It's been a while since Karune posted batch 52 of the Q&A series, but batch 53 is now available! Check out all the questions below. As a note, it looks like batch 54 will be coming a bit quicker, according to this post by Karune.

Hope everyone has enjoyed all the BlizzCon news and got a chance at our Twitter beta key giveaway! Everything has settled here in the office after a various shows and events we've been at, but we are back in the swing of things. If you haven't been following us on Twitter, don't forget to do so too, as we will consistently be adding more spotlights, development info, and fun contests on there as we approach beta and throughout the development of StarCraft II.

Check us out here:
http://www.twitter.com/StarCraft

---StarCraft II Q&A Batch 53 ---

1. Computer AI – Does the computer’s online AI vary from its offline counterpart?
No. They are the same.

2. Have you considered allowing a post-game lobby for users to discuss the last game, collectively watch replays, or immediately enter into a rematch?
Yes, we have a plan for a post game lobby. However the details are not finalized yet.

3. Is there any update on additional map features other than the Xel’Naga watch towers, destructible rocks and tall grass?
No. Currently there is no update on additional map features.

4. How many different voice actors are needed for StarCraft II, including the unit sounds and campaign heroes?
There are 58 unique voice actors participating, with some voicing multiple roles, and the number may increase as the game gets closer to release.

5. The terrain types in StarCraft II we have seen so far had names like “Bel’Shir (Jungle)”. Does this mean that “Bel’Shir” is just an alias for jungle and every terrain is just named after a typical planet using it or are there – to stick with this example – other jungle maps with a different terrain set, something like “Aiur (Jungle)”?
We named our terrain sets based on the planets. There are a lot more terrain sets than in the original StarCraft and you will have huge flexibility in modifying the terrain sets (including adjusting textures, doodads, lighting) allowing you to create your own variations of the default maps. There may be other jungle-themed default maps named after other planets.

6. Will there be any chance to have more options on pausing the game? In StarCraft: Brood War every player can pause the game three times, but every other player can unpause it. How about a (user editable) time limit before other players can unpause the game?
We recommend that players communicate with each other in the game to agree on when to pause and unpause during the game. We feel that pausing the game interrupts the game flow and it would be inconvenient for players to be forced to wait for a certain amount of time before being able to unpause. The pausing feature is mainly meant to allow for pausing of the game when all players are in agreement and for which duration.

7. I already knew the map editor would be available to beta testers a while after Beta was released, but this is why I’m asking the bland question, will it also be available to non-participating people?
No, the map editor will only be available during the beta for beta testers.

8. When a unit comes out from a building will there be only 4 exits from the building like in Warcraft 3 or will there be “infinite”?
It is not infinite, but your units will come out from a building at the closest point on the building to where your rally point is set.

---End of Transmission---

 

Based on recent financials posted by Activation for the first quarter it looks like the release date for Starcraft II and Singularity have been pushed back. CEO Bobby Kotick made the announcement that the games will not release until 2010. During the announcement had this say:

"As we prepare for next year, we have moved the expected release dates for two games, Activision Publishing's Singularity and Blizzard Entertainment's StarCraft II, into 2010," he said.

Activision netted $1.04 billion in revenues for its second fiscal quarter, edging just past its $1 billion estimate. 2010 is predicated to be another blockbuster year for Activision/Blizzard as Starcraft 2 has been predicted to sell as many as 4 million units in its opening quarter.

SteelSeries is giving away several limited edition StarCraft II QcK Mousepads! They have been hand signed by famous Blizzard Artist Wei Wang.

For your chance pick one of these up head over to the SteelSeries Facebook page and post your three favorite games - winners are selected at random! They're pictures of other products they have and of course the mouse pads which we've also shown below:

 

 

It was recently announced that Starcraft II will not have LAN support and the internet has been a buzz ever since! Blizzards' Bob Colayco has made an official announcement about why LAN support won't make it into SC2.

