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"[B]Karune[/B] has recently revealed alot of information regarding [I]StarCraft II[/I], perhaps as a substitute for a Q&A Batch.

Here, Karune discusses how the Reaper can be used in conjunction with the rest of the Terran infantry:
[QUOTE=Karune][COLOR=""DeepSkyBlue""]Reapers can be used with your army of Marines and/or Marauders as well, as they do extra damage to light. The biggest challenge will be keeping them protected, as they don't have many hit points. If the player is able to do that, the Reapers tear through most light units including Zealots and Zerglings.[/COLOR][/QUOTE]

Karune then mentions that damage from Creep will not stack up or affect enemy Zerg buildings:
[QUOTE=Karune][COLOR=""DeepSkyBlue""]No, creep damage does not currently stack. At the moment, creep does 3 damage per second to an enemy structure. The rate of damage is of course subject to further balance.[/COLOR][/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=Karune][COLOR=""DeepSkyBlue""]Creep will not do damage to enemy Zerg buildings.[/COLOR][/QUOTE]

Units under a Dark Swarm will not be affected by a Ghost's Snipe ability:
[QUOTE=Karune][COLOR=""DeepSkyBlue""]Units under Dark Swarm do not take damage from Snipe in the current build of the game.[/COLOR][/QUOTE]

Karune then discusses the Swarm Guardian and its ability to create Broodlings upon attacking a target:
[QUOTE=Karune][COLOR=""DeepSkyBlue""]The Swarm Guardian is similar to the original Guardian, acting as a flying long range siege unit. In addition, the attacks also spawn Broodlings upon hitting the target, which do additional damage to the enemy, lasting only a few seconds.[/COLOR][/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=Karune][COLOR=""DeepSkyBlue""]To clarify, the Guardian's attack does not add a DoT (Damage over time) on the targeted unit. The targeted unit will take damage from the attack and then two Broodlings will spawn adjacent to that targeted unit every time the Guardian attacks. Each Broodling acts as an independent unit, controllable, and killable. Over a few seconds, the Broodlings will die on their own. With just a few Swarm Guardians, you can create an army of Broodlings upon your enemy in mere seconds. Nonetheless, these Broodlings do little damage and have little hit points - but with enough, it will definitely force your enemy to retreat.[/COLOR][/QUOTE]

Broodlings still spawn when a Swarm Guardian attacks buildings:
[QUOTE=Karune][COLOR=""DeepSkyBlue""]They spawn when you attack buildings as well.[/COLOR][/QUOTE]

Next, Karune discusses the turtling strategy in [I]StarCraft II[/I].  The Protoss Mothership also has a new ability similar to recall:
[QUOTE=Karune][COLOR=""DeepSkyBlue""]Overall, 'turtling' is a bit harder in [I]StarCraft II[/I] since every race has new ways to keep them mobile. Terrans will likely have more Dropships than before, since they double up as medics. Zerg has the Nydus Worm, allowing whole armies to be transported to a set location. Lastly, Protoss has 'Warp-In' along with the newest version of the Mothership, which is slower, more hardy (in terms of hit points), and allows for the player to teleport a whole army to its location.

Nonetheless, looking at the three races, Terrans are still relatively the best for a 'turtling' strategy. In the current build, Terran Siege Tanks's AoE (Area of Effect) attack have 13 range (more than twice the range of a Marine) against ground units, and Thors' AoE attack have 10 range. Getting an army of both is quite expensive- though if you can build the momentum, it is quite difficult to stop this ranged combination.[/COLOR][/QUOTE]

Lastly, Karune clarifies the role of the Thor:
[QUOTE=Karune][COLOR=""DeepSkyBlue""]The Thor will primarily be an anti-air unit, but will also be able to attack ground units as well. The Thor will not be cost effective against air unless the enemy move in tight groups.[/COLOR][/QUOTE]

[B]Sources:[/B]
[URL=""http://www.battle.net/forums/thread.aspx?fn=sc2-general&t=1176204&tmp=1#post1176204""]Battle.net - The Reaper?[/URL]
[URL=""http://www.battle.net/forums/thread.aspx?fn=sc2-general&t=1176214&tmp=1#post1176214""]Battle.net - Does Creep Damage Stack?[/URL]
[URL=""http://www.battle.net/forums/thread.aspx?fn=sc2-general&t=1176285&tmp=1#post1176285""]Battle.net - Snipe and Dark Swarm?[/URL]
[URL=""http://www.battle.net/forums/thread.aspx?fn=sc2-general&t=1176307""]Battle.net - Guardians?[/URL]
[URL=""http://www.battle.net/forums/thread.aspx?fn=sc2-general&t=1176244""]Battle.net - Is Terran Turtling Going to Be as Powerful[/URL]"

Update: Karune has replied to this list of requirements with the following comment:

Many fan sites are mirroring an article published by a Spanish Magazine called Micromania. To clarify, all system specifications made in that article are only speculations and are not official system specification for StarCraft II at all.

Like all Blizzard games, we aim to have a vast majority of PC owners to be able to run StarCraft II, but there are no official optimal or minimum specifications for the game at this time.

The Spanish gaming magazine Micromania has an article on StarCraft II in their latest issue. In this article we are, for the first time, enlightened on the current system requirements.

Minumum Requirements
GFX: GeForce 7/8 Series or Radeon 1000/2000 with 256 MB RAM
CPU: Pentium 4
RAM: 1 GB
Internet: ADSL 1 Mbit

Recommended Requirements
GFX: GeForce 8000 or Radeon 2000 series with 512 MB RAM
CPU: Core 2 Duo or Athlon X2.
RAM: 2 GB
Internet: ADSL 3 Mbit

Optimal Requirements
GFX: Geforce 9000er or Radeon 3000er Series
CPU: Core 2 Duo 3 GHz or Athlon X2
RAM: 2GB with DualChannel mode


StarCraft II is at the moment in it's alpha phase, and it is possible that the system requirements could change before the release.

These requirements are vague at the moment, but that's expected at this point. They're also a bit higher than most of us foresaw, but they are very much in league with modern games.

