DemolitionSquid Reviews HotS Multiplayer Changes

[Jconant]

the arch shield would depend on how strong the mini photon cannon is.

I'm not exactly fond of the replicant either; why introduce mimes when you have some elements of protoss that dont work so well: hallucination, speedlots vs stim bio ball.

[RODTHEGOD]

1. Is this reaper regneration confirmed? because that's just retarded.

2. I don't know what to think about the shredder.
Sounds interesting but i don't know enough about how it comes into play
(is it an ability or do you build it?)

3. How many mech walkers do the terrans need? the viking, the thor,
the battle hellion and the warhound? It doesn't even matter if they are good units or not.
Is terran mech just going to become infantry 2.0? Why not just make a unit that makes infantry better.
Here I'll think of one right now...
How about the Commando: it has an aura in which all infantry in it get plus 1 attack and defence worth of
upgrades up to a max of an additional 3 (so having 3 commandos plus all your upgrades makes an infantry
basically have 6 upgrades on attack and defence). Ya not perfect but certianly has some interesting potential.

4. Aside from above I think the way they have set up the various mechs roles is good.

5. I never liked the thor and probably never will. I also don't think the terrans should be the ones with a super unit.
but if blizzard really is going to keep it then I don't care what they do. Just make it work.

6. I didn't like what the mothership turned into so I can understand why they removed it. the only thing is,
with it and along with the carriers removal the protoss lack that presence in the air that
says "I'm brining out the big guns now." Which I find very weird. Personally I would have tried making the mothership work. Maybe give it a passive ability which prevents any air units from entering its aura. Then give it the planet cracker. And a bunch of shields/health. Then let the games begin.

7. The nexus abilities: ya they're fine.

8. The tempest: seems like a decent unit concept but I still think the protoss need a big gun in the air.

9. The oracle: I like it but I would rather if it was the observer 2.0 with cloaking/detection abilities

10. The Replicant: I don't know if I like this seems to me that the only units that you would ever make
with it are above 200/200. I'll wait on this one.

11. Baneling burrow: it seems blizzard wanted banelings to be more like spidermines. What they should have
done is just make it so that banelings pop up when enemies are close enough... you know like a mine.

12. I don't mind the overseer being removed... didn't seem like a fleshed out enough unit.

13. This ultralisk burrow-charge thing is just weird. I don't know what to think of it.

13. Viper: I think its a great unit. It's abilities/function fits very well with the swarm.
Two things though. A. I like the grab abiltiy but I think there should be a limit on unit size.
It just looks way too weird pulling those big units. or a graphical change. B. I like this
ability of giving random zerg units detection. One thing I think they could bring back because
of it is that old ghost ability of being able to detect detectors because now there would
be a real reason too as you won't be able to know which units you can sceak by or not.

14. Swarm Host: Love it. Fits the zerg perfectly, As the zerg advance up the tech tree
they should be able to spawn more and more units(rather than big units). its very similar
to the brood lord but i don't think it matters.
A while ago I did a thought experiment and came up with something very similar to this. I was thinking
that blizzard was going to try and make buildings more and more influencial in actual combat(which just
so happens to be true) but I was thinking that the zerg would get more buildings that function similar
to units (or units that function similar to buildings such as the lurker but i didn't think that would come back).
Anyways I thought of a building that could move like the sunken crawler and would spawn broodlings whenever enemies
were in range. So I was right. It's just a unit instead of a building. So I win.

[Wankey]

I dunno which one of you are zerg players but the swarm host in my opinion is terrible. I heavily support the movable baneling, the Viper (amazing unit) and I think the best spell I've seen is ultralisk burrow charge, that is so much win it isn't even funny.

But Swarm host? Terrible idea.

a) It does nothing against bioball or marine ball or death ball, it basically adds HP to an army and adds path finding problems to an attacking army.

b) It doesn't allow for tactical gameplay, ie I can't set a trap of swarm hosts since they spawn these obvious swarmlings that tell everyone they are there.

c) They do no AoE damage, and again zerg is back to having no AoE damage. It's basically you're forced to use

Why is lurker a vastly superior unit?

You can group lurkers, meaning if they want to push further into your base, your lurkers are doing more damage.

You can do AoE damage even with just 1 lurker. With 1 swarm host, you can barely do much against a bunch of units. Like you actually do NO damage, and that is a big issue with Zerg in my opinion. Sometimes you can actually lose all your units and DO NO DAMAGE and all he had to do was stim and move backwards.

