Your choice of a writer for potential SC3/Another SC game

[RussianSpy27]

Hello friends,

As bleak as it may be, some of us - idealistic and naive (speaking of myself) old fans have hope that one day in the not so distant future, a Starcraft game would appear where Blizzard would actually do what they were supposed to do in 2010 and hire a competent writer to write the script for SC2.

Alas, back in 2010, Metzen fell into the George Lucas prequels mode and did not do that, resulting in a very underwhelming story for the long-awaited amazing sci-fi franchise. Still, sometimes a franchise gets lucky. Force Awakens and Rogue One follow the weak prequels, or Days of Future Past (Rogue Cut) comes out and corrects some damage done by X3, etc. Anyhow, if SC3, or another SC game with legitimately good writing were to be produced, which writer(s) would you feel be good choices to create a solid, epic story that may somehow, potentially, make up for the underwhelming writing of SC2?

Examples:

(1) Christie Golden - who better than a person who wrote the most SC novels to date?
(2) Timothy Zahn - the acclaimed father of the true Star Wars "sequel" novels and the latest author of a SC novel - why not?
(3) Gabriel Sorrel - creator of one of the most interesting "sequel" campaigns during the original SC era of late 1990s who created amazing, though unfinished, "War of the Tribes" campaign.
(4) James Phinney - the man who probably wrote the story for the original SC.
(5) Have one of the "CD Project Red" writers try it out.
(5) Gradius!!!
(6) {your choice here}

~RS

[Gradius]

It's a tie between 4 and 5.

[TheEconomist]

Definitely four. Witcher 3 is the GOAT, but they borrowed heavily from the books and who knows if they could do sci-fi.

I'd definitely be cool with five :D Hell, I'd even fund it, if given the opportunity.

[Turalyon]

Eh, I don't think any one writer can be relied on to make the story consistently great. The general focus of trying to make an "epic" story is partly why Sc2 kinda falls flat and feels "inorganic". For me, the appeal of the Sc universe is largely because it is understated and that the epicness comes from your reaction to what's going on rather than the story/author signposting "epicness" overtly.

Case in point is the various people who wrote those short stories leading up to the release of those Sc2 installments throughout the years. Some of them felt way more epic, meaningful and memorable (the Just an Overlord and The Education of Shane PFC spring to mind) than what we ended up with Sc2, despite almost all of them being nothing more than inconsequential sidetracks, pointless filler and world-building exercises to the main story that was Sc2.


Definitely four. Witcher 3 is the GOAT, but they borrowed heavily from the books and who knows if they could do sci-fi.

Sci-fi you ask? CD Projekts upcoming Cyberpunk 2077 (based off an even older RPG property) is looking mighty fine so far...

[TheEconomist]

But is it the same writers? I don't know. Same company =\= Same writers, case in point: Blizzard

[Turalyon]

But is it the same writers? I don't know. Same company =\= Same writers, case in point: Blizzard

CD Projekt is not on the same level as Blizz though. Still, It'll be interesting to see since CD Projekt is certainly getting bigger and international in its team what with the development of Cyberpunk 2077. I'm quietly confident though since their early days involvied assisting with development of RPGs like Baldur's Gate before developing the first Witcher game. They've only gone stronger with each Witcher entry and now they have a completely new IP to play with. Bound to be some interesting creativity to come off this at the least, I reckon.

[Nissa]

I vote Phinney, and for myself, and a couple other super fans. I make dat lore nice and shiny.

[Visions of Khas]

I'd love to see Peter Watts take a shot at StarCraft (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10077576-crysis). I believe he could characterize the Zerg properly (http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/watts_01_10/).

[Nissa]

He writes well. I wouldn't mind him at least doing a novel or something.

[TheEconomist]

Wait, wait, wait. Hold on a minute. Peter Watts, the man behind one of the greatest and most thought-provoking science fiction novels I've read in a while (Blindsight) wrote a tie-in novel to .. Crysis? Blizzard done fucked up not hiring this guy if he's into writing for video game settings.

[DonnyZeDoof]

Gradius, James Phinney and........ Chris Metzen.

Yeah I know Metzen ruined StarCraft 2 but I still think he can develop some great ideas. He just needs someone to keep him in check. I have the feeling that StarCraft won't be the same without him.

[Turalyon]

I have the feeling that StarCraft won't be the same without him.

That's ok, Starcraft already doesn't the feel the same anyway because of him. :p

[ragnarok]

Gradius, James Phinney and........ Chris Metzen.

Yeah I know Metzen ruined StarCraft 2 but I still think he can develop some great ideas. He just needs someone to keep him in check. I have the feeling that StarCraft won't be the same without him.

That would require draconian methods to keep the guy in check

[Nolanstar]

the SC Legacy forum, why not...
- We have a seemingly better understanding of lore then the current authors
- Our diverse opinion sets allow us to bounce opinions around and compromise.
- Variety of writing levels and experience
- We can always "Acquire" Mettzen for purposes

[Visions of Khas]

the SC Legacy forum, why not...
- We have a seemingly better understanding of lore then the current authors
- Our diverse opinion sets allow us to bounce opinions around and compromise.
- Variety of writing levels and experience
- We can always "Acquire" Mettzen for purposes

Maybe, but it's definitely a matter of Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen. We'd all want to take it in completely different directions plot-wise, thematically, characters, etc.

[Nolanstar]

Arguably true, there's a chance we could achieve greatness, or an equal chance we all compromise and end up with a watered-down form. Also an equal chance that what we find great pisses of the community.

[Visions of Khas]

Well hey, "Gabriel Mesta" and Shadow of the Xel'Naga have already established the bottom of the barrel. There's no place to go but up from there.

[Nolanstar]

Exactly.

[ragnarok]

Well hey, "Gabriel Mesta" and Shadow of the Xel'Naga have already established the bottom of the barrel. There's no place to go but up from there.

I really don't get why you felt that novel was the worst. I personally hated the Queen of Blades novel more, Shadow of the Xel'Naga at least gave some measure of lore.

[Gradius]

I think most of us have good taste.

[Visions of Khas]

I will say the Shadow of the Xel'Naga fan campaign was fucking amazing.

[Mislagnissa]

If "another SC game" allows a reboot, then I would nominate StarCraft: Enumerate (https://us.battle.net/forums/en/sc2/topic/17606004934). If you cut away stupid elements like Kerry Sue, the Xel'naga and so forth, the Great War and Brood Wars could be mined for infinite DLC campaigns. You don't even need to make a new engine, since SC2 and Mass Recall already provide everything you need.

There's room for lots of conflicts and plots: Zerg invasion of Terran worlds with Protoss interference, rebellion against the Confederacy, the Zerg creating new psychic strains by infesting and assimilating Terran psychic potential, the Protoss Civil War (with flashbacks to the dark templar conflict on Aiur a thousand years ago), the Zerg invasion of the massive Protoss Empire (which has hundreds of worlds), the Zerg invasion of the scattered Nerazim nomadic enclaves (as revenge for killing cerebrates), different factions searching for artifacts of the First Age Protoss/xel'naga/whatever in ancient ruins, the Brood Wars with the Zerg mutating and fighting for domination, the Umojans enslaving Zerg to overthrow the Dominion, etc.

[ragnarok]

I will say the Shadow of the Xel'Naga fan campaign was fucking amazing.

Did you play it the moment it came out, VoK?