Writing a New Starcraft 2 storyline

Hi guys, I'm trying to write a storyline for Starcraft 2 outside of what we have right now. I intend to scrap everything we've been told so far with WoL, HotS.

I'm wondering what story points have been developed from SC Vanilla, Brood War, and the stories after that? The "road so far" when it comes to Starcraft without the stuff we see in WoL and HotS.

The Terrans, the major players there: corporations, groups, other governments, etc.
The Terran Characters.
The Zerg.
The Protoss.
The UED.

Example, where did we end with Raynor in BW or in other books? What's been happening?

What do you recommend the most relevant plots are? I'm currently looking at this:

Duran and His Hybrids without Amon and the prophecy.

It's hard to help without knowing what you envision/your overall goal of your fanfic. Otherwise, I'll be putting my spin on your story and that probably wouldn't work well for you.

For instance, I'm probably one of the few fans that care the least about Hybrids and Duran so if you intend to go down that plot path, there's not much I can add by saying that Duran should win because nothing can stop him.

I'd like to see the growth of factional elements in each race leading to internal strife and conflict occurring between factional elements of each race. Another way of seeing it is that I would like it becoming less about Terran vs Zerg vs Protoss in general and more about this faction of Terran/Zerg/Protoss vs this faction of Terran/Zerg/Protoss or this faction of Terran/Zerg/Protoss vs Terran/Zerg/Protoss in general only. It'd make things quite multi-layered and complex but it would allow you some creative freedom to make some stuff up to flesh out the varied differences in the 3 races.

Are you asking for ideas? I have a ton of them.

- Completely ignore the books. The ones that aren't crap are meh at best, and none of them add interesting plot points. Well, except the one about Nova, but it's hard to get past how badly that book was written.

- Remove any idea of using Amon. Amon is a boring thing from nowhere that's coming around to do something. Unless you have some sort of great idea that makes him interesting. Just don't use him as he is. He wasn't in SC or BW anyway.

- Give the hybrids some other motive besides destroying everything. That's really boring and cliche. Have them rearrange planetary matter, create more species like the Xel'Naga, claim to be a superior species, or whatever. Just something that's more than them killing everyone for the fun of it.

- At the end of Brood War, Raynor and Zeratul disappeared. Zeratul is presumably doing something that involves going after hybrids, but we don't hear about Raynor. Mengsk is licking his wounds and dealing with human issues. Artanis is more or less doing the same. No one knows what Kerrigan is doing, but given that she's already gotten her revenge on anyone who ever hurt her, there's no guarantee she knows either.

I generally just want to know the story so far before WoL came around with the retcons. I'm trying to look for an interesting plot that could drive everything into one place.

I don't like the Narud/Amon/Hybrid plotline in SC2. I always thought the hybrids would be far more than just beasts of destruction. Zeratul was appalled by them, calling them abominations. I don't think that necessarily means they're what the SC2 storyline makes them to be.

Duran have thousands of them "seeded" in worlds, and are close to being awakened.

I don't like how Duran is portrayed in SC2. He seems to just be another fanatic, driving his horns without thought, and getting entangled. He was far smarter than this.

I don't think Zeratul's discovery of his experiments was a mistake or coincidence either. He wants something from Zeratul, and this is what he baits him with. Duran, I feel, from broodwar, is a far more cunning and intelligent being. He couldn't have survived the galaxy this long if he acted like he did in sc2.

That's one.

I'd like to know more about the other Terran factions. What we know about them so far before WoL and retcons. The Protoss. The UED. The Dark Voice/Voice in the Darkness. That entity that's been the enemy of the Xel'Naga. The Xel'Naga, are they all dead? Were there survivors? Did their plans end with the Overmind consuming them?

The universe as a whole, what what you guys think are important storylines, and where they're at before WoL and the retcon session.

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Originally Posted by Nissa

Are you asking for ideas? I have a ton of them.

- Completely ignore the books. The ones that aren't crap are meh at best, and none of them add interesting plot points. Well, except the one about Nova, but it's hard to get past how badly that book was written.

- Remove any idea of using Amon. Amon is a boring thing from nowhere that's coming around to do something. Unless you have some sort of great idea that makes him interesting. Just don't use him as he is. He wasn't in SC or BW anyway.

- Give the hybrids some other motive besides destroying everything. That's really boring and cliche. Have them rearrange planetary matter, create more species like the Xel'Naga, claim to be a superior species, or whatever. Just something that's more than them killing everyone for the fun of it.

- At the end of Brood War, Raynor and Zeratul disappeared. Zeratul is presumably doing something that involves going after hybrids, but we don't hear about Raynor. Mengsk is licking his wounds and dealing with human issues. Artanis is more or less doing the same. No one knows what Kerrigan is doing, but given that she's already gotten her revenge on anyone who ever hurt her, there's no guarantee she knows either.

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The books aren't total crap, you know. The only one that fell WAY flat was Queen of Blades by Aaron Rosenberg.

You're cute, Rag. Really cute.

Well, Queen of Blades isn't one I've read yet, but I have read:
Heaven's Devils -- badly written crap
Shadow of the Xel'Naga -- hideous characterization, paint by numbers plot, worst book I've ever read
SC Ghost Nova -- mostly good plot, horribly written, poorly used characters
Speed of Darkness -- good beginning, but quickly becomes tedious and spoils its own ending
Liberty's Crusade -- a non-interesting re-hash of the first terran missions with a shoved-in OC, essentially poorly written fanfiction.
Firstborn (DT Trilogy) -- while having some good ideas, the plot was not well thought through and the characters were shallow. And it showed humans entering the Khala, which shouldn't be possible. No Dark Templar.
Shadow Hunters (DT Trilogy) -- Leaves too much from the first book unexplained, boring, fewer good ideas than first book. No Dark Templar, other than in flashback.
Twilight (DT Trilogy) -- spends most of the book talking about things the reader already knows, doesn't tie up loose ends, shrinks the only interesting parts of the book. Only two Dark Templar.

In other words, the franchise would be better off if the novels didn't exist. Except for the Nova one. That didn't really affect anything.

