Official SC2A gearvOsh Q&A

So this week I had many of you ask me questions about the current build of the game. Honestly, most of these questions were either impossible to answer, takes common sense to figure out, was found in the guide, or already been answered. I also didn't want to answer any questions along the lines of "How did you think the races matched up" or "What were your opinions on x", simply because my opinion doesn't matter seeing as how I ain't a large SC1 player, so my input wouldn't be consistent. But anyways, I tried answering mostly gameplay questions, so here they are.

1) Since we know nothing about it currently, how does the Nydus Worm mechanic work?
First you build a Nydus Network, and load the Network with all your ground units. You can then spawn the Worm at any location as long as its on top of creep (including enemy creep). Once the worm emerges, you can either unload or load units.

2) How effective did you find the viking and reaper when playing terran?
I found the Viking extremely effective. Such an amazing unit at destroying resource lines and air units. You can easily dodge ATA units by turning into a ground unit, and on top of that you can go to air to dodge GTG units. The Reaper I only found useful with D8 charges, but it requires an upgrade and is late tech, so I think it needs work.

3) Have there been any changes to the ultralisk, and did you get to play them and test how effective they are?
Unbelievably effective. For fun I massed 15 Archons (I have a screenshot) against my friends 4 Ultralisks. He nearly took out half of my army, and that was without the Cleave ability. They are deadly unless you have high damage output units or disablers like Graviton Beam.

4) What happens when you merge different templars together?
Nothing. You get the same basic Archon no matter what combo of templars you use.

5) Did the two Dark Templar models bother you during gameplay?
Not at all. You dont even notice it in the least bit unless you literally stare at the screen and zoom in. It doesn't affect gameplay at all, I mean seriously, how can you NOT TELL its a DT.

6) Was the prediction that ZvZ is primarily "Roach vs. Roach" combat correct?
Rarely did I see a Roach vs Roach match up. You would see Roaches, but I would see more people tech up to Mutalisks more so.

7) What do you think about Xel'Naga Watch Towers? Do they make that much difference, since we heard Dustin Browder saying that controlling them can be a key to victory in BR3.
I believe they do. Every game I played I would secure at least one tower using a Marine. This extended site can help you determine where the enemy army is heading, or where there expansion will be.

8) What do you think of the new resourcing mechanics? Is it annoying to have to reclick the proton charge for probes and remember to call down new mules etc?
Annoying? You mean you'd rather have the game play for you? No its not annoying, it keeps you on your toes and attempts to increase some macro. But no I find it great, especially the Proton Charge. Its one of those abilities that I would usually try and tech to as fast as possible because the extra income is helpful.

9) How do you think spawn larva compared to the Protoss and Terran macro mechanics?
Some say its "weak" and "uninspired" compared to the other races, but I would have to disagree. The larva are permanent, which is basically like 4 extra drones each time its used, and on top of that its also helpful if you need extra drones to build structures.

10) Are destructible rocks passable by any other means than air or destroying them, example pylon next to them so you can warp in units on the other side?
Yes you would be able to warp in on the other side, but thats about it. Even Colossus and burrowed Infestors are unable to pass under/over destructible rocks.

Interviews with Dustin Browder and Chris Sigaty

Recently, the television station G4TV and Joystiq held interviews with two seperate Blizzard employees. G4TV interviewed Dustin Browder, the lead designer of StarCraft II, where he reveals the current state of the game. The following is a summary of the interview:


    - While the AI has been significantly improved (for example, it will no longer charge headlong into a
    superior number of units), it currently does not handle Siege Tanks on cliffs very well
    - Mirror matchups are progressing well so far and have a lot of diversity. The Terran vs. Terran matchup in particular has become a lot more mobile thanks to units such as Vikings, Banshees, Reapers and Thors.
    - Map control plays less of a roll as it did in the original. Blizzard has yet to decide whether they want to go with that direction.
    - In spite of unfavourable changes, Siege Tanks and Lurkers are (suprisingly) effective. The improved pathing, which causes units to clump up more, improves the potential of splash damage.
    - The community will ultimately judge the balanced between macromanagement and micromanagement
    - Blizzard would like to make Nukes viable in regular gameplay. Browder indicated they could serve as an additional source of firepower for a Terran biological build.
    - Medivacs and Warp-In are seeing a lot of use, but Nydus Worms much less so.
    - Blizzard has plans for a Casual League, which would have games run at Normal speed and a mappool that discourages rushing.
    - StarCraft II will include Challenge Modes, which would teach the player various aspects of multiplayer play
    - Blizzard has intentions of including custom/Proleague maps in the mappool
    - Videos, such as the Battle Reports, are ment to promote StarCraft II as a spectator e-Sport (particularly outside Korea)
    -Browder estimated that the StarCraft II beta will last 4-6 months

