I’m still waiting for mine but I’m not desperate yet. Yet, if you can offer me a Starcraft 2 beta key, send me a tell!
While we’re on this note, beware of scammers who are sending fake beta invites and request passwords, bank info, and what not. Remember that Blizzard doesn’t need your password or bank info to send you a beta key. They have your email and that’s ALL they need.
So keep you fingers crossed you get into the beta!
Now, Starcraft2.com has a dedicated page for the Protoss Mothership. You’ll be able to see video clips of all three mothership abilities in action: Cloak Field, Time Bomb, and Planet Cracker.
Blizzcon first day is over but not before the Terran marines get their much awaited debut.
Personally, I’m not a Terran player. I’ve played Protoss for years and later switched to Zerg (to counter arguments that the Protoss were the “twinky”-est race of the three!). However, let me tell you – I’d love to sink my teeth into some prime Marine ribs. I meant if I were a zergling.
OK, besides the Marines, we have the whole Terran infantry marching: Marines, Reapers, and Ghosts. In the screenshot above there’s even the first infantry support vehicle – the Viking THOR. It’s an improvement of the Goliath (much needed one) and has a much more MECH feel to it.
Compared to the review of the Protoss units, the details are still a bit sketchy with things very much being subject to change. Nevertheless, I’ll try to review each of the new Terran units separately.
Blizzard will be at E3 2007 through July 10-13. Expect to see more gameplay videos from E3.
According to Karune:
Blizzard will be at E3 this year. Members of the Dev Team for Starcraft II and I will be there showing off bits of the game to the press. Look forward to seeing you there if you’re going.
PCGamer has done an extensive preview of Starcraft 2 – 9 pages in total. There’s quite a bit of new information that has surfaced.
For starters, the article confirmed that there will be NO HEROES in Starcraft 2. So if you think the marine in the trailer is some kind of a hero unit, you’re wrong. Though you could be right when it comes to the Starcraft 2 single-player.
Another interesting bit comes in the form of a screenshot (blurry, I know). Remember when I discussed the Protoss Colossus? I said it likely substitutes the reaver. As you can see in the screenshot, reavers are alive and kicking butt. So no substitutions.
In addition to the new Protoss units announced, I see that my favorite caster is here to stay: the High Templar with its Psionic Storm. In addition, he’ll bring a new spell that will create a force field to trap enemy units and create barriers.
There’s one unit that I haven’t seen before – the Protoss Tempest. This “dark” carrier will have use fighters to attack targets and its special is a force shield that will only activate when hit from the ground.
There’s a huge interview about the making of the cinematic trailer (i.e. the starcraft 2 trailer). I got the link from my Blizzard insider newsletter, so go and subscribe to it if you haven’t already.
Back to the interview though, there’s a ton of info on the scenes, the creative process, and what not. Here’s a point that I liked:
StarCraft II will have cut-scenes just like the original StarCraft games, but one thing I’m really excited about is that this time, the controls for these scenes will be much more intricate than before. Since our graphics engine for the game itself can display a wide range of effects, such as normal mapping, we can actually create in-game cut-scenes of near-cinematic quality. And since we have more control over camera movement, unit animation, and lighting, our only limitations here are the engine’s limitations. A good part of the plot will unfold through in-game cut-scenes, but the most pivotal scenes are still being told through cinematics.
The camera movements and the 3D engine mean that apart from excellent single player, we’ll potentially have an abundance of mods (like Diablo 2 mods) which could have their own cinematics:
Our plan is to make all the tools we use to create the in-game cut-scenes available to the players with StarCraft II. It’s always been our tradition to ship level-editing tools with our games, and I think that adds a lot to the success and longevity of games like Warcraft III and the original StarCraft.
I’m convinced! Now launch the goddam beta already!
The Protoss Colossus is probably one of the most recognizable of the new Protoss unitsin Starcraft 2. It bares a close resemblance to the aliens in War of Worlds. It’s a huge walker, so in this respect it has a reference to The Empire Strikes Back.
