Not much to say here. Had no idea Blizzard was working on this!
Another gameplay response from Karune arrives today, this time regarding some of the smaller details of the game. He mentions in his blog new Jackal units, supposedly replacing the all-time Terran favored vulture. These Jackals, built from the factory, have a “railgun” attack, similar in nature to Brood War’s Lurker. A snippet below:
2. Can a player order a Ghost in a Bunker to call Nukes and Drop Pods? baboonsy (Battle.net)
Yes, Terran infantry currently have all abilities except the SCV repair ability available for use while inside a bunker, including the use of Nukes and Drop Pods.
Abuse? Of course not, who would abuse something like that…*cough* BOXER *cough*!
Blizzard’s Karune has released Batch 30 of the StarCraft II Q&A questions, this time focusing on map-maker support.
Check it:
1) Will it be possible to code the game so map makers can make maps where people can stop incoming spells/missiles?
This should be possible through customized ability data and/or triggers.
2) Will we have selectable male/female of every unit?
No, we don’t have plans to include male and female versions of each unit.
3) Will we have the option to give players the option to change weapons in-game?
While we don’t have any plans for a specialized interface for this, it would be possible using the highly flexible ability system. Continued…
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.
Starcraft II Community correspondent Karune has released another series of answers to some question posed by groups across the web. However, only one answered question addressed gameplay this time; a little disappointing for those hoping for more info on the game itself. The highlight:
Will there be more ways to give energy(mana) to a caster? (www.starcraft2.hu)
Protoss casters will have an ability to transfer energy from one caster to another. This ability will allow for a lot of micromanagement opportunities to maximize the amount of energy to a single caster, for the maximum number of special abilities casted.
I hope Terran and Zerg races get some way to fill their casters’ energy pools, otherwise this would create a ridiculous imbalance. Zerg players currently have “consume” on defilers (and the Kerrigan hero during the campaign) that has proven to be an invaluable asset in games. Continued…
While Warcraft III players are begging and waiting eagerly for another balance patch, StarCraft got a little time in the spotlight with another patch.
Although there are absolutely no gameplay changes, it’s good to see Blizzard supporting a game that’s over ten years old now.
This particular patch removes the CD check for Brood War. While there have long since been no-CD patches released for the game, it’s about damn time that Blizzard did it themselves.
Follow through for the patch changes.
