Starcraft 2 HOTS Replay System

I'm the last person who would want to bring up Starcraft 2 on these forums, but . . . just read:
http://us.battle.net/sc2/en/blog/8501413/

I'm sure we could all come up with conspiracy theories about how SC2 is stealing PA's thunder, but it's probably entirely a coincidence.

Still, I kinda wish these features didn't make it in until Legacy of the Void, cause now people will just assume PA took inspiration from SC2.

With a replay system that players have been asking for years?

I don't catch what you are on about.

People have been asking for the ability to jump in and take over the gameplay in a replay? And to use a replay to resume a game from any point? Maybe I'm out of touch cause I don't follow Starcraft 2 development, but I wasn't aware it was something that was discussed.

Well more like the ability to practace a part of a players game that they are bad at rather then having to go through an entire game everytime to practice a 30 second thing.

I still don't see how this applys.

Who gives a crap about the whole 'oh noes you stole the idea from ______'

It's more like "It's about @#$#@ time someone put that idea in a game'

I am an animal, and so am sueing the human race including myself for stealing ideas from nature!

:roll: Oh come on guys, I already pointed out it was likely a coincidence. I'm just a little disappointed that after all the effort Uber is putting into the feature it will end up seeming like a "been there, done that."

Feature?

If there is good stuff, PA needs to accept.
(but I do not expect too much for the Uber since they are small independent company - they are veterans though - )
I think that it should be a stretch objective than a necessary game function.

I'm wondering if I wasn't clear enough, or if you're being deliberately obtuse. For your sake, I'll assume the former.

Uber has been working on integrating the PA replay system into the core of the game, so that the entire replay is essentially a function of time. This means that PA have some features that haven't been available in most RTSs until now. One of the main features will be the ability to take a replay that you're watching and jump in to continue playing the game from any point. One can have the AI take over for the other players in the replay, or have friends play those roles. This also means that replays can be used as a savegame file, and since it's server based, it means players will be able to resume gameplay in the case of a disconnect or similar event.

On January 24th, Blizzard announced that their expansion to Starcraft 2, Heart of the Swarm (aka HOTS), will have similar features. (Though, I suspect not as robust, given that Uber plans to facilitate other features, such as instant replays, multi-window replays, and xzibit-worthy replays-within-replays.)

And thus is the source of my (mild) concern.

Well, it wouldn't be the first time SCII has taken Ideas from This type of game.

Mike

If Uber does indeed do a better job than Blizzard in implementing this feature, I imagine people would tend to say "Wow, Uber's work is better!" rather than squealing "Copycats!"

At least I hope so.

Blizzard is a master of stealing good ideas. Every WoW expansion is primarily a collection if the best of other games idea, with a little of the WoW lore (often stolen from other places). I don't think blizzard has produced any originality in the last 15 years.

Still props to Uber for having an idea that blizzard thinks is worth stealing.

Still don't get the problem with 'stealing ideas'.

A good idea is a good idea, attaching stealing to it some how makes it seem like you can own an idea.

And thats beyond silly.

You just described how this whole industry works, by deriving off of previously existing ideas, polishing and improving up on them in small steps.

That's why the notion of genres exists. Otherwise we should call every FPS as DOOM clone or whatever came before (was it Return to Castle Wolfenstein or was there something even before that?).

PA will have a resume from replay function? I didn't know that. Nice.

But if somebody is stealing the idea it is PA from the SC2 community. The idea of resuming from a replay has been around long, there is a "mod" for SC that hacks it in: http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmes ... _id=328785

The first post is from 13. April 2012. PA wasn't even announced at that point.

... I am pretty sure that the idea of "hey lets restart the game from this point in the replay" is as old as replays themselves.

I would like to say assimilation than stealing unless the Uber steals codes from SC2.

The whole idea of stealing ideas is pretty weird.
I am pretty sure anyone can come up with this idea without "stealing" it.
ideas are overrated, it is the implementation that counts

From this and your previous post I don't think you understand. Uber already had this idea and have talked about it to great length in previous posts.

They aren't even taking inspiration from SC2.

Not to mention that it's something talked about in the SupCom community going back 6 years.

Mike