Is this the new macro for protoss?

[LegacyofTerra]

So basically this ability allows you to channel faster time into units or research.



Proton Charge allows you to channel minerals into units or research or buildings or supply or....





The big thing here is that their is something about the communities pyschi that thinks they are getting new and more options. They had trouble understanding that more minerals means more choices but now that its relabled "time" their excited.

There are certain benefits that come from getting certain units out sooner. For example, it might open up new rush strategies. It might open up setting up faster expansions - more minerals. It enables to adapt faster which might save you and enable you to continue playing the game. Although I hate the concept of any race manipulating TIME ITSELF, it helps differentiate the races quite a bit. I am entirely for it.

[Blazur]

Proton Charge allows you to channel minerals into units or research or buildings or supply or....

Indirectly, the augmented mineral gain allowed for more units or research. But the decision making in this process was extremely mundane. TW at least allows for more strategic choices in terms of how a player wants to use it. If they want to amass Stalkers then they could TW their gates to pump out an army. Given multiple Nexuses a player will likely be able to double pump them.

Or, if players wish to shift tech to something else, they can TW the necessary buildings to speed tech.

Or, if players wish to secure a yellow resource node and harvest as much minerals as possible...they can TW the Nexus to produce a quick handful of Probes. All PC could have done was speed up an already existing handful of probes.

[Nicol Bolas]

They had trouble understanding that more minerals means more choices but now that its relabled "time" their excited.

No, that's not how it works.

Proton Charge allows you to get more minerals. Notice the period on the end of the sentence. That's all it does. The multifaceted utility of minerals is irrelevant; what matters is what the ability does. It gives you more minerals.

Time Warp directly gives you the choice between faster unit production and faster research. So the ability has an intrinsic decision making quality. What you do with it is your choice.

Furthermore, you might have noticed "research" on that list. Minerals cannot make research faster, because research always requires some quantity of gas.

Also, this unit production increase is not the same as using minerals to spam more Gateways. It works on buildings that require gas, which PC does not. And it's temporary. If I need more Immortals right now, I can get that with this ability. But if I have a continuous need for more Immortals, this ability will be detrimental in the long run. It would be a better use of the Protoss's resources to invest in more RoboBays and spend Time Warps on research. Transitioning from one to the other is not obvious. When do you pick more RoboBays over this ability? That's a decision you'll have to make, and you'll have to live with the consequences.

So no: the two are not interchangeable, either in an isolated sense or in a global sense.

[ArcherofAiur]

Indirectly, the augmented mineral gain allowed for more units or research. But the decision making in this process was extremely mundane. TW at least allows for more strategic choices in terms of how a player wants to use it. If they want to amass Stalkers then they could TW their gates to pump out an army. Given multiple Nexuses a player will likely be able to double pump them.

Or, if players wish to shift tech to something else, they can TW the necessary buildings to speed tech.

Or, if players wish to secure a yellow resource node and harvest as much minerals as possible...they can TW the Nexus to produce a quick handful of Probes. All PC could have done was speed up an already existing handful of probes.

Yah. My biggest problem with it is how unimaginative it is. It feels like they just copy and pasted Spawn Larva. Expecially since Protoss already have a faster unit production mechanic (Warp-In).



Regardless Ill reserve final judgement till I play with it.

No, that's not how it works.

Proton Charge allows you to get more minerals. Notice the period on the end of the sentence. That's all it does. The multifaceted utility of minerals is irrelevant; what matters is what the ability does. It gives you more minerals.

Time Warp directly gives you the choice between faster unit production and faster research. So the ability has an intrinsic decision making quality. What you do with it is your choice.

Where your draw the line is a factor of your minds interpretation of causation. Its like some players thinking Spawn Larva involves the decision to make units or workers. It depends on how far down the line you go.

[Wankey]

I wonder how it is implemented. Does Nexus now how a mana pool? Are there 2 skills in the nexus, whereby both become on cooldown when you use one?

Is this skill a researchable skill?

[Nicol Bolas]

it feels like they just copy and pasted spawn larva.

Research!!!!! Spawn Larva doesn't help with that.

[ArcherofAiur]

Research!!!!! Spawn Larva doesn't help with that.

Yes it feels like they copy pasted it and tweaked it for protoss. Its a spawn larva comboed with research acceleration. Nice try though.

[Blazur]

Yah. My biggest problem with it is how unimaginative it is. It feels like they just copy and pasted Spawn Larva. Expecially since Protoss already have a faster unit production mechanic (Warp-In).

I don't see how this is redundant from Spawn Larva. That ability is isolated to one building, with one purpose. TW can be extended to anything in the game which has a timer (research, train, etc). And for all we know Protoss players may be able to cast this on allied buildings (*squeel*). If that's the case, the strategic depth is suddenly compounded in team games.

It's pretty imaginative if you ask me. What other RTS game has a similar mechanic? I've not played Supreme Commander or any of the latest C&C games, but I'm pretty sure a similar mechanic doesn't exist in Blizzard's games.

To me this is a pretty exciting ability. The name is kinda lame, but the strategic possibilities are endless.

[Sydarm]

I think the decision of when to use this ability in a defensive, or offensive way will be very strategic. Specially if you want early tech, or late tech, or quick defenses or quick nexus expansion warp-ins.

possibilities are endless. great mechanic

[Nicol Bolas]

Yes it feels like they copy pasted it and tweaked it for protoss.

And therefore not copy and pasted.

And regardless of its origin, it's still fundamentally superior to PC. Hell, it's superior to Spawn Larva, due to having built-in decision making.

TW can be extended to anything in the game which has a timer (research, train, etc).

We don't know that. Or, if you do, please cite a source.