Here is what Bob Colayco had to say:

"We don't currently plan to support LAN play with StarCraft II, as we are building Battle.net to be the ideal destination for multiplayer gaming with StarCraft II and future Blizzard Entertainment games. While this was a difficult decision for us, we felt that moving away from LAN play and directing players to our upgraded Battle.net service was the best option to ensure a quality multiplayer experience with StarCraft II and safeguard against piracy.

Several Battle.net features like advanced communication options, achievements, stat-tracking, and more, require players to be connected to the service, so we're encouraging everyone to use Battle.net as much as possible to get the most out of StarCraft II. We're looking forward to sharing more details about Battle.net and online functionality for StarCraft II in the near future."

There's obvious benefits to something being hosted entirely by Blizzard, and probably gives them flexibility for things they want to achieve with the game in the future, but lots of gamers are upset that they'll lose the ability to LAN, especially in places like Korea where the game is a televised sport.

The latest StarCraft II Q&A is now available courtesy of Karune -- StarCraft II's Community Manager. Map makers, you're especially going to love this one; it's got juicy tidbits about the world editor for SC2.

Quote from: Karune (Source)

StarCraft II Q&A Batch 52 : Map Maker Series

1. Does it still use the JASS language, or perhaps an upgraded version of JASS?
StarCraft II uses an entirely new scripting language, which we’ve called Galaxy. This language is very similar to C, and anyone familiar with programming in C will have no trouble picking it up.

2. Is the language event-driven or object-oriented?
The language itself is not object-oriented, although most of the native functionality is based around operating on game objects.

3. In comparison to the Warcraft III Editor, how much more, if any, can the GUI of the game be edited (it was extremely limited in Warcraft III)?
The in-game UI layout is externalized in data files to a large extent, however there is no editor support for working with these files. So it will be possible to customize the game UI, it just won't be a user-friendly process.

4. Are there new noteworthy functionalities in the Starcraft II Editor, or will the new editor just have general improvements?
I can’t think of a single editor feature from WarCraft III, large or small, which has not been improved in at least some way for StarCraft II.

5. Will the ability to communicate among triggers, for instance via actions or conditions, be improved in the new language?
One significant new feature of the Trigger Editor is support for custom function definitions, including actions and conditions. This means you can create your own actions that are built up from other actions (or custom script code), then use those in triggers just as you would any other action.

6. How does "Hero" support differ from the Warcraft III Editor? Or is it practically identical?
We’ve been working hard to create a hero system that is even more flexible than WarCraft III’s. For example, map makers will have the ability to define any number of custom attributes that modify a hero based on its level.

7. Will there be a public API for the programming language?
As with WarCraft III, there is a large set of “native” functions representing game functionality that can be accessed through scripts. If this is what you mean by “public API”, then yes.

8. Will there be improvements on the "Garbage Collector" for the new language? For example, in JASS all local variables need to be set to null at the end of their use, and certain data-types need to be removed from the game (such as Locations) at the end of their use to avoid memory leaks.
Galaxy features a robust garbage collection system for all native types, which is a huge improvement over WarCraft III (which technically did not have a garbage collection system at all). The script memory leak issues from WarCraft III will be a thing of the past.

---End of Transmission---

We've received word that the Starcraft II Beta will begin taking applications in the form of an Opt-In process offered by Blizzard in the upcoming months!

Here's the official Starcraft II Beta Opt-In Notice:

The StarCraft II beta-test period is coming in the months ahead! If you’d like a chance to participate, now’s the time to let us know. Simply log in to your Battle.net account, and click “Beta Profile Settings” to go through the new beta opt-in process and upload a snapshot of your system specs. During this process, you’ll also have the opportunity to opt in to future betas for other Blizzard Entertainment games. Please note that even if you’ve opted in to our betas previously, you’ll need to complete this new process and upload your current system specs to have a chance to be invited.

 

For more information, see the FAQ -- or create a Battle.net account to opt in now. If you have an unused beta code from BlizzCon 2008 or WWI 2008, visit this site to enter your code.

SC2Lead.com has posted an update from Blizzard on the units of Starcraft 2! Blizzard details several features for each race in their recent post picked up by the SC2Lead.com Starcraft Development Tracker.

