"Karune, Blizzard Entertainment's Community Manager, released a Q&A announcement recently. The content of this batch focuses on the most recent announcements, such as: the Medivac Dropship, Zerg in general, and the inconsistency of the Roach. StarCraft: Legacy has had a question featured once again, this time about attacking heavily fortified positions (islands). Karune begins by mentioning the [URL=""http://www.sclegacy.com/showthread.php?t=115""]""I <3 SC""[/URL] event:
So now that all three races are out of the bag, you may have thought you've seen it all- nope! The Dev Team is still working very hard to add even more innovation and clever balance affecting design changes that will indeed polish out the gameplay of StarCraft II that much more.
Also, if you haven't already, be a part of StarCraft history by participating in our ""I <3 SC"" event! Your picture will be added to a wall of StarCraft fans! It is fast and easy to join up! Info here: [url]http://blizzard.com/us/inblizz/contests/ilovesc/[/url]
The gameplay blog mentions some additions and changes to the current StarCraft II build:
Chat with the Devs: As of recent, the Dev Team has added a new ability to the Protoss Carrier that will give it a little more Umph! versus Zerg Corruptor attacks or Viking raids. In the past, the Carrier simply had a large swarm of Interceptor fighters which you had to build from scratch. Carriers now come built with 4 Interceptors already loaded (which is also the max number of Interceptors currently). They also have the new ability to have Escorts built for a temporary power boost to focus fire. Strike Fighter Escorts cost resources to build and last only 45 seconds, but add a decent amount of firepower to a Carriers attack. A Carrier can have a maximum of 4 Escorts. Escorts are given attack orders to focus-fire on whatever the Carrier is attacking and they can be destroyed independently of the Carrier or each other. The cost for these Escorts will be significant enough to where players will not want to just have the max number all of the time, as that would bleed your economy needlessly. Thus, players will have to pick and choose their battles in where they want the full force of the Protoss fleet present.
This question is about static defense and air-based counters:
An important aspect of any RTS game is for all races to have a way to siege fortified island positions, do the Protoss and Terrans [[and Zerg]] have a unit that is capable of doing so? (sclegacy.com)
All factions will have units capable of attacking from a longer range. Zerg have the Swarm Guardian, Terrans have the Battlecruisers Yamato Cannon, and the Protoss have the Carrier (which has gotten some additional abilities since we last talked about it). However we are not at all sure that these are enough to deal with fortified islands. More testing will tell us if this is sufficient or if we need more.
The change to Carriers is an interesting one. The reduction in the number of Interceptors which can be produced means that each individual Interceptor will have to be more powerful if the new Carrier is going to stand up to it's old counterpart. The fact that these Interceptors are already available when the Carrier is purchased means that Carriers will see more use in real gameplay. This will affect the pro-scene in that Carrier attacks will not be hindered by a significant wait time for enough Interceptors. Additionally, defense against these attacks will be slightly easier as each individual Interceptor can be targeted, and, as had been said, this has more of an impact than in the original.
Recently, the ambiguity of the Infestor has caused some confusion:
The Infestor is a very impressive unit that enchanted the community, because we all wanted to see a unit that is able to move while it is burrowed. Nevertheless there are still pending questions. Can the Infestor even infest Zerg buildings? Are infested marines produced as fast as it is shown on the gameplay trailer? Do you have to train them manually or will they pop out automatically? Do they cost minerals? (starcraft2.4players.de)Like many Zerg units the Infestor is still under development. It cannot infest Zerg buildings though that is something we are still discussing. The speed at which Marines are generated changes frequently as we work on the ability. Sometimes its fast, sometimes not so fast. They will (probably) pop automatically. They do not have any cost associated with them.
One day prior to the Irvine press event, the community was informed about the (apparent) demise of the Medic; this question requests additional information:
The Medivac is a very interesting Unit, but there are not many information given to us so far. Can you tell us any more details about it? At which tier can it be found? How does the healing work? Can it even heal multiple units at once and how fast does it heal compared to the medic? (starcraft2.4players.de)The Medivac is currently available from the Starport (no add-ons required). The healing works just like the medic. We will (if we keep the mechanic) be adding a graphic of the Medivac deploying medical drones to heal friendly biological units. It will only be able to heal a single unit at one time. The speed at which it heals changes frequently as we try different balance options.
