StarCraft II

StarCraft II is the long awaited sequel to the real-time strategy game StarCraft, announced on May 19, 2007, at the Blizzard Worldwide Invitational in Seoul, South Korea.

Development on the game began shortly after Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne back in 2003. Game development is "very far along," and already playable in multiplayer. The game was still in internal alpha/pre-alpha in August, 2008. Blizzard considers StarCraft II to be a long way from beta and expects it may take "months"; the alpha builds have been released to some other Blizzard development teams and the quality assurance department. Blizzard has yet to decide on whether there will be an open beta or a hosted beta. The teams still have a lot of work to do on the single-player campaign and on battle.net improvements.

Blizzard expects the game to be released faster than the usual 3-4 year period after a game is announced. The game has no certain release date but will not be released in 2008.

The lead designer for StarCraft II is Dustin Browder.

History
StarCraft II has been in development since Blizzard released Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne (July, 2003). As such it has been in development for roughly four years. The development was ramped up shortly after the production of World of Warcraft which was when Blizzard Entertainment hired Dustin Browder on March 14th, 2005 to the position of senior designer. He was later promoted to lead designer.

The team devoted to StarCraft II consists of only about 40 developers, including twelve people who worked on the original StarCraft.

Gameplay
StarCraft II gameplay will feature the original three gameplaying races and no new races.

StarCraft II retains some units from the original game, although some of these units have been given new abilities. Due to story events from the previous game, some units have been phased out or replaced. For example, the conquest of the Protoss homeworld of Aiur has prevented the creation of more Dragoons - the transplanted forms of Protoss warriors in exoskeletons - resulting in the remaining Dragoons to be redesigned with different weaponry and a shield that absorbs heavy damage and renamed to "Immortals".

The demo reveals new abilities that involve more complex interaction with the game environment than in StarCraft. Terran units known as Reapers can swiftly leap over cliffs, and Protoss Stalkers are capable of short-range teleportation to pursue fleeing enemies. Additionally, new abilities have been extended to structures. The Protoss are able to warp prefabricated units within range of their Pylons, and also possess the Phase Prism, a unit that acts as a mobile Pylon, providing power to Protoss buildings in the absence of conventionally built Pylons.

The number of units in the game will not significantly change. For every new unit added, one "underused" unit has been removed.

Multiplayer Gaming
StarCraft II is also designed to focus more heavily on the multiplayer aspect, when compared to the original StarCraft. The changes include overall improvement in Battle.net, a new competitive "ladder" system for ranked games, and new matchmaking mechanics – designed to "match-up" players of equal skill levels. In addition, the replay function, which allows players to record and review past games, will be improved. Resource sharing between allies may also be allowed.

The game is currently set to have eight players.

Blizzard Entertainment intends to make the game fun for beginner and intermediate players, as well as give expert players more depth in gameplay.

It has been confirmed that StarCraft II will not feature a co-operative campaign mode, at least when the game launches. However, Blizzard hasn't excluded the possibility and may install such a function in a future patch or expansion pack.