Here's the original post:

 

Quote from Blizzard: (Source)
Protoss

 

• The Protoss Phoenix has anti-gravity now and it is great at harassment, especially with more than one Phoenix in a pack. These harassment groups can easily lift workers and other strategic targets like Queens to be taken out while floating in the air.
  The Phoenix in the latest build uses energy (4 per second) when casting anti-gravity, thus the same Phoenix is not able to attack the target it is lifting with anti-gravity.
• You can cloak your Mothership with your Dark Pylon's Null Shield.
  In this case, the enemy can't see anything in your base without a Detecting unit.

Zerg

• Overlord has the Generating Creep ability after Lair and the Transport ability after researching at the Lair.
• Overseer has Detecting ability as passive and Healing ability (by 200 hit points) on the biological unit or structure. and Overseer can spawn the Changeling.

Terran

• In the current build, you can train SCVs at all three regardless of the upgrade.
  You can load SCVs up to 5 into Command Center and Planetary Fortress.
  Command Center and Orbital Command can be lifted off, but Planetary Fortress can't be lifted off.
  You can also load and unload SCVs while your Command Center is lifted off.
  No, you can't build SCVs while lifted off
  No, you can't downgrade the Command Center back.

There have been quite a few blue posts over on the StarCraft II boards over the past couple days, so I wanted to put together a recap of everything posted, included a few updates from Dustin "Cavez" Browder, the game's Lead Designer.  As always, you can find all StarCraft II blue posts on the World of Raids Blue Tracker.

Some Updates

Quote from: Cavez (Source)

I see lots of questions about timelines. Here is a little FAQ.

Question: "Why hasn't Blizzard released the Beta?" or "WTF have they been working on, I played it at Blizzcon last year and I thought it was done!"
Answer: Solo campaign is under heavy construction as is Battlenet. When these things have enough work done that we know when our release date is going to be with strong confidence we will announce the Beta. Unless something crazy happens, the Beta is going to happen this year.

Question: "Why don't you just give us your target dates if you don't know the final date? We promise, we won't get mad if Blizzard misses target dates."
Answer: Let's be realistic. Our target dates are not something we hit more than half the time. Putting those out there would be pretty close to lying to the fans. We are not going to do that. We want to be able to give good info, not info that we know is suspect. We'll give target dates when we think it is very likely that we will hit them.

Question: When can we have the next Battle Report?
Answer: We were waiting on getting some improved graphics in (some of the new stuff looked REALLY rough). That was finished last week and we are now playing and looking for a good game. Once we get that game the process is reasonably quick to get it out. Once we go Beta, you guys can do these and put them up. When that happens I'm sure there will be a ton of them and I'm sure the quality of the games played and the announcing will go way up.

Question: "I notice that you haven't actually given us any dates...."
Answer: Yeah. Sorry. We don't want to lie about the Beta, and we don't even want to lie about the next Battle Report. When we know a date (for anything) for certain, we'll let you know.

Hang in there. We're in the final stretch.

 

Blue Posts

Multiple Game Type Search Functionality (Source)

We have talked about allowing multiple searches at once. We are currently saying "no" because you will always end up in the smallest template. For example, if you search 3v3 and 4v4 you will almost always end up in a 3v3 game since those will fill quicker. In that scenario the 4v4 template might very well die because people who want to play 4v4 are also searching in 3v3 and never get into a 4v4 game.

Though again, Beta will be a good testing ground for any issues that will occur here.

We have not done a lot of testing in FFA. You make good points. I will discuss them with the BNet team.

Cliff Climber Vision (Source)

Colossus can have a vision of the upper ground just like the air units, while Reaper can't as a ground unit.

Colossi and Reapers can't climb up a cliff of 2 level at one time.

Waypointing Abilities (Source)

You can waypoint casting ability. For example, High Templar will move to the first location, cast the Psi Storm and will return to the last designated location. You can waypoint Zerg's Burrow ability as well.

The most recent waypoints will be displayed that you can see, and you can waypoint with Patrol command too.

Will it be possible to queue buildings to be built by workers? (Source)

Yup - this is possible in StarCraft II.

