Starcraft 2

[MaggotMaster]

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

I JUST WONDER WHAT WARHAMMER 40K RACE THEY WILL RIPOFF THIS TIME

[felineki]

Needs additional pylons.

[Executor]

Wow, our resident fucked up PCP-er has decided to grace us with his insanity...
Anyways, will Blizzard go through with a sequal to Starcraft? Nope, cuz MMORPG's are apparently good money, even though they're shit and all.

[TriLink]

I'm still waiting for my Gamecube version of Starcraft:Ghost.

[Zkh]

I came buckets.

This better freakin get finished....

[Mundane]

I'd love to be surprised, I really would.

But, they announced it in Korea, where the game is pretty much a national sport. Whoever didn't see it coming is retarded, sorry to put it so bluntly, but it's the truth.

[MaggotMaster]

Wow, our resident fucked up PCP-er has decided to grace us with his insanity...
Anyways, will Blizzard go through with a sequal to Starcraft? Nope, cuz MMORPG's are apparently good money, even though they're shit and all.

African-American brother it's true Starcraft 2's been announced and there's even a trailer

www.blizzard.com

[Tokpile Quohog]

Holy mackerel!!!

[n00dle]

Wow, theres some real MMO hatred going on here...

[Chowwow]

In keeping with the etiquette of doing searches of related threads rather than opening new ones (and because the OP, MaggotMaster, is dead to us), I will be hijacking this thread and re-purposing it as a general discussion thread for the upcoming sequel of the Blizzard classic.

Based on recent announcements on the game's mechanics, I was wondering what everyone thought about it so far: the gameplay, story, units, etc.

For me, I have no problem with the new gameplay mechanics or the storyline that Blizzard is putting up; I'm just excited to see new material for the Starcraft mythos.

I've noticed, however, that some people have been making some complaints about the new features meant to make basic actions easier (advanced path-finding, multiple building selection, etc), saying that the game has been "noobified" and that real skill comes from micromanaging the tiniest actions.

To that I say that these people are perma-virgin purists who need to know a thing or two about making games fun and accessible and not homework. If they want "depth" and total control, they should go back to D&D or something. The more time you save from clicking around to get simple things done, the more time you have to do cool things like leave the computer and have sex or something.

Some of the new units introduced are simply awesome and have opened my eyes to a lot of new strategies. For example:

The Protoss Stalker:


Initially, I was bummed that these guys were the replacement for the much tougher and stronger Dragoon of the last game. However, after seeing them in action, I realize that the Stalker is much more useful in combat than its predecessor and I can be confident that these guys would make fine front-line troopers. Its stats fare well against comparable units of other races (Marine, Hydralisk) and their teleporting ability makes them deadly: I can just imagine the DBZ-esque tactics I can use with these cybernetic, ninja... alien... people... guys...

However, some other changes and units have sparked some discomfort in me, since they really cramp my style. Exhibit 2:

The Protoss Phoenix:


The initial preview of the game (which first presented this unit) really made me think very highly of this new air unit that would replace the Scout of the previous game. Though frailer, it was still versatile and equipped with the formidable Overload ability which could zap a group of enemies, Panzer Dragoon-style.

Now, however, it has been re-worked to attack units air-to-air only and its Overload was replaced by an ability to disable and lift off ground enemies into the air. This re-working is not only limited and cumbersome, but seriously disrupts my ability to provide rapid response from enemy ground assaults, escorts for my massive Carrier fleets, and close-in air-to-ground support for my ground troops. The current iteration is nearly useless to me and lacks versatility.

Anyway, other thoughts on this game?

[Axell]

even though i'm not a rts guy, i enjoy blizzards games cuz of the wonderful story, so i will definately be picking up starcraft 2.

thats being said, heres why i cringe whenever i hear starcraft 2 mentioned...
my friends decided to preorder it for me when it was announced 2 years ago as a birthday present. Basically they payed 5 bucks for a piece of paper saying eventually they'd get it for me....not to mention now its supposed to be 3 games.....

[UrsusArctos]

Thanks for bringing this back from the dead. Old threads are a little like a time machine.

I've been out of the loop for quite a while. The Phoenix's ability to throw ground units into the air sounds like the work of the Crypt Lord in Warcraft 3 or a Minotaur in Age of Mythology. Wonder if it can shoot airborne ground units? The Protoss looked to me a little overpowered after the Brood War expansion, so I look forward to new Terran and Zerg bruisers. A replacement for the Ultralisk would be particularly good.

[Hunter21]

I've stopped paying attention to anything about Starcraft 2. A couple years ago I was interested in what was happening but now I basically don't pay attention. Probably will stay that way until it finally comes out and I can actually play it.

[SaltyJoe]

I've noticed, however, that some people have been making some complaints about the new features meant to make basic actions easier (...), saying that the game has been "noobified" and that real skill comes from micromanaging the tiniest actions.

Waah, waah. Complaining about features in a game they haven't actually seen yet. Typical fanboi attitude.

This argument is also kinda shabby: having features that makes it easier to manage units does not override the possibility to micromanage. I bet that if you want to, you will still be able to instruct every little action of your units directly. Blizzard is a team of professionals, and they know their fanbase, after all.

As for the game itself: i'm pretty excited. The original Starcraft is responsible for many a blood-shot eyes i had. I don't think i will ever be able to get the ringing of the Marines death-cries out of my ears.

So far i liked what i saw from it, but i will reserve my full judgment until i have actually played the game itself (the Terran Thor and Viking look positively awesome).

