Visualizing Real-Time

Strategy Games: The Example of StarCraft II

Paper BackgroundConference Paper and Presentation at IEEE VIS 2017

Authors: Yen-Ting Kuan, Yu-Shuen Wang, Jung-Hong

Chuang at the National Chiao Tung University

Related Works:

1. Sequential pattern mining (Low-Kam et al. 2013)

2. Game result prediction (Wener and Mateas 2010)

(Hsieh and Sun 2008)

3. Drawing the trajectories of units (Gagné et al. 2012)

Main Idea“Since the research team in DeepMind is training

machines to play StarCraft II, we decide to train humans”

The goal is to provide players a teaching tool for RTS

games

- Learn strategies from replays

Accomplished by interactive visualization that provides

insights from matches from a local and global view

RTS ExplainedReal Time Strategy games do not progress based

on turns

● Forces real time decisions and strategy

Easy to learn but difficult to master

Resource management, unit production, map

control, strategic formations, etc...

One incorrect decision could cost you the game

Existing ProblemsOfficial StarCraft II System

● Recordings behave as if you watching the game live

● Limited view

● Relies on watching the same clip

Other Third Party Systems

● Only statistics through line charts and build order

● Nation with stronger forces may still lose

Limited and not intuitive for understanding defeat

Official System

GGTracker

Scelight

Proposed SystemVideo Walkthrough

Status and Battle Views

Notable Features

1. (f) The map is used to reveal geographic features and show the

process of a battle

2. (h) The context view of the map and the current techniques

owned by the two nations

3. Can see the entire map

4. Arrows based on trajectory, nation, and amount of units

Status View

Battle View

Additional SolutionsGlobal View

● Symbols represent loss of, distribution, and

movements of armies

● Cluster represented by a glyph

Local View

● Focus on the individual units and their movements

and formation

● Lines represent an attack

Global

Local

Final RemarksResults of User Test

● 20 participants of various familiaries with SC2

● Why did a nation lose?

Listed Improvements

● Increased Aesthetic and Multiple Matches

What’s interesting to me

● A visual system that prompts insight from players

● Benefits of an interactive system

Thank You