Blizzard Entertainment used the Korea, Irvine, China, and Taiwan press releases to ""test"" slightly modified builds of StarCraft II in public. The Roach has highlighted some of the frustrations of a fluent and reactive design process:
There are many ambiguities concerning the Roach due to the much different information that has been given to us. Many users are quite unsure about its kind of attack. Is it a melee unit or is it ranged? Or is it kind of a crazy mix of both? And most important: can it hit air as well? (starcraft2.4players.de)
The Roach is ranged. He has been melee in the recent past (hence the art with the big claws) but he is currently ranged. This gives him added utility at chokes where he really shines. We have tried it as ground only and we have tried it as being able to hit ground or air. Currently it is ground only.
The Zerg release focuses on the concept of infestation. The Corruptor continues this trend:
Can a Zerg Corruptor infest lifted-off Terran buildings, Colossuses, and other Zerg units such as Mutalisks or other Corruptors? Can Corruptor infest Thors, Siege Tanks or Marines if they are lifted-off by Anti-Gravity? (Battle.net) PCBANGFT
Yes, Corruptors can infest anything that flies or is forced into the air by abilities such as Anti-Gravity. In the situation of a unit being lifted by Anti-Gravity, the unit will return to the ground when the anti-gravity effect ends and sit on the ground. The corrupted unit is only allowed to attack air units and will do so if an enemy air unit flies by.
Karune mentions of the fluidity by which Corrupters can be mixed with the Anti-Gravity ability. This shows that Blizzard is not only thinking about the balance between each race, but between pairs of races together. It also confirms that units which are corrupted are unmovable, and can only attack air, which had not been confirmed, but was suggested by the gameplay video.
The Colossus' attack changed to AoE recently. The final question draws an explanation from Karune:
What is the reasoning behind changing Colossus' 'sliding' thermal lances (from 1st gameplay movie) to an array of beams (zerg trailer)? Balance? Visuals? Will it be possible to choose such sliding or array (or is it just 'horizontal' line?) fire mode from the Map Editor (available also for any other unit)? (battle.net) Dagguh
The array of beams give a more interesting AOE template for players to attempt to micro. The sliding beam looks cool, but ultimately doesn't produce any new gameplay. The current visuals on the beam are temp to see if we like the mechanic.
Additionally, Karune has posted more material (outside of the Q&A) about the Carrier:
Building Interceptors can be toggled to 'auto-build' or be set to manual build. Like the original StarCraft, the Interceptors will cost resources to build (when you lose any from the original 4).
This shows a further tendency towards the MBS and Auto-Mine UI improvements, resulting in less need for such an extent of micro-management. How this is taken by the community remains to be seen, although most seem to have accepted it as a sign of the times.
The escorts for the Protoss Carrier in its current state, hits both ground and air. Furthermore, they take about 1 second to warp in to battle alongside your Carrier after you make the order to summon them.
The addition of buildable, temporary escorts will certainly have its strategic assets. This ability will be used frequently both because of its use as a unit that can hit air and ground, and because the time it takes to summon it so short. The exact damage output and ability to absorb fire of these escorts will determine how useful they are, and in which situations.
Source:
[URL=""http://www.battle.net/forums/thread.aspx?ForumName=sc2-general&ThreadID=851269""]Karune's StarCraft II Q&A Batch 34[/URL]"
StarCraft II Q&A Batch Archive - Batch 34
SC2P.com, a StarCraft fansite, has published screenshots from the Taiwanese press build of
StarCraft II.
The Mothership's Vortex ability and an unidentified unit
Protoss Colossi and Archons
A snapshot of the new LAN multiplayer interface
Protoss Zealot (eyes seem difficult to locate)
Zerg base in early development 
A Queen's Nest in the Taiwan buildBlizzard is using staggered global press releases to test different
StarCraft II builds.
