Topic: The Starcraft mega thread - Rising from the ashes.

[bosshogx]

The Terran Supply Depot



The Terran Supply Depot is a building that allows the Terran army to increase in size as the game progresses.  Each Supply Depot adds an additional eight points to the unit cap of the Terran army.  In the original Starcraft, it was very common for Terran players to use Supply Depots to block off entrances to the base and use long-range fire to attack invading forces.  In Starcraft 2, the Supply Depot can now be submerged underground to allow forces to pass over them and then recalled back into position to wall off enemy forces.  Very cool.



A common sight when trying to break into a Terran players base



A before and after shot.

[KDR_11k]

Health bars that shorten and get redder are better than icons on another part of the GUI IMO, you can more easily see where the damaged unit is.

[UltimatePartyBear]

True, but it's easier to click on the icon sometimes than to try to click on a moving unit, especially in battle.  I'm assuming Blizzard will take a page from their own Warcraft 3 playbook and let you cycle through the selected units' abilities.  That way, you can select a bunch of machines and SCVs, tab to the SCVs, and queue up repair orders.  I'd also like to see a return of Warcraft 3's autocasting.  Just tell an SCV to always repair when it sees something damaged, then order it to patrol through your base or damaged units while you take care of something else.

Regarding the new supply depot design, are they affected in any way when they're submerged?  For example, do they stop contributing to your unit cap or take less damage when attacked?

[bosshogx]

Health bars that shorten and get redder are better than icons on another part of the GUI IMO, you can more easily see where the damaged unit is.

Actually you will be getting the best of both worlds.  The health bars from Warcraft 3 will be in Starcraft 2.  They will visual start at green and make there way to yellow and red.  That should make everyone happy.  I probably won't use the old wireframe that much unless I've got my units in a large clustered mass and have bars laying all over each other.

True, but it's easier to click on the icon sometimes than to try to click on a moving unit, especially in battle.  I'm assuming Blizzard will take a page from their own Warcraft 3 playbook and let you cycle through the selected units' abilities.  That way, you can select a bunch of machines and SCVs, tab to the SCVs, and queue up repair orders.  I'd also like to see a return of Warcraft 3's autocasting.  Just tell an SCV to always repair when it sees something damaged, then order it to patrol through your base or damaged units while you take care of something else.

Regarding the new supply depot design, are they affected in any way when they're submerged?  For example, do they stop contributing to your unit cap or take less damage when attacked?

From what I've read SCV's do have auto-cast on the repair ability, which can be toggled between always on and manual control.  Sounds like a good idea as I'd hate to have workers stop mining to repair something needing repair that isn't that important.  Right now, the only auto-cast spells/abilities are repair and healing.  They are going to be implementing smart casting, but that's another update for another time.

The Supply Depots will act the same whether they are above or below ground.  They can be attacked normally when submerged and won't affect supply at all.  Although, I would love it if I could launch Zerglings up in the air as they run over a submerged depot. 

[UltimatePartyBear]

They are going to be implementing smart casting, but that's another update for another time.

Does that have anything to do with the demonstration of the Ghost's snipe ability I saw in one video where three Ghosts targeted three different Marines at the same time?

[bosshogx]

Does that have anything to do with the demonstration of the Ghost's snipe ability I saw in one video where three Ghosts targeted three different Marines at the same time?

Hmmm....maybe.    And by maybe, I mean absolutely.  Man, I suck at keeping secrets...

[bosshogx]

The Zerg Spawning Pool



The Zerg Spawning Pool is basically a pit filled with primordial ooze.  It’s the first structure you need to make in order to create anything else in your tech tree.  Upon its completion, you can make two units: the Zergling and the Queen.  Starcraft 1 vets might be puzzled at the Queen being listed, but she has gone through an extreme overhaul since her last appearance.  In addition to allowing you to create new buildings, you can enhance and upgrade your Zerglings here.  You can make your Zerglings move faster, and later on in the game, you can upgrade their attack speed.



To think that only a Spawning Pool is responsible for all this chaos.



In Starcraft 1, a common Zerg strategy was to rush with Zerglings as soon as possible.  This is typically called #pool rush.  The lower the number, the earlier the rush would come.  The lowest would be a 4 pool rush.  The latest would be a 7-8 pool rush.  The downside?  If your opponent can defend against it, your economy will be way behind his.  It’s a serious gamble and if it fails it usually means game over.

**Please note: Rushing is NOT cheap.  It is a viable strategy which is high risk, high reward.  People who complain about it shouldn't be playing RTS games seriously.  Of course that's just my opinion, I could be wrong.**

[UltimatePartyBear]

One thing I never got about the Zerg was the fact that all their units are built at the same building, even though you have to have all these other unrelated buildings in order to do it.  I mean, it's a spawning pool, but nothing spawns from it.

[bosshogx]

One thing I never got about the Zerg was the fact that all their units are built at the same building, even though you have to have all these other unrelated buildings in order to do it.  I mean, it's a spawning pool, but nothing spawns from it.

That's a good point.  I never really thought about it that way.

