 Today Blizzard Entertainment and the StarCraft Community Sites proudly present three never before seen screenshots which include a few glimpses of the Zerg Swarm, as well as some a new look at some Terran armies under siege.  In this first screenshot Banelings, the apparent replacement for the Infested Terran, wreaking havoc upon a small Terran outpost. It also seems apparent that the Banelings attack will have a splash effect. The Banelings are backed-up by the classic Zerglings. The Zerglings have received a graphical overhaul (evolution?) since SC and have changed quite dramatically from the SC:Ghost concepts. In this screenshot we also get our first glimpse of one of the most important units to the Zerg - the Overlord! The Zerg's detector, transporter, and source of control has gotten an overhaul, and is gleaming with green. Do the green "orbs" reflect the Zerg player's color? Or does the green symbolize the Vespene sacs that allow it to fly? In the second screenshot, we get another glance of the Mutalisk, the Zerg's primary air attacker. They do not seem to have changed in shape too much from the Brood War days, but they look richer and fuller and their attack looks totally different. The attack on the Bunker resembles more of a Hydralisk's Needle Spines rather than a Glave Wurm. Also on Screenshot 2, we see what could be a new Thor attack. The Thor in the screenshot has its cannons extended, but what came out of them seems to be a sort of napalm or incendiary attack. Or could the orange cloud be a defiler's Dark Swarm? With our limited information it's just too early to tell. In the third new screenshot, we have a typical Terran vs. Terran battle. There are no new units to be seen and the Zerg don't make an appearance although it seems the banshee did seems to have acquired a small graphical upgrade - the cloaked model is very well done. The SC:L Staff's analysis has yielded a few interesting observations. One of the main things we noticed was how "cluttered" the screenshots seemed, the second one in particular. One of the best things about SC was that at a seconds glance you could pick out exactly what was happening. With the graphical upgrades, detailed terrain and newly placed emphasis on animation we hope that clarity is still recognized as a necessary and important consideration. In the original SC another one of the things that defined the units was the gritty realism. In these screenshots as well as previous ones it seems as though the models are getting brighter and dare we say a bit cartoonier? The semi-realistic proportions and the little realistic touches seem to be missing. While this isn't necessarily a bad change, indeed many people like it - we hope it returns as it's small details like that that contributed to the uniqueness of the game. And finally the Zergling model has certainly changed since SC Vanilla and a large majority of our staff doesn't think it was for the better. The term "cricket" has been thrown around in the last few days and we're inclined to agree. The swarming effect is incredibly awesome but there's something about the model that doesn't quite strike true with most of us. Many of us prefer the SC: Ghost Ling concept. But that is as always a matter of taste. Although all of us absolutely love the new Overlord model. We're impressed and we have no doubt that when SCII ships it will look spectacular and in a few years all of these models and units will be as familiar to us as those we've been commanding for the last nine years. This is the beginning - the Zerg are unburrowing - the swarm is awakening...
Update: With new updates there are always new questions. Karune has answered some questions regarding the Zerg Banelings which appeared in the screenshots: [quote] Currently, the Banelings' attack does not harm friendly units, adding to their deadliness. This of course may be subject to change in the future to maintain balance.[/quote][quote] ...the blobs of green in the first screenshot, those are the exploded corpses of the Banelings. Those creatures are currently quite the melee killers in StarCraft II.[/quote][quote] You are absolutely correct, this is one of the best economy raiding strategies at the moment for Zerg. If you can get some Banelings into the enemy's peon line, you can significantly stifle their economy, as well as force them into a defensive minded mentality. Nonetheless, there are counters to this, such as if you are playing Terrans, you can upgrade your Command Center to a Planetary Fortress, thus defending your economy from light raids. Luckily, those Banelings have very little hit points, and are easy to kill with ranged weapons.[/quote] Source:Battle.net Forums
Blizzard updated today the official StarCraft II website with a new page - "The Story So Far...". Currently the page holds only the first part of the story, which deals with the events of StarCraft and the three original campaigns. [quote] Terrans first journeyed to the far edge of the galaxy when a navigational malfunction sent their automated colony vessels hurtling off course. Bypassing their intended target, the ships crash-landed on three worlds scattered across the Koprulu sector.