StarCraft: Legacy refers to the four different builds as: Korean, Irvine, China, and Taiwan. Some examples have been the changing role of the Roach (GtA, ground ranged, melee) as well as the disappearance of the Medic under a week prior to the Zerg announcement. This can sometimes be frustrating for fans.
Visit
SC2P.com for more screenshots from the Taiwan build.
Karune has released Q&A 33.
Over the past week since the Zerg announcement, we've had many requests for an EPIC battle screenshot, thus I'm happy to present our 'Psi Onslaught' to the community for this latest ScreenCraft batch.
This edition of ScreenCraft showcases a staged PvZ conflict while the Question & Answer portion addresses various changes in roles for units.
Chat with Devs: After the Zerg release, I have been asking Dustin what types of changes are being made to the other factions during this process, and one of the most interesting ones that have been added has to do with the Terran Ghost. In order for the Terrans to counter the various new casters that have been introduced to all sides in StarCraft II, the Ghost can now detect units with energy in a 30 yard radius. This passive ability works similarly to the Sensor Tower, revealing their location even within the fog of war. This ability could also no doubt open up some interesting assassination type single player missions as well with the Ghost.
ScreenCraft: Psi Onslaught
[url]http://www.starcraft2.com/screenshot.xml?s=76[/url]
As requested by the community, the Protoss have brought their heavy hitters in this psi onslaught upon a developing Zerg base. In retaliation, the Zerg counter with a ravaging pack of Ultralisks and Zerglings upon the advancing Templar army. While the epic battle begins, the Protoss player cleverly sneaks a group of Stalkers to raid the Zergs economy as well.
The High Templar continues to "fly" while the radius of Psi Storm is underwhelming.
What upgrade type (assuming these are returning) is the Viking using? Vehicle or ship? (Or perhaps infantry?) (TheWarCenter.com)
The Viking is built from the Starport again and will use ship armor rather than vehicle armor.
What will Zerglings be able to do against new Jackal? ([url]www.starcraftcz.com)
Attacking Jackals efficiently with Zerglings will take a bit of micromanagement, making sure that Zerglings are spread out or attacking from different directions. The Jackals hit points have also been reduced from 125 to 75 with a slight increase to their speed. This will make them more vulnerable to Zerglings if you can get them close to surround the Jackals.
Through a reduction in its hit points and an increase in its speed, the Jackal has become increasingly similar to the Vulture in feel and handling.
If a unit is being produced at a Protoss building while it becomes unpowered, does it continue production or pause until re-powered? (Battle.net) Blazur
If a Protoss building becomes unpowered, all production including research at that building will pause until re-powered.
In lieu of the Nydus Worm, will the Zerg Overlord maintain its "Ventral Sacs" upgrade? Will the Ultralisk have any sort of unit carrying capacity? (starcraft.org)
Currently, the Overlord's original Ventral Sacs ability has been taken out. With the introduction of the Nydus Worm, the Zerg will have more than enough mobility to keep their enemies on their toes. On that note, the Ultralisk will not be able to carry units.
To what degree will StarCraft II allow for remapping - limited remapping a la Warcraft III, or complete remapping of key bindings?
- Excalibur_Z (teamliquid.net)
We are planning to support key-mapping for StarCraft II. The extent of the ability for remapping keys is still to be determined. Even in current experimentations, we have found that there are often many issues with conflicting key bindings as there are very few open unmapped keys to be swapped in and out.
Customizable keyboard settings are generally considered "standard" for current RTS games.
These two releases highlight the dynamic nature of StarCraft II's development. Superficial - and even some core - features are in a state of flux as the team reacts to testing, feedback, and revelations. Considering the seemingly public nature of Blizzard currently, community feedback is having impact.
Sources:
SC2P.com
Karune's StarCraft II Q&A Batch 33
StarCraft II Q&A Batch Archive - Batch 33
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[COLOR=""Red""][B]The Roach:[/B][/COLOR] Post-Irvine, Browder has informed us that the Roach has a ranged ground attack only. The GtA attack was apparently an error. There appears to be some differeneces in the display builds between the Korea, Irvine, and China announcements. The Roach is apparently a melee unit in the China build. When Blizzard figures their display out, we will update.
