While I'm writing news entry, I figure I'll field some questions here. So fire away, I'll answer as honestly as I can with the information I have.
I am, naturally, not an employee of Blizzard Entertainment - even if I were, the game and all aspects of it are subject to change. Basically, what I say is going to be based on what I saw today, and not much else.
I'll do what I can though. Go!
On March 12 2008 14:22 d.arkive wrote:
IS REVENGE BUILD STILL VIABLE
Yes proxy gates still work. it's 10/10 now, though.
On March 12 2008 14:23 Luddite wrote:
How did you feel about the queen? Does it open up interesting strategic options, or is it just a gimmicky hero unit wanna-be?
Gimmicky. It is expensive [150 minerals, need spawning] for its ability [160 hp, 2x8 damage] and is really only good for building defenses. It's my least favorite addition to the game, and I found myself rarely using it. I'd rather have six lings [unless larvae count is low, or I really, really need to build static D.]
On March 12 2008 14:24 prOxi.swAMi wrote:
After having first hand experience, do you see StarCraft 2 taking over and fitting nicely into the shoes left behind by StarCraft: Brood War?
Something like a percentage gauge of your confidence would be fine. Like 90% certain? 80%? Or just plain yes/no is fine. I wanna know if this thing can step up to its expectations.
I don't see it killing SCBW. I see it being more successful than War3, but as it is, it probably won't replace SC1 entirely. I do think it's headed in a better direction than most expect, though.
On March 12 2008 14:25 EmeraldSparks wrote:
How hard is it to get sizable army into enemy base via tricky methods?
Nydus worm is good for mass transport, if unscouted. It moves while burrowed, though, and detection is rarer in SC1 - so it's not too hard to use. Phase prism + warp gates = too expensive to be efficient. Same with dship, IMO.
On March 12 2008 14:26 Kennigit wrote:
Why were you so hard on the keyboard and how intimidated was that reporter when you guys played him
Early game/chatlobby spam. He was quite afeared.
On March 12 2008 14:28 azndsh wrote:
how much face-trouncing did you actually deliver?
We never had to call GG to another site rep. I also never lost to SoG  but those weren't very serious games, to be fair.
On March 12 2008 14:30 zer0das wrote:
How are banelings? I'm having a really hard time imagining protoss being able to counter them effectively when a zerg army is engaging the toss. Do they have like 1 hp and do like 20 splash damage or something? >_>
Also curious when exactly they become available. Late game I'm guessing?
Hatchery tech. Needs lots of gas to make, though - like 50 for 1. It does 40 damage in a small splash radius [I'm talking TINY, I blew one up in SoG's min line and it killed TWO drones] 60 hp. They're basically expensive, low damage, low splash, intelligent scarabs.
On March 12 2008 14:36 ._. wrote:
How are the movements and the way you can control units in SC2?
Like per say, marines could dance around lurkers and kill them and zealots can make a wall, hold, and control the tempo they attack.
How are the drops? Can you do neat tricks with them?
An example like tank "shotgunning in a dropship" or like dropping a lurker in and out avoid getting hit by a photon cannon.
Harass any good? Do they appear to be quite slow and expensive?
(phase prism vs speed shuttle etc.)
Thanks.
They're a bit more sluggish but that's b/c we were playing on faster speed and not fastest. Fastest not available yet. Control is similar on most units, though. Mutalisks can no longer move and shoot, but melee units handle similarly. Ranged units can still be danced like dragoons.
Usual drop tricks are fairly viable. I don't understand the lurker question? Why would you be dodging cannon bolts with unburrowed lurkre? And it's harder with Z since you have nydus canal.. it's not overlord.
Phase prism has speed up like speed shuttle. It's ok, I guess. Storm drops 'work' but you need 4/5 storms to cover a min line b/c storm radius is wimpy.
On March 12 2008 14:41 Manifesto7 wrote:
How many units could you select at once?
Unlimited. Unlimited is in, I'm pretty sure.
