Visualizing Real-Time Strategy Games: The Example of StarCraft II

Abstract

We present a visualization system for users to examine real-time strategy games, which have become very popular globally in recent years. Unlike previous systems that focus on showing statistics and build order, our system can depict the most important part battles in the games. Specifically, we visualize detailed movements of armies belonging to respective nations on a map and enable users to examine battles from a global view to a local view. In the global view, battles are depicted by curved arrows revealing how the armies enter and escape from the battlefield. By observing the arrows and the height map, users can make sense of offensive and defensive strategies easily. In the local view, units of each type are rendered on the map, and their movements are represented by animation. We also render an attack line between a pair of units if one of them can attack the other to help users analyze the advantages and disadvantages of a particular formation. Accordingly, users can utilize our system to discover statistics, build order, and battles, and learn strategies from games played by professionals.