Gameplay Differences from StarCraft

 * When a Ghost paints a target area for a Nuclear Missile, a large visible nuclear symbol appears to the player. The small red dot is still all that is seen by other players.
 * A player can select multiple buildings. They can be put into selection groups. The player must push a button to create each individual unit from the group of structures. This applies even to Larvae. Buildings with Reactors will go into their own subgroup. Each structure will show how many units they are creating or (in the case of Zerg Hatcheries), how many Larvae are available. Units will be produced at the structure with the shortest queue.
 * A player can select 255 units in the latest build.
 * A player can set a rally point for a "town hall" to a mineral or Vespene source and workers will mine the resource automatically when built. Combat units will attack-move to the rally point.
 * Idle worker units can be quickly selected with an idle worker button.
 * A player may be able to change the hotkeys around.
 * Spellcasting units will use "smart casting"; when multiple units are given the same spell order, only one of them will comply, preventing a serious waste of spellcaster energy.
 * Control group tabs will display what units are bound to each group number.
 * Subgroups allow the player to scroll through different type of units in his current selection with the Tab key. If a group of multiple unit types are selected, the player still has access to their abilities.
 * The AI has been improved; it will scout more and make decisions accordingly. Player units "won't line up like ants" when given a move command. Units will not bunch up unless given a manual attack command against a specific enemy unit. If so, they will spread apart when the enemy unit dies or they become idle. Units in the same selection with different speed characteristics will continue to move at different rates.
 * Holding the Alt button will show unit and building hit points overhead.
 * SCVs can autocast their Repair ability. Carriers can auto-build their Interceptors. The new Medivac Dropships can autocast Heal just as Medics could in StarCraft I.
 * In melee games, players will be able to choose from between 12 to 18 colors.
 * Units have a hold button which stops them from moving and also from attacking.
 * The damage system has been significantly altered. Units now do base damage with bonuses against certain unit classes.
 * Terrain combat bonuses have been removed. However, terrain is still important in a battle. For instance, units that attack from a ledge will not be revealed to the player of the units being attacked. "Line of sight blockers", currently resembling bushes, will enable units to ambush each other.
 * Units at the base of a ramp will not be able to target opponents beyond the top of the ramp, but will be able to see brief flashes of attacking units. Units that reach halfway up the ramp will have unrestricted vision above the ramp.
 * Certain Zerg units can not only burrow but also move underground allowing these units to move right past enemies and possibly into their bases more easily.
 * When a players' main buildings are destroyed, they are revealed.

Resource Mechanics

 * Resource clusters will generally have two Vespene gas geysers, each with 600 Vespene units (smaller than the 5000 units found in StarCraft I). A player can tap a deplete geyser for more Vespene at a mineral cost.
 * Maps start out explored (but blacked out due to the fog of war) rather than completely blacked out as in StarCraft I.

High Yield Resources
Gold-colored "High Yield Mineral Fields" have been added to the game. These minerals are worth more per "chunk" transported by a worker unit. Expansion sites containing gold minerals will be worth fighting over, creating a new strategy around which expansion sites to claim. As of the World Wide Invitational 2008, they provided 8 minerals per trip.

A similar mechanic for high-yield Vespene geysers may also be devised.

Other Gameplay Differences

 * Some doodads can be destroyed by effects such as explosion, possibly opening up inaccessible areas of a map. Rocks will have viewable hit points and can be destroyed by any attacking unit. Cliff-climbing units such as the Reaper and Colossus can climb or jump over the rocks.
 * Observation Posts are neutral structures or doodads which can be temporarily occupied by units. This expands that player's viewing area.
 * Protoss "casters" will be able to "share" energy with other casters.
 * Customizable decals can be added to Terran structures and units, showing various faction logos. Blizzard has designed the Raynor's Raiders decal and is working on others, hoping to allow players to choose which decals their side will use.

Races and Units

 *  Main article: List of StarCraft II units

StarCraft II will only feature the three original races in standard multiplayer: protoss, terran, and zerg. It has been confirmed that there will not be a fourth race introduced. However, when asked about the possibility of Hybrids and xel'naga in the game, Blizzard Entertainment employee Karune replied that "we are planning to explore the mysteries surrounding the Xel'naga for the single player campaign. In the campaign you will encounter several unique units that would not otherwise be seen in multiplayer."

Blizzard discussed the possibility of a fourth race early on in the game's development. However, the development team felt that had a finite amount of ideas and wanted to make sure that they focused on the best ideas for the existing three playable races rather than diluting those ideas across four races. In the event that Blizzard decides to make an expansion for the game, Frank Pearce has stated that adding a fourth fully playable race would likely be discussed.

Campaigns

 * Main article: StarCraft II introduction.

The game takes place four years after StarCraft: Brood War, approximately the same time as the storyline of StarCraft: Ghost. The storyline is being written by Chris Metzen and Andy Chambers, concurrently with The Dark Templar Saga which is written by Christie Golden.