[Djunknown]

**Please note: Rushing is NOT cheap.  It is a viable strategy which is high risk, high reward.  People who complain about it shouldn't be playing RTS games seriously.  Of course that's just my opinion, I could be wrong.**

I won many games by rushing, lost many games by being rushed, and lost a few more when they smelled they rush from a mile away (and won a few by countering those rushes)...

It'll be interesting how they'll balance rushing this time around. Since its too much pie in the sky for the moment, I'll wait for the invite-only beta till  I can get a solid understanding of SC 2 is all about. 

[KDR_11k]

I'd assume autocast on repair would only be used when the SCV is idle.

Simultaneous sniping sounds like a wait command. In Spring it works like this: You queue a wait (doesn't have to be the first command, you can make the unit move and THEN wait), give further orders (e.g. one target for each arty) and when everything is in place you hit the wait button again which tells the units to continue with their queue. In this case you'd tell the ghosts to wait, select each individually, give it the order, select them all and tell them to go.

[Ceric]

I'd assume autocast on repair would only be used when the SCV is idle.

Simultaneous sniping sounds like a wait command. In Spring it works like this: You queue a wait (doesn't have to be the first command, you can make the unit move and THEN wait), give further orders (e.g. one target for each arty) and when everything is in place you hit the wait button again which tells the units to continue with their queue. In this case you'd tell the ghosts to wait, select each individually, give it the order, select them all and tell them to go.

Thats pretty cool.  I really do need to get into Spring.

You know in my circles I was the only one to use supply depots as walls.  I definitely like you can put them down but I think it should slightly reduce the food output and give it some defense.  Maybe become a repair platform or be able to put up turret type defence.  Something similar even if its an upgrade.

[bosshogx]

The Zerg Queen



The Zerg Queen went and got herself a facelift for her Starcraft 2 appearance.  No longer content to be one of the most underused units in the game, the Queen is now vital to the Zerg forces.  The most obvious difference is that the Queen is no longer a flying unit.  The Queen is now a ground unit that is used for base defense.  The Zerg can only have one Queen at a time.  The role of the Queen in Starcraft 2 is to build base defenses instead of sacrificing money gatherers.  The Queen has the power of a standard Protoss Zealot.  While that may be fairly strong, she has to be protected at all costs.



Although the storyline hasn’t been revealed, it’s not to far of a stretch to assume that Kerrigan has the Queen fulfilling the role of the Cerebrates.  Of course, there is only one true Queen of the swarm.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BqEWh0yHx0

Here’s a brief clip of the Queen laying waste to some Marines.

[KDR_11k]

I definitely like you can put them down but I think it should slightly reduce the food output

What happens if the food capacity falls below the usage? You can reduce resource outputs but not capacities.

[Ceric]

You

I definitely like you can put them down but I think it should slightly reduce the food output

What happens if the food capacity falls below the usage? You can reduce resource outputs but not capacities.

You incur Upkeep.

[bosshogx]

You

I definitely like you can put them down but I think it should slightly reduce the food output

What happens if the food capacity falls below the usage? You can reduce resource outputs but not capacities.

You incur Upkeep.

Ugh...upkeep.  No thank you.  That mechanic and low unit caps turned me away from Warcraft 3.

In regular Starcraft it's possible to have more units than supply, but in that case, you can't create anymore units until you've built supply up again.  It's a particularly bad for the Zerg when their opponents go Overlord hunting with Corsairs or Wraiths.  After the Overlords get killed, the Zerg has to remake them.  The opponent can camp up near the hatcheries and wait for the new Overlords to hatch.  If the Zerg player hasn't set up any anti-air, then it's 'gg' for them.

[ReverendNoahWhateley]

I no likes Kerrigan.  Ruined Brood War for me.

[KDR_11k]

Ugh...upkeep.  No thank you.  That mechanic and low unit caps turned me away from Warcraft 3.

In regular Starcraft it's possible to have more units than supply, but in that case, you can't create anymore units until you've built supply up again.  It's a particularly bad for the Zerg when their opponents go Overlord hunting with Corsairs or Wraiths.  After the Overlords get killed, the Zerg has to remake them.  The opponent can camp up near the hatcheries and wait for the new Overlords to hatch.  If the Zerg player hasn't set up any anti-air, then it's 'gg' for them.

That wouldn't really work well with changing supply amounts, people would just set the farms to high supply mode while building units and low supply when not.

[Kairon]

I no likes Kerrigan.  Ruined Brood War for me.

Yeah, broodwar was snooze city thanks to the Kerrigan > all story. *yawn*

[bosshogx]

Zerg Queen Upgrades

The Queen has gone through some large changes as she is a far cry from what she used to be in Starcraft 1.  The Queen now has a variety of base defense themed abilities.  In addition to her new abilities, the Queen can grow along with the base.  With each evolution, the Queen is granted more strength and new abilities.

Once the Zerg player has upgraded any Hatchery into a Lair, the Queen can evolve into a Lair Watcher.  She gets an extra upgrade to her Hit Points and Energy.  When the Zerg player upgrades his Lair into a Hive, the Lair Watcher can evolve into a Hive Matriarch.  She will receive a substantial Hit Point upgrade and more energy.  The Matriarch is the final evolution and will include all of her abilities.