Over several decades the terrans established colonies, spread to other planets, and came into conflict with one another. In the decade after the end of the Guild Wars, the Terran Confederacy stood unchallenged in its supremacy over colonial space.
The terran colonies first became aware they were not alone in the universe when a gleaming fleet of protoss warships suddenly emerged over the Confederate world of Chau Sara. The advanced alien ships incinerated the planet's surface without warning...[/quote]According to an image on the top of the page, the second part should cover the events of Brood War. To see the entire page, go here. 
Source:StarCraft2.com - The Story So Far - Part 1
Some of you love DotA, some of you hate it. Either way you can't ignore the popular WarCraft III mod. What do you think about a StarCraft II version?
Update: The weekly batch (22 in number) is now up on the European StarCraft II forums. This week, Xordiah brought us a map making batch. Take a look:
Xordiah wrote: Today we will continue the series we had started a couple of weeks ago. Dustin Browder and Brett Wood, Senior Software Engineer will answer questions from the Map Making Community. If you have questions concerning custom made maps and mods, wed like to invite you to ask them in this thread so they can be included in part 3 of the series. :)
Chat with Devs: One of the most popular questions we get when it comes to creating UMS (User Map Settings) games or mods is: Will there be a DotA for StarCraft II? For those who are not familiar, DotA (Defense of the Ancients), is a popular UMS game created for Warcraft III. StarCraft compared to Warcraft III, does not focus on heroes as much, and heroes or units do not have the same experience gaining mechanic as Warcraft III, making it difficult to imagine how a game like DotA could be reproduced for StarCraft. Nonetheless, after chatting it up with our devs, we found out the ability to allow heroes and units to gain experience is built into the Map Editor, though it will not likely be in single player or standard multiplayer. In addition, those units can also be toggled to have the ability to carry an inventory, which is also a characteristic needed in UMS maps such as DotA. With those two additions, we can rest assured that our clever community modders can handle the rest in creating some awesome custom games.
1) Will you finally be able to mix and match terrain types instead of being stuck on jungle, twilight, etc?
[Dustin Browder] Yes terrain texture is mixable now. Also tilesets are also mixable.
[Brett Wood] Essentially, you can define your own tileset in the editor, something that wasnt really supported even in Warcraft III.
2) Will the new StarCraft II Map Editor support text coloring, unit coloring, player ""12"" (i.e. neutral player) units?
[Dustin Browder] Yes, all of these features will be supported.
3) Will maps be larger than 256x256?
[Brett Wood] The maximum map size will still be 256x256, and we have no plans to increase that.
4) Will the new map editor support locking maps? People hate losing credit for a map.
[Dustin Browder] Yes, we are planning to support this feature. We hope that this feature will give the modding community more incentive to create their own original maps.
5) Will the new map editor support ""square"" terrain building as well?
[Dustin Browder] Yes. In the editor, users can adjust the footprint of buildings to whatever shape and size they like. You can read the full thread here. Our poll has been updated according to the new Q&A: ""What do you think about a StarCraft II DotA?"". Go ahead and vote! As for last week's poll, ""Do you like the new Firebat"", it seems most of our visitors have nothing against the changes Blizzard has made to the unit. Do you have a different opinion? Hop to our forums and express it. Earlier today, Cavez (AKA Dustin Browder) posted in the Battle.net forum that we will see Zerg as soon as it's ready. Here is what he had to say: Quote: We will give you Zerg stuff just as soon as we can. We aren't holding it on purpose, it's just not ready yet. We had a lot more time to work on the Protoss and the Terrans before the announcement that you guys didn't see (because the game wasn't announced yet).
I don't have an ETA but we won't be waiting for the next Blizzcon. We are quite happy to put stuff out on the web for you guys to check out. It doesn't HAVE to be a giant event to show a race, though when an event happens to match up with a race announcement that is a lot of fun.=) Sources:StarCraft II Q&A Batch Archive - Batch 22
In light of the Blizzard's StarCraft II monthly discussion, the Terran Ghost, MYM has written up an article about the subject. The ten paged article compares the new Ghost to its original counterpart, analyzes its abilities and addresses potential balance issues. You can read it here. 
