New StarCraft Short Story Series

Blizzard is making an interesting new addition to the StarCraft website: a series of short stories that take place in the StarCraft universe, available free to read and download as a PDF.

The first of these stories is titled In the Blood, and is about a Terran's plot to sell off Zerg larvae. You can read it here on the official website, as well as read a portion of it below:

The port grub awoke in a cold sweat, as usual. The transponder implanted in his wrist cried its shrill alarm at five-second intervals. The boss man, Ivan, was calling. New product was in.

Instinct seized control, issuing orders to the grub's body. Twin adrenal glands juiced his veins with nature's own brand of stimpack. His lungs billowed. His heart raced. Blood cells rich with oxygen surged through muscle tissue as he began the rituals of awakening.

These short stories will be added in to the StarCraft II Lore page as soon as they come out. There will also be updates on the front page of StarCraft: Legacy as new installments are released.

Source:
Battle.net - StarCraft Short Story: In the Blood

StarCraft II Creative Development Q&A, Part 12

The next Creative Development Q&A is out, with a few interesting questions:

Question: How is it that, with Tychus under the employ of Arcturus Mengsk, he never knew of his son's plot?

Answer: Well, Tychus and Jim didn't find out about Valerian's plot until quite late—too late for Mengsk to stop it, really. But the truth is, Mengsk did know about Valerian's plot. Remember, Arcturus wanted Tychus Findlay on the scene when Kerrigan's humanity was restored. That was the ideal outcome Mengsk was hoping for, but even if that didn't happen, the plan still had lots of positives. It let him combine the tactical brilliance of Jim Raynor with the steadiness of General Warfield to affect an invasion of Char. If the invasion succeeded, then the Dominion fleet would have just taken Char and deposed the Queen of Blades—a victory for Mengsk. If the invasion failed, then the Swarm would still have taken a lot of damage, but the failure wouldn't be Mengsk's; it would be laid at the feet of the traitorous Prince Valerian and his crony Jim Raynor. In that case, Mengsk could use the entire fiasco as a rallying cry to win the people over: “we're now in great danger, with our military damaged by Raynor!”

Am I saying Mengsk would sacrifice Valerian if it suited his purposes? Yep! I don't think he would do that lightly, but in the end, he'd do anything to survive.

For the full Q&A, click here.

Source:
Battle.net - StarCraft II Creative Development Q&A: Part 12

Heart of the Swarm Beta Access Expanded

With the Heart of the Swarm release quickly approaching, Blizzard has allowed more users into the Heart of the Swarm beta. Any players who pre-purchased HotS on or before December 18 are now flagged for beta access, so if you are one of these people, check to see if you have HotS on your Battle.net account management.

Any players who pre-purchase after December 18 will be allowed into the beta in weekly waves. Be sure to keep checking if you gain beta access!

Source:
Battle.net - Heart of the Swarm Beta Access Expanded

PTR 1.4.0 Updates

There were a few additions to the 1.4.0 PTR Patch, including one hefty nerf to the Zerg Infestor.

Balance

ZERG
    Infestor
        Infestor's Neural Parasite can no longer target Massive units.

StarCraft II Editor Improvements

    Editor General
        Custom maps with dependencies containing trigger libraries will now load significantly faster in the editor.

      
Bug Fixes
   
Gameplay
        Fixed an issue where at the end of a replay the leaving player's Average APM would set to 0.
       
    Terran       
        Fixed an issue where Bunkers would not display their refunded minerals to the owner or allies when they are salvaged.
       
    Zerg
        Fixed an issue where Broodlords on the high ground would not be revealed when attacking enemy units on the low ground.

StarCraft II Editor Bug Fixes
      
    Terrain Editor
       Fixed an issue where closing the editor while the previewer is recording would crash the Editor.

Source:
Battle.net - Patch 1.4.0 PTR Notes

Heart of the Swarm Launch Event Site Now Live

The launch site for Heart of the Swarm is now live, and you can check it out here.

Source:
Blizzard - Heart of the Swarm Global Invasion

Community-Submitted Unit Dances in HotS

A few months ago, Blizzard asked the community to submit their dances for a chance for them to get into the game. Blizzard has finally released their choices on which dances are making their way into Heart of the Swarm, showcasing the dances in a video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_34Z0j4K_Q

Source:
Battle.net - Community-Submitted Dances Coming in Heart of the Swarm

Heart of the Swarm Spotlight: New Units

The StarCraft II Game Guide has just been updated on Battle.net, adding in the new units coming with the Heart of the Swarmexpansion.

Click to check out the Hellbat, the Widow Mine, the Mothership Core, the Oracle, the Tempest, the Viper, and the Swarm Host.

Source:
Battle.net - Heart of the Swarm Spotlight: New Units

SC:L Beta Zerg Guide

Introduction

At the end of Brood War, Kerrigan was proud of the battle that raged throughout the Koprulu Sector, much of it had been spawned by her web of deception and manipulation. The shattered Protoss heritage, the frail Terran empire borne from unbridled corruption, everything in the Brood War had been masterfully woven. With the Overmind dead twice-over, Kerrigan assumed sole sentient control of the swarm, it was hers now. Yet with the entire sector finally ripe for the taking, she vanished.

Four years have passed and once again, battles rage across the sector; the Zerg have evolved in some definitive ways while maintaining a sentimental connection to their predecessors. Now, even the mighty Ultralisk can burrow its massive frame beneath the surface in ambush, completing the Zerg mastery of the subterranean. Some strands of Zerg genealogy have faded with the constant demands of evolution, while others have been strengthened; more species have been assimilated into the swarm, acquiring the many lethal traits that the Zerg have inherited. The Swarm has risen again.

This editorial is an in-depth consideration of our multiplayer Zerg gameplay experience so far. We'll look into what has changed and provide opinions regarding the new-found uses in the structure of this fearsome swarm. There has been a lot of discussion revolving around this race in the community: a lack of variety in the units, the strength of Hydralisks, the potency of Roaches... This editorial will examine some of these discussions and provide our take on the Zerg as they stand now in the StarCraft II Beta.

Index

Examining the Traits of the Individual Zerg Strains

The host of various units, and the vital roles they've been bred specifically for, allow the Zerg to retaliate appropriately to any opposition they may identify as a threat. Their skill in quickly adapting the composition of their armies because of centralized production at the hatchery allows the race to adjust in moments with a mix of units that complement and synergize with each other. The following is an examination of each individual unit and also how they weave into the Zerg Swarm as a whole.

Zergling

The Zergling remains one of the staple units in any Zerg army and has kept hold of the same role as it held in Brood War. They can still shield ranged attackers, such as Hydralisks, from engaging more valuable units. The Zergling's speed is neccessary to flank and surround surrounding enemy forces, denying them a retreat. In open areas, such surrounds will usually destroy the opposing army. Their speed, especially with upgrades, makes them useful for fast raids into expansions and undefended bases. These roles make the Zergling very compatible with other Zerg units; the Zergling can give other units some breathing room to maneuver and deal damage. Also, past the early game, Zerglings are a big threat to Thors and Immortals that cannot handle swarms of small units. Although this unit is most effective in the early-game, its usefulness keeps Zerg players producing Zerglings throughout the game.

Banelings and Zerglings breaking down a Terran wall

Baneling

The easily acquirable Zergling can morph into the Baneling, which is the Scourge of the ground. They deal a lot of damage against light units (20 +15 vs Light), so Banelings are a good counter to each race's starting units (Zerglings, Zealots, Marines) and also some mid-game units such as Hydralisks and Dark Templar. This makes them a reasonable investment in the small transition from Tier 1 to Tier 2 as long as there is enough aggression; they deal 80 damage to structures, meaning you don't need a lot to take down supply buildings (Supply Depots, Pylons). With a Zergling/Baneling mix, you can cause enough damage to choke blocks to keep your enemy cautious and hesitant to expand. When the going gets tougher for Banelings, which would be when there are sizable amounts of Tier 2 units on the field, there is the option to burrow them and use them as mines (Banelings have the ability to detonate at any time, even while burrowed). Banelings burrowed at Xel'Naga Towers and choke points can guarantee you some free hits to some costly armies, such as M&M balls or even Colossi. This should be done if an ambush could pressure the enemy or if some Banelings are left over, either because of teching up or producing more effective counters. Even when teching up, it is very useful to have at least a few Banelings lying around if you get a Nydus Network or Infestors; Nydus Network can get you inside the enemy base to quickly destroy key structures, and Infestors can use Fungal Growth to immobilize the enemy as Banelings roll out. As a final note, it's essential to make the most out of each Baneling simply because they are very fragile and are a one-time use. If one Baneling can cause enough damage to warrant a price of 50 minerals, 25 gas (25/0 for one Zergling, 25/25 for one Baneling), they should be used in situations that allow for maximum effect.

Roach

The Roach is the most common Zerg unit, dealing decent damage and has high durability. They have amazing harass potential if burrow-move is upgraded. Unfortunately, the timing of Roaches means that the enemy may be able to produce counters, most notably Marauders because of their 10+10 armor damage to Roaches (and reducing the movement speed of the already-slow Roaches). If going for a Roach-centric build, maintaining frequent aggression and acquiring expansions is important for a Zerg player to be able to create a superior number of Roaches or to tech up and get Hydralisks and/or Mutalisks. Because of the Roach's range of 3 and the Hydralisk's range of 5 (6 when upgraded), they automatically make a good double-layer when attacking. Along with a few Zerglings, the Zerg player can get three rows of damage-dealing units. Mutalisks fit well with Roaches because they cover each other's weaknesses quite well: Roaches can eliminate Marines and Missile Turrets, while Mutalisks can chase down Marauders and Medivacs. The Roach remains a reliable unit from start to finish, and is often mixed in with other units.

Roaches defending an expansion

Also, the Roach has three different upgrades, all of which give the Roach a significant boost. The Roach's speed upgrade gives it much faster movement speed, which reduces the danger of being kited; without the speed upgrade, many units can kite Roaches with no trouble due to the range and speed differences. The speed upgrade also applies to burrow-move, which must also be upgraded. The burrow-move upgrade allows the Roach to move while burrowed, gives the Roach some stealthy harass options, and can be a very large thorn in the enemy's side. Even with Scanner Sweep, Roaches can move out of the detected area, using their high regeneration to survive some attacks. Unlike the movement speed and burrow-move upgrades, which are available at Tier 2, the regeneration upgrade is available at Tier 3. This regeneration improves the Roach's survivability. There's not too much to say about this upgrade, except that it allows the Roach to withstand more hits, but doesn't create a huge difference in large-scale battles where they may be killed in one shot.

Hydralisk

The Hydralisk returns from Brood War, but now as a Tier 2 unit. It is still very versatile; most Zerg mid-game armies are mainly composed of Hydralisks. This versatility makes Hydralisks very capable by themselves, so other units are commonly used to support the main army or to fulfill more specific roles, such as harassment or scouting (unfortunately with their HP at 80, Thors can one-shot them, Psionic Storms devastate them, and Colossi fry them very quickly, so their versatility is reduced after late mid-game). As mentioned above, the Roach/Hydra mix is very strong because the Roaches act as the front wall, tanking hits for the Hydralisks to spray a lot of damage. In later mid-game, Hydra/Muta is effective because the Mutalisks can harass and contain the enemy as the Hydralisks gain free reign over the map. Mutalisks are also great for taking down Siege Tanks and Colossi, which are the Hydralisk's strongest counters (although the Thor is just as deadly to both Hydralisks and Mutalisks). As for upgrades, the Hydralisk only has the range upgrade, which increases their range by one. This upgrade is a must-have against air units and fast-hitters, because the increase in range compensates for their slow movement.

Mutalisk

Mutalisks are positioned at Tier 2, putting them around mid-game. These fast-moving air units are extremely effective harassers; five of them can kill any worker unit with one volley, be it SCV, Probe, or Drone. Constant harass could put a big dent in the enemy's economy, but many people forget that harassing is double-edged sword. A player who is harassing will not have the same amount of macro as when he isn't harassing, so finding a good balance between Mutalisk micro and unit production macro is essential. There is also the competition between the Hydralisk and Mutalisk; the Hydralisk is greater at head-on battles because of their strength over infantry and air, but Mutalisks are more mobile and able to harass. This unit gives Zerg players many decisions to deal with in Tier 2.

Mutalisks attacking a Protoss base

From the enemy's perspective, a possible response to Mutalisk harass is to make a substantial investment into base defenses: Photon Cannons, Missile Turrets, and Spore Crawlers. This gives Zerg ground units a chance to shine; Roaches should do fine against a few Photon Cannons, especially if Hydralisks are mixed in, and Missile Turrets and Spore Crawlers are absolutely no problem. Making a Nydus Network is also recommended, as the large number of base defenses means fewer resources for combat units and more opportunities to use Nydus Worms. Another possible enemy response is the production of hard counters, probably air. If the enemy makes ground counters, making Roaches to kill them or Banelings to destroy buildings could soften them up to the point where Mutalisks can harass again. If the enemy makes air counters, a sharp tech switch to Hydralisks would be devastating. You could, in actuality, win a game by massing Mutalisks, but it wouldn't be likely unless you have a massive economic advantage.