Sources:
StarCraft II Source.de - Newspost
StarCraft II Source.de - Scan

"[color=red][b]Update:[/b][/color] [b]Karune[/b] has posted a bit more information about the apparent strength of the Roach:

[quote=Karune][color=""DeepSkyBlue""]Psi Storm hits both ground and air. Also, I wanted to add to question 1 that Roaches seem very strong with their regeneration, but with even a little bit of micro management, they are pretty easy to kill. In theory crafting, they seem much stronger than they actually are, though you must counter them with either very specific units or spend additional micromanagement time on them. Siege Tanks, Stim Packed Marines, Stalkers, Immortals, Dark Templars, Hydras, and any air to ground unit, are all effective at killing Roaches with a little micromanagement.[/color][/quote]

Blizzard definitely seems to have a special niche in mind for the Roach.  The list of units that can counter it include several core units in each factions military.  Hopefully this means players won't have to go out of their way just to defend against a Roach attack.

[b]Karune[/b] is back this week with Q&A 38.  While still no new screenshots, he does answer a variety of questions, including one from SC:L.

[quote=Karune][color=""DeepSkyBlue""] We have a traditional Q&A Batch this time around, in which we were able to add in additional questions from the community! There are still several art changes which prevent new screenshots from being shown, but once we get them out, they will be worth the wait! The development team has also been experimenting with many upgrades for all sides, which we'll also be updating the community on as testing progresses.

---[color=""white""][b]StarCraft II Q&A Batch 38[/b][/color]---

[color=""white""][b]1. If the Roach is hit by any spell like ""plague"" or ""psi storm,"" something that reduces hit points per second, will this be negated by its HP regeneration, or result in fewer hit points gained per second for the duration of the spell?[/b][/color] (sclegacy.com)

To clarify, a Roach regenerates at a set rate and Psi Storm does a set amount of damage at intervals in the area of effect. Put that Roach under a Psi Storm in the current build for the full duration and the Roach will have approximately 50% of its original health after the Psi Storm is over. With a new upgrade ability at the Hive which allows the Roach to have an even more increased regeneration rate, the Roach will emerge from a full duration of Psi Storm at approximately 80% of its original health.

[color=""white""][b]2. Will Starcraft 2's heroes showcase new models for each hero, or will SCII follow in SC:BW's footsteps, leaving heros as normal units with improved stats?[/b][/color] (starcraft.org)

StarCraft II Heroes will have unique models in game, which will be different than standard units.

[color=""white""][b]3. Will the ranking/experience system that Terran units used to have be available in the Map Editor as on option in Starcraft 2?[/b][/color] (starcraft.org)

We will try to have this feature in.

[color=""white""][b]4. Will it be possible to change (cancel, tie up, etc.) alliance during multiplayer game?[/b][/color] (starcraftcz.com)

Yes, players will be able to have all the original diplomacy features as the original StarCraft and possibly a few extras in regards to controlling units and spending ally resources.

[color=""white""][b]5. Will StarCraft 2 feature new map tile sets and will any from StarCraft be removed?[/b][/color] Reiko.Cry (wgtour.com)

Many of the original map tile sets such as Mar Sara, Char, Shakuras, and Space Platform will be back in StarCraft II, as well as a few additional ones including a new Shattered City tile set.

[color=""white""][b]6. What creature did the Zergling gain the inspiration to evolve into a Baneling from?[/b][/color] (starcraft2.com.au)

The idea of the Baneling didnt actually come from a certain creature. In actuality, it started from the need of something to fill the role of a ground-based, area-of-effect, suicide unit. To give added versatility to the Zergling, they had the Baneling evolve from the Zergling at tier 1 in current builds. For a suicide unit, the art team then took that idea and created a creature with huge sacs of volatile liquids, which you can see on the Banelings in StarCraft II screenshots.

[color=""white""][b]7. Can you provide more details on the Reaper's mine ability? How much damage does it do? Is it effective vs. both units and buildings? Is it detectable without stealth detection? What's the cooldown on it?[/b][/color] - Solesteeler (teamliquid.net)

The Reapers mines currently do 30 damage plus 30 additional damage to armored units (including buildings). These mines are not stealthed, have a 30 second cooldown period between uses, and are definitely small enough to make focus firing on them very difficult. In the current build, an upgrade is needed to allow the use of mines by Reapers.

[color=""white""][b]8. Are the Zerg Sunken and Spore Colonies capable of moving out of the bounds of creep?[/b][/color] Elsoron (battle.net)

Yes, they are able to move and plant themselves outside of the creeps boundary. Keep in mind that all Zerg buildings not in the boundaries of creep will slowly degenerate and eventually die. Creep which moves into an enemy base will also damage enemy buildings at a slow rate as well, allowing for new types of creep pushing strategies in StarCraft II.

[color=""white""][b]9. Will the Map Editor support letters from non-English alphabets (ó, q, Q, ú, á, é, etc.)?[/b][/color] (starcraft2.hu)

Yes, these characters will be supported.


---[color=""white""][b]End of Transmission[/b][/COLOR]---[/color][/quote]

It should be interesting to see how Blizzard balances the Roach in the end, especially since Psi Storm is traditionally the main shock weapon against the Zerg.

The addition of damage to creep while in contact with enemy buildings(presumably Terran and Protoss only) further helps define the Zerg.  It also opens up an potential 'attacking' method for the Overseer with its ability to drop creep.

Karune also had some clarifications about several of the questions:

[quote=Karune][color=""DeepSkyBlue""]
Sunkens and Spore Colonies will not expand the creep. Zerg players will be able to use both Overseers with their new special ability and Creep Tumors, which will expand Zerg creep significantly.

Terran and Protoss buildings will not be able to be built on Zerg Creep. Existing buildings will be able to be surrounded by Creep though.[/color][/quote]

Looks like apart from the damage, creep will operate just like in StarCraft, preventing all but Zerg buildings.

[quote=Karune][color=""DeepSkyBlue""]Teams will be locked in ladder games.[/color][/quote]

This was expected, but nice to know for sure.

[quote=Karune][color=""DeepSkyBlue""] As additional clarification to question 2, StarCraft II Heroes will only be available in the Single Player Campaign and in user created maps. They will not be available in the default multiplayer version of the game.[/color][/quote]

Just a little bit of reassurance there against heroes in standard multiplayer, something many StarCraft fans would dislike.  Blizzard is indeed listening to their fans in creating StarCraft II.