On March 12 2008 14:47 CDRdude wrote:
First, did you have experience with all three races? How polished did the game feel? Did it feel like a beta in testing, or a final polish before the packaging? Did you get to play any of the single player campaign? If so, how was it? Does it give a decent introduction to Starcraft mechanics and storyline (for the noobs)? With the advent of MBS, what are your thoughts on the time balance between macro and micro? How do you stack mutas? Do you still need to micro them in the same fasion to get the most use out of their range? What does the zerg use for drop tech? What is the square root of eighty-one? Are lurkers in the current build? Do terrans still have a scanner sweep, or is the sensor tower on detect duty? Speaking of the sensor tower, how balanced did it feel in the current build?
How about the hardare requirements? I assume they were running on high-end PC's, butdid they give out any estimates? With all the new graphics, does the screen ever look like something out of WC3? Did you get a chance to mess with the mapmaker? Do they have lost temple for SC2? Can you view more information with replays? Can you rewind replays? In BW, you could spot a cloaked unit by the distortion it made, is this still possibile in SC2? In your experience, does the MBS make macro easier to cheese or fend off cheese? Do Zerg still have scourge? Will Flash beat Stork in the OSL finals? I have to sleep soon, but Ill be back with more questions in the morning.
Yes, I played all races. It feels like an alpha game. Sounds are still not worked out, even some unit portraits are the SC1 portraits just put in to have some placeholder. No single player yet.
MBS is too easy to macro. Muta stack must be done ghetto way [right click on unit/mineral to stack] and cannot move while shoot. They're trying to fix that though.
Zerg uses nydus canal worm thing. Lair tech. That building also gives you Hive upgrade ability. [replaces queen nest]. Nine. Yes. Can make CC an observation sweepy thingy.
Hardware unknown. A little bit WC3-y, but more polygon count. No. No. No. Unknown. Yes, can see cloak shimmer. It doesn't really affect it one way or the other. Maybe it makes cheese easier a little. No. Yes.
On March 12 2008 15:29 noojOh wrote:
Will Nal_rA be able to pull off crazy strats with toss still?
Will we still see Reach's Manlots charging in and taking out tanks?
Will Jaedong be able to show his fearsome liar tech zerg and unstoppable hive tech zerg?
Will Bisu still be able to destroy any zerg with toss without corsairs?
Will Savior make a comeback in SC2?
How are carriers, will Stork still be able to use them like he used to?
Will Flash still rape without goliaths?
Yes, even more maybe - building placement is a little more artsy [but buildings are clunky] so he'll be able to make nice bases. Cannons are stronger [125shield 125 hp] and they warp. Plus, things like the nullifier allow for some early gimmicks. We didn't really get to use them much, though. There were a LOT of things we didn't get to fully explore, to be honest.
Charge is even better than speedlots, comparatively. Jackals do splash, but less damage than vuls. Also no mines taking out half your zlots before they reach the enemy [although also no mine bombs anymore..] Immortal/Lot rapes mech. One of the games I almost lost vs Raistlin involved immortal/lot/DT breaking my tank/jackal line.
Lair tech Jaedong will be insane because lair tech Jaedong will have lair tech Dark Swarm. I told Dustin about that, and some other Zerg overpowered-ness. Probably will be nerfed; dark swarm may even be removed.
The phoenix is a weaker Corsair. Somewhat more HP, similar top speed, crappy acceleration, no splash [unless overload] But that being said, detection isn't free anymore - so phoenix/DT is at least as viable as sair/DT
Maybe. He was really raving about it according to the Blizz guys.
Carriers operate essentially the same way. We played on relatively small maps, so carriers didn't see much time.
Terran vs Protoss lategame is really a fuck without golis. Thors shoot air, I think? But it's a bit stupid to be using thors antiair. Vikings work, but that involves starports and factories. It's a different game. Infantry still dies to storm [even though storm is weak]
On March 13 2008 06:20 Krohm wrote:
What were some builds that you used when you played?
What seemed effective early game? (All races)
What seemed effective mid game? (All races)
Did early game feel similar to SC1? (Did attacks happen just as soon? etc.)
