Is there any way, when someone's Defiler casts dark swarm, to detect which player cast it? I thought of detecting mana use, but... then... there's no mana condition .

Or, alternately, of detecting the unit belonging to a certain player closest to the dark swarm?

u maybe can detect mana via EUD, but generally there is no way to detect who casted a dark-swarm all dark swarms are owned by P12 (neutral)

but you can make a system like this:
always center a big location on the swarm and look if and who's defiler is in the location
that only works if only 1 defiler is on that part... it'll be bugged if 2 defilers are in that location while casting dark-swarm

Yeah, I thought of that already. It would lead to some interesting conflicts, and some defilers can abuse it to affect others...

I was hoping on an arena-survival map and I wanted teleport to be in the arsenal of the players. If nothing else, I suppose I can make other units too. Or drop the idea.

I'll wait to see if any genius figured out another way, then I'll suppose I'll edit my idea to fit.

if there are only 2 players you can give one player a defiler (dark-swarm) and the other one a corsair (dis-web)

Yes, I know. I'm planning on more then two players, though, and I'd feel bad giving only one player the ability to teleport. Or two. Out of maybe five.

Yup you have to physically seperate the defilers if you don't want to use EUDs.
Alternatively you can use a corsair to at least distinguish 2 players.

Another idea would be to remove all mana from the defilers at all times and give only one defiler mana to cast it. Then cycle through the players / defilers.

... Nah. I don't really want players being affected by others like that. I'll think of other hero ideas. Thanks.

Mine laying vultures or mind controlling dark archons?

I had the vultures down, and I wanted DA's... but using mind controlled units as selection sites is very interesting. Hmm. I'll look into it.

I also got SciVessel for simple construction under it (immobile attackers), Probe for mobile construction (build a small base before it all starts, and mobile attackers), and medic which will summon infantry. Sadly, I don't think I can give these units more interesting abilities, like teleport. Ooh. I can let them 'lay an egg', so to speak, and with an ability, teleport back to the egg. Or make the egg movable.

You could theoretically use a ComSat to aim the teleports, but that's always hard and glitchable.

Or use an air unit: Give the player an air unit when they cast Teleport (Scourge or a cloaked Wraith are good choices) and give them a few seconds, then move the player's unit to the air unit.

This is probably the billionth thread on detecting who cast Dark Swarm.

To my knowledge, comstat doesn't work. It's like a map revealer; it doesn't exist in any location whatsoever.

Alternatives to a Dark Swarm system not mentioned above include:
1) Hallucination (only works if each player has different units)
2) Flag Beacons (10 minute limit, doesn't work under certain things)
3) FRAGs (limited to a small area, need to repeat the scourges to get it to work for a larger area)
4) Directional detection (to my knowledge never implemented before, pure theory, I did not think of this)

Directional detection involves using air units at the edges of the map. When the user orders them to move, you determine which direction they moved relative to the hero. It won't get a specific tile, but it does get a direction. After that, you can grid something in that direction for the range you want.

For example, say you wanted to do 8 directional detection. Then you have 4 Scourges at the edges of the map. One directly above the hero, one directly below the hero, one directly left of the hero, one directly right of the hero. When the player moves all 4 Scourges, you can then detect a direction. Note that each time the hero moves, each of the 4 Scourges must be moved relative to the hero's new position.

Directions:
Top: Top went down, Bottom went up, Left went up right, Right went up left.
Top Right: Top went down right. Bottom went up right. Left went up right. Right went up left.
Right: Top went down right. Bottom went up right. Left went right. Right went left.
etc.

Doing 16 directional detection requires 8 Scourges with the 4 additional Scourges at the corners and pixel detection to determine if it went left or right of the diagonal, which is more difficult but offers better aiming. Coordinate grid would be recommended in order to determine where to place the Scourges.

Other than that, there are also wierd targeting systems that aren't as practical. Like a dropship with 8 units, each one representing a direction. Or ensnare. So on and so forth.

Actually, it seems like a Teleport back point would be the easiest and most practical thing to trigger. It doesn't offer as many offensive possibilities though.

Or you could put an air unit over the hero when you do need a direction, make a pixel scanning grid and then do slope on that air unit.

Don't forget the Ensnare aim system

But that just looks ugly as hell. Units at the edges of the map won't get in the way, and you keep them hotkeyed at all times for quick responses.

Btw, just in case people didn't see it, directional detection is not my invention.

http://www.staredit.net/?attachment=2052
mana detection.

It's a bitch, though. You have to use signed death counts. If you want, I (or some other person) can write you up a system for a number of preplaced defilers. It won't work well if they aren't preplaced or they respawn, though if you remake them as soon as the die, you might be able to keep the correct unit.