Trivia aside, the Protoss Colussus looks like a replacement to the Reaver. The Reaver has a splash attack (scarabs) and apart from it’s obvious role as a ground support for Zealots, it is often used in hit-and-run missions on enemy bases. The shuttle carrying a reaver and support troops is definitely one of the better weapons in the Protoss arsenal, especially against Zerg expansions.
See the Protoss Colossus in a gameplay video and you’ll see it shares some of the Reaver characterstics.
Now, all the hit-and-run missions aside, the Reaver was definitely one of the LEAST utilized Protoss units. Its slow speed combined with the AI of the scarabs meant its usefulness was limited.
So what have changed in Starcraft 2? For one, the colossus still makes an excellent raider (see screenshot).
The Colossus has kept the splash attack but this time it’s not easy to evade it or mis-direct it with a few dancing Zerglings. In addition, you don’t need a shuttle to move it to higher/lower ground.
Going back to rock-paper-scissors, the Protoss Colossus looks like a hard counter to mid-game Zergling drops and Terran marine-medic push. It has to be a tier 2 Protoss unit in order to have a chance to counter the above. I’ll be extremely surprised if it turns out it has an air attack as well. So while the Colossus is the ultimate ground weapon, the Protoss Mothership still rules supreme in the air.
Initially, I was thinking of starting with the Zealot. It made sense to start with the first unit that’s coming out of the Gateway. However, the Protoss Mothership seems at least 10 times more exciting, so lets forget about build orders for now.
If you interested in how the Mothership fits the storyline, here’s a brief primer:
After the destruction of Auir, and the attacks on Shakuras, the Protoss has decided to create safe havens within the sky. These glass domes encase entire Protoss cities and are a symbol of hope and power. Headed by the leaders of the Protoss Conclave, Motherships are not only armed to the teeth, but also act as a funnel for the Conclave’s immense psionic power.
Let’s look at the gameplay video (Protoss Mothership only)
Protoss Mothership Stats
The production cost for producing a mothership is not clear, yet you know what you get for your money – a finisher that will destroy your opponents fleet and level a heavily fortified base. It has 850 hit points and is protected by a 350-point shield.
The Mothership’s standard attack consists of eight psionic missiles that home to nearby targets. It seems like they’ll be difficult to focus-fire effectively. In the gameplay video, it looked like the Mothership is hitting two or more targets simultaneously. Lets go through the abilities next.
Protoss Mothership Ability: Time bomb
The time bomb ability will slow down to crawl all enemy movement in the area around the Mothership. In addition, all missiles fired by stationary base defenses (maybe Goliath missiles as well) will get caught up in this force field. Once the units are destroyed, the missiles fall to the ground and the Mothership continues unscathed.
Protoss Mothership Ability: Planet Cracker
This ability reminds me of the movie Independence Day. It’s a deathray that hits all targets on ground below the mothership. Its purpose is to level a base and/or destroy all ground reinforcements that enemy throws at you. Not sure if you can use this ability in conjunction with the Time bomb. It seems like a deadly combo to me: no one moves, while I level the base.
Protoss Mothership Ability: Black Hole
In case you’ve got the impression that the Mothership abilities target ground only, here’s my favorite ability: the Black Hole. It looks like the Mothership will expend all its energy on this one (you might even need an energy upgrade). The effect is devastating to all units in range – they are sucked in the black hole, never to be seen again.
This disappearing act takes things a bit too far in my opinion. So maybe Blizzard can balance it with making it a Wormhole instead of a black hole. It could cause damage and throw the sucked units all across the map.
Blizzard has been kind enough to post high resolution versions of the gameplay video we got earlier. I viewed the 1280×768 video on my new 20″ LG display and I’m definitely looking forward to more of this! I love the fact Starcraft 2 is now 3D.
Another interesting bit comes in the form of a screenshot (blurry, I know). Remember when I discussed the 
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