Coloring is so borked in SC2

[Gadwin]

Can you tell which zealot belongs to which side?

http://i832.photobucket.com/albums/zz247/gadwin1929/badcolors2.jpg

SC2 has gone backwards with respect to coloring. Forget micro/macro, politics between Kespa vs Blizzard, and other issues that could kill SC2 as a spectator sport. The difficulty in differentiating sides because SC2 coloring sucks will kill SC2 as a spectator sport!

My zealots and the opponent zealots look almost identical. How are people supposed to micro when they can't pick out their own units? If I can't tell the difference between units and I'm the one playing, how does Blizzard expect spectators to differentiate the units when their streams have lower resolution?

Edit: Here is the full resolution version:

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/9299/badcolors2.jpg

[Bloodluster]

Now put health bars on top of them. As toss you have doubly large health bars because of shields too... blech

[Fors]

The blades of the Zealots used to match their team color, but they changed it because people were complaining that the colors were too noticeable.

[Gadwin]

When did they make this change? <Sigh>

[Lavarinth]

Can you tell which zealot belongs to which side?

http://i832.photobucket.com/albums/zz247/gadwin1929/badcolors2.jpg

SC2 has gone backwards with respect to coloring. Forget micro/macro, politics between Kespa vs Blizzard, and other issues that could kill SC2 as a spectator sport. The difficulty in differentiating sides because SC2 coloring sucks will kill SC2 as a spectator sport!

My zealots and the opponent zealots look almost identical. How are people supposed to micro when they can't pick out their own units? If I can't tell the difference between units and I'm the one playing, how does Blizzard expect spectators to differentiate the units when their streams have lower resolution?

I can't tell anything with that terrible image compression.

[Gadwin]

I just want to add this coloring issue isn't limited to this example. Zerg vs Zerg on creep is also a big issue - it's very difficult to distinguish which zerg belongs to which side sometimes for creep battles.

[Pwn]

Provide a higher quality screenshot please.

[Invictus]

The two Zealots closest to the ramp belong to blue Protoss. The rest belong to teal Protoss.

[Madrhetoric]

I thought I was just half blind for having this problem.

and I'm playing on a fairly large monitor on maxed out settings. It's really only a problem for me on the darker maps where its harder to distinguish the small color markings.

[Gadwin]

They don't expect anything of spectators.

Which is why SC2, if not fixed, can fail as a spectator e-sport. You just verified what I have been saying all along.

[Kat]

The low res image is useless.

Seeing the high res image, its obvious to me. There are 2 blue zealots at the bottom of the ramp, and the rest of them are teal, attacking the red terran structures.

I have very little problem with telling units apart in my game. Maybe if you have a hard time telling them apart you might need a better computer or something. Either that or you just need to take more time to get used to how the coloring looks in SC2. It hasn't been a problem for me yet.

[Pomop]

I agree that the zealot coloring is hard to differentiate. However, if its not helping, it needs to die. ^.^

Also you may want to turn up the Gamma, that may make the colors more noticable. On the images i saw, it looks saturated.

Turn up gamma - Turn down contrast (So your eyes dont bleed. XD)


edit - Also you are comparing blue to teal, which by themselves are very similar in color. Comparing red and blue, or yellow and white... easily noticable.

[Gadwin]

The low res image is useless.

Seeing the high res image, its obvious to me. There are 2 blue zealots at the bottom of the ramp, and the rest of them are teal, attacking the red terran structures.

I have very little problem with telling units apart in my game. Maybe if you have a hard time telling them apart you might need a better computer or something. Either that or you just need to take more time to get used to how the coloring looks in SC2. It hasn't been a problem for me yet.


FYI, that was the tail end of the battle. I had about 14 zealots against his 10 zealots. And believe me, it was a 24 zealot random mess.

[Deviant]

FYI, that was the tail end of the battle. I had about 14 zealots against his 10 zealots. And believe me, it was a 24 zealot random mess.

Besides what has already been said about gamma/contrast fiddling, grouping your units before you attack will save you the headache of trying to figure it out in the battle.

[Rrowland]

Yes I can tell almost immediately which side each of those zealots are on. Are you color blind?

