StarCraft II: A Look Back

[Alex06]

I don't recall seeing the 2nd picture of the Predator. Thanks for providing that. It looks different from that angle, and you can understand that it had some kind of protrusions on top that look like a turret/cannon, when in the 1st pic, they look like they are on the side of the cockpit and at the same level as it.

[BigFan]

Awesome post, signed up to say that. Looking back at all the units and the abilities that were taken out, I can't help but feel a bit disappointed with some of those changes. Even up to now, sometimes I'll watch the P and T gameplay videos where everything is explained and wonder what it could've been. The customization of bcs, the reaper mines, the queen's different abilities, AOE of thors/banshees, etc.... such awesome concept that *may* not see the light of day :/

[Dante]

Very good write up! I have the same sentiments on Blizzard's development of the game. There are just some concepts Blizzard held onto for dear life and must implement it into the game.

Like you pointed out, Corruptors and Infestors hit a wall. Blizzard kept them in the game, which isn't really a problem so long as they fixed them. But because these units were specifically named Corruptors and Infestors, they had to have corrupt/infest type abilities.

What came out of this was recycled spells. In development, the Infestor got a generic summoning ability (Infested Terrans) and generic mind control (NP) to emulate infesting. The Corruptor had a long series of weird and out of place abilities for the sake of it living up to their namesake.

If they maybe changed their names, they wouldn't have been limited by design. I know it sounds stupid of me to accuse Blizzard of flopping with these units because of names, but if they had meaningless names that didn't refer to function (i.e. Mutalisk/Hydralisk/etc), the sky would have been the limit to innovation.

Cosmetically for the Protoss, I was really hoping to see some innovative Dark Templar technologies and designs. What we got was initially was a Carrier (Tempest) and Dragoon (Stalker). When Blizzard axed the Tempest, the roster lacked a Dark flyer. As a result, the Warp Ray (conceived as a mix of Dark/Light) got a Dark themed paint job and renamed "Void" Ray for reassurance that it's a Dark unit. And the Nullifier was of Stasis Orb origin (conceived as a Light unit). It appears that all the Dark units are just reskinned versions of a predecessor. Not as much innovation as I would have liked. The only original Dark unit that Blizzard produced was the Soul Hunter, and we know how that went.

In the end product, the Dark Templar is represented by a newly skinned Dragoon and a unit that originally looked like a Light unit.

[Twilice]

So what? It looks awesome.

[Maizina]

Great writeup, thanks. I tried to follow the development of the game, but lost patience more than once, so I missed out on a lot of the information you provided.

[Drake Clawfang]

I remember back when SC2 was announced, I was one of THE guys in the community here. Now look at me, I'll bet half of you don't even know who I am .

Nice write-up Nicol. It's true what you said about the Zerg, they tried a lot of creative ideas but they fell flat for various reasons.

[Sheliek]

I wonder if that corruptor mechanic would have worked out if it let you move the corrupted unit around until it died.

[RamiZ]

I wonder if that corruptor mechanic would have worked out if it let you move the corrupted unit around until it died.

It would be too strong in my opinion, but that old Corruptor that was making Corrupted mass out of units that he has killed was much better and unique than what we have now, and that is a little tweaked Devourer...

[Sheliek]

It would be too strong in my opinion, but that old Corruptor that was making Corrupted mass out of units that he has killed was much better and unique than what we have now, and that is a little tweaked Devourer...

It depends on how strong the 'turret' units would have been. If they were just the same as the regular, uncorrupted unit, I'd agree. If corrupted units all did the same damage, it might not have been.

I agree about the old mechanic being much more interesting, however. Hopefully it resurfaces in the campaign.

[RamiZ]

It depends on how strong the 'turret' units would have been. If they were just the same as the regular, uncorrupted unit, I'd agree. If corrupted units all did the same damage, it might not have been.

I agree about the old mechanic being much more interesting, however. Hopefully it resurfaces in the campaign.

In the end, the Corrupted Mass had something like 6 damage and attacked more times at once, I will try to find the video of it, but it wasn't like Corrupted units from the first Corruptor video. Of course, you can balance it, but I think that it would be overpowered because Corruptors together with Brood lords would be even stronger than now, because Corruptors would be massing units too if you try to counter the Brood Lords with air units, which you usually do. You would overwhelm the enemy with units that doesn't cost anything(Infested Terrans, Corrupted Mass, Broodlings).

Btw, couldn't find any videos except this one, but at the top left corner, you can see that when Corruptors kill Phoenixes, they leave like some flying eggs that shoot some green projectiles. That is Corrupted Mass, and it was like that in the last build, before they have changed it.

Edit: lol, forgot to add the video... xD
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EieZS...el_video_title