Source:MYM: The Ghost
Karune posted the weekly batch today with six new questions. Some answers are already known, but the others are interesting. Take a look:
Quote: This latest Q&A Batch features questions from our fans in South Korea. We've made sure to include an additional question to cover any questions that may be repetitive from previous Q&As.
Chat with Devs: Since the Terran Ghost has an upgradeable EMP ability, the Terran Nomad's has been given the ability to create stationary defenses in addition to its Defense Matrix ability. One of the new stationary defenses is the Auto-Turret, which can attack ground units, and this unit be seen on this screenshot.
We are hoping the Nomad's new abilities will innovate its role, in addition to being a detector.
As always, feel free to give the Devs and I a w00t if your enjoying these Q&As!
---StarCraft II Q&A - Batch 21---
1. Do you have any plan to put the auto-casting ability into StarCraft II units, just like in Warcraft III?
At the moment, Medics are the only units that we have deemed fit to have an auto-cast ability. StarCraft II, compared to Warcraft III, has fewer abilities but are much more potent when executed properly, thus making them manual cast will give players a huge opportunity to demonstrate much skill in the game.
2. Would you make it possible for players on observing mode to check various information including a mini map, upgrading status, and resource status on a personal window? If not, would you consider developing this function?
These are all great ideas and we will work to get these in for observing mode. We will be working hard to have the observing mode innovative and comprehensive, building upon all the features that were in our previous RTS titles, as well as other titles in the market.
3. Will the story of StarCraft II be continued right from where the original StarCraft story ended? Or, will it begin at the moment after some amount of time passed since the last time of the original StarCraft?
The StarCraft II storyline will continue 4 years after the events of Brood War.
4. It is not possible to watch how a mouse was moved in a saved replay game. Could you make this possible to see the movement of mouse?
We would also like the mouse to be viewable in saved replays, however, it may be more likely that well have the options to show both the view of the players playing as well as selection icons of the units being currently selected in the replay.
5. When grouping units to a control group, how many units could be added to one group?
Currently, players are able to select more than 150 units in a single control group. The final actual number will be determined by hardware performance tests on the game, but should still be close to that number.
6. Players often tend to stack up workers and air units looking as one group in original StarCraft. Will this still be possible in StarCraft II?
In StarCraft II, this is harder to do than in the original StarCraft, but still possible. Units tend to group together more and more with each manual attack order. As long as you keep giving that manual attack order upon a target certain attacking units of the same type will group closer together. When the unit attacked upon is destroyed or the units become idle, they will naturally spread out again.
---End of Transmission--- 150 units? Zerg crackling rushes will never look the same! To view the entire thread, go here.
And if we are already talking about updates by Karune, we are glad to introduce the "Battle.net Spider" to StarCraft Legacy. The bar on the left will be updated regularly with quotes by Karune, Cavez or any other Blizzard employee so you can keep track on every change made on StarCraft II - even the slightest one.
Also take notice that starting today, we will update our poll each week as the Q&A is released. This week we want to know what do you think about the changes Blizzard has made to the Terran Firebat. Go ahead and vote! As for last week's poll, "What new ability is the best?" (results here), it seems the most of you prefer the Stalker's Blink over the other abilities.
Source:
Karune's StarCraft II Q&A - Batch 21 StarCraft II Q&A Batch Archive - Batch 21
Today the Korean web magazine, GameMeca, published three new StarCraft II screenshots, featuring the never-seen-before Terran Firebat and Protoss High Templars using Static Field.
Take a look:
  
Update:Karune has started an open Q&A thread in the StarCraft II forums about these screenshots. Already he has answered several questions about these screens. Quote:
What is the mysterious turret that is in the screenshot that has yet to be revealed? We've seen this before.... can you tell us what's behind this?
The turrets are dropped by the Nomad (using energy), acting as decent defenses, and even better harassment, if used by a skilled player.
Also, does the Firebat have any special abilities for instance one that makes a wall of fire and is channeled? Is there anything fresh that we haven't seen for the Firebat?
The Firebats are back with the same fire loving attitude, but with added Hit Points to help them get real close to their enemies. Firebats also must be produced from the Factory rather than the Barracks from the original StarCraft, since their suits are larger and able to sustain more enemy fire.
