Ask your SCII Questions Nov. Edition

Any new ideas on base building defenses? Are there any ideas to make certain type of base defenses like powerful ones? have you ever thought of having multiple types of base building defenses like floating or aerial base defenses, base defenses which deals AOE damage, or powerful ones like the ion canons which can only be taken down easily by special abilities like lockdowns or by a yamato blast.

Multiple type of base building defenses gives more strategy on which units to use and how to use them, thus making most if not all units usefull all the time.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Josue

*sigh*
well, let's see...

1.-Is the man spinning in the Missile turret just a joke

---

HA! - Little Missile Turret guy is one tough little SOB, man. :)


.

My question - Is there a design decision behind having the HP bars at the top? Reason being, having the HP bars naturally below the unit makes the unit view unobstructed. This was something that ONLY starcraft pioneered. Why did you switch it to Warcraft 3 model? Also, why are the hp bars so big? In Starcraft, they are quite small… It gave the impression that individual unit health wasn’t important (unlike in Warcraft 3)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DemolitionSquid

2. Protoss can get Observers, Warp-Prisms, Phoenix, and Void Rays very fast.
Gateway -> Cybernetics Core -> Robotics Bay
Gateway -> Cybernetics Core -> Stargate

---

That may be, but consider the time and the resource it will take a Terran to get 6 jumping reapers, and Toss to get an upcliff view and force suffiecient to kill these reapers before they do serious economy damage. How far back will Toss get only to be able to repell such reaper threat? The way it seems, reaper harass will be a default (and thus boring) thing for any TvP game, as in vesting in repelling it might expose Toss to almost immediate ground flood-assault by basic Terran units.

Another reason SC1 was so amazingly balaced. See the amount of problems done by SC2 team just removing one aspect? If they put back the if attacked, you’re shown in fog. Then you’ve solved the reaper problem instantly.

I think I'm too late but, do roaches still have increased regeneration while burrowed?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Xyvik

Blizzard's Exact Mathematical Definition of Soon:

{soon|0<soon<∞}

---

Pure Epicness

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Hunter_I

That may be, but consider the time and the resource it will take a Terran to get 6 jumping reapers, and Toss to get an upcliff view and force suffiecient to kill these reapers before they do serious economy damage. How far back will Toss get only to be able to repell such reaper threat? The way it seems, reaper harass will be a default (and thus boring) thing for any TvP game, as in vesting in repelling it might expose Toss to almost immediate ground flood-assault by basic Terran units.

---

Actually they can do it Quicker than that

Gateway->Cybernetics Core->Hallucination+Disrupter simultaneously->Instant Colossus/VoidRay/Phoenix/WarpPrism?... and those Disrupters are useful v that flood of Ground Troops (Forcefield...ranged attack, etc.)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Krikkitone

Actually they can do it Quicker than that

Gateway->Cybernetics Core->Hallucination+Disrupter simultaneously->Instant Colossus/VoidRay/Phoenix/WarpPrism?... and those Disrupters are useful v that flood of Ground Troops (Forcefield...ranged attack, etc.)

---

Very good point. Hallucinations for sight. Brilliant tactic.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DemolitionSquid

Very good point. Hallucinations for sight. Brilliant tactic.

---

Yep, very good one.

Still, Hallucination needs to be researched, right? But probably it's good enough to be researched frequently.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DemolitionSquid

Very good point. Hallucinations for sight. Brilliant tactic.

---

Hmmm......Can hallucinated Colossi still climb cliffs?

Is there any plan for making map makers able to do larger map than 256? This is really something that I would like. Can we at least make everything (from units to doodads) smaller so that the map looks larger?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Caliban113

Hmmm......Can hallucinated Colossi still climb cliffs?

---

Of course.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Caliban113

Hmmm......Can hallucinated Colossi still climb cliffs?

---

If they couldn't, they'd be too easily figured out, so I think so. (IMO, massive units should not be replicated by hallucination.)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by sandwich_bird

Is there any plan for making map makers able to do larger map than 256? This is really something that I would like. Can we at least make everything (from units to doodads) smaller so that the map looks larger?