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Originally Posted by Nissa

Well, Queen of Blades isn't one I've read yet, but I have read:
Heaven's Devils -- badly written crap
Shadow of the Xel'Naga -- hideous characterization, paint by numbers plot, worst book I've ever read
SC Ghost Nova -- mostly good plot, horribly written, poorly used characters
Speed of Darkness -- good beginning, but quickly becomes tedious and spoils its own ending
Liberty's Crusade -- a non-interesting re-hash of the first terran missions with a shoved-in OC, essentially poorly written fanfiction.
Firstborn (DT Trilogy) -- while having some good ideas, the plot was not well thought through and the characters were shallow. And it showed humans entering the Khala, which shouldn't be possible. No Dark Templar.
Shadow Hunters (DT Trilogy) -- Leaves too much from the first book unexplained, boring, fewer good ideas than first book. No Dark Templar, other than in flashback.
Twilight (DT Trilogy) -- spends most of the book talking about things the reader already knows, doesn't tie up loose ends, shrinks the only interesting parts of the book. Only two Dark Templar.

In other words, the franchise would be better off if the novels didn't exist. Except for the Nova one. That didn't really affect anything.

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You forgot one: SC Ghost Spectres

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Originally Posted by Nissa

You're cute, Rag. Really cute.

Well, Queen of Blades isn't one I've read yet, but I have read:
Heaven's Devils -- badly written crap
Shadow of the Xel'Naga -- hideous characterization, paint by numbers plot, worst book I've ever read
SC Ghost Nova -- mostly good plot, horribly written, poorly used characters
Speed of Darkness -- good beginning, but quickly becomes tedious and spoils its own ending
Liberty's Crusade -- a non-interesting re-hash of the first terran missions with a shoved-in OC, essentially poorly written fanfiction.
Firstborn (DT Trilogy) -- while having some good ideas, the plot was not well thought through and the characters were shallow. And it showed humans entering the Khala, which shouldn't be possible. No Dark Templar.
Shadow Hunters (DT Trilogy) -- Leaves too much from the first book unexplained, boring, fewer good ideas than first book. No Dark Templar, other than in flashback.
Twilight (DT Trilogy) -- spends most of the book talking about things the reader already knows, doesn't tie up loose ends, shrinks the only interesting parts of the book. Only two Dark Templar.

In other words, the franchise would be better off if the novels didn't exist. Except for the Nova one. That didn't really affect anything.

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Don't bother either, that one is by far the worst of the bunch, basically a Kerrigan-fan-fic that retcons Vanilla StarCraft.

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Originally Posted by ragnarok

You forgot one: SC Ghost Spectres

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I haven't read that one. Have you? Is it any good?

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Originally Posted by Nissa

I haven't read that one. Have you? Is it any good?

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It's the 2nd half of Nova's story. It explains the situation with Tosh and all that.

DT Saga Shadow Hunters was a good book, give some insight to Protoss history and all that.

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Originally Posted by ragnarok

It's the 2nd half of Nova's story. It explains the situation with Tosh and all that.

DT Saga Shadow Hunters was a good book, give some insight to Protoss history and all that.

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Shadow Hunters...the second one, okay. Um, no. It basically restated what we already know about the Dark Templar, except for Adun's fate. It didn't explain why the Conclave exists, how the castes were formed, what makes Dark Templar powers different from the Khala, and why it was necessary for the DTs to go to the extreme of cutting off parts of their body. Basically, there was no new information at all.

That, and the non-flashback plot was boring and made no sense. Really, Zamara should have found a way to contact the Protoss for help before taking two barely armed humans with minimal supplies to Aiur.

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Originally Posted by Nissa

Shadow Hunters...the second one, okay. Um, no. It basically restated what we already know about the Dark Templar, except for Adun's fate. It didn't explain why the Conclave exists, how the castes were formed, what makes Dark Templar powers different from the Khala, and why it was necessary for the DTs to go to the extreme of cutting off parts of their body. Basically, there was no new information at all.

That, and the non-flashback plot was boring and made no sense. Really, Zamara should have found a way to contact the Protoss for help before taking two barely armed humans with minimal supplies to Aiur.

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Yeah but remember, according to Twilight (the 3rd one) there are those in the Hierarchy who didn't buy Zamara's story. Nahaan in particular felt she had gone insane or something.

The bottom line is that while Zamara told Jake that her people were largely rational, the problem is they're too stubborn.

THAT is why I'm not going to rule out the possibility is that Amon won at the end of LotV. Then at the following Blizzcon when this issue is raised, Metzen will say, "Because the Protoss are too damn stupid."

You can say that the 'Toss are stubborn, but the fact is she didn't even try to ask for help before putting her humans in danger. Even if they didn't believe her, some of them would at least be generous enough to remove her from homeboy's brain.

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Originally Posted by Nissa

You can say that the 'Toss are stubborn, but the fact is she didn't even try to ask for help before putting her humans in danger. Even if they didn't believe her, some of them would at least be generous enough to remove her from homeboy's brain.

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Do you think Zamara felt she knew enough about terrans to know what they're like? I don't recall if she admitted to Jake she had less interactions with terrans than Zeratul or not....

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Originally Posted by ragnarok

Do you think Zamara felt she knew enough about terrans to know what they're like? I don't recall if she admitted to Jake she had less interactions with terrans than Zeratul or not....

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No, I mean the Protoss would be generous enough to remove her from his brain. I mean, why not? It's at least an interesting telepathic phenomenon.

But maybe this thread should get back on topic.

Uh, well, I was once a part of this mod called Sons of War. I think one or two people here were also involved with it. The trouble is, there's not a lot of motivation for us to do this, now that we're adults and we have jobs. Though I don't object to writing/plotting a mission or two.

My suggestion is that however this plot gets written, it should follow the SC-BW pattern. SC went Terran, Zerg, Protoss; BW went Protoss, Terran, Zerg. Therefore, the proper sequel should go Zerg, Protoss, Terran, as in we see what the Zerg are up to, the Protoss deal with their own mystical issues, and human beings finish up in the end, because it all started with us anyway.

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Originally Posted by Nissa

No, I mean the Protoss would be generous enough to remove her from his brain. I mean, why not? It's at least an interesting telepathic phenomenon.

But maybe this thread should get back on topic.

