Update: Added HD 720p YouTube videos, portrait extractions and spectator mode analysis.
The first StarCraft II battle report has been added to StarCraft2.com. The match is between Matt Cooper, a red Protoss, and David Kim, a blue Terran, and it is narrated by Dustin Browder, lead designer for StarCraft II, and Robert Simpson, the Blizzard e-sports coordinator. This match took place during BlizzCon 2008 after the StarCraft 2 tournament.
The battle report page features a 21 minute gameplay video, a transcript of the battle report, and a zoomed-out view of Kulas Ravine:
The HD video can be downloaded for the PC and the Mac. In addition, StarCraft Legacy has extracted the .torrent file for those of you who do not wish to go through the Blizzard Downloader.
StarCraft Legacy has uploaded the gameplay video to YouTube in HD 720p (be sure to hit full screen). This video is a very interesting feature in this stage of the StarCraft II development phase. Dustin Browder mentioned that this is still in Alpha phase, but it is speculated that StarCraft II will be moved into Beta phase in early 2009. StarCraft II is turning into a well-oiled machine that has all of its components polished and balanced:
Part 1
Hit full-screen. Slower connections can click here for standard quality.
Part 2
Hit full-screen. Slower connections can click here for standard quality.
We have extracted the portraits for your viewing pleasure as well. This video includes animations for the Colossus, Marauder, Stalker, Protoss Leader (generic building portait), Probe, Adjutant, Pylon, Observer and Zealot:
Spectating StarCraft has always been a major part in learning how to play the game more effectively. Players who want to learn new ideas, new strategies, or even players who just want to watch StarCraft, analyze replays and watch games. Spectating in StarCraft mainly consisted of starting on the map with your own base, leaving the battlefield, and allying both players. With the launch of the StarCraft II Battle Report, fans have been given their first glimpse at what the new spectator mode of StarCraft II feels and looks like. The following are some of those improvements:
Production Tab
This tab shows the spectator everything he needs to know about production and what is being built by what player i.e. what is being researched, whats units are being created, or what buildings are being constructed.
This tab is very successful visually, it is concise and is not bulky or flashy in its appearance. The developers have kept it so that the tool is helpful but is not a distraction. With merely a team color dot and the tabs following, a spectator can follow every single production development with this tool.
Resources Tab
The number of resources a player has accumulated is important information. It determines what units and buildings are created and what techs are produced. What makes this tab even more interesting is that it gives a real-time update of what resources each player has collected. An added bonus is that the collection rate is located next to the total number that is available.
Once again, this is very organized and not overly complicated. A circle denoting the team color and then two simple bars are all that is needed for each of the player's resources. It is interesting to note that the bars are shown in proportion to each other, making an easy comparison possible by merely viewing the length of the bars.
Units Tab
Knowing the number of units each player has helps the spectator know where the player is going in terms of tech and size. This tab shows just how many units each player has on the field, including both worker and military units.
Clear and to the point, that is what this tab accomplishes. A player doesn't need the different names and costs of each unit just to see how many there are. This tab shows all you need to know by using simple unit portraits and small subscripts. Simple.
Viewing Tab
This is not necessarily a new idea; it was present in the original StarCraft. This tab allows the spectator to view the players individually or all at once.
Most of the tabs are simply a semi-transparent box that hold the aforementioned information. There is nothing overly complicated put forth, the tabs are to the point and they do not take away from the viewing experience.