Battle Report #2 (Source)

I don't believe the Battle Report was ever scheduled to be out at the same time as Q&A 49, but it is still in the works. We really do want to find the perfect battle to show off the new features.

Resource Costs for Spawning Larva (Source)

Spawning larva also costs energy (currently 25) and time.

Ghost Psi Rounds Clarification (Source)

You can't target mechanical units with Ghost's Psi Round, like Battlecruiser, Mothership and Nullifier.

How does Rally work for Zerg? (Source)

You can do both. You can set a rally for your hatchery, but can then override it with manual orders per egg as well. Also don't forget, you can set a worker rally point for your hatchery, as well as a unit rally point.

Shield Recharge Mechanic (Source)

Currently it's set to be a number of shield points recovered per second. Thus Archons do take longer to regain all their shields when compared to other units. Units the shield recharge is used for the most currently include:
- Probes (recharge really helps them as scouts)
- Stalkers
- Flyers

Obviously all units benefit to some degree, but these guys do the most hit-and-run style attacks. When we get into Beta we'll learn more about how this mechanic really works.

Quote from: Karune (Source)

---StarCraft II Q&A Batch 49---

1) I am very curious... previously, SCVs, Drones, Probes, Vultures, Archons, and Dark Archons hovered above the ground so they were not hit by mines. My question is simple: Are there any hovering units in Starcraft 2? If there are, can they hover over shallow water? -Ancientdefender (Battle.net)

If Spider Mines stay in the game, then there will be hovering units. Shallow waters are currently just a visual effect and will not ‘play’ differently.

2) How does the Mutalisk attack work in StarCraft II, what defines its bouncing pattern? Is it random or not? If not, what is the criteria that defines how it bounces? -Kain175 (Battle.net)

Regardless of the position of the Mutalisk, when its attack hits a target, it will then acquire the next target based on proximity to the first target. The attack will always bounce to the next closest target.

3) Is it possible to toggle off Multiple Building Selection (MBS)?
No.

4) Balancing of 2v2 team play: Roaches + Medivac are too over powered for 2v2 team play unit combinations?

The regeneration rate of the Roaches and the healing of the Medivac will not stack upon each other.

5) What is a good counter for Zerg against Marines, which are upgraded from the original StarCraft?

Zerg actually have a few options that are quite effective. Zerglings can catch Marines out in the open and surround them relatively easily. Secondly, Banelings with the burrow ability are also very effective. There is nothing more gratifying than watching a group of Marines walk over a burrowed Baneling. When it unburrows – BOOM! Another counter that can be used are Roaches with burrow. A player can burrow a Roach at low health for it to regenerate back to full health in seconds, at which point it can unburrow and begin attacking the Marines again.

In late game, Infestor’s with their fungal scourge ability, which causes a biological unit to take damage over time until the unit explodes and does an area of effect damage, decimating groups of Marines easily if the opponent is not fast to react. Additionally, Ultralisks with their new cleave attack as well as 200 more hit points from the original StarCraft also make them an excellent counter to massed Marines.

6) How do you keep the Baneling from exploding on targets that you don’t want them to hit?

The Baneling now has an ‘attack building’ ability now which allows players to have more control over what the Baneling attacks. Players no longer need to worry about Banelings accidentally exploding on a building when they actually wanted it to hit a unit.

---End of Transmission---

After posting this information, there were quite a few additional questions posed by fans. Karune took some time to clarify points in the update and answer those questions.

- How does one construct a dark pylon? Is it a separate, more expensive replacement for the original pylons or an upgrade?

The Dark Pylon currently costs 150 minerals (50 more than normal Pylon) and has the Gateway as the prerequisite building. This of course is all subject to change while more balance testing is occuring.

- I assume the orbital command is now a replacement of the surveillance center? Does that mean people who opt to upgrade their CC's to a planetary fortress are no longer able to beneft from these new features, even without the use of salvage?

Yes the Orbital Command is what the Surveillance Center used to be. If you build a Planetary Fortress you will not be able to use these new features, but your command center will be upgraded to Armor 3 and have a Ibiks Laser that does 40 splash damage with a 6 range. These stats are of course all subject to change through balance testing.

