Starcraft 2!

[Capt Throbberson]

It's official

http://pc.ign.com/articles/788/788627p1.html

http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/788/788627/starcraft-2-IN1_1179566607.jpg

[Lighthouse]

Dear God, is it really true? After all these years its finally been announced. Now maybe after, oh what 10 years, we might actually get to play it.

[Super Kal]

holy mother of God... I have never been so f***in stoked about a PC game like I am now


this game is gonna rule

[Nathan]

There's a whole batch of gameplay vids on http://www.gametrailers.com/

[Nathan]

Dear God, is it really true? After all these years its finally been announced. Now maybe after, oh what 10 years, we might actually get to play it.

Heh, does anyone know what happened to Starcraft: Ghost? Is it still in development or did they scrap the project?

[Havok83]

Ive never played Starcraft before. Have no idea what the big deal is

[Lighthouse]

Heh, does anyone know what happened to Starcraft: Ghost? Is it still in development or did they scrap the project?

That project is completely dead in the water. I have a friend who writes for some gaming website and has been to E3 a few times. Two different times they had Starcraft: Ghost there and he said they were both two completely different games. Then the project was "delayed" and all information about it was removed from Blizzard. My friend tells me that its pretty much dead and never coming out. I'm actually ok with this. The great thing about Blizzard is that they have very high standards, and if Blizzard wasn't impressed by what the developers came up with, I'm glad they decided to scrap it instead of releasing a mediocre game.

You can read all about it here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/StarCraft:_Ghost
Ive never played Starcraft before. Have no idea what the big deal is

Well yes, if you haven't played then you certainly wouldn't know what the big deal is.

[Super Kal]

Ive never played Starcraft before. Have no idea what the big deal is
dude, Starcraft was an international hit everywhere in 1998... people are STILL playing it to this day online.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starcraft

[Havok83]

Well yes, if you haven't played then you certainly wouldn't know what the big deal is.
Ive also never played World of Warcraft so that should tell you something

[Spidey-Bat]

We'll probably see this in...what's a good guess...5 years?

[Joker]

if they already have screen shots and gameplay vids out, I'd assume it'll be alot sooner than that...christmas 2008/09 I would assume

[Scarlet spidey]

if they already have screen shots and gameplay vids out, I'd assume it'll be alot sooner than that...christmas 2008/09 I would assume
2008.:o

[Super Kal]

I hope it's 2008

[Hudson]

you know, it doesn't look that great compared to what you can do these days with graphics.
But Do I think it will be good?
Hell Yes.

[chardxMMx]

http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/790/790131/starcraft-ii-20070519022259876.jpg

I like this picture.
Maybe she's my favorite hero.

Remember her, Kerrigan, the uniquely styled hero. Will I be able to play as her in a solo play mission? Will she die at the end of the story? If the Zerg infested her then the protoss can do it too but not to infest, instead, to cleanse her and other infested beings.

I hope heroes in starcraft 2 will be able to level up like heroes in WOW and warcraft3. There will be level 3 psi storm, bigger area and greater damage, that purges enemies slowing them and removing buffs, ...kidding :yay:

I wish the protoss carrier will spawn more interceptors and carriers are equipped with ion cannon, like the alien ship in independence day ... but this will be overwhelming and might ruin the game balance. :yay:

I can't wait to play it. But I'm sure it will require high requirements. So I must upgrade my PC again.. hehe :yay:

[wellsy]

http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/790/790131/starcraft-ii-20070519022259876.jpg

I like this picture.
Maybe she's my favorite hero.

Remember her, Kerrigan, the uniquely styled hero. Will I be able to play as her in a solo play mission? Will she die at the end of the story? If the Zerg infested her then the protoss can do it too but not to infest, instead, to cleanse her and other infested beings.

I hope heroes in starcraft 2 will be able to level up like heroes in WOW and warcraft3. There will be level 3 psi storm, bigger area and greater damage, that purges enemies slowing them and removing buffs, ...kidding :yay:

I wish the protoss carrier will spawn more interceptors and carriers are equipped with ion cannon, like the alien ship in independence day ... but this will be overwhelming and might ruin the game balance. :yay:

I can't wait to play it. But I'm sure it will require high requirements. So I must upgrade my PC again.. hehe :yay:

I saw that pic. Really, really cool.

But I don't think the Protoss have carriers anymore. I know they've got the 'Mothership' things which are so powerful you can't actually get more than one on the map.

Think about it - its been four years since Aiur was abandoned. Dragoons have changed, and the Protoss have also gone War of the Worlds with some of their walkers.

Thats just what I've seen.

And those Battlecruisers look like they've become a super-Yamato gun chassis; the gun had better pwn even more than it did in Starcraft.

And as for release, one of the execs said that he wanted to launch the sequel 10 years after the first, so it'll be 2008. And I do think they'll make it (WAR has progressed fairly quickly).

[Halcohol]

Heh, does anyone know what happened to Starcraft: Ghost? Is it still in development or did they scrap the project?
Who CARES?!!!

STARCRAFT II!!!!!!!!

*aneurysm*

[Venom Jr.]

we already have a thread talking about this...sigh...

[The Riddler]

zeratul > kerrigan.

btw, it seems the two will fight in a cinematic in scII.

[chardxMMx]

I hope they will include starcraft world editor....

Yes there will be, as usual, like warcraft and starcraft.

I just love creating my own map :yay:.

[Super Kal]

I really hope they let us make more than just 200 units and let us highlight more than 12 units... those are probably the most biggest drawbacks for me in the first one.

and I would LOVE to have an editor.

[SouLeSS]

The limit isstill 200, but you can select 24 units at a time I believe. They have plans on "increasing the total units" but they're not sure if they're going to go through with it, as it would require a lot of computer power to have a screen full of ~1200 zerglings all going at each other.

[Nathan]

:D

http://www.penny-arcade.com/images/2007/20070523.jpg

[Super Kal]

The limit isstill 200, but you can select 24 units at a time I believe. They have plans on "increasing the total units" but they're not sure if they're going to go through with it, as it would require a lot of computer power to have a screen full of ~1200 zerglings all going at each other.
I mean just like double it... instead of 200 units, make it 400 units. I don't need 600 units on the battlefield... it would be fun, but unnecessary

[wellsy]

I think they have raised the unit cap, or even removed it entirely.

Can't quite remember it for sure (pretty sure it was on the IGN site).

[Super Kal]

from IGN.com:

"StarCraft 2 will have no unit selection limit, which should please or enrage StarCraft purists. The game has been in development since 2003, and may have been further along had World of Warcraft not impacted the development process to a degree. Today, StarCraft 2's development team is around 40 members strong, with several other teams around Blizzard helping out here and there."

http://pc.ign.com/articles/790/790158p1.html

[chardxMMx]

I think it is better if they make the food cap as an option.

By that, you can choose to have 100, 200, 300, ..etc. to 600. But I think they'll have to adjust the AI for this.

Well for me 100 or 200 food limit is good enough. I don't find greater than 200 cap fun to play, like in warcraft 3. But I guess the starcraft map editor is a good tool to do many things. And I hope the editor can open and modify campaign missions dirrectly and do more than the world editor of warcraft 3 or WOW.

I do my own customs maps since the start of warcraft 2 and starcraft but I no longer played those since 2004.

[Super Kal]

the least they could do is increase it by a hundred

[Halcohol]

:D

http://www.penny-arcade.com/images/2007/20070523.jpg
lol

[Fading]

Been waiting for a new Starcraft :woot:. This is (hopefully) going to be great. It is my fave RTS game, I've played Ages of Empires, Warcraft, and Command and Conquer, but none of them could give me as fun or satisfying of a match as Starcraft could.

I hope they don't tweak the fundamental gameplay too much as it was pretty near perfect IMO. Increasing or removing unit limit's would be fine, but I think the overall roles of the 3 races need to stay the same. Creating new units is a must tho, and maybe some different multiplayer options.

[Zenien]

I LOVIES MY sTARcRAFT.

[TheCorpulent1]

Maybe it's because I haven't played Starcraft in just shy of forever, but the Starcraft 2 vids on Gametrailers.com don't look like they have much in the way of significant graphical improvements over Starcraft 1. I imagine they're 3D models instead of sprites now, but at that size, they don't really look that different. I hope there's something like Warcraft III's ability to zoom in and out so that I can drool over how badass my Colossi and Dragoons are...

[Super Kal]

you do realize that this is still in the beta stage, right?

of course they're not gonna have special stuff to show yet, because most of it is still under lock and key...

[wellsy]

Although it has been in development since 2003, and I imagine that there will be a lot of stuff released over the next few months.

[Buford The Sly]

I can't wait for more Blizzard stuff. I wonder if this will break WoW addictions all over the world. After this they should do Diablo 3 all WoW 3D style.

[chardxMMx]

I wish they would release a Demo version early, if there are

[Super Kal]

now that would be cool

[Diamanthus]

Has anyone checked out the official site?

http://www.starcraft2.com/

[FaT_tONle]

The graphics suck but what can you expect from Blizzard... still should be great... the wait is finally over

[Fading]

The graphics suck but what can you expect from Blizzard... still should be great... the wait is finally over

Ya, Blizzard always seems to be more about the art style than overall pixel counts. Like how WoW looks decent despite not being overall graphics intensive.

[XtromaniaK]

It's official, this game has become even more closely "linked" to WH40k :rolleyes:

[Super Kal]

what does that mean?

[XtromaniaK]

what does that mean?

That this game resembles Warhammer 40k even more than it did in Starcraft. In some way, that's good, in other more creativity/IP-related ways, it's not so good.

[wellsy]

That this game resembles Warhammer 40k even more than it did in Starcraft. In some way, that's good, in other more creativity/IP-related ways, it's not so good.
That just isn't making any sense. How, exactly, has Starcraft become closer to 40K?

And remember, the 'Nids are rip offs of the Zerg, not the other way round.

So, please explain.

[XtromaniaK]

That just isn't making any sense. How, exactly, has Starcraft become closer to 40K?

And remember, the 'Nids are rip offs of the Zerg, not the other way round.

So, please explain.