The biggest problem with Zerg is there are tactics that make you do absolutely no damage, and it's just frustrating when the other player literally does nothing and loses 2 marines.

That said however, I think the burrow charge in ultralisk is the best change in this game ever. Finally a guarantee that your units can do damage and that should've been the aim towards the new zerg units.

Corruptor change is just dumb IMO.

For instance, stuff like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LH0Rhx_fjvE

Are you serious? Tell me the gameplay skills that are required to setup 2 shredders? Yet the zerg loses all his zerglings in under a second, a misclick. How is that balanced?

Compare that to this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6chqnh079Qo

The swarm host does nothing in that game. Basically the terran guy is still in command of that scene. All he needs to do is unsiege his tanks, your 8 swarm hosts basically did no damage again.

Blizzard is missing the idea of "every unit should feel overpowered".

The swarm host doesn't feel overpowered at all or looks overpowered. Lurker had a much more overpowered feel what does the swarm host have?

The burrow charge for ultrlaisks however, actually makes the ultralisks feel overpowered LIKE CRAZY YEAAAA.

[JackhammerIV]

1. Is this reaper regneration confirmed? because that's just retarded.

2. I don't know what to think about the shredder.
Sounds interesting but i don't know enough about how it comes into play
(is it an ability or do you build it?)

3. How many mech walkers do the terrans need? the viking, the thor,
the battle hellion and the warhound? It doesn't even matter if they are good units or not.
Is terran mech just going to become infantry 2.0? Why not just make a unit that makes infantry better.
Here I'll think of one right now...
How about the Commando: it has an aura in which all infantry in it get plus 1 attack and defence worth of
upgrades up to a max of an additional 3 (so having 3 commandos plus all your upgrades makes an infantry
basically have 6 upgrades on attack and defence). Ya not perfect but certianly has some interesting potential.

4. Aside from above I think the way they have set up the various mechs roles is good.

5. I never liked the thor and probably never will. I also don't think the terrans should be the ones with a super unit.
but if blizzard really is going to keep it then I don't care what they do. Just make it work.

6. I didn't like what the mothership turned into so I can understand why they removed it. the only thing is,
with it and along with the carriers removal the protoss lack that presence in the air that
says "I'm brining out the big guns now." Which I find very weird. Personally I would have tried making the mothership work. Maybe give it a passive ability which prevents any air units from entering its aura. Then give it the planet cracker. And a bunch of shields/health. Then let the games begin.

7. The nexus abilities: ya they're fine.

8. The tempest: seems like a decent unit concept but I still think the protoss need a big gun in the air.

9. The oracle: I like it but I would rather if it was the observer 2.0 with cloaking/detection abilities

10. The Replicant: I don't know if I like this seems to me that the only units that you would ever make
with it are above 200/200. I'll wait on this one.

11. Baneling burrow: it seems blizzard wanted banelings to be more like spidermines. What they should have
done is just make it so that banelings pop up when enemies are close enough... you know like a mine.

12. I don't mind the overseer being removed... didn't seem like a fleshed out enough unit.

13. This ultralisk burrow-charge thing is just weird. I don't know what to think of it.

13. Viper: I think its a great unit. It's abilities/function fits very well with the swarm.
Two things though. A. I like the grab abiltiy but I think there should be a limit on unit size.
It just looks way too weird pulling those big units. or a graphical change. B. I like this
ability of giving random zerg units detection. One thing I think they could bring back because
of it is that old ghost ability of being able to detect detectors because now there would
be a real reason too as you won't be able to know which units you can sceak by or not.

14. Swarm Host: Love it. Fits the zerg perfectly, As the zerg advance up the tech tree
they should be able to spawn more and more units(rather than big units). its very similar
to the brood lord but i don't think it matters.
A while ago I did a thought experiment and came up with something very similar to this. I was thinking
that blizzard was going to try and make buildings more and more influencial in actual combat(which just
so happens to be true) but I was thinking that the zerg would get more buildings that function similar
to units (or units that function similar to buildings such as the lurker but i didn't think that would come back).
Anyways I thought of a building that could move like the sunken crawler and would spawn broodlings whenever enemies
were in range. So I was right. It's just a unit instead of a building. So I win.