[Inoob]

Yes I can tell almost immediately which side each of those zealots are on. Are you color blind?

considering how quickly battles go in this game, "almost" doesn't quite cut it.

[Vverm]

considering how quickly battles go in this game, "almost" doesn't quite cut it.

agreed.

[Stormtemplar]

I cant but yeah, FIx dat color.

[Caffeine]

That's not nearly as bad as Yellow v. Tan in SC1.

[Gadwin]

Besides what has already been said about gamma/contrast fiddling, grouping your units before you attack will save you the headache of trying to figure it out in the battle.

Look, this issue isn't just limited to zealot vs zealot battles. This is also an issue with zerg vs zerg on creep. Bottom line is, Blizzard needs to address this.

Blizzard can easily implement an "enhance player color" slider in their options menu. Those that like the color the way it is now, can leave the default for that slider alone. Those that want more enhanced colors to distinguish sides & units should be able to turn the slider up. This would be especially useful for people streaming SC2 matches and without a doubt, it will be very useful in future SC2 pro leagues that have spectators.

[Gadwin]

considering how quickly battles go in this game, "almost" doesn't quite cut it.

QFT. If you have to micro individual units in large battles, "almost" = automatic loss for you.

[Gadwin]

Contrary to the opinion that Starcraft is very dark and gritty (i.e. non-cartoony), the unit colors are exceptionally vivid and it's particularly easy to point out who controls what. As a spectator (and even as a player), the inability to readily distinguish unit colors is a big issue.

Essentially, people complained the game was too colorful and Blizzard fidgeted with the wrong portion of the art direction.

Blizzard can easily solve this by implementing an "enhance player color" slider in the options menu. People that like it gritty can leave the slider as it is. People that want brighter and easily distinguishable colors should be able to fidget with the slider. This comes in very handy for people streaming games - you want your audience to be able to clearly tell which side is which on streams.

[Lagorathia]

i was never able to distinguish between different colored zealots in the first game.

but of course, i'm a little color blind. i can distinguish between the two colors in that screenshot, but not well. it's easier to see it then it was in sc1 though.

[Tehschoolbus]

You know how you can tell? Just wait for them to die. Their death animation is colored based on their team color :)

Jokes aside, I really do think that protoss is the only race that lacks proper coloring. Terran is perfect, and zerg is perfect. However, I think that the colors being chosen for players aren't of high enough contrast.

The colors are
Red
Blue
Teal
Purple
Yellow
Orange
Green
Pink

However, blue and teal are very similar. I feel like players in 2 and 4 player games should have higher contrast colors.

The colors could be arranged like:
Red
Blue
Yellow
Purple
Brown
Green
Orange
Teal

See how simple that was? Now in 1v1, 2v2, and even 3v3, teams all have decently contrasted colors. And when you play 4v4, orange isnt TOO bad compared to yellow, and teal isn't TOO bad compared to blue. I know there are only so many colors, so I just think they should re-order the color palette to make armies most easily identified.

[Gadwin]

However, blue and teal are very similar. I feel like players in 2 and 4 player games should have higher contrast colors.

The colors could be arranged like:
Red
Blue
Yellow
Purple
Brown
Green
Orange
Teal



The problem is, Red, Yellow, Brown, and Orange are not good colors for zerg vs zerg battles on creep. Zerg vs zerg fights on creep can become very confusing - and I'm not even referring to the spectators.

It looks like some people like the gritty colors but some people would prefer to see brighter more distinguishable colors. Without a doubt, people streaming their games and spectators will prefer the more brighter and distinguishable colors. A simple "enhance player color" slider in the options menu would solve the problem for both sides.

[Tenthshadow]

My friend is colorblind and can still play , when red / green / pink / orange / blue all look the same to him. That is to say , he is the only one of us to play the game competitively.

I will agree that its tough to see , but again , on the max res , i can tell the difference for sure. As for being a spectator sport : massive concert halls and big screens / millions of loyal fans , and a million geeks with razor sharp glasses augmented vision to commentate.

[Xunaka]

Buy a better graphics card or monitor, my colors are vibrant and distinguishable.. Also try changing your monitor settings for optimum values..