Want to bet? Genestealers were introduced in the 80s, 'Nid warriors in 1990, and the Tyranids appeared in supplemental books in '93. Yeah, Starcraft didn't come out until.. what.. '98? Good luck explaining that one, chief.

And how exactly? Well considering that lore-wise.. the Protoss "Immortals" (a "new" unit) are a complete rip-off of the IoM Dreadnoughts, and the Marines in the trailer had a knack for looking even more like SM, yeah. Nothing at all. :o

[wellsy]

My understanding of the 'Nids was that they were relatively recently added to 40K (ie last 10 or so years) - it seems I was wrong (I'm a Fantasy nut, so leave me alone).

And the two examples you quoted were there to begin with - when did Marines NOT look like their WH40K counterparts? And what the hell are you on about with the Immortals - they're just a revamped Dragoon (from the original game)? Same goes for the Stalker.

So you haven't actually answered the question - I asked how it has moved closer to Wh40K. What you just provided were two things that were already there.

So, again, please explain.

[Zenien]

If the owners behind Warhammer hadn't stupidly pulled the agreement out from underneath the financially weak Blizzard in the 11th hour, Blizzard never would have taken their completed Warhammer RTS that for some reason the owners of the Warhammer IP weren't happy with, retooled all the units and game world, and released a little known game called Warcraft.

While Blizzard without a doubt is HEAVILY influenced by Warhammer, they do still make it their own (More so with each sucessive itteration) to a large degree and their quality is without peer in the industry.

The main inspiration for Blizzards two Craft series is Warhammer, understandable considering Warcraft was originally suppose to be a Warhammer game.

Now bow down to your queen

http://www.blizzard.com/inblizz/fanart/images/screens/ss472.jpg

[Nathan]

Female human/Predator? :huh:

[Zenien]

Yes. :o

Kerrigan!

[Super Kal]

that's some sweet s**t right there...

[The Riddler]

http://starcraft2.com/images/artwork/ss16-hires.jpg

zeratul owns kerrigan. :o

[Halcohol]

If the owners behind Warhammer hadn't stupidly pulled the agreement out from underneath the financially weak Blizzard in the 11th hour, Blizzard never would have taken their completed Warhammer RTS that for some reason the owners of the Warhammer IP weren't happy with, retooled all the units and game world, and released a little known game called Warcraft.

While Blizzard without a doubt is HEAVILY influenced by Warhammer, they do still make it their own (More so with each sucessive itteration) to a large degree and their quality is without peer in the industry.

The main inspiration for Blizzards two Craft series is Warhammer, understandable considering Warcraft was originally suppose to be a Warhammer game.

Now bow down to your queen

http://www.blizzard.com/inblizz/fanart/images/screens/ss472.jpg
That's frightening.

Hot frightening.

[XtromaniaK]

My understanding of the 'Nids was that they were relatively recently added to 40K (ie last 10 or so years) - it seems I was wrong (I'm a Fantasy nut, so leave me alone).

And the two examples you quoted were there to begin with - when did Marines NOT look like their WH40K counterparts? And what the hell are you on about with the Immortals - they're just a revamped Dragoon (from the original game)? Same goes for the Stalker.

So you haven't actually answered the question - I asked how it has moved closer to Wh40K. What you just provided were two things that were already there.

So, again, please explain.

Well, considering that Dragoons were somewhat like Dreadnoughts lore-wise, but didn't look a thing like them.. and this has somewhat changed with the Immortals looking more similar to Dreadnoughts. That's how it has gotten closer to being like WH40k.

And the Marines from the original game never really reminded me of SM, but for some reason the one in the trailer struck me as more "Space Marine-like". Maybe it's just because I wasn't as versed in WH40k and familiar with IoM when I first played SC, but it seems to remind me more of 40k than the first did.

[Super Kal]

damn... they need a kickass Terran wallpaper...

[wellsy]

Lol, I suppose Xtro. But look at Infested Terrans. Remind you of any Chaos Space Marines :o.

And Zenein, nice work on the pic.

[Buford The Sly]

damn... they need a kickass Terran wallpaper...
Like this one ?
http://us.media.blizzard.com/starcraft2/images/wallpapers/wall1/wall1-800x600.jpg

[XtromaniaK]

http://www.blizzard.com/inblizz/fanart/images/screens/ss472.jpg

http://us.games-workshop.com/games/40k/spacemarines/background/astartes/spacewolves/images/spacewolves-640.jpg

How much you want to bet that Kerrigan would piss herself? :p

[Buford The Sly]

http://us.games-workshop.com/games/40k/spacemarines/background/astartes/spacewolves/images/spacewolves-640.jpg

How much you want to bet that Kerrigan would piss herself? :p

Do Zergs piss? :yay:

[Zenien]

I'd rather not think about what goes on in Kerrigans lower areas.

[XtromaniaK]

I have no idea. But I don't exactly want to think too hard on it.

[Super Kal]

Like this one ?
http://us.media.blizzard.com/starcraft2/images/wallpapers/wall1/wall1-800x600.jpg
hehe, wow... now they need that in 1024x768

[Zenien]

On the other hand, while tyranids where there first, they look a lot more zergish now than they did before starcraft.

Oh snap. :o

[Zenien]

New Footage! New Units!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30MBljXxg3M

IN HD http://files.filefront.com/StarCraftII_PCGAMER_HDwmv/;7782062;;/fileinfo.html


Here's a rundown of all the protoss units so far, I'm really not liking the sounds of the Soul Reavers, stuff like that is really hard to balance, well that mechanic in general annoys me in RTS games.

Originally posted in Blizzforums by Nazzul, the guy who uploaded the video on Youtube. The info in the post is from the magazine:

-------------------------------------------------
Hey guys I was asked to show everyone the info straight from the magazine so here are all the units mentioned in it.

Zealot: Zealots are the standard infantry unit of the Protoss from starcraft. Still equipped with a pair of glowing psionic blades for melee combat, the zealot will now charge the enemy to close distance with ranged units quicker than before.

Stalker: Stalkers are a new type of dark dragoon. Theyre fast moving and lightly armored with a powerful anti-air and anti-infantry weapon, but their secret weapon is there blink ability that will allow them to teleport anywhere in visual range in an instant.

Immortal: A new type of heavy dragoon, the Immortals will be equipped with a shield that activates only when hit by heavy weapons like Siege Tanks, making them excellent for assaulting heavily defended positions but weak against raiding parties with light weapons.

Observer: The invisible flying eyes of the Protoss are back. We can confirm they'll be in the game, but further details are shrouded in secrecy.

Colossus: True to its name, the Colossus is an enormous four-legged walker that rakes the ground with a heavy beam weapon. They will be extremely effective against small swarming units like Zerglings or Marines -their beams target one unit at a time, and instantly sweep to a new target when the first is destroyed. Using their long legs, they can step up and down ledges with ease.

Phoenix: When its standard fighter weapon won't do the job, the Phoenix will be able to activate its overload ability to damage all enemy air units nearby, which also disables the Phoenix itself for a few moments. If the overload doesnt demolish the enemy you'll be a sitting duck.

Phase Prism: .The new Phase Prism will act as both a troop transport and a mobile power pylon allowing you to restore functionality to a base when your pylons are destroyed by raiders or when you build away from your base. Combined with the warp-in tech,you'll be able to use them to create and army anywhere on the map.

Warp Ray: These flying weapons inflict additional damage the longer they fire on a single target as they bring as they bring more beams online, which will make them extremely powerful against large targets like Battle Cruisers and structures. Their focused fire makes them vulnerable against small anti-air units like Marines.

High Templar: The High Templar is back and he'll bring his powerful psionic storm area attack with him. But hes gotten a handy new power, he'll be able to create a force field to trap enemy units temporarily or create barriers. Blizzard testing has revealed some extremely effective bottlenecks tactics using him. The ability to say you cant go there anymore will be very powerful.

Dark Templar: Just like in the first game the Dark Templar is a stealth unit that wreaks havoc to any force foolish enough to leave home without a detector. Any new special abilities have yet to be revealed.

Twilight Archon: Blizzard hasn't exactly worked out what its doing with the Twilight Archon in terms of his powers. But the team promises that he will be just as powerful as he was in starcraft 1.

Tempest: The Tempest is a dark carrier with a disc fighter and a strong shield that activates when attacked from the ground. It will have no defense whatsoever against air units.

Soul Hunter: Soul Hunters are anti infantry units that float around on hover boards and suck the souls out of enemies. The more souls they consume the more powerful they get, going from firing one beam at a time to three. Theyll be effective against organic units but practically useless against robotic units like the Protoss own reaver.

Reaver: The armored slug like Reaver artillery is as nasty as ever. While we didnt see any upgrades abilities, we witnessed a new version of the old Reaver drop attack (putting one right in the middle of an enemy resource collectors and watching the fireworks) when combined with the Pase Prism.

Phase Cannon: This stationary base defense is no longer stationary. The Phase Cannon can now convert into energy form and relocate and redeploy as long as you stay in a pylon power range. But if the pylon is destroyed while the cannon is in energy form it'll go poof.

Star Relic: When it comes to casting spells the Star Relic makes the High Templar look like an armature. It'll be able to create a cloak field that will conceal even buildings, and fire a fusion beam that slowly damages a target until it dies -and when it dies itll explode and cause damage to everything around it. Remember the larger the target the bigger the boom.

Mothership: At the top of the tech tree you'll find the Mothership. It comes equipped with a time bomb field that stops incoming projectiles, matrix style, in mid air. When the field shuts off, all missiles will fall harmlessly to the ground. Like any good mothership, it'll be able to fire devastating Planet Cracker beam straight down to annihilate ground units below. Finally it will be able to generate a mini nlack hole to suck enemy air units into oblivion. Theres nothing quite like watching a fleet of enemies battlecruisers circle the drain!

[XtromaniaK]

Oh snap. :o

How does that even make sense, seeing as they were first and have biomechanical guns attached to their arms these days? :huh:

Oh yeah, and the 3rd Edition codexes (included first Tyranids codex) which include the Tyranids as largely their current forms, was in '98. And codexes are usually in the mill for a year or so before they're released.

