Dummy unit

[RobertMKD]

Recently I've asked in a reply of a thread conversation, what's a dummy unit, but the answers I got didn't satisfy my question...
I knew it is used to cast some spell instead the real unit casts it..

But how do I actually create a dummy unit? In which type of spells is it used?
i need explanation... an example would be awesome!!

Thank you!

 

[Nichilus]

Dummy unit is a standard unit that has set unit model to "none" (empty), has no shadow and has the locust ability. The locust ability causes that unit to be untargetable by any means.
So what you end up with is basically an invisible unit that cannot be controlled by player (since he can't select it) and which cannot be attacked. There are, of course, many other things you should set to make a complete dummy unit without flaws.

Where it is used is quite easy to determine - if you want your spell to behave in some specific way and you need to use other spells to reach that, you use dummy unit casting those spells.

A simple example can be Mass Polymorph. There is no spell to cast polymorph effect on an area, so what you do is actually make dummy spell that your unit uses (it is dummy spell because it does nothing by itself but start a trigger) and a dummy unit which casts the single-target polymorph on all units in area selected by the dummy spell.

 

[RobertMKD]

Aha, okay, I know about dummy spells, I already use them

So, once a (dummy) spell is activated/cast the dummy unit is created by a trigger and does something, right?

 

[Nichilus]

yes that's it.

 

[RobertMKD]

Okay, thank you very much +rep