I don't suppose Proton Charge would stack, hm?

Nope they don't stack, but if casted again, it will renew the duration of the ability.

1. The new infestor (pure awesomeness BTW), resembles the reaver in shape and looks rather slow. Is it super slow? Can you tell us anything about its speed?

The Infestor will still be relatively slow, though they have been sped up a bit from when you guys last saw it.

2. In 1 screen shot there are 15 eggs hatching. We know the hatchery can make 3, then the queen can make the hatchery add 4 more. So in this shot, did the the Queen use her ability multiple times in quick succession or would she have to wait until the firs 7 hatch before she can use it again? I guess what I am asking is if the hatchery can only spit out 4 extra larva at a time or if you can tell it to do it 4 times and have it spit out 16 larva?

After the original 3 larva, each Hatchery can only be spawning 4 larva at a time. The ability cannot be used again on that Hatchery until those 4 larva have spawned.

3. The mules help the terrans by essentially being SCV's that mine fast right? Do they help the other SCV's mine faster as well? Can they build things? Do they cost supply since they are only there for a while? When they "run out of battery" do they shut down until you "recharge" them or do they explode and disappear forever?

Mules will not help other SCVs mine faster. They will also not be able to build anything, but will be able to repair buildings and units. Furthermore, they will not cost supply. Multiple Mules can be dropped at any given time as long as you have sufficient energy available. When the Mules run out of battery, they will not be able to be recharged, and new Mules will need to be dropped.

4. Is the fungal infestation a long range attack (like parasite and spawn broodling were) or does he have to be rather close?

It will be a ranged ability. This is one of my favorite abilities, it really wrecks mass Marines which are quite a force to be reckoned with at the moment with Medivac support.

- Can the mule defend itself?

Yes. It currently has the same attack value as a SCV.

- Can the drop pod be placed anywhere with line-of-sight, leading to the mule being used as a scout?

Yes, this can be quite helpful in some circumstances. Originally, each drop ship spawned 3 Mules, but it became a bit too advantageous in scouting 3 places at once.

- Does razor swarm damage both ground and air? What about friendlies?

It does currently damage both ground and air, but not friendly units.

- Can null shield be cast on non-Protoss allies?

Currently, yes.
Yes, this also means cloaked Siege Tanks are possible... ;)

Nonetheless, remember all things are still subject to balance.

The Dark Pylon and Queen are tier 1 tech. IIRC the Surveillance Station required the Shadow Ops to be built (making it tier 2), is this still true of the Orbital Command?

The Orbital Command requires a Barracks first to be built. The Planetary Fortress requires an Engineering Bay first to be built.

Is there anything that would prevent you from offensively dropping mules in the thick of battle? (For example it *might* be useful to drop near units that would then cause things like siege tanks to attack them and while ultimately leading to a very short lifespan for the mule, could lead to splashing a player's own units with damage)

This is theoretically possible, but the animation of the drop pod that hits the ground is a bit long (roughly 5-10 seconds), so it isn't like an instant drop.

Also, Karune, does that then mean that these larva do not cost supply? If that is the case then another advantage over a hatchery is if you mess up and forget to build enough ovies (or you just had a bunch of ovies get sniped), then instead of having to wait for more ovies, you can build mutant larva and not lose unit making time in the end.

They do not cost supply, they are just normal larva. The concept of Mutant Larva with timed life seemed more tedious and much harder to grasp in gameplay than the current reincarnation, which has definitely sat much better with the team and testers.

1) Was the new infestor art looking so much like a Reaver done on purpose? Maybe a joke to all the guys asking to put the reaver back?

The Infestor has a completely new model different than the Reaver, but does coincidentally have the same shape as a Reaver. Don't forget, Reavers will still be seen in single player as well as the map editor.

2) Terran and protoss now have abilities to both increase they're income temporarily (mules + dark pylon) as well as abilities to increase they're offensive production (reactor + warp gates). Zergs only have a production ability (mutate larvae). Are zergs getting something to fill the temporary income role? Or is the mutate larvae supposed to just pump drones to make up for that?

