OMG StarCraft

To say StarCraft II news has been slow would be an understatement. There's only so much random news from the SC universe we can handle before we just wanna scream “give me the damn game already!”

But, alas, I don't have any release date or even a beta date to tell you about. All I have is some info on the new map maker. Custom map makers can rejoice, this thing is going to be powerful.

What we do know about the beta is that Blizzard has begun asking the media for names to get involved in the beta from the get go. Some fan sites have confirmed that Kotaku and other gaming media have begun the process, I know writers at GamePro submitted their names weeks ago. This is a standard process and nothing to get too excited about. I'd suspect the beta is still a month or so out – August would be a good guess.

On a separate note before we get into the Q&A, the third battle report is in development and I'd expect to see it sometime in early July before the beta begins. Now, on to the Q&A.

The most recent fansite Q&A comes from SC2 Armory and offers some good insight into a few overlooked topics. I'm still surprised how detailed and well thought out fans' questions are even at this stage of the game and with most never having had any hands-on time with the pre-alpha version of the game.

1) Blizzard, how attached are you guys to the proton charge/mule extra macro-for-money system? I know nothing is set in stone at this point, but will these mechanics in all likelihood make it into the final game? - Voan

This is a mechanic that we would like to keep if possible. Because the game is not yet in beta phase, there may still be tweaks and changes to these mechanics, but we are looking forward to players trying it out themselves in beta. We will continue testing the macro mechanics internally and we really want to see how the players will adopt these mechanics into their gameplay.

2) With missile barrage and Yamato cannon, Battlecruisers’ can deal with most threats. My question is, how effectively can a Battlecruiser be countered? How well do Hydralisks, Void Rays, and Vikings work vs Missile barrage? - camelmeat

Hydralisks are easily the Zerg’s most important ground unit against air, including Battlecruisers. Void rays can be a good Protoss counter for battlecruiser, with focused fire and increasing damage over time on its attack. In fighter mode, the Terran viking does +10 damage against massive units like the battlecruiser.

Blizzard's RTS Community Manager Karune has released the 51st segment in his Q&A series and with it comes an entertaining video highlighting the work the art team has been doing on death animations. Also, your last chance to get tickets to BlizzCon 09 is coming up at 10 a.m. PDT. Head HERE to buy tickets. Enjoy the Q&A.

Chat with Devs: Between adding new unit models and sliming up the zerg buildings, the StarCraft II art team has also spent some time on some little details that make the game come alive, such as new unit death animations. Featured below, we have a protoss carrier being blown out of the sky by a squad of terran marines, as well as several zerg units falling to their fates.

The rest of the Q&A is after the jump...

The fourth fansite Q&A has been released and it is courtesy of StarCraft Legacy.

I love how the AI will now play more like a human player. It will have to scout in order to find you and won't just cheat or automatically know where your base is from the start. It will also adapt its strategy based on its scouting missions and what it sees you building.

Also, it's great news that the SCV will be allowed to patrol and will also have an auto-repair mode that can be toggled on and off. Using both the patrol and auto-repair abilities together will allow Terran players to set an SCV or two on the front lines to repair bunkers and missile turrets without requiring constant micromanagement.

Check out the entire Q&A after the jump.

StarCraft II's producer Chris Sigaty (on the right in my photo) is a wicked chill guy, I got to meet him for the first time at BlizzCon 08 and sit down for 30 minutes and chat about SC2's progress at that point. In Blizzard's continual attempt to bring the community up to speed with the game's changes before the beta starts they have released a Q&A with Sigaty that addresses a wide range of questions.

The beta test will spread world-wide to various regions but will initially start out in North America, Australia and New Zealand. In addition to that Sigaty addresses the work that Samwise Didier (the other guy in my photo) and his art team have been doing to the Zerg; polishing and making them more "sinister." Check out the before and after screenshots after the jump.

The latest fansite Q&A is brought to you by the folks at sc2pod.com and covers a lot of ground in just 11 short questions. Don't forget to check out how and when to buy your tickets for BlizzCon 09 by clicking on the graphic to the right.

