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Starcraft2.com has been updated with the bio for Zeratul. Going over the events many fans know from StarCraft, it gives a look into his successes and failures. It also gives insight into the events that transpired around him at the conclusion of Brood War.

[quote]As part of her schemes, the Queen of Blades took control of the beloved protoss matriarch Raszagal. Zeratul later rescued the matriarch, but he found her to be irrevocably corrupted. Sorrowfully he took the matriarch's life to spare her from continuing as the plaything of the Queen of Blades. With her mind freed by the deathblow, Raszagal thanked him and named him as leader of the dark templar. Such an honor Zeratul felt unfit to take, his soul too scarred by his experiences.

For the moment he focused on a more immediate concern: contacting any other nearby protoss who had survived the Queen of Blades' treachery. Tracking protoss power signatures to an obscure moon, he hoped to reunite with his comrades and return to Shakuras with them in order to plan for the future. Instead of comrades, however, he found a former agent of the Queen of Blades -- the enigmatic Samir Duran -- engaged in breeding protoss/zerg hybrid creatures. Although Zeratul destroyed the facility, Duran claimed that it was merely one of many. Duran also revealed that he had been known by many names over the millennia and that he was not serving the Queen of Blades, but rather a "far greater power". Deeply troubled by what he had seen, Zeratul went into self-imposed exile with only a handful of followers at his side. He continued to seek answers for what manner of being Duran truly was, and what dark future he was working toward.[/quote]

From the campaign teaser and Lore Panel at BlizzCon last year, it is known that Zeratul will find some of the answers he is searching for. At this point though, only speculation exists on how or where those answers will come from.

Along with the biography, Starcraft2.com also has several new screenshots, both of Zeratul and some gameplay shots.

Source:
Starcraft2.com - Zeratul
Starcraft2.com - Screenshots

StarCraft: Legacy was proud to partake in "Karune's Challenge" during Blizzard's "I <3 SC" Contest. He decreed that if a fansite could produce 50 unique photo submissions from its members he would grant an exclusive Q&A to those sites! SC:L succeeded in our quest and here are the spoils of victory - 8 gameplay questions have been answered!

1) What is the current state of the Hydralisk? The current stats we have are tier 2-2.5, 100 minerals, 75 gas, 80-90 HP, and 8-10 dmg with no special abilities. Compared to the Roach, the Hydralisk appears inferior in every way, with it's only saving grace being GTA capability. However, because the Mutalisk is in the same tier, only slightly more expensive, and it can fly, the Hydralisk appears to be almost useless for such an iconic unit. (sclegacy.com)

Actually, the Hydralisk has since been boosted up quite a bit in terms of damage. They currently have 80 hit points and have a ground attack of 13 + 3 versus armored and an air attack of 12 + 5 versus armored. The Hydralisk also has a range of 6 and moves at a 'fast' speed, with no need to upgrade with the speed bonus anymore. Roaches on the other hand, only have an attack of 10, half the Hydralisk's range, and is slower to move as well. The new damage the Hydralisk is able to put out now makes it very dangerous, as Zerg players will be able to take out buildings with a pack of Hydras, with only a few volleys (same goes to Battlecruisers!). Nonetheless, they are extremely weak at 80 hit points, and thus need to always be protected. The new cost for Hydralisks are also 100 minerals and 100 gas.

Quite a bit of new information is divulged about some of the Zerg and the Terran's individual units and about their forces as a whole!

Karune, recently fielded a question on the Battle.net forums about the ability of a Ghost's Snipe attack to bring down an Ultralisk:

Snipe does a lot of damage to 'light armor' units that are biological. To an Ultralisk, it will do nearly nothing.

Apparently, there are limits - even for a telepath.

In addition, the SC:L team is excited to present our rendition of the Zerg technology tree. Since the game is still in flux we cannot guarantee 100% accuracy but nevertheless we endeavored to make it as accurate as currently possible.

