Overseer Spore Cloud and Detection

[SaharaDrac]

Information was recently posted on the Battle>net forums about the Overseer's ability Spore Cloud.

Spore Cloud (50 energy)- Release a cloud of fog, covering an area and blocks line of sight for a period of time (subject to balance). Units that are above the fog can see into and over the fog.

This ability is great at blocking the line of sight of spotter units on cliffs, block line of sight of Marines while your Zerglings run up close to attack range, or even to hide your ranged units like Hydralisks from the enemy while having your own spotter for the Hydras.

This sounds like a really unique, fun ability, with a lot of strategic implications. I could see a ring of fog protecting your zerglings as they tear up an SCV line from bunker fire. Or fog protecting lurkers on a cliff from siege tanks. It's kind of like a line of sight Darkswarm. Not that good of course, air units nullify it and you can just walk right through it, but similar.

What do you think of this ability?

Also, what do you think of Zerg's inability to get detection until overseers? No, I'm not asking you to talk about if it's balanced or not (though I know you will), I'm asking you if you can come up with some creative ways to, in the overseer's current state, to use the overseer upgrades to your advantage (detection wise and other).

[Edfishy]

"Brush" and bushes seem to be a definite plus for StarCraft 2. Giving Zerg the abillity to make their own areas of "zero vision" is brilliant.

Blocking vision of Lurkers and the area surrounding your base's ramp would be two very strategical areas to use the abillity.

[SaharaDrac]

"Brush" and bushes seem to be a definite plus for StarCraft 2. Giving Zerg the abillity to make their own areas of "zero vision" is brilliant.

Blocking vision of Lurkers and the area surrounding your base's ramp would be two very strategical areas to use the abillity.

Yeah, I like that, anything but zealots, zerglings, and air would have a hell of a time breaking in.

[Blazur]

That might be what's going on in this screenshot over the minerals.

http://sc2pod.com/img/gallery/828.jpg

As for the ability, it sounds an awful lot like the Defiler's ability so it doesn't excite me much.

Also, what do you think of Zerg's inability to get detection until overseers?

Well, they can still get Spore Colonies earlier than the Overseer.

[PsiWarp]

I really like this ability, due to the Overseer almost always being there to see for your units that are inside the fog

Hmm, Overseer and Overlord combo for sneaky Nydus Worm!

Edit: I think Blazur's pointing to that pink Zerg with cocoons screenshot, which I really think is a Razor Plague.


-Psi

[SaharaDrac]

That might be what's going on in this screenshot over the minerals.

Which screenshot?

[Nicol Bolas]

I really like this ability, due to the Overseer almost always being there to see for your units that are inside the fog

It's really one of those abilities like Force Field and such: it has so many potential applications that you wonder why they didn't have this from the beginning.

It's also great because you can turn it against the Zerg player by killing their spotters. Lurkers behind one of these are blind if you kill the Overseer; all that range is for naught.

[Kimera757]

Wow. It's almost like Dark Swarm (but more vulnerable, as you can see ignore the effects through elevation or flying units). You can once again make your hydralisks and so forth safe. I wonder if it stops splash, or prevents attacks entirely; I think it would do the latter.

We've seen so many videos with baneling ambushes behind bushes and stuff, and now you can put bushes anywhere. However, I wonder... isn't burrowing better for that?

[SaharaDrac]

How about a Baneling trap?

You bury 6-10 banelings, then surround them with fog.
Roaming zealot group sees the fog and decides to check it out, since they're melee.
Kaboom?

Eventually, if this got used enough, people would catch on and stay away until they got observers. This could be used in the reverse, where the spore cloud is a fake baneling trap, with nothing actually inside. But Toss would still steer way clear (say a fake spore cloud trap in front of the ramp to your secret expansion?)

[Aldrius]

This sounds like a really unique, fun ability, with a lot of strategic implications. I could see a ring of fog protecting your zerglings as they tear up an SCV line from bunker fire. Or fog protecting lurkers on a cliff from siege tanks. It's kind of like a line of sight Darkswarm. Not that good of course, air units nullify it and you can just walk right through it, but similar.

That actually wouldn't work, though. The SCVs would provide them with sight.

In general, burrow is better. This spell is really most useful when dealing with ground-based detection or when the Zerg player has air superiority or for when you don't have burrow. Or to just trick your opponent or psyche him out.