Being able to spawn additional larva can potentially help Zerg production quite a bit actually. Prior, when a Zerg player hatched offensive units, they were always sacrificing the creation of more drones. This ability allows more bandwidth to create even more offensive units for a big push, build more balanced with more drones and additional units, or double up on the teching effort with all drones. There are a lot of options to play with that will surely inspire many new strategies.

Recently Karune posted a fairly large update on what's going on in StarCraft II's development.  Included was information on some modifications to various units and buildings within each race's arsenal.

Quote from: Karune (Source)

Throughout the development process, the team is constantly reiterating and improving on the game in every way. As mentioned before, the Infestor too is getting a makeover, becoming much creepier and intimidating – you definitely don’t want to end up helpless at the will of this thing!

Zerg Infestor Concept Art
http://www.battle.net/images/misc/09-02/InfesterArt.jpg

The StarCraft 2 team has made a number of changes in each of the races as the game gets closer to Beta. These are some of the new weapons and abilities that are currently being tested on the battlefield.

Protoss Dark Pylon
Long used only by the Dark Templar of Shakuras, the Dark Pylon is now used by all as the Protoss war for survival becomes more desperate. In addition to providing supply and giving power to nearby Protoss structures, the Dark Pylon has several unique abilities that require energy to use.

Proton Charge: an area-of-effect ability that gives all targeted Probes additional charge for their Proton-Cutters. Probes that have an additional charge gather additional minerals per trip when collecting resources. The Proton Charge lasts only a short time before dissipating.

 

Null Shield: a single-target ability that causes a Protoss Shield to shimmer and warp, cloaking the targeted Protoss unit. The Null Shield lasts only a short time.

 

Argus Link: a single-target ability that transfers energy from the Dark Pylon to any energy-using Protoss unit.

Screenshot: Proton Charge in Action
http://www.battle.net/images/misc/09-02/PROTOSS_DroneTarget.jpg
http://www.battle.net/images/misc/09-02/PROTOSS_DroneHarvest.jpg


Terran Orbital Command
The Terrans rely not only on the troops they can train on the battlefield but also on troops called from deep space. The Orbital Command allows the Terrans to make use of their orbital assets to support their fight on the ground. As an upgrade to the Command Center the Orbital Command can create SCVs and serves as a drop location for collected resources. In addition it has several abilities that require energy.

Calldown Mule: sends a single automated mining robot by drop-pod that assists SCVs in collecting resources by working around current SCV mining operations. Unfortunately the Mule is still in the prototype phase and has a limited battery supply (timed life).

 

Calldown Extra Supplies: sends additional supplies to a targeted Supply Depot. Generally used by Terran commanders only in an emergency to allow them to support additional troops.

 

Scanner Sweep: using a satellite in high-orbit, the Terrans reveal a large area anywhere on the map and detect all cloaked units within the target area.

Screenshot: Mules Everywhere!
http://www.battle.net/images/misc/09-02/TERRAN_Mules.jpg
http://www.battle.net/images/misc/09-02/TERRAN_MuleVariations.jpg


Zerg Queen
The Zerg Queen has continued to evolve over the last few months. She is a fierce defender of the Zerg Hatcheries and can often be found in small groups defending the larger Zerg infestations. In addition to defending her Hatchery from ground and air threats, the Queen has several special abilities that require energy to use.

Build Creep Tumor: with a mighty push from her bowels, the Queen creates a cluster of organic tumors that generate additional creep. In recent months the Zerg have mutated to move more quickly on creep, making this an important function for the Queen.

 

Spawn Larva: by injecting Queen ichor into a Hatchery, Lair or Hive the Queen can cause the Zerg structure to undergo a startling metamorphosis. The Hatchery starts to throb and green sacks swell up on the structure. Eventually four additional larva burst out of the Hatchery and land next to whatever larva are already wriggling around nearby. While a Hatchery hosts more than 3 larva, the Hatchery will not spawn additional larva, until that number drops below 3.

 

Razor Plague: with a great breath the queen exhales a cloud of tiny Zerg creatures that create a vast swarm nearby. These creatures attack all enemy creatures within their swarm, doing additional damage to biological targets. What makes it worse is the Zerg player can control the swarm, moving it around to attack whatever enemies he wishes until the swarm becomes exhausted and dissipates.