Source: G4TV

The videogaming website Joystiq, on the other hand, interviewed StarCraft II`s lead producer Chris Sigaty. While the interview was less informative, it still included some new pieces of information. Here is a summary:


    - Mapmakers/modders will have the ability to create their own score screen which works specifically for their map
    - Blizzard brough back the original voice actors of Jim Raynor (Robert Clotworthy) and Arcturus Mengsk (James Hayes?)
    - Unit portraits move their lips (assuming they have them) phonetically with what they are saying, a
    considerable change from previous games

Source: Joystiq

New screenshots, renders and gameplay footage!

Im a bit late on updating with this, but better late then never! We now have 13 new screenshots, 3 of which are the new racial tech-trees. Alongside the new screenshots, we have an 8 min b-roll video of new Starcraft 2 gameplay, so check it out! And lastly, check out all the new Zerg renders.





New screenshots, renders and gameplay footage!

Im a bit late on updating with this, but better late then never! We now have 13 new screenshots, 3 of which are the new racial tech-trees. Alongside the new screenshots, we have an 8 min b-roll video of new Starcraft 2 gameplay, so check it out! And lastly, check out all the new Zerg renders.





My day at Blizzard and the NDA

If you don't know by now, on Monday I was invited to Blizzard HQ for a private press event to showcase us some major announcement. The event was supposed to be private but some site blabbed and the public found out and on top of that the information Blizzard wanted to showcase was not ready, so the event itself was postponed. BUT since many fansites and press sites already had plane tickets and their plans ready, Blizzard still allowed people to come out, and instead of the announcement we did the following.

Upon arriving at HQ, we signed some NDAs stating that we were not allowed to talk about anything we see or hear at Blizzard without their consent. After signing the NDAs, we waited out front in front of the Raider statue. Once everyone was ready, we went into a press room and then watched David Kim and Matt Cooper battle it live (as I stated on my twitter). They played 3 games total, all while Dustin and Rob narrated it for us. After the games were over, Dustin showed us the new replay and observer features, which were badass (more info later on).

After that we went off to lunch at Blizzards very own cafeteria. Once everyone was finished eating, we headed off an a tour of their 3 new buildings. We visited many areas including the wow dev team, wow art team, wow production team, marketing and business areas, cafeteria, gym, library, volleyball courts, the web and server team and lastly the Starcraft 2 development area. It pretty much looked the same as every area, except with Starcraft 2 crap everywhere. We really didn't see anything new in that room. And finally when we were done with the tour, we got to play Starcraft 2 for like the next 4+ hours, haha.

The game is amazing, and the art is coming out beautifully. I got to play and test every race multiple times and I still enjoy Terran the best. Once everyone played the game for a good hour, we started a 2v2 tournament between the fansites. Me and my friend (who is a horrible RTS player, lol) lost the first game against SC2GG, then won 2 games against another fansite, and finally lost again to Team Liquid. I was able to destroy one of the TLers main base, but later got overwhelmed because my teammate sucked, lol. During the tournament, we took a quick break and sat down with Dustin Browder and bombarded him with questions. I asked like 75% of the questions, simply because it got too quiet because no one had any questions! Once the Q&A was up, I played a little bit more then headed home, because I was starving. All in all I had a fun time, and thank Blizzard for every moment of it!

About the NDA
As everyone knows, we had to sign an NDA so that we couldn't post any information. Before the event was postponed, we were told that we can talk about the event and any info that day, so everyone still assumed we could. After the live battle reports were over, Blizzard mentioned that they decided we cant say anything, so we had to delete any posts/tweets we made. But I talked to Karune and was allowed to mention the live BRs and that we were playing the game. The only reason we weren't allowed to mention anything again till Monday, was simply because they gave us a week to return home, write the articles and get ready to update our sites. NOT BECAUSE OF BETA, lol.