Science Creates a Starcraft II Galactic Expansion Model

[Fanghawk]

Science Creates a Starcraft II Galactic Expansion Model

According to a recent study, human ingenuity will provide Terrans with far more star systems than the Zerg or Protoss.

When discussing scientists, it's worth remembering that after <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/122440-Electronic-Brain-Link-Lets-Rats-Send-Each-Other-Thoughts>developing technological telepathy or <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/121324-NASA-Considers-Dragging-Asteroids-to-the-Moon>dragging asteroids to the moon, many kick back with the latest games like anybody else. Even when we take to the internet to discuss the finer points of our chosen hobby, science is there; the only difference is it'll bring <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/reel-physics>algorithms and experiments along for the ride. Case in point: Two research astronomers have analyzed the outcomes of Starcraft II multiplayer matches, and extrapolated their findings into a model for competitive intergalactic expansion. In the full study, Dr. Thomas Targett and Dr. Duncan Forgan make a convincing argument that while the Zerg and Protoss are formidable, it's actually Terrans who would most effectively colonize the stars.

Targett and Forgan, two postdoctoral research fellows from the University of Edinburgh, performed 100 Monte Carlo Realization simulations to plot out how Starcraft II's races would expand in a section of the Milky Way Galaxy. Anytime two races encountered each other during a simulation, the victor was determined using a randomized algorithm based on 500 Starcraft II match outcomes. Eventually, Targett and Forgan found themselves with a series of galactic maps summarizing how effectively each species had expanded and overlapped with each other.

Targett and Forgan's findings suggest that when it comes to space colonization, the Terrans of Koprulu Sector are by far the safest bet for rapid and successful expansion. At first, the Terrans may not seem the obvious choice, as Blizzard Entertainment balanced them pretty effectively against the Zerg and Protoss races. The deciding factor comes down to tactics. Targett and Forgan found that "a strategy of early pressure against their opponents" gives Terrans a statistical advantage on the battlefield, which by association, ultimately rewards them with the most star systems.

By the way, before anyone jumps to the "why is science wasting its time" argument, please note that Targett and Forgan are way ahead of you. This Starcraft II study was conducted entirely during the pair's off-work hours for the purpose of highlighting "the increasing scientific potential of the rapidly expanding videogame industry, while also increasing public understanding of the scientific method". In fact, it won't even be featured in any scientific peer-reviewed journals, although I would love to see the community's rebuttal. Still, Targett and Forgan will have no shortage of Starcraft peers who can discuss the study in forums and comment threads. Just note that if you're going to argue why the Zerg are superior, the bar has just been set rather high.

Source: <a href=http://www.roe.ac.uk/~tat/StarCraftScience.html>StarCraftScience

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[mateushac]

This just in, Scientists discover Terrans are op.

 

[ZeoAssassin]

I am assuming this is just for WoL right? So those numbers will be out of date next week with HoTS

 

[RN7]

I'd postulate that in conditions upon which the races did not encounter competition of sufficient scale when reaching a colonizable planet, the Zerg would be the best fit, simply due to their inherit capabilities to adapt to environmental conditions to a better extent than the Terran or Protoss can. Of course, this is assuming the Zerg are being led by a stable conscious, such as the Queen of Blades. The fractured, smaller scale swarms, or even wild zerg hordes such as the kind likely present due to the schism presented in Heart of Swarm would obviously not display the same superiority, but then again, one could just as easily argue that the same could be said for the Terran or Protoss were they to experience internal strife on a large enough scale.

 

[Fanghawk]

I'd postulate that in conditions upon which the races did not encounter competition of sufficient scale when reaching a colonizable planet, the Zerg would be the best fit, simply due to their inherit capabilities to adapt to environmental conditions to a better extent than the Terran or Protoss can. Of course, this is assuming the Zerg are being led by a stable conscious, such as the Queen of Blades. The fractured, smaller scale swarms, or even wild zerg hordes such as the kind likely present due to the schism presented in Heart of Swarm would obviously not display the same superiority, but then again, one could just as easily argue that the same could be said for the Terran or Protoss were they to experience internal strife on a large enough scale.

I would counter that Terrans are arguably far more divided than Zerg, although I will concede that the study attempts to place all races on a largely equal footing, even in terms of united purpose. Presumably, the study's conclusion could be expanded to mention that a Terran race, controlled by a figure for our purposes referred to as "the player" is the most statistically likely candidate for inter-galactic domination and expansion.