[b]Source:[/b]
[url=http://www.battle.net/forums/thread.aspx?fn=sc2-general&t=1115114]Karune's StarCraft II Q&A Batch 38[/url]

StarCraft II Q&A Batch Archive - Batch 38 "

1UP.com recently gained exclusive access to StarCraft 2.  Jeff Green and James Mielke traveled to Blizzard headquarters in Irvine, California to test out and report on the latest StarCraft 2 builds.  Visit 1UP's Week-long Editorial StarCraft II page for updates on new articles!


MONDAY 5.05.08

Mielke and Green discuss their impressions of the latest build of StarCraft II.  There are also descriptions of some of the multiplayer maps. While the majority of the article is spent belittling Green, the article does reassure us that StarCraft II will turn out to be an excellent game!

Blizzard's worldwide headquarters in Irvine, CA. Less than a week after Blizzard opened the doors to an international group of writers from across the globe, we were invited down a closed, head-to-head play session of StarCraft II -- just the two of us, playing the Terran, Protoss, and newly-revamped Zerg as we saw fit. And play we did over six long, brutal (for Jeff, anyway) hours of real-time strategizing.

Seven Matches, Seven Victories


TUESDAY 5.06.08

This article is a comparison between Blizzard and Westwood, discussing the quality of their games and how each company's innovations impacted eachother and the RTS genre.  StarCraft definitely left a bigger footprint on the RTS world, will StarCraft II leave behind a greater legacy?

Westwood
Westwood's Dune II (1992) introduced aspects like the map-obscuring fog of war, unit-based resource harvesting, mouse control, and a trio of factions with different units. Command & Conquer (1995) followed Dune II's lead by differentiating sides even further with the brute-force Global Defense Initiative and the stealthy, cultish Brotherhood of Nod. The game also featured multiplayer over a modem, a de rigueur mode in strategy games now.

Blizzard
While the controls and user interface of StarCraft (1998) are more or less the standard now, Westwood laid the groundwork for Blizzard's success -- Dune II was released over a year earlier than the original WarCraft (1994). But Blizzard still innovated: StarCraft's three asymmetrical factions took the idea of wildly different play styles and combat specialties to a whole new level. WarCraft III: Reign of Chaos added RPG-inspired Hero units that gained experience and new powers as the game progressed -- now it's hard to find an RTS without some sort of Hero facsimile.

Retronauts Presents: Blizzard vs. Westwood

Video Interview:
Chris Sigaty, lead producer and hair model for StarCraft II, talks about first impressions and describes where the three races are in development right now.
Video - Chris Sigaty Interview


WEDNESDAY 5.07.08

Since 1UP played the latest "public/press" build they now have the most up-to-date stats on all the units.

During our exclusive hands-on-with-the-Zerg play session at Blizzard (see Monday's preview), we thought it would prove useful to StarCraft fans if we scribbled down as many notes as we could about the building cost, construction speed, and prerequisites of everything in the new Zerg tech tree. After all, real-time strategy games like StarCraft II are a measure of one's command of timing, organization, and strategy -- not to mention mouse and keyboard dexterity. So, with the aim of providing you with a roster of the current -- according to Blizzard -- pre-alpha version of StarCraft II, we present the Zerg tech tree as we know it. While we've tried to recreate the information as accurately as possible, there may be the occasional inconsistency -- and since Blizzard is constantly tuning and retuning, all of this info is highly subject to extreme change. In other words, 1UP takes no responsibility for your failed Zerg rush.

The Dangerous Book for Zerglings


THURSDAY 5.08.08

Samwise, the man behind the art direction on StarCraft II, answers many excellent questions on StarCraft, StarCraft II, and on his experiences before and after being hired by Blizzard. Be sure to check out this interesting interview as it's one of the more valuable articles in 1UP's SC week.

1UP: In terms of the art direction, are you finding more challenges with StarCraft II than you have in previous games? What are the uniquely tough things for you and your team in this game?

Samwise Didier, Senior Art Director: The main art issue that comes up is to make sure we aren't making something too much like WarCraft. We want to try to keep these licenses distinct, right? But it's so ingrained into our nature to try to push everything artistically over the top -- but a lot of that doesn't go well with StarCraft. WarCraft has more of a comic-book fantasy style. With StarCraft, we want to keep it grittier, darker, with less over-the-top humor. We want to keep the metals for the Terrans dull and rusty, we want the Protoss to have the shiny gold. It wouldn't be appropriate to have golden shoulder-pads on the Terrans. Just recently, we did a pass on some of our artwork to make the lighting a little bit less bright and the team colors a little bit less saturated. We're still dialing it in even now, but it's definitely starting to look more like how we want to make it look.

Samwise Speaks

Blizzard Studio Tour
Set to the iconic Stormwind theme of World of WarCraft is 1UP's invasion of the Blizzard Museum; also visit the Boar's Nest - a cafeteria - and the Blizzard gym.
Video - Blizzard Studio Tour


FRIDAY 5.09.08

This article describes various openings in StarCraft, and if they will be applicable in StarCraft II.

You could discuss, dissect, and debate the best strategies for playing StarCraft or its expansion pack, Brood Wars, until dolphins take over the Earth and still not come to a definitive conclusion as to which race or method of destruction is superior. That's what makes it such an amazing game. But it's easier to define the selection of opening gambits that fiercely competitive players often start the game with -- a handful of ways to get up and running with the specific aim of taking out your opponent(s) in as little time as possible. We've assembled five of the most compelling, time-tested options to remind veterans of the pulse-quickening fun to be found in the first five minutes of StarCraft -- and to show newcomers who've been wondering what all the fuss is about just what the fuss is about. Here, then, for your perusal, are our top five StarCraft opening gambits -- along with our best educated guess about whether the tactics will still be viable in StarCraft II.

Top 5 StarCraft Opening Gambits




IGN has finally added StarCraft to their Videogame Hall of Fame. A spot which it so richly deserves.

Among the most important and well designed RTS projects of all time, the Zerg and Protoss are unstoppable.

Sources:
1UP - StarCraft II: A Week-Long Journey Into The Center of Blizzard's Real-Time Strategy Storm
IGN - Videogame Hall of Fame

"[b]Karune[/b] has just posted his 37th SCII Q&A Batch. In it we learn quite a bit more about some very specific features.