[Zenien]

Have you looked at the Soul Hunter unit yet? :o

[XtromaniaK]

Have you looked at the Soul Hunter unit yet? :o

No, should've I? It's nice though that they're changing things up.

[Zenien]

Watch the footage already. :mad:

[XtromaniaK]

I'm too lazy. I'll watch it in a few minutes.

[Super Kal]

looks like they're really concentrating on the Protoss this time around...

[WhatsHisFace]

Never got into Starcraft. Give me Diablo 3!!!

[XtromaniaK]

Never got into Starcraft. Give me Diablo 3!!!

Indeed. Diablo 3 would be much more appreciated.

[Zenien]

You two are funny.

StarCraft > Diablo.

Years waiting on the sequel (Since the latest iterations expansion)
StarCraft franchise: 10
Diablo franchise: 7

**** you Diablo fans, I want my Starcraft 2 already.

[XtromaniaK]

You two are funny.

StarCraft > Diablo.

Years waiting on the sequel (Since the latest iterations expansion)
StarCraft franchise: 10
Diablo franchise: 7

**** you Diablo fans, I want my Starcraft 2 already.

Technically, it's been 9 years for SC. And Diablo is a classic.. a classic! Plus, I'm getting sick of all of the games coming out lately that end in "Craft". Why can't we just have one game that doesn't involve creating something. I WANT TO DESTROY! :cmad:

[wellsy]

Nuclear launch detected.

Anyways, that looking good. Oh, and Soul Hunters are a lot like Necrons to me.

And Xtro, quit with the trolling. If you've nothing to contribute except bile, just go away. And with the Space Marine vs Kerrigan... well, Kerrigan would snap her fingers, and the Marine would be eaten by all sorts of things...

And so they feasted on oranges, and apples, and breakfast cereals, and orangutuans, and-

*gets hauled baway because he won't shut up*

[XtromaniaK]

Nuclear launch detected.

Anyways, that looking good. Oh, and Soul Hunters are a lot like Necrons to me.

And Xtro, quit with the trolling. If you've nothing to contribute except bile, just go away. And with the Space Marine vs Kerrigan... well, Kerrigan would snap her fingers, and the Marine would be eaten by all sorts of things...



Now I'm Trolling? Oh god, why did I ever decide to have a different opinion than you? If only I had just accepted everything that was thrown in front of me blindly like you then I wouldn't have transformed in to this horrible beast, forever living on the fringes of popular opinion!? :csad:


:whatever:

[P.S. Considering that's Leman Russ, [Primarch], who could kill a Dragon-esque fire lizard with his bare hands before he even got the armour, implants, or high-tech weaponry... I seriously doubt it. But that doesn't even matter. It was a joke to begin with, and I'm pretty sure Zenien took it that way as well.]

[Zenien]

Units seems to be a bit more specialized on the protoss side, did anyone notice how weak the Tempest Unit seems, and it doesn't look like turrets can target the disc fighters, but rather automatically target the Tempest itself. That solves one of the issues people had with dealing with Carrier attacks I suppose.

Interesting that the Tempest has a shield that only works against ground based weaponry and it seems to be a good bit weaker then the Carriers use to be, along with looking like a Carrier that has been stripped of its hull plates. Fitting with the story of the Protoss for Starcraft 2, I bet they're pretty stretched for resources (and the Tempest seems to almost reflect that).

That's what happens when your home world gets infested I suppose.


Technically, it's been 9 years for SC. And Diablo is a classic.. a classic! Plus, I'm getting sick of all of the games coming out lately that end in "Craft". Why can't we just have one game that doesn't involve creating something. I WANT TO DESTROY! :cmad:

You create characters in Diablo. Your logic eats itself. :cwink:

[WhatsHisFace]

You two are funny.

StarCraft > Diablo.

Years waiting on the sequel (Since the latest iterations expansion)
StarCraft franchise: 10
Diablo franchise: 7

**** you Diablo fans, I want my Starcraft 2 already.
I'm sorry Zenien, but I can't let you say that. StarCraft, a rip-off of the WarHammer series, does not compare to the hack-and-slash bliss that Diablo provides. Besides, there are enough good strategy games out right now, with plenty more on the way. StarCraft 2 is a drop in the bucket. Good Action-RPGs however, have all but vanished for some reason. :csad:

[WhatsHisFace]

Technically, it's been 9 years for SC. And Diablo is a classic.. a classic! Plus, I'm getting sick of all of the games coming out lately that end in "Craft". Why can't we just have one game that doesn't involve creating something. I WANT TO DESTROY! :cmad:
Not to mention, if you take out "Craft" you just have "Star" and "War"... "Star Wars"... "Star Wars"... RRRRAAAAAUUUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!:cmad:

[Super Kal]

I'm sorry Zenien, but I can't let you say that. StarCraft, a rip-off of the WarHammer series, does not compare to the hack-and-slash bliss that Diablo provides. Besides, there are enough good strategy games out right now, with plenty more on the way. StarCraft 2 is a drop in the bucket. Good Action-RPGs however, have all but vanished for some reason. :csad:
who gives a f**k what it rips off... still doesn't change the fact that tis is gonna be an awesome game.

[XtromaniaK]

You create characters in Diablo. Your logic eats itself. :cwink:

Touche. :csad:



Not to mention, if you take out "Craft" you just have "Star" and "War"... "Star Wars"... "Star Wars"... RRRRAAAAAUUUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!


RRAAARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! !!!!!!!!!

[WhatsHisFace]

who gives a f**k what it rips off... still doesn't change the fact that tis is gonna be an awesome game.
Because then Zenien loses the right to say that StarCraft hasn't had an entry for longer than Diablo, because StarCraft is heavily influenced by WarHammer.

Diablo has it's own rip-offs, but they're not quality games.
RRAAARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! !!!!!!!!!
I can somehow always relate to you.

[XtromaniaK]

I can somehow always relate to you.

I know, you're like a me-whisperer. :csad: :wow:

[Zenien]

You're forgetting that most Warhammer games suck.

A sequel to the biggest RTS in history that is still the most played RTS in the world is not a drop in the bucket.

I still play Starcraft. It's the best all around RTS ever made, it's as close to perfect as I've seen in the genre, I just played a match yesterday and it is still amazing.

A DROP IN THE BUCKET? Methinks you don't know Starcraft. :dry:

Besides most of the people behind Diablo are making Hellgate London now anyway, and that's coming out soon, so quit yer *****ing woman.

[XtromaniaK]

Besides most of the people behind Diablo are making Hellgate London now anyway, and that's coming out soon, so quit yer *****ing woman.

Given your gender, that line disturbs me.

[WhatsHisFace]

You're forgetting that most Warhammer games suck.

A sequel to the biggest RTS in history that is still the most played RTS in the world is not a drop in the bucket.

I still play Starcraft. It's the best all around RTS ever made, it's as close to perfect as I've seen in the genre, I just played a match yesterday and it is still amazing.

A DROP IN THE BUCKET? Methinks you don't know Starcraft. :dry:

Besides most of the people behind Diablo are making Hellgate London now anyway, and that's coming out soon, so quit yer *****ing woman.
I hope you didn't just give me "Hellgate London" as a reason to not *****. You have to pay $10/month to play singleplayer, Zenien. Singlerplayer. Besides, it's high-tech, low-charm and doesn't show the promise of a Diablo game. It's like saying "The Goldeneye team is going to make TimeSplitters, so don't ***** (provided you know that TimeSplitters was garbage - judging by your respect for Killzone you might think TS is amazing).

But I know StarCraft. I also know Command and Conquer, and I'd much rather play one of those than StarCraft. Speaking of which, C&C3 just came out, that ought to have your 3D-RTS itch scratched for a while. But where's my Diablo scratch? Hmmm? Ever think about anyone other than yourself? WHERE'S MY DIABLO SCRATCH?

[Zenien]

C&C3 is no StarCraft/Broodwars. That's a fact. Saying you'd rather play C&C only injures the validity of your argument.

There's only one Starcraft the rest try to do their own thing. The only game that approaches the balance and narrative and SC style gameplayof SC is Rise of Legends which came out a while ago, but it's no replacement.

There's Hellgate London from the people primarily responsible for Diablo, and Too Human which is built around the same philosophy as Diablo and Diablo is going to be the next game Blizzard announces anyway as has been pretty much confirmed at this point.

So even when the Action RPG genre is getting much more prominent releases coming up excluding the probably Diablo 3, were we to say there's no replacement for either Starcraft or Diablo, it has still been a long wait for StarCraft then a sequel to Diablo.

[XtromaniaK]

C&C3 is no StarCraft/Broodwars. That's a fact. Saying you'd rather play C&C only injures the validity of your argument.

There's only one Starcraft the rest try to do their own thing. The only game that approaches the balance and narrative of C is Rise of Legends which came out a while ago, but it's no replacement for the real thing. There's Hellgate London from the people primarily responsible for Diablo, and Too Human which is built around the same philosophy as Diablo and Diablo is going to be the next game Blizzard announces anyway.

So even when the Action RPG genre is getting much more prominent releases coming up excluding the probably Diablo 3, were we to say there's no replacement for either Starcraft or Diablo, it ahs still been a long wait for StarCraft then a sequel to Diablo.

What about WoS? WORLD OF STARCRAFT?! :wow:

Then we'll all have to wait another 8 years for a new Diablo game. EIGHT YEARS! :csad: /faint

[Zenien]

WoS will be a console MMO. :p

Diablo 3 is in the works/being worked on right now.

[WhatsHisFace]

It better be. I tried playing Diablo 2 again, but it's so... well, I still remember EXACTLY what you have to do, every quest of the game. It's impossible to go back to, after all the times I've played it. I just level grind with my friends occasionally, but I can't be arsed more than once a week.

[Super Kal]

Because then Zenien loses the right to say that StarCraft hasn't had an entry for longer than Diablo, because StarCraft is heavily influenced by WarHammer.
like I said before, who gives a rat's ass? I certainly don't.

I couldn't care any less about which game came first or which game ripped off what... that's not what it's about.