[honsou]

I JUST WONDER WHAT WARHAMMER 40K RACE THEY WILL RIPOFF THIS TIME

I miss MM

[Avatar of Dreams]

I've been out of the loop for quite a while. The Phoenix's ability to throw ground units into the air sounds like the work of the Crypt Lord in Warcraft 3 or a Minotaur in Age of Mythology. Wonder if it can shoot airborne ground units? The Protoss looked to me a little overpowered after the Brood War expansion, so I look forward to new Terran and Zerg bruisers. A replacement for the Ultralisk would be particularly good.

-Phoenix loses power after using Antigravity ability. Other Phoenixes can of course still shoot the airborne unit.

-Ultralisk is still in Starcraft 2 and is basically identical except it attacks with 4 blades instead of 2.

-Lot of complaining still going on MBS (multi-building selection) and auto-mining (haven't seen anyone complain about path finding?). I personally welcome both additions but can see why it could be bad on the competitive side.

-Beta is set to release this summer, game to be shipped by the end of the year (although this is Blizzard so don't be surprised if this doesn't happen).

[Chowwow]

-Phoenix loses power after using Antigravity ability. Other Phoenixes can of course still shoot the airborne unit.

Exactly, and doesn't that sound like a round about way to attack a single ground unit? Am I the only one who finds that awkward? This concept is similar to the old Corsair from Brood War, another air-to-air fighter with an ability to disable ground enemies:


Except that thing was more useful than what the Phoenix is now: it could at least affect enemy buildings and groups of ground enemies with its special ability. I'm just trying to figure out what the hell Blizzard is trying to do with this thing and why they are making a basic air unit so labor-intensive to use.

Another unit I'm looking forward to:

The Protoss Colossus:

At first, my reaction to this thing was "meh" when I saw it's original attack method: zapping a ground enemy until it died then shifting to another quickly. Then I went "argg!" when I heard it was vulnerable to anti-aircraft fire because it was so damn big. But now I'm all like "woah!" considering that, with its beefed-up splash attack and longer range, I now have the Protoss version of a Siege Tank and a more cost-effective and more useful alternative to the old Reaver (which was a pain to use and bled your economy every time it fired a dammed shot). I'm planning massive sieges, War-of-the-Worlds-style with these bastards provided I can also have some proper anti-air support to go with them.

Based on these last posts, it would seem that I'm a Protoss player - but the fact is I'm just getting started. Yet more things to poop on my parade:

Replacing the Terran Medic for the Medivac Dropship:


In the previous games, the Medic was vital in elevating simple Marines and other small ground troops from low-class fighters to a powerful, self-sustaining fighting force. Because they were small and fairly cheap, they could be brought to bear in a timely fashion and fought in the dirt with the Marines.

Now there's this thing: part dropship, part medic. On paper that sounds versatile, and it certainly is a fairly creative idea to do this. But now getting medical help takes longer to research up to and now costs more. By extension, there will be fewer healers to patch-up multiple Marines in the heat of battle. Further, the unique, vital abilities of the original Medic are now removed from the game.

I heard that this change was done to better keep up with Reapers, a fast raiding unit, since the old field Medics were too slow. Yet this doesn't make sense: raiding attacks are supposed to be risky and on the run. Having slow Medics should be a handicap for lightening raids.

I've stopped paying attention to anything about Starcraft 2. A couple years ago I was interested in what was happening but now I basically don't pay attention. Probably will stay that way until it finally comes out and I can actually play it.

Probably a good move you have made. Keeping up-to-date with all of the developments has given me a lot of undue stress. I should probably just wait until things are finalized when the games are released. That way, the unit fiasco that I'm seeing will start to make some kind of sense to me.

[Avatar of Dreams]

Except that thing was more useful than what the Phoenix is now.

Well you have to keep in mind that SC II was designed so that it could belong in the E-sports world so abilities have to be balanced for competitive play. True, the Corsair's D-web ability is really useful, but that's exactly why it a. doesn't last that long, b. requires a separate building to research, and c. takes 125 energy to use (which is why D-web is rarely seen in competitive SC).
The Corsair's current role is what the Phoenix is designed to do. Sniping Overlords to reduce enemy supply and allow Dark Templars to rape mineral lines unimpeded, scouting the enemy base, and Antigravity can be used on workers to delay mining capabilities.

But now getting medical help takes longer to research up to and now costs more. By extension, there will be fewer healers to patch-up multiple Marines in the heat of battle.

Well, Marines now have 45 hp and can be upgraded to 55 hp so the need for early game Medics is not as necessary as it was before. Also keep in mind that Medivacs heal a lot quicker than Medics and have much greater range with the heal ability so fewer healers doesn't mean a drop in effectiveness.

Further, the unique, vital abilities of the original Medic are now removed from the game.

Unique abilities? True. Vital? Restoration and Optic Flare are two of the least usedful abilities in SC.

I heard that this change was done to better keep up with Reapers, a fast raiding unit, since the old field Medics were too slow. Yet this doesn't make sense: raiding attacks are supposed to be risky and on the run. Having slow Medics should be a handicap for lightening raids.

Reapers are not only for raids. On the battlefield Reapers are faster than Medics in general so you would have to wait for the Medics to catch up before you engage an enemy army which can be troublesome. Also recall that Reapers are capable of scaling cliffs without the aid of a ramp, meaning that not only can Medivacs accompany them, but can also spot for them so that you don't jump your Reapers into a bunch of cannons (since Reapers can't see what's above on a cliff until they actually reach the top).

[UrsusArctos]

Bump. It turns out that the closed beta has just been released. Hell, it's been a long time.

http://www.sc2armory.com/forums/topic/12282
Starcraft 2 armory has a beta version of its game guide up. Some of the protoss units look a little too powerful at this stage.

[Uriel Septim VII]

At the rate Blizzard is going we won't be seeing Starcraft III earlier than 2020.