[quote][COLOR=""DeepSkyBlue""][COLOR=""White""][b]Chat with Devs:[/b][/COLOR] One of the latest changes the Devs are trying for the Nomad is replacing their previous stationary Mine Drone with Spider Mines. The Spider Mines behave the same as Spider Mines from the original StarCraft. It now also does 50 damage plus 50 additional damage towards armored units. Instead of only having 3 Spider Mines, the Nomad will be able to plant Spider Mines with the cost of 15 energy. These Mines will definitely prove quite formidable against mass Tier 1 units such as Zerglings and charging Zealots.

As always, feel free to give the Devs and I a [b]w00t[/b] if you are enjoying the batches.

---[COLOR=""White""][b]StarCraft II Q&A Batch 37[/b][/COLOR]---

[COLOR=""white""][b]1. Can the Ghost snipe casting (energy based) units in the fog of war using its passive sensing ability?[/b][/COLOR] (Battle.net) crazy_dave

While the Ghost will not be able to snipe casters in the fog of war, their current range to detect casters(units with energy) is 30, giving you plenty of time to prepare for incoming threats.

[COLOR=""white""][b]2. Could you tell us more details about the Reapers' mines mechanics? Are they visible for the enemy? Can they be defused, or should simply be destroyed? Do they deal damage to friendly units and to each other? If so, does the explosion of one mine cause the detonation of its neighbors, or they just die, without dealing damage?[/b][/COLOR] (Battle.net) Elsoron

Yes, the Reapers mines will be visible, though depending on the placement, they can be covered by enemy units moving over them. The mines have very few hit points and can be killed easily. Nonetheless, it is important to note that they are very small, making it more difficult to micromanage those attacks when there are several mines.

Mines damage both enemy and friendly units/buildings, so making sure you dont blow up your own Reapers is quite important ;) Mines will not detonate other mines, have a 30 second cooldown, and they currently do 30 damage plus 30 additional damage to armored units (including buildings). Furthermore, the mine is now an upgradeable ability of the Reaper.

[COLOR=""white""][b]3. In StarCraft II there are destructible obstacles like rocks. Apart from simply killing them the Protoss Nullifier can lift them with his Anti-Gravity spell. Do the other races have any similar options to remove or pass the rocks with spells?[/b][/COLOR] (broodwar.de)

Actually, the ability to lift destructible doodads has been classified as a bug and has been fixed in the latest builds. Nullifiers have already proved to be quite strong when used in groups, being able to lift up Siege Tanks and Ultralisks, effectively taking them out of combat until the rest of their reinforcements are dead.

[COLOR=""white""][b]4. Do Anti-Gravitated Banelings keep their suicidal abilities and act as Scourge?[/b][/COLOR] (sc2blog.com)

Yes, when Banelings die while being lifted by Anti-Gravity, their explosion will hit air units in its area of effect. This could undoubtedly open up some unique and unexpected strategies in team games.

[COLOR=""white""][b]5. Blizzard made 2 e-sport oriented games after StarCraft: Warcraft 3 and WoW. What are the biggest lessons that you've learned from those 2 games and how will you apply them to StarCraft II?[/b][/COLOR] - VIB (teamliquid.net)

One of the main goals for StarCraft II is to keep the game very visually intuitive and readable. As Dustin has mentioned in our recent chat, visually When a unit teleports, it teleports. When it shoots, it looks like it is shooting. It should be easy to follow on a screen and players should be able to quickly understand what is happening in the battles. Futhermore, Blizzards games has followed the premise of easy to learn and hard to master. StarCraft II will follow this philosophy.

[COLOR=""white""][b]6. How does the Marauders slow ability work against the Zealots charge ability. According to present knowledge the concussion grenade shot of a Marauder forces its target to stop moving for a short time; afterwards the targeted unit can go straight forward. So does it stop a charging Zealot and does the speed bonus remain?[/b][/COLOR] (starcraft2.4players.de)

When the Marauders concussion grenade hits an enemy target, it will reduce that units speed immediately by a set percentage. The cooldown of the concussion grenade shot is subject to balance. Nonetheless, a charging Zealot slowed by a concussion grenade is still pretty fast. Before the Protoss player upgrades their Zealots with charge, a Marauder can kite a Zealot with relatively little micromanagement.


---[color=""white""][b]End of Transmission[/b][/COLOR]---[/color][/quote]

Anti-Gravity appears to be one of the Protoss' most flexible abilities yet! The ability to move Ultralisks, Bunkers or even create suicidal ""air-mines"" will definitely enliven the Protoss gameplay experience.

Karune also gave us more information about the mines used by the Reaper and the Nomad:

[quote=Karune][COLOR=""DeepSkyBlue""]Yes, Spider Mines will do splash damage.

Mines for the Reapers will only be limited by their cooldown timer.[/COLOR][/quote]

[quote=Karune][COLOR=""DeepSkyBlue""]Over enough time, it will be possible to fill an entire map, similar to how a map is filled with mines in the original StarCraft by a player that goes mass Vultures.[/COLOR][/quote]

[quote=Karune][COLOR=""DeepSkyBlue""]One of the best things about StarCraft games is that lower tier units do not necessarily become obsolete in later games. Tier 1 units can be upgraded in various ways, including abilities, which make them very effective in later parts of the game, such as with the Charge ability on Zealots.
[/COLOR][/quote]

Karune is also keeping us apprised of the state of the current build:

[quote=Karune][COLOR=""DeepSkyBlue""]While the Dev Team has been trying out some 'new' types of base defense, nothing has proved to stay any longer than a few builds, and the Phase Cannon currently operates the same as the original Photon Cannon with no new abilities.[/COLOR][/quote]

[quote=Karune][COLOR=""DeepSkyBlue""]ScreenCrafts are definitely 'special' occurances and most of the updates I will give you guys will be after the Dev Team feels they are stronger elements in the game. There are a lot of changes from week to week that are new ideas, but will not make it into the game.

