Ok, only a semi-map. The basic idea was that before the release of Starcraft 2, there were videos showing epic large battles with seemingly endless number of units flowing into the battle. I decided that'd make a great screensaver. So, I made a little map, and tested it with zerg vs protoss.
Right now it's simple, has ... I think it was 5 units on each side, and the battle stays relatively in the center. After I made the simple map, I wrote a simple VB.net application to launch the game as a screen saver. Now, it works! It will only work on windows though, being that I made it in vb.net, so the smaller number of mac users that may use starcraft 2, sorry.
I should also mention that it was made in vb2008, so you not only have to have a full install of starcraft 2, but you also need the .net framework. Follow the simple install instructions and you're done. It's waiting approval when I made this post, but this should be the link when it's approved:
Let me know what you think. I would like to add options, like different unit combos, different races, and maybe even have multiple battles going down different lanes of traffic with multiple different race combos in one massively epic battle. I also want to add a mute system option. These are with a later release, and only if I feel ambitious enough, and can figure out saving variables in game and so on and so forth. Support would be nice ^^.
Great idea! The only issue I can think is that with screen savers (if you use them instead of just having your screen turn off), you generally don't want to be running your graphics card to the max, but then again some folks like to do that. Personally, I just have my system sleep to conserve power...screen savers are sort of a thing of the past to me so this map won't apply to people like me, even if I think it's a cool idea. If I want to watch some SC2 in the background, I'll load up an observer map like 1v1 Obs or PeepMode, which follows the action for me automatically and has real live players, so the scenes are more interesting as well.
Idea: I don't think this is possible, but it would be awesome to be able to have different locations/tilesets within the same screenaver. Or if you built a map with a few different locations, you could cycle among them to make it more interesting scenery.
Looks like you're using a very similar camera treatment used on PeepMode faceoffs:
I have never made a screensaver myself, but would it not possible to record a battle like you mention and then play it as a screensaver? Should cost lots less power for your computer aswell with not having to run sc2 and all that.
(Just realized its just script to run sc2 with maps, not some kind of video. If we have high def video format, people with low end comp can still play them as well. They can also be converted to dreamscene format)
As far as dreamscene, my brother and I a while ago made a program that did the same thing but used any video format you had the codec for, and was compatible with XP as well as vista/7. O-o I don't know where the files are now... Pretty much, we used winspector to get the desktop handle, and then simply applied a full screen Windows Media Player control that replaced the default background. Only issue was it removed icon support for the desktop. Doesn't bother me personally as I always have desktop icons hidden anyway, but wouldn't work for some people.
The idea of it being the full game was to be able to change the settings. Like what races, camera speed, and maybe even the different unit combinations. You can't do most of that if it's a video file. I can see the plus of the video one, for lower end systems, but that would also raise the file size dramatically. Right now it's only 22kb. A full fledged HD video is several hundred mb per minute, with good video compression. Without good video compression it can be gigs per minute. So, as you can see, it'd be much much larger of a file. (Tens of thousands of thousands times larger... litterally)
Nah SC2 is 9GB mind you :) Good compressed video should be around 200-300 MB. The idea is for smt that is epic enough that you dont need configuration, just the battle that loops
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
Ok, only a semi-map. The basic idea was that before the release of Starcraft 2, there were videos showing epic large battles with seemingly endless number of units flowing into the battle. I decided that'd make a great screensaver. So, I made a little map, and tested it with zerg vs protoss.
Right now it's simple, has ... I think it was 5 units on each side, and the battle stays relatively in the center. After I made the simple map, I wrote a simple VB.net application to launch the game as a screen saver. Now, it works! It will only work on windows though, being that I made it in vb.net, so the smaller number of mac users that may use starcraft 2, sorry.
I should also mention that it was made in vb2008, so you not only have to have a full install of starcraft 2, but you also need the .net framework. Follow the simple install instructions and you're done. It's waiting approval when I made this post, but this should be the link when it's approved:
http://www.sc2mapster.com/maps/sc2-screen-saver/
Let me know what you think. I would like to add options, like different unit combos, different races, and maybe even have multiple battles going down different lanes of traffic with multiple different race combos in one massively epic battle. I also want to add a mute system option. These are with a later release, and only if I feel ambitious enough, and can figure out saving variables in game and so on and so forth. Support would be nice ^^.
EDIT: Oh, yeah, video:
@CaliberMengsk: Go
Great idea! The only issue I can think is that with screen savers (if you use them instead of just having your screen turn off), you generally don't want to be running your graphics card to the max, but then again some folks like to do that. Personally, I just have my system sleep to conserve power...screen savers are sort of a thing of the past to me so this map won't apply to people like me, even if I think it's a cool idea. If I want to watch some SC2 in the background, I'll load up an observer map like 1v1 Obs or PeepMode, which follows the action for me automatically and has real live players, so the scenes are more interesting as well.
Idea: I don't think this is possible, but it would be awesome to be able to have different locations/tilesets within the same screenaver. Or if you built a map with a few different locations, you could cycle among them to make it more interesting scenery.
Looks like you're using a very similar camera treatment used on PeepMode faceoffs:
Works well!
@CaliberMengsk: Go
Cool idea... But I don't want to run starcraft every time i'm inactive for 10 minutes :)
I would love a starcraft related screen saver though :( I already have a starcraft curser, starcraft destop....
@grenegg: Go
I have never made a screensaver myself, but would it not possible to record a battle like you mention and then play it as a screensaver? Should cost lots less power for your computer aswell with not having to run sc2 and all that.
@Mogranlocky: Go
that might be pretty popular, a Google of "starcraft 2 screen saver" gets no interesting results.
@CaliberMengsk: Go
Got a security error... any help anyone?
Erm... I think that may be because I used registry read/write to store the file path... bugger....
Uhm... XD I don't think your account has administrative rights... I guess I should have thought of that... hmm....
Well, it will work for people with administrative rights for now. I'll have to re-write it to just make a small configuration file I suppose.
Good idea. You can try to loop and convert some of these scene in our contest into screen saver too.
http://forums.sc2mapster.com/resources/project-workplace/9777-contest-epic-battle-scene/
(Just realized its just script to run sc2 with maps, not some kind of video. If we have high def video format, people with low end comp can still play them as well. They can also be converted to dreamscene format)
@progammer: Go
As far as dreamscene, my brother and I a while ago made a program that did the same thing but used any video format you had the codec for, and was compatible with XP as well as vista/7. O-o I don't know where the files are now... Pretty much, we used winspector to get the desktop handle, and then simply applied a full screen Windows Media Player control that replaced the default background. Only issue was it removed icon support for the desktop. Doesn't bother me personally as I always have desktop icons hidden anyway, but wouldn't work for some people.
The idea of it being the full game was to be able to change the settings. Like what races, camera speed, and maybe even the different unit combinations. You can't do most of that if it's a video file. I can see the plus of the video one, for lower end systems, but that would also raise the file size dramatically. Right now it's only 22kb. A full fledged HD video is several hundred mb per minute, with good video compression. Without good video compression it can be gigs per minute. So, as you can see, it'd be much much larger of a file. (Tens of thousands of thousands times larger... litterally)
@CaliberMengsk: Go
Nah SC2 is 9GB mind you :) Good compressed video should be around 200-300 MB. The idea is for smt that is epic enough that you dont need configuration, just the battle that loops