[WhatsHisFace]

You're right. This is about Diablo being better than StarCraft, reasons aside.

That being said, Diablo or bust, Blizzard.

[Spade]

I just found out about this today. This is like being a kid over at a candy store- it really is a lot to take in in just a few hours. Blizzard fufilled a huge personal wish for me. I didn't care whether Diablo 3 or SC2 got made first, though as a sci-fi/ fantasy buff who found himself immersed in the good plot and strategy gaming Starcraft offered I found myself favoring the latter's appearance. Seriously, I can't stress this enough- this is what I wanted the sequel to look like. I'm intrigued by the Kerrigan screen with her in a human state, really intrigued by the Protoss units and how they've handled near-annihilation during their exodus, and...the Xel'Naga?! Talk about a dream come true. After Brood War's hidden level ending I'm going to be glued into how they play into all of this- the game-ending baddies, or actual controllable units?

I'm going to bed tonight a very, very satisfied SC fan. After all this time, Blizzard came through in stride. Their trailer hits it right on the head- it's about freakin' time.

[Super Kal]

You're right. This is about Diablo being better than StarCraft, reasons aside.

That being said, Diablo or bust, Blizzard.
well, you have a right to that opinion, even though I disagree with it.

[XtromaniaK]

I just found out about this today. This is like being a kid over at a candy store- it really is a lot to take in in just a few hours. Blizzard fufilled a huge personal wish for me. I didn't care whether Diablo 3 or SC2 got made first, though as a sci-fi/ fantasy buff who found himself immersed in the good plot and strategy gaming Starcraft offered I found myself favoring the latter's appearance. Seriously, I can't stress this enough- this is what I wanted the sequel to look like. I'm intrigued by the Kerrigan screen with her in a human state, really intrigued by the Protoss units and how they've handled near-annihilation during their exodus, and...the Xel'Naga?! Talk about a dream come true. After Brood War's hidden level ending I'm going to be glued into how they play into all of this- the game-ending baddies, or actual controllable units?

I'm going to bed tonight a very, very satisfied SC fan. After all this time, Blizzard came through in stride. Their trailer hits it right on the head- it's about freakin' time.

I have to disagree with you on that one. On the grounds that it looks less dark and menacing as SC and more cartoon-ish and bright. Most of the colors look over-saturated and it not only bothers my eyes, but reminds me of WoW which does NOT make me a happy camper.

It's cool that they're making a new SC, but at least don't kiddify the visuals too just so they can get a little more customers. It annoys me. :o

[Super Kal]

you do realize that this is just a beta... right?

[Zenien]

The Seige Tank looks like a robber toy when it's firing in seige mode. :(

But yeah it's beta. I hope the Zerglings drop the weird bug wings. :p

[wellsy]

Remember, SC2 is still in a relatively early phase of development. I think its about in the early stages of the in-house beta testing, or the late stages of alpha.

Oh, and as a point of future reference, despite Starcraft having taken plenty of cues from 40K, can we leave the Games Workshop IPs out of this discussion as much as possible. I get enough of it on Warhammer Alliance against Warcraft and WoW (although there, it is a bit understandable, given how poor I've heard the end game to be in WoW).

[WhatsHisFace]

you do realize that this is just a beta... right?
Art direction is finalized before a game goes alpha.

[Super Kal]

no duh... but that doesn't mean it's gonna stay the same.

[XtromaniaK]

Remember, SC2 is still in a relatively early phase of development. I think its about in the early stages of the in-house beta testing, or the late stages of alpha.

Oh, and as a point of future reference, despite Starcraft having taken plenty of cues from 40K, can we leave the Games Workshop IPs out of this discussion as much as possible. I get enough of it on Warhammer Alliance against Warcraft and WoW (although there, it is a bit understandable, given how poor I've heard the end game to be in WoW).

You browse WHA as well? Who you be? :huh:

[Spade]

I like the bug wings on the Zerglings. Call me odd, but I just feel it adds a bit more versatility to the design. Plus, you figure 4 years is a long time for the Zerg to assimilate more critters into their Broods. I just hope they're vestigal. I'm too used to the Zerglings as strictly one-terrain forces to change up things.

[Super Kal]

i really don't care either way what they put on the zerglings, as long as they make it fun and a great replay...

[Zenien]

I like the bug wings on the Zerglings. Call me odd, but I just feel it adds a bit more versatility to the design. Plus, you figure 4 years is a long time for the Zerg to assimilate more critters into their Broods. I just hope they're vestigal. I'm too used to the Zerglings as strictly one-terrain forces to change up things.


I'm not sure how they could justify adding wings to the zerglings unless it allowed them to fly (that's a terrible thought :() :p

[WhatsHisFace]

no duh... but that doesn't mean it's gonna stay the same.

I actually can't believe you just said that... :woot:

[Zenien]

The original underwent artistic changes after Alpha. Don't see why this one wouldn't. Like they said, nothing in korea that people were seeing was final. Granted even with that implication I doubt we'll see more than tweaks to the visuals, but redesigning units is plausible for sure. It's alpha.

[Zenien]

Let's take a look at the development of Starcraft 1.

Early Alpha:

As development was beginning on Diablo in 1995, the people at Blizzard Irvine were brainstorming their next game, a project that would attempt the daunting task of surpassing Warcraft II. Bob Fitch, an instrumental programmer of nearly every Blizzard game since Rock 'n Roll Racing, had originally been assigned to work on a game called Shattered Nations, a post-apocalyptic strategy game of warring earth-bound nations, while Warcraft II was still under development. He was later pulled off of Shattered Nations to code Warcraft II's AI, and by the time Warcraft II shipped, Shattered Nations had been cancelled. A new game would be developed instead...a project that would "take Warcraft II and turn it into a space game."

The game would feature three totally different races, as opposed to the similar twin races of Warcraft II. Using the Warcraft II code as a base, Bob assembled a primitive build of StarCraft for E3 1996. Here are some screenshots of the first version of StarCraft ever shown to the public, the Early Alpha Version of 1996:

http://www.sclegacy.com/features/evolution/earlyalpha1.jpg

The Zerg in the Early Alpha were known as the Nightmarish Invaders. Later the Nightmarish Invaders were renamed to the Zurg and even later to the familiar Zerg to avoid legal issues of the Zurg sounding too much like the villain of Disney's Toy Story.

The first image shows us several early Zerg units. The first unit is the Larva, followed by the Drone. The bottom two units on the left side are easily recognized as a Scourge and Mutalisk. The second unit on the right is an Overlord, although it looks a lot like a Guardian at this point. Under that is a Carrier with an Interceptor. In the second screenshot, we see that the Overlord actually has an acid-like attack. In the third image, we see an unevolved Hatchery and a Spire above and to the right. You can spot three Overlords floating around, as well as two of those unidentified units that are in several Early Alpha screenshots. The interface is very Warcraft-like. In the fourth image, we observe that peons were originally flying units that mined minerals from floating asteroids. We also get a glimpse of the first Protoss land unit, perhaps an early build of the Zealot.

http://www.sclegacy.com/features/evolution/earlyalpha5.jpg

you get the picture. When the game went beta the art style still wasn't final. Just saying art direction is decided on before alpha (whihc is incorrect) only means art direction, it doesn't mean anythign is set in stone.

Some beta screenshots, take a look at the Goliaths.

http://www.sclegacy.com/features/evolution/alpha5.jpg

[Zenien]

ZHere's a shot from the beta

notice the differences in terran structures

http://www.sclegacy.com/features/evolution/beta23.jpg

or the Zerg Spire

http://www.sclegacy.com/features/evolution/beta17.jpg

To read all about the development of the original Starcraft click here

http://www.sclegacy.com/

[wellsy]

wellsy. Its my forum name of choice (in my family, we've got WeLLzY (my brother), wellsy (me), wellsey, wellzey and wellsie (cousins)... confused yet? :wow: )

And, though you might not like the graphics, in terms of importance, they are subordinate to the plot and the gameplay's balance.

[WhatsHisFace]

Art assets can change, and of course, they do. But Extro's right. It looks cartoony and the final game WILL have that cartoony look. This game's been in the making a long time, it's unlikely they'll say "Hey artists, remake everything to look real".

That would be a financial disaster.

[Super Kal]

Art assets can change, and of course, they do. But Extro's right. It looks cartoony and the final game WILL have that cartoony look. This game's been in the making a long time, it's unlikely they'll say "Hey artists, remake everything to look real".

That would be a financial disaster.
come on, WhatsHisFace, say it with me...

"I can't foresee the future."

There, I bet you feel better now.,

[Zenien]

Though you can't say that the art direction between from Alpha to Beta is remotely the same. I don't think people want it to look real, just a little less round (Omg chibi bunkers wtf?) that sort of thing can be addressed without redoing everything.

For some reason I thought you were saying the Zerg would definitely have those wing things. I mustn't have been paying attention.

Ughhhhhh wanting this game so badly makes me want to play Brood Wars like every other day.

[WhatsHisFace]

come on, WhatsHisFace, say it with me...

"I can't foresee the future."

There, I bet you feel better now.,
I know game history about as well as anyone, and StarCraft 2 will look like that upon release. Quote me on it if you want to hold me to it.

[Super Kal]

let's just wait and see

[Zenien]

I know game history about as well as anyone, and StarCraft 2 will look like that upon release. Quote me on it if you want to hold me to it.

I don't think anyone is saying that they're going to tweak the entire art style or that it won't look like that come the final release. But just look at how some buildings changed even after enterign Beta, at the visual direction for StarCraft when it went Alpha has almost nothing in common with what it ended up looking like. I mean it's pretty clear for Starcraft taht the visual direction wasn't finalized before entering Alpha and taht sort of thing isn't set in stone.

'Like that' is so purposefully vague. :dry:

[WhatsHisFace]

I don't think anyone is saying that they're going to tweak the entire art style or that it won't look like that come the final release. But just look at how some buildings changed even after enterign Beta, at the visual direction for StarCraft when it went Alpha has almost nothing in common with what it ended up looking like. I mean it's pretty clear for Starcraft taht the visual direction wasn't finalized before entering Alpha and taht sort of thing isn't set in stone.