Nonetheless, I will also keep changing it up from batch to batch, the types of focuses it will be on- though again it will depend a lot on what the Dev Team is working on at the time being.[/COLOR][/quote]

[quote=Karune][COLOR=""DeepSkyBlue""]The Marauder's attack effects a single target and is not an area of effect attack.[/COLOR][/quote]

[quote=Karune][COLOR=""DeepSkyBlue""]You want to micro your ranged units to kill Banelings and not your melee units. Banelings are currently the best counter towards mass melee units like Zerglings or Zealots.[/COLOR][/quote]

It is good to see that units are no longer created with a set amount of mines, such as the Vulture in [I]StarCraft[/I], but are instead limited by time or energy, thus extending the unit's gameplay value.

[b]Source:[/b]
[url=http://www.battle.net/forums/thread.aspx?FN=sc2-general&T=1107089]Karune's StarCraft II Q&A Batch 37[/url]"

StarCraft II Q&A Batch Archive - Batch 37

"[B][COLOR=""Red""]Update:[/COLOR][/B] [B]Karune[/B] explains the difference between the Overlord and its new evolution, the Overseer, in further detail:
[quote=Karune][COLOR=""DeepSkyBlue""]1) The tier 1 Overlord is very slow and does not have detection, though still essential for scouting throughout the game.

2) They are two different abilities. In generating creep, the Overlord essentially unloads a bunch of creep straight to the ground below it, which expands. Corrupting minerals takes some time to fully cast, but it creates a non-attacking creature that takes over that resource, and needs to be killed before those minerals are able to be gathered. Furthermore, you can corrupt resources that are already being mined, introducing potential Overseer raids to slow the enemy's production.

3)Neither abilities require energy. Creep generation does not have a cooldown whereas corrupt minerals has a small cooldown timer.[/COLOR][/quote]

Many people have wondered whether the Roach's Regeneration ability is overpowered. To further explain the unit, Karune answered some questions:

[quote=Karune][COLOR=""DeepSkyBlue""]The Roach at 90 hit points and 15 hp/sec regeneration excels at small number skirmishes, but at large encounters, they are not extremely hard to fight.

1vs1 a Roach will beat a Stalker. 5vs5 a Stalker group which focus fires and a little micromanagement can beat the Roaches with little to no losses.

Roaches are the best at countering units that attack a bit slower and do not do huge amounts of damage with a single attack, such as the Zealot.[/COLOR][/quote]

[quote=Karune][COLOR=""DeepSkyBlue""]For those who are also wondering, as Terrans, countering Roaches with Marines work pretty well, again assuming it is not 1vs1. Overall, Roaches are a unit that not only excel at smaller battles, but also forces your opponent to constantly micromanage a battle, especially while mixed in with other units, making it more difficult to macromanage your economy at the same time.[/COLOR][/quote]


In addition, Karune confronts some community criticisms about the creep's graphics:
[quote=Karune][COLOR=""DeepSkyBlue""]With the settings set to 'High or Ultra,' there will be some amazing textures, with the Zerg creep being exceptionally notable.

The Art Team is constantly polishing the units, animations, buildings, maps, and textures.

Even after they've added the 'gritty' nature to the Terran buildings, they still have not finished. Since then, they've added additional animations to them, as well as Terran faction 'emblems' to them, and completely new Bunker art too.

As much as the gameplay is always being revised, so is the art. The Zerg of all 3 races probably still have the most art additions waiting to be made on it.[/COLOR][/quote]

[i]StarCraft II[/i] is indeed shaping up to be a beautiful game.

[B]Karune[/B], Blizzard's Community Manager, released the 36th Q&A Batch today.

[QUOTE=Karune][COLOR=""DeepSkyBlue""]Reminder: This is the final week for I<3 SC Submissions to be eligible for T-Shirts! Send your entries in today! Be a part of StarCraft history!
[url]http://www.blizzard.com/us/inblizz/contests/ilovesc/[/url][/color][/quote]
Be sure to send your submissions through [B]SC:L[/B] at [email] This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. [/email].

[QUOTE=Karune][COLOR=""DeepSkyBlue""][COLOR=""White""][B]ScreenCraft:[/B][/COLOR] This batch's screenshot is to show the significant size increase of the Baneling since the original Protoss announcement gameplay trailer. The size increase is to allow the possibility of focus firing on incoming Banelings with additional micromanagement.

Feel free to discuss the evolution of the Baneling in our Monthly Discussion Topic at:
[url]http://www.battle.net/forums/thread.aspx?fn=sc2-general-eu&t=463[/url]

[COLOR=""White""][B]Baneling Invasion[/B][/COLOR]
[url]http://www.starcraft2.com/screenshot.xml?s=80[/url]

An army of Banelings invade a developing rival Zerg base.[/color][/quote]
The graphics of the Baneling are really starting to shape up.  Of course, while it is bigger, the textures also look much more crisp since the Baneling's debut, and the bloom effects are a nice touch as well.  As always, everyone is welcome to discuss the Baneling on our [URL=""http://blizzforums.com/showthread.php?t=16898""]discussion boards[/URL].

[QUOTE=Karune][COLOR=""DeepSkyBlue""][COLOR=""White""][B]1. Do Protoss Immortals get killed when a Nuke explodes next to them(seeing as the Hardened Shield blocks all high profile attacks and that a Nuke is definitely a high profile attack)?[/B] (Battle.net) Eragon320[/COLOR]
In term of units, the only units that will be able to survive a Nuke will be the Protoss Mothership and Immortals upgraded with Hardened Shields. An upgraded Immortal will take 10 damage from a Nuke. To all other units, the Nuke will do 800 damage, thus making it much more powerful than the Nuke in the original StarCraft.

[COLOR=""White""][B]2. How powerful is the Roach's regeneration ability? How much time is needed to regenerate from 1 to full hp?[/B] (sc2pod.com)[/COLOR]
The Roach currently regenerates 15 hit points per second, allowing it to regenerate to full health in 6 seconds. In countering Roaches, a player must either micromanage the battle to make sure they are focus firing on each Roach one at a time, or they have to bring in high damage units such as Siege Tanks or Archons.
[COLOR=""White""][B]
3. Are overseers any tougher than overlords? (Battle.net) Mestroyer[/B][/COLOR]
When an Overlord evolves into an Overseer, it will gain a speed bonus, passive detection, the ability to generate creep below it, and the ability to corrupt' resources to make it more difficult for opponents to gain access to them. Furthermore, when Overseers sit in the same spot, over time its visual range will increase (but not its detection range).[/color][/quote]
The Roach is a very unique unit; its micromanagement will be replete with hit and run tactics. It will be interesting to see how professional gamers will take advantage of its regeneration ability.  Presumably, there will be advantages to having Overlords instead of only Overseers, akin to the Gateway and the Warp Gate.

