The first in a series of narrated videos called "Battle Reports" features a match between Protoss player Matt Cooper and Terran Player David Kim. Battle Reports aims to answer fan's questions in a video format instead of the standard Q&As, although I do not think Karune's Q&As are going to just disappear because of this.
Lead designer Dustin Browder and e-Sports coordinator Robert Simpson commentate the match which runs for approximately 21 minutes and highlights some newly revealed functions of Battle.net 2.0. which include onscreen combat information for spectators and commentators!
Hit the jump to watch the video and check out an image of a new multiplayer map.
One of the first things I noticed in the video was that Robert Simpson was talking about a Protoss assimilator and other buildings that Cooper was constructing but the view we were watching wasn't focusing on it. I think we can fully expect that while we spectate matches in StarCraft II we will be allowed to control our own camera and won't be confined to the view of the commentator. Another thing you might have noticed in the first 20 seconds of the video is that Blizzard has redesigned the logos for each race.
As the match progresses you'll notice more and more how valuable the new combat information screen in the top left really is. It allows both the commentators as well as the spectators to cycle through valuable information, like how many units each army has and of which type they have, as well as how many minerals and gas each player is collecting. Naturally spectators can not watch every place on the map at once, this combat information function is a way of keeping up with what's going on in the match no matter what you're viewing.
All-in-all it was a very entertaining match and it certainly has gotten me even more excited about this game. I think a solid theme in this match is how impressive the Zealot's charge ability is; it really revives an old unit and makes it great in new ways. I've never been one to spectate games but this sounds like it will be both fun and a good way to learn new strategies to employ when I play.
Stream the hi-def video from the Battle Report page at StarCraft2.com (be patient)
The HD video can also be downloaded for the PC and the Mac. In addition, StarCraft Legacy has extracted the .torrent file for those who don't want to go through the Blizzard Downloader. Big shout out to them for that! Hopefully we'll get the video uploaded and embedded soon.
Also, while you're here, check out the multiplayer map Cooper and Kim are playing on in detail. It's called Kulas Ravine. Click the image for a larger version.
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