Sources:
StarCraft: Legacy's StarCraft II Exclusive Q&A with Karune
Battle.net - Sniping Ultralisks?For the Love of a Game - StarCraft 10 Year Anniversary - "I <3 SC" Contest
"I <3 SC Fansite Contest
"I <3 SC"

Update: Karune comments on StarCraft II's art in response to the criticism of the latest screenshot:

While viewing new screenshots, keep in mind, the Art Team is still polishing the races and still have a lot of work to be done. Even since the Terran reveal, you can see there has been a lot of work still done to them. While just looking at the Siege Tank, it got a redesign, as well as another pass to add 'grit' and realism, and as seen in this latest screenshot, another pass of 'grit' and Terran decals, as well as further contrast and details added to it.

If you're not happy with a unit, there is a high probability that the unit will still be getting art updates. If you're already think the unit is awesome, there is even more chance of it becoming more awesome before the game comes out. Personally, I thought the Siege Tank was already pretty sweet after the last art pass, but wow, this latest round is just going above and beyond.

There is still much to be done, for all three races.

Today, Blizzard updated StarCraft2.com with its first planet: Char. This volcanic planet has been the fixing point of many imaginations; and rightly so, several of StarCraft's major plots have their origins here.

Many technical aspects of the planets are being revealed as well.

    * Population: Est. 10,000,000,000+ zerg
    * Allegiance: Swarm
    * Diameter/Gravity: 10,521 km, 0.91 standard
    * Axial Tilt/Climate: 4.1 degrees, +/- 48 Centigrade (average, peaks of 800C+), very low humidity
    * Geography/Major Settlements: 52 volcanic caldera, 18 mountain chains (all volcanic), 38 lava lakes, 5 lava seas (variable), estimated 150 primary zerg hive clusters, estimated 1029 tertiary zerg hive clusters
    * Moon(s): 2 -- Eris, Ate (purple, small sized >1000 km dia)
    * Dominant Terrain Classification: Volcanic
    * Dominant Life Forms: Zerg
    * Indigenous Life Forms: None
    * Imports: None
    * Exports: None

This type of lore gives a more realistic feel to the StarCraft universe.

In addition we find out that Char was actually one of the 13 Confederate core worlds:

When these disputes escalated into open conflict, some of the bitterest battles of the Guild Wars took place on Char as both sides attempted to secure the planet. In areas like Death Valley and Glass Flats, unrestrained use of nuclear weapons awoke slumbering volcanoes into fiery new life and pushed the already heavily irradiated surface to levels that were lethal even for armored marines.

In the aftermath of the Guild Wars, the Confederacy presence on the devastated planet was limited to a few maintenance teams for automated mining sites.

The name of Char's primary space platform is also revealed:

All personnel lived on a space platform, Char Aleph, which was built in near orbit over the planet.
...
Char Aleph was also infested and began serving the zerg as an orbital nesting site and hatchery.

Presumably, this platform was the site of the battle of Omega and the same platform as described in StarCraft: Hybrid.

Along with this wonderful information pertaining to the volcanic planet of Char, the site has also added two other pieces of artwork and a new screenshot:

Karune has elaborated on some of the models in the newly-released screenshot:

The green spidery-like building on the top left is the new art for the Baneling Nest, the prerequisite building to morph Zerglings into Banelings. The new art in the middle is the Infestor Pit, which allows Infestors to be built. Infestor upgrades are also available at that building.

As you can see, the Terran Jackals no longer have a single front wheel tire, but instead have two, giving it more of a 'buggy-like' feel.

Source:
StarCraft2.com - Char

Karune strikes again with this week's Q&A batch; enjoy.

This week we have launched the 3rd episode of BlizzCast, featuring an interview with the Lead Designer of StarCraft II about the Evolution of the Zerg from the original StarCraft to StarCraft II. Be sure to check that out here:
[url]http://www.blizzard.com/blizzcast/[/url]

Also, I've been curious - would you guys prefer having these Q&A Batches (multiple answered and added into a consolidated release) or would you rather these 4-7 questions be spread out across the forums in pertinent threads on battle.net? I have been doing a bit of both, but would love to get your feedback on it, to make it easiest for you to follow up on the latest updates in regards to the development of StarCraft II.