Uh, well, I was once a part of this mod called Sons of War. I think one or two people here were also involved with it. The trouble is, there's not a lot of motivation for us to do this, now that we're adults and we have jobs. Though I don't object to writing/plotting a mission or two.

My suggestion is that however this plot gets written, it should follow the SC-BW pattern. SC went Terran, Zerg, Protoss; BW went Protoss, Terran, Zerg. Therefore, the proper sequel should go Zerg, Protoss, Terran, as in we see what the Zerg are up to, the Protoss deal with their own mystical issues, and human beings finish up in the end, because it all started with us anyway.

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Possibly. I always DID wonder after the BW, if the prophecy and the threat about Amon never existed, what would have happened and how the hybrids would have played a role.

Because ultimately it WOULD have to go back to the Xel'Naga in some way. The hybrid was introduced in the BW secret mission, you can't pretend THAT never happened.

Here's my take on the Xel'Naga:

No prophecy.
No Amon.
That they were not completely destroyed.
That they have "watched" their children for eons.
That they have "withered" over the years.
That they now return to intervene with the current path the Sector is taking. Undo what their mistakes are leading these races into.
Two factions have formed within the Xel'Naga: One who wants to pursue their previous project; the other who wants to help the races move on without them.


Duran's Hybrids:

That these are actual vessels the Xel'naga would use. At least the ones who want to continue their projects.
Duran is a servant of this group of Xel'Naga. These are the ones he call masters.
These vessels would later prove unworthy, and be discarded by them.

When the hybrids fail, the Xel'Naga arrive themselves, with new units, buildings.
Their campaign goal is to activate a rift portal that would allow their fellow Xel'Naga to arrive.
What they call "The Harvest" will be the point of contention between the two Xel'Naga factions.

I'm liking some of your ideas so far, but how do you address Duran's statement, "I am a servant of a far greater power. A power that has slept for countless ages"?

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Originally Posted by Nissa

how do you address Duran's statement, "I am a servant of a far greater power. A power that has slept for countless ages"?

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Clearly the Xel'Naga got a good nights' sleep with their melatonin sleep aids.

Hm, this Harvest sounds a lot like the Reapers.

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Originally Posted by Nissa

You're cute, Rag. Really cute.

Well, Queen of Blades isn't one I've read yet, but I have read:
Heaven's Devils -- badly written crap
Shadow of the Xel'Naga -- hideous characterization, paint by numbers plot, worst book I've ever read
SC Ghost Nova -- mostly good plot, horribly written, poorly used characters
Speed of Darkness -- good beginning, but quickly becomes tedious and spoils its own ending
Liberty's Crusade -- a non-interesting re-hash of the first terran missions with a shoved-in OC, essentially poorly written fanfiction.
Firstborn (DT Trilogy) -- while having some good ideas, the plot was not well thought through and the characters were shallow. And it showed humans entering the Khala, which shouldn't be possible. No Dark Templar.
Shadow Hunters (DT Trilogy) -- Leaves too much from the first book unexplained, boring, fewer good ideas than first book. No Dark Templar, other than in flashback.
Twilight (DT Trilogy) -- spends most of the book talking about things the reader already knows, doesn't tie up loose ends, shrinks the only interesting parts of the book. Only two Dark Templar.

In other words, the franchise would be better off if the novels didn't exist. Except for the Nova one. That didn't really affect anything.

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I, for one, feel Liberty's Crusade was exactly what an extended universe novel should be. It managed to clarify what the Confederate did and knew about the Zerg, with only minor inconsistencies. Liberty himself manages to play a role in these events without stealing the show.
Heaven's Devil was also a good story. I read it a month after playing WoL and started with a strong prejudice against it, but in the end I would have liked it even if it hadn't been Starcraft. It was more believable than most Blizzard novels, and I feel it dramatically improved Tychus as a character.
These two novels definitely made the lore better.

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Originally Posted by Nissa

I'm liking some of your ideas so far, but how do you address Duran's statement, "I am a servant of a far greater power. A power that has slept for countless ages"?

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That's what their Dormancy meant. Duran is a misguided fool in the end. A fanatic serving this Xel'Naga. His race was also once created by the Xel'Naga to serve them.
This would be argued by the good Xel'Naga who tries to open his mind to the fact. But his refusal to change only shows the error of their ways for one group, while the other see their awesomeness.

A sub-plot for duran would be explored in a way which shows this sorry creature, where a greater power changes the course of their destiny as a race, and turned them into these servant beings, always trying to please their makers, eventually creating an abomination himself.

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Originally Posted by Visions of Khas

Clearly the Xel'Naga got a good nights' sleep with their melatonin sleep aids.

Hm, this Harvest sounds a lot like the Reapers.

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The harvest in Mass Effect, I'm not quite sure what it is for. I felt that it was about collecting species at every cycle, and add that to the group.

What the Xel'Naga wanted in Starcraft was to create this perfect beings, right? But I'm not quite sure what was their purpose really prior to retcons.

I don't have the manual with me, so..


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edit: I'm making this stuff up as I go.

Say, Duran is once originally named Aratheron. Their race worshipped gods called the Watchers (i'm taking this from the ancient aliens thing), who later came and manipulated their dna. Aratheron/Duran was the first experiment. His body was destroyed, tinkered with, and recreated (cloned), then released into their planet.

This manipulations of the Watchers was unsanctioned by their ruling council. In reality, this action was an attempt by the Watchers to prove that they can be like the Shining Ones. The Xel'Naga who create races.

The Watchers are still Xel'Naga, but are eons apart in knowledge. They serve as observers. Much like the Dae'Uhl. To watch the Shining One's children, or creations.

A war broke out between the Watchers and the Shining Ones for the first time in galactic history. A war that tore the Xel'Naga apart. A war that will continue throughout the ages.

The Watchers want to become like the Shining Ones, or prove that they are better than the Shining Ones. The Shining Ones are growing unsure if their act of creation and tinkering of the species is right.

At some point, they abandoned this pursuit of creation. The Protoss made proof that they must, but they had to do one more. One last try: the Zerg.

The Overmind kills the group tasked to create it. All their local knowledge was absorbed by the Overmind.

The Shining Ones seeing all this, abandons it all, and goes missing. Some Shining Ones remained to keep watch over everything.