'Like that' is so purposefully vague. :dry:

Game development was different back for StarCraft 1 than it is for StarCraft 2. They've known what they want the final game to look like since Pre-Production. Don't expect large changes, if any.

[TLATOANI]

gogogo star craft 2!!!!!

finally!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i love blizzard

[TLATOANI]

GUYS.. I DOWNLOAD THE EXTRA CAMPAIGNS OF STAR CRAFT

from this link http://evilside.diablo2latino.com/scofimap.htm

do you think that page is safe? i am playing the campaings right now but i just wanted to ask you that because i not very good whit the computer and i don't know if maybe i download a virus too

can you help me?

[wellsy]

I would generally doubt it. If you have anti-virus software, scan the files and folders, and it'll tell you.

And those look like fan campaigns to me.

I think its only right to point out - Collosus, Stargate and Pheonix have been added to the website.

[FaT_tONle]

Extra campaigns??? Whats the story on them?

[TLATOANI]

The history is on that website http://evilside.diablo2latino.com/scofimap.htm

there you can find it some of those even have the original voices in english

[wellsy]

And for those of us who don't speak Spanish?

[XtromaniaK]

Well, you're screwed then. :oldrazz:

[TLATOANI]

they have voices in english but some missions have not voices and spanish ....text???

[JinnSato]

OMG!!!!!!!!! I CAN"T WAIT FOR THIS GAME!!!!! -.l

[XtromaniaK]

Yes you can. You're waiting right now.

[JinnSato]

You think that but the only way I'm able to wait is every hour it's not here I punch a baby in the face.

[wellsy]

*Gets punched by JinnSate*

Ouch.

Now I have to wait with a bruised jaw...

*Walks away and gets his pet Battlecruiser*

[JinnSato]

*Gets punched by JinnSate*

Ouch.

Now I have to wait with a bruised jaw...

*Walks away and gets his pet Battlecruiser*


A battle cruiser huh? Well how 'bout this!!

::Throws smoke grenade on the ground and is ingulfed by the fumes. Second later the wind picks up up bowing away the smoke. I'm still standing their. Looking like an idiot.::

:ninja: Crap!

::Runs away into the night.::

[wellsy]

A battle cruiser huh? Well how 'bout this!!

::Throws smoke grenade on the ground and is ingulfed by the fumes. Second later the wind picks up up bowing away the smoke. I'm still standing their. Looking like an idiot.::

:ninja: Crap!

::Runs away into the night.::
:woot:

Excuse me while I make a fool of myself...

*Runs around on the floor going "whoopwhoopwhopwhopwhopwhopwhop" repeatedly*

[Zenien]

http://www.sc2blog.com

keep scrolling down!

[wellsy]

http://www.sc2blog.com

keep scrolling down!

Nice find.

[FaT_tONle]

http://www.sc2blog.com

keep scrolling down!

this game is looking a bit too fantastical for my taste... way too many new unnecessary units....

[Zenien]

I don't know how unnecessary they're going to be, I mean we haven't seen the game in action yet for how it's balanced.

The Valkery Walker thing seems off though, I hope they cut that and putt he Goliath back in tbh.

command Centers being able to have a point defense, as well as store up to four units is awesome.

[Addendum]

http://www.sc2blog.com

keep scrolling down!


Hooray for non-working links

Unable to connect

Firefox can't establish a connection to the server at www.sc2blog.com.

* The site could be temporarily unavailable or too busy. Try again in a few moments.

* If you are unable to load any pages, check your computer's network connection.

* If your computer or network is protected by a firewall or proxy, make sure that Firefox is permitted to access the Web.

[wellsy]

this game is looking a bit too fantastical for my taste... way too many new unnecessary units....
Well, they did say that they were going to cut down the number of units, based on the "coolness test" - ie is it cool, is it fun to play, and is it iconic?

Those three questions define what will and won't be in the game. So I'd say the numbers will thin a fair bit.

Not to mention that some units from the old game are being rebranded too.

[FaT_tONle]

I don't know how unnecessary they're going to be, I mean we haven't seen the game in action yet for how it's balanced.

The Valkery Walker thing seems off though, I hope they cut that and putt he Goliath back in tbh.

command Centers being able to have a point defense, as well as store up to four units is awesome.

The goliath is the most versatile terran unit by far... now I bet you are gonna have to research the flying mode like siege mode... that's not cool...

[Super Kal]

Hooray for non-working links
works just fine for me...

[Zenien]

Blizzcon happens we get a ton of new footage and not a single post. What a travesty.

Official Site: http://www.starcraft2.com
*Star relic is now a ground unit
*Tempest is gone now and Carriers are back with interceptors
-Mothership's abilities are nerfed (Blackhole has been altered)

I just came back from the show. I scanned the thread and didn't see any write-ups from the StarCraft II demonstration so I guess I'll fill you guys in on what I remember. The demonstration began with Dustin Browder (Lead Designer) showing off a new pre-recorded demonstration of the Terran faction. Pardon the poor paragraph/sentence structure ahead since I'm just trying to write down everything I can remember.

Terran Faction Demonstration:

Among the new abilities demonstrated were the sniping and call-down abilities of the Ghosts. As the name implies, sniping is used to take out infantry units in a single shot. The call-down ability functions like the nuclear strike ability, but instead of a nuke falling out of the sky, a capsule lands in the area the Ghost has targeted and 6 or so marines jump out.

The Battlecruiser's new photon missile ability was another highlight. Two Battlecruisers targeted a large cluster of marines and let off a volley of missiles that completely wiped them out. It wasn't exactly clear if you could only have one or the other, but it seems like you choose to have a Battlecruiser specialize in this ability or the classic Yamato cannon ability from the original game.

The next unit demonstrated was the new Thor unit. The build order for the Thor unit is actually under the SCV's advanced buildings menu as opposed to be built in a standard building. Once complete, the building transforms into the unit. The video then showed off the unit's artillery strike ability. You simply target a building and the unit will launch a prolonged artillery strike against it. When it was demonstrated in the video, the game appeared to switch over to an in-game cutscene where the camera was zoomed in and positioned directly behind the Thor unit along with a heavy DOF effect on everything everything in the background. In this case, it targeted and completely destroyed a command center. Browder later mentioned that some of the unit abilities in the video were exaggerated for effect. When I used that ability against a Protoss Nexus, there was no cutscene and I only succeeded in completely depleting its shield. I don't think I actually did any damage to the building.

The video then demonstrated how a Thor's slow turning speed can be taken advantage of by the new Cobra unit. Functioning like the old Vulture units, a handful of Cobras circled the Thor while firing at it. Since the Thor has so much difficulty turning, it was barely able to keep up with the Cobras which pecked away at its health.



Campaign Demonstration:

Once Browder finished showing off the Terran faction, Rob Pardo took over and showed off the first glimpse of the campaign mode. He started off by giving a history of what Blizzard had tried to accomplish in the campaign modes from the previous games. With SCII, they want to build off of SCI's briefing room and WCIII's map that gave the player a rough idea of the layout of the world.

The scene opened with the camera focused on a planet (I think it was Mar Sara). It then zooms backwards and reveals the hull of a battlecruiser (the Hyperion). It continues to zoom further back until the camera stops in the main briefing room where we see three characters: James Raynor, Tychus Findlay (the marine from the announcement trailer), and Raynor's second-in-command (I forgot his name). Pardo then reveals that the Terran campaign focuses on Raynor's story. He says that the past four years have been tough on Raynor and he's become a bit of a booze hound. It appears that Raynor is trying to create a rag-tag group of followers to help him accomplish his goals.

I should probably mention at this point that this is all done using the in-game engine. The visuals look surprisingly sharp. Of course it should be noted that the models used in the scene are made up of a lot more polygons than the ones used during gameplay. Pardo then clicks on Raynor's second-in-command and a list of prompts appear. You can choose what Raynor asks each character as well as his responses to questions when asked by other characters. Pardo clicks on Findlay which initiates a similar series of exchanges. There are a number of computer displays in the background which he mentions can be used to access different options.

The interface is very reminiscent of classic point-and-click adventure games. Pardo clicks on a set of stairs and Raynor follows them down into the engineering bay where he bumps into a disgruntled subordinate who mutters something as he passes by. Raynor speaks with his ship's engineering expert who tells him that the men are growing restless and might mutiny soon if they aren't paid. It's then revealed that you must "buy" new units and upgrades. That is if you wish to build the new Viking units, you must buy the ability to build them beforehand. Pardo goes ahead and buys the Viking unit and then returns back to the bridge/briefing room. He then clicks on the map in the center which shows off a handful of planets. By clicking on one, the camera zooms in and narrates some history and lore regarding that particular planet. Pardo then reveals a new aspect of the campaign mode. You can choose the order of the missions you take. He then zooms out and chooses another planet and decides to accept a mission there.

In this mission, the players job is to retrieve a Xel' Naga artifact guarded by Protoss. Pardo completely bypasses the main Protoss base in the middle by taking a group of Vikings around the side of it and then transforming them into their walker form. He then sends them after the artifact which is guarded by some Colossus and Zealots. Pardo gets completely walloped and is forced to cheat by calling up console and entering in "cheat" to instantly summon two Thors and three Battlecruisers. Pardo enters the cheat again and summons another group of Thors and Battlecruisers. After retrieving the artifact, the mission ends and the game returns to the bridge. Raynor's second-in-command jokes that the mission was surprisingly easy.

Pardo then sends Raynor into the ship's cantina in search of Findlay who is no longer in the bridge. A cutscene is triggered as Raynor walks through the hallway towards the cantina. He pulls out a flask and takes a sip. The camera moves around ominously to suggest that Raynor's not alone in the hallway. Raynor, with his hand on his holster, spins around to find Zeratul who appears to be wounded. Zeratul tells him that the Xel' Naga have returned and that they must find the other artifacts or else the Xel' Naga will bring about the "end to everything." The demonstration ends and then they open up the floor to questions. I won't waste your time with them since most of the questions were pretty useless (i.e. Can I make an FPS with the included map maker?)