---StarCraft II Q&A Batch 40---

1. By the current look of the game with spectacular death animations you could worry that you can get slightly distracted by dead units while playing. You could for example waste precious APMs (Actions per minute) trying to click on a spliced Space Marine that you thought was still alive. The wrecks of some larger units or deaths for some others could block your sight in-game too. Could this fear be a real issue and will there be the option to toggle down these model details in the settings? (gamereplays.org)

Yes, this is an issue we are looking into. For multiplayer, we want to make absolutely sure that players can clearly see visually what is happening on the battlefield. Currently, we are looking to have different types of death animations available for multiplayer than will be present for the single player campaign. A lot of people do still love watching intricate death animations when not in a competitive scene.

2. Battlecruisers do employ more than one gunner right? So will they be able to attack both air and ground at the same time? (sc2pod.com)

Battlecruisers will only be able to attack one unit at a time.

3. What happens with the units inside a Nydus Worm if it gets killed? Considering it can carry 255 units, would they all die? (sc2pod.com)

Units inside the Nydus network will only die when all entrance/exits are killed. This includes the Nydus Warren building, the prerequisite to build Nydus Worms, as it also acts as an entrance and exit to the Nydus network. Nydus Worms that are not deployed as an entrance/exit will not count as an entrance/exit to the network.

4. So far the map editor seems to be a very powerful tool which doesnt constrain the map makers creativity at all. Will it even be possible to edit critical abilities like path finding? If so, there would be really no limits, or at least none we can imagine at this point. (starcraft2.4players.de)

Pathfinding, the method in which a unit will determine how to move, is handled by code, and will not be able to be edited within the map editor. Nonetheless, map makers will be able to edit things such as footprints, speed, and the size of units, which will affect the movement rates of units.

5. Why were Plasma Torpedoes added to the Battlecruiser when the Banshee has virtually the same attack? (starcraft2.com.au)

The Battlecruiser no longer has Plasma Torpedoes that hit ground. Instead, they can be equipped with a Missile Barrage which will be an air-to-air area of effect attack ability. This ability will make the Battlecruiser even more effective against lightly armored air units, as the attack also gets additional damage points versus light armored units.

6. In SC: BW we have terrain bonuses for units, for example standing behind a tree or being on higher ground while shot from lower. Are you keeping or maybe even improving such this feature and what happens with large units that are more massive (Thor) or simply larger (Colossus) than a tree or even a cliff? (broodwar.de)

Terrain bonuses are no longer present in StarCraft II. Instead, line of sight will be vastly more important. For instance, units firing from a higher ground will not be able to be seen by ground units without line of sight vision, and thus the ground units will not be able to fire back.

7. If a Zerg player corrupts a Dropship/Medivac, will they get control of the units inside? - Luddite (teamliquid.net)

No, the unit's contents will be destroyed when it becomes corrupted.

---End of Transmission---

Later in the Battle.net thread Karune addresses a poster's concern over SC II's lack of bonus damage for high terrain that was present in SC:

I'm not completely sure to which features you are referring to, but in general, features are a tool to shape the gameplay of a game. Features may be good or bad, depending on its effects on the game. Not all features fit your design goals. For instance, multiplayer is about competition. Random factors like a random % of missing based on terrain is not optimal for a balanced competitive game (similarly chess does not have random factors involved when a player wins or losses). On the other hand, in single player, our goal is to immerse the player into the StarCraft world. Here is where the details that add to the story and immersion really count! Thus, there will be LOTS of content not seen in the multiplayer, as well as animations, heroes, additional units, and more...

He also attempts to answer this follow-up question:

The more I think about this the more it has me worried. Take the map Lost Temple as an example. It was common for players to wall their choke ramp with first tier units to prevent their bases from being breached. In SC2, does this mean the players wouldn't even be able to climb that ramp unless they have detection or air units to see at the top of the ramp?

Know what I mean?

This is true, though in StarCraft II, there are more units that are able to give you sight in those situations (Reapers, Medivac Dropships, Colossi, Banshees, Sensor Towers (to let you know units are on cliffs), Overseers, as well as older units including Observers, Terran's Scan, and others).