StarCraft II will take place both in new worlds and in worlds that had appeared in the original game. Char is back as is Mar Sara. One of the new worlds is Bel'shir, a jungle-covered Protoss-colonized moon that was a religious retreat until it was attacked by the Zerg; it now houses many ruined temples. The world shown in the cinematic is Braxis Alpha. Other new worlds include Red Stone and Jotun.

Jim Raynor is set to continue his adventures as is Infested Kerrigan.

The campaigns will be a tree-shaped arrangement, enabling players to choose different passages, level-ups and bonuses. Each campaign will have a distinct beginning and end, but the center portion will vary considerably when played by different people. Each person might try a different set of subquests, and finish them in different ways.

Each campaign will have its own starmap.

Recent Events

 * 1) The United Earth Directorate forces were destroyed by Infested Kerrigan's Zerg armies (though a few surviving companies are still around somewhere in the Sector).
 * 2) The biggest Terran faction in StarCraft II will be the "evil empire" of the Terran Dominion. The Kel-Morian Combine and Umojan Protectorate are currently independent from the Dominion, which is trying to consolidate its power. However, Raynor's Raiders are the main playable faction, and Jim Raynor is referenced as the central character of the Terran campaign.
 * 3) The Zerg, under the command of Infested Kerrigan, have pulled back to Char and been quiet for four years. No one knows what Kerrigan is planning as her forces kill all enemy scouting parties. Kerrigan herself says the Zerg have evolved and thrived during this period, and are becoming "much, much more, for the final metamorphosis has only just begun." Kerrigan is planning on invading many worlds.

Terran Campaign

 * Zeratul: "I bring tidings of doom. The Xel'Naga return, the cycle nears its end, the artifacts are the key."
 * Jim Raynor: "The key... the key to what?"
 * Zeratul: "To the end of all things."
 * ―Zeratul delivers a warning to Jim Raynorsrc

In the Terran campaign, players will be able to choose their own missions in the middle part of the campaign rather than progress through a set series. Interactions in briefings will also change, as Jim Raynor can interact with those around him (e.g. he can walk around the Hyperion, talk to characters like Tychus Findlay and his second-in-command Matt Horner and even play around with his armory's crane). Also, (access to) units and upgrades for them are purchased outside actual missions, at least in the Terran Campaign.

Heroes and NPC units
Heroes will not be buildable in melee maps. Each will have a unique appearance. They will fill the same role they did in StarCraft I, "but they will have even more unique abilities from standard units".

Heroes will not often appear in campaigns, and will have little impact in gameplay. Their role is mostly restricted to "story space".

Some units that were "cut" during StarCraft II's development will appear in the single-player campaign as well.

Other Races
The xel'naga will fit into the story "in a rather epic tale". It is important to note that the "greater whole" of the xel'naga race was wiped out, which means some of them may still be alive. According to Zeratul, the "cycle nears its end." This involves the finding of Xel'Naga artifacts.

Hybrids are not available as a playable race in StarCraft II, though Blizzard Entertainment has promised that "the zerg/protoss hybrid would be dealt with."

When Blizzard Entertainment employee Karune was asked if there would be any Hybrid units in StarCraft II, he replied "we are planning to explore the mysteries surrounding the xel'naga for the single player campaign. In the campaign you will encounter several unique units that would not otherwise be seen in multiplayer."

Movies
StarCraft II will feature fewer, more epic movies compared to the original. In addition, there will be several in-game cutscenes of higher quality than StarCraft I's pre-rendered movies.

Development and Technologies
StarCraft II will support the DirectX 9 (Pixel Shader 2.0) software. It will be fully compatible with DirectX 10 as well, which will provide access to enhanced graphical effects. The Mac client will utilize OpenGL, instead. The game will also feature the Havok physics engine, allowing realistic interaction with the environment, such as "debris roll[ing] down a ramp".