If you have any questions, ask ahead. I played four rounds. Two as Protoss and two as Terran. If I can't remember the answers now, I'll try to find them out tomorrow.


http://mysite.verizon.net/res0abrn/bridge.jpg

TEN MINUTE TERRAN DEMONSTRATION

http://www.gamespot.com/events/blizzcon07/videos.html?tag=event_nav;videos

[wellsy]

I watched it, and saw that it was good.

I'm looking forward to this game.

[FaT_tONle]

This is looking pretty sick...

[Super Kal]

awesome looking :up:

[Venom Jr.]

They are now starting to show terran units at: starcraft2.com

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

Cinematic from Blizzcon

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/41396.html#comments_top

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

The game will be split in three


During the StarCraft 2 gameplay panel at BlizzCon, Blizzard posed a question to the audience: Should they sacrifice an epic story or truly create something spectacular? They're choosing the latter. Today they announced that they will be creating a single-player trilogy for StarCraft 2 where each race will have a stand-alone game. The first will be Terran: Wings of Liberty, where players take on the role of Jim Raynor in a non-linear game. The second is Zerg: Heart of the Swarm, and the last will be Protoss: Legacy of the Void.

Blizzard is promising that each game will have 26-30 missions, and each campaign will feel like its own epic story. They are also promising that they won't leave StarCraft lovers with cliffhangers. Each game will be a full product with a satisfying ending. We'll be hitting up Blizzard for more info as BlizzCon continues, so stay tuned.

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3170574

[Joker]

How is multiplayer going to work? Can you only have Terran vs Terran matches and such? WTF?

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

Be surprised if it impedes on the multiplayer.
Sounds kinda like what Alien VS Predator 2 done couple of years back.

[Buford The Sly]

How is multiplayer going to work? Can you only have Terran vs Terran matches and such? WTF?

This article kind of explains how it will work.
http://pc.ign.com/articles/918/918895p1.html
Each game has the multiplayer capabilities and you can play all three races. Also each game will act as an expansion to the multiplayer.
What I'm wondering is that they keep saying that are doing this to have more player customization (such as what technology and things that you want to develope) so can you "carry" your single player mission based profile into multiplayer games (sort of like Diablo 2)? Sounds kind of interesting.
But from what it sounds like is that battle.net multiplayer will work just like the orginal Starcraft for each release of the "trilolgy"
So instead of one game you can buy three! (the blizzard way)

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

Blizzard: We're Not Milking You On Starcraft 2, Honest (http://kotaku.com/5084928/blizzard-were-not-milking-you-on-starcraft-2-honest)



"The fact of the matter is, it's absolutely, positively untrue about us trying to stretch it out and milk it. People think that it was a monetary driven decision. I can absolutely, positively tell you, with 100 per cent certainty, that that was not part of the conversation. I guarantee it. I give my word. There was never, ever a conversation where we said, 'let's do this because we're going to make more money'. I guarantee it. As a matter of fact the sole reason we did it was because we thought it was going to be a better experience. Anybody that says otherwise is not correct. It is absolutely not what we did it for."

http://kotaku.com/5084928/blizzard-were-not-milking-you-on-starcraft-2-honest

[Arthas]

Blizzard FTW!!!:bow::bow::bow::bow::bow:

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

Blizzard Launches Battle.net 2.0 (Sort of) (http://www.starcraft2forum.org/index.php?categoryid=9&p2_articleid=144)

"Blizzard released their Battle.net 2.0 system today, albeit what only seems like a portion of it. The new system offers a unified account for all Blizzard-related games and activities. World of Warcraft players have the option of upgrading their accounts, and everyone else can register a new one. You'll also be able to tie in any other Blizzard accounts. During the registration users are also offered the opportunity to opt-in for future Blizzard betas, including StarCraft 2."

[Aurume]

Any news about release date of Starcraft 2? Official release date I mean.

[Paroxysm]

StarCraft 2 beta begins this month, game coming mid-2010
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2010/02/starcraft-2-beta-begins-this-month-game-coming-mid-2010.ars
It was clear that readers showing up for our live blog of the Activision Blizzard earnings call were interested in one thing: when the closed beta for StarCraft 2 was set to begin. It took a while to get there, but we were provided a solid answer. The beta will begin before the end of the month, with the game itself set for release in the middle of 2010.

Amidst all the electronic cheers, a few details on the updated Battle.net were also announced to compliment the tour given to gamers via the official site. Battle.net will be the place to play and experience all Blizzard games, giving gamers the ability to speak to each other across both World of WarCraft realms and even other games. If you're playing StarCraft 2 and your friends are in the middle of a raid, you'll be able to speak to each other. It will also be the place to buy games and add-on content for Blizzard releases; Activision has made clear its lust for higher digital profits.

"Thousands" of players will be given access to the beta, across North America, Australia, Taiwan, Europe, New Zealand, and Korea. The beta will be used to generate buzz for the game's release, and of course to test all the new features of the updated Battle.net.

YES!!!!

[TLATOANI]

i'VE BEEN READING THE "NOVELS" THEY PUBLISH AND THEY'RE AWESOMEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I wish they could make videos for them or at leats audiofiles or something like that :D

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

http://kotaku.com/5512524/starcraft-ii-special-edition-launching-for-100

http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/9/2010/04/500x_starcraftcollectors.jpg

Overpriced tat that doesn't even include rape-goggles.
The default game is $60 which is apparently (like Modern Warfare 2) $10 more than the average pc game.

[Soapy]

Activision Blizzard.

[Solidus]

Well I'll pay for it.

StarCraft, Half-Life and Metal Gear Solid are my favorite games of all times.

So SC2 I will fork over the money...I hate Bobby but I will.

I'll be getting a new comp just for this game lol.

I still have my original StarCraft copy/box. Back in the day when the box's actually said rated "M" for Mature.

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

http://kotaku.com/5530114/starcraft-ii-wings-its-way-to-liberty-this-july

[Superboy-Prime]

what specs are needed to run?

[PemLam]

what specs are needed to run?

From Blizzard's site:
PC Requirements

PC Minimum System Requirements*:

Windows® XP/Windows Vista®/Windows® 7 (Updated with the latest Service Packs) with DirectX® 9.0c
2.6 GHz Pentium® IV or equivalent AMD Athlon® processor
128 MB PCIe NVIDIA® GeForce® 6600 GT or ATI Radeon® 9800 PRO video card or better
12 GB available HD space
1 GB RAM (1.5 GB required for Windows Vista®/Windows® 7 users)
DVD-ROM drive
Broadband Internet connection
1024X720 minimum display resolution
PC Recommended System Requirements:

Windows Vista®/Windows® 7
Dual Core 2.4Ghz Processor
2 GB RAM
512 MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8800 GTX or ATI Radeon® HD 3870 or better
*Note: Due to potential programming changes, the Minimum System Requirements for this game may change over time.
Mac Requirements

Mac Minimum System Requirements:

Mac® OS X 10.5.8, 10.6.2 or newer
Intel® Processor
NVIDIA® GeForce® 8600M GT or ATI Radeon® X1600 or better
12 GB available HD space
2 GB Ram
DVD-ROM drive
Broadband Internet connection
1024X720 minimum display resolution
Mac Recommended System Requirements:

Intel® Core 2 Duo processor
4 GB system RAM
NVIDIA® GeForce® 9600M GT or ATI Radeon® HD 4670 or better

[Venom Jr.]

I have been playing the Beta for about the last 3 months or so, but it ends in 2 weeks. Also the total re-set on Friday was lame. This new patch makes Battle.net lag like a beast.

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

http://kotaku.com/5549991/in-south-korea-soap-operas-love-is-like

[Soapy]

Oh, South Korea. :awesome:

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

Cost $100 million to develop.

http://uk.gamespot.com/news/6269369.html

[Union Jack]

Hmm..doesnt look much fun to me..ill stick with mass effect 2.

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

:huh:

[Joker]

I got into the last weekend of the beta. I've actually won two matches, which surprised me cause I sucked ass at the first SC multiplayer. My strategy so far has been to turtle, have at least two bases going behind my lines, and tech up to an army of fully upgraded thors right away. Then I get a platoon of marines to scout and soften any defenses before getting wiped out, then send in the big guns.

I can't wait to try the campaign on the 27th.

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

http://kotaku.com/5593086/kerrigan-returns-to-finish-the-job-in-starcraft-ii-ghosts-of-the-past

[Upset Spideyfan]

Papa want.

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

http://www.inquisitr.com/80052/no-starcraft-ii-reviews-until-after-game-is-released/

[Upset Spideyfan]

My only real issue is I wish more of the original voice actors had come back.

[NickNitro]

Do we know if Zerg and Protoss campaign games will be $60 as well? And if so do we know their release dates? If you do not purchase the Zerg and Protoss games do you lose "added" features say in multiplayer?

Havent heard any news on these questions I have...was JW

[bored]

We should organize a big game on BNet sometime before the sequel comes out.

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

http://kotaku.com/5596296/starcraft-ii-singleplayer-the-idiots-guide-by-blizzard
(http://uk.pc.ign.com/dor/objects/850126/starcraft-2/videos/starcraftin5_spc_072310b.html)

[Spade]

Saw the Youku vids of the campaign cinematics. Very disappointed. It feels like they gutted the depth of the first game and Brood War so they could make more spinoffs.

I guess if you're into multiplayer, there's that. There's footage from opening day at Moscow that proves how big the demand for this is worldwide, so no worries on that end for Activision Blizzard, I guess.

[Saint]

Do we know if Zerg and Protoss campaign games will be $60 as well? And if so do we know their release dates?
Last I heard they were going to be priced as expansions, which suggests less than the usual $60. Apparently they're going to be released a year apart, or something like that.

If you do not purchase the Zerg and Protoss games do you lose "added" features say in multiplayer?
No, the game contains the full multiplayer with all three races.