[QUOTE=Karune][COLOR=""DeepSkyBlue""][COLOR=""White""][B]4. Is it worth it to build a Terran Reactor Add-on since the benefit of doubling your queue list is not that useful, as it is often a bad idea to have your queue full?[/B] (gamereplays.org)[/COLOR]
Yes! The Terran Reactor doesn't just double the size of your queue list. For a mere 50 minerals and 50 gas cost for the Reactor, that Barracks, Factory, or Starport will have the ability to create two units simultaneously (assuming that unit doesn't require a tech lab add-on). Most of the time, building the Reactor will be worth it, rather than building a second Barracks, Factory, or Starport. Not only will you be able to build from a single building the production of two normal buildings, you will be able to salvage that Reactor if needed to get 100% of the cost back. Being able to salvage allows for quick tech shifts or evacuations.

[COLOR=""White""][B]5. Will there be different building textures resembling the actual terrain? (in Warcraft 2 the buildings were snowy on the winter maps) [/B](starcraft2.hu)[/COLOR]
This is something the art team would like to do, though it will ultimately come down to time. There's a lot of art work still left to do, such as their current task, which is putting the finishing touches on the Terran Marauder amongst several other units. On the Marauder, players will be able to see many intricate animations for both the weapons and their power suits.

[COLOR=""White""][B]6. Did the High Templar's Hallucination ability undergo any changes due to the introduction of new tough units, such as Thor or Colossus?[/B] (battle.net) Elsoron[/COLOR]
The Hallucination ability did not undergo changes because of those new units, but it did get significant buffs since the original StarCraft. First off, hallucinated units still have the same hit points as the original unit, but take double damage. Furthermore, the duration the unit lasts for will be around 2-3 minutes, which will be significantly longer than the original StarCraft. On top of that, to hallucinate a unit only costs 40 energy, which is much cheaper than the original StarCraft's cost of 100 energy.

---[COLOR=""White""][B]End of Transmission[/B][/COLOR]---
[/COLOR][/QUOTE]
As an underused ability in [I]StarCraft[/I], Hallucination has seldom turned the tides of battles.  However, in [I]StarCraft II[/I], it has been made alot easier to cast.  Perhaps this change will provide incentive to use Hallucination over the other abilities at the High Templar's disposal.

Blizzard is very intent on making every single unit useful; both the Nuke and the Hallucination ability have been changed to increase their use during gameplay.  Ultimately, every unit will have a niche and see use during most match ups.

[B]Source:[/B]
[URL=""http://www.battle.net/forums/thread.aspx?fn=sc2-general&t=1059524&p=1&#post1059524""]Karune's StarCraft II Q&A Batch 36[/URL]

StarCraft II Q&A Batch Archive - Batch 36"

It's been ten years and if you read this site you're, already a StarCraft fan. Most of us are what could be described as "hardcore". In our ten year wait we've all come to believe we have mastered the game, learned its secrets, that we know what's best for the franchise. Sometimes it's hard to take a step back and remember that we are first and foremost fans. wyseguy, one of StarCraft: Legacy's official coders, has written our second guest editorial to remind us of just that. Hopefully, it will add some perspective to our wait and make us remember why we love the franchise and that - no matter what - StarCraft II deserves a chance.

This is the second StarCraft: Legacy guest editorial. Other guest articles will be presented perodically to add a different perspective to different StarCraft topics. StarCraft: Legacy presents proudly: "Managing the Wait". You can view the editorial here.

Source:
StarCraft: Legacy - Managing the Wait

"Today Blizzard has released [URL=""http://www.starcraft2.com/features/storysofar2.xml""]""The Story So Far Part 2: The Brood War""[/URL] on the [url=http://starcraft2.com]official StarCraft II website[/url]. This synopsis of Brood War stays true to the original game, and contains several cinematics from the expansion. It clarifies a few things such as, Jim Raynor and Fenix were on Shakuras, instead of Aiur, when Kerrigan contacted them to help her destroy the UED.

[quote]The Queen of Blades did not become complacent in the wake of her victory. She kept watch over the Swarm from her core hive on Char. The Brood War left her the dominant force in Koprulu sector. The initial explosive expansion of the zerg has been replaced with a foreboding silence for four years, but no scouting expeditions to Swarm-controlled worlds have lived to tell what they saw there.

Thus, outsiders can only speculate about what she has been doing--or what she has been seeking--these past four years. Many believe that the zerg are building their strength and engineering new organisms before going on the offensive again. Some contend that Kerrigan is staying her hand due to some small shred of humanity buried deep inside the creature she has become. Those who have encountered her savage fury know this to be merely wishful thinking.[/quote]

This feature is just a general summary of the universe, which is meant more for the new player rather than the hardcore [i]StarCraft[/i] fan. It offers little that is relatively new although the summary does hint of the involvement of the Kel-Morian Combine and Umojan Protectorate, as well as the UED, which suggest they may play a part in the coming war.

[quote]
[b]A FAR GREATER POWER[/b]

As Zeratul and his people left Char, they detected protoss power signatures on an uncharted moon nearby. Zeratul and several other protoss investigated and found that someone had been using gene splicing to create hybrids with mixed zerg and protoss DNA.

In at least one case, the attempt had proven successful. Staring the abomination in horror, Zeratul was surprised when a male terran suddenly uncloaked in front of the stasis cell. The terran introduced himself as Samir Duran.

Zeratul recognized the name and asked if Kerrigan had instigated the hybridization project. Duran denied the accusation and said that he served a far greater power. The zerg-protoss hybrid were the last step in a vast cycle that was approaching its end. Scattered on a thousand different worlds, the hybrid would presently awaken, and the universe would change forever. Deeply troubled, Zeratul and the other protoss returned to their ship and continued on their way to Shakuras.[/quote]

In addition, Blizzard has added three new pieces of artwork to the StarCraft II website.