The Queen has a list of abilities that include the following:

Regeneration: She can heal any Zerg unit

Shrieker: Places a small insect on any building.  The insect will reveal any cloaked units within it’s range.  This ability costs money and not energy.

Swarm Infestation: The Queen can temporarily turn any building into an attacking structure.  This ability costs money and not energy.

Sunken Cluster: Allows the expansion of the Creep.  This ability costs money and not energy.

Swarm Clutch: Creates a high damaging, but low Hit Point attacking structure.  This ability costs money and not energy.

Deep Tunnel: Allows her to travel from any part of the Creep to any other Creep on the map.  The Lair Watcher gets this ability.

Toxic Creep: Turns patches of the Creep into poison that will damage units that stay on it for too long.  The Hive Matriarch gets this ability.

The Queen laying defensive structures.

The Queen starts laying eggs around the 3:00 minute mark.  When the Zealots attack, watch how fast those structures fire on them.  Remember, none of these abilities are final and may change in the future.

Watching the video to the very end will give you a sneak peak at tomorrows update.   

[Ceric]

Zerg Queen Upgrades

The Queen has gone through some large changes as she is a far cry from what she used to be in Starcraft 1.  The Queen now has a variety of base defense themed abilities.  In addition to her new abilities, the Queen can grow along with the base.  With each evolution, the Queen is granted more strength and new abilities.

Once the Zerg player has upgraded any Hatchery into a Lair, the Queen can evolve into a Lair Watcher.  She gets an extra upgrade to her Hit Points and Energy.  When the Zerg player upgrades his Lair into a Hive, the Lair Watcher can evolve into a Hive Matriarch.  She will receive a substantial Hit Point upgrade and more energy.  The Matriarch is the final evolution and will include all of her abilities.

The Queen has a list of abilities that include the following:

Regeneration: She can heal any Zerg unit

Shrieker: Places a small insect on any building.  The insect will reveal any cloaked units within it’s range.  This ability costs money and not energy.

Swarm Infestation: The Queen can temporarily turn any building into an attacking structure.  This ability costs money and not energy.

Sunken Cluster: Allows the expansion of the Creep.  This ability costs money and not energy.

Swarm Clutch: Creates a high damaging, but low Hit Point attacking structure.  This ability costs money and not energy.

Deep Tunnel: Allows her to travel from any part of the Creep to any other Creep on the map.  The Lair Watcher gets this ability.

Toxic Creep: Turns patches of the Creep into poison that will damage units that stay on it for too long.  The Hive Matriarch gets this ability.

The Queen laying defensive structures.

The Queen starts laying eggs around the 3:00 minute mark.  When the Zealots attack, watch how fast those structures fire on them.  Remember, none of these abilities are final and may change in the future.

Watching the video to the very end will give you a sneak peak at tomorrows update.  

Whats the point of Energy on the Queen if its all tied to Money?

[KDR_11k]

Healing, Deep Tunnel and Toxic Creep aren't tied to money.

[bosshogx]

Healing, Deep Tunnel and Toxic Creep aren't tied to money.

Yup.  Right now the Queen gets healing at start, Tunnel at Watcher, and Toxic at Matriarch.  It hasn't been confirmed whether or not the abilities have to be researched or if they are given to her automatically.  Oh, I didn't mention it before, but if your Watcher/Matriarch dies, you can create another Queen but she will have to be evolved up to her higher forms again.

[bosshogx]

The Protoss Colossus



The Protoss Colossus is the only robotic unit in the Protoss army made for the specific use of war.  All of the past robotic units were used for intel, transportation, or mineral gathering.  The Colossus is a massive unit that can use it’s long legs to climb up and down terrain with ease.  The Colossus is equipped with a laser battery that lays down a spray of fire that is devastating to large groups of weak units such as mass Zerglings or Marines.  In addition, the Colossus has a large amount of hit points and can research an enhanced shield to increase it’s overall hit point total.

With all of these impressive abilities comes a few weaknesses to contend with.  First, the Colossus is so massive that it can be hit by units that shoot at air.  If you walk a Colossus by missle turrets, they will start unloading on it.  To make things worse, the Colossus can not target air units.  It’s a dedicated ground to ground only unit.  A group of air to ground units will make short work of an undefended Colossus.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjIxRL5cVqo

The above video shows enemy Zerglings getting wasted.  But try that against Banelings and you get a different result.  Finally, at the end you can see an example of the Colossus walking up and down a cliff.



One thing to consider from this screenshot is that the Terran player will not be able to counter-attack the high ground Colossus units.  In Starcraft 2, enemy units attacking from higher ground do not give away their position.  From the Terran players perspective, the laser blasts would be coming out of the fog.  Scary.

[Smoke39]

I don't get it.  Ground units need an air attack to hit them, but air units need a ground attack to hit them?  And banelings can hit them?  Does that mean banelings' explosions can reach air units?