Furthermore, new abilities like Anti-Gravity help break the choke points, as well as more incentives to build dropships for Terran, Phase Prisms for Warp-In, and Nydus Worms to unload your whole army in a place that bypasses well defended positions.

On top of that, the better pathing in StarCraft II allow units to get to where you want them to go much faster, such as up ramps and around units.

Source:
Karune's StarCraft II Q&A Batch 40

StarCraft II Q&A Batch Archive - Batch 40

For ten years now, speculation has run rampant in the comunity over the enigma that is Samir Duran. And since Duran first cast his dubious shadow over the StarCraft universe, novels and scraps of information from the Blizzard team has indicated that he is only the tip of the iceberg. Now, with StarCraft II in development and the Xel'Naga riding its wave back into existence, it seems that iceberg has drifted close.

StarCraft:Legacy has created an editorial with all the clues we have to the greater mysterious surrounding the Xel'Naga, Duran, and his mysterious Hybrids, and with this has prepared a theory linking them together. In StarCraft: Legacy's article, read up on what has been happening in the ten years since the game itself was first released, and what we think these events could mean for the storyline.

Source: Storyline Projection - Hybrids Rising

Update:

Karune has replied with some followups:

Something worth clarifying in these answers is that if a Nydus Worm is destroyed, the units that are loaded inside will not be destroyed. Think of each Nydus Worm as an opening in a system of tunnels created by the Nydus Worm. If you lose all openings to this tunnel system, you will then lose all units in that tunnel system. With multiple Nydus Worms, this opens up a lot of deadly strategies for Zerg, to virtually be in many different places very quickly.

Some players may open up multiple Nydus Worm holes in an enemy base in order to ensure they can get as many units out as fast as possible (since the Nydus Worms themselves have very little hitpoints). Other players may opt to open up a Nydus Worm on opposite sides of an opponent's base or between his main base and his expansion, to jump his army back and forth between the two openings with little transition time.

The more the merrier. Very Zergish.

Q u o t e:

When a nydus worm surfaces, and after releasing its troops, does it become a back and forth instant transport system similar to the nydus cannal in SC1? Or in other words, is it a 2 way road?[/INDENT]
It is a 2 way transport, allowing units to both move in and out.

Q u o t e:

After being deployed and releasing troops, is the nydus fixed forever in its spot, or can it move again?

The Nydus Worm can repack up and move again. To change the Nydus Worm from its stationary mode to mobile mode, there will be a delay, which will be subject to balance.

It seems like the Nydus Worm works like a mobile Nydus Canal from SC:BW. It's also worth noting it's similarities to the currently mobile Zerg defenses.

Source:
Battle.net StarCraft II Forum Thread

Blizzard's Community Manager, Karune, recently answered an exclusive set of questions from StarCraftCZ due to their success in gathering I <3 SC pictures. The questions are mostly Zerg centric, with a particularly in-depth question regarding Banelings, but also interesting information regarding Protoss heal mechanics and Ghost abilities.

1) How many units can Nydus Worm and Phase Prism transport (does it depend to number of units or population)? Is it possible to load Zerg defensive buildings to Nydus Worm? That means loading Sunken Colony to Nydus Worm, burrowing and getting into enemy Zerg base, unloading and taking roots in enemy creep.

The Nydus will be able to transport as many as can be selectable (which is currently 255). Phase Prisms will be able to transport the same amount of units as the transport from the original StarCraft. Zerg defensive buildings will not be able to be transported in a Nydus Worm.

The ability to move as large an army as is possible in one transport is an original concept. Most RTS's do not allow transport units to contain more than a small force for balance issues. Quite how Blizzard will manage to keep the ability to deposit an army anywhere on the map from becoming overpowered remains to be seen.

2) Does the terrain in the game affect damage which deal shooting units? E.g. shooting down of cliff, hiding behind the trees...

Terrain will not affect damage, but will affect line of sight. Without LOS (line of sight), you will not be able to fire back at enemy units with LOS on your units.