[CENTER][url=""http://starcraft2.com/art.xml?s=80""][img]http://sclegacy.com/images/uploaded/starcraftiinews/ssfup1.jpg[/img][/url]   [url=""http://starcraft2.com/art.xml?s=81""][img]http://sclegacy.com/images/uploaded/starcraftiinews/ssfup2.jpg[/img][/url]   [url=""http://starcraft2.com/art.xml?s=82""][img]http://sclegacy.com/images/uploaded/starcraftiinews/ssfup3.jpg[/img][/url][/CENTER]

The board is now set.  We just have to wait for the pieces to start moving.

[B]Source:[/B]
[URL=""http://www.starcraft2.com/features/storysofar2.xml""]The Story So Far Part 2: The Brood War[/URL]"

Update 2: The Mothership's Black Hole ability has been scrapped from multiplayer, but there is a chance that it will stay in single-player.  

Abilities like the Black Hole have been removed from the Mothership in Multiplayer mode because of balance and unit design (to test a more 'support' oriented unit).

This does not mean the ability won't be seen in the Single Player Campaign or in the Map Editor.

Does this mean that Blizzard has already incorporated the Black Hole mechanic into single player, and that it is too late to take it out?

Update: Karune has just confirmed that the Mothership's Time Bomb ability is back.

Karune, Blizzard's Community Manager, released the 35th Q&A batch today.  The questions were not as informative as previous incarnations, however they still provided a new look at certain aspects of the current game build.  This includes the current role of the Mothership and information on Baneling friendly-fire.  Karune also mentions the "I <3 SC" event, which StarCraft: Legacy urges you to participate in, and the Story So Far Part 2: The Brood War, an analysis of which is forthcoming.

Despite seeing all three factions, there are still many changes being made to all factions which continue to finesse the gameplay of StarCraft II.

Furthermore, if you are reading this batch, and love StarCraft, show everyone! For the "I <3 SC" event, we've been getting tons of fun entries of StarCraft lovers in their classrooms, playing the game, posing at famous landmarks, and many unique digitally edited entries!

What does StarCraft mean to you?

Make sure you are represented in this wall of fans that will be engraved in Blizzard history. It is very simple to participate- Take a picture and join us!
[url]http://blizzard.com/us/inblizz/contests/ilovesc/[/url]

For newcomers, if you want a quick rundown on the story leading into StarCraft II- we have it here in a nutshell:
[url]http://www.starcraft2.com/features/storysofar.xml[/url]
[url]http://www.starcraft2.com/features/storysofar2.xml[/url]

The chat with the developers this week forcuses on new Zerg defence mechanics:

Chat with the Devs: The Dev team has been working hard to find the best defense mechanic that works for the Zerg. The latest builds have brought back Sunken and Spore Colonies, with a new twist. Sunken and Spore Colonies can now uproot and crawl to a more advantageous position. Incidentally, Protoss Phase Cannons no longer have the ability to change positions.

Giving the Zerg mobile defensive structures feels a lot more right as this ability opens up many more aggressive strategies in both Zerg mirrors as well as combined with Overlords generating creep to push these defenses up towards the front lines. Furthermore, there definitely is something about watching defenses crawling around that just seems very Zerg-like. Its worth noting that Zerg defenses while in mobile form have fewer hit points and are more vulnerable to attack.

Overall this is just a switch of a mechanic from the Protoss to the Zerg defenses, with some important differences.  For one, the Zerg have two different defensive structures with different roles (the spore and sunken colonies for ATA and ATG defense respectively).  This means that moving defenses will no longer be a matter of having an instant counter to anything, all over your base - a deficiency in either type of structure will result in defeat.  Thus the mobile defence mechanic is immediately severly weakened from a possible overpowered state, to a possibly underpowered one.  As always, intricate testing will bring the answer to this question.  Karune also mentioned that these defences, along with all other Zerg defences, are still built by the Queen.  How these returning buildings operate with the new "screamer" defensive structure remains to be seen.

Gameplay Blog: Over the past few weeks Ive really been practicing up with the Terran faction, as it is probably the one that I am weakest at playing with. After getting beat about three or four times and finally getting my build order up to speed, I realized Terrans actually have a huge advantage in StarCraft II with being able to block off choke points to your base with ease.

Currently, on most maps a Terran player is able to block off their base entry point before the enemy is able to scout, making it nearly impossible for the enemy to find out what the Terran player is doing behind that wall. With only a few Marines and a couple SCVs, the Terran player can fend off most early attacks, especially since they usually also have a higher elevation sight advantage.

Three popular options amongst the staff playing at Blizzard include:

1) Tech straight to Banshees, which have a very powerful single target attack, and can be researched to cloak. This unit devastates if the opponent is not prepared with both anti- air units as well as detectors.

2) Tech straight to Reapers, which can jump up and down hills without a spotter, and get an added bonus damage versus light units. What this means is that the Reapers are able to quickly get in an enemys resource line to annihilate workers at an astounding rate, as well as get out before the enemy can react. This works great if you can scout/scan to see if their main base is defended well with static defenses. On top of that, did I forget to mention that they can drop mines that do significant damage towards buildings? Yes, that means with a handful of these guys, you can drop enough mines to take out whole Hatcheries/ Nexuses, or strategically use them to take out Pylons or tech buildings. After you drop the mines, jump back out of combat and let the mine cooldown reset for another round of raids.

3) If a Terran player bunkers up as mentioned above and no attacks are made by this player, one way an opponent may respond is to expand and build a stronger economy, as they do not feel threatened. In this case, a Terran player can simply build up a huge force of Marines and Marauders behind the wall without the opponent knowing, and then strike when their opponent drops their guard.

Luckily, the Dev Team is well on top of balance, as they have introduced new abilities such as the Nullifiers Anti Gravity ability to lift up buildings blocking choke points and Nydus Worms to bypass such defenses to keep those Terran players honest. Maps will likely have larger choke points in the future to offer a little more chance for opponents to get a Probe or Drone in early to scout early teching Terran players.

As always, feel free to give the Devs and I a w00t if you are enjoying the batches.