Infestor

The infestor is a spellcaster unit for the Zerg that feels like a mashup of some Protoss casters from Brood War. It currently has three spells: Terran Infestation, Fungal Growth, and Neural Parasite. Terran Infestation spawns an Infested Terran onto the battlefield, but it is very slow and not incredibly strong. It only costs 25 energy, so multiple can be created, but they serve as small distractions at best. With the Infestor's burrow-move it is possible for them to get behind a mineral line, unburrow, spawn a few Infested Terrans and then burrow again. This would be a good form of harassment for the Zerg besides the Roach and the Muta. Fungal Growth is similar to Psionic Storm, except that it immobilizes its targets and reveals cloaked/burrowed units. Neural Parasite is a channeled Mind Control, which is permanent but having a short range, and can only target ground units. Any units controlled by Neural Parasite will be released if they stray too far from the Infestor. Therefore, this skill is best used from up on a ledge and aimed at high damage dealers, such as Siege Tanks, Thors, Immortals, Colossi, and Ultralisks. In practice, the Infestor isn't extremely useful and isn't too effective for its cost. Some patches have changed the Infestor, from removing and adding skills entirely to tweaking pre-existing skills. The Infestor, through all the different patches, had its role shifted from a stealthy frontline support caster to a fragile, vulnerable defensive caster.

Some trivia for Infestors is that any workers captured by Neural Parasite can actually create buildings, even Drones, a Neural Parasited Drone can start spawning a building, and that building will remain yours even if Neural Parasite is cancelled during the spawning process. Infestors can Neural Parasite other Infestors, which in turn can Neural Parasite other Infestors, and so on.

Corruptor

As part of the Zerg air arsenal, there is the Corruptor, which can only attack air units. With a bonus against Massive units, the Corruptor is effective against Battlecruisers, Colossi, Brood Lords, Motherships, and Carriers. Even though it is an air-to-air unit, it is less useful than the Mutalisk because of its air-only limitation, its weakness towards anything not Massive, and a higher resource cost (50 more minerals than Mutalisks). Phoenix are much faster then they are, and Vikings deal more damage and have a longer range. The only effective mid-game uses for this unit are destroying Colossi, as six Corruptors can take down a Colossus in moments, and disabling base defenses with its ability. The Corruptor's ability, Corruption, can disable any building from production or function. For example, Photon Cannons will not be able to fire, and Gateways will not be able to produce units. This ability isn't permanent, but it gives ground units a bit of time to take them out in safety. With only these small, specific roles, the Corruptor really isn't worth producing except for getting Brood Lords in the late-game.

Brood Lord

The unit that the Corruptor can morph into, the Brood Lord, is basically the Guardian redux. It is an aerial siege unit with the unique ability to spawn Broodlings wherever it attacks. The Brood Lord deals damage when it attacks a target, but it also spawns Broodlings next to the target. The Broodlings are ground units with a timed lifespan and little bit of damage, but their function is more to block units from reaching the Brood Lords than to do actual harm. The Broodlings mess with the AI and pathing of ground units, making them change targets and walk back and forth instead of attacking the Brood Lords. Although Brood Lords are rarely seen in large numbers, they are very powerful, and are almost always the endgame finishers of the Zerg army.

As a small note, Broodlings are affected by the Melee upgrade and Carapace upgrade. Broodlings also spawn from all Zerg buildings upon their destruction, excluding Extractors, Spine Crawlers, and Spore Crawlers.

Ultralisk

The Ultralisk returns from Brood War, retaining basically the same role as the Zerg's tanking base-smasher. Ultralisks are rarely seen because of their position on Tier 3. They can take down hordes of smaller units and raze entire bases, but by Tier 3 there are many counters to the Ultralisk on the field (Thors, Immortals, air units). This means that the best way of using this unit is against massed units out in the open (such as massed Marines, Zealots, or Zerglings), or in combination with the Nydus Network. By transporting Ultralisks into a base, they can tear down all the buildings with ease, ignoring enemy forces if necessary. If used properly, Ultralisks can quickly turn the tide of battle.

Overlord

The Overlord is one of the two supply-sustaining units for the Zerg (the other being Overseers), and also has a very useful ability: Excrete Creep. Excrete Creep allows the Overlord to drop and spread creep underneath it while it remains stationary. This ability is automatically researched once a Lair is completed, and doesn't cost energy to cast. Naturally, it works very well with Creep Tumors, which may be unable to spawn up or down a cliff. Excrete Creep can allow Creep Tumors to be made in hard-to-reach positions, thus spreading the creep further. The downside to this ability is that the Overlord must remain stationary to sustain the creep; if the Overlord moves, the creep underneath it will shrink away unless there is a Hatchery or Creep Tumor nearby to keep it alive.

Overlord providing sight for a Nydus Worm.

The great thing about spreading creep is that Zerg units gain a movement speed boost while on creep. Some creep spread on the battlefield allows Zerglings and Roaches to close in faster, thus taking less damage before attacking and being able to deal more damage before dying. There is also the option to move up some Spine Crawlers closer to your enemy. People have suggested using Excrete Creep to deny expansions, but a burrowed Zergling is cheaper and more effective; an Overlord may be killed with a simple Marine or Stalker, but a burrowed Zergling cannot be killed without detection.

Also, different from Brood War, Overlords do not have detection and have to morph into Overseers to detect cloaked and burrowed units.

Overseer

When Overlords are morphed into Overseers, they lose Excrete Creep but gain detection and the ability Spawn Changeling. This ability allows the Overseer to create a unit that morphs into an enemy unit, proving to be an excellent scout. Although boring in its use, the Changeling can walk around the inside of an enemy base unharmed, allowing you to see everything. This is reminiscent of the Parasite ability that the Queen had in Brood War. In addition, a Changeling wall is also frustrating for opponents, such as when several Changelings block a choke point (Changelings are not attacked by default; the player has to manually attack them). Essentially, the Changeling has some uses that aren't the most interesting, but undoubtedly useful.

Queen

The Queen is a very important unit for the Zerg, providing a large boost to macro. Its abilities Create Creep Tumor, Spawn Larvae, and Transfusion add a whole new level of Zerg gameplay. Create Creep Tumor creates a Creep Tumor on creep. Creep Tumors have the ability to spread creep, are burrowed by default, meaning enemies need detection to see them, and can create another Creep Tumor at the cost of becoming "inert," meaning that it cannot create any more Creep Tumors. This means that a Queen could create a Creep Tumor, and that one Creep Tumor can leapfrog and spread creep all over the map, provided that the enemy doesn't kill them. Creep Tumors can be killed when they are being created however, since during that time they are not burrowed. Create Creep Tumor's main advantage is increasing movement speed and providing vision, also able to be used for linking expansions for better defense and faster reinforcements. This ability really contributes to Zerg being a macro race and allows the Zerg far more vision and mobility.

Spawn Larva is pretty straightforward: it creates four larvae on any selected Hatchery/Lair/Hive. This means that Queens give a big boost to Zerg production rates, and gives Zerg a greater focus on macro. Spawn Larva matches the Larva production of around 1.5 Hatcheries, so not only is the player encouraged to keep up production, there isn't a necessity to create a third Hatchery in the main base (compared to Brood War, where many Zerg players created a Hatchery to keep up unit production). Instead, the Zerg player can take another expansion without severely losing an advantage in production. Unfortunately, another side-effect of Spawn Larva is the importance of each individual Hatchery; if one Hatchery is taken down, the fact that you lose a target for Spawn Larva means that you are actually losing about 2 Hatcheries (rounding down, because there are pauses between each cast). This shifts the Zerg mindset to be much more protective of expansions relative to Brood War.

Transfusion heals a selected Zerg building or unit, and is very useful for healing defensive buildings and healing Mutalisks. Mutalisks, after a sweep over an enemy base, sometimes have only a few hitpoints left. Transfusion heals 125 hitpoints, more than enough to fix the Mutalisks maximum of 120 hitpoints, so extra Queens specifically for Transfusion is usually a good idea. Once the Mutalisks are healed up, they can move out to harass again. In terms of defense, Queens can greatly lengthen the lifespan of Spine Crawlers and Ultralisks, which could prove vital to fending off an enemy push. Even in an assault, a few Queens can really raise the survivability of a Zerg army. Overall, the Queen is really useful for many aspects of Zerg gameplay.

Race Matchups

This section will look at the race match-ups for Zerg.

Basic Openings

First thing to do every game is to send the initial Overlord to scout. Against Protoss, you should be able to fly around to figure out what he is teching to, and also have some forewarning about 3-Gate mass Zealots or proxy Gateways (if they are making proxy Gateways, their base will be surprisingly empty). Against Terran or Zerg, the Overlord can't stay as long because air-attacking units can be produced faster for Terran or Zerg (Marines or Queens). What is most important to look out for with the Overlord is fast gas, cheese builds, or rushing. If the enemy is not doing something incredibly ordinary, going 13 Pool is the common Zerg opening. Scouting with a Drone is usually unnecessary, unless the map is very large and your Overlord didn't find the enemy on the first guess.

ZvT

Against Terran, going for an Extractor at 16 Drones is a versatile strategy. It allows you to get enough gas to produce a Zergling/Baneling army or a Zergling/Roach army, both of which are very effective in the early game. Banelings are great at early aggression, being great at destroying Terran wall-ins. If the front wall is broken, Zerglings can move in and swarm Marines and Marauders inside the base. Roaches on the other hand, are durable attackers that can keep Terrans contained and pressured in the early game. Unfortunately, Terran frequently go M&M&M, therefore relying on Roaches for an extended period of time is not recommended. Marauders deal incredible damage towards Roaches, dealing 10 damage +10 damage with their bonus towards armored. Banelings, however, can hinder the tech and abuse the enemy enough for them to be unable to produce a large number of Marauders. But if early aggression is based around Zerglings and Banelings, Hellions could quickly take down your army. Either way, with enough pressure you can expand and tech safely. In Tier 2, going Hydras is better than Mutas because of the strong counters (Marines, Vikings, Thors) and heading a frontal assault or invading via Nydus Worm. If you have an economic or tech advantage over the enemy, you could even get a Nydus Network before Hydralisks and pump Zergling/Baneling or Zergling/Roaches into the enemy base. Throughout the game, keeping the enemy from producing a substantial amount of counters and tech switching to keep them on their toes is important. If the game lasts until Tier 3, getting Corruptors and Brood Lords is the last resort and a probable game-winner. You could also make Ultralisks if you have a Nydus Worm and pump them straight into the enemy base, destroying buildings with the 60 damage that Ultralisks deal towards structures. Resistance inside the base may prove problematic, since the Ultalisks' large size will severely hinder their mobility between buildings. In the case of Terrans making a push with Thors, Infestors can Neural Parasite them from a safe position (higher elevations at a choke, for example) and greatly turn the tide of battle. Because Neural Parasite has an unlimited duration as of patch 5, the Thors can be kept in your base for defense, particularly against air units.

ZvP

Against Protoss, Banelings are not as potent; it is more effective to give Zerglings the speed upgrade rather than morph them into Banelings. With the speed upgrade, Zerglings can get a fast surround against Zealots and Stalkers, proving to be a cheap and effective army in the early game. Their strength is greatly increased with melee attack upgrades, and because of their attack speed, mobility, and superior numbers, even one upgrade is enough to make them deadly against early-game Protoss. Also, going Roaches is important to push back mass Zealot rushes, and with burrow-move there are more harass opportunities in the early-game and early mid-game compared to Terran. Cannons are stationary so Roaches can maneuver around them, and Observers come out in the mid-game unless the Protoss is allowed to tech up. After Roaches, going Hydralisks if the enemy gets Stalker/Sentry-centric army and going Mutalisks if the enemy gets Stalker/Immortal-centric army is good (although Protoss players frequently build a fast Robotics Facility after seeing Roaches, planning to counter with Immortals). Of course, in either case there needs to be a good mix of Roaches and Hydras or Mutas so that the enemy doesn't produce one mass and swat down your army. With Hydralisks, you want to hunt down expansions and hold out for Nydus Worm to get past the enemy's defenses. With Mutalisks you want to harass enough to gain an economic advantage to mass an army in order to land the killing blow. It's a good idea to get a few extra Queens to heal your Mutas; Transfusion heals 125 hit points which is enough to fully heal any Muta. Transfusion could also be used in the later game to preserve your Brood Lords.

Looking back a bit, at Tier 1.5 Roaches should do well against Zealots and Stalkers, so it's good to keep up pressure and aggression so that they can't obtain Immortals, or worse, Colossi. If the enemy goes Colossi, going Mutas or Corruptors is a must to support your Roaches, and if the enemy is going Immortals, going Hydralisks to save resources to tech to Nydus is a sound strategy. Unfortunately, because of the Roach's short attack range, Forge fast expands are viable for the Protoss. In this case however, Mutalisks are able to avoid the main point of defense to hit the weaker main base or simply to go around and hit the expansion. Stalkers are decent against Mutalisks, and there aren't other units for the Protoss that can cost-effectively counter them. But considering the long-run, Nydus makes the most use out of your ground army, and is a great method of mobilizing slow units on large maps. The sight of Mutalisks means that the enemy will turtle, probably creating a large anti-air zone before you can gather enough Mutas. Nydus, on the other hand, is more difficult to defend against; it can appear anywhere, including inside the base, so unless the enemy invests too many resources into static defenses a Nydus should easily pop up in a blind spot. Also, expanding and defending expos are easier with Nydus. Again, at Tier 3, aim for Corruptors and Brood Lords to finish the game.

