StarCraft II Q&A [Batch 53]

After a couple of months, Karune has finally graced us with another Q&A batch. While it contains nothing particularly earthshattering, some of the question choices were quite interesting.

Hope everyone has enjoyed all the BlizzCon news and got a chance at our Twitter beta key giveaway! Everything has settled here in the office after various shows and events we've been at, but we are back in the swing of things. If you haven't been following us on Twitter, don't forget to do so too, as we will consistently be adding more spotlights, development info, and fun contests on there as we approach beta and throughout the development of StarCraft II.

Check us out here:
http://www.twitter.com/StarCraft

1. Computer AI - Does the computers online AI vary from its offline counterpart?
No. They are the same.

2. Have you considered allowing a post-game lobby for users to discuss the last game, collectively watch replays, or immediately enter into a rematch?
Yes, we have a plan for a post game lobby. However the details are not finalized yet.

3. Is there any update on additional map features other than the Xel'Naga watch towers, destructible rocks and tall grass?
No. Currently there is no update on additional map features.

4. How many different voice actors are needed for StarCraft II, including the unit sounds and campaign heroes?
There are 58 unique voice actors participating, with some voicing multiple roles, and the number may increase as the game gets closer to release.

5. The terrain types in StarCraft II we have seen so far had names like "Bel'Shir (Jungle)". Does this mean that "Bel'Shir" is just an alias for jungle and every terrain is just named after a typical planet using it or are there - to stick with this example - other jungle maps with a different terrain set, something like "Aiur (Jungle)"?
We named our terrain sets based on the planets. There are a lot more terrain sets than in the original StarCraft and you will have huge flexibility in modifying the terrain sets (including adjusting textures, doodads, lighting) allowing you to create your own variations of the default maps. There may be other jungle-themed default maps named after other planets.

6. Will there be any chance to have more options on pausing the game? In StarCraft: Brood War every player can pause the game three times, but every other player can unpause it. How about a (user editable) time limit before other players can unpause the game?
We recommend that players communicate with each other in the game to agree on when to pause and unpause during the game. We feel that pausing the game interrupts the game flow and it would be inconvenient for players to be forced to wait for a certain amount of time before being able to unpause. The pausing feature is mainly meant to allow for pausing of the game when all players are in agreement and for which duration.

7. I already knew the map editor would be available to beta testers a while after Beta was released, but this is why I'm asking the bland question, will it also be available to non-participating people?
No, the map editor will only be available during the beta for beta testers.

8. When a unit comes out from a building will there be only 4 exits from the building like in Warcraft 3 or will there be "infinite"?
It is not infinite, but your units will come out from a building at the closest point on the building to where your rally point is set.


Source: Battle.net

Q&A Batch 53

Karune just released Q&A Batch 53. Here are some highlights:
Karune wrote:2. Have you considered allowing a post-game lobby for users to discuss the last game, collectively watch replays, or immediately enter into a rematch?
Yes, we have a plan for a post game lobby. However the details are not finalized yet.

4. How many different voice actors are needed for StarCraft II, including the unit sounds and campaign heroes?
There are 58 unique voice actors participating, with some voicing multiple roles, and the number may increase as the game gets closer to release.

7. I already knew the map editor would be available to beta testers a while after Beta was released, but this is why I’m asking the bland question, will it also be available to non-participating people?
No, the map editor will only be available during the beta for beta testers.


by Tiger0211

Blizzard.com Redesign, YouTube


After a very long dry spell with practically nothing new from Blizzard, we finally have some news:

  • A Blizzard.com redesign has just been released. Check out the new design at Blizzard.com.
  • Blizzard has also launched its own channel on YouTube, and uploaded many cinematics and trailers (all previously released).
  • Karune just now announced that Q&A Batch 53 is in localization and will be released soon.
  • Blizzard also recently released some videos from exhibition matches at BlizzCon '09. Unfortunately, the old link is now down (redirects to the home page of Blizzard.com) due to the new redesign. If anyone knows of a working link for these videos, please let me know.


by Tiger0211

Blizzard Official Website Revamped

There comes a time when the fruits of our laborious wait would pay off, and this is one of the lesser rewards. Welcome to the Future of Activision Blizzard!!

Once again Blizzard proves that they are an amazing company, with talented artists and staff. Just take a look at all the individual game landing pages as well as the 404 error page!



Source: Blizzard Entertainment


-Psi (P.S. The US Site is now online!)

Official Blizzcon 2v2 Vids Up

After much waiting and anticipation, the 2v2 exhibition matches from Blizzcon have officially been uploaded by Blizzard to the Blizzcon website. If you missed these match ups during the event, you really missed out so I suggest you go and watch them now!

You can view the video by visiting the link below and clicking the SC2 Exhibition Match.

Source: http://www.blizzard.com/blizzcon/video/archive.xml

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