2. It's a factory unit that costs 150/150. It does AOE in a radius around itself but only if no friendly units are in the radius. It needs to be deployed to activate this AOE that automatically attacks enemy units (as long as no friendly units are in the radius). Application would be deploying in front of siege tanks to rip apart zealots/lings trying to close in.

3. Bio for terran is fine where it is but mech was having issues in non TvT matchups. Especially TvP where mech is not very effective.

8. It's trying to be the air hard hitter for Protoss that the mothership/carrier could never be. May or may not work out. Depends on how good it is and how it functions.

11. I take it you mean burrow move banelings. Just a way to make baneling mines better.

[Aldrius]

What they should have
done is just make it so that banelings pop up when enemies are close enough... you know like a mine.

They can do that. The Baneling's Burrow can actually be autocast.

a) It does nothing against bioball or marine ball or death ball, it basically adds HP to an army and adds path finding problems to an attacking army.

I like the Swarm Host a lot, but I think the units it actually spawns ARE a bit of a problem. It's certainly not a terrible unit, though. Conceptually I think it's really strong, and suits the Zerg like a glove. Especially given the strength of the Brood Lord, I think this unit has a lot of promise.

...and the Zerg do have AoE. Ultralisks, Infestors, Mutalisks, Banelings... especially Banelings.

I'm actually really going to miss the Mothership. Never got much use out of it, but I always liked it's design. And I'm a big fan of the Arbiter actually.

[JackhammerIV]

I dunno which one of you are zerg players but the swarm host in my opinion is terrible. I heavily support the movable baneling, the Viper (amazing unit) and I think the best spell I've seen is ultralisk burrow charge, that is so much win it isn't even funny.

But Swarm host? Terrible idea.

a) It does nothing against bioball or marine ball or death ball, it basically adds HP to an army and adds path finding problems to an attacking army.

b) It doesn't allow for tactical gameplay, ie I can't set a trap of swarm hosts since they spawn these obvious swarmlings that tell everyone they are there.

c) They do no AoE damage, and again zerg is back to having no AoE damage. It's basically you're forced to use

Why is lurker a vastly superior unit?

You can group lurkers, meaning if they want to push further into your base, your lurkers are doing more damage.

You can do AoE damage even with just 1 lurker. With 1 swarm host, you can barely do much against a bunch of units. Like you actually do NO damage, and that is a big issue with Zerg in my opinion. Sometimes you can actually lose all your units and DO NO DAMAGE and all he had to do was stim and move backwards.

The biggest problem with Zerg is there are tactics that make you do absolutely no damage, and it's just frustrating when the other player literally does nothing and loses 2 marines.

That said however, I think the burrow charge in ultralisk is the best change in this game ever. Finally a guarantee that your units can do damage and that should've been the aim towards the new zerg units.

Corruptor change is just dumb IMO.

Just have to see how well the swarm hosts work. Don't forget they basically gave the Viper a Disruption Web ability. They probably imagined Vipers using the ability then running in Swarm hosts to deal damage. They might tweak the cooldown for releasing units to be faster.

[Wankey]

They can do that. The Baneling's Burrow can actually be autocast.



I like the Swarm Host a lot, but I think the units it actually spawns ARE a bit of a problem. It's certainly not a terrible unit, though. Conceptually I think it's really strong, and suits the Zerg like a glove. Especially given the strength of the Brood Lord, I think this unit has a lot of promise.

...and the Zerg do have AoE. Ultralisks, Infestors, Mutalisks, Banelings... especially Banelings.

I'm actually really going to miss the Mothership. Never got much use out of it, but I always liked it's design. And I'm a big fan of the Arbiter actually.

Stop kidding yourself. That's like saying the Hellion is an AoE unit of Terran.

The only AoE units in the game are siege tanks, colossus, psi storm and fungal.

But at the end of the day, I'm thinking that Burrow ultras will save the day. That just looks ridiculous, I can't wait to see burrow charge Ultras obliterating toss death balls.

I think the swarm host will mainly be used to hold positions. But they spawn units way too slow to be useful. Lots of balancing needs to happen I suppose.

And burrow charge needs to be a research option, not a insta spell.

[Aldrius]

Stop kidding yourself. That's like saying the Hellion is an AoE unit of Terran.

Um... they are?

[flabortast]

Perhaps the replicant can be used on you own units? Something like fast response counter? Like you need an extra immortal/stalker/void ray/etc.

[Skyline]

Early, Im afraid they took out Voidrays and Colossi. Thank Jesus these cool units are save..