ZvZ

The ZvZ game is focused a lot on Tier 1 and Tier 1.5. Games are usually decided a small amount of time after Tier 2 is reached. Early aggression is key in this matchup, and is decided mostly on macro, seeing who can produce more units and capture more expansions. Zerglings should fight each other in the early game, and the next step up is Roaches. Baneling Nest is not a good option before Roaches, because after Banelings eliminate the enemy Zerglings then you have Zerglings face off against Roaches, which is not an effective use of your remaining Zerglings. So while Zerglings and Roaches are fighting, the builds branch out. A Zerg player may go Baneling to destroy key buildings (especially because Zerg have very few but very important buildings) and obliterate enemy Zerglings, or they may go Mutalisks to harass and have free reign over Zerglings and Roaches. Hydralisks should be teched to if you have better map control than your enemy and they produce Mutalisks instead of Roaches (Hydralisks are very effective against Mutalisks, and are stronger than Mutas cost-for-cost). In this situation, a few Hydras should protect the bases and the rest should aid the main attack force of Roaches and Zerglings. Upgrades in ZvZ are more important than in other matchups because of the constant aggression and focus on macro. Games should not reach Tier 3.

Build Orders

Here are some build orders that have been found, produced by the community that are quite commonly used and effective in 1v1 games.

Fast Speedling

• 10 Overlord
• 14 Extractor (3 Drones on it when finished)
• 14 Spawning Pool
• 15 Overlord
• 15 Metabolic Boost
• 15 Queen

Fast Expand

• 10 Overlord
• 14 Spawning Pool
• 16 Hatchery
• 17 Extractor (3 Drones on it when finished)
• 16 Queen
• 18 Overlord

Fast Roach

• 10 Overlord
• 14 Spawning Pool
• 17 Extractor
• 17 Overlord
• 17 Roach Warren
• 16 Queen

Conclusion

This was an overall look at the Zerg race, with its units, army mixes, and matchup strategies. There will surely be more tweaks to the game as the beta progresses, but the topics discussed here should help Zerg players in improving their game in general. The examples and strategies discussed should not be so specific for them to become outdated in one patch We hope you enjoyed this editorial and wish you some happy Zerg gaming.

Zerg Tips and Trivia (From the Zerg section of the StarCraft II UI Tips and Tricks article)

• Zerg Hatcheries have two rally points which can be assigned.  One rallies drones while the second rally point sets the destination of any other unit.  Each will automatically be set based on if you click on a resource or not.   Queens by default do not have a rally point
• Hatcheries can all be assigned to the same control group such that when the Larvae is selected it will select every Hatchery's Larvae simultaneously which can all be given the same rally point.
• Each Zerg egg can be given its own rally point.
• Nydus Worms can have their own rally points. They can even be used to manually and "safely" mine from a separate mineral spot.
• When a Nydus worm erupts from the ground everyone can hear the announcement even if they don't see the origin of the Nydus Worm.  It's comparible to a Nuke in that fashion.
• Overlord troop dropping has no announcement noise along with it which is nice for expanding on islands or trying to sneak units to assault the flank of a base.
• The Overlord's Creep Drop ability is toggle-able. When activated the Overlord will always drop creep unless it is in transit.
• Changelings can't be loaded into a Nydus Worm.
• An Infestor can be instructed to move to a location burrow move to another location while underground unburrow cast two Infested Marines and then sneak out again all in one go.
• The maximum number of Larva that can be achieved with Spawn Larva is 19 after which Spawn Larva simply replaces existing Larva.

Heart of the Swarm Beta: Patch 2.0.2

General

• Exciting new replay features have been added to Heart of the Swarm.
• Watch With Others - This feature allows you to watch replays in sync with other players on Battle.net.
• Take Command - This feature allows you or your group to take control of selected player armies while watching a replay.
• Recover Game - This feature allows you to recover a prematurely ended game from a replay.
• For more details about these new features, please see our overview on the StarCraft II Community Site.
• Vs. AI Mode has been enabled. Players can now challenge an AI opponent that scales in difficulty.
• Training Mode has been enabled. In Training Mode, you’ll work your way up from basic StarCraft gameplay skills to greater challenges designed to hone your skills.
• Lots of tweaks and polish have been made to the new UI throughout the beta.

 

Balance

Terran

Reaper

• Health increased from 50 to 60.

 

Protoss

Void Ray

• Supply cost increased from 3 to 4.Activating the Prismatic Alignment ability now causes a timer to display over the Void Ray for the duration of the effect.

 

Zerg

Hatchery

• The Evolve Burrow upgrade requirement has been moved to the Hatchery.

Bug Fixes

• The Mac version of the Heart of the Swarm Beta is now working properly again.
• A full list of documented game and service bugs can be found in our Known Issues sticky in the Beta Bug Report forum.

Source:
Battle.net - StarCraft II Heart of the Swarm Beta Patch 2.0.3

New Free Name Change

A long time ago, soon after the release of Wings of Liberty, Blizzard announced they would implement a way to pay for name changes in the near future. Now, in 2013, Blizzard is issuing an apology to everyone that paid name changes have been deprioritized, and are also giving all accounts another free name change.

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience that the lack of name change options has caused anyone. We’ve definitely heard your passion for this subject, and we should have more information about a Paid Character Name Change feature shortly after the release of Heart of the Swarm. In the meantime, we’ve added a new free name change to all player accounts.

Blizzard has also promised to provide another free name change once the Clans feature comes out, and will give players forewarning on when that will happen.

Source:
Battle.net - Free Name Change & Paid Name Change Update

StarCraft II Creative Development Q&A, Part 9

The next part of the Creative Development Q&As are out, a portion of which you can read below:

Question: What happened to the nanite serum used to de-infest Alexei Stukov? I ask, because this is all I could think about during the final Colonist missions in Wings of Liberty. Raynor must choose to side with either Selendis to destroy the infested colonists, or Hanson in the hope that she will find a cure . . . but a cure already exists. It has been around for years. Selendis comments that the only cure for infestation is purification by fire, which is confusing because she was part of the Protoss force that aided Raynor during the mission to save Stukov. But even if that weren't the case, why didn't Raynor mention the serum or Stukov? How could he possibly forget such an important event? He did not mention the serum, and if he does choose to side with Selendis, he even agrees that there is 'no other way.' It's an obvious plot hole.

Answer: Raynor is faced with a populous colony where a major infestation is about to break out, and a Protoss fleet is poised to burn it to the ground . . . and he should ask about a serum that was used on one person years ago? A serum that the Protoss fleet would not have with them, would not have a way to acquire or deploy in any kind of timely fashion? A serum that the commander of said fleet is clearly not interested in using? One that the Zerg have likely evolved an immunity to anyway? I respectfully disagree with the assertion that this is an obvious plot hole. As plot holes go, it's incredibly subtle. ;)

For the full Q&A, click here.

Source:
Battle.net - StarCraft II Creative Development Q&A: Part 9

#BlizzChat Developer Chat #1 on Twitter 3/12 (extended)

Q. Hi. So many people are complaining about this on the forum... is it true that there will be no chat channels? I hope not!

A. We do have plans for chat channels. Specifically, we want to organize chat channels around users' interests so you know what types of conversations you are going to get into when you join a channel. This feature is not something that will be in for beta. Currently we plan to do this feature in a patch after the game launches.

Q. Are you guys still working on the Map Editor; and if so, what features are you planning to incorporate into the final piece?

A. Yes. We're still working on the Map Editor and currently working on the publishing system. We intend to release an early version of the editor during the beta so the map-making community can get a head start creating their own maps. This is going to be a stretch for us to pull off, but our hope is to get it out before the end of April.

Q. Do you really use beers to balance units? And do you really use that rubber gun to make a decision??

A. I'm drunk now!

Seriously the Jace Hall show was fun to do, but we take our jobs pretty seriously when it comes to the actual work. =)

Q. Will we be able to play with our friends on other continents like we could in StarCraft's Battle.net?

A. Currently we do not have plans to integrate friends between regions for launch. In the long run that's definitely something we'll be looking at.

Q. Do you feel that the High Templar and Colossus fill the same role in the protoss army?

A. The Colossus and the High Templar both attack small units with a powerful attack, but there are some key differences. The High Templar is effective against ground and air but is also very vulnerable to certain types of counter-attacks (snipe and EMP for example). The Colossus can take a ton more damage but is very vulnerable to air-to-air attacks. Since the protoss have to make some more hard choices about how to tech than some of the other races, we feel that having splash in several places is important for the race.

Q. Playing StarCraft II before beta and playing StarCraft II today do you think balance between races is better?

A. The race balance has improved greatly since before BlizzCon of last year and has continued to improve during the beta. Though really we don't even know yet how good the balance really is since the community has been playing for such a short time. =)

We are currently looking at the protoss vs. protoss matchup as well as terrans. Terrans are losing a little too frequently in almost every match up and the protoss vs protoss game is currently a little stale with a few strategies dominating both the early and the end game.

Q. In the campaign mode, will players who do not have much experience with Real-Time-Strategy games have a chance to play a tutorial?

A. Definitely. We have a more integrated tutorial experience than any of our previous games. There is a hands on tutorial and new video tutorials that allows you to reference game play information in case you've forgotten basic controls as you start playing the campaign itself.

Q. Is logging in to Battle.net version 2.0 mandatory even for Single-Player Games?

A. Yes. StarCraft II does require an online connection and you must login the first time you play. We are in the middle of adding an "Offline" feature which allows you to play the Campaign offline if you, for example, are traveling and want to play on a laptop. Playing while connected allows your progress in the campaign to be saved online to your account. This means if you switch to a different computer to play you can pick up from where you were.

Q. Will there be an achievement or something similiar that labels a player who has participated in the beta?

A. There are no plans to have a "beta" achievement. But I love the idea. =)

Q. What is your overall opinion about the beta right now? Have you already achieved what you were looking for?

A. The beta has been a great success so far. We're extremely happy with the information we've been getting back from the community and are reacting each week to all the information we're seeing. We definitely have NOT achieved our final goals and are continuing to work on balance, stability, our patching process, and more. We intend to release a patch next week that helps with readability of the zerg on creep, protoss team color with regards to Warp In, and other issues raised by the community.

Beyond that we have plans to release a major content patch in approximately mid-April that will add in a few example achievements, improved Voice Chat, and a whole lot more. We're definitely reading and listening to the feedback from our community and will continue to do so until the beta ends.

Q. What race are the developers least happy about as far as balance goes? Who needs the most work or a major change?

A. Terrans are currently losing more games than they are winning at gold and platinum skill levels. We are going to be looking to address some of these issues in future patches.

Q. Is there support to build symmetrical maps in the editor, if so, does it include rotational symmetry and odd player numbers?

A. You can build whatever types of maps you want in the editor but there are no methods of auto-mirroring parts of the map.

Q. Have you considered moving the Terran scan ability to the sensor tower? Other improvements to that building would be welcome.

A. The Sensor Tower has some uses but is not required for every match. We do not want to move Scan to the Sensor Tower since that would take off a lot of the energy tension that exists between Scan and MULE.

Q. Do you agree that the zerg currently suffers from a lack of diverse army composition, and if so what are your plans to fix it?

A. Yes, we are looking at the zerg diversity issue. We are working to make the Infestor a more core part of more match-ups. We will continue to moniter the use of Banelings, Roaches, Hydras, Zerglings, Mutalisks and Corruptors to make sure the zerg army remains diverse in each match-up.

Q. Considering the current number of unit types, do you foresee having too many unit types a problem once you reach the second expansion?

A. We are obviously concerned about the number of units that may exist once we get to the second expansion. We are working on some plans to make sure that the user is not overwhelmed. When we get a good plan that we can show you guys, we will present it to the community for feedback.

Q. Are there any plans to try to fine-tune or reduce the innate built-in latency for StarCraft II over Battle.net 2.0?

A. We will definitely be experimenting with this over the weeks ahead. We want to make sure the playing field is balanced for all participants as far as "best connection latency." At the same time, internet connectivity and latency has definitely improved over the years and our current 250ms expected latency may be too high.

Q. Do you plan to open the Beta to everyone? If yes, when?

A. We have no plans to make an open Beta at this time.

Q. I was wondering when you were going to introduce the 2 new races in the upcoming StarCraft II expansion sets?

A. We are not doing new races in the expansions. Each expansion will feature a new 20-30 mission campaign as well as new units and abilities for all three races in each expansion pack.

Q. Are there any potential balance tweaks to Phoenixes and/or Mutalisks being considered? Do you consider these units balanced?

A. We are happy with the current relationship between Mutalisks and Phoenixes. That doesn't mean we won't see problems in the future or there may even be current problems that have not yet come to our attention. We don't consider anything "balanced" yet. =)

Q. Mac beta please! Any information?

A. We are currently working on a Mac version of the beta and hope to release it sometime in April. Hang in there!! :)

Q. Will there be an option to log into World of Warcraft with an authenticator, but StarCraft II without one? Do I need to protect my StarCraft II account?

A. The authenticator is used to protect your Battle.net account and is NOT specific to the game you're playing. If you have an authenticator attached to your Battle.net account with a World of Warcraft license and then buy StarCraft II, you will use the same authenticator to log into StarCraft II.

Q. What is your overall opinion about the beta right now? Have you already achieved what you were looking for?

A. We have not begun to achieve our goals for the beta. For the first week we watched as the community learned the game. As the beta went forward we began to see a lot of the Pylon, Photon Cannon and Gateway rushes. Now we we are starting to see lots of "single unit" strategies. We have a ways to go with the beta before we are satisfied.

Q. Zerg seem to be missing one more ground unit to really diversify the race. Is this something you have considered?

A. We think the zerg have plenty of ground units. If we have a need for a specific unit later on in the beta, we will add one.

Q. Will we see any familiar characters from the novel in the campaign? Michael Liberty, Nova, Rosemary Dahl, etc? :)

A. You'll have to wait and see, but we did look to the greater StarCraft universe lore in creating the story for StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty.