Roach rush for Zerg. Works against all races. Baneling rush is not as good. Mutaling still works. Lurkerling is ok, too.
Protoss had a lot of gatefirst strategies since the maps we used were iffy for FE [two entrances]; some2gate zealots into stalkers and then DTs.
Terrans had walls into infantry or walls into mech. 1fac CC still works, as far as I can tell.
We didn't really get to play enough to find out 'oh, this unit combo is best', and also since our opponents were not really similar level it didn't MATTER what units we had midgame. We just had so many MORE that it was irrelevant. Like at one point I had about 180 supply of hydras vs. a couple dozen marines and two tanks and I was just like .shrug. w/e.
Yes, it's fairly violent and brutal and quick. Even at faster speed. I'd rather have played on fastest, though; it did seem slightly slower than SC1.
On March 13 2008 08:09 glassmazarin wrote:
did the game feel like it could be close to beta?
It's in alpha stage - Beta.. how close do you term 'close'? Haha. It does seem like beta won't be aeons off, but beta won't be next week either.
On March 12 2008 23:14 Chill wrote:
Do 3 Zerglings kill a Zealot?
How many Zerglings come out of a Larva?
How much supply do Zerglings take?
What tech level is the Baneling upgrade?
Yes, if microed.
Two.
One-half.
Hatchery. [Upgraded at the Baenelin building which is called 'Nest' or something]
On March 12 2008 23:17 Caller wrote:
Are Jackals still in the game?
What about Cobras?
How do those Maruaders work?
Yes
No
Well? They do good damage. I found myself using mech more than infantry though.
On March 12 2008 23:34 zdd wrote:
how is the unit reaction time? many modern 3d games have horrible unit reaction times, which makes the units a pain to micro
Fast. Originally they were toying with slow reaction tmies on things like the Thor, but they removed that since Thor was sucking against small units. One zealot could beat a Thor, for instance. So they took out slow reactions.
It seems a little slwoer than SC1 but, again, might jsut be b/c of faster speed setting instead of fastest.
On March 13 2008 01:30 omgbnetsux wrote:
Is the Phoenix still the best unit in the game?
No, it's like a weaker sair. Bad acceleration, no splash, similar cost/hp. Does not hit ground anymore.
On March 13 2008 08:09 glassmazarin wrote:
did the game feel like it could be close to beta?
EDIT: what does the tabs on the interface do? (the tabs right above where the green picture of the unit you have selected is (not the portrait))
Fairly close. Mid-alpha, maybe late alpha. Just a guess, though.
They tell what your hotkeys are.
On March 13 2008 13:10 Luddite wrote:
Found this on Blizz forums. Can you confirm? I'm especially curious about the colossus not being able to move up and down cliffs part.
"Source - Some of Korean player who plays Starcraft 2 at there
1. Mothership now has the black hole ability again. It also affects to ground unit.
2. Colossus can't go over a cliff (What ???)
3. No medic. (What ???)
4. Marauder also has a stimpack.
5. Dropship has a heal ability. (repair?) It's an autocast skill.
6. Zerg doesn't have an universal upgrade, but has each unit upgrade like priest or sorceress in Warcraft III
7. Baneling takes 1 food and some resources.
8. Queen builds colonies like spore, sunken. Drone can't.
9. Nydus worm ignores every terrain.
10. Swarm guardian's spawn broodling is not an active ability. There are two assumptions about that.
(1) When it destroys enemy unit, broodling is out from enemy corpse.
(2) It fires two broodling every shot, and broodlings aid a combat.
11. Zerg hatchery has two rally points for drone and combat unit.
12. Egg has a low armor.
13. Queen can be upgraded two times. Each upgrade grants more stats and ability to queen.
14. Drone gathers 6 minerals at the one time. And at the start of the game, player has 6 drones."
1) Yes, it's overpowered. Dustin says they're going to remove it (again).
2) It can walk over cliffs. At least mine could.
3) Medic is indeed cut.
