Looks like Blizzard is announcing a new game....

[JrK]

So far, it seems it's PC only! W00t! :D

 

[Kortalh]

Do the marines still get cut half?

Doubtful. The SC2 website FAQ says it'll be rated T, whereas the original was rated M. Unless standards have changed that much over the last 10 years, I expect we won't see things such as the labratory level with guts splattered all over the hallways.

Might explain why it has the slightly cartoony look rather than the gritty look that a lot of us seem to have expected.

 

[Pegultagol]

I heard that Blizzard is considering a fee-based Battle.net along with this game.
Maybe they will approach it the way Flagship has designed their multiplayer in Hellgate:London? Way to borrow ideas from a former employee.

I think Blizzard is one of few companies that explicitly stated they will be PC-centric and their commitment led to massive success. If they continued to get bogged down by StarCraft: Ghost, StarCraft 2 would not have made this level of progress over 4 years.

Here are the games that Dustin was involved in one way or another. He was primarily EA RTS guy, although was involved in Battlezone and the latest expansion for the WoW.
http://www.mobygames.com/developer/shee ... erId,2347/

edit: I checked out some of the promo videos and in one scene that depicts Terran and Protoss combat, I saw one marine getting blown off from the waist down with a trail of blood following it. There is one other death animation where one stumbles around before falling headfirst. The dead does disappear after some time into the ground. I wonder how they would keep this kind of content and still be rated T?

 

[Woetohice]

__

 

[Krafter]

Wow, a PC exclusive RTS? Starcraft 2? Very nice, Blizzard.

 

[neuromantik]

From what I've heard, it's going to be a Starcraft game. Whether it's an MMO or a sequel to SC we'll find out in a week or so. I really hope they make SC 2 and don't screw it up, there have been no interesting RTS games released recently.

Supreme Commander?

Indeed. SupCom is awesome.

The screenshots of SC2 look 3d... which is nice. Why have large monitors if you get locked into ancient resolutions?

 

[Suicidal]

I'd actually prefer if they didn't change the graphics at all. The graphics in SC are just fine for an RTS, and less effort spent on making them better means more time and money on gameplay and smaller system requirements. But since graphics is what alot of today's gamers want the most I can't see them doing this.

 

[The_Pope]

Not changing the graphics would be suicidal lolz. Plus it doesn't look like they put that much effort into them - enough to make it look good, but no stupid buzz words.

 

[neuromantik]

Not changing the graphics would be suicidal lolz. Plus it doesn't look like they put that much effort into them - enough to make it look good, but no stupid buzz words.

Definitely... they are keeping it scalable, at least according to their FAQ

Will StarCraft II take advantage of DirectX 10? What other graphical goodies are included?

The game will be compatible with DirectX 10, and we're still considering whether there will be exclusive DirectX 10 graphic effects, but the graphics engine will also be very scalable to ensure that a wide range of different systems will be capable of running StarCraft II. The new engine is also capable of rendering very large units, as well as large numbers of units on screen together. Havok physics have been integrated into the engine for added realism as well.

 

[Kortalh]

It's not like Blizzard is hurting for cash or anything. I think they can handle the costs of both improved graphics and decent gameplay without mortgaging their homes. :wink:

Honestly, I'm glad they're not (apparently) changing the gameplay too much. The more they change it, the more room there is for screwups. I've been saying for years now that if they'd re-release SC with modernized graphics, a continuation of the story, and nothing else, I'd still buy it on release day. And that seems like it's essentially what they're doing.

P.S. - Am I the only one digging out the old SC CDs for a replay? :D

 

[almondblight]

does anyone else dislike that they've changed a zergling from running up right and attacking with its two claws to a dog that has spikes growing out of its back? They look cool in the video, but not like zerglings. The new tanks/battelcruisers/marines also kind of suck. Starcraft was cartoony? WC II was, I never found Starcraft to be.

The new protoss units are great though, they give me a very Starship Troopers feel (the cover of my book has a large mechanical spider on it).

 

[The Watchman]

As much as i dislike WoW and utterly dispise its playbase, i have to /bow to Blizzard for the "pc only" fact as others pointed out. If only the bethelda kiddies had the same sense.

 

[kingcomrade]

What's so exciting about making a PC only strategy game? Strategy games don't port well to consoles, so what would be the point?

 

[Kraken]

Blizzard usually make their games for both PC and Mac, and Starcraft 2 is no exception. Interesting how they continue doing this, I can't name a single game lately that was released for Mac at the same time.

