The Love of a Game

Over a decade ago Blizzard Entertainment released a game that had taken them a little over 3 years to develop. It had already gone through such a massive overhaul that it hardly resembled the original iteration. I am sure no one at the time knew the heights to which that game would reach. That game was StarCraft, and it has since captured the hearts of millions.

A year later, Blizzard released an expansion named Brood War to the masses. This continuation of the events in the Koprulu Sector upped the ante, in terms of both gameplay and story; turning the saga of StarCraft into one of the most beloved and cherished stories in video game history.

Blizzard is now poised to write history again, where success will cement them as the most popular weaver of tales in PC gaming history and failure means… let’s be realistic here, Blizzard just doesn’t disappoint when it comes down to released games. What’s different this time is the way the story is told. No more boxed-in heads, talking to the player or between characters. Now we will see the characters in a movie-style format, interacting with each other as they would in real life. The difference between StarCraft 2 and a movie is that this box office has you behind the camera, calling the shots.


BlizzCon 2009 Thoughts and Impressions

Sadly there were only two levels of the campaign for StarCraft 2 available to play at BlizzCon, but the two that was available were great fun. What made the levels most interesting was the ability to customize your forces in between missions while still aboard Jim Raynor’s flagship, the Hyperion. Upgrades are available for both units and buildings, making for more choices than you can actually afford with the available credits.

Some of the upgrades available for units will only be available in the campaign space. These units were too hard to balance in multiplayer, yet just right for the new single player experience. A returning favourite was the medic, with available upgrades for both increased healing speed and increased healing radius.

It's nice to see the team making otherwise old, obsolete, units viable again. I imagine that a conversation with a friend could go thusly, “Why would I want a medic when I can get a flying Medivac Dropship?” To which you might respond, “Because now my medic not only heals faster, but she heals more than one unit at a time.” Blizzard is not putting old units in just for the sake of nostalgia, but actually making them really useful for players.

Another great thing about these upgrades is that once they’re bought, they’re immediately available for use. No spending time and resources during the next mission to research the upgrade, the units and buildings start out with the purchased tech at the beginning of the next level.


Concerning the two playable missions, they seemed to be just a small taste of what’s to come (if you want to find out more about the other known single player missions, you can find a great article on them here). Keeping their promise of a non-linear story arc, Blizzard allowed either mission to be played, in the order you wished to play it.


The First Mission

One mission was the Evacuation of Agria. You start out with some firebats and medics, two classics from the original StarCraft, and must make your way past a small Zerg force to an underdeveloped base, of which you get to assume command.

I recommend getting marines to complement you firebats as Zerg roaches seem to be resistant to the flamethrowers. There will also be overlords spewing creep, making it impossible to build bunkers, and granting a speed bonus to Zerg units. Marines are your only available unit able to attack air in this mission, so they are necessary to eliminate the overlord threat.

Not too long after you take control of the command center and it’s SCVs, a convoy from the nearby colony starts out, making its way up the road to a spaceport. You must defend the convoy until it reaches the spaceport, once it does you can return to your normal routine (at least until the next convoy takes off). This will happen multiple times until the specified number of colonists are safe, at which point the level is successfully completed.

One of the more memorable aspects of this mission is that as the level progresses the Zerg obtain new ways to get behind the defensive lines you have set up along the road. As mentioned earlier the number of colonists needed to evacuate is specific, so if you let a convoy or two get wiped out, the level will take you longer to complete. As time goes on the Zerg forces become more numerous, and better able to completely bypass any defences you may have made.

So you have a choice, let some convoys die if you need more time to complete the bonus objectives (and the bonus objectives will be worth it, such as collect so many of such-and-such, and all of your infantry will receive a permanent +1 to their damage), thus making the level harder at the same time. Or make sure all the convoys get through, ignoring the bonus objectives, and complete the level faster and easier.

While there has been no indication that purposely letting a lot of the colonists die will have any effect after the mission is completed, it is something I would like to see happen. Maybe the good doctor who sent out the distress signal is pissed that you let her friends die and wants nothing more to do with you, consequently she demands to be let off on the closest safe world. Maybe Matt Horner (Raynor’s second in command and sometimes conscience) is disgusted, and missions that he could have opened up for you are now closed off. On the other hand, Gabriel Tosh, a man who understands about taking care of number one, now has otherwise unavailable missions for you to take. The choices you make in missions should have a lasting effect on the rest of the game, not just the current level. Whether anything like this will happen is yet to be seen, but StarCraft 2 did just get pushed back to the first half of 2010, leaving more time for Blizzard to implement new ideas.