---

No, but multiplayer maps will support linking maps campaign style. Dunno if it will be MUI'able though. Probably just one instance per game.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kimera757

(IMO, massive units should not be replicated by hallucination.)

---

I have to say I agree with this. - I'm guessing probably one of the reasons they also excluded Carriers and the Mothership.

Also, does anyone else think that having a 'fake' cliff-climbing Colossus, or for that matter, a speedy, 'Terran-wall-proof' Phoenix might be too powerful a scout that early on? (C Core)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kimera757

If they couldn't, they'd be too easily figured out, so I think so. (IMO, massive units should not be replicated by hallucination.)

---

Why not? A hallucinated Colossus has nearly the same durability than a Zealot.

Quote:

---

Hmmm......Can hallucinated Colossi still climb cliffs?

---

No. Because you can't make a Hallucinated Colossus. However, if you could, they would.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Nicol Bolas

No. Because you can't make a Hallucinated Colossus. However, if you could, they would.

---

Interesting. Is that new? Wiki lists it as one of the units affected by the ability. (the other sites don't mention specifically) For that matter, do hallucinated Stalkers automatically 'blink'? (an ability requiring an upgrade)

No, why would you assume they blink? Hallucinations are just that, they don't have any ability active abilities.

Okay, fair enough. Colossus is out of the picture anyway - I was mostly trying to figure out the scouting potential of hallucinate. However, what about my other question?

does anyone else think that having a speedy, 'Terran-wall-proof' Phoenix might be too powerful a scout that early on? (C Core)

Quote:

---

does anyone else think that having a speedy, 'Terran-wall-proof' Phoenix might be too powerful a scout that early on? (C Core)

---

Overlord scouting is available from the beginning of the match. And exactly what would it be "too powerful" for?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Nicol Bolas

Overlord scouting is available from the beginning of the match. And exactly what would it be "too powerful" for?

---

Yes, I forgot, the 'speedy' Overlord. :) Too powerful for quick scouting runs, too early in the game, and can be sent in groups. (Phoenix)



.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pandonetho

No, why would you assume they blink? Hallucinations are just that, they don't have any ability active abilities.

---

So, because they are hallucinations, they can't look like they have the abilities of the real units? Hallucinated stalkers should be able to use blink, however, it wont help much for scouting because you need to see on top of the cliff before they can blink to it.

I dont see the harm in letting a fake unit that can't do any damage use an ability that only moves its location.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Santrega

So, because they are hallucinations, they can't look like they have the abilities of the real units? Hallucinated stalkers should be able to use blink, however, it wont help much for scouting because you need to see on top of the cliff before they can blink to it.

I dont see the harm in letting a fake unit that can't do any damage use an ability that only moves its location.

---

Me either, but Hallucinated units tipically cannot cast anything. Maybe that's too complex for the one casting the hallucination.

From a gameplay perspective, not being able to blink the hallucinations limites it's use. You could want to send hallucinated Stalkers first, then the real ones, but your hallucinated stalkers wouldn't be able to blink the cliff. And it could be said that a hallucination blinking is just dissapearing and re-appearing somewhere else.

A possible solution could be that all hallucinated units can create hallucinated spell, but that removes some of hallucination's life. But probably that's OP with some spells, like Psi Storm or Nuke.

Quote:

---

So, because they are hallucinations, they can't look like they have the abilities of the real units? Hallucinated stalkers should be able to use blink, however, it wont help much for scouting because you need to see on top of the cliff before they can blink to it.

---

Hm let's see, what did I say?

Was I, a) Responding to a question asking if hallucinations had abilities or B) declaring that hallucinations shouldn't have active abilities?

You can figure that out for yourself.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Caliban113

Okay, fair enough. Colossus is out of the picture anyway - I was mostly trying to figure out the scouting potential of hallucinate. However, what about my other question?

does anyone else think that having a speedy, 'Terran-wall-proof' Phoenix might be too powerful a scout that early on? (C Core)

---

Remember they are only AtA and if your talking about scouting and not harassment, you can get observers just as fast if not faster, and they're cloaked.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by supersonic

you can get observers just as fast if not faster, and they're cloaked.