The main point of importance here is that it is possible for Terrans to completely deny any early scout.  This early scout is vital at the higher levels of play, with the best players able to predict the exact build and strategy of their opponent from its use.  Some of the most exciting moments in professional StarCraft revolve around barely surviving probes, SCVs and drones snatching glimpses of early forges, expansions and "cheese" maneuvers before their life force is snuffed out.  Without this early scout, most players would be severly weakened.  Obviously Blizzard realises this, hence their decision to attempt to nullify this with larger choke points.  Whether this decision will be enough to stop what is obviously a strong defensive force in the Terrans will, as always, be determined with further testing.

---StarCraft II Q&A - Batch 35---

1. Do Banelings damage nearby friendly units when they explode onto an enemy target? (www.starcraft2.com.au)

No, in the current build the Banelings do not damage friendly units caught in the splash. The splash damage does cover its area of effect range evenly, doing the same damage to enemy units throughout the whole area.

2. When a Nydus Worm is detected, is it possible to shoot it down while it is traveling? (www.starcraftcz.com)

Yes, having detectors in strategic places will keep you from being surprised by an unexpected Nydus Worm showing up in your base.

3. Does the Nydus Worm, a ground unit, move through open space? (battle.net) pop.helo

Yes.  We dont know how we are going to make this look yet.  When we come up with a visual solution we are happy with we will show it to the community. 

4. Can Zerg buildings be infested, and if so, what units are produced? (starcraft2forum.org)

Zerg buildings cannot be infested. It is planned that infested Protoss buildings will produce an infested Protoss unit that will play differently than the infested Marine.

5. Will be there such doodads like customizable light or shader? (battle.net)  Dagguh

Yes.
 
6. The first screenshot listed in Karune's 33rd Q&A shows what looks like the Mothership's Black Hole ability. However, it was said that the Black Hole was removed. Does this mean the ability has returned in the current build? (Starcraft.org)

As mentioned before, the state of many of these units are always changing. In the current build, the Mothership has become more of a support unit with increased hit points and decreased speed. The Mothership now allows Protoss Gateways that have converted to Warp Gates to be able to warp units straight to the Mothership. The warp-in mechanic (which cannot be queued) has also been tweaked to allow Protoss players who use it to get a slight time decrease in unit production as opposed to queuing units traditionally at the Gateways. In other words, the cooldown timer on warp-in doesnt take as long as the build time for units at a Gateway.

Furthermore, the Mothership will also have the ability to transfer energy down to casters below it, such as Templars. Both the Time Bomb and Black Hole abilities have been removed

7. Will Phase Cannons be able to rematerialize on an allys Pylon Power, or an enemys Pylon Power for that matter? (sclegacy.com)

Phase Cannons are no longer able to move in the current build.

8. Is the Tauren Marine going to be included in the StarCraft II map editor?
(battle.net) scorpionbrood
Yes. 

---End of Transmission---

Only the Mothership data is of significant importance.  This unit seems to have had a major rework every time it is mentioned.  How long it can survive in such a fluctuant state could become a question, although it would be a highly iconic unit so it is easy to understand why Blizzard may be reluctant to cut it for good.  Integrating a Warp-In hub with the Mothership seems a good idea, although it may reduce the effectiveness of Phase Prisms in direct combat.  The removal of all offensive spells from the Mothership shows that it truly is becoming a support unit.  From this, it may be safe to assume that it is still possible to have more than one of them, although Karune mentioned nothing.  The ability to give energy to nearby units, essentially a trade-off: Mothership energy for templar or other spell casters energy.  This could become a highly dangerous tactic, making Motherships primary targets for enemy anti-air attacks.  Keeping the Mothership protected will prove to be a primary objective for all Protoss players.

Source:
Karune's StarCraft II Q&A Batch 35
Battle.net - Karune Reaffirms Time Bomb
Battle.net - Black Hole Ability

StarCraft II Q&A Batch Archive - Batch 35

"Recently [b]Karune[/b] announced the April topic for community discussion. I've been getting some great comments about the feedback we've been providing! This month's focus is on the Baneling - the new, unique, Zerg shock soldier.

[quote=Karune]Last month was all about the Zerg. For the first time members of the Community and the press had the privilege to test StarCraft II's third race. You could read a lot about the different units and buildings, see movies and screenshots, hear about the gameplay experiences. This month's discussion topic will be about one of the new Zerg units: The Baneling, the mutation of one of the most popular Zerg units, of the Zergling. The Baneling has undergone quite a few changes in the past couple of weeks and we'd like to hear your feedback!

Information on the new Baneling:

Now

* 190 damage per Baneling (40+150 to building)
* Increased splash range (100% damage taken throughout range)
* Can be well positioned to hit multiple buildings
* Larger & Movement Speed Slower (possible to defend with focus fire)
* Counters Zealots, Zerglings, base Marines (not upgraded) -More Narrow window of use



Before

* Fast and small- Unable to defend against (focus fire)
* Countered virtually all ground units



Questions for fans:

* How do you like the new Baneling?
* What possibilites do you see for using the Baneling, what strategies could be viable with the Baneling against the different races?
* What are the pros/cons for this new Baneling?

* Additional feedback you might have



Each StarCraft II fansite will be featuring different types of questions, so be sure to also visit those sites. All of this feedback will be compiled and sent to the dev team.

Were looking forward to seeing great discussions on the new Zerg Baneling![/quote]

Tell us what you think and be sure to support your arguements as thoroughly as possible. In addition to the questions posed by Karune, tell us:

[LIST]
[*]What tier you think the Baneling should be (or is fine where it is)?
[*]Should the ""new"" Baneling be able to be upgraded into the ""old"" Baneling later by teching?
[*]Does the cost of the Baneling justify its use as a staple in the Zerg arsenal or is it more of a specialized assassin?
[*]Is the Baneling an appropriate mutation for the Zergling?
[/LIST]

You can either reply to this post or to our official [url=http://blizzforums.com/showthread.php?t=16898]BlizzForums' Baneling Discussion thread[/url].

[b]Sources:[/b]
[url=http://www.battle.net/forums/thread.aspx?FN=sc2-general&T=993027&P=1]Official Battle.net StarCraft II Discussion Topic - The Baneling[/url]
[url=http://blizzforums.com/showthread.php?t=16898]BlizzForums' April Discussion Topic Thread - the Baneling[/url]"