 1. How will StarCraft II handle widescreen monitors? If the screen isn’t going to be stretched, either widescreen or traditional format will have the advantage of seeing more of the battlefield, have you decided which one?

[Dustin Browder] Widescreen monitors will be able to see slightly more of the battlefield, but the extra visual real estate players will be getting will be quite small. Nonetheless, for competitive gaming, there will be a small visual advantage to having a widescreen.

2. When cloaked units move you see a graphics effect hinting their presence. Can you see some trace of the Infestor when it is moving underground?

[Dustin Browder] The Infestor while burrowed will be like any other burrowed unit, and will not be seen unless there is a detector nearby. On the other hand when the Infestor moves above ground, there is a (visual) slime trail the unit leaves in its wake, which disappears over time. We are also discussing the possibility of having some type of visual that may imply an Infestor is moving while burrowed nearby, similar to how cloaked/stealth units currently move above ground.

The second in a continuing series of exclusive fansite Q&As with the developers of StarCraft II has revealed a new Zerg unit, the Brood Lord.

The Brood Lord is a heavy artillery-like unit and will replace the Swarm Guardian. For those of you who aren't familiar with the Swarm Guardian, this unit was, at the time of its creation, a new variation of the Guardian from the original StarCraft.

According to lead developer Dustin Browder, the new Brood Lord will be much more fierce than the Swarm Guardian was but will retain the same role in the Zerg force.

“This one (the Brood Lord)  is buff! Much more intimidating than the Guardian and will still be morphed from the Mutalisk,” said Browder. “This unit currently has 350 hit points and a large range of 9, doing 25 damage and spawning a Broodling upon each attack, which will live for a few short seconds, doing minor melee damage.”

This new unit is not simply a change in name and abilities, it will also come with new artwork, according to Browder. When I asked RTS Community Manager Kevin Yu for either a screenshot or concept sketch he replied by saying, “There isn’t any artwork ready to be shown to the public yet, but it will likely appear in an upcoming screenshot.”

I'm kind of weary about Blizzard creating new units during a time when the public is anticipating a beta any day. This tells me they are still unhappy with the game, unhappy enough to push back and possibly stall a beta test. I'm confident that the changes they are making will be for the best, but one has to think that it will mean a longer wait for fans.

More on the Baneling, the Terran's Planetary Fortress as well as the complete Q&A after the jump.

Karune recently posted the first in a number of fan site Q&A's he plans on doing before the beta launch in an attempt to get fans on the same page. The questions for this first post were provided by TeamLiquid, a pro StarCraft team.

One of the most interesting things I've learned from this set of answers is that users will be able to create maps where units can walk off the right side and appear on the left side as if the map was a sphere. This will literally add a new dimension to custom maps online.

1 Q: How's the current balance and what balance issues have you faced?

A:One of the design challenges we are currently dealing with relates to the Dark Pylon, which doesn’t seem to have enough energy tension between probe buffing and acting as an energy reserve for caster units. With Mules, Terran players have a clear strategy decision every time they chose to call down a Mule, instead of saving for a comsat scan. Similarly, Queens have to use their energy carefully, choosing between expanding creep, producing more larva, and protecting her base as a base defender. Dark Pylons on the other hand, are relatively cheap to produce at 150 minerals, provide Pylon power, allow warp-in and proxy play, cloak units, and act as an energy well for casters in strategic positions, while also supporting an economy with macro resource collecting benefits.

Lipton at Starfeeder.com managed to snag 15 exclusive answers from RTS community manager Karune and many of them are original and very interesting.

Here's the first five:

1. Does Bnet 2.0 have a desktop version? ie: like Steam or will it be just web-based? - Tajj

Karune: Yes, also you will be able to access Bnet 2.0 from your mobile phones
 

2. What is the minimum screen resolution Starcraft 2 is supporting? - nkoplm

Karune: 640x480
 

3. Will audio & video recording be supported in some sort of replay system? Or will game commentators still need to rely on 3rd party tools? - zeox

Karune: There are plans for a commentators edition of Starcraft II, which will support these features