[Tehschoolbus]

Something else I just thought about... Change the color settings so that you see your opponents as RED, yourself as BLUE, and your teammate as PURPLE. It's something like that at least. There's a button that you can click to do that. It'll make everything a lot easier to see :)

[Zaq]

The biggest problem right now is zerg units on the creep, they gotta lighten the creep up somewhat.

Also the "night" look of metalopolis is no good.

[Bogo]

I have had no problems telling colors apart so far. The zealots in that low quality image are pretty easy to pick out.

[Lofty]

/signed Colors need work...

Some colors really stand out, but there are those colors where you cant tell what the heck is going on.

[Calnos]

Debate on the ability to actually see who's who aside.... I would like to know why Light Blue/Teal has been a stable team color in RTS games for so long. Red, Purple, Yellow, Green, Blue....and a color that could pass as Light Blue? Why not Dark Red? Bright Green?

And what happened to the White and Brown team colors? And now we have... Pink? Pink Zerg? Pink Battlecruisers? Pink Dark Templar? Really?

[Impacthound]

Blue and teal? I don't think this is much of an issue.

[Gadwin]

/signed Colors need work...

Some colors really stand out, but there are those colors where you cant tell what the heck is going on.

Yup. All Blizzard needs to do is to add an "enhance player color" slider. Those that like it dark (or even darker) can move the slider to a preference they like. Those that like the colors brighter and more easily identfiable can move the slider to a different preference that suits them. It's a win win for everyone.

[Aphrodite]

Looks like you need to play on ultra, i've never had a problem disginushing between two players units. I love the variation in coloring, Specifically maroon terran looks great.

[Shurimpu]

"Boo! Blue and Teal are similar colors! This game is terribad!" is what you're saying, then, right? I'd take it up with the Color Spectrum and not Beta forums, if I were you, since Blizzard didn't make these colors up.

If it's messing with you're gameplay, Alt-F (And a map button) makes enemies Red, you Green, and allies Yellow. Use it.

[Conscience]

Blizzard can easily solve this by implementing an "enhance player color" slider in the options menu. People that like it gritty can leave the slider as it is. People that want brighter and easily distinguishable colors should be able to fidget with the slider. This comes in very handy for people streaming games - you want your audience to be able to clearly tell which side is which on streams.

i agree with this. i can't say that i'm color blind, but i have a hard time distinguishing some colors in new games even with a good vid card/monitor.

[Rackdude]

Buy a better graphics card or monitor, my colors are vibrant and distinguishable.. Also try changing your monitor settings for optimum values..

This is just ridiculous. With ANY kind of compression the colors are barely visible. You know what that means? Have you watched Youtube vods? Those are compressed enough. Livestreams are almost unbearable. In game it's not too much of an issue for me, but the game cannot be watched online due to the colors, and that's a problem.

[Gadwin]

This is just ridiculous. With ANY kind of compression the colors are barely visible. You know what that means? Have you watched Youtube vods? Those are compressed enough. Livestreams are almost unbearable. In game it's not too much of an issue for me, but the game cannot be watched online due to the colors, and that's a problem.

Yup, it's definitely not watchable online. Unfortunately, it's also difficult to separate opposing sides in game too. Blizzard needs to address this.

[Endureth]

This is silly. If you click and drag your mouse across the screen the ones that belong to you will have little green circles around them. If you just sit there and watch the battle without selecting units then your problem is bigger than the color of the units.

[Rackdude]

This is silly. If you click and drag your mouse across the screen the ones that belong to you will have little green circles around them. If you just sit there and watch the battle without selecting units then your problem is bigger than the color of the units.

And how do you do that on Youtube? Replays? Livestream? Big screen with someone Obsing?

[Gadwin]

This is silly. If you click and drag your mouse across the screen the ones that belong to you will have little green circles around them. If you just sit there and watch the battle without selecting units then your problem is bigger than the color of the units.

And doesn't this cost you time when you micro? The point is, SC2 is a fast paced game where a hundredth of a second can make a difference when top players with 400 APM are going at each other. Wasting extra time by "dragging the mouse across the screen" is not conducive to efficient microing.

[Neoscout]

yeah when it comes to battles it all becomes a big mess, not attractive at all.

[Gadwin]

yeah when it comes to battles it all becomes a big mess, not attractive at all.