These who remain wages a final war with the Watchers. Odds are 3:1.

Eventually, the Shining Ones wins. The Watchers, defeated, and stripped of their technology, goes into hiding.


Aratheron/Duran, blind to all these, swore to his gods, he would glorify their name.

He waged a war to purge the abominations that plagued his world. The handiwork of the Watchers. Monstrous beasts that devoured everything in their path.

He thinks the Watchers are God. No Shining Ones, none of that.

As Duran's war in his world tracks along, the Shining Ones who were tasked to keep watch, burned his planet. This after ages of war have been waged on duran's planet.

Duran survives, in an Ark. Some kind of vessel that kept him in some kind of stasis for generations.

He then wakes up in a barren planet, possessing knowledge he could only dream of. He considers this a sign, a gift from his god.

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Originally Posted by Gna

The harvest in Mass Effect, I'm not quite sure what it is for. I felt that it was about collecting species at every cycle, and add that to the group.

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[Mass Effect Spoilers] The Reapers were originally intended to counter the self-destructive tendencies of advanced technological species (specifically, mass destructive internecine that follows technological singularity). Reapers harvest these civilizations and incorporate them into themselves: their culture, intelligence, genetic material, and technology. Each species is preserved within an individual Reaper. Shepard and the current space-faring civilization are convinced they can live in harmony, but the Reapers naturally think otherwise. (No, I'm not having the Indoctrination debate with you again, Demolition Squid!)

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What the Xel'Naga wanted in Starcraft was to create this perfect beings, right? But I'm not quite sure what was their purpose really prior to retcons.

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Yeah, it's never explicitly stated what the Xel'Naga were originally pursuing beyond "perfection."

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I don't have the manual with me, so..

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Now you do.

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Originally Posted by Visions of Khas

Yeah, it's never explicitly stated what the Xel'Naga were originally pursuing beyond "perfection."

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See Abathur. Perfection is an impossible ideal. Once "perfection" is reached, it's not actually perfect anymore because it has become a static quantity, a limitation. The Xel'Naga would probably have shifted their goalposts (like they did with the Protoss) had they survived the Zerg onslaught and would've probably deemed them a failure, too, eventually for some reason or another. It's their fatal flaw.

On the other hand, the Xel'Naga were happy with how the Zerg turned out. The Zerg were perfect enough for the Xel'Naga to be usurped and being devoured by them, afterall. Then, the Overmind felt it wasn't perfect and so decided to look elsewhere.

(Cont'd from post #21)

The Shining Ones that were left, created a device that would hold their brain patterns into this one collection. The purpose of this device is to keep their watch alive, through robots. Some kind of organic machines, that drift through the Xel'Naga creations, keeping records.

They were dying off.

The Watchers took it upon themselves to make a final ditch effort to prove their point. They took this device from the Shining Ones, and put themselves into it before the Shining Ones could use it for themselves.

Commanding synthetic life, they kill the Shining Ones who defeat them. The ones who chose to remain. One of the shining ones says, "You will become servants of those you wish to rule. You will suffer shame for all eternity."

As time went on, the device does what it was designed to do. To mix all their thoughts and thought processes into one.

The device then continue to execute safety protocols, and created this soft of black hole space, where no one could escape, nor get to it. Time seems to halt, but information can go through in and out.

The robots were undone, and a new phase begins.

Certain control devices were ejected from the artificial black hole. With these a creature can access the knowledge of the device. This cube, the diachephalon.

It seems the real purpose of the Cube is to become not only a knowledge container (some kind of cloud where all information exist and is spread throughout the galaxy, accessible to everyone who are able to, and everyone adds information into it), but also an engine to aid the greatest of what the Xel'Naga have created to fulfill their true potential.

It can also serve to show the Xel'Naga's mistakes, etc. but the problem is, what's contained in it is the collection of the Watcher's thoughts and knowledge, and intentions.

At one point, one of the devices, a crystal was used, and a great devastation had occured. The crystal was destroyed, and seven pieces were the result. These pieces were eventually gathered by a Protoss, who wanted to use it, but never completed his quest.

Another device is a set of rings, what allowed the wielder to command inanimate objects. He can in some way, create copies of the data in the cube, and temporarily have them control the objects. Golems can be created for a period of time. The purpose of this device is for construction.

The other devices and their purposes have yet to be pulled from somewhere.


The Rise of the Nameless One
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Duran/Aratheron, eventually loses his identity. Seeing identity as some kind of error. Primitive. Irrelevant.

He begins to realize his God created him immortal, but that he lacked something. He always felt barren, empty.

Encountering one of the devices, some kind of mind interface, allowed him to access huge amount of information. But this information is of the Watchers.

Eventually, this drives him insane, and that he was wrong. That to be truly alive, one must be given a name. A name that will echo throughout eternity. A purpose. A reason for being.

He realizes/decides that his purpose is to create vessels for his god(s). So that they can have a name. A glory that will shine for all to see.



Where the Campaign Begins:
---------------------------------

Duran has been creating his Hybrids. He sees them awesome. A mix of the greatest of races: The Protoss, and the Zerg who have consumed countless others.

But he could not give life unto them. They just die.

Looking at the devices, he decides to use them all. Accessing the cube's knowledge through the head piece, the crystal shards, and the rings, he unleashes such great energy that all his hybrids begin to awaken.

From many worlds they wake, each one with their own sentience. The Watchers have been set free.

The leader of the Watchers awakens from the one closest to duran. "You dare stand before your maker? For I have given thee my strength. Am I not god who is near, or am I not a god who is far away? As lightning I come. And creation shall tremble."

Duran falls in worship. "I am nothing."

Creature: "You are mine servant. And I shall give you a name."

The ripples of the energy reaches to the distant stars, awakening the Shining Ones themselves from stasis. This eternal sleep they condemned themselves into. Not all of them awakens. Only a few.

Initially, they believe the energy was a sign that one of their creations have reached a high level of evolution. That they have discovered technology that could rival their own.

But then, upon investigation, they find out the watchers are back. Now with hybrid bodies for vessels. They trace their origin from the artificial black hole. The diachephalon. None of their technology can disable it. It would take the sum of all energy existing in this galaxy to nullify this device. A perfect balance is now in place, with this device at the heart of it all.