4) Yes he does
5) Yeah, it replaces Med
6)Correct.
7) Yes.
8) Yes.
9) Yes
10) When it shoots, it makes two broodlings as well as dealing 25 damage.
11) Yes.
12) Didn't check.
13) Yes.
14) THAT'S WHY MINING WAS SO SLOW LOL. Maybe it is 6 mins at a time. I can confirm 6 starting drones.
On March 13 2008 14:48 GeneralStan wrote:
Are there any camera controls?
Yeah, you can zoom in and stuff. Zooming in makes things pretty. I was microing an attack while zoomed in - it's really super hard. So overall it's rather useless except for in-game cinematics or something like that.
On March 13 2008 19:08 glassmazarin wrote:how did the new siege tank feel? did u like it? ive gotten the impression that it costs more and hits harder.. do u still think going metal is feasible in some matchups? (going metal in bw is sex to me, so this question lies close to my heart )
It felt beastly. Quite powerful looking/sounding. It does indeed cost more, and does do more damage/have more HP.
I used metal in TvP; it seems 'feasible' but it is weak vs zlot/immortal. I nearly lost one game to a DT/Zlot/Immortal break against my jackal/tank line; fortunately I can macro like iloveoov in SC2 so it was no problem.
On March 14 2008 01:39 GeneralStan wrote:
Related to my other question, is it possible to zoom out past the initial view or rotate the camera?
Cannot zoom out more. As far as I could tell, can't rotate either - though maybe I just didn't know the command for it.
On March 14 2008 03:10 Zelniq wrote:
Do you know if Blizzard has tested out different variations of MBS? (such as.. you can still select multiple buildings but can only build one unit at a time with each keypress)
Yes, they've tried to do different methods of MBS/add in other things, but so far nothing has worked.
On March 14 2008 07:09 Zelniq wrote:
I remember a while back I read that units that shoot from high ground to low ground no longer temporarily give vision to the player being attacked. Is this still the case? And do units still have a chance to miss when shooting from low to high ground?
also: WHY doesn't this blog post show up in the left panel under "Blogs" ? It's certainly bumped high enough on the list..but wtf it never shows
I don't know about the chance to miss. I do know that, in one game, when sog's cannons were firing on my hydras from high ground, I was able to have vision of them.
Because the left side is based on post date and not bump
On March 14 2008 09:46 NonY[rC] wrote:This is a question I put to semioldguy and I hope you don't mind me pasting it here for you too! If you'd rather just leave it to him to answer alone, feel free to ignore it.
Show nested quote +On March 13 2008 17:26 semioldguy wrote:
I think MBS is something honestly needs to be tested among people at the much higher skill levels, and Blizzard recognizes this fact. If it makes the game completely imbalances for esports play, they are willing to cut it. But they need to have testing results regarding it rather than just speculation, which is difficult for them to attain at this stage in development.
Since you said that they recognize that the game needs to be tested by higher skilled players, did they say when they're planning on getting that testing? It came up when you were answering about MBS/macro issues, but it seems to me that pretty much everything they're doing would significantly benefit from higher skilled players doing the testing. In my opinion, they'd really benefit from some dedicated RTS players playing their weekly builds for 60 hours a week every week to really get at the heart of balance issues. I just can't imagine that the testing they're currently doing is truly productive. They're probably just skimming the surface and making adjustments based on that. I'd hate to see some fan-favorite units or abilities get scrapped because of limited testing indicating that they're imbalanced. If you can provide any info you might have picked up on any of this from them, I'd be glad to hear it!
I asked them about pro feedback, and whether or not they plan on hiring a group of pros to augment their current 2. I do think that having more high-level players working for them would be beneficial, but I'm not running the show so yeah. I recommended for them to hire more korean pros, since I'm sure some of the lower-tier ones would jump for the opportunity. They said that they plan on getting most of pro feedback during beta, and aren't really looking to hire pros en masse during alpha.
So I guess.. wait for beta? It won't be too long in coming.
Last edit: 2008-03-14 11:31:06
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