Q. The Mothership feels like a slow useless arbiter. What are your plans for this unit? Are you happy with it?

A. We will continue to evaluate the Mothership. I do not agree that it is useless but we can make fixes if we need to in the future.

Q. Are you still confident about releasing the game in mid-summer?

A. Yes. We are still on target to release the game in the middle part of this year.

Q. Before implementing patch ideas, how do you test them? Do you just crunch numbers or does a player like David Kim do the testing?

A. We crunch numbers as well as play internally. In many cases in the beta we are shipping patches with only a few days of testing. That is not something we will be able to do once we launch the game, but in beta we can still be a little more aggresive with our patches.

Q. Can we expect to have new maps or the map editor in the beta soon?

A. Yes. We will be adding a few new maps as we continue to release patches including a few 3v3 and 4v4 maps. Additionally, we are hoping to release the map editor to the community sometime in April.

Q. How much does Dustin Browder get paid each year?

A. Over a hundred dollars a year. I also get free WoW accounts (I get banned a lot).

Q. Have there been any strategies that the community has come up with that have surprised you guys? Examples would be nice!

A. We were surprised by some of the proxy Pylon stuff in the first few days. We had seen it internally, but not nearly as often or as aggresive once the game went live. Also the triple Gateway strategies in protoss vs. protoss games were a surprise. The Planetary Fortress rush was a good one. =)

I still think there are lots more surprises waiting for us in the months to come.

Q. How come you didnt attempt to add a fourth race?

A. Several reasons; a) we felt like we had a lot more left to do with the three we had; b) each race and each unit in StarCraft needs to feel as different as possible from every other race and unit, and we felt that with four races we would likely start repeating roles and game mechanics, and we would lose some of the diversity that makes the game so great.

Q. Why are the load times (loading screen) for StarCraft II so long, will we be able to get in games quicker?

A. We are always looking at performance and load times and seeing what we can do to improve them.

Q. Are there plans to clean up or enhance the look of the replay function?

A. We are cleaning up the replay list UI and eventually replays will be able to be saved to Battle.net (after launch). However, there are no specific changes to the replay play/fast forward UI. If you have any specific features you would like to see, please post them in our Suggestions Forum.

Q. Where are the critters?!

A. There are a few critters in the beta, but more are on the way. Critters were not a high priority item for us in getting the beta to the community.

Q. Will it be technically possible to recreate a Defense of the Ancients custom map complete with ladder and matchmaking?

A. You will be able to recreate the map and we are looking at different ways for community maps to become part of the ladder and matchmaking.

Q. Are there any specific units that you are unsatisfied with that you plan on changing but have not yet changed? Which?

A. We are still working on the Infestor (see today's patch) and we will continue to evaluate every unit until we ship. We have a "watch list" for units which means we are concerned about their balance and we are looking for data that will prove the unit has issues or prove that it is okay. The Roach and the Reaper are currently on our watch list.

Q. How many hours do you estimate the single player campaign will be?

A. We don't know for sure. I'm guessing 20-30 hours depending on your skill level, though I imagine if you are very good and playing on an easy setting you could finish much faster than that.

Q. Is there a way to report abuse/innapropriate behavior in beta? I had some issues and couldn't find a way to report...

A. There is a way to "Report Abuse" by right-clicking on players' names when in chat with them or in a lobby. However, the usual time you want to do this (during a game) is not properly supported. Currently, if you want to report someone you just played a game with you must:

1. "Add Friend" from the score screen.
2. Right-click on their name from your friends list and click the "More . . ."
3. Choose "Report Abuse" and follow the directions.
4. Remove them from your friends list.

We will be addressing this in our upcoming content patch which we hope to release in mid-April.

Q. Just want to say thanks to you guys for all the hard work. I'm not yet in the beta but am enjoying watching streams. =)

A. Thanks for the thanks! :)

We definitely will be adding a lot more people to the beta over the next several weeks so stay tuned. If you haven't opted-in to participate in future betas, now is the time to do so!!

Q. Great job with terran. Mech seems weaker and less reliable than a bio build at the moment. Any plans to buff mech?

A. We are looking at the terran mech build now. Actually right now. The balance guys are currently testing some fixes we tried this morning. We will get something to you guys as soon as we can.

Q. Will you be able to host and share replays via Battle.net?

A. This is definitely our long-term goal. This will not be ready at ship, but we do intend to release functionality that allows you to share your replays in a patch sometime after ship.

Q. Besides the protoss Mothership, in your original designs, did the designers create any super weapons for the terran or zerg?

A. We did talk about a massive zerg flier at one point, but it didn't feel right. The Queen at one point was a "hero" style unit, but that also didn't feel right.

Q. Does map publishing also store any extra resources (sounds, graphics, etc.) specific to the map, or is this a limitation?

A. Yes. If you add art or sound to a map, it's stored in the map and is therefore downloaded with the map once it's published. Long-term we will be adding support for custom mods where other maps can depend on a single mod pack. For example, if the community wanted to build a "Classic StarCraft" mod, they could do that and share it online and then many maps could be built that depend on that mod.

Q. Can we expect to have new maps and/or the map editor in the beta soon?

A. We are going to release some new maps for 2v2 specifically pretty soon. We are seeing problems with terran+terran teams on some of our maps and we are interested in testing a fix that involves changing the map pool. We will release the editor during the beta if we get it ready in time.

Q. Obvious concerns about the Roach and how it "fits in" with the zerg. What role was it created to fill? Does the zerg need it?

A. We have heard this concern many times from many sources. There is no way to add units to StarCraft without changing the nature of these races. Since we are adding new units the personality of the races will alter.

The Roach was created to be an early game assault unit. We also wanted a unit that could maintain constant contact with the enemy. Not just through speed but through sheer durability. Looking at our inspiration for the zerg (a variety of hollywood, comic book and role-playing game aliens) this kind of "kit" seemed appropriate for the zerg.

Q. Any plans to allow games to be watched by a LOT of people through battle.net? Like a built-in stream to watch tournament finals?

A. This is a feature that we've talked about for a while and do intend to implement at some point in the future. It's quite a lot of work to put together and will likely correspond with one of the future expansions.

Q. Are the voices and effects present in the beta finalized, or are they subject to change?

A. We are mostly done with the voice and effects. However, based on feedback we are taking a look at a few of the attack and hit sound effects to ensure they have the right "umph" to be noticeable during frantic gameplay.

Q. StarCraft: Brood War counters were more about inherent abilities (speed, size, spells, etc.), while StarCraft II emphasizes a hard counter damage system. Why the change?

A. Brood War also had many hard counters (Firebats vs. Zerglings). We also have many ability-based relationships. Stalkers for example are easily beaten by Zealots unless the Stalkers use their speed and mobility to their advantage. Banelings will easily kill Marines unless Stim or Marauders are used to defend the Marines. Battles at choke-points favor certain units that could easily be killed in the open. I guess I don't agree that there was a change, but if we are going too "hard counter," we will learn that in the beta and scale it back.

Q. It was previously mentioned that the balance team feels Archons were underused. Is this still the case?

A. The Archon is intended to be a unit you can use when your High Templar run out of energy. It is not meant in StarCraft II to be a core counter to a variety of threats. Currently it is functioning reasonably well in that role but we are always looking for additional data that will prove our assumptions wrong.

Q. Are there plans to implement something like a "Draw" function for multiplayer games?

A. Not during a multiplayer game for all players. However, we do intend to implement drawing functionality for referees to use which will likely correspond with the first expansion - Heart of the Swarm.

Q. Static defenses are very weak at the moment. It is more interesting to use the minerals on mobile units instead. Do you have any thoughts about this?

A. Static defenses have always been vulnerable in StarCraft. They are used primarily to defend against raids, not to stop frontal assaults. The biggest current weakness in defenses in StarCraft II is not the weaknesses of the defenses themselves but the mobility of the armies that allow them to bypass the defenses in the first place. We have introduced several counters to increased mobility including Sensor Towers, Bunker Salvage, Spine and Spore Crawler movement as well as Warp-In which allow each race to have some answers to a sudden enemy attack.

Q. There is an issue with people wanting to try a new race but not wanting to lose ladder placements due to inexperience. What are your thoughts on this?

A. We are very aware of this issue and we are actively looking for a solution. Thanks for the great question!

Q. Will we ever be able to play as the Xel'naga?

A. "Ever" is a long time, but there are no plans currently to intoduce a fourth race.

Q. How exactly does the ladder/division/league system work? How do players move up and down? What exactly is the top 8 for? Tournaments?

A. We are working on a FAQ for this right now that we will release to the community soon. At some point in the future we will be looking at doing tournaments and that is what the top positions are for.

Q. Will units that have been cut from the game still be in the Galaxy Editor or higher tier units from original StarCraft?

A. Units that have been cut from the game completely will NOT be in the editor. However there are many units that make an appearance in the single-player campaign that WILL be available to use in the editor such as the Medic Firebat and Goliath.

Q. Will there be an option that allows you to choose between different customized hotkey configurations?

A. We are in the process of adding a few hotkey templates for ship which include left and right-handed "name-based" options. Grid based left and right-hand templates. Finally we also intend to add a "Classic" hot key template which will as best as possible attempt to mimic the hotkey settings from the original game. We'll default to "name-based" right-handed for ship but the end user can then choose from any of the other four templates.

Long term we're exploring allowing fully customizable hot keys. Assuming we can solve the many user interface challenges to make this work we will either release it in a patch or in the upcoming expansion.

Q. Will you be adding additional zoom-out levels since it was suggested by a lot of players?

A. No we will not be adding zoom-out levels. StarCraft II plays well only at a very specific camera height. Too close and you cannot see what is going on too far and you cannot effectively micro your units. We have picked a camera position that maximizes the tension between the player's need to see a lot of space as well as micro units. There are also game perfomance implications of a zoomed out camera. If we zoom out more we are drawing more units on screen at one time and game perfomance will suffer.

Q. The protoss templar line seems much less reliable to use than a robo build. Same for terran mech builds. What are your plans?

A. We are looking hard at the terran mech builds and will hopefully bring out some fixes in the next patch. I don't know that I agree that Templars not useful. We are certainly seeing that at some skill levels but other skill levels are getting quite a bit out of High Templars. We will continue to evaluate as we go forward in the beta.

Q. Will more than one user profile per account be allowed?

A. At ship we intend to have only a single profile per user. This encourages better player behavior and allows us to do better match-making between players. It obviously causes a number of issues. For example I may want to try a new race as a player but I'm afraid of losing rating what do I do? We are looking to fix these types of issues for launch.

Q. High and Dark Templars have split into two techs. Are you seeing a lot of people just going for other tech options now?

A. High Templars are not a given in every game nor are Dark Templar but we are certainly seeing these units get a lot of use.

Q. Do you agree with players about the zerg voice or are you happy with it?

A. We are looking at pulling some different takes for the zerg Queen that change the personality of her voice (a little bit).

Q. Who would win in a fight Greg Street or Dustin Browder?

A. The battle would be close but both parties would suffer TERRIBLE TERRIBLE DAMAGE!

Source:
Battle.net - #BlizzChat Developer Chat on Twitter

New Replay Features in Heart of the Swarm

StarCraft II's first expansion, Heart of the Swarm, is hitting stores on March 12th and with it, new replay features. Blizzardhas posted an in-depth look at each new replay feature that will be included in Heart of the Swarm: viewing replays with others, taking control of replay game, and recovering games.

Watching replays with others is self-explanatory; you can start a Battle.net lobby which players can join to view the same replay together. The original creator of the lobby will control the timeline and replay speed, whereas each player can control their own view of the game.

Taking control of a replay game is a feature that allows viewers of a replay to take over from a specific point in the replay. An example given on the Blizzard post is, if two players were watching a replay between JaeDong and Flash, one player could take JaeDong's place and the other could take Flash's, thus "resuming" the game from a chosen time. This allows friends to re-play decisive moments in a match, for teachers to repeat lessons easily, and to have rematches from any point in time.

The third and last feature is the "Recover Game" feature, which is focused on helping out eSports. If ever, whenever an issue pops up where a tournament game is untimely stopped, the "Recover Game" feature will allow tournament hosts to start a new lobby with the original players of a replay (the replay of the match that was abruptly ended), and then start the game from any chosen time in the replay. The game will restart from that time, making hardware failures and disconnects just a little bit less inconvenient.

For the full post from Blizzard, click here.

Source:
Battle.net - New Replay and Resume Features Coming in Heart of the Swarm

StarCraft II Creative Development Q&A, Part 11

It's time for another StarCraft II Creative Development Q&A!

Question: In times of peace, what do templar, judicators, khalai, and Nerazim do?

Answer: Practice, man, practice!

Question: Throughout Wings of Liberty, Kerrigan invaded several planets and systems around the Koprulu sector in search of the artifact pieces. As a result of this, she must have come across several new strains to assimilate into the zerg army. Through this exploration, have there been new zerg strains introduced to the Swarm?

Answer: The Swarm did indeed encounter lots of new genetic material! There was not time to incorporate these strains before the battle on Char, but the Swarm is still aware of the other types of essences out there.

Question: Why haven't the protoss advanced in tech over the course of the games?

Answer: The protoss are an inward-looking race. They feel they achieved the perfect approach to technology and civilization long ago, and now they have little interest in changing. There are certainly protoss innovators, but in general they prefer steady, methodical progress. The protoss basically value stability above all. New tech has a way of changing everything.

Question: Raynor and Zeratul had a vision. We learned it was the Overmind's and that it showed the future (or a possible future). But how and why did the Overmind have this vision in the first place?