QFT ^^^^^^

[Broloc]

[quote]

Which is why SC2, if not fixed, can fail as a spectator e-sport. You just verified what I have been saying all along.

[/quote.

The thing is, I don't care if this game doesn't turn into esports because quite frankly, I don't care about esport s

[Imsorrisuck]

I agree. The coloring does need to be fixed I have a very time see who is who. It may seem more easy in a screen shot but when your moving fast through the map and clicking on a million different things it is very hard.

[Kranden]

Bad quality image, toss colors are fine, creep is a bit of a mess tho

[Kraytex]

Looking at the high res image, I can clearly tell that the 2 Zelots near the ramp at the bottom are colored a darker Blue, and the rest of the Zealots are colored teal.

Blizzard should still implement a color blind mode.

Or at least a setting that will always show the colored rings at the feet of units.

[Gadwin]

Bad quality image, toss colors are fine, creep is a bit of a mess tho

Creep battles get messy when both zerg armies have similar colors. Wish Blizzard would address this as well.

[Skybound]

I don't think Zealots are the only ones who are hard to tell apart. My biggest problem is the similarity of the blue and teal team colors. When I see blue and teal marines together, I can't tell them apart for the life of me.

[Gadwin]

I don't think Zealots are the only ones who are hard to tell apart. My biggest problem is the similarity of the blue and teal team colors. When I see blue and teal marines together, I can't tell them apart for the life of me.

It's probably just as bad as the pic I posted, right? This needs to be addressed by Blizzard before the release.

[Drayen]

bring back red and green pylons

[Zoltan]

The blades of the Zealots used to match their team color, but they changed it because people were complaining that the colors were too noticeable.

This should never be the problem and if they colors need to be overly noticiable so be it. I play primarily terran, and the reason for that is in my first few games as zerg i couldnt tell whose units were whose, and i couldnt micro, and as protoss i had the very same issue with zelots.

to any blizzard staff reading this: THIS IS VERY, VERY FRUSTRATING AS A PLAYER, AND EVEN MORE SO TO A SPECTATOR. PLEASE MAKE THE COLOR SCHEMES A LITTLE MORE CLEAR FOR THE PLAYERS AND SPECTATORS!

[Gadwin]

to any blizzard staff reading this: THIS IS VERY, VERY FRUSTRATING AS A PLAYER, AND EVEN MORE SO TO A SPECTATOR. PLEASE MAKE THE COLOR SCHEMES A LITTLE MORE CLEAR FOR THE PLAYERS AND SPECTATORS!


^^^^^^

[Shambler]

I agree, fix the colors.

[Zarathustra]

I'd just like to see black and white as options again. Oh noes! Not politically correct!

[Hotfuzz]

After playing several games and having pretty much all colors used and being mainly protoss..I'd say I can see the colors just fine. The problem here is not the game but your atrocious color display on your monitor. That is the most dimmed grainy dull coloring I have ever seen. Fix it and you will see MUCH better.

I have no problem distinguishing teal from blue etc. If anything all the colors are so bright they punch you in the face in this game.

EDIT: As far as spectator watching goes, couldn't blizzard just set it up so that auto matched ladder games use the more distinguishable colors like red, blue, purple, green to avoid this? Obviously though I suppose those colors would run out in 4v4 but really overall I feel the colors are fine. Perhaps a mild tweek in the teal/blue but other colors seem to pop enough.

As for zerg I think they just need to me remapped so that their color actually shows up more. Like the whole zergling itself is blue, not just the little details on its body.

[Nezdragon]

The colors can be improved... but you really need to check your gamma/contrast and such, like others have said.

[Mononaut]

The problem here is not the game but your atrocious color display on your monitor. That is the most dimmed grainy dull coloring I have ever seen.

LOL! He took a screenshot, not a photograph.

[Hotfuzz]

All the more reason to be appalled. I don't know what crap rig your running if your screenshots come out looking like that. Mine look like what I see, which is sharp well defined edges and colors. THAT...is just..how can you play on that? Have to be like 10 inches from the monitor to see anything clearly.

[Psartryn]

Why has no one pointed out that there is button lower mid left, one push and you turn green and the enemy turns red. Personally I have no problem seeing the different colors.