The Second Mission

The other mission was brought to your attention by Tychus Findlay, the big marine seen being fitted into his armor in the announcement video. He has some contacts with a group called the Mobius Foundation. They collect alien artifacts and are willing to pay those who will “acquire” them for the foundation.

Playing this level will pit you against a group of rouge Protoss who guard the artifact, and against Kerrigan’s Zerg as well (we’re not told why Kerrigan wants the artifact, she just does). So it’s a race as to who will get to the artifact first, you or the Zerg.

Once you have broken through the protoss defensive lines, there are four massive stone Zealot statues guarding the actual artifact, so it’s best to have a lot of marauders with medics for backup to take them down. After defeating the guardians and securing the artifact Kerrigan pops up and asks Jim if he’s still trying to kill her. He reminds her that he is a man of his word (play the Broodwar mission “True Colors” of the Zerg campaign for a refresher), he will take her down. Kerrigan ominously tells him to hurry; time is running out for everyone.

This struck me as a happy go lucky conversation, compared with what it could be. What if Jim had completely wiped out Kerrigan’s base on his way to the artifact? Wouldn’t she be a little more pissed than if Jim had just won the race? What if you destroyed her bases over multiple missions, instead of just completing a main objective and leaving her bases as untouched as possible? Wouldn’t she begin to see you as a bigger threat, seeing as you're having your way with her? Now any future levels against the Zerg would be harder, for Kerrigan is taking you more seriously (lucky you). This line of logic would work for any enemy you fight against, including the Dominion.

Your play style could have an effect over the course of the campaign as well. If you were really good at keeping units alive, your reputation in this area would grow. People from across the sector would flock to you because of the assurance that your defences and tactics provide. This could be shown in-game by lower unit costs, or an additional number of units to start the next mission off with. Conversely, if you got a lot units killed, your troops would start costing more, for it would become harder to find troops who are willing to fight for you.

Maybe the dev. team is already testing systems similar to this, or maybe they’re not. We’ll find out in the months to come. However, these ideas are not mine by themselves, but logical progressions of known ideas already implemented in StarCraft 2.


Cool Stuff You Should Know

Both James Raynor and Arcturus Mengsk will have their original voice actors returning in StarCraft 2. Raynor is voiced by Robert Clotworthy, while Mengsk is voiced by James Harper. Zeratul’s voice actor has passed on since the original game was made, so a new one had to be found. Zeratul's new voice actor is Fred Tatasciore. Sarah Kerrigan’s original voice actor, Glynnis Talken Campbell, is alive and well. A petition was started when it was earlier found out that the original voice actors for Kerrigan and Raynor might not be returning. While it appears to have helped Raynor get his voice back, Kerrigan had no such luck. Tricia Heifer of Battlestar Galactica will voice Kerrigan in the second instalment. No reason has been given as to why the change in voice actors was made.

There are tons of fun little places to check out aboard the Hyperion. In the lab a you find a technician with a piece of toilet paper on his face; maybe he had a bad pimple? This space is where you get many of your side objectives, letting your forces obtain permanent bonuses.

One of the many uses of the Cantina is that it is a gathering place for a multitude of individuals, including a man who can let you hire mercenaries. Mercenaries are units that have increased health, armor, and damage. The Cantina also has a holographic dancer who is disturbingly hypnotic. Don’t let your wife see that one!

One of the most important rooms on board the ship is the Armory, where the before mentioned upgrades are purchased. It has a complete viking in the close background, and it looks like you could hop right in and start piloting it.

StarCraft 2’s game engine is used to depict the Hyperion and its crew, and between its power and the skill of the Blizzard cinematic team, the visuals are stunning. Blizzard defiantly made a good call by letting these guys work on other areas of the game; not just the movies.

Look for StarCraft 2 to hit retailers in 2010; but before you get too excited remember this: it’s done when it’s done.



We also covered a lot more single player material on our trip to Blizzard HQ in July. Don't miss a thing!

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