Are player 9 - player 12 playable in the same way as player 1 - player 8? For example, can they use AI scripts as computer players as well?

No they are not playable. Triggers are not executed for them and therefore AI scripts could not be run.

so, what can you do with them? Can they be used for anything besides placing their units on a map?

Not that much you can do. Players 9-11 are still enemies to human players. I belive you can use their unit's deathcounts. That is everything I can think for now. Ah, and one more thing, you can't create units for these players via triggers, you should create a unit for one of 1-8 players and then give it to the 9-12 (not sure about P12).

You can use them as temporary players because giving to and from them works nicely.
They are often used to cycle through buildings to count them ans similar things.

Also they have uses in cutscenes as when you give units to P12 it won't run away or fight back. If you give units to them the unit will retain its color (not on the minimap though) so this trick looks quite good.

I tried to use shared vision ON and shared vision OFF for player 11, but there is no such script. Any way to get the same effect?

No, there isn't.

@wormer
you cannot use their death counts but they are useful if you need to cycle units like burrowed units under buildings.

There is a computer player 2, and I want that player to keep defending a location x.
The important thing is that they immediately attack any enemy player that comes into location x. They don't have to follow an enemy unit that has left location x, but just stay there at location x.
What would be best, something like this:

always
move units of player 2 to location x
preserve trigger

Also, is it possible to make 1 location in a shape other than a rectangular?
There are several small locations which should form 1 large location, but the shape of all those locations together is not a rectangular.

Post has been edited 1 time(s), last time on Jun 7 2008, 3:18 pm by okeee.

No you can't. You can only read them (which is retarded because they have entries in the death table.)

Tip: Suicidal units such as the spider mines and infested terrans still detonate when attacked for players 9 to 11, so they could be used in conjunction with unknown upgrade 60 for varying spell damage.

This is related, I guess, but when you want to create a unit for player 12, do you create it for 'Neutral', or 'Neutral players'?

The extended players, player 9-11, retain color when units are given to them, just like Player 12, they can have units given to them, their units can be killed via triggers, and removed, and just about anything else, they can even be ordered using triggers as long as you order them through another player's triggers, but you cannot create units for them, you must create it for another player then give it to them.

The reason why they aren't so useful is because they cannot have triggers run for them, so anything that happens to current player, such as AI scripts, cannot be used for them. You cannot set their death counts via triggers, but you can do it another way, you can create units for them in an area and have another unit kill them, and the death will automatically be added, it's not very convenient though, and since there is over 1600 usable death counts just for players 1-8, there really is no reason to HAVE to use them.

Players 9-11 start out as enemies to everyone, and visa versa, but they generally do not attack back, though they often will begin to follow any units that attacked them. The best theory as to why they cannot attack back is that they do not have vision to themselves, and it's not possible to give them vision at all, since there is no AI script for them to give or receive vision.

Player 12, unlike players 9-11, when preplaced is set to ally with everyone, and when units are given to Player 12, they also retain whatever alliances they had before they were given, along with color. Other than that, Player 12 is basically the same as players 9-11.

Any players past 12 can only be preplaced, sometimes they will crash when selected, like when their unit's portrait changes depending on player color. They cannot be affected by triggers.

How can those be selected, in scmdraft or staredit?

You just type the player number you want at the top, in SCM Draft or StarForge.

Is anybody willing to answer my question?

You cannot create units for P12.
P12 = Neutral

Sticky, I answered it

So, if I wanted to give a unit to Player 12, I would select 'Neutral'?

Yes. I should ask SI to do something about that... Like put (P12) next to it or something..