Answer: The Overmind's consciousness was molded by the entity referred to here as the Dark Voice. During that process, the Overmind was exposed to some of the Dark Voice's plans for the future. Scattered, confused images, sensations, ideas, concepts. Nothing clear or concrete. That vision was a narrative the Overmind constructed from bits and pieces, and it was about all that the Overmind could glean from the time spent with the Dark Voice.

For the full Q&A, click here.

Source:
Battle.net - StarCraft II Creative Development Q&A: Part 11

StarCraft II Creative Development Q&A, Part 8

It's time for a new installment of StarCraft II Creative Development Q&A, featuring Brian Kendrigan, co-lead writer of Wings of Liberty and lead writer of Heart of the Swarm.

Question: Are there still surviving pockets of UED forces? I didn't think so until I played the campaign and got the UED Spartan Company Mercs. They say they are from the UED. So there could be a whole colony of them somewhere, right?

Answer: Yes. There are scattered deserters here and there—smaller units and entire fleets, in some cases. Remember, the Swarm hunted down and killed the fleeing UED fleet, so all UED forces left in Koprulu are those who deserted before that last, disastrous battle.

Question: The Protoss are a “warrior race,” but who have they battled? Let's say Fenix died when he was 600 years old. How many wars could he have fought? I don't think that many. There were the Kalathi, but who else? Seems to me that most of Fenix's years must have been peaceful. With the Dae'Uhl, the Protoss can only battle highly advanced and aggressive spacefaring races. How many of those are out there? Are they wiped out now, or do they still exist?

Answer: The Protoss have had military actions in the past against other races (the Kalathi), as well as against other types of Protoss. But one does not need to be constantly at war to be a great warrior. It has more to do with state of mind and readiness than anything else. The classic example is ancient Sparta. Although the Spartans were known as the strongest warriors of their time, they were isolationist and did not like to go to war. So they trained endlessly for something that they rarely did.

Question: How did Raynor get his hair back? The StarCraft 1 Jim Raynor was bald. I would really like the answer so I can do what he did once my hair falls off. xD

Answer: He stopped shaving it. I hope that strategy works for you when you go bald!

Question: I loved the Wings of Liberty story, but I felt the nonlinear format hurt it. I think a lot of the complaints stem from people simply not having the luck to choose a mission progression that makes sense for the story. Do you regret presenting the StarCraft II story in a nonlinear format?

Answer: Interesting! Telling a nonlinear story is an incredibly tricky endeavor. The more one seeks to tell a structured narrative with escalating tension, the harder it gets.

I think it was an innovative and bold choice for Blizzard to attempt such a big story in a nonlinear fashion, particularly in an RTS. It is simply not a game type that supports that much story, lots of character interactions, and a nonlinear format.

So, did we make mistakes? You bet. Did the story suffer in some ways? Yes. Do I regret it? No. I think we have learned from those mistakes, and our storytelling has grown stronger as a result. In some cases we learned that certain concepts just don't work. In other cases, we had to do something the wrong way in order to learn how to do it the right way. We won't ever be able to grow without stretching past the comfort zone.

Remember, narrative in games is very different than in films or novels. Those are established forms with lots of history to fall back on. Game narrative is the Wild West. It's an exciting time, but a frustrating one as well. We're doing some smart things and advancing by leaps and bounds every year, but in some ways, we're still banging rocks together out here. :D

Question: If the prophecy is millions of years old, how did the Xel'naga not know about the Fallen One's betrayal?

Answer: Whatever went down between the Dark Voice and the Xel'naga had already occurred by the time the prophecy came into being. ;)

Question: In the Dark Templar Saga, Jake Ramsey says he admires his coworkers who are crazy about alien artifacts. So it seems that digging up alien relics is what archeologists do in the Koprulu sector. At the same time, the book leaves the impression that the Protoss are the first alien civilization the Terrans have ever known about, and the long-dead Xel'naga are called a "third" race. If Terrans only started knowing about alien civilizations in 2499, how did Ramsey have a profession before that?

Answer: Very good question! I'd guess that he and his colleagues were digging up the remains of the colony ships and the earliest settlers. But there were also a few Xel'naga items that had been recovered here and there—enough to keep everyone searching for more!

Source:
Battle.net - StarCraft II Creative Development Q&A: Part 8

StarCraft II Beta Game Images

NOTE: SC:L has kept the original file names for all these images. The file names are one of the level designers' means of documentation, so each image's file name can be viewed for more information about what it is.

Index:

• Patch 16 Buttons and Wireframes
• Planets
• Icons
• Buttons
• Upgrades
• Decals
• Portraits
• Textures
• Wireframes
• Models

Patch 16 Buttons and Wireframes:

Buttons:

 

Wireframes:

Planets:

 

 

 

 

Wireframes:

Models:

StarCraft II Creative Development Q&A, Part 13

A new Creative Development Q&A is out, answering some questions about psionics:

Question: The psionic level of Kerrigan is 12. Compared to Kerrigan, what level are other units that can use psionic energy, like the Ghost, High Templar, and Archon?

Answer: The psi index rating (PI) was developed by the Confederacy, so the only beings that have been reliably measured with it are Terrans. It goes from 0 to 10.

Between 0 and 2, there is no noticeable psionic ability. (I'm a 1, personally.) At 3 and above, a person is considered "sensitive" to telepathy but is not a telepath. (The wranglers for the Ghost program are usually around 3.5.) PI 5 is telepathic, which also happens (surprise, surprise) to be the minimum acceptable rating for Ghost training.

PI 8 is potentially telekinetic, although PI 8s have been known to exhibit other outstanding powers. PI 8 is very rare. Nova is a PI 10. The only other PI 10s on record are Sarco Angelini (superintendent at the Dominion Ghost Academy) and pre-infestation Sarah Kerrigan. There is no data on how Spectres rate while under the influence of Terrazine.

Terran equipment refers to the Queen of Blades as class 12 because it can't measure her PI rating at all. She exceeds the scale and is at least an order of magnitude above 10.

For the full Q&A, click here.

Source:
Battle.net - StarCraft II Creative Development Q&A: Part 13

StarCraft II Creative Development Q&A, Part 10

Part 10 is out for the Creative Development QAs, a section of which you can read below:

Question: Considering that Tassadar and Adun sacrificed their lives in a similar manner, is Adun still out there somewhere like a dead Jedi in Star Wars?

Answer: Adun is not a dead Jedi. However, it’s interesting that you see a connection between Adun and Tassadar.

Question: How is it that Tassadar became immortal and eternal, practically all powerful, and yet forced Zeratul and the Protoss armies to come to him (he made ZERO effort to help the universe or his race, but is oh-so-helpful once they arrive)? It is as if he was unable to do anything to help anybody other than hang out around the Overmind's body.

Answer: Who said he's all-powerful? I think Tassadar's presence in Wings very much implies that he is somehow tied to the Overmind's location. This is a character who has severe limitations.

Question: Is Mengsk an agent of the Dark Voice? Is that why he wanted Kerrigan dead and installed Tychus as a sleeper agent in Raynor's army? Is that why Kerrigan wants him dead and not for the betrayal and abandonment? If Mengsk and Tychus had a comm link open the whole time, why did he let Tychus take the Odin and let the events of Korhal and the prison breakout occur?

For the full QA, click here.

Source:
StarCraft II Creative Development Q&A - Part 10

Leveling in Heart of the Swarm

The next major patch for the Heart of the Swarm beta is in the works, promising to include a new feature for StarCraft II: levelling. The new progression system allows players of all skill levels to earn rewards, namely portraits and decals.

Experience boosts are in the works as well, such as extra experience for "first win of the day", "bonus XP weekends", etc. Levelling goes from level 1 to level 20 independently for each race, with each level rewarding a portrait or decal for use. These rewards will be brand-new and separate from the rewards obtained through achievements, adding to the array of portraits that a user can have.

After the next major beta patch, testers can try this system and start earning XP in the beta. We’re planning on making adjustments over time, so it’s likely that XP resets will happen during beta. We’re going to pay very close attention to the leveling curve and the fun factor of this system, so it’s important that we have a lot of playtest results to work with. We’ll give beta testers notice in advance of resetting the system so testers can help us try different methods of gaining XP.

To read the full preview, click here.

Source:
Battle.net - Heart of the Swarm Preview: Levelling

StarCraft II Beta GameStrings

The following information has been extracted from a file called "gamestrings" in the StarCraft II Beta .mpq.

Index:

• Galaxy AI Code Snippet
• Sounds
• Tutorial Maps/Options
• Tutorial Dialog
• Obsolete Lines
• Doodads and Entities

Galaxy AI Code Snippet:

//----------------------------------------------------//  Default startup routine//----------------------------------------------------void AIMeleeStart (int player) {    point targ;    if (DEBUG) {        DebugMeleeInit();    }AIStart(player, false, DifficultyAPM(PlayerDifficulty(player)));            if (PlayerDifficulty(player) >= c_skirVeryHard) {                if (PlayerDifficulty(player) >= c_skirCheater) {            AIHarvestBonus(player, 2.0);            AISetDifficulty(player, c_diffNormalVision, false);            AISetDifficulty(player, c_diffLimitAPM, false);        }        AISetFlag(player, e_flagsRunScared, false);         // TODO fix scared and re-add this    }    else {                AISetDifficulty(player, c_diffAdvanceWave, false);        AISetDifficulty(player, c_diffFleeDamage, false);        AISetDifficulty(player, c_diffWaveAvoidDanger, false);        AISetFlag(player, e_flagsRunScared, false);    }    AISetDifficulty(player, c_diffAutoLoadBunkers, false);    AISetDifficulty(player, c_diffEarlyGameRepair, false);        AISetDifficulty(player, c_diffEarlyDefenseScout, false);    AISetFlag(player, e_flagsLateScout, false);    AISetFlag(player, e_flagsClearObs, false);    AIDeclareTown(player, c_townOne, PlayerStartLocation(player));    AISetMainTown(player, c_townOne);    AIHarvest(player, c_townOne);    AISetNumScouts(player, 1);    AIScout(player);    AISetAllStates(player, 1);        targ = AIWaveTargetGatherOPoint(player, c_townMain);    AIWaveSet(player, c_waveMain,     AIWaveCreate(AIWaveInfoCreate(), player, targ));    AIWaveSet(player, c_waveAttack,   AIWaveCreate(AIWaveInfoCreate(), player, targ));    AIWaveSet(player, c_waveDivert1,  AIWaveCreate(AIWaveInfoCreate(), player, targ));    AIWaveSet(player, c_waveDivert2,  AIWaveCreate(AIWaveInfoCreate(), player, targ));    AIWaveSet(player, c_waveClearObs, AIWaveCreate(AIWaveInfoCreate(), player, targ));    AIWaveSet(player, c_waveHome,     AIWaveCreate(AIWaveInfoCreate(), player, targ));    targ = AIWaveTargetGatherDPoint(player, c_townMain);    AIWaveSet(player, c_waveDefend,   AIWaveCreate(AIWaveInfoCreate(), player, targ));    AITransportIgnore(player, "VikingAssault");    AITransportSetPanic(player, 0.6);    AITransportSetReturn(player, targ);       AISpecifiedMakers();    AISetDefaultCombatFlags(player, true);    AIAddDetectionDangerUnits(player);    //AISetNukeConstants(player);}

Sounds:

Castanar Ultralisk Shacked 1
Castanar Ultralisk Shacked 2
Castanar Ultralisk Shacked 3
Lyote (critter)
Lhassir 1
Lhassir 2
Lhassir 3
Tumar (old-school Metzen Marine)

Tutorial Maps/Options:

Terran covert ops
Zerg Infestation
Protoss Psionics
Terran Combat
Protoss Combat
Zerg Combat
Terran Defense
Unit Tactics
Economy
Protoss Advanced Commands
For all challenges
Challenges
Death from above
For all challenges terran
For all challenges zerg
For all challenges protoss
Opening Strategies
Terran Opening
Protoss Opening
Zerg Opening
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3

Tutorial Dialog:

Welcome, Commander. Your objective in this exercise is to inflict maximum damage on the enemy with the limited forces at your disposal.
The special abilities of your units will be key to achieving a high score, use them wisely.
Enemy forces are invulnerable until you indicate you are ready to begin by pressing the ready button.
You must destroy as many enemies as possible with the creatures available.
Scout the opposing base and when you are ready to begin your assault press the ready button.
Time is short! Attack without mercy and inflict maximum damage!

En Taro Tassadar, student. A protoss warrior must learn to fight enemies as numerous as stars in the night sky.
In this simulation you will command a small force resisting waves of attackers, slay as many as you can.
Use terrain on the battlefield to your advantage, fight only where your superior warcraft will even the odds.

En Taro Tassadar, student. A protoss warrior understands the strengths of their own forces and the weaknesses of the enemy.
In this simulation you will use a limited force to defend three pylons from attack.
The pylons are some distance apart, you will need to divide your forces to protect all three.
Study the opposing force and deploy your units so that they will most effectively counter the enemy.
Once you have deployed your forces press the ready button to begin.
Take heed, attempting to leave the deployment area will invoke punishment.
These three spires are under threat. You must defend them with the forces available.
The spires are widely seperated, you must divide your forces to protect them all.
Study your foes carefully. Deploy your minions to best counter each group of enemies.
When you are fully prepared press the ready button to begin.
Be warned! Attempts to leave the deployment zone will not be tolerated!