3) Can Baneling explode at command? (for the best using damage radius, for killing cloaked units) Does a killed Baneling explode? Can it be actived like a mine? (it'll automatically explode when enemy unit gets closer) How can (immobile) Baneling hurt air units while they're lifted up by Nullifier's Anti-Gravity ability?

Banelings will not be able to explode on command. They will only explode on contact with an enemy unit or by a unit killing it. If Banelings are lifted up by Anti-Gravity and an air unit kills the Baneling, it will do damage to air units- which will be highly effectively against light units such as Mutalisks.

The LOS issue is exactly the same mechanic as the original StarCraft. However, the Baneling information is quite detailed for a single question. Even with this information, it will still be easy to use Banelings as "landmines", unborrowing them in the middle of an enemy force and allowing them to shoot the banelings for self-inflicted explosive death.

4) How complicated will it be to destroy Nydus Worm while moving?

In the current build, Nydus Worms are able to be seen while traversing the terrain. You do not need a detector to be able to see it traveling.

5) Is there some method in SC2, how Protoss can replenish their HP or shields or will they have to wait? Will Shield Battery replenish shields for buildings?

The Protoss will not be able to replenish their hit points unless they have allied Medivac Dropships healing them.

6) Does the Drop-pod's falling hurt units/buildings in place of falling?

The Drop Pods ability has been removed from the Ghost in multiplayer.

7) Are Reapers, while flying, considered ground or air unit?

Reapers are still considered ground units when they are jumping up and down from cliffs.

8) How does the final mosaic of I <3 SC contest look like? When will we able to see it, how many pictures is it in sum? What are its proportions?

This will be out very soon. Keep checking the I <3 SC page for updates.

The gameplay answers in these questions are mostly basic. The continuing information relating to the difference between skirmish/multiplayer and, one would assume, the single player campaign is interesting. I would hope that these "dumped" mechanics will be implimented into certain missions to allow for an original experience from mission to mission. Also, feel free to check out the StarCraft Legacy I <3 SC gallery while you wait for the official Blizzard mosaic.

The StarCraft Legacy set of exclusive questions for our own achievements during the I <3 SC will be available soon, so keep your eyes peeled and on us.

Source:
StarCraftCZ Exclusive Q&A

Tokyopop has updated its store section with more information about their new StarCraft manga entitled Starcraft: Frontline Volume 1. Mystery has been shrouding the storyline of the manga, but no longer. Thanks to Blizzplanet the veil has been lifted and the four part storyline has been revealed:

StarCraft: Frontline Volume 1
The brutal, dark and fascinating world of StarCraft comes alive in this collection of never-before-seen thrilling adventures.

Thundergod
Story: Richard A. Knaak
Art: Naohiro Washio

In a story by Richard Knaak, a Thor driver's ego leads him and two partners to try to pull off a heist in the middle of a war zone.

Heavy Armor, Pt 1
Story: Simon Furman
Art: Jesse Elliott

A Viking pilot must battle his mentor--for the lives of an entire colony. Dogfight/mecha combat w/ a psychological/strategic edge.

Weapon of War
Story: Paul Benjamin and Dave Shramek
Art: Hector Sevilla

A psionic six-year-old boy is at the center of a conflict between a Terran mining colony and the Zerg--and the Marines and miners must decide whether to shelter the boy, kill him, or use him against their attackers.

Why We Fight
Story: Josh Elder
Art: Ramanda Karmaga

In this profoundly moving introduction to the StarCraft universe, the three species in StarCraft are examined--and what drives their war for survival will shock and awe.

MSRP: $10.99
PAGES: 192
ISBN: 1-4278-0721-3
EAN: 978-1-4278-0721-2

AVAILABLE: 08.01.2008

Source:
Blizzplanet - StarCraft: Frontline Manga
Tokyopop - StarCraft: Frontline Volume 1

Update: Karune has added a very interesting question to the batch talking about the inclusion of new races via the map editor, bringing the number of questions up to an astounding nine.