They cannot possibly destroy it, but perhaps they can defeat the Watchers for good.


Assault on Creation
----------------------

Duran is tasked to bring creation to their knees.

Watcher Leader: "Relinquish not yourself. Render true service, and subdue their pride."

Duran attacks with the might of Hybrids. He feels the glory. Being one of the gods himself. It is glorious.

But as death rages in the Terran sector, Duran begins to remember the fate of his world. How he tried to lead his people against the abominations that plagued their planet. For centuries he tried to purge them, and he recalls the fire that destroyed everything, except himself.

He begins to be torn inside. Is he now a plague unto these terrans? Will fire consume them all in the end like it did before to his world?

Anticipating some kind of firey judgement/retribution/cleansing, he redoubles his efforts. Trying to convince the terrans to kneel before the true gods.

The terrans mocks him, naturally. "You crazy sonnovabitch!" The terrans have no notion of gods and such. They find it bullshit. Nonesense. And they're right.


They fight duran, duran is immortal. As the fight went on, duran finally just stood there. Being torn by bullets, but still reconstituting. "I am a god." he says. "Submit!"

Some cleaver one liner from the Terrans, and they surrender.

The watchers decend with their ships and begin rebuilding Korhal with alien buildings. The player will lead Terrans to fight other terrans, with hybrids in their control.

At some point, the player will turn his back against the hybrid escort. Killing them. "Nope. Don't look like gods to me." They head for shakuras.



Shining One's
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The Shining Ones arrive in the sector. With their white silvery ships. Semi-transparent.

They attack the Watchers/Hybrid main stronghold, but they lose. One of them escapes, and the terran rebel gets him onboard his ship. "Take me to the first born."

The protoss campaign will then be about finding a way to reawaken the other Shining ones.

G-Reff, can I make a suggestion?

One of the things that annoyed me about SCII is they turned Duran from...whatever he was, into a generic shape shifter type. He wasn't unique, but simply a thing that can change its shape whenever. He turned into a common sci fi trope.

I suggest that you make sure he's not a plain shapeshifter, but rather something more limited. I would suggest that Duran is either really a human, a being created with human DNA, or a creature that has more or less permanently given up its own form to become human-like in appearance. All of those things have more weight than the common shapeshifter.

Okay. What about this:


Duran never changes face like he did in WoL and HotS. He retains this form that the Watchers made him.

Let's say with the use of technology, he can "fake" things. His body is immune, as it is immortal.

Kerrigan's infestation on him seems real to kerrigan, but in reality, his body can control the infestation. Can keep it at bay so as to appear infested, yet his mind is his own.

His body is artificially created by the watchers. Which they themselves did not need to have back when they created Duran.

Okay, maybe not immortal, but something really durable and can reconstitute fast. He could be the best creation of the Watchers yet.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Telenil

I, for one, feel Liberty's Crusade was exactly what an extended universe novel should be. It managed to clarify what the Confederate did and knew about the Zerg, with only minor inconsistencies. Liberty himself manages to play a role in these events without stealing the show.
Heaven's Devil was also a good story. I read it a month after playing WoL and started with a strong prejudice against it, but in the end I would have liked it even if it hadn't been Starcraft. It was more believable than most Blizzard novels, and I feel it dramatically improved Tychus as a character.
These two novels definitely made the lore better.

---

I liked Devil's Due. It showed Tychus had a better moral code than what people thought. It's not just about the booze and money.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Telenil

I, for one, feel Liberty's Crusade was exactly what an extended universe novel should be. It managed to clarify what the Confederate did and knew about the Zerg, with only minor inconsistencies. Liberty himself manages to play a role in these events without stealing the show.
Heaven's Devil was also a good story. I read it a month after playing WoL and started with a strong prejudice against it, but in the end I would have liked it even if it hadn't been Starcraft. It was more believable than most Blizzard novels, and I feel it dramatically improved Tychus as a character.
These two novels definitely made the lore better.

---

...Please excuse me while I judge you. ;)

Um, whatever benefit may have come from Heaven's Devils is completely spoiled by the fact that it's horribly written. The narrative is terrible, and William Dietz is all the time trying to come up with overly elaborate metaphors, like "he fell into a black hole" when someone passes out. That, and it shows Raynor suddenly joining the military just because some guy in a mech told him to. How lazy is that?

I stand by my statement that Liberty's Crusade is bad. A lot of people seemed to disagree, but besides being boring, none of the characters felt like themselves, and the writer crammed his OC into canon dialogues. That's a sign of fanfiction right there if there ever was one.


And G-Reff, I dunno. It could use some more detail.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Nissa

...Please excuse me while I judge you. ;)

Um, whatever benefit may have come from Heaven's Devils is completely spoiled by the fact that it's horribly written. The narrative is terrible, and William Dietz is all the time trying to come up with overly elaborate metaphors, like "he fell into a black hole" when someone passes out. That, and it shows Raynor suddenly joining the military just because some guy in a mech told him to. How lazy is that?

---

Back then for joining, Raynor was too young to know any better.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ragnarok

Back then for joining, Raynor was too young to know any better.

---

I'm sure, but that's not what Dietz wrote. He didn't write much at all. He just wrote that Raynor met a goliath pilot and then joined up. There's no descriptor of emotion, debating, or stating that he just didn't know any better. It just happened.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Nissa

I'm sure, but that's not what Dietz wrote. He didn't write much at all. He just wrote that Raynor met a goliath pilot and then joined up. There's no descriptor of emotion, debating, or stating that he just didn't know any better. It just happened.

---

Hence meaning Dietz expected the author to "read between the lines."

Reading between the lines assumes that there were lines to read. You say that he chose to join the military because he was too young to know any better, but that's only one possible implication, and not the strongest one. It could have been pride, earning money for his family, hating farming, or any number of things. Your assumption is no better or worse than any other, because Dietz offered nothing at all.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Nissa

Reading between the lines assumes that there were lines to read. You say that he chose to join the military because he was too young to know any better, but that's only one possible implication, and not the strongest one. It could have been pride, earning money for his family, hating farming, or any number of things. Your assumption is no better or worse than any other, because Dietz offered nothing at all.

