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.
Karune wrote:
The Thor has been the unit that just hasnt quite fit in, in terms of role, but it might have found its own little place it can call home. After the Devs tried out several things with the Thor, including making it a super unit, they have now decided to have it replace the Cobra, as the heavy and air unit counter. Additionally, they may be adding a new mechanic, in which the Thor will need to be killed twice, once to make it immobilized, due to its large size, and then the second time to kill it for good. When immobilized, the Thor will still be able to fire at ground and air units. Additionally, while the Thor is immobilized, a SCV can repair it back to full health, having it regain mobility.
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.
1. Will there be a way for fan sites to parse replays uploaded to their website so they can pull information such as race, player names, map, etc.? (www.vilegaming.com)
Exact details have not been finalized, but we do plan to create a much more robust way of being able to search and share replays in game.
2. The Soul Hunter was considered a good counter unit against the Zerg; why did you remove the Soul Hunter from StarCraft II?
There were a couple of reasons, but one of the more important ones is that it was difficult to make it easily readable in big battles when the Soul Hunter had upgraded. Another reason is that this unit was way too targeted against the Zerg, since they have so many low hit point units, as opposed to other factions.
3. Has the Merc Haven been removed since the Reaper is built from the Barracks? If so, whats replacing it (if anything)? (www.Starcraft-Source.com)
The Merc Haven has been brought back in for the current build. It currently needs a Factory as a prerequisite, and is a prerequisite building to build Reapers from the Barracks.
4. Will "Unlockable Content" be included with the game, such as Art Packs, Secret Maps and Missions, Extra Units, and Special Sounds and Movies? (www.starcraftzone.com)
We are exploring the possibility of having various types of art unlockables, which may include some in-game decals.
5. Is it possible to build Phase Cannons, turn them into energy and then move them across the map to your opponents base or an expansion, redeploying them using a Phase Prism? (www.starcraft2.com.au)
Yes, this tactic will be possible.
6. How does a Zerg Overlord fly? (www.gamereplays.org)
To fly, the Zerg Overlord uses gas sacs (filled with helium) combined with a weak telekinetic psi-ability for lift and motive power.
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Comments
My tidbits:
1) Yay, i really hope they have a nice site where i can view streams and what not of tournaments.
2) I am kind of glad they removed it, as it seems like the splurge unit people would make when they knowingly went against the zerg.
3) Im not a big fan of the merc haven, but im sure its good since IT IS Blizzard.
4) I really hope they have alot of this, decals, art, customizing units with your symbol, all that would be great.
5) Sounds like a great tactic that'll be fun to see in action.
6) ew.