Karune has just released the latest Q&A batch of the Map Maker series. Included is a chat with StarCraft II's map editor designer Brett Wood.

As development for StarCraft II moves forward, so is the Map Editor for StarCraft II. We have no doubt that there will be countless awesome mods created for StarCraft II, so we want to make sure your Map Editor questions are definitely not left out of the Q&As. Keep the questions pouring in!

Also, in Batch 38, it was mentioned that Sunken and Spore colonies could move and plant off of Creep while also taking damage when not on Creep. To update, Zerg defenses will not be able to plant off of Creep.

Chat with Devs: Batch 39 focuses on the development of StarCraft IIs Map Editor and I got a chance to chat with our Map Editor Designer, Brett Wood. Brett was able to answer quite a few of our community map editors below. Furthermore, he wanted to also add that the StarCraft II Map Editor will improve upon the World Editor from Warcraft III in every way, with several new features such as having all abilities in the game being data driven. Brett Wood elaborates here on what it means for all data in the game to be data driven:

[Brett Wood] Lets say you have a cool idea for an implosion type of ability that will rapidly shrink down a targeting unit, then cause an energy shockwave that damages all nearby units within a certain area. Since there is no standard ability with a shrink-down effect, in Warcraft III youd have to resort to some fancy trigger work to achieve this effect. In StarCraft II, this kind of effect can be set up completely in the data files, and you could make the entire ability without having to use any triggers or scripting at all. Generally speaking, setting up abilities and effects will be easier through data customization than using triggers, although there will definitely be a learning curve there as well.

As always, feel free to give the Dev Team and I a w00t if you are enjoying the Q&As!

---StarCraft II Q&A Batch 39: Map Maker Series---

1) Will the new map editor support placing of traps, doors, and other things commonly referred to as doodads in unorthodox situations? (ie doors, auto guns, wall traps in a jungle map)

Yes, any object defined in the data files can be placed on the map, regardless of which tileset it is normally associated with.

2) Will the new map editor support extended upgrade values? (ie, 30 upgrades)

Yes, upgrades are arbitrarily extendable, as they were in Warcraft III. In addition, upgrades will now be downgradeable via triggers as well (by using a negative value), which was a very common request in Warcraft III.

3) Will the new editor still support all the other ideas currently implemented in StarEdit?

This question is a bit vague. As far as I know, everything the original StarCraft could do, StarCraft II can do.

4) What additional features will the new editor have?

How much time have you got? Very broadly speaking, the biggest improvements over Warcraft III will be found in the data editor, where literally every game database file is exposed for modification, and in the trigger dditor, which now features the ability to define custom functions and libraries. That said, virtually every aspect of the editor has at least some improvements over Warcraft III/StarCraft.

5) Do you plan to take ideas from third party programs and update the editor frequently to meet the demands of the map making community?

Absolutely. We are very much committed to supporting the map/mod community as much as possible, and well be keeping an eye on the forums and updating the editor as often as we can to incorporate new suggestions.

6) Will be a tool to transfer WC3 models to SC2? (battle.net) -Ragnarok_X

No, there will not be, as StarCraft II is built with a totally new engine.

7) Given that we know the Roach regenerates faster than normal, will players be able to change the regeneration rates for Zerg units? (battle.net) DrakeClawfang

Yes, all regeneration rates can be easily changed.

8) Will players be able to give units Protoss shields or Zerg regeneration that don't normally have them? ie, a regenerating Zealot, a Ghost with shields, etc. (battle.net) DrakeClawfang

Yes, you could create a Roach-Zealot hybrid if you would like. Many passive abilities can be interchanged similarly.

9) Is the new StarCraftII map editor able to make our own 4th race by combining 3 races different looking and ability etc. together? even more combining with some new units from the editor? (battle.net) -cS)beta

Yes, custom races are fully supported, including the ability to choose them from the game lobby while playing melee maps, as long as the mod defining the race is loaded.

I'm sure you guys will love that :) I know I'm excited!