A About the force field, it is channeled? if so how long does it last, and what exactly it does, I mean you can't pass through it or it acts as a barrier or something...
The Force Field is currently an instant cast, costing energy from the Protoss High Templar. This Force Field prevents all units from passing its perimeter.
The High Templars appear to have an attack coming from their hands. Do they now have an attack of their own, or are they channeling the barrier spell?
We are currently experimenting with giving the High Templars a standard attack, just enough to keep him out of trouble, but not actually powerful enough where you would want to use them as an offensive attack unit. The High Templar's primary role is still to be a caster of special abilities.
[...] But... wait, wasn't Force Field moved from the High Templar to the Stasis Orb?
Over the past month and coming months, there will be a many ability swaps. From week to week, it could change significantly. Nonetheless, I'll try my best to keep you guys updated. At this very moment, the Twilight Archon is being tested with some of the original StarCraft High Templar abilities.
[Regarding Destructible Doodads] So are destructible attackable by all units or just high damage units like Siege Tank/Colossus? Can you click on the rocks and stuff to see their HP or anything?
The rocks will have viewable Hit Points and can be destroyed by all units. In some maps, this type of environmental interaction could allow access to both 'secret expansion locations' as well as 'secret paths' to an enemy's base. Knowing the maps well will be crucial to the strategy involved in multiplayer skirmishes.
View the thread here (with many other more responses by Karune) and post up your questions! Sources:GameMeca.comKarune's Screenshot Chat
This month we'll be tackling the Terran Ghost. The Ghost has gained a host of new abilities and is poised to be a pivotal tactical unit. But what do you think of the revamped Ghost? Let us know! At the end of the month we'll aggregate the information and send it to the devs. Thanks very much to everyone that participated in the October discussion which focused on Battle.net. SC:L/BF produced some of the most diverse and helpful suggestions! Here's what has been released by Karune on the Ghost: Quote: Of all the original StarCraft units brought back to StarCraft II, the Terran Ghost has undergone some of the most changes. The Terran Ghost wields new abilities such as Snipe and the upgradable EMP burst and cloak ability. Furthermore, the Ghost is also able to call down Drop Pods in addition to their classic Nuclear Launch ability. In addition, the Terran Ghost can be built early game, in a Barracks with a tech lab and a Shadow Ops as a prerequisite building, making it a Tier 1.5 unit.
These changes have brought about much innovation to the gameplay for StarCraft II and we encourage the community to add their feedback to these changes!
Here are the Ghosts stats in the current build of StarCraft II (Not Final):
Mineral Cost: 100
Vespene Gas Cost: 100
Hit Points: 100
Max Energy: 200 (Starts with 50)
Armor: Light
Weapon Damage: 5 (+30 vs Light)
Range: 10
Weapon Speed: Normal
Ability Costs:
Snipe: 25 Energy (Does 50 damage vs. Biological unit + 100 vs. Light Armor and can be used while cloaked)
EMP: 100 Energy (Depletes energy and shields of enemy units within the area of effect)
Cloak: 25 Energy (initial) and 1 Energy/Second while Cloaked
I highly recommend to take part in our forum's discussion on the Ghost as all of the suggestions there are vigorously argued and the SC:L staff directly participates/reads every comment! Sources:Official Blizzforum's Discussion TopicOfficial Battle.net Feedback Thread
Karune's got our back! Here's this week's Q&A.
[quote]Wow, we're already at our 20th Batch of Community Q&As! I've got to say, the questions from the community are becoming better and better as we move along. Nonetheless, I want to remind everyone to ask your StarCraft II questions on this thread.
The Devs and I are all reading and we love answering community questions. Every week there are always exciting new changes we want to share with everyone. Granted, many of the changes may not stay in the game very long, but the process of game development is a constant cycle of brainstorm, revision, and much testing, to ultimately make all the gaming components flow together for one awesome overall experience.
Chat with Devs: Terran Ghosts are currently being tested as an effective Tier 1.5 unit, capable of sniping down high profile enemy targets, have an increased attack damage towards light armored units, as well as an upgradable EMP against Protoss and energy using threats. If that isnt enough, these highly advanced Terran soldiers at higher techs can also be equipped with a personal cloak ability, and launch drop pod reinforcements, as well as call down a massive nuclear strike. The StarCraft II Ghost will surely be bringing a whole new meaning to "You call down the thunder and I'll reap the whirlwind." Of course, I should mention, all of this is subject to change.