 

[rapidoud]

Damnit, had a post written up, but on page 3 of the five page report essentially this is what happens:

They simulate a galaxy with dots.
Races go out to colonise the next nearest star to their homeworld, travelling at a fixed rate to the new star and colonising at a fixed rate.
If another race comes along in that time (before it's colonised, after they don't fight) then they fight and the data they mined from SC2 games is used to determine the outcome.

Because Terrans win/lose quickly they can get back to colonising more quickly, whereas if Protoss/Zerg fight each other it takes them much longer to sort it out whilst Terrans get ahead.

The 'report' as a whole is more about how video games can be used to help scientists obtain data (they reference the Corrupted Blood incident).

The problem with this data though is that T/P/Z do not colonise at the same rates, Protoss can better defend worlds

 

[Not G. Ivingname]

So, science says Terran are OP?

We known that since the Beta.

 

[HellsingerAngel]

So these guys proved that Terran are the race in control and have colonized the majority of the galaxy? Just a thought, but did neither of them just play through the campaign because that's how the backstory was in the first place!

Also, stuff about data not being proper because it's based off games played and not actual technical specs and strategy for the races in canon, etc etc...

 

[teebeeohh]

So these guys proved that Terran are the race in control and have colonized the majority of the galaxy? Just a thought, but did neither of them just play through the campaign because that's how the backstory was in the first place!

Also, stuff about data not being proper because it's based off games played and not actual technical specs and strategy for the races in canon, etc etc...

The study was more about how video games can be used to do Science! and less about the lore of starcraft, every race Jason effective measures to make planets unusable for other species and the only data they really used from the game was the win/loss statistics and that just proves that T is op.

 

[wizzy555]

I think a simulation of the economics in the lore might be more interesting, the zerg can populate faster but are are more easily destroyed, The protoss are slow to change but have a technological advantage, the terrans spend a lot of resources on civilisation.

But since you'd have to completely make up the numbers you could probably tweak it to whatever victory you wanted.

 

[Shadow-Phoenix]

I'd probably do so far as to say the Terrans only happen to have certain control and colonize better is because of the current Terran Dominion that's in place but I'm sure by the third expansion if not the upcoming one that will change with the fall of the dominion.

 

[matsy]

I hope they only used data from the higher leagues. I'm pretty sure we wouldn't let Bronze players colonize the galaxy

 

[Lhianon]

So these guys proved that Terran are the race in control and have colonized the majority of the galaxy? Just a thought, but did neither of them just play through the campaign because that's how the backstory was in the first place!
-snip-

this is actually not true, the lore of the 2 games (star craft broodwar) and sc2: wings of liberty) rather clearly state that the terrans in the koprulu sector (the place where star craft is focused on so far) are the descendants of outcasts from the original terran sector.

to elaborate: in the manual of sc1 it is explained that in about 200 years from now, terra will be ruled by an oppressive government made necessary by the depleting resources of the planet and the high population, upon discovery of ftl-drives they build a fleet of colony ships that were primarly manned with "unwanted social elements" (rebels, cyborgs, psionics) controled by loyalists and send them to the koprulu sector which took ~20 years.
"surprisingly", once there, the rebels did what rebels do best and established their own governments (the confederacy, the protectorate of umoja, the kel'moria combine) and proceeded to have a little 3-way-war for about ~100 years until the zerg arived wich promted the protoss to step in (which, until that point, took notice of the terrans but didn't perceived them as a threat). so as far as we as the players know, there are only two sectors mainly controled by terrans (terran sector, koprulu) in a large galaxy with an unknown number of species (remember, the xel'naga didn't only experiment on the zerg and protoss).
from the established lore about the other 2 races, we can deduce that booth of them explored (and in case of the zerg, subjugated) more planets than the terran factions because they simply had the ability for ftl-travel for a longer time than the terrans.
granted,neither star craft 1, nor broodwar nor wings of liberty give us any concrete information about the amount of space the UED (the "Terran"-terran faction) controls, but from the manual and the walls of text between the campaigns we can still deduce that the traveltime for the UED forces to koprulu was still more than a decade, so we can savely assume that the UED does not control the remaining galaxy.

so no, this is not "how the backstory was in the first place".

 

[MetroidNut]

Terran up the night, baby.