The game is expected to support a a variety of video cards; ATI Radeon 9800/NVIDIA GeForce FX to ATI Radeon HD 4800s and NVIDIA GeForce G200s.

StarCraft II will support screen resolutions from 5:4 to 16:9. Larger screens will have a slightly larger viewable range.

Game unit models will feature about 2000 polygons.

During game design, 3DSMax was used to create the unit models, and Photoshop was used to edit textures.

Plans to integrate voice over internet protocol into the game are underway.

Gore can be disabled, but doing so will require restarting the game.

Startools
Startools will be included along with Scumedit. Currently there is not much information available. Startools lets modders design and create doodads.

Scumedit

 *  Main article: Scumedit

The game will come with a map editor called "scumedit". The StarCraft II Map Editor will improve upon the World Editor from Warcraft III in every way.

Trailers, Demonstrations & Other Videos
Blizzard Entertainment made the very first publicly playable demo of StarCraft II available at BlizzCon.

StarCraft II was featured at E3 2007, July 11th 2007. Only a demo was viewable, not a playable version. StarCraft II was featured at BlizzCon 2007, August 3rd to 4th, 2007. Terrans and Protoss were playable. The same two races were playable at GenCon Indy. The game was available at the 2007 Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany, August 22nd to 26th 2007.

Official Videos
The official videos featured Blizzard Entertainment employees making official announcements. Most are stored on the official website for StarCraft II, established and maintained by Blizzard Entertainment.

WWI 2007 Videos

 * First artwork trailer, showing a large number of scanned Concept Art drawings/paintings for StarCraft II and another Protoss/Terran battle on a different map than the first official gameplay demo video.


 * First cinematic trailer, introducing Tychus Findlay and showing in detail the involved, robotic process of installing a Terran Marine's armor.


 * First official gameplay demo, giving a tour by means of a video recorded from an apparently mission-like game that demonstrates and describes the Protoss Gateway ability, updated Protoss Zealot, the new Protoss Immortal, the new Terran Reaper, the new Protoss Phase Prism, the Protoss Stalker, the new or updated Zerg Nydus Worm and classic Zerglings, the ability to combine Protoss Phase Prisms and Gateway ability to create a significant force anywhere on the map, massive new Protoss Colossus units, the ability for classic Zerglings to mutate into new Banelings, the classic Zerg Mutalisks, new Protoss Phoenix, classic Terran Battlecruiser, new Protoss Warp Ray, and the "ultimate" unit of StarCraft II: the Protoss Mothership.  It finishes with a Terran/Protoss brawl which ends with three Ghosts each launching a Nuke that wipes out the entirety of the Protoss and Terran forces involved in the brawl (with the exception of the Ghosts) and Zerglings killing the Ghosts and forming up the letters 'GG' as they mutate into Banelings.

BlizzCon 2007 Videos
Blizzard Entertainment showcased several videos at BlizzCon 2007.


 * Terran Gameplay Trailer: Shown at BlizzCon 2007, this video demonstrated Terran units such as the Banshee, Ghost and Thor.


 * Terran Campaign Trailer: Also shown at BlizzCon, this video demonstrated some of the mechanics behind the new Terran campaign, as well as discussions between Jim Raynor and other characters.


 * Art Video: A discussion featuring the artwork of StarCraft II.


 * Lore Video: Chris Metzen and Andy Chambers discussed the lore of the StarCraft universe.

March 2008 Videos
Blizzard Entertainment held a press event in March 2008 to showcase the Zerg.


 * Zerg Reveal Trailer: At the event, Blizzard Entertainment showed a video featuring the Zerg and a voiceover by Infested Kerrigan.

WWI 2008
Blizzard Entertainment hosted the World Wide Invitational in June 28 to 29, 2008. Live streaming video of panels and games were shown.

Game Achievements
Jeff Kaplan revealed that players of StarCraft II and Diablo III will share "gamer achievements", adding up to a Blizzard Level, in a similar manner to the system in World of Warcraft.