Regarding our unit resource, we will correct any bugs, issues, errors, etc... as we continue into standard coverage once again. Also, we plan to overhaul the section to streamline the display. (Please see our Media section for the X-Play interview).
[COLOR=""Red""][B]Update:[/B][/COLOR] [B]Blizzard Entertainment[/B] announced [I]StarCraft II[/I] in China today. Additional information has neither been announced nor developed substantially. If a critical update develops, [B]StarCraft: Legacy[/B] will cover it.
[B]StarCraft: Legacy[/B] is proud to present detailed information on the units and buildings of the Zerg release. This release resumes our standard coverage. The past days have melded together in one exciting set of announcements. You will be able to access the resources through this post as well as through the Right Side navigation menu titled ""Zerg Coverage"".
Please [EMAIL=""
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
""]email rise[/EMAIL] about errors in the data or display.
[CENTER][B]StarCraft: Legacy[/B]
ChaosSmurf | Dauntless | DiscipleofAdun | Drake Clawfang | Gradius | icephantom02 | MasterBoo | pure.Wasted | Waves | Wrath | Zero | rise | LordofAscension[/CENTER]
[B]Sources:[/B]
[URL=""http://www.sclegacy.com/content/starcraft-ii-archive-7/zerg---units-63/""]StarCraft: Legacy - Zerg - Units[/URL]
[URL=""http://www.sclegacy.com/content/starcraft-ii-archive-7/zerg---buildings-64/""]StarCraft: Legacy - Zerg - Buildings[/URL]
[URL=""http://www.sclegacy.com/content/starcraft-ii-archive-7/zerg---media-65/""]StarCraft: Legacy - Zerg - Media[/URL]"
During the recent
StarCraft II press event in Irvine, California,
GameSpy conducted an interview with
Dustin Browder.
The interview is standard; however, in response to the "kind of feedback [the Developers are] getting back from the pro players", Browder replied in-depth about the automation and optimization of the RTS genre. Specifically, Multiple Building Select (referred to as MBS) - a highly debated issue - is referenced. This is part of his detailed response that addresses an important aspect of
StarCraft directly:
One of the really interesting things about the original StarCraft was the tension between micro and macro gameplay. Which one do you do, and which one are you better at? Players that are really good at macro could sometimes overwhelm players that are just good at micro. You could find your place on the scale, if you were good at micro, or good at macro, or somewhere in the middle. If we make macro too easy to do, we lose some of that tension, and then it becomes more like WarCraft, and it'll be all about the micro to determine player skill. We still want that tension between strategy and tactics.
In StarCraft, you had five things to do, and time for two. If you have five things to do, and time for three or four, maybe that's not as good a game? We'll see.
To summarize the debate, some think that
StarCraft's high skill requirement (also called skill ceiling) is preserved through basic interfaces while others think that removing the arduous aspects of macro-management (such as selecting individual production buildings) will create emphasis on micro-management. This debate is characterized by the tension between healthy, vibrant original gameplay and the will for innovative contemporary design. In the context of the balance of MBS, consider that engineering the delicate interplay of micro- and macro-management is a fickle process. Artificial changes (unlimited unit selection, MBS, etc...) to the human aspect of RTS has the possibility to backfire; the edge is razor-thin.
You can read the full interview
here.
On a sidenote,
Blizzard Entertainment auctioned artwork in support of the "Child's Play" (a charity). This is the simple truth: they are people too. Consider that as you vilify or praise someone because of a computer game.
Sources:GameSpy - StarCraft II: Designing the ZergNucleus - Art of Blizzard's Benefit Show for "Child's Play"
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[COLOR=""Red""][B]Update:[/B][/COLOR] The busy day will continue into the night. [B]StarCraft: Legacy[/B] will provide coverage tomorrow. We would have liked to provide coverage to you today, but external factors prevented this. Please visit tomorrow for [I]full[/I] information on the Zerg release as well as commentary. Throughout the week, we will build a commentary base. To ease the navigation of this expanding process, updates will be managed through this index posting. Thank you for visiting us throughout this announcement.