Screenshot: Incoming Swarm!
http://www.battle.net/images/misc/09-02/ZERG_TumorLarvae.jpg
http://www.battle.net/images/misc/09-02/ZERG_MutaHatch.jpg
http://www.battle.net/images/misc/09-02/ZERG_Attack.jpg

Recently Karune posted a fairly large update and included in it some screenshots of Zerg units that have been updated recently with improved art.  Check them out below; they look much better than previously with additional detail in almost every aspect!

Quote from: Karune (Source)

Art Updates
The StarCraft art team have been making massive updates to the Zerg faction, adding various new animations and improving even further on the textures of Zerg units and buildings. A picture is a thousand words so check out the updates for yourself!

Baneling

Drone

Hydralisk

Overlord

Overseer

StarCraft II Valentines Wallpapers

These new StarCraft II Valentines Wallpapers are pretty awesome, and definitely a must-have for any StarCraft fan.  From the Terran "Hell, It's About Valentine." to the Zerg "You Are Always On My Overmind." and the "My Life For Aiur, My Love For You." of the Protoss, each major race is represented in that distinct Blizzard style.

800 x 600 1024 x 768 1280 x 960 1280 x 1024 1600 x 1200 1680 x 1050 1920 x 1200

800 x 600 1024 x 768 1280 x 960 1280 x 1024 1600 x 1200 1680 x 1050 1920 x 1200

800 x 600 1024 x 768 1280 x 960 1280 x 1024 1600 x 1200 1680 x 1050 1920 x 1200

In the past there has been rumors of a potential Christmas release for StarCraft II, but a couple of days ago the Blizzard-founder Frank Pearce told videogaming247 that it will not be released this year – they simply have way too much left to do. StarCraftWire.net reports from Activision Blizzards conference Activate Asia Pacific that the game "should" come out next year, according to a presentation for resellers.

Now don't think too much of this, but there's a lot of rumors and talk about a release date for the much anticipated RTS StarCraft II. Like many times before, it's the American retailers that have begun to speculate. What's caused a reaction is that many larger sites such as Best Buy, Circuit City and GameStop have the same date - 3rd December.

StarCraft II - closer than we've thought?

As expected, Blizzard are very quiet about this whole deal, but since "Blizzard's World Wide Invitational 2008" will take off on Saturday, we probably don't have to wait too long for an official release date.

The Starcraft 2 team have updated the official Starcraft 2 website with a biography of the central character in the lore, Jim Raynor.

For those of you who don't know, Jim has been voted as one of the best hero's out of any game to be released and Chris Metzen has hinted that Starcraft 2 will turn him into a much more heroic figure than he previously was.

The page also features an impressive 3D render of the character, as well as 2 screenshots and a piece of concept.

You can view the page here.

The Blizzard website is reporting that fans of the StarCraft franchise can now experience the game in board game format.

StarCraft is one of the best known RTS titles on the PC and is played widely as a professional e-sport. StarCraft isn't the first Blizzard title to become a board game, with World of Warcraft and Warcraft before it both having been made table top.

Fantasy Flight Games, the creators of the Warcraft and World of Warcraft Board Games have transferred this popular RTS games to the table top format and you can find more information about the new game here.

Friday saw a new StarCraft II Q&A published on the official forum, and this week includes some information on changes to the Thor unit. Its role will be changing quite a bit -- from the "Ultimate Heavy-assault Mech" to replacing the Cobra unit, which can be seen in the Terran Gameplay Demo.

And of course, the Q&A! This batch has a large variety of questions, so there's a little something for everyone. As always, head over to the Q&A thread to show your support for the Q&A series.

Karune posted new information from a recent Q&A session with the StarCraft II developers; you can join in on the discussion by heading over to the StarCraft II forums.

With the return of the Firebat (for testing) and improvements made to both the Ghosts and Medics, there are a lot of exciting changes being tested for the Terran faction! Also for October, keep checking back to find out our new Monthly Discussion Topic.

