News Archive

Welcome to the StarCraftZone news archive. Here you can browse all archived news that has been published on our website.

Blizzcast 6

Blizzard.com - November 19, 2008

Blizzard has released Blizzcast Episode 6.

In the sixth epic episode of BlizzCast, we spend a day with a developer and find out what life is like for World of Warcraft Lead Tools Programmer Monte Krol. Next, we take a look at StarCraft II unit design from concept to creation with Senior Art Director Samwise Didier and Lead Game Designer Dustin Browder. In our third segment, Bashiok spends some time with Anthony Rivero, senior artist for Diablo III, and discusses "bridging the gap" in the series’ character design. Bornakk wraps the episode up by answering some questions from the community.

Karune Q&A Batch 46

Battle.net - November 17, 2008

Karune has released batch 46 of the Q&A's. This batch highlights friendly fire, the trilogy, spells, etc.

1. In StarCraft II, will there be friendly fire? – Xigon(Battle.net)

Yes, friendly fire is still available in StarCraft II. You can take out cloaked units attacking your base by using friendly fire on your own unit and giving splash damage to cloaked enemy units, which has been executed by many players in the original StarCraft. For example, if you play Zerg, you can kill Dark Templar attacking your Hatchery, by targeting your Banelings to attack your Hatchery near the invading Dark Templar.

2. Trilogy is Beginning, mid and end, or is it the same story told from three points of view? – Lolod(Battle.net)

The stories will be sequential. The Zerg story will begin from the end of the Terran story, and Protoss story will begin from the end of the Zerg story.

3. Are there any special animations for units which are standing around doing nothing for a long time? (StarCraft 2 Source)

There will be multiple animations for units which are idle.

4. What is the optimum procedure for the new gas mechanic? Should a player mine both gases at the same time and cycle the inactive workers (when the geyser goes down) to the minerals? Or should a player mine only one geyser and alternate the workers between the two? (StarCraft 2 Forums)

It totally depends on what your strategy is in the game. For example, you can mine two at the same time and double up your gas supply to build up certain armies or tech up very quickly. Or if you need more continuous and stable gas supply for your strategy, you can switch off your workers between the two gases with your micro-controls.

5. What Protoss unit is now the best option to counter mass enemy air units? The Phoenix lost its overload ability which was really the only Protoss splash damage option other than Psi Storm. (StarCraft 2 Forums)

Against Zerg’s mass air units like Mutalisks, Archons and Psi Storm are still the best counters. Against Terran’s mass air units like Vikings and Banshees, Protoss can still use Phoenixes and focus fire. Vikings currently do additional damage to large ships, rather than light armor.

6. What kind of damage do spells deal? Is there a type “Spell” or don’t they have any specific attack type? (StarCraft 2 Source)

There isn’t a specific “spell” type of damage, but some do additional damage to current types already in the game. For example, Ghost’s Psi Round deals an additional 40 damage to Psionic units. There are ‘special’; cases though as well, seen when Psi Storms instantly kill Hallucinations and when a Yamato Cannon will not activate an Immortal’s hardened shields.

Read the full artcile in our Q&A section.

Dusting Browder Interview

Wired.com - November 01, 2008

Dustin Browder recently sat down with Wired's reporters and gave an interesting interview about Starcraft 2 .There are many juicy bits of information in it, including comments about Starcraft 2's map editor, its E-Sports policies, and Blizzard's overall design methods for Starcraft 2. Read on for the information!

ANAHEIM -- StarCraft is one of the most successful games in history thanks to a combination of endless strategic depth and Blizzard's seemingly endless devotion to its fans. From everything I've seen, StarCraft II is living up the high standard set by its predecessor, thanks to the efforts of a design team lead by the outspoken Dustin Browder. Mr. Browder was kind enough to sit down with me during Blizzcon to discuss the stunning overseas success of the first StarCraft, the controversial decision to split StarCraft II into a "trilogy," and why the game simply won't work on an Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3. (My interview with Mr. Browder is the second part in a series of interviews which began with my recent talk with World of Warcraft lead producer J. Allen Brack. Expect chats with vice president of game development Rob Pardo and Blizzard CEO and co-founder Mike Morhaime...