---

Oh, somehow I thought hallucination was far earlier (< robotics bay) avl at the Cybernetics Core

Quote:

---

Too powerful for quick scouting runs, too early in the game, and can be sent in groups. (Phoenix)

---

Need I remind you that, by the time Disruptors get Hallucinate, the Terrans will be able to scout you for free with absolutely nothing you can do about it.

I don't see the problem.

Okay, when is hallucinate actually available? - I thought it was much earlier, like around when Terran gets the missile turret. (?)

Quote:

---

Okay, when is hallucinate actually available? - I thought it was much earlier, like around when Terran gets the missile turret. (?)

---

All the Terran needs for an OCC (besides the money) is a Barracks. Hallucinate requires a Cybernetics Core + research.

According to sc2pod, the research is on the Cybernetics core itself:
http://sc2pod.com/wiki/Disruptor

Also, Colossi can be hallucinated:
http://sc2pod.com/wiki/Hallucination#Information

Quote:

---

One of these sets of units can be produced:

* 2 Zealots
* 2 Stalkers
* 1 Immortal
* 2 High Templars
* 1 Archon
* 1 Void Ray
* 1 Phoenix
* 1 Warp Prism
* 1 Colossus

---

Anyways, half a Colossus life is practically a Zealot, so it won't last long under fire.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Norfindel

According to sc2pod, the research is on the Cybernetics core itself:
http://sc2pod.com/wiki/Disruptor

Also, Colossi can be hallucinated:
http://sc2pod.com/wiki/Hallucination#Information

Anyways, half a Colossus life is practically a Zealot, so it won't last long under fire.

---

Interesting that, 'snipe' instantly kills hallucinations. (since Terran wouldn't waste one on a majority of the units listed) I guess you could potentially get Terran to waste them on phony templars. (?)

Quote:

---

* 2 High Templars

---

Wow, really? Two HTs just from one casting? That makes it far too easy to hide your real Templar.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pandonetho

Hm let's see, what did I say?

Was I, a) Responding to a question asking if hallucinations had abilities or B) declaring that hallucinations shouldn't have active abilities?

You can figure that out for yourself.

---

This quote implies that its wrong to think hallucinations would have abilities:

Quote:

---

No, why would you assume they blink? Hallucinations are just that, they don't have any ability active abilities.

---

You ask "why would you assume they blink?". Why would you ask that question like that if you didn't believe they shouldn't have it? Not to mention the fact you don't even know if hallucinations can actually use abilities, you are going primarily on what you believe when you replied.

So, next time you imply someone is wrong to think something, be prepared to defend that implication.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Nicol Bolas

Wow, really? Two HTs just from one casting? That makes it far too easy to hide your real Templar.

---

Well, they don't have a lot of HP, and take double damage, and cannot cast anything, so they aren't going to be a screen for long. It's like killing a Probe.

Quote:

---

Well, they don't have a lot of HP, and take double damage, and cannot cast anything, so they aren't going to be a screen for long. It's like killing a Probe.

---

True, but if I spend the time and effort to Anti-grav one of your HTs to kill it, I'd really prefer if it were a real HT.

Quote:

---

You ask "why would you assume they blink?". Why would you ask that question like that if you didn't believe they shouldn't have it? Not to mention the fact you don't even know if hallucinations can actually use abilities, you are going primarily on what you believe when you replied.

So, next time you imply someone is wrong to think something, be prepared to defend that implication.

---

Or maybe I'm basing my assumptions off the fact that hallucinations never had any abilities to begin with.

You just need to learn how to read.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pandonetho

Or maybe I'm basing my assumptions off the fact that hallucinations never had any abilities to begin with.

I just need to learn how to write.

---

Fixed... Maybe you did base your assumptions off of sc1, however that was your mistake, it still doesn't make a difference that you implied he was wrong to think hallucinations could use abilities in starcraft II.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Nicol Bolas

True, but if I spend the time and effort to Anti-grav one of your HTs to kill it, I'd really prefer if it were a real HT.

---

Well, that would be a nasty consequence for not having an agile AtG ship. However, that leads us to the point, that gravity won't affect a Hallucination, it should be removed after casting it.

I have the idea that all damage-dealing abilities should deal double-damage, and all abilities that should have an obvious effect, should remove the hallucination.