 

[United Nations]

I was disappointed by the trailer, but I never played Starcraft aside from the demo, so my opinion doesn't matter. I will say this: I dislike the cartoonish graphics somewhat, and the gameplay vid I saw lacked the gore of the original. Epic scores are cliche too nowadays, so I hope that a better soundtrack and more blood are added during development (although the chances of the latter are nonexistent). I found WCIII boring and childish, and I would hate to see SCII go the same route.

 

[kingcomrade]

These gameplay videos with commentary were posted in TC, in case anyone missed them:
http://www.evilavatar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30196

edit- Wow, it looks very rock paper scissors.

 

[Kortalh]

Before my brother got a computer, he used to play StarCraft on the console. I don't remember if it was SNES or PlayStation 1, but it was pretty retarded looking. I don't think there was even a minimap, so it was all a matter of scrolling around slowly with the D-Pad. And, of course, there was no multiplayer mode.

 

[Lyric Suite]

edit- Wow, it looks very rock paper scissors.

Much like the original.

Graphics looks incredible, btw. It's almost indistinguishable from the original. That's pretty impressive for a 3d game.

Siege tanks look (and sound) like shit though.

 

[Lyric Suite]

Here are the games that Dustin was involved in one way or another. He was primarily EA RTS guy, although was involved in Battlezone and the latest expansion for the WoW.
http://www.mobygames.com/developer/shee ... erId,2347/

I played several of those games. The man is a hack. WTF happened to the original team?

[EDIT] Just saw the mothership video. Naysayers be dammed, that was very impressive stuff.

 

[kingcomrade]

Much like the original.

No, the original wasn't very rock paper scissors. You had some units which did well against other units, but it wasn't as cleanly cut as it looks in the new one.

It's almost indistinguishable from the original.

What?

That's pretty impressive for a 3d game.

To be honest, C&C3 looks like it has better graphics.

 

[Sovy Kurosei]

The mothership sounds stupid but looks purdy, I'll give you that LS.

 

[NOVD]

No, the original wasn't very rock paper scissors. You had some units which did well against other units, but it wasn't as cleanly cut as it looks in the new one.

You probably didn't notice the very rock, paper, scissors nature of the original since you rarely sent single unit types against other single unit types. Plus, you weren't told.

 

[kingcomrade]

You probably didn't notice the very rock, paper, scissors nature of the original since you rarely sent single unit types against other single unit types. Plus, you weren't told.

Sorry, I know what I'm talking about. WC3 and C&C are both very rock paper scissors games. Starcraft has some elements of that, but it has a good bank of secondary stuff, like versatility against cost against resilience as being more important than the rock paper scissors stuff. Tanks, for instance, don't do bonus damage against Dragoons, and yet tanks counter dragoons. The reason tanks can't be countered by marines is because of their splash damage, not because marines do reduced damage against them. See what I mean? Most units in SC didn't have damage modifiers at all, and those that did have them only had their damage reduced against a few number of targets.

The mothership sounds stupid but looks purdy, I'll give you that LS.

I really hate superunits in games. In the original Starcraft you had very powerful units but they still fit into the unit structure of the game, they weren't uber. This mothership, with its ability to completely destroy a dozen battlecruisers with a single spell, looks a bit gimmicky. I hope this is a Protoss only thing, having a super unit.

 

[NOVD]

Sorry, I know what I'm talking about. Sorry, I know what I'm talking about. WC3 and C&C are both very rock paper scissors games. Starcraft has some elements of that, but it has a good bank of secondary stuff, like versatility against cost against resilience as being more important than the rock paper scissors stuff. Tanks, for instance, don't do bonus damage against Dragoons, and yet tanks counter dragoons. The reason tanks can't be countered by marines is because of their splash damage, not because marines do reduced damage against them. See what I mean? Most units in SC didn't have damage modifiers at all, and those that did have them only had their damage reduced against a few number of targets.

If you listen to the videos, the units don't have damage modifiers against specific types of other units (except maybe the colossus v. air). The zealots are good against marines because they can run fast etc.. Some units are clearly meant to counter other units, but that was always the case, and the units don't seem to be only meant for countering one type of unit. Strong shields that activate under heavy damage can counter any number of units, including the tanks.

 

[Sovy Kurosei]

I really hate superunits in games. In the original Starcraft you had very powerful units but they still fit into the unit structure of the game, they weren't uber. This mothership, with its ability to completely destroy a dozen battlecruisers with a single spell, looks a bit gimmicky. I hope this is a Protoss only thing, having a super unit.

They only limit you to controlling one mothership in a game. That just tells me that the developers couldn't balance the unit and had to put in such an artificial constraint in order to balance it. Now if they were so lazy as to put in a limit like that imagine how much time they put into balancing all the other units in the game!

I doubt it is just a Protoss thing. I'm pretty sure we'll be hearing about other such superunits for the other factions soon enough.