Greetings, Commander. Your objective in this exercise is to use limited forces to defend three supply depots.
The supply depots are widely spaced, you will need to split up your forces to create a guard detail for each one.
You should attempt to form groups that will effectively counter the enemy units deployed against them.
When you have completed your deployment press the ready button to proceed.
Warning! You are leaving the deployment zone. Arena turrets activated.

Good afternoon, Commander. In this exercise you must defend all of your structures against a variety of enemy attacks. You will not have the ability to train additional combat units.
In order to succeed you will need to use your SCVs to repair your structures and to fight back against the aggressors.

En Taro Tassadar, student. In this simulation you will learn to control large forces more efficiently.
Begin by organizing your forces into control groups. Examine the units available to you and distribute them into powerful attack groups.
As you can see you have units stationed throughout the simulation area. These are in stasis until you are ready to begin.

Round 1
Welcome back, Commander. A strong economy is key to victory, and the key to a strong economy is efficient resource gathering.
In this exercise your base management skills will be challenged. Begin by collecting sufficient resources to expand to the extra resource area nearby.
By building a second command center at the expansion site you will effectively double the amount of resources you receive.
Complete the exercise by training a force before the time runs out.

Good morning, Commander. Your objective in this exercise is to survive through several waves of attackers.
Each wave will be challenging to overcome with the forces available. Directly controlling the actions of your units will give you the edge you need to prevail.
Press the ready button when you wish to begin.

Welcome, Commander. Your objective in this exercise is to inflict maximum possible damage using only the siege tanks and medivac dropships allocated. You will have a limited amount of time to destroy as much of the enemy base as possible. Scouting the base with your medivacs before making your assault is advised. Enemy forces cannot be harmed until you press the ready button, so conduct your scouting carefully.
Once you are ready strike swiftly! Destroy as many enemies as possible before time runs out!

In this challenge, you will learn a defensive opening strategy for the Terran in multiplayer.
During this challenge, you will be able to see a simulated player, in order to compare his actions to your own.
This simulated ally will help illustrate the optimal pacing and actions you will need to achieve victory.
Your ally is training an SCV.
You should always be training an SCV at your Command Center.
Your Ally is building a Supply Depot.
Set your Command Center Rally point to a nearby Mineral Field.
Your Ally is building a Supply Depot in a spot that will block the choke point leading to his base.
Your Ally is building a Barracks.
Your Ally is building a Refinery.
Your Ally is training a Marine.
Your Ally is using an SCV to scout the enemy position.
Your Ally is upgrading his Command Center to an Orbital Command.
Your Ally is calling down M.U.L.E.s to increase his economy.
Congratulations Commander you have successfully repulsed the Zergling Rush.
Good luck eliminating your opponent.
You have scouted your enemy's base, learning which units he is building. You now have the knowledge to take counter-measures.

In this challenge, you will learn a defensive opening strategy for the Protoss in multiplayer.
Set your Nexus Rally point to a nearby Mineral Field.
During this challenge, you will be able to see a simulated player, in order to compare his actions to your own.
This simulated ally will help illustrate the optimal pacing and actions you will need to achieve victory.
Your Ally is warping in a Probe.
You should always be warping in Probes at your Nexus.
Your Ally is warping in a Pylon.
Your Ally is warping in an Assimilator.
Your Ally is using a Probe to scout the enemy position.
Your Ally is warping in a Gateway.
Your Ally is warping in a Zealot at his Gateway.
Your first two Zealots should stay close to your probes.
Once you have three Zealots, use them to block the choke point leading into your base.
Congratulations executor, you have successfully repulsed the Zergling Rush.
Good luck eliminating your opponent.
You have scouted your enemy's base, learning which units he is building. You now have the knowledge to take counter-measures.

In this challenge, you will learn a defensive opening strategy for the Zerg in multiplayer.
During this challenge, you will be able to see a simulated player, in order to compare his actions to your own.
This simulated ally will help illustrate the optimal pacing and actions you will need to achieve victory.
Your ally is morphing a larva into a Drone.
Your ally is morphing a larva into an Overlord.
Set your Hatchery's worker Rally point to a nearby Mineral Field.
Hatcheries have two rally points, one for drones and another for units.
Your ally is morphing a Drone into a Spawning Pool.
Your ally is using an Overlord to scout the enemy position.
Your ally is birthing a Queen at its Hatchery.
Your ally used his Queen to spawn extra larva.
Set your Hatchery's Rally point to the bottom of the choke point leading into your base.
Unlike other races, zerg starting units should fight on open ground at the bottom of the choke point.
Your ally is morphing a second hatchery at his expansion.
Your ally is sending zerglings out to scout.
Congratulations you have successfully repulsed the zergling rush.
You have scouted your enemy's base, learning which units he is building. You now have the knowledge to take counter-measures.
Good luck eliminating your opponent.
You must destroy as many enemies as possible with the creatures available.
Scout the enemy base. When you are prepared to begin your assault, press the ready button.
Time is short! Attack without mercy and inflict maximum damage!
The Command Card will be disabled in this simulation, so it is vital that you learn which hotkeys are necessary to use abilities and build units.

TIP: In the upper left of the screen you will find the Message Log button. Clicking on this will bring up all previous conversations.
Second Objective: Construct a Refinery
First Objective: Gather Minerals (0/300)
First Objective: Scroll Camera with Mouse
Second Objective: Left-Click on Mini Map
First Objective: Select Marine
Second Objective: Move Marine
Third Objective: Move Marine into Black Mask
Fourth Objective: Select all Marines
Fifth Objective: Move all Marines
First Objective: Kill the Red Marines
Second Objective: Kill the Red Marines and Supply Depot
First Objective: Select SCV
Second Objective: Build a Command Center
Third Objective: Gather Vespene Gas (0/100)
First Objective: Train Marines (0/3)
Second Objective: Construct a Tech-Lab
Third Objective: Train a Marauder (0/1)
First Objective: Build a Supply Depot
First Objective: Mutate a Hatchery
First Objective: Mutate a Hatchery
Second Objective: Morph a Drone (0/3)
Second Objective: Morph a Drone (0/3)
Third Objective: Mutate a Spawning Pool
Fourth Objective: Morph an Overlord (0/1)
Third Objective: Mutate a Spawning Pool
Fourth Objective: Morph an Overlord (0/1)
First Objective: Warp in a Nexus
Second Objective: Warp in a Pylon
Three Objective: Warp in a Gateway
First Objective: Warp in a Nexus
Second Objective: Warp in a Pylon
Three Objective: Warp in a Gateway
Below is a gentle reminder that plays if the player sits at the tutorial main screen for too long:
Easter Egg line if the player leaves the Tutorial main screen idle for 5 minutes.

Default Race Portraits

According to the game files, the player will be talking to the Executor as Protoss, Adjutant as a Terran, and a Queen as Zerg in the tutorial missions:

Zerg Base Construction - Queen VO
Zerg - Queen VO
Zerg Unit Production - Queen VO
Protoss General - Executor VO
Protoss Base Construction - Executor VO

Obsolete Lines

The following is from a section called "Obsolete Lines":