Saw the Youku vids of the campaign cinematics. Very disappointed. It feels like they gutted the depth of the first game and Brood War so they could make more spinoffs.
I'm not sure how watching clips of the cinematics tells you that they've "gutted the depth," especially in light of the fact that the Terran campaign is thirty missions--the same length as all three campaigns from the original game, combined. That suggests to me they intend to explore each species with far greater depth than the original. And really, the plan to release the Zerg and Protoss campaigns separately probably has as much to do with getting the game out in a timely fashion as it has to do with money grabbing.

Sure, we'd all rather have all three campaigns for one price, but it is what it is. I'd rather have the Terran campaign today than wait till 2012 for all three, you know?

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

This game has a pretty cool game case, basically like World Of Warcraft box with opening flap at front.
Comes with World Of Warcraft 10 day guess pass and two Stacraft II guest pass, if anyone wants one just ask.

[Solidus]

Just got my collectors edition.

Yea I'm letting my cousin use my two passes to see if he wants it.

I've only waited 12 years and a few months for this, and finally I am installing the sequel to one of my all time favorites.

[Groovetopia]

Picked up my copy last night, and I'm loving it! It is a little laggy on my mac but its still awesome to have after waiting all this time.

Anybody interested in getting a game going on Battle.net?

[FaT_tONle]

YO... I NEED HELP ASAP. I bought the thing. Download went to 100% and finished, then I try to launch the game... it says I need a patch, "Would you like to download it"... and the patch does not start downloading. It just keeps repeating the question. I didn't have Beta or anything... I just ordered it and installed it today. I couldn't find any links for a latest patch. Game came out today, why the hell would you need a new patch to play anyway???

[Solidus]

I bought the collector's edition and had to download a patch as well but it worked for me. I will ask my friend who DL'ed it like you see if he figured it out.

But my impressions of this game is amazing. It feels like SC which is good. But there is enough new things and improvements that make this game just awesome. I love it. I've been playing for 7 hours straight and just can't stop. Just like the original time flies and I'm having too much fun.

Story is good, I love the Voice Acting and music, took me a while to get use to it but its awesome. And just all the stuff with Mensk is awesome, truly SC2 is a wonderful game. I'll be addicted for years to come I figure.

[FaT_tONle]

Stop making me jealous and find that friend...

[Solidus]

http://us.blizzard.com/support/index.xml?locale=en_US&gameId=13&rootCategoryId=3617

Hopefully he will get a hold of me but I looked up this for you, it may prove useful. There are many links.

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

Very cinematic.

[Solidus]

So it shows nothing when the updater comes up Tonie?

[Solidus]

http://us.blizzard.com/support/article.xml?locale=en_US&articleId=26251&parentCategoryId&pageNumber=1&categoryId=3635

A little more info on it I found if it's not downloading.

[FaT_tONle]

It's WORKING!!! TIME TO OWN U SONS OF B****ES :woot:!!!!

[Solidus]

:up: Glad ya got it.

[NickNitro]

So I like most of you loved SC1. Bought it when I was about 12....and I have to say...the wait was worth it for me.

For other commentors saying "its like SC1 in one sense but in another its a completely different game" this is a perfect way to describe it. Its like SC1 in the learning curve is just learning all the new tech and soldiers for each race :)

Animations in game are soo awesome. I love everything about it even when the Terran Marines fire their rifles the mussle flashes light them up from the front. Its little things like that that go such a long way visually.

This is a great strategy game and Im so happy I pre ordered it.

Edit: Fat Tonie glad ya got it too! Now go tear up some campaign and meet us on the battlefield!

[Upset Spideyfan]

****ing Marjolaine!

(for my fellow Dragon Age Origins players).

[FaT_tONle]

Sigh... my slow ass comp can't even handle single player unless you want to wait more than SHH lag on its worst days... ordered a bigger memory card though. Have to say, the graphics are a bit meh. The way units die is still pretty unrealistic. Maybe it is just my ****ty graphic card, but I did expect massive improvements visually. I'll reserve judgment until I get a better feel. Just not feeling it at the moment. Still got two more expansions so who knows?

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

Maybe it is just my ****ty graphic card, but I did expect massive improvements visually. I'll reserve judgment until I get a better feel. Just not feeling it at the moment. Still got two more expansions so who knows?

The adventure element of single player runs in-engine.

http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/7518/sc22010072716564857.jpg
http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/933/sc22010072716513842.jpg
http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/1364/sc22010072714580065.jpg
http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/8849/sc22010072716574668.jpg

[Ancracks]

This is me opening my CE xD
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98IePxl_mo8

[Upset Spideyfan]

Just finished.

Wow, nice to see Raynor saved the girl AND survived. I was sure he was going to take a bullet for her and die at the end from Tychus, shame he turned out to be "bad", I rather liked him, but when I watched the intro cinematic it was clear he was working for Mengsk due to the fact that they practically out and out said it.

Still, wow - some nice scenes especially at the end with the invasion of Char. I 'm wondering who's going to be in control of the Zerg in the next campaign. Presumably the Cerberate we played as in SC1/Brood War is still alive. Can Kerrigan exert control over the Zerg despite having being "cured", that would certainly be a game changer in terms of the horrible apocalypse future Zeratul showed Raynor.

Also I said it before but it bears saying again I WISH they had gotten more of the original voice actors back.

[Asteroid-Man]

Anyone have a guest pass I can have? I wanna test this game out before deciding whether or not I should get it.

[Paroxysm]

Hot Starcraft II is Frying Graphics Cards, Blizzard Issues Temporary Fix (http://www.dailytech.com/Hot+Starcraft+II+is+Frying+Graphics+Cards+Blizzard +Issues+Temporary+Fix/article19224.htm)

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, the first game in Blizzard's highly anticipated real-time strategy sequel trilogy launched on Tuesday. Unfortunately, the blockbuster PC title -- which is expected to sell 10 million copies or more -- had some bumps during its launch.

There were a number of minor bugs, but nothing show stopping at first. Then the reports of melting GPUs hit.

Among those affected was Adam Biessener of Game Informer whose card melted while he was live blogging about his game experience. He bemoaned, "Three hours of cursing later, I'm posting this from my wife's laptop because both my graphics card and my work laptop appear to be fried."

The problem appears to be located in the main menu, where an uncapped frame rate maxes out the GPU, in some cases pushing it to overheating and potentially permanent failure.

Blizzard has issued a response on its support site, acknowledging that it was aware of the issue, and offering a quick fix. The company writes:

Certain screens make your hardware work pretty hard

Screens that are light on detail may make your system overheat if cooling is overall insufficient. This is because the game has nothing to do so it is primarily just working on drawing the screen very quickly. A temporary workaround is to go to your Documents\StarCraft II Beta\variables.txt file and add these lines:

frameratecapglue=30

frameratecap=60

You may replace these numbers if you want to.

For eager customers who already lost a graphics card, though, that fix may prove too late. Blizzard has not announced any plans to replace the lost hardware of victims who experienced the bug.

Many customers are outraged at this. Writes one victim Lorsaire:

Why was this not addressed already before release, and why were there no breaking news warnings or updates to fix this before people started having damage done to their hardware? My Nvidia GeForce cost me more than $300 to get a good card that was great for gaming... Blizzard are you doing anything or have plans to compensate people for the damage you've created?

Of course some of the cards may be covered by manufacturer warranties. And while it does appear a bug (uncapped framerates) is partially to blame for killing off the cards, a card pushed to the max would generally not die instantly were it not for poorly engineered and/or defective cooling. It appears that the cards ultimately were done in by the double blow of both a software bug (in SC II) and hardware issues.

The game features intensely addictive multiplayer gaming between three diverse races -- the Zerg, the Protoss, and the Terrans. It also features a single player campaign in which you play a Terran rebel. Future titles -- Heart of the Swarm and Legacy of the Void will included Protoss and Zerg campaigns, and possibly deliver new multiplayer features as well. Just beware the uncapped framerates.

Anyone have any of these issues?

[FaT_tONle]

I'll take my chances... I just had to upgrade my memory to run the damn thing although my comp is old. If I need a new card I'm gonna be pissed. Already 100 dollars into this ****. Been worth it thus far and I haven't even tried multiplayer yet.

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

Memory wont do much, prepare for disappointment.

[FaT_tONle]

Why, did your card get fried too? My memory was just a side issue. Below minimum requirements. My graphics are nowhere near as good as those stills you posted above. Don't know if that is a good thing or bad thing after reading that article.

[Upset Spideyfan]

I tell you what I love the shield upgrade for the Marines. It makes early game infantry attacks FAR more effective.

[FaT_tONle]

Dang... been playing for two days and I'm in the top 10 for a platinum league division... how does this ranking **** work? I'm only playing Terran since I am familiar with only them because of the SP campaign.

Infantry seems like the only effective weapons. Medivacs are absolutely sick. Tanks aren't as dominant as they were in SC1 which is a real bummer. Vikings are absolutely gas... waste of a unit. I also don't like how mech is almost irrelevant now. Hellions are crap and Thor's are way overdone... I think they got a little carried away when they put that in there. The Schwarzenegger voice is also pushing it. Not as good as SC1, but how could it be?

[Upset Spideyfan]

I was originally placed in Silver 1vs1, was doing pretty good had about a 6 win lead over defeats (most of which I got learning the MP) made it into Gold (game ranked me at 14) when I got there and I am absolutely getting my arse handed over to me. Oof, I hope this matchmaking system drops my ranking score a bit. I'm an average skilled player - these dudes are a bit out of my league all things considered. :(

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

http://kotaku.com/5608437/starcraft-iis-zombie-horde-mode-mod--ac130k-+-ruins

[Upset Spideyfan]

Why is EVERY Protoss player I am fighting either sneaking in Gateways into my base or Cannon rushing me. This is getting a bit tiresome.

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

http://kotaku.com/5614190/starcraft-ii-to-enable-free-and-paid-character-name-changes

[FaT_tONle]

Here is a site to find our where exactly you rank world wide, not sure how inclusive it is but I think it includes every major server:

http://sc2ranks.com/

I'm tearing it up... top 13,000 1v1, top 800 2v2, top 200 3v3. Might just have to move to Korea... :woot:

[Upset Spideyfan]

1vs1 #8,656

My team scores are awful
#27,774
#18,812 (with my brother)

[Upset Spideyfan]

Does anyone know of any custom campaigns in the works?