---

I never said he did a good job of reading between the lines.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Nissa

Reading between the lines assumes that there were lines to read. You say that he chose to join the military because he was too young to know any better, but that's only one possible implication, and not the strongest one. It could have been pride, earning money for his family, hating farming, or any number of things. Your assumption is no better or worse than any other, because Dietz offered nothing at all.

---

The novel doesn't spend much time on it, but some things are definitely there. There is enlistment money, the fact that some of his friends are going, the conversation with the recruiter, a general dislike of the Kel'morian... For someone who read the book, your comments seem rather... heavy-handed.

- - - Updated - - -

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Nissa

Reading between the lines assumes that there were lines to read. You say that he chose to join the military because he was too young to know any better, but that's only one possible implication, and not the strongest one. It could have been pride, earning money for his family, hating farming, or any number of things. Your assumption is no better or worse than any other, because Dietz offered nothing at all.

---

The novel doesn't spend much time on it, but some things are definitely there. There is enlistment money, the fact that some of his friends are going, the conversation with the recruiter, a general dislike of the Kel'morian... For someone who read the book, your comments seem rather... heavy-handed.

Okay, guys check this out. (edit: This version takes everything SC2 into account. The Amon plot, etc.)

So I rolled the dice with Dramatica and here's the Additional Story Points for a WoL remake:

1. From a broodwar Kerrigan, we see her slowly transform to the mindless pawn of Amon. The characters will be dealing with this transformation.
This tells us/the characters that the feared future is true, and something must be done to prevent it.

2. They must deal with their pain and desire to rid the sector of her. They must find a way to remove this seeming urge growing inside Kerrigan.
3. As a result of trying to do this, kerrigan slowly loses control of the broods; Raynor's Raiders disband; Valerian's grip is slipping; And mengsk ever grows in power, becoming even stronger.
4. In order to deal with the feral instincts driving Kerrigan, they must deal with the progress of Duran's hybrids, and the slow rise of Amon in the background affecting everything.
5. What makes this hard is Amon's presence making everyone edgy, and "tempted" to do the deeds in their hearts.

6. In the end, their desire to rid the sector of Kerrigan (vengeance) is not accomplished. But they at least spared kerrigan from the influence of Amon.
7. The rise of Amon remains unabated, as Mengsk has hindered their efforts in his seemingly maddened quest for more power.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sequence 1 (version 1)

We see Raynor longs for Sarah still. But then he recalls the vile actions of broodwar kerrigan.
Horner arrives to tell him everything is ready. Horner tries one last time to tell Raynor maybe it was a mistake to have brought Tychus along. Something just don't feel right about him.
Raynor becomes angry, and point to Matt isn't this what he always wanted, they have gathered a massive army, and now is their chance: An attack on a well guarded platform, where they could broadcast the recordings that would incriminate Mengsk.
All this time, Raynor has been drinking. Seemingly uncaring.
He doesn't believe in this rebellion. He doesn't see where this will lead to, even if they do bring down Mengsk. He just wants it done, and show Horner how this rebellion of theirs will only lead to more problems for everyone.

On the mission, after the death and destruction. After they have done everything to prevent the Dominion from discovering their attack, thinking they've done everything right. Mengsk arrives.

Mengsk makes his move against Raynor, and taunts that he had his eyes on him. That all his plans and moves were known to him. And the Sector is watching what they've done here.
A battle. Many of the Raider's Allies were killed. Mengsk's forces are also suffering heavy loses.
Mengsk is angry. Valerian and his fleet is not on schedule.

The rebels escape.

The Hyperion exits alone, but Horner tries to convince Raynor they have to get back on track against Mengsk. Raynor says it can't be done.

Valerian appears to offer Raynor the quest for the Artifacts. Raynor declines. He won't work with a Mengsk. Not even Valerian.

Horner argues with Raynor they need the job. And Valerian could be a valuable ally in the plot to bring down Arcturus.
Raynor insists there must be another way, trusting Mengsk or working with a Mengsk isn't good. He's been there. Done that.
Horner debates Valerian is different.
Raynor just takes a drink, not even a word.

Tychus contacts Raynor and tells him of the rebels with him. That they have encountered Dominion, and now they're all scattered. Raynor tells Tychus to sit tight. He's picking him up.
Horner doesn't think this is a good idea. He thinks Tychus is working for Mengsk.

As Raynor arrives, Mengsk greets him. They have the Hyperion cornered. He mocks Raynor saying he shouldn't be so sentimental, trusting old friends.
Raynor's forces meet with Mengsk Tychus isn't responding. Their warp engines are out of energy.

But just when the Dominion closes in. Zerg poured around and between them.
As the fight ensues, Raynor tries to defend, waiting for their warp drives to charge.
Mengsk tries to push through the Zerg and get him. Sacrificing many of his ships just to get to Raynor. Only his command ship remains.

Valerian arrives, Mengsk demands Valerian to get on board his command ship.
He does and tries to stop this madness. Tychus is with him.
Tychus is angry. He says, Mengsk did not make good on his promise. Mengsk argues neither did Tychus.
Mengsk points out it didn't matter what Tychus was leaking to him. He's not stupid to fall for fake intel.
Valerian orders the Dominion fleet under his command to retreat. Mengsk is furious.
Valerian tries to argue, but his father just pushes him aside. Even points a gun at him.
Mengsk: "Don't ever get in my way, boy."
Valerian: "You've gone mad, father!"

Valerian turns away, Mengsk shoots him. Valerian falls past the bay door.

Valerian: "Finish it father."

Mengsk can't pull the trigger. The door closes. Gun fire starts going off in the background.

__________________________________________________ ___________

Mengsk's ship warps away. Valerian approach the Hyperion via drop ship.

DS Pilot: "Prince Valerian is wounded. Requesting permission to dock."

Raynor: "To hell with you!"

Horner grabs Raynor, Raynor falls down, and hits his head. He's drunk.

Horner lets the dropship on board.

__________________________________________________ ___________
INT. MED-BAY

Raynor wakes up in the med-bay with Valerian. Valerian starts laughing.

Raynor: "What the hell are you laughing at, Junior."
Valerian: "Nothing. It's just that, my father. My own father actually shot me."
Raynor: "Wouldn't be the first time. When you're done."

