Today Blizzard Entertainment and the StarCraft Community Sites proudly present three never before seen screenshots which include a few glimpses of the Zerg Swarm, as well as some a new look at some Terran armies under siege.
In this first screenshot Banelings, the apparent replacement for the Infested Terran, wreaking havoc upon a small Terran outpost. It also seems apparent that the Banelings attack will have a splash effect. The Banelings are backed-up by the classic Zerglings. The Zerglings have received a graphical overhaul (evolution?) since SC and have changed quite dramatically from the SC:Ghost concepts. In this screenshot we also get our first glimpse of one of the most important units to the Zerg - the Overlord! The Zerg's detector, transporter, and source of control has gotten an overhaul, and is gleaming with green. Do the green "orbs" reflect the Zerg player's color? Or does the green symbolize the Vespene sacs that allow it to fly?
In the second screenshot, we get another glance of the Mutalisk, the Zerg's primary air attacker. They do not seem to have changed in shape too much from the Brood War days, but they look richer and fuller and their attack looks totally different. The attack on the Bunker resembles more of a Hydralisk's Needle Spines rather than a Glave Wurm.
Also on Screenshot 2, we see what could be a new Thor attack. The Thor in the screenshot has its cannons extended, but what came out of them seems to be a sort of napalm or incendiary attack. Or could the orange cloud be a defiler's Dark Swarm? With our limited information it's just too early to tell.
In the third new screenshot, we have a typical Terran vs. Terran battle. There are no new units to be seen and the Zerg don't make an appearance although it seems the banshee did seems to have acquired a small graphical upgrade - the cloaked model is very well done.
The SC:L Staff's analysis has yielded a few interesting observations. One of the main things we noticed was how "cluttered" the screenshots seemed, the second one in particular. One of the best things about SC was that at a seconds glance you could pick out exactly what was happening. With the graphical upgrades, detailed terrain and newly placed emphasis on animation we hope that clarity is still recognized as a necessary and important consideration.
In the original SC another one of the things that defined the units was the gritty realism. In these screenshots as well as previous ones it seems as though the models are getting brighter and dare we say a bit cartoonier? The semi-realistic proportions and the little realistic touches seem to be missing. While this isn't necessarily a bad change, indeed many people like it - we hope it returns as it's small details like that that contributed to the uniqueness of the game.
And finally the Zergling model has certainly changed since SC Vanilla and a large majority of our staff doesn't think it was for the better. The term "cricket" has been thrown around in the last few days and we're inclined to agree. The swarming effect is incredibly awesome but there's something about the model that doesn't quite strike true with most of us. Many of us prefer the SC: Ghost
Ling concept. But that is as always a matter of taste. Although all of us absolutely love the new Overlord model. We're impressed and we have no doubt that when SCII ships it will look spectacular and in a few years all of these models and units will be as familiar to us as those we've been commanding for the last nine years.
This is the beginning - the Zerg are unburrowing - the swarm is awakening...
Update: With new updates there are always new questions.
Karune has answered some questions regarding the Zerg Banelings which appeared in the screenshots:
[quote]
Currently, the Banelings' attack does not harm friendly units, adding to their deadliness. This of course may be subject to change in the future to maintain balance.[/quote][quote]
...the blobs of green in the first screenshot, those are the exploded corpses of the Banelings. Those creatures are currently quite the melee killers in StarCraft II.[/quote][quote]
You are absolutely correct, this is one of the best economy raiding strategies at the moment for Zerg. If you can get some Banelings into the enemy's peon line, you can significantly stifle their economy, as well as force them into a defensive minded mentality. Nonetheless, there are counters to this, such as if you are playing Terrans, you can upgrade your Command Center to a Planetary Fortress, thus defending your economy from light raids. Luckily, those Banelings have very little hit points, and are easy to kill with ranged weapons.[/quote]
Source:Battle.net Forums
