Starcraft 2: Batch 27 Q&A Session

Our favorite community correspondent from Blizzard, Karune, must have heard my cry last time for gameplay news from StarCraft II. The latest Q&A batch features some answers from Lead Designer Dustin Browder, addressing balance issues, maps, units, etc.

Karune also gives us another peak at the Protoss Nullifier’s abilities: the Null Void. Null Void creates an area where abilities and spells are disabled, much like a silence-terrain type spell. He also mentions the Marauder, a potential Firebat replacement.

An excerpt:

1) How will the map pool for the ladder be handled? Only maps made by Blizzard or will there be opportunities for mapmakers to contribute? If so, how will new maps be selected/balanced and how often are you planning on updating the map pool?

[Dustin Browder] The map pool for competitive play will only be Blizzard maps or Blizzard-approved maps. We are always excited to see new maps from the community and when we see new cool maps we will definitely include them in the pool. I have no idea how often this will happen. It really depends on the map makers and our schedule. We also have some really cool plans for mod support for Battle.net for StarCraft II, which we will be rolling out to the community soon. We have all watched with great enthusiasm the impact that mod makers have had upon our previous games, especially Warcraft III, and we really want to continue to support and encourage this community.

The full post can be read here at the Battle.net forums.