In StarCraft II you view the battle from above as the commander of an army.
Use the mouse to control your view of the battlefield and issue orders to units under your command.
In the lower left of your screen is a minimap that allows you to see what is happening in any part of the battlefield.
In the lower right of your screen you can find the command card.
The command card is used to issue orders to selected units.
The lower middle of your screen is the unit information panel.
This shows information about the units or structures you have selected.
Above the command card is theTip button.
The Tip button appears when there is new information for your perusal.
Simply click the Tip button to read the Tip, or click on the Help button at the top of the screen.
To change your view, move the mouse cursor to the edge of the screen.
When your mouse touches the edge of the screen, your view will slide in that direction.
You can also use the mini-map to shift your view to any part of the battlefield.
Simply left-click on the mini-map to jump to a new location.
Now that you have a unit selected, right-click on the ground to order the unit to move somewhere.
To move a unit you must first select it.
Use your mouse and left-click on the unit to select it.
Well done commander.
To attack an enemy, select your units and right-click on the enemy.
During the attack, you can mouse over the enemy to see a bar representing their life.
A unit is destroyed when its hit-points reach zero.
You can also mouse over your own units to keep an eye on their life bars.
You can also use the attack-move command to tell your units to move to a location and attack any enemy forces they encounter along the way.
To make an attack-move command, left-click on the attack button from the command card while your units are selected, and then left-click on the ground where you want your units to go.
To create a new terran structure, first select an SCV by left-clicking.
Now left-click the Build Structure button in the lower right of your screen.
Left-click on the structure you want to build and then left-click anywhere on the ground to order the SCV to place the new structure.
The SCV will move to your chosen location, and build the structure there.
The command center cannot be constructed too close to minerals.
When placing the command center look for the overlay to be completely green before left-clicking.
SCVs are your primary means of collecting resources.
While your SCV is selected, right-click a mineral field to begin collecting resources.
Your SCV will start harvesting minerals and dropping them off at the closest Command Center.
You can train more SCVs from the Command Center to gather minerals faster.
Your SCV will continue harvesting until you order it to do something else.
Well done commander.
Harvesting minerals is central to any terran strategy.
To create new units, you must first select a structure that trains units.
Select a Barracks to see what units you can train from it.
Those units will appear in the command card in the lower right of your screen.
Left-click on the Marine button in the command card to order the Barracks to begin training that unit.
Once the unit is complete, it will appear next to the Barracks.
You can queue multiple units at the same time.
Simply click on the button again to add another Marine to the queue.
Before you can train a unit, you must have the supplies to support that unit.
If you do not have enough available supply, you will not be able to train that unit.
To increase the maximum number of units available, you must build supply depots.
To do this, select an SCV and left-click the Build Structures button.
Left-click on Build Supply Depot and left-click anywhere to place the Supply Depot.
Your current supply maximum is displayed in the upper right corner of the screen along with how much supply you are currently using.
The Zerg are a savage alien race made up of a host of different species that all mutate from a single creature type called a Larva.
The Zerg create a thick layer of bio-matter called creep under all of their bases and use creatures called Overlords to provide supply for their armies.
Many Zerg creatures can morph from one form to another on the battlefield.
Zerg structures can also mutate from one form to another, growing more powerful and unlocking new unit types as they do.
The Drone is consumed when the structure is created, so you will need another Drone to build another structure.
Creep is an organic growth that spreads around any Zerg base.
Most Zerg units will move more quickly when they're on creep, and all Zerg structures except Hatcheries must be built on it.
Structures that are no longer on creep will slowly die.
Creep is generated by Hatcheries, Queens, and Overlords, so you can use these units and structures to expand your creep.
To mutate a Zerg structure, first select a Drone.
On the command card left-click the Basic Mutation button and left-click again to choose a Hatchery.
Then left-click to place the Hatchery.
The Hatchery cannot be placed too close to minerals.
When trying to place the Hatchery look for the structure overlay to be completely green before placing.
Zerg units are created from Larva.
To create a Zerg Drone, left-click on a Hatchery and then left-click on the select larva button on the command card.
With a larva selected you can left-click on the Morph to Drone button in the command card to order the larva to morph into a Drone.
Each Hatchery generates additional larva over time.
To create a Protoss structure, select a probe and left-click on the Build Structures button on the command card.
Then left-click Warp in Nexus and left-click the ground to create that structure.
The Nexus cannot be placed too close to minerals.
When trying to place the Nexus look for the structure overlay to be completely green before placing.
The probe can move away and perform another command after the warp process begins.
Before you can warp in a unit, you must have the supplies to support that unit.
If you do not have enough available supply, you will not be able to warp in that unit.
The Protoss are an ancient alien race that employ advanced technologies and powerful psionics to defeat their enemies.
Protoss have shields on their units and structures to protect them from enemy attacks.
Shield strength is represented by a blue bar above the hit-point bar.
Shields are reduced by enemy attacks in the same manner as hit-points, however shields regenerate quickly after combat has finished.
Xel'Naga Watch Towers can be controlled by any player.
Place a unit near the Watch Tower to activate it and reveal a large area of the battlefield.
If several players have units near a Watch Tower then the tower is not controlled and no player can activate it.
Some obstacles can be destroyed by weapons fire, and you can attack obstacles to clear a path for your troops.
Some features like shrubs and smoke will block your vision.
Your units can move through these features freely but only flying units can see past them.
You can put your units into control groups.
This makes it easy to quickly select a group of units.
To create a control group, select your units and left-click the Control Group button.
You can find the Control Group button above the information panel in the lower middle of your screen.
You can hold down the Shift key on your keyboard to give a unit a large number of orders.
The unit will then carry out those orders one after another.
This allows you to give a series of commands to one unit and then move on to command other units in another part of the battlefield.
To chat with people in your game, hit the Enter key and then type a message.
When your message is finished hit Enter again to send it.
You can also chat with your friends by left-clicking the Battle.
net friends button.
This will bring up a list of friends and allow you to send messages to people who are not in your current game.
Many units have special abilities you can access through the command card.
To use a special ability, select a unit and then left-click one of the special abilities on the command card.
In many cases you will then have to select a target for the special ability.
Some abilities require energy; if a unit lacks the energy to activate that ability, it will be grayed out on the command card.
Welcome to the Starcraft II tutorial.
From here you will learn the basic controls needed to play Starcraft II.
You can order your production buildings to send newly created units to a specific location.
Select a production facility, then right-click the ground at your chosen location to order the facility to send units there.
Many commands on the command card have a "hotkey".
Rather than select the button using your mouse, you can order the unit to perform the command by hitting the appropriate key on your keyboard.
Using hotkeys is a good way to improve your efficiency.
Mouse over each command card ability to learn the hotkey for that ability.
It's vital to know what your enemy is up to.
Use your units to search the map for the enemy.
If you learn what the enemy is building you can train units that are more effective against the enemy force.
Scouting can also reveal areas where the enemy has set up new bases.
Scout frequently so your information is up to date, and use fast and inexpensive units like SCVs, Probes or Drones so you lose little if your scout is destroyed.
You have a number of tools at your disposal to help control your forces.
You can start at any time by clicking on the topic you wish to learn more about.
In the upper right of the screen you can see the total amount of minerals, and vespene gas you have stockpiled.
You spend resources to train additional units and structures.
Your supply capacity is also shown here.
This is the total number of units you can currently support.
At the top of the screen is the menu button.
You can left-click on the menu button at any time to access useful features like saving your progress or quitting the game.
On the left side of the screen you will find the mission objectives.
These are the goals you need to accomplish in order to achieve victory.
Well done commander.
Congratulations commander, this concludes the camera control portion of the tutorial.
Congratulations, you've moved your unit.
Initially, most of the battlefield is covered by a black mask.
This shows you what areas you have not yet explored.
Move units into the darkened region to reveal new areas.
The black mask will move as your unit moves further into the darkened areas of the map.
Well done commander.
To move several units at once, first select the units by holding down the left mouse button, dragging a selection box around your units, and then releasing the left mouse button.
Now that you have multiple marines selected, right-click on the ground to order your selected units to move somewhere.
Congratulations commander, this completes the movement tutorial.
Congratulations commander, you have now learned the basic attack command.
Your units will automatically attack any enemy units along the way to their destination.
Once the combat is over your units will continue toward their destination.
Remember to use the attack-move command.
It's the safest way to move your units across the battlefield.
Congratulations commander, this concludes the combat tutorial.
Well done commander.
The command center is the main building for any terran army.
This is where you train more SCVs and return gathered minerals.
Congratulations commander, this concludes the base construction tutorial.
Gas is collected by first constructing a Refinery on a Vespene Geyser.
Select your SCV and left-click on the Build Structure button, and then left-click on the Refinery structure.
Well done commander.
Now place the Refinery over a Vespene Geyser.
Note how the overlay only turns green when the Refinery is completely over the Vespene Geyser.
Nicely done commander.
Now that you have constructed a Refinery, assign an SCV to gather Vespene gas by selecting an SCV, then right-clicking on the Refinery.
When an SCV builds a Refinery, it will automatically begin gathering Vespene gas once construction is complete.
Assign 3 SCVs to gather gas from each refinery constructed to optimize your harvesting.
Vespene gas is important for every field commander.
It allows you to train advanced units and construct special buildings.
Congratulations commander, this concludes the resource collection tutorial.
Many of the unit-producing structures such as a Barracks can construct an add-on such as a Tech Lab.
To construct a Tech-lab select the barracks and left-click on the Build Tech Lab button.
An attached Tech-lab allows you to train the more advanced units.
Mouse over any grayed out buttons to see what is required to train that unit.
Well done commander.
Now that you have a Tech-lab, select the Barracks and train a Marauder.
Some units require more than an attached Tech-lab.
Mouse over any grayed out unit to learn what buildings are required to train that unit.
Congratulations commander, that concludes our unit production tutorial.
Well done commander, this concludes the Supply tutorial.
Most Zerg structures need to be placed on creep, but Hatcheries do not.
The Hatchery produces Larva, which you use to mutate into more Drones or other Zerg mutations.
Well done.
To mutate a Zerg structure, first select a Drone.
On the command card left-click the Basic Mutation button and left-click again to choose a Hatchery.
Then left-click to place the Hatchery.
The Hatchery cannot be placed too close to minerals.
When trying to place the Hatchery look for the structure overlay to be completely green before placing.
The Drone is consumed when the structure is created, so you will need another Drone to build another structure.
Most Zerg structures need to be placed on creep, but Hatcheries do not.
The Hatchery produces Larva, which you use to mutate into more Drones or other Zerg mutations.
Well done.
The Zerg are an alien race made up of a host of different species that all mutate from a single creature type called a Larva.
The Zerg create a thick layer of bio-matter called creep under all of their bases and use creatures called Overlords to provide supply for their armies.
Many Zerg creatures can morph from one form into another on the battlefield.
Zerg structures can also mutate from one form into another, growing more powerful and unlocking new unit types as they do so.
Zerg units are created from Larva.
To create a Zerg Drone, left-click on a Hatchery and then left-click on the select larva button on the command card.
With a larva selected you can left-click on the Morph to Drone button in the command card to order the larva to morph into a Drone.
Each Hatchery generates additional larva over time.
Zerg structures are not built.
Instead, Drones mutate into the structure.
Zerg structures can only be mutated on creep.
Select a Drone and left-click on the Basic Mutation button.
Next left-click on Mutate a Spawning Pool, then left-click on the creep to mutate the Drone into a Spawning Pool.
Creep is generated by Hatcheries, Queens, and Overlords, so you can use these units and structures to expand your creep.
Well done.
Before you can morph a unit, you must have the supplies to support that unit.
If you do not have enough available supply, you will not be able to morph that unit.
The Zerg use Overlords to generate more supply.
To morph an Overlord left-click on a Hatchery and then left-click on the select larva button on the command card.
With a larva selected you can left-click on the Morph to Overlord button on the command card to order the larva to morph into an Overlord.
Well done this concludes the zerg tutorial.
Zerg structures are not built.
Instead Drones mutate into the structure.
Zerg structures can only be mutated on creep.
Select a Drone and left-click on the Basic Mutation button.
Next left-click on Mutate a Spawning Pool then left-click on the creep to mutate the Drone into a Spawning Pool.
Creep is generated by Hatcheries Queens and Overlords so you can use these units and structures to expand your creep.
Well done.
Before you can morph a unit you must have the supplies to support that unit.
If you do not have enough available supply you will not be able to morph that unit.
The Zerg use Overlords to generate more supply.
To morph an Overlord left-click on a Hatchery and then left-click on the select larva button on the command card.
With a larva selected you can left-click on the Morph to Overlord button in the command card to order the larva to morph into an Overlord.
Well done this concludes the zerg tutorial.
Protoss use Pylons to provide supply for their armies and Protoss structures must be built close to Pylons to keep those structures powered.
The Protoss are an ancient alien race that employ advanced technologies and powerful psionics to defeat their enemies.
Protoss have shields on their units and structures to protect them from enemy attacks.
Shield strength is represented by a blue bar above the hit-point bar.
Shields are reduced by enemy attacks in the same manner as hit-points however shields regenerate quickly after combat has finished.
Protoss use Pylons to provide supply for their armies and Protoss structures must be built close to Pylons to keep them powered.
Well done Executor.
The Protoss use Pylons to increase the maximum number of units available.
Pylons also provide power to other nearby Protoss structures.
To warp in a Pylon select a probe and left-click Build Structure on the command card.
Then left-click on Warp in Pylon and then left-click to place the Pylon.
Good work Executor.
All Protoss structures except Pylons and the Nexus must be built near an existing Pylon.
Protoss structures that are no longer near a Pylon will lose power and cease to function.
To warp in a Gateway select a Probe left-click Build Structure and then left-click Warp in Gatway.
Place the Gateway within the Pylon power radius.
Congratulations Executor.
This concludes the protoss tutorial.
To create a Protoss structure select a probe and left-click on the Build Structures button on the command card.
Then left-click Warp in Nexus and left-click the ground to create that structure.
The Nexus cannot be placed too close to minerals.
When trying to place the Nexus look for the structure overlay to be completely green before placing.
The probe can move away and perform another command after the warp process begins.
Well done Executor.
Before you can warp in a unit you must have the supplies to support that unit.
If you do not have enough available supply you will not be able to warp in that unit.
The Protoss use Pylons to increase the maximum number of units available.
Pylons also provide power to other nearby Protoss structures.
To warp in a Pylon select a probe and left-click Build Structure in the command card.
Then left-click on Warp in Pylon and then left-click to place the Pylon.
Good work Executor.
All Protoss structures except Pylons and the Nexus must be built near an existing Pylon.
Protoss structures that are no longer near a Pylon will lose power and cease to function.
To warp in a Gateway select a Probe left-click Build Structure and then left-click Warp in Gateway.
Place the Gateway within the Pylon power radius.
Congratulations Executor.
This concludes the protoss tutorial.
Those units are now assigned to a group number.
When you hit that number on your keyboard you will select that group automatically.
If you double-tap that number you will also jump to that group's location.
The amount of energy a unit currently possesses is represented by a purple bar below its hit-point bar.
Energy slowly regenerates over time.
Creep is an organic growth that spreads around any Zerg base.
Most Zerg units will move more quickly when they're on creep and all Zerg structures except Hatcheries must be built on it.
Structures that are no longer on creep will slowly die.
Creep is generated by Hatcheries Queens and Overlords so you can use these units and structures to expand your creep.
Left click on the topic you wish to learn more about.
I want to be the commander.
I also want legs.
Congratulations commander you now have basic knowledge of the StarCraft 2 user interface.
Now that you have a unit selected right-click on the beacon to move your unit there.
Initially most of the battlefield is coverd by a black fog.
These are areas you have not yet explored.
Now that you have multiple marines selected right-click on the beacon to move your selected units there.
Right click on the beacon in the darkened area to move your unit there.
While your units are selected right-click on an enemy unit to issue an attack order.
You can mouse over a unit to see how much life it has.
The unit's life is represented as a green bar.
When the green bar reaches zero the unit is destroyed.
To issue an attack-move command left-click on the "Attack" button from the command card and then left-click again on the ground where you want your units to go.
Left-click on the "Build Command Center" button and then left-click on the ground to order the SCV to place the new structure.
Gas is collected by first constructing a Refinery on a Vespene Geyser.
Left-click on the "Build Structure" button and then left-click on the "Build Refinery" button.
To create new units you must first select a structure that trains units.
Select a Barracks to see what units you can train.
To increase the maximum number of units available you must build supply depots.
Left-click on the "Build Structure" button and left-click on "Build Supply Depot" and then left-click anywhere to place the Supply Depot.
To create a Protoss structure first select a Probe by left-clicking.
Now left-click on the "Warp in Structure" button located on the command card.
Left-click on the "Warp in Nexus" button and left-click the ground to warp in that structure.
To create a Protoss structure first select a Probe by left-clicking.
Now left-click on the "Build Structure" button located on the command card.
Left-click on the "Warp in Nexus" button and left-click the ground to warp in that structure.
To warp in a Pylon left-click on the "Build Structure" button located in the command card.
Then left-click on the "Warp in Pylon" button and then left-click to place the Pylon.
To warp in a Pylon left-click on the "Build Structure" button located in the command card.
Then left-click on the "Warp in Pylon" button and then left-click to place the Pylon.
To warp in a Gateway left-click on the "Build Structure" button located in the command card.
Then left-click on the "Warp in Gateway" button and then left-click to place the Gateway within the Pylon power radius.
Then left-click on the "Warp in Gateway" button and then left-click to place the Gateway within the Pylon power radius.
To warp in a Gateway left-click on the "Build Structure" button located in the command card.
To mutate a Zerg structure first select a Drone by left-clicking.
Now left-click the "Basic Mutation" button on the command card.
Left-click again on the "Mutate into Hatchery" button and then left-click to place the Hatchery.
Now left-click the "Basic Mutation" button on the command card.
Left-click again on the "Mutate into Hatchery" button and then left-click to place the Hatchery.
To mutate a Zerg structure first select a Drone by left-clicking.
Zerg units are created from Larva.
To create a Zerg Drone you must first select a Hatchery.
Zerg units are created from Larva.
To create a Zerg Drone you must first select a Hatchery.
Left-click on the "Select Larva" button on the command card and then left-click on the "Morph to Drone" button.
Left-click on the "Select Larva" button on the command card and then left-click on the "Morph to Drone" button.
Left-click on "Basic Mutation" on the command card.
Then left-click on the "Mutate into Spawning Pool" button and then left-click on the ground to place.
Zerg structures can only be mutated on creep.
You will not be able to place the Spawning Pool until the overlay is completely green.
Left-click on "Basic Mutation" on the command card.
Then left-click on the "Mutate into Spawning Pool" button and then left-click on the ground to place.
Zerg structures can only be mutated on creep.
You will not be able to place the Spawning Pool until the overlay is completely green.
To morph an Overlord left-click on the "Select Larva" button on the command card then left-click on the "Morph to Overlord" button.
To morph an Overlord left-click on the "Select Larva" button on the command card then left-click on the "Morph to Overlord" button.

