Seeking opinions: What type of gameplay WOULD make SC2 fun to watch.

[Gifted]

There are threads here in the forums about how StarCraft 2 isn't "fun" to watch. Others have stated this concern elsewhere in the community. I firmly hold onto the opinion "It's not fun... yet!" but realized something simple. Why haven't we explored what WOULD be fun?

I challenge you all to express your opinions and thoughts related to this question:

What style of game play can you think of in SC2 that will be thoroughly enjoyable to watch?

I hope to see some positive, enjoyable examples/thoughts come from this. (And hope to see the debate on the subject left at the door, this is people's opinions after all... you can state you have a different opinion while respecting one you don't agree with.)

[Gifted]

Going to start with the example I got this morning from talking to Blazur. I think many of you would agree.

For those who don't know him, SlayerS_`BoxeR` is considered as one of the most innovative, popular and interesting players in the game. Before he started his service in the South Korean Air Force he was considered by many to be a powerhouse to be feared. Since his time after his military service, he has had some issues being competitive, but still is entertaining and intuitive.

My thoughts on seeing him micro with his army supplimented with ghosts and medivacs (Not many, just a handful of each) would be awesome. Because ghosts cost 200 gas each, a single loss would be a devastating blow. The needed micro to protect them while handling your army and macro would be an intense thing. I would liken it to a single science vessal picked off by scourge... it adds a little "Oh snap!" to the game.

Imagine what he could do with snipe while cloaked. Imagine the distractions he would pull off with ghosts, nukes, key EMPs and the like. Just overall, I think that any game touched with a handful of these units could be fantastic in the hands we know would be entertaining.

[Kalash]

A jaedong 150 muta micro-control, lol

[ArcherofAiur]

I firmly believe that much of the enjoyment of watching Starcraft comes from knowing how mechanically hard the game is to play. Realizing just how much concentration and technique it takes to macro and micro correctly gives one a whole new appreciation for the game. This is a common theme in sports.


Yah Boxer smartcasting snipe on a bunch of units might be cool the first time. And then you log on and do the same thing almost as well. Takes allot away from the spectating expeirence. But if you see Boxer do something insane with snipe and you know how hard it is to do that then you know you have witnessed something amazing.

[Blazur]

1) Warp prism harassment sounds exciting as hell. Load the ship with one probe, and fly it across the map looking for vulnerabilities. If you find an opening you have several options. Drop the probe, switch to phase mode, and reinforce the position with cannons for an offensive push. Or warp in some infantry to harass until reinforcements arrive, at which point you pack up and continue hunting for weaknesses.

2) Nuking runs. We saw how devastating this was in BR4, and based on the current ease of nuke acquisition this can be a frightening threat. Especially considering the ghost will have the dropship handy for healing.

3) Creep pushing. Probably won't see much of this, but on the chance your initial bases are in close proximity, a player could push a line of creep leading to their opponent for rapid troop movement on the ground.

4) Float your initial CC to a nearby island (after loading 5 SCV's into it), and fast-expand to Banshees with Raven support.

[Gifted]

Archer... Sincerely man, stay on task. Don't debate the meaning of the post.. contribute please If you want to debate how "fun" or "not fun" it will be, take it to the thread for that discussion.

[ArcherofAiur]

I did. Your lead was

I challenge you all to express your opinions and thoughts related to this question:

and I said that the mechanical difficulty of the game greatly contributes to the enjoyment (rush) you get from spectating.

[Pandonetho]

I firmly believe that much of the enjoyment of watching Starcraft comes from knowing how mechanically hard the game is to play. Realizing just how much concentration and technique it takes to macro and micro correctly gives one a whole new appreciation for the game. This is a common theme in sports.

I agree with this. It's the appreciation that the amount of practice someone put in to perfect a strategy you know you'll never be able to do... that's what makes it fun to watch. To see thing that have never happened before. It's not going to be "phase prism" harrassment that's fun to watch.

It's going to be watching innovation of strategy, the metagame, the skill, that's what's fun to watch.

[ArcherofAiur]

I agree with this. It's the appreciation that the amount of practice someone put in to perfect a strategy you know you'll never be able to do... that's what makes it fun to watch.

Its not the only thing but its certainly one of the biggest.

[Gifted]

I firmly believe that much of the enjoyment of watching Starcraft comes from knowing how mechanically hard the game is to play. Realizing just how much concentration and technique it takes to macro and micro correctly gives one a whole new appreciation for the game. This is a common theme in sports.


Yah Boxer smartcasting snipe on a bunch of units might be cool the first time. And then you log on and do the same thing almost as well. Takes allot away from the spectating expeirence. But if you see Boxer do something insane with snipe and you know how hard it is to do that then you know you have witnessed something amazing.

I agree with this. It's the appreciation that the amount of practice someone put in to perfect a strategy you know you'll never be able to do... that's what makes it fun to watch. To see thing that have never happened before. It's not going to be "phase prism" harrassment that's fun to watch.

It's going to be watching innovation of strategy, the metagame, the skill, that's what's fun to watch.

@bothI know it defeats the purpose of your "don't know yet" theory, but can you think of an example that you would thoroughly enjoy, such as dropping mules to block a ramp? (Pulled that one out of my arse)

Yah Boxer smartcasting snipe on a bunch of units might be cool the first time. And then you log on and do the same thing almost as well. Takes allot away from the spectating expeirence. But if you see Boxer do something insane with snipe and you know how hard it is to do that then you know you have witnessed something amazing.

@archer: That's the type of gameplay I think I would enjoy, is seeing them individually move around while doing snipes. This would still be a way to show off skill by not using smart casting as it was intended. We know they have the APM to do maneuvers like this without smartcasting.