Fantastic Critique on Starcraft 2 forums

[Shadow Archon]

Uh? What's so difficult? They asspulled the units. There's no explanation whatsoever of how Zeratul unlocks them, or even them been available, or used in the battle before, or nothing. All we know is that the Colossi are banned for use, and then 2 of them appear really easy as Zeratul approaches. That's not good storytelling, no matter what you guess it happened.

The info from the site says there back in use. Seemingly, there back in use before Zeratul arrived on Auir. How does that make it bad story telling anyways? It happened during game play. You know, the same thing from Starcraft 1 that has a city level in lore a space platform during gameplay. Why would Zeratul have to explain why they have a Colossi when we already know that Protoss are using them?

At the time, the Conclave outlawed the manufacture of colossi, and existing machines were deactivated before being sealed away in distant asteroids and uninhabited moons. Centuries later the war against the zerg has brought forth these engines of destruction to do battle once more.

We have no idea when they were brought back into service.

[Gradius]

In-game dialog can't be ignored away like tileset art differences or gameplay mechanics. It's a part of the story. :$

Also, we already knew manufacture of Colossi was prohibited. But those Colossi weren't manufactured, they came out of the sea, so that doesn't really answer Norf's question.

[Shadow Archon]

In-game dialog can't be ignored away like tileset art differences or gameplay mechanics. It's a part of the story. :$

We all seen the most fierce and important part of the whole battle. The Overmind had the greatest amount of Zerg surrounding it. If they weren't used there, they weren't used at all.

He is talking about gameplay there, not dialog.

Nothing says that the Colossi couldn't be around the Starcraft 1 era. It talks about them being brought back into action because of the war with the Zerg. It doesn't specify which war.

[Gradius]

I was talking about the dialog where Zeratul says the Colossi were sealed away beneath Aiur. The Colossi came out when Zeratul came to the site years later, therefore those Colossi were just sitting there during the SC1 era.

[drakolobo]

it is obvious that the colosus activated with a signal in unison after the Broodwar, only that the signal did not reach because the nexus Aiur were off

[Shadow Archon]

it is obvious that the colosus activated with a signal in unison after the Broodwar, only that the signal did not reach because the nexus Aiur were off

Is that from the Mothership short story?

I was talking about the dialog where Zeratul says the Colossi were sealed away beneath Aiur. The Colossi came out when Zeratul came to the site years later, therefore those Colossi were just sitting there during the SC1 era.

Are you absolutely sure?

[Norfindel]

He is talking about gameplay there, not dialog.

Nothing says that the Colossi couldn't be around the Starcraft 1 era. It talks about them being brought back into action because of the war with the Zerg. It doesn't specify which war.

No, Zeratul says "I heard many tales of the ancient Colossi", that means he didn't seen any before. Just play the mission again.

You just cannot say that the single player campaign is "gameplay". The single player campaign is as cannon as something can be. If you don't see any Colossi at all, then you need to at least show in a cinematic that they were actually used, if one is supposed to believe they were used.

Just imagine that SC1 and BW are part 1 of a movie, and SC2 is the second part, and this happends.

All the Protoss missions and dialog feel unconvincing, except the last one, i think that one was pretty cool.

it is obvious that the colosus activated with a signal in unison after the Broodwar, only that the signal did not reach because the nexus Aiur were off

That would be a very good explanation. It's a pity it's never used in the game. At the very least, Zeratul should have said "Colossi? But they were deactivated ages ago. How it's possible that they're active again?", that would had taken care of it. Characters don't really need to know what the hell is happening, just react in a way it's believable. If the character is seeing something unexpected, he should look surprised.

[Ghost_828]

I am inclined to agree with Norfindel. A simple Chekhov's gun would have sufficed, but what's done is done.

[mr. peasant]

No, Zeratul says "I heard many tales of the ancient Colossi", that means he didn't seen any before. Just play the mission again.

You just cannot say that the single player campaign is "gameplay". The single player campaign is as cannon as something can be. If you don't see any Colossi at all, then you need to at least show in a cinematic that they were actually used, if one is supposed to believe they were used.

Just imagine that SC1 and BW are part 1 of a movie, and SC2 is the second part, and this happends.

All the Protoss missions and dialog feel unconvincing, except the last one, i think that one was pretty cool.

I agree that the Colossi were never unleashed in SC1. However, they were definitely brought into play before SC2 began. Even the Tal'Darim use them. To me, this means that plans of reactivating them probably started during or shortly after SC1/BW; likely by the Conclave. This would explain how Zeratul would have heard about the machines without having actually seen them as well as their presence on Aiur.

[unknownone]

No, Zeratul says "I heard many tales of the ancient Colossi", that means he didn't seen any before. Just play the mission again.

You just cannot say that the single player campaign is "gameplay". The single player campaign is as cannon as something can be. If you don't see any Colossi at all, then you need to at least show in a cinematic that they were actually used, if one is supposed to believe they were used.

Just imagine that SC1 and BW are part 1 of a movie, and SC2 is the second part, and this happends.

All the Protoss missions and dialog feel unconvincing, except the last one, i think that one was pretty cool.


That would be a very good explanation. It's a pity it's never used in the game. At the very least, Zeratul should have said "Colossi? But they were deactivated ages ago. How it's possible that they're active again?", that would had taken care of it. Characters don't really need to know what the hell is happening, just react in a way it's believable. If the character is seeing something unexpected, he should look surprised.

The explanation to this problem is clearly written out in the dialogue, you can find it now in the story transcriptions http://sclegacy.com/feature/2-encycl...-liberty-story. The exact quote is this:


Zeratul
This ancient beacon still thrums with power. I wonder...

Zeratul
Ah! I've heard tales of the mighty colossi sealed away beneath Aiur! The beacon must have awoken these fearsome guardians!


So when Zeratul arrived on Aiur and got to the beacon, he activated it and that sent a signal of distress activating the Colossi. There aren't any colossi before SC2 because they were banned and sealed away by the Conclave, which doesn't exist anymore since BW. During those years between SC:BW and SC2 happens the video in which the Motherships are being activated and recalled. Maybe that signal of activation didn't get on Aiur because there weren't any active Nexuses (as suggested by drakolobo). From this story follows that protoss begin using new technology and Zeratul can have new units as stalkers on Aiur because he is warping them in from somewhere else (from where is never specified, any of the protoss worlds, the warp-in is a protoss mechanic since SC1).