for the confusion.

 

A minimap that grows with the exploration is good in game where you don't say to your units to move by the minimap. Do you imagine to take so much time to explore with one drone from one corner to another one just by clicking in front of your drone?
Here you can send your drone with one click and continue what you did.

In the last civilisation game it is done and works very well, but not in SC.

For the nuclear missile, the trajectory is nearly verticale and give counter missile turrets to terran should be an advantage on zergs/protoss.

 

I think its fine just the way it is and shouldn't be changed...