Click here to read the entire interview.

Karune Q&A Batch 45

Battle.net - October 30, 2008

After some time, Karune released Q&A batch 45 which is highlighted below. To view the entire batch, visit our Q&A page.

1. Do enemy Zerg units also get a boost on your Creep? (StarCraft 2 Forums)

Yes, enemy Zerg units will still get the speed boost when on creep. Currently, the creep shares no affiliation.

2. Are there abilities that remove creep? (TheWarCenter)

The 2 ways to push that expanding creep is to kill the burrowed creep tumors, or kill those Queens building them. On another note, the creep no longer damages enemy buildings. Through testing, the ability actually affected players adversely in team games where players allied with Zerg players would end up having their units damaged by their friend’s creep. In 1vs1 matches, the usefulness of this mechanic was hardly ever used, amongst all the new cooler Zerg strategies that have spawned.

3. Does the creep speed boost apply to zerg air? (TheWarCenter)

No, they do not apply to air units or drones.

4. Won't Reapers, Marauders, Hellions, Siege Tank's splash damage, and Stimpacks be too powerful against a Zerg player? All of that seems pretty well suited to counter masses of low-hp units, like most Zerg ground units. (StarCraft Legacy)

As you know, there is still much balance to be done since we have not even entered into a beta phase yet. With that said, there are several counters still to these Terran units, but Zerg players will be forced to adapt with new units and strategies veering away from some of the original StarCraft strategies. For instance, Roaches and Lurkers are excellent counters to Hellions and Reapers. At a later tech, Infestors simply rock massed units such as Marauders with Fungal Infection, causing them to explode when they die. All the new mechanics and abilities will add many new strategies to your bag of tricks.

5. Can Allies ‘merge’ their Nydus networks? In other words, can you enter through the Nydus Warren of player A, and exit through the Nydus Worm of player B? (TheWarCenter.net)

No, allies can’t share Nydus networks between networks, but allied units can enter into another ally’s Nydus network.

6. Is the Thor still an anti-air unit? Does it fulfill this role effectively? – Thelorme (Battle.net)

Yes, it is still an anti-air unit with the longest range against air units of any unit in StarCraft II. Visually, we are moving to give the Thor anti-air missiles that will fire from his shoulders, unleashing a devastating barrage from a remarkable range.

Blizzcon 2008 Update 2: Starcraft 2 Trilogy!

starcraftzone.com - October 10, 2008

Pardo has announced that Starcraft 2 has been announced to be a trilogy! Each campaign will be separated into an individual game, with the order of release being: Terran, Zerg, Protoss. In his announcement, Pardo stated that:

The second and third games] will be like expansion packs, but we really want them to feel like standalone products

Prices and release dates have yet to be announced, but there are probably going to be many questions and debates about Blizzard's actions. Here is a brief Q&A for those who want some unofficial opinions and answers (Note that plans may change any minute and that these answers are not official):

Q: What are the names of the three separate trilogies?

A: Terran: Wings of Liberty, Zerg: Heart of the Swarm, Protoss: Legacy of the Void

Q: Will Multiplayer be affected?

A: Multiplayer will not be affected by this change and all three classes will be available with the first release - Wings of Liberty. Any further information about what discs will be included in which game and how multiplayer will be installed is not available as of now.

Q: Will release dates be affected?

A: While this is an opinion, with only one campaign to focus on, Blizzard will definitely have less on their hands to worry about. The release of the first game should be sooner than before. Blizzard is pushing the game onto the gamer as it finishes, instead of waiting until all campaigns have been completed.

Q: How long is the campaign?

A: Each campaign will be roughly 30 scenarios long (with plenty of cinematics).

Please post additional questions in the forum so we may update this FAQ with updated information.