As always, feel free to give the Devs and I a w00t if your enjoying these Q&As!
---StarCraft II Q&A - Batch 19---
1. Will it be possible to give more fluid and realistic movements to small aircraft with proper banking and turning rather than just abrupt sprite-style direction changes?
We are currently in the process of implementing banking animations for flying units, but playability always comes first. If the animations affect playability negatively, it could get cut.
2. With the Reavers no longer in the game, will the Protoss have any units capable of performing brutal worker raids? (Starcraftlive.net)
The Colossus is an excellent choice for worker raids, since it is able to attack from higher elevations, and can be transported by the Phase Prism. In addition, we are exploring some ideas for the Twilight Archon that would allow him to make devastating attacks on enemy workers.
3. Will there be a escort ship for Battlecrusier because Protoss have like many kinds of capital ships?
With the Predator unit cut, the Viking is now the primary Terran air to air fighter. In addition, the Viking no longer requires an upgrade to transform between a ground and air unit and is also built directly from the Starport rather than the Factory.
4. Will there be units who can trample opponents (such as an Ultralisk)? (gamereplays.org)
Currently, there are no units that trample, but have discussed this idea as a possibility. Nonetheless, we also hit the dilemma of having a trample unit that is able to destroy enemy unit assets far beyond its own cost of the trample unit, with relatively little micro.
5. Will siege tanks be able to shoot at targets in the fog of war picked up by sensor towers, but not yet confirmed by visual sighting?
No. Siege Tanks will only be able to hit targets within visual range. In addition, Siege Tanks firing from the fog of war, such as on an unseen cliff, will not reveal its location from the fog of war to its enemy, thus will not be able to be return fired upon.
---End of Transmission---[/quote]
Hmm tanks not being able to fire into nothingness is a little odd realistically but I suppose it makes good game balance. It appears many decisions will be tough calls and more than a few will focus on realism vs gameplay.
Source:
Karune's StarCraft II Q&A - Batch 20 StarCraft II Q&A Batch Archive - Batch 20
"The latest update on [URL=""http://www.starcraft2.com""]www.StarCraft2.com[/URL] included the Observer, new art and screenshots. Our forum's member, [B]Spychi[/B], discovered a little secret hidden in one of these new screenshots - Jim Raynor:
[CENTER][IMG]http://sclegacy.com/images/uploaded/starcraftiinews/howdy.jpg[/IMG]
| [URL=""http://eu.starcraft2.com/images/screenshots/ss58-hires.jpg""]Direct link to the screenshot[/URL] |
[/CENTER]
Our contacts from Blizzard [B]confirmed[/B] this is indeed [B]Jim Raynor[/B] (though not his in-game model), and the above is an easter-egg. It turns out this it not the first of these easter-eggs, and Blizzard secretly added these in the past.
Head over to our ""[URL=""http://www.blizzforums.com/showthread.php?t=13395""]Find Jim Raynor[/URL]"" thread on BlizzForums and see if you can find them all.
[COLOR=Red][B]Update:[/B][/COLOR] Our members have found the other Raynor's, scattered across three other screenshots:
[CENTER][IMG]http://sclegacy.com/images/uploaded/starcraftiinews/howdy2.jpg[/IMG]
| [URL=""http://eu.starcraft2.com/images/screenshots/ss56-hires.jpg""]Direct link to the screenshot[/URL] |
[IMG]http://sclegacy.com/images/uploaded/starcraftiinews/howdy4.jpg[/IMG]
| [URL=""http://eu.starcraft2.com/images/screenshots/ss52-hires.jpg""]Direct link to the screenshot[/URL] |
[IMG]http://sclegacy.com/images/uploaded/starcraftiinews/howdy3.jpg[/IMG]
| [URL=""http://eu.starcraft2.com/images/screenshots/ss53-hires.jpg""]Direct link to the screenshot[/URL] |
[LEFT]Kudos to [B]ATG[/B], [B]Arbinn[/B], [B]Kacaier[/B] and [B]Spychi[/B] (again) for finding these last three.
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