Raynor picks himself up.

Raynor(Cont'd): "You get yourself off my ship."
Valerian: "Funny. I thought this was Arcturus' ship."
Raynor: "Was, junior."
Valerian: "The hero becomes the villain. The victim becomes the criminal."

Raynor pauses for a beat. And goes out. He tries to take a drink, but Horner grabs his wrist.

Horner: "That's enough commander."
Raynor: "You get your hands off me, Matt."

Horner: "I get it. You're angry, frustrated. But you don't have to do this!"
Raynor: "Matt, I do whatever the hell I want."

Horner: "listen to yourself, Jim."
Raynor: "Just to be clear. I don't need you, or your idealistic bull-crap. Look around you, Matt.. Just... just leave me alone."

Valerian strides past Horner towards Raynor.

Horner: "No, Valerian. Man who wants to be alone, deserves to be alone."

(cut to)
__________________________________________________ ___________
INT. CANTINA

Tychus is here. Raynor pulls a gun on him.

Raynor: "You treacherous sonnova bitch! Tell me why I shouldn't pull this trigger right now!"
Tychus: " I made a deal with the devil, Jimmy. I can get you to him."
Raynor: "He's not exactly the one's running Tychus."
Tychus: "You really think, I'd sell you out like that, brother?"

Raynor lowers his gun.

Raynor: "I guess not. Now, take that damn suit off."
Tychus: "I can't Jimmy."

Valerian enters.

Valerian: "I've reprogrammed his suit. But we need my father to think he's still got everything under control."
Raynor: "I thought I told you to get off my ship."
Valerian: "I just wanted to tell you personally that I'm on your side. If you ever change your mind..."

Valerian hands Raynor a chip.

Valerian(cont'd): "So you'd know where to find me. I could really use your help on this James."

Valerian exits.

Valerian: "Thank you... for saving my life."

Door closes.

Comm beeps.

Horner (comm): "Sir, you really need to see this."

(cut to)
__________________________________________________ ___________
INT. HYPERION BRIDGE

Horner: "We just received reports. It wasn't an isolated attack."

Adjutant: "Data streaming complete."
The monitors turn on. Zerg attacks, devastation, death.

Horner (cont'd): "The Zerg have launched simultaneous attacks on these planets."
Tychus: "Sweet mother o' mercy."

Adjutant: Incoming Transmission.

Tom Kazansky. Merc. Friend. Foe. We owe him some.

Tom: "Raynor! We need your help. We're under heavy attack from both Zerg and Dominion forces!"

Raynor: "We're not exactly in shape to help --"
Horner (interrupting): "We are on our way, Tom. Hold on."
Horner (to Raynor): "That's it. I'm relieving you of command."
Horner (to crew): "Set course for <insert relevant planet name>"

(cut to)_______________________________________________ _________
Super: Command ship Hyperion, High orbit over the planet <relevant planet name>

Adjutant: Receiving incoming transmision.

Tom: "God! To anyone receiving this message. We are under heavy attack by Zerg forces, the Queen of Blades has been spotted. I repeat, Queen of Blades has been spotted --"

Raynor: "What?"
Horner: "I know what you're thinking, Jim. Don't be --"
Raynor: "For the last time, Matt. Get off my back. I'm going down there and finish this once and for all."
Raynor (comm): "Tom. This is Raynor. Ain't got much, but I'm headin' your way. Just sit tight."
Tom: "We're pressed tight down here."

Raynor goes away.

Horner: "Damnit. Set course for the platform. And ready the batteries."

The Hyperion turns towards a space platform, as Raynor's drop ship goes ahead.

Horner: "Fire batteries!"

The hyperion fires its gun batteries, while charging the yamato cannon, as Raynor's dropship speeds through the platform.
It's main gun follows Raynor's ship. But before it could fire, a huge energy slices it apart to a huge explosion. The hyperion slowly reels to a calm.

Two more dropships speedily exits from the Hyperion, following Raynor's ship. Orange clouds gathering around below, as the dropships heads straight down at the center.

(cut to)
__________________________________________________ ___________
EXT. TOM KAZANSKY's BASE OF OPERATIONS

Battle rages. Zerg are everywhere. Raynor commands his troops, and Tom's, but it's not going well. Raynor becomes desperate.

Raynor breaks rank, and starts running towards the dusty horizon ahead screaming.

Tom: "Shit! Watch it! You, you, hold your fire. Flanks! Keep that gun spinning damit!"

An Ultralisk bursts out from the earth below, roaring, its blades poised to strike. Raynor empties his clip. But the Ultralisk doesn't do it. It's just there, keisers raised and poised to a swing.
Everything falls quiet. No Zerg movement.

Tom: "Hold your fire, damit! Hold your fire!"

Raynor takes out his pistol and starts shooting. Bam, bam.

Kerrigan: "You should save some for me, Jimmy."

Raynor starts firing. Bullets bounce off her like pellets to steel.

(to be cont'd)
______________________________

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Telenil

The novel doesn't spend much time on it, but some things are definitely there. There is enlistment money, the fact that some of his friends are going, the conversation with the recruiter, a general dislike of the Kel'morian... For someone who read the book, your comments seem rather... heavy-handed.

- - - Updated - - -


The novel doesn't spend much time on it, but some things are definitely there. There is enlistment money, the fact that some of his friends are going, the conversation with the recruiter, a general dislike of the Kel'morian... For someone who read the book, your comments seem rather... heavy-handed.

---

Nissa is one of those critical people to books and reading. On ff.net, I always got the feeling he had the mentality that he could write a better book in 2 min than all the famous writers on the planet combined in 20 years.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ragnarok

Nissa is one of those critical people to books and reading. On ff.net, I always got the feeling he had the mentality that he could write a better book in 2 min than all the famous writers on the planet combined in 20 years.

---

Couple of things wrong with that. For one, "she." For two, I believe that I could write a better book in 2 mins than all the official Blizzard fiction writers. I also believe that at least half of the members of this forum can do so as well. Econ and Khas, especially. Don't take it so seriously, Rag. I'm just good at pointing out flaws. Just because something has flaws means it lacks all entertainment value. Interstella 5555, for example.

But how about we stick to the topic? This is about a new SCII, after all.

