Exercise 01: Establishing the Status Quo

[Visions of Khas]

Am I the only one who doesn't like Swann?

... Eh? I don't care for him. Take him or leave him.

I just like the thought of there being some parallels between Mengsk and Raynor. I want an epiphany moment for Raynor, like "I'm not Mengsk. THIS [good guy Raynor] is who I REALLY am." Kinda rediscovering himself.

Of course, depending on who you are, this could be either a good moment of character development, or an overused trope.

[Nissa]

... Eh? I don't care for him. Take him or leave him.

I just like the thought of there being some parallels between Mengsk and Raynor. I want an epiphany moment for Raynor, like "I'm not Mengsk. THIS [good guy Raynor] is who I REALLY am." Kinda rediscovering himself.

Of course, depending on who you are, this could be either a good moment of character development, or an overused trope.

I kinda think both. If Raynor has this moment, it needs to be really subtle. For me, it would work if Raynor has just saved a bunch of people, and then he smiles for the first time in a long time, and inwardly starts to feel like his life isn't a terrible waste. As in, nobody states in dialogue how Raynor is feeling. It is felt, but not shown.

[Visions of Khas]

For me, it would work if Raynor has just saved a bunch of people, and then he smiles for the first time in a long time, and inwardly starts to feel like his life isn't a terrible waste. As in, nobody states in dialogue how Raynor is feeling. It is felt, but not shown.

Naw, I was thinking an angelic pillar of light descends on Raynor with a beautiful orchestral score in the background. Complete with Gregorian chants.

But really, a quiet moment like that would be very impactful. I often like darker books and movies not because I'm emo, but because it makes small flickers of hope like that so much brighter and meaningful.

[GnaReffotsirk]

Where does Raynor begin? His state of mind, what does he want currently, what's plaguing him?

If that's not possible to nail down, here's a question:

Where or what is the deepest, darkest state or condition will we find Raynor in during the course of the story?

[Undeadprotoss]

Okay, so I also want to think about the Zerg. The main problem with the Zerg is their lack of characters. While I'm willing to believe that maybe a cerebrate went off into space to escape Kerrigan's wrath, we still need to figure out how to create Zerg characters that have any depth. This has literally been the problem with Starcraft since day one.

Kerrigan needs to have followers, so if you think of any good ones, by all means. In my own work, I introduced infested Protoss, but the problem is I had no way to distinguish them from the hybrids -- who I also hadn't well defined. In Sons of War, we had the early hybrids come in and try to use Kerrigan for their own purposes, but I wasn't entirely happy with that angle either.

Okay, so I'd like there to be a rebel cerebrate, for one. I like that genetics weaver dude (forgot his name at the moment), except for the fact he just so happened to be the one to turn Kerrigan. No. But for other servants....I'd like help.

How about a cult/brood of infested terrans that hail from the worlds most devastated by the First Contact War. These people have lost virtually everything, and as far as they are concerned, humanity's fundamental disadvantages; their technology which is inferior to that of the Protoss, and their inability too quickly train and support war-ready infantry like the Zerg can. Lead them to believe that the ultimate fate of Terrans in the sector is to be consumed by the Zerg or destroyed by the Protoss. They would rather not live an incredibly agonizing existence, under the constant threat of death, and choose to join the swarm as a means to ensure life.

[GnaReffotsirk]

My thoughts on the Zerg is very very different. I want it to reflect the emptiness of what Kerrigan has made for herself. At least with respect to the start of the narrative.

Remember she couldn't trust anyone, and Duran abandons her for no apparent reason. At least, in her perspective. Only the one cerebrate remained with her through Omega.

I have details on this, but it's tied up to the inciting incident, and I'm not ready for it to get hammered down by criticism.

Where it goes from there could be the creation of characters that will populate the positions held by cerebrates in the past.

[Undeadprotoss]

My thoughts on the Zerg is very very different. I want it to reflect the emptiness of what Kerrigan has made for herself. At least with respect to the start of the narrative.

Remember she couldn't trust anyone, and Duran abandons her for no apparent reason. At least, in her perspective. Only the one cerebrate remained with her through Omega.

I have details on this, but it's tied up to the inciting incident, and I'm not ready for it to get hammered down by criticism.

Where it goes from there could be the creation of characters that will populate the positions held by cerebrates in the past.

Maybe you should try the same approach that began with creating SC1? Make some drawings, just about stuff you think is genuinely compelling in regards to Starcraft, write some backstory, etc.

[ragnarok]

My thoughts on the Zerg is very very different. I want it to reflect the emptiness of what Kerrigan has made for herself. At least with respect to the start of the narrative.

Remember she couldn't trust anyone, and Duran abandons her for no apparent reason. At least, in her perspective. Only the one cerebrate remained with her through Omega.

I have details on this, but it's tied up to the inciting incident, and I'm not ready for it to get hammered down by criticism.

Where it goes from there could be the creation of characters that will populate the positions held by cerebrates in the past.

After the abandonment, Kerrigan should have tried to dig deeper for into on Duran. After all, until his disappearance, she thought he was her faithful servant.

[Visions of Khas]

Please tell me it has to do with the Overmind's khaydarin crystal. That thing's been begging to be picked up as a plot device.

[ragnarok]

Please tell me it has to do with the Overmind's khaydarin crystal. That thing's been begging to be picked up as a plot device.

You know I'm actually wondering just WHAT the Overmind was trying to do with that. All he said was that once you clear the Protoss temple and the crystal set in its place, he could become manifest. Did kind of wish the game would go into a bit more detail what the Overmind wanted to do with it.