Chat with the Devs: The Terran Starport will no longer transform into a Starbase. <More info pending down the thread, keep checking back on this thread for updates>

Again, give devs and me a w00t! if you are enjoying these Q&As!

---StarCraft II Q&A Batch 15---

1) Can an upgraded command center be salvaged? Does it lose its mobility when upgraded to a surveillance station?

No, the command center cannot be salvaged, nor can it lift off after it is upgraded to a Surveillance Station (allows the use of the Comsat ability).

2) In Starcraft 1, when you cancel a nuclear launch that is in progress, you lose the warhead. Will Starcraft II make any changes to this setback? (starcrafttwo.com)

Currently, if you cancel the nuke while it is firing, you will still lose the nuke. This outcome has not yet been finalized and may be changed in the final version.

3) Can a Ghost be equipped with both a Nuke and Drop Pod simultaneously?

Yes, any Ghost can launch either a Nuke or a Drop Pod, making the Ghost highly effective at responding to multiple battle circumstances.

4) Will "caster" units, such as the Protoss High Templar, have a regular attack, like Tassadar had in SC1, or will they only be able to attack through their spells? (blizzplanet.com)

Currently, there are no plans to give the High Templar a physical attack, though High Templar Story Characters will have additional abilities beyond that of the standard unit. At the moment, the High Templar is one of best support units in the game, with the ability to cast a devastating Psi Storm or choke off crucial areas of the map with the force field ability. Once youve used up its energy, no worries, convert it into an Archon with another Templar.

5) Can Marines be Stimmed while in a bunker? What about a Ghosts snipe ability?

In the current build, abilities cannot be activated while inside a bunker, but you can activate abilities before entering a bunker. For example, if you activate Stim Pack on a few Marines, then enter a bunker, they will attack at the higher rate of fire from inside the bunker. The Stim Pack effects will still wear off as normal though.

---End of Transmission---

Later on in the thread, Karune mentioned that the Starport's ability to transform into a Starbase has been removed from the game.

Batch 14 of the StarCraft II Q&A is up on the official StarCraft II forums over at http://www.battle.net.

Source

In our final BlizzCon video, we have for you the entire StarCraft II Demo panel, including Single Player, Multi-player, and Q&A sessions. Dustin Bowder and Rob Pardo were part of the panel and went over the full Terran arsenal - the first time anyone outside of Blizzard has seen a number of the units showcased.

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Today, Gameriot's Michelle Martinez was personally escorted into Blizzcon by Blizzard's Paul Della Bitta, head of the eSports division, to get an exclusive look at the competitive side of the upcoming release Starcraft 2.

The entire footage can be found at BlizzCon Footage: StarCraft 2

Visitors to BlizzCon 2007 will be treated to the first-ever public hands-on with StarCraft II. Demo stations will be set up at the convention, and attendees can sample the new units and gameplay elements for themselves in multiplayer battles. We’re excited to offer this exclusive opportunity to our players, and look forward to seeing you at BlizzCon.

We have several updates to the Starcraft II portal today. First is the Protoss Phoenix unit page on our wiki, with information and images of the Phoenix. We've also updated our Starcraft II Image Gallery with additional concept art, renders, and screenshots involving the Phoenix.

Finally, we have three videos uploaded to Curse for your viewing pleasure:

• Starcraft II Artwork Trailer
• Starcraft II Cinematic Trailer
• Starcraft II Gameplay Trailer

Enjoy, and be sure to keep an eye out for future updates to the portal!

We've updated our Starcraft II portal with just about every single bit of information available on the game to-date, including things gleaned from the gameplay movie, such as units not listed on the official site yet.

There is now info on all of the known Protoss, Terran, and Zerg buildings, Protoss, Terran, and Zerg units, as well as the official FAQ.

Additionally, we've uploaded many of the Concept Art images currently available, to our Starcraft II Image Gallery.

I've uploaded all of the Starcraft II screenshots from the official site to the gallery. You should also check out the Starcraft II portal we just opened on Curse, and contribute any way you please (wiki?). Maybe start some topics in the Starcraft II forums.