So Gna, are you sure about keeping Valerian such a simple good guy? He was a pretty weak character, especially in HotS. It would be nice if he had some more depth, and some more personal motivation. Like, what does he want more than anything else?

Hm...do you have plans for how the mission sets would work out? Is it going to be Terran, Zerg, Protoss like SCII?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Nissa

I believe that I could write a better book in 2 mins than all the official Blizzard fiction writers.

---

Even better than the great Christie Golden?

- - - Updated - - -

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Nissa

I believe that I could write a better book in 2 mins than all the official Blizzard fiction writers.

---

Even better than the great Christie Golden?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Nissa

Couple of things wrong with that. For one, "she." For two, I believe that I could write a better book in 2 mins than all the official Blizzard fiction writers. I also believe that at least half of the members of this forum can do so as well. Econ and Khas, especially. Don't take it so seriously, Rag. I'm just good at pointing out flaws. Just because something has flaws means it lacks all entertainment value. Interstella 5555, for example.

But how about we stick to the topic? This is about a new SCII, after all.

So Gna, are you sure about keeping Valerian such a simple good guy? He was a pretty weak character, especially in HotS. It would be nice if he had some more depth, and some more personal motivation. Like, what does he want more than anything else?

Hm...do you have plans for how the mission sets would work out? Is it going to be Terran, Zerg, Protoss like SCII?

---

That's one of the main flaws of the DT Saga when it comes to him. Because Blizzard didn't make up their minds of whether he's to be good or evil, Christie Golden had to write him vague, so I don't blame her for that.

Would you want him to find ways to overthrow his father in such a fic?

Nissa, yeah, but we'll see. I'll try. You chime in too! I'm just trying to keep this up.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(cont'd)
EXT. TOM KAZANSKY'S BASE OF OPERATIONS

Raynor steps back, shooting, as Kerrigan steps closer. Raynor aims higher. Her face. A cut. But it heals as quickly as it gets cut.

Kerrigan: "You said you were the one to kill me. So kill me."

Raynor plants his gun on her head. Not a problem. He pulls the trigger, only to have it back fire. Gun falls to the ground, Jimmy grabs his gun arm in pain.

Kerrigan: "All these years, and -- alcohol? Despair. Jimmy..."

The dust begins to settle. Tom and the base is visible now.

Kerrigan: "You see, Jimmy. None of your little toys can stop me."

Her eyes glow orange, as she dashes onward.

Raynor: "No!"

(continuous)

EXT. TOM'S POSITION

Kerrigan. Death itself rushing forward.

Tom: Raynor, get down!

A fury of bullets. Guns blazing. Everything's pointed at her. Her carapace flays. Bits and pieces, but are quickly replaced. She stops, looking at herself, then to Raynor.

Kerrigan: "Watch. Just like you always have, Jim."

Kerrigan throws herself into the collection of men. Gibs. Blood. She rips them apart like paper.

Tom pulls up his chain gun. He's too late. Kerrigan is right above him.

Tom: "Shit!"

Kerrigan continues her onslaught. Behind her, a platform. Guns firing. She grips a fist full of psionic energy, and unleashes a storm right on top of them. Explosion. Chaos. Death.

Ultralisks surround the facility, as Kerrigan stands at the center. Everyone's dead.
The beasts rakes up a metal casing, about the size of a small shack, and throws it over, revealing a glowing piece of metal, seething with energy.
Kerrigan simpers with delight, reaching toward it. Electric tendrils reach out to her.

The Void Seeker swoops from above. A shadowy cloud drops right between Kerrigan and her prize. ZERATUL.

Kerrigan's eyes glow orange. Stonger. Her voice is different. Somehow deeper, more possessive.

Kerrigan: "Young prodigal."

Kerrigan shakes it off, but before she could recover, Zeratul's right in front of her. Warp blades and all.
She dodges. Strikes back. An awesome fight. They seem equally strong. Equally agile.

But Kerrigan suddenly goes into frenzy. Zeratul falls to the ground. She's ready to strike. Her eyes glowing orange. Even more this time.

Kerrigan writhes to stop herself. Her eyes clear. She keeps blinking, trying to clear her thoughts. Something's not right.
She looks around. Like a child hearing voices in a dark room.

Kerrigan: "Can you hear him Zeratul? He's here."

Her eyes glow orange again. She tries to resist. She screams in anger, annoyed, disturbed.

Raynor is watching all of this, gripping his gun. Useless. His comm kicks him awake.

Raynor: "Matt?"
Horner (comm): "Sir, I'm detecting multiple energy signatures heading to your location. They're coming in fast."

Blue streaks cut through the sky. One of these seeming meteors is heading right on top of them.
Zeratul grabs Raynor, just in time, the ground explodes. Dust everywhere. Bluish energy. Some kind of greenish liquid everywhere.

Kerrigan stands firmly up ahead, as a bluish hellish creature rises from the crater in front of her.
Her eyes glow orange again. She shakes it off.

Kerrigan: "What -- !"

She struggles with it. She twitch. She can see her body blurring, trembling. Like a cheap Japanese horror flick. But it's quite real.

Kerrigan: "Zeratul! Get him out of here! Aaaaagh!"

From the dust cloud, someone else appears. DURAN. He looks awesome. Powerful. Yet, puny.

Duran: "It's good to be back."

Zeratul puts the object inside a casing. Protoss design, but older. He trusts it against Raynors chest.

Zeratul: "Keep it safe. GO!"

Zeratul pushes Raynor off to leave, as he marvels at this cube. A container. It flickers with energy.

Duran: "I told you young prodigal. Your universe will be changed."
Zeratul: "At last you show yourself."

Zeratul dashes to attack, but Duran is too fast. He keeps missing. Duran just laughs him off.
Not far, Kerrigan is being pummeled by the hybrid. Her wing is cut.

Further behind, a drop ship lands. Raynor runs toward it. He keeps looking back as the fight goes on.

Zeratul watches as Raynor leaves. Relief.
Kerrigan beats the beast down. She plunges her fist, glowing with psionic energy right at the heart of the abomination. Her ultralisks are all dead around them.
She turns, Duran's smiles leeringly even more. They have him surrounded.

(cut to)

________________________________________
to be continued..