Doodads and Entities:

250mm Strike Cannons (Apply Behavior)
250mm Strike Cannons (Create Persistent)
250mm Strike Cannons (Damage)
250mm Strike Cannons (Dummy)
250mm Strike Cannons (Set)
Acid Spores (Transfer)
Acid Spores (Apply Behavior)
Acid Spores Launch
Acid Spores (Search)
Archon Damage
Arclite Cannon
Arena Turret (Damage)
Twin Autocannons (Damage)
Auto Turret Release
Auto Turret Release
Auto Turret Release Launch
Auto Turret (Set)
Auto turret Timed Life
Suicide (Set)
Suicide (Remove Buff)
Suicide (Target Friendly Building Damage)
Suicide (Target Friendly Unit Damage)
Suicide (Unit Damage)
Suicide (Building Damage)
Screecher Missiles (Persistent)
Screecher Missiles (Missile)
Screecher Missiles (Damage)
ATA Laser Battery (Persistent)
ATA Laser Battery (Launch Missile)
ATA Laser Battery (Damage)
ATS Laser Battery (Persistent)
ATS Laser Battery (Launch Missile)
ATS Laser Battery (Damage)
Blink (Teleport)
Broodling Claws
Broodling Attack
Broodling Escort
Broodling Escort Damage
Broodling Escort Impact
Broodling Escort Launch
Broodling Escort Missile
Broodling Escort Release
Broodling Timed Life
Calldown MULE (Create Persistent)
Calldown MULE (Create Set)
Calldown MULE (Create Unit)
Calldown MULE (Final Set)
Calldown MULE (Issue Order)
Calldown MULE (Timed Life)
Launch Interceptor (Magazine)
Timed Life
Charge (Apply Buff)
Cleave
Cloaking Field
Cloaking Field Search
Twin Thermal Lance (Set)
Khaydarin Beams (Line Damage Delay)
Khaydarin Beams (Line Search)
Khaydarin Beams (Line Search Reverse)
Khaydarin Beams Forward (Persistent)
Khaydarin Beams (Line Damage)
Khaydarin Beams Reverse (Persistent)
Corruption
Corruption
Corruption
Corruption
Corruption
Infest (Apply Buff)
Infest (Damage)
Infest (Missile)
Infest (Set)
D-8 Charge
D-8 Charge Explode
D-8 Charge Explode Damage
D-8 Charge (Launch Missile)
D-8 Charge Launch
Warp Blades (Damage)
Disable Caster Energy Regen (Apply Behavior)
Birth
Disguise
Disguise As Marine With Shield
Disguise As Marine With Shield Issue Order
Disguise As Marine Without Shield
Disguise As Marine Without Shield Issue Order
Disguise As Zealot
Disguise As Zealot Issue Order
Disguise As Zergling With Wings
Disguise As Zergling With Wings Issue Order
Disguise As Zergling Without Wings
Disguise As Zergling Without Wings Issue Order
Disguise Issue Order Default
Disguise Mimic
Disguise
Disguise
Disguise Set Default
Disruptor
Disruptor
Double Damage
Spines (Damage)
EMP
EMP (Search)
EMP2DU
EMP2MU
EMP2S
EMP (Apply Decloak Behavior)
Force Field
Force Field Placement
Force Field Timed Life
Fungal Growth
Fungal Growth
Fungal Growth
Fungal Growth
C-10 Canister Rifle (Damage)
Anti Gravity (Persistent)
Anti Gravity (Apply Behavior)
Anti Gravity (Caster Energy Drain)
Anti Gravity
Anti Gravity (Height Behavior)
Anti Gravity (Initial Set)
Anti Gravity (Periodic Set)
Anti Gravity
Anti Gravity
Anti Gravity
Anti Gravity
Guardian Shield
Guardian Shield
Guardian Shield
Hallucination (Create Archon)
Hallucination (Create Colossus)
Hallucination (Create High Templar)
Hallucination (Create Immortal)
Hallucination (Create Phoenix)
Hallucination (Create Probe)
Hallucination (Create Stalker)
Hallucination (Apply Behavior)
Hallucination Create Unit B Hal
Hallucination Create Unit B Timer
Hallucination (Create Void Ray)
Hallucination (Create Warp Prism)
Hallucination (Create Zealot)
Battle Cannon (Damage)
Battle Cannon (Persistent)
Battle Cannon (Search)
Battle Cannon (Set)
Seeker (Damage)
Seeker (Launch Missile)
Hydralisk Air
Hydralisk Base
Hydralisk Ground
Hydralisk Melee
Hydralisk U
Hydralisk U Air
InfestedGauss Rifle (Damage)
Infested Swarm (Create Egg)
Infested Swarm (Create Unit)
Infested Swarm (Gestation Persistent)
Infested Swarm (Initial Set)
Infested Swarm (Launch Missile)
Infested Swarm (Launch Persistent)
Infested Swarm (Timed Life)
Infestor Terran
Interceptor Beam
Pulse Cannon (Damage)
Kill Hallucination
Larva Release (Set)
Larva Release (Launch Missile)
Launch Interceptor (Persistent)
Launch Interceptor Upgraded (Persistent)
Repair
Broodling (Spawn Set)
Concussive Grenade
MarauderLM
Marauder LM One
Marauder LM Two
Concussive Grenade
Concussive Grenade
Concussive Grenade (Damage)
Gauss Rifle (Damage)
Heal
Longbolt Missile (Persistent)
Longbolt Missile (Missile)
Longbolt Missile (Damage)
Mothership Beam (Damage)
Mothership Beam (Initial Dummy Damage)
Mothership Beam (Persistent)
Mothership Beam (Set)
Move
Mothership Secondary Beam (Persistent)
Glaive Wurm (Missile)
Glaive Wurm Bounce 1 (Search)
Glaive Wurm Bounce 2 (Search)
Glaive Wurm Bounce 1 (Missile)
Glaive Wurm Bounce 2 (Missile)
Glaive Wurm Bounce 1 (Set)
Glaive Wurm Bounce 2 (Set)
Glaive Wurm Bounce 1 (Damage)
Glaive Wurm Bounce 2 (Damage)
Glaive Wurm Bounce 3 (Damage)
Neural Parasite (Apply Behavior Normal)
Neural Parasite (Launch Missile)
Neural Parasite (Create Persistent)
Neural Parasite (Recheck)
Neural Parasite (Remove Behavior Warp In)
Neural Parasite (Set)
Neural Parasite (Apply Behavior Warp In)
Phase Shift (Apply Behavior)
Phase Shift (Dummy)
Phase Shift (Set)
Energy Beam (Persistent)
Phoenix Air
Phoenix - Air LM Left
Phoenix - Air LM Right
Energy Beam (Damage)
Photon Cannon (Launch Missile)
Photon Cannon (Damage)
PlanetaryFortress
Point Defense Laser
Point Defense Drone Release (Create Unit)
Point Defense Drone Release (Launch Missile)
Point Defense Drone Release (Set)
Point Defense Drone (Timed Life)
Point Defense Laser (Damage)
Point Defense Laser
Point Defense Laser
Post Morph (Healing Effect)
Particle Beam (Damage)
Psi Blaster (Damage)
Psi Storm (Apply Buff)
Psi Storm (Damage)
Psi Storm (Damage2)
Psi Storm (Damage3)
Psi Storm (Persistent)
Psi Storm (Search)
Quad Damage
Ground Attack
Air Attack (Damage)
Air Attack (Launch Missile)
Queen Birth
Ground Attack
Ground Attack
P38 'Scythe' Gauss Pistol (Damage)
P38 'Scythe' Gauss Pistol
Repair
Needle Spines (Burst)
Needle Spines (Missile)
Needle Spines (Missile Dummy)
Needle Spines
Needle Spines (Damage Dummy)
Needle Spines (Melee)
Fusion Cutter (Damage)
Salvage
Bunker
Salvage Death
Sap Structure (Issue Attack Order)
Scanner Sweep
Arclite Cannon (Damage)
Arclite Shock Cannon
Siphon
Siphon
Siphon (Launch Missile)
SpawnChangeling (Create Unit)
Spawn Mutant Larva (Apply Spawn Behavior)
Spawn Mutant Larva (Apply Timer Behavior)
Spawn Mutant Larva (Remove Spawn Behavior)
Spine Crawler (Launch Missile)
Spine Crawler (Damage)
Spore Crawler (Missile)
Spore Crawler (Damage)
Entropy Lance (Set)
Entropy Lance (Damage)
Stim Pack (Apply Buff)
Stim Pack Mara (Apply Buff)
Suicide (Target Friendly Switch)
Supply Depot Morphing Apply Behavior
Supply Drop (Apply Behavior)
Supply Drop (Apply Temp Behavior)
Surface For Spell Cast
Swarm Seeds (Launch Secondary Missile)
Temporal Rift Apply Unit Behavior
Temporal Rift Create Persistent
Temporal Rift (Dummy)
Temporal Rift Unit Search Area
Anti Air (Damage)
Anti Air (Launch Missile)
Anti Air (Persistent)
Arm Cannons (Persistent)
Thor Hand Gun Splash Damage Target
Chrono Boost Production
Chrono Boost Research
Chrono Boost Set
Transfusion
Kaiser Blades
Cleave
Ultralisk Cleave Large
Ultralisk - Head Attack (Damage)
Kaiser Blades (Damage)
Twin Gatling Cannon (Damage)
Halo Rockets (Persistent)
Halo Rockets (Launch Missile)
Halo Rockets (Damage)
Void Ray (Set)
Void Ray (Chain Set 2)
Void Ray (Chain Set 3)
Void Ray Charge Chain
Void Ray Charge Effect 01
Void Ray Charge Effect 02
Void Ray Charge Effect 03
Void Ray Charge Initial
Void Ray (Damage Set 2)
Void Ray (Damage Set 3)
Void Ray (Initial Set)
Void Ray MU Base
Void Ray MU Initial
Void Ray (Damage Level 1)
Void Ray (Damage Level 2)
Void Ray (Damage Level 3)
Vortex Apply Disable
Vortex Apply Hide
Vortex (Create Persistent)
Vortex
Vortex Effect
Vortex (Force)
Vortex Search Area
Vortex Unburrow
Vortex Unsiege
Warp In Effect
Warp In Effect15
Wormhole Transit Teleport Move
Yamato Cannon (Missile)
Yamato Cannon (Damage)
Psi Blades (Damage)
Psi Blades
Disable Charging
Zerg Building Spawn Broodling 6
Zerg Building Spawn Broodling 6 (Delay)
Zerg Building Spawn Broodling 9
Zerg Building Spawn Broodling 9 (Delay)
Claws (Damage)
Kill
Nuke
Nuke
Nuke
Nuke
Nuke
Sniper (Apply Buff)
Snipe (Damage)
Suicide (Kill Self - Generic)
suicide Remove
That Supply Depot already has Extra Supplies
Already Spawning Additional Larva
Can't target units affected by 250mm Strike Cannons
Can't target units affected by Graviton Beam
Can't target units that are warping in
Can't target morphing units
Must target a mineral field or open terrain
MULE already en route to mineral field
Must target a Supply Depot
CastanarWindowLargeDiagonalULBR
GasStation
Mar Sara Bridge
Mengsk Statue
Footprint Mar Sara Bridge Vertical
Default SC2 Gameplay Settings
Default SC2 UI Settings
Portrait - Adjutant
Portrait - Adjutant (Left Facing)
Portrait - Archon
Portrait - Baneling Cocoon
Portrait - Baneling
Portrait - Banshee
Battle.Net Glue
Portrait - Battlecruiser
Bel'Shir
Bel'ShirSunset
Braxis Alpha
Portrait - Brood Lord
Default
Portrait - Carrier
Portrait - Changeling
Portrait - Cocoon
Portrait - Colossus
Console
ConsoleProt
ConsoleTerr
ConsoleZerg
Portrait - Corruptor
Portrait - Dark Templar 2
Portrait - Dark Templar
Portrait - Drone
Portrait - Egg
Portrait - Executor
Portrait - Ghost
Glue Background
Glue Foreground
Glue UI
Portrait - Hellion
Portrait - High Templar
Portrait - Hydralisk
Portrait - Immortal
Portrait - Infested Marine
Portrait - Infestor
Korhal
Portrait - Larva
Portrait - MULE
Mar Sara
Mar Sara Day Test
Mar Sara Night Test
Portrait - Marauder
Portrait - Marine
Portrait - Medivac
Monlyth
Portrait - Mothership
Portrait - Mutalisk
Portrait - Nydus Worm
Portrait - Observer
Portrait - Overlord
Portrait - Overseer
Portrait - Phoenix
Portrait - Probe
Portrait - Queen
Portrait - Raven
Portrait - Reaper
Redstone
Portrait - Roach
Portrait - SCV
Portrait - Sentry
Shakuras
Portrait - Siege Tank
Portrait - Stalker
Portrait - Symbiote
Tech Glossary Prot
Tech Glossary Terr
Tech Glossary Zerg
Portrait - Thor
Portrait - Ultralisk
Victory Glue
Portrait - Viking Assault
Portrait - Viking Fighter
Portrait - Void Ray
Portrait - Warp Prism
Xil
Portrait - Zealot
Portrait - Zergling
Zhakul'Das
250mm Cannon Validators
Battlecruiser Upgraded
Terran Building Burn Down (Fire)
Terran Building Burn Down (Heavy Smoke)
Terran Building Burn Down (Light Smoke)
Terran Building Burn Down (Normal)
Terran Building Burn Down (Filters)
Can Spend Energy
Caster Has Energy
Caster Has Energy And Not Dead
Caster Is Animating Weapon
Caster Is Command Center
Caster Is Firing Weapon
Caster Is Scanning
Caster Not Dead
Caster Not Firing Or Animating Weapon
Centrifical Hooks Researched
Cleave Researched
CliffLevelGreaterOrAir
Colossus Cliff Level
Command Center - Transport
Transport SCV
Corruptor Infected TargetFilters Source
Corruptor Infected TargetFilters Target
D8Charge - Can't Target Other D8Charges
Death By Acid
Death By Blast
Death By Eviscerate
Death By Fire
Disguise As Marine
Disguise As Marine With Shield
Disguise As Marine Without Shield
Disguise As Zealot
Disguise As Zergling
Does Not Have Temporal Rift
DoubleDamage
EnemiesNearby
Friendly Target
Greater Observatory
Has Generate Creep Behavior
Has Marine Shield Upgrade
Has No Cargo
Has No Power
Has Repair Bot
Has Vision
Infestation
Infestation TargetFilters
Infested Swarm Placement Check
Kill Hallucination TargetFilters