For your convenience we have added a [URL=""http://www.veoh.com/videos/v6398130wThP3mGw""]compressed version[/URL] of the gameplay video for people with slower connections.
[B]StarCraft: Legacy[/B] will have rare access to a live Blizzard press showcase of StarCraft II. [B]Zero[/B], our esteemed moderator, will be representing StarCraft: Legacy in Irvine, California during this press event. He will be providing information, updates, and impressions. Our coverage today will include the most up to date information with the most in-depth analysis as fast as possible. [B]Equiliari[/B] produced a pair of sketches for today's release. He used concept artwork as the source.
[B]Source:[/B]
[URL=""http://www.sclegacy.com/content/editorials-8/march-starcraft-ii-zerg-coverage---media-60/""]StarCraft: Legacy Coverage - Media[/URL]
[URL=""http://www.sclegacy.com/content/editorials-8/march-starcraft-ii-zerg-coverage---interviews-58/""]StarCraft: Legacy Coverage - Interviews[/URL]
[URL=""http://www.sclegacy.com/content/editorials-8/march-starcraft-ii-zerg-coverage---information-61/""]StarCraft: Legacy Coverage - Information[/URL]
[URL=""http://www.sclegacy.com/content/editorials-8/march-starcraft-ii-zerg-coverage---lore-59/""]StarCraft: Legacy Coverage - Lore[/URL]
[URL=""http://www.sclegacy.com/content/editorials-8/march-starcraft-ii-zerg-coverage---commentary-62/""]StarCraft: Legacy Coverage - Commentary[/URL]"
Blizzard Entertainment released StarCraft II Zerg content throughout Monday morning.
Regarding StarCraft: Legacy's coverage, you can expect a central hub (index) post to be made; this hub will link to our seperated content as well as flag new additions. Regarding the present coverage, Blizzard website content is posted here while the Korea content is in the previous news post.
Many North American users appear to be having trouble accessing the StarCraft II website. We will be reposting as much of the information here as possible.
Source:StarCraft: Legacy - Index Post
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Welcome to [B]StarCraft: Legacy's[/B] coverage of the StarCraft II Zerg release.
In the time before the announcement, we felt that the Infested Terran would remain central to the style and identity of the Zerg. Thus, we revisited the original [I]StarCraft[/I] concept art for inspiration. We are excited to provide you with coverage on a darker, more refined Swarm.
Minutes after release, our site crashed due to the influx of traffic. We apologize for any inconvienence. Thank you for visiting. Also, thank you to [B]SC2Pod.com[/B] for posting about our downtime. Information from the Korean press event is here. It should be noted that some of the information learned is subject to translation issues and may not be precisely accurate. We have been covering the release in-depth for many hours; details will be refined or clarified as other sources become available.
[SIZE=""4""][B]StarCraft: Legacy[/B][/SIZE]
[center]ChaosSmurf | Dauntless | DiscipleofAdun | Drake Clawfang | Gradius | icephantom02 | Master Boo | pure.Wasted | Waves | Wrath | Zero | rise | LordofAscension[/CENTER]
[B]Source:[/B]
[URL=""http://www.sclegacy.com/showthread.php?t=103""]StarCraft: Legacy - Index Post[/URL]"
"Karune has recently released four new screenshots of StarCraft II, depicting the new Terran Jackal and Marauder as well as the new sprite for the Protoss Nullifier. Beyond the power to finally put a sprite to the names, the screenshots also show us how Blizzard has reacted to fan complaints about bright and colorful graphics and team colors.
Tell SC Legacy which screenshot you love, but also please tell us why! Here for you are the four screenshots.
[url=http://www.battle.net/images/misc/08-03/A.jpg]Blink Assault[/url]
[url=http://www.battle.net/images/misc/08-03/B.jpg]A Lone Outpost[/url]
[url=http://www.battle.net/images/misc/08-03/C.jpg]The Final Push[/url]
[url=http://www.battle.net/images/misc/08-03/D.jpg]Anti-Gravity Back Door[/url]
Once you've voted, please explain your vote! What do you think of the new units, the new graphics, and the battles themselves?"