[Saint]

Why is EVERY Protoss player I am fighting either sneaking in Gateways into my base or Cannon rushing me. This is getting a bit tiresome.

I've had two separate Terran players immediately fly their command center into my base and build a planetary fortress. They unload SCV's to repair any damage to the CC, so if you only have a few units up, you're boned. First time it happened, I lost. The second time I was prepared.

[Upset Spideyfan]

Wow, I haven't had anyone CC drop me yet.

The first time I countered a cannon push I was like... WAIT DERP, I can just lift off. So I ended up landing two Barracks outside his base and pushing some Marines/Marauders with stim in and finishing him up while I moved my CC to a gold and started mining. Generally, I can spot it now that I know what to watch out for.

I really don't like these all-in strats, I mean I'd actually like to PLAY the game. Rushes are one thing, if you can't fight the rush off them's the breaks, but proxy building is just a bit too underhanded for my liking.

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

I really suck at this game.
Totally lack the brains or pace for the multiplayer like a chicken without a head most of the time.

[Saint]

Wow, I haven't had anyone CC drop me yet.

The first time I countered a cannon push I was like... WAIT DERP, I can just lift off. So I ended up landing two Barracks outside his base and pushing some Marines/Marauders with stim in and finishing him up while I moved my CC to a gold and started mining. Generally, I can spot it now that I know what to watch out for.

I really don't like these all-in strats, I mean I'd actually like to PLAY the game. Rushes are one thing, if you can't fight the rush off them's the breaks, but proxy building is just a bit too underhanded for my liking.

I agree. Unfortunately, it seems the further up the ranks I move, the more cheese I encounter. I was playing a 2v2 where the enemy team just rushed in with their workers in an attempt to kill all of our workers before we knew what was happening. Didn't work.

Another guy tried to pull a marine proxy on me, and quit when he saw my zealots (upgraded with charge) heading for his barracks. Weak.

[Grommers]

I really suck at this game.
Totally lack the brains or pace for the multiplayer like a chicken without a head most of the time.

Takes time, I played some pro wc3, and when I first started I was slow. After watching a couple FPVoD's and a couple lans, you get quicker a lot faster.

I have some friends who are already on pro sc teams (european based ones sRs gaming if anyone is a fellow e-sporter). I can promise you there not any smarter than you, they just dedicate the time and have a good practice regimen to understanding what works, when it works, and why it works.

[Upset Spideyfan]

Zerg are tricky to play. Once I survive the early game I can get going but damn Zerg early game is HARD, there's just so many little things to be keeping your attention on at all times.

[FaT_tONle]

Blizzard eyes StarCraft movie... :woot:

Blizzard exec Rob Pardo has expressed interest in creating a StarCraft movie - as long as the right person got on board.

"We probably could have made a 'StarCraft' movie or something on TV years and years ago, but it's really important to us that we find creative people that are really talented but also really excited about our properties," he said. "That's always been the challenge for us."

According to Pardo the right man for Blizzard is Avatar director, James Cameron. He said that if Cameron expressed an interest in the property, Blizzard would sign up for a movie.

(http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:screens_popup%28236837%29;)
"I think if Jim Cameron came to us tomorrow and said, 'You want to make a StarCraft movie?' we'd probably sign that." However, Blizzard is currently focused on the World of Warcraft movie, he added.

"We're still super-excited about it but it's still in that story-development phase," said Pardo.

Blizzard is gearing up for the launch of Cataclysm, the next World of Warcraft expansion. It recently detailed the Collector's Edition for the game. (http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=260367)

[Upset Spideyfan]

To be honest, I don't feel the need for a SC movie or even understand how it could work in any coherent sort of fashion.

[Rez]

A SC movie would be amazing.

It's easy. The game has a basic storyline that was extremely engaging despite it being a RTS. Start it like the game, with the Zerg starting to show up taking over planets. Follow Raynor and his relationship with Kerrigan, their ultimate betrayal and her being left for dead, Raynor defecting and starting his own rag tag group and bringing together both Terran and Protoss forces to defeat the Zerg and save the day. Final reel twist? The reveal that Kerrigan is alive, but now belongs to the Zerg... the Queen of Blades.

Make it large scale and epic, with a structure and scope similar to that of say, Starship Troopers, which the game already emulated. Play it a little more serious and you could easily bang out an epic trilogy of films.

[FaT_tONle]

If they do it, start with the foundation of the colony. My trilogy, which wouldn't follow game continuity exactly, would be something like this:

Starcraft: Open the movie with some zerg slaughtering some human settlers. Colonies are already established while the mysterious threat of the zerg loom, sort of like Starship troopers in that regard. Special strike force led by Mengsk is created to defeat the zerg. Mengsk uses the psi emitter to wipe out his human rivals and then seizes power Palpatine style. Raynor defects and meets the Protoss. Raynor learn that Protoss plan an invasion on human settlements. Feeling guilty, Raynor warns Mengsk and forms a rag tag group with rogue protoss allies to defend the human settlements. Humans drive back Protoss in final battle while the zerg regroup.

Starcraft 2: Several years after SC1. An uneasy truce remains between terran and protoss. Mengsk believes the protoss can not be trusted and must be dealt with. He also becomes aware that the zerg Overmind is fully operational and ready to strike. He sends Kerrigan to gather the remaining psi emitters to control the Overmind. Kerrigan meets up with Raynor, who warns her not to trust Mengsk. She is sent on a mission to Auir to occupy the Protoss, unaware that another terran unit on the other side of the planet is using Kerrigan as a decoy to activate the psi emitters on Auir. Zerg are lured to Auir shortly thereafter and destroy the Protoss, but before Kerrigan can evacuate, she is abandoned by Mengsk, who distances himself from the incident, placing the blame soley on the zerg. Raynor can do nothing but watch. He joins Fenix and Tassadar to gather the last remaining protoss forces along with his rag tag rebels. Tassadar sacrifices himself to destroy the Overmind, but Kerrigan lives on as the Queen of Blades.

Starcraft 3: Mengsk's brief rule over the sector is short lived as the United Earth Directorate (UED) seize control of the situation, some years after Earth receives the news about human contact with E.T. Even worse, the Overmind has almost completely regenerated. Raynor still has nightmares about Kerrigan. War ensues as Mengsk's Terran Dominion battle the invading UED to little avail. Meanwhile, Raynor and the remaining protoss forces are couped up in the Dark Templar homeland with Zeratul, who has detected a new zerg presence independent of the Overmind. The new presence is obviously Kerrigan, who has taken control of the remaining broods. The UED arrests Mengsk and disband his army. The UED also assume control of the psi emitters, which they believe will allow them to control new Overmind. Turns out the zerg, lead by Kerrigan, have evolved and can no longer be manipulated by the psi emitters. Hell is unleashed as the Zerg wage an all out war and the UED. The UED looses complete control of the situation and need all the help they can get. They release Mengsk and broker a deal with him, allowing him to assume command of his army. They are joined by Artanis and the remaining protoss/dark templar and the last UED fleet. They invade Kerrigan's main stronghold, but they are all defeated once Mengsk and his army abandons the offensive. Zerg reign supreme, but Raynor still finds himself jacking off to Kerrigan every night before he goes to sleep.

Starcraft 4-6... Starcraft 2 storyline, probably a Xel Naga invasion and whatnot. Guess we'll find out where the game goes from here.

[Spider-X]

anyone here have any good strategies for when using protoss? I have a 2 that i can think off of the top of my head:

- 4 warpgate build to mass produce infantry.
- load 4 templar in a drop ship, unload them in the back of enemy base where their resource collecting units gathering are and proceed to kill them all with their area lightning attack (really messes up your enemy's economy for awhile...it's a fun technique).

Why is EVERY Protoss player I am fighting either sneaking in Gateways into my base or Cannon rushing me. This is getting a bit tiresome.

how does that work? what does sneaking a gateway into your base do? don't you notice and just rush it? also, what's a cannon rush?

[Saint]

Cannon rush is when the enemy devotes all resources to immediately building cannons within your base. They start just out of sight, so you don't notice, and build increasingly closer to your nexus--so by the time you notice them or have units up to deal with the cannons, some have already been warped in to defend the news one warping in closer to your nexus.

[Spider-X]

Cannon rush is when the enemy devotes all resources to immediately building cannons within your base. They start just out of sight, so you don't notice, and build increasingly closer to your nexus--so by the time you notice them or have units up to deal with the cannons, some have already been warped in to defend the news one warping in closer to your nexus.

That's pretty evil...that's why you need to have scouts out and about so you are aware of your surroundings.

[NickNitro]

anyone know of some good youtube strategy videos for mutli in SC2. I hear of all of these strategies and find it overwhelming at times to find one that would work well for me. I play toss but now have been recently playing terran. Just trying to get some good advice on early builds and whats most efficient/effective ways to go about playing.

[Upset Spideyfan]

He tends to ramble a bit at the start of every video but Day9's series is VERY helpful as he tends to explain concepts and ideas in a very common sense sort of way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPEqn7heTq0

While not comprehensive this is a good source for some basic stats concepts and counters.

http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft2/Main_Page

Lastly, here is HDStarCraft who has a few tutorials (under his playlist) for some basic strats.

http://www.youtube.com/user/HDstarcraft#p/c/C4C7530679745694

I'm far from a pro (I'd call myself above average at this point) SC player but I've seriously been improving since watching these.

Also the challenge modes are helpful for learning how to expand and macro under pressure, defending against a rush and using hotkeys as well as getting the hang of micro.

I recommend playing a HARD or INSANE AI until you've got the hang of a strat/BO and then taking it online.

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

http://kotaku.com/5709838/ending-leaked-for-starcraft-iis-next-chapter

Big spoiler.

[Upset Spideyfan]

How the HELL! did Blizzard let that leak. I mean wow.

I don't like the idea of the Zerg turning good.

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

It's still super early in development, it might not be concrete.

[Spider-X]

how in the world is this not a top thread right now? I've been playing the campaign for Heart of the Swarm and I'm loving it so far...anyone else?