--End of Transmission---

Even though we will not be able to import Warcraft 3 models, it is good to know that the StarCraft II engine is authentic. With the editor always being improved upon and the developers always listening to our suggestions, the community will not be as reliant on third-party applications.

Source:
Karune's StarCraft II Q&A Batch 39: Map Maker Series

StarCraft II Q&A Batch Archive - Batch 39

Update: The tickets for the World Wide Invitational have been sold out. However, be sure to check the WWI Website and StarCraft: Legacy for updates and coverage.

If you're still interested in attending this year's WWI in Paris, France but don't yet have a ticket, here is your second chance.

We're pleased to announce that additional tickets for the 2008 Blizzard Entertainment Worldwide Invitational will be available on the Worldwide Invitational website from Thursday, the 29th of May, onwards.

This year's Worldwide Invitational will be held here in Europe, at the Porte de Versailles Exposition Centre in Paris, France, on the 28th and 29th of June. Both days of the event will feature a variety of activities including hands-on play with the latest versions of World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King and StarCraft II, the chance to meet Blizzard executives and developers in discussion panels and signing sessions, participate in community tournaments, dance, costume and machinima contests, watch top eSports competitors from around the world play in exciting invitational tournaments and much more! Tickets are priced at 70 ‚Ç¨ / ¬£55 for the two-day event and can be purchased by credit or debit card.

You can find additional information about the event on our official website, including a comprehensive F.A.Q. and an interactive map of Paris, France, where the Worldwide Invitational will take place. Don't miss out on your chance to experience two days of Blizzard in one of Europe's most renowned and remarkable cities.

Please note that you must be 16 years or above to attend the Worldwide Invitational, unless accompanied by a consenting parent, guardian or responsible adult of 18 years or above. The event is open to attendees of ages 4 years and above.

If you can make it to Paris for the 28th and 29th make sure you attend this awesome event! If you can't - fear not; there'll be several SC:L Staff members attending to bring you the best coverage on the web!

Sources:
Additional 2008 WWI Tickets on Sale

Today Blizzard rolled out the Baneling unit page on StarCraft2.com:

The Baneling is a pretty unique unit for StarCraft II, being the only one to actually harm itself in damage dealing. The mechanic was in place in the original of course, in the form of the Infested Terran - unfortunately useless in 99% of situations. The balance of a unit like this will be particularly difficult, but very rewarding for players. StarCraft: Legacy foresees some hilarious incidents involving burrowed Banelings.

Here's what the site has to say about this new suicide bomber.

The baneling is a creature so bloated with fluid-filled sacs that it can barely walk; instead, it moves itself by tucking into a tight ball and rolling. However, this ungainly appearance belies the fact that the baneling is an extremely dangerous organism, one of several new zerg specialists recently seen on the battlefield. When a baneling gets close enough to an enemy, the creature triggers a reaction within its volatile chemical payload that causes it to explode with devastating force and shower the immediate surroundings with searing acid. The baneling is destroyed in the explosion, which is very likely to inflict a huge amount of damage.

These living bombs are highly effective against both structures and ground forces; in fact, a clutch of them is capable of wiping out a group of vehicles and infantry in the blink of an eye. The banelings' lethality is further enhanced by the zerg predilection for burrowing. An apparently safe area can soon turn into a deathtrap as these monstrosities emerge and roll into the midst of their foes, giving them virtually no time to react.

At first the baneling was identified as an unstable zerg mutation of an unspecified genus. Subsequent observations have revealed it to be a morph of the zergling, the most numerous zerg subtype. Zerglings have been seen entering a brief chrysalis phase before emerging in their new form. This alarming development has demonstrated the advanced ability of the zerg queens to manipulate their offspring. Although the baneling is chemically volatile and unstable enough to explode at any time, the queens have engineered a morph that can contain its energies until just the right moment. By creating the baneling out of the most basic of zerg fighters, the queens have also ensured that an inexhaustible supply of raw materials is available for the task.

Terran commanders now train their troops to watch for these abominations. In the meantime, scientists are desperately trying to develop chemical rounds that will cause banelings to detonate before they reach terran lines.

Four screenshots came with the update: