Starcraft 2 Looks (visual appearance)

[eecer]

I've noticed from a lot of the screen shots that the buildings look really "clean", and I hope that they plan on making them look a little more rustic, or battle like, same with the troops. I don't think we want them to look perfect, we want them to look real, and real things don't look shiny and nice, they look used and abused and that's how things should be in this game.

[coalescence]

I've noticed from a lot of the screen shots that the buildings look really "clean", and I hope that they plan on making them look a little more rustic, or battle like, same with the troops. I don't think we want them to look perfect, we want them to look real, and real things don't look shiny and nice, they look used and abused and that's how things should be in this game.


Things that you have just build take a while to look used ;)

[10-Neon]

Most of the buildings we've seen are Protoss, and Protoss buildings have these wonderful plasma shields to protect them from weather and most battle-related ugliness. The Terran buildings on the other hand, while too pristine, just have ugly, chunky models. I hope they do something about them...

[Ych9]

The Protoss building looks beyond awesome. I love their new shiny look. Makes them look very advanced.

As for the Terran, I think their Barracks and Factories need a bit of work. Looks too blocky.
As for the Command Centre, god I love it. Looks perfect IMHO. I also think the Missle Turret and Bunker looks beyond awesome too. And how these Terran buildings liftoff and land looks kick ass.

Just the Barracks and Factories needs a bit of rework. Everything else, I'm very impressed.

[GuiMontag]

it looked like the basic look of the structures was done but blizzard isnt anywhere near finished on the texturing

[mc2]

All the Protoss buildings are basically yellowish, they all have the same feel, the same feel, and the same air about it.

Terran buildings are a bit too silverish. They've probably deviced some technology or new materials or new construction methods that prevent buildings from rusting. In the combat though, if it's damaged, you can see the flame going up which is realistic enough.

I love Zerg structures anyway so no need to make any changes on it. Though I do feel the Lair looks better than the Hive. The blackness of the Lair makes it look more dominating than the brownish Hive.

Actually has anyone noticed that the Zerg Hive looks a lot like Protoss's Nexus?. They both have that basic shape. Shaped like a pyramid with pillars on the sides.

[Gold]

i think there working really hard on the zerg buildings, they ahve said that they want to make each reace even more distinctive, so the zerg will look the best by far.
imagine above the creep all the buildings are connected by little pipes and cobwebs sitting on them, with little critters walking around from building to building

[Fenix]

Anyone remember the original look for Zerg buildings, that weird, sorta salmony coloured prime rib look? I like it, and I hope they go back to it.

[coalescence]

I hope they won't get that block look that the terran and protoss buildings have :bad:

[Gold]

have you seen the new refinery?
its got loads of little robotic arms on it.
likes guite cool in my opinoiun

[mc2]

The refinery sure does look good ;)

A lot of the structures look rather big on the screenshots I've seen. Were the screen****s enlarged or are the buildings really that big?

[NotDeadYet]

Actually I think those robotic arms only appear when the building is under construction. In the demo video, you can see the robotic arms when the SCVs are building the Missile Turrets (Y'know, before the entire area gets levelled by the Mothership)
-NotDeadYet-

[EdwardLuke]

Am I the only one that's terrified of the overall appearance of the game at this stage?

It looks nice and shiny and all, but maybe that's the problem?
One of the best things about SC was it's "grittyness" and now it just seems to be looking more like the funky colourful warcraft 3. I want SC2 to be unsmoothified! Perhaps the problem is it looks too childish... It doesn't look like a war-hardened age-old battlefield. The green grass in the leaked video i saw was so unbelievably green. It looked fake!

Maybe other people disagree, but i get the feeling that i might not be the only person worried about this...

[Gold]

i think its the new planet, the old tile sets will still be there i believe, and i really love char right now, and i think the starplatform looks good as well, its jsut this particualr planet

[PowerkickasS]

yeah it's pretty bad. still too colorful and shiny and slightly hard to distinguish anything out of crazy battles lol but at least protoss isnt as colorful as what was portrayed in sc ghost (they were literally rainbow....well the pylons were lol) nor is it as perky as warcraft 3, and that it still moves fairly fast and crisp compared to most 3D rts (which is the beauty of starcraft!)

[Gold]

post a screenie of a reainbow pylon on lsd

[coalescence]

"The green grass in the leaked video i saw was so unbelievably green. It looked fake!" Most worlds arent battletorn if you just arrive on them :P also, grass grows back in like a year ;D

[Gold]

its supposed to be an ancient paradise or seomthing isnt it, look at the dirt, its got little plates and things under it, its a ruined planet, pretty dark if you ask me, and look at where there should be "water" theres just grey holes.

[coalescence]

Grey holes? Dude, one word: FOG

[Gold]

it dosnt matter waht it is, its waht it replaces, if it was supposed to be nice and pretty and stuff, why not have water.

[coalescence]

It find it quite cool that a world has deep reefs with mist in it, you even see big trees coming out of it, it probably is crawling with lifeforms down there. A true paradise yeah. I don't want a valley with sheep as a paradise :P

[Gold]

yeah, thats basiclly what i meant, i jsut quiet say it right, its jsut as unique as the rest of starcraft, and its something different, i hope the rest of the tile set has crashed spaceships and things like that in it.

[coalescence]

O sorry, I thought you meant it didn't look like a paradise ;D

[Ghost]

I dont really find the green in the new leak appealing, but the stage that they used for the long video in the official SC2 webpage was cool.

[Meloku]

I dont know, I believe it will be nice to have the variety we've seen.

You have the space platform, which looks "gritty", you have char, which is dark and glowing. And then we have the jungle setting, bright and colorful.

The 3 environments make the units and buildings look different. Check out how different the command center looks between the 3 environments. You have the long shadows on the char planet, and the sun is overhead on the jungle planet. It just is freaking awesome!

The voice in the game play trailer seemed to suggest that there would be many different environments, and the space setting looks grittier than my kitchen sink.

[JudasXPriest]

Im right there with ya edwardluke. I saw the grass on the leaked video, and it looks like the grass is made of Neon, its soooo bright. i hope they throw some grit into that grass because neon grass is a WC3 thing, not a SC thing ><. also i hope the units and buildings arent so... bubbly. know what i mean? WC3 units are too poofy to be taken seriously. they just look like cute little teddy bears. I want the zealot to look like a hellish warrior who would slice my head off in a second. Not a cute little bubbly pile of cuteness that couldn't hurt a blade of grass lol.

[EdwardLuke]

If you want to know how i feel - just look at what JudasXPriest wrote.

EXACTLY!

Thank you.

Pleeease Blizzard stay away from WC3 when making SC2! They are compltetly different games. Seperate the two, keep them as defined from each other as possible!

Alright fine I can see why you like some variety, but for me starcraft shouldn't be so toy-like. It's meant to be DANGEROUS. WAR. DESTRUCTION. DIRT. I want the marine to look like he's gonna shoot me with his gun for looking at him funny... not give me a big group hug and move out to go read some zerg a bedtime story. I think that the terran should look much less perfect from what i've seen, they should look a little more... scarred... And although the protoss arn't too bad they need to be more mysterious and less (as JudasXPriest put it) "bubbly". The zerg better be very very slimey.

Maybe we should just cut down on the number of colours blizzard are allowed to use. They seem to be getting bright colour happy. Would a real world paradise have dyed grass? I thinks not!

Sorry sometimes SC2 makes me get very emotional :P

[zeratul11]

i hope it rain and snow (snow flakes falling) in starcraft2. that would be a major bonus.

i think the overall look of starcraft is fine. my only problem is the siege tanks model in siege mode and how the battlecruiser dies (toyish). :no:

[generalrievous]

ya weather effects in game would pwn the enviroment presented all in all imo are superb each having their own feel

[SeannarreT]

SC2 looks really good ... but i dont want it lookin like warcraft .... starcraft has always been its own game.. and i hope that even though the technology to make incredible graphics are available... that blizzard makes starcraft completly unique while still keepin the same kickass gameplay and visual that weve loved for years

[ya man]

Starcraft units and building looks like frinkin toys :bad:

[MrFrancko]

For an alpha build I think they look pretty good. There are def. a few units that I would change; namely the muta and the reaver but there is still plenty of time to iron out the looks of the game. It's the mechanics that i'm worried about.

[paragon]

I would like the reaver to look like the one in my avatar (which is a 3D model by the way)
If I can do it, Blizzard can definitely do it.

The tank also looks pretty cartoony.

[PrivateJoker]

I like the new looks of the Muta. The mutalisks in original SC are incredibly stupid looking. The new Muta is creepier, with a more intimidating "sharp fangs" "claws" thing going for it that the giant seagull/bat/monster with giant ***** tongue, simply lacked. :powerup:

[ya man]

i will say that the Terran siege Tank and bulding(Turret Tower) look like toys :bad:

[Major Willy]

Yeah the Tanks look like something I'd find in Toys R Us.

Mutalisks are fine, I like the dragon heads on 'em but their attack is kind of bland looking.

[SuperMarioPsycho]

the rim on the tanks cannon look like lips. big red kissing lips. ;D :powerup:

lol, what should i do, make out with the tank or try to kill it with my immortal? ???

[Majorlagger]

i agree with all post about the tanks looking toyish... i think a simple 3d model of the classic siege tank would be great i loved the original :D

[ya man]

ya it was the best lol

[SuperMarioPsycho]

i wonder if the siege tank will have new abilities? I wouldn't mind seeing an energy based upgrade that allows the tank to fire a fake nuke. (just think of the scared opponent frantically freaking, trying to fidn the ghost. Or using a fake nuke launch while the ghost launches a real one.) I would get freaky because they might like make 10 fake nuclear launches, it would be very distracting!

[Major Willy]

To balance it out a tad the fake ones would cost resources.

[ya man]

What do you think that the siege tanks its also a ground transport for infantry units.
marines will go 3x faster

[MrFrancko]

yeah, forgot about the tank... It does look kinda cheap. I'm sure they will change that a bit. I'm sure a lot of things will look a lot different by release.

[[LightMare]]

no man... you played a 10 year old game. thumbs down to you. i'd like to see you try to design a cool game like starcraft, the uniqueness of it, with the primitive technology 10 years ago. :powerdown:

[Major Willy]

10 Years ago is high tech compared to us, 510 years ago.

[[LightMare]]

*sigh* no it isn't. 10 years ago, we though we'd have today's technology in 50 years.

[paragon]

Project Revolutions 3D Siege Tank > StarCraft 2's 3D Siege Tank

And the PR one is probably less polys cause its for the WC3 engine.

[Major Willy]

Project Revolution's Siege Tank I admit is better looking.

[Ych9]

I actually like SC2's graphic.

I really love how every units look is very detailed. Take a look at the Zealot for example. It really has a personality feel to it. Compared to SC1's Zealot, the Zealot in SC2 just looks in every way superior. You can say the exact same thing to the new Marine and BattleCruiser. I also hated SC1's Dragoon look. I don't know why soo many people loved it, but I personally think that it looked soo goofy and not futuristic. Immortals and Stalkers looked soo much better in every way.

The only thing I really don't like, and I think should be changed is the Siege tanks and Soul Hunters.
Siege Tanks are actually fine during regular mode. But when they transform into Siege tank, YUCK.
Soul Hunter simply looks too goofy for a Protoss unit. Protoss are suppose to be religious and honorable warriors. Soul Hunter looks like criminals. It actually suits Terran more. They simply need a new model for the Soul Hunter.

Other than those 2 complaints, I absolutely love the new SC2 engine and graphic.

[MrFrancko]

It seems to me that Blizz is working on the Protoss look a bit more than anything else right now. That would explain why they are releasing info on them first. I think when they start displaying the other races they will look a bit more polished.

[ZiiDriX]

Glad to hear that, i think the Protoss buildings look ehh... Undetailed in the demo. Might just be because they havent worked so much on the buildings there.

[coalescence]

There are like 2 other threads discussing this.

[ZiiDriX]

Many threads talking about the same thing.


Btw. Whats that Power level thing? ;)

[paragon]

They better fix those buildings. Seriously, which is better?
StarCraft 2
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v134/yoda_24/gatewaysc2.jpg
Project Revolution (mine)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v134/yoda_24/Gateway.jpg
StarCraft
http://sysd.org/hybrid/starcraft/gateway.gif

[Ghost]

StarCraft II looks ooooooooo so much btr, im worried about the terrain doodads.

[capthavic]

Btw. Whats that Power level thing? ;)


it's just a popularity thing don't worry about it.

Anyway to get back on topic I think it looks fine and SC2 looks much better Paragon

[paragon]

Why cause it shines? It's so undetailed and plain and cartoony. And it looks like its straight out of WarCraft 3 except more shiny like some ancient magical elven temple or something.

[Becka1988]

i llike the one you make, its so cool ;)

[capthavic]

No it just looks better IMO especially if you look at the animated pic on the website. How would you make it more interesting and detailed?

[paragon]

Make it look more like the original SC one.

[capthavic]

Change is a fact of life. To be honest I never really liked the old one and think the new one looks better and more functional/hi tech. Guess you really can't please everyone.

[WuHT]

They better fix those buildings. Seriously, which is better?
StarCraft 2
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v134/yoda_24/gatewaysc2.jpg
Project Revolution (mine)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v134/yoda_24/Gateway.jpg
StarCraft
http://sysd.org/hybrid/starcraft/gateway.gif


the new protoss gateway looks much more futuristic/techno-advanced..only at the top part.
The base of the new gateway = ?? I can't even picture what that looks like in 3-D unless you let me stare at it for 20 seconds. The old gateway's 4-base panels are much more clear.

[capthavic]

It looks more centralized (instead of needlessly spread out) at the bottom. Look at the website or watch the gameplay trailer and see for yourself.

[MrFrancko]

The gateway looks like it could use a little more detail.

[LimaBeanMage]

I also agree that the units/buildings look a bit cartoonish. Everything seems to have too many rounded edges or they seem too plump. I would say that the only thing, in my opinion, that looks better would be most of the protoss units, they actually have edges and points on them that gives more of a sense of realism. And I'm not sure why, but when units attack in SCII it doesn't look like they're hitting anything or that they are dealing no damage. Zealots seem as if they are dancing rather than striking and marines look like they are using toy nerf guns when they attack.

I would say that I'm rather worried about graphics more so than game play at this point. Balance and game play can be easily changed in the future and is still subject to scrutiny in the Alpha/Beat stages but graphics are more substantial. I doubt that they will change all that much before the game is released and once it is they are just about guaranteed not to change.

[coalescence]

I know this is just on the site, but I noticed something about the Tychus on the main site. The whole upper part is rendered CGI (but I may be wrong, I ain't really that technical) like the movies. But that Tychus looks.... build from polygones if you know what I mean. It's not that smooth, looks kinda 3D from 3 years ago ;D maybe its something they will use for ingame cinematics (like the ones in Starcraft, but then better)? Or maybe it is just some stupid spoof for the starcraft site.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v640/noxious17/sc21.jpg

[GuiMontag]

i think it is just something special for the site, or thats what his unit will look like zoomed up in game!!!

[goliath]

the operating interface of the game looks the same as the original sc ...i think it wud be better if they sortof animate and make it look better than the previous versions...what u guys think? i m talking abt the ingame menu system

[Outcaster]

i for one ,like it the way it is, why make it more complicated??, and sticking with the structure of the original one from the first game , can only be a good thing

[goliath]

hmm now technology is far advanced in game development...there should be more of eye candy !

[LoserInLosing]

Only, so far, the new tanks look like little toy transformers that are waitin to be torn apart

[coalescence]

i think it is just something special for the site, or thats what his unit will look like zoomed up in game!!!
`

That would be very awesome, but its so different from the ingame marine...

[coalescence]

hmm now technology is far advanced in game development...there should be more of eye candy !


The game is in development, its only like the beta version of the game...

[goliath]

I am expecting alot from this game ....i hope its not a let down :)

[MrFrancko]

I don't think you'll see much change in the interface. In the recent interview on the main page of this site they already said they are going with the philosophy that if it isn't broken, don't fix it. They have just added a few little things that have become staples for RTS games.

[paragon]

It's not completely the same, the button panel is 3x5 instead of 3x3. Also, I think it looks fine the way it is. There is such thing as too much eye candy. And forsaking usability for eye candy is not a good idea.

[Code X Red]

I think the units and buildings in StarCraft2, look a little too much like the ones in any WarCraft game.

[zeratul11]

about your gateway starcraft 2 picture. hey is gateway same with warpgate?.

i think the main reason why terran units and structures looks toyish is because of the colors. color red terrans makes bc tanks barracks command center etc looks like toys. have you seen the dropship with neutral color? now it look real and not toyish. it. its way better. 8)

http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/790/790131/starcraft-2-20070519000455763.jpg

[SirBaron]

about your gateway starcraft 2 picture. hey is gateway same with warpgate?
The technology used in a Gateway is similiar to that of a Warp Gate, but is a lot weaker. Call it a down-grade, if you will.

Strange enough the method to create Warp Gates have disappeared from the Protoss culture, but they still know how to utilize and manage them (obvious since they escaped to Shakuras using one).

[zeratul11]

The technology used in a Gateway is similiar to that of a Warp Gate, but is a lot weaker. Call it a down-grade, if you will.


thanks. i thought they were two different structures that you can create or build in starcraft 2. so it is an upgrade then? you can upgrade your gateway to become a warpgate so now you can teleport units anywhere with pylon power field. right? or do you need to build a warpgate aside from the gateway.

[SirBaron]

The technology used in a Gateway is similiar to that of a Warp Gate, but is a lot weaker. Call it a down-grade, if you will.


thanks. i thought they were two different structures that you can create or build in starcraft 2. so it is an upgrade then? you can upgrade your gateway to become a warpgate so now you can teleport units anywhere with pylon power field. right? or do you need to build a warpgate aside from the gateway.
¨
Protoss can't build Warp Gates. They forgot how to. :P

[zeratul11]

ow.. how come in the gameplay protoss demo they say you can now wapr your troops anywhere with pylon power fields? and we can see zealots being warp courtesy of the phase prism. how do they do it? i think they have warp gate now in starcraft 2, a new protoss structure.

and in starcraft 2.com gateway is labeled as gateway/warpgate. maybe gateway can be upgraded to warpgate. or am i mistaken.

[paragon]

No, units are built from the warpgate and when they are done can but deployed anywhere in the pylon power field.

[SirBaron]

ow.. how come in the gameplay protoss demo they say you can now wapr your troops anywhere with pylon power fields? and we can see zealots being warp courtesy of the phase prism. how do they do it? i think they have warp gate now in starcraft 2, a new protoss structure.

and in starcraft 2.com gateway is labeled as gateway/warpgate. maybe gateway can be upgraded to warpgate. or am i mistaken.

Ok, i am going to explain the main difference between the Gateway and Warp Gate (i know, it's hard to keep them apart as they seem to be doing really the same thing...)

Let's see now... you know right from SC1 that it takes time to create units in the Gateway (naturally or it'd be totally unbalanced...). That's what differs it from the Warp Gate. While it takes time to warp units in the Gateway, warping units in the Warp Gate is instantaneous and requires no time at all.

You get where i'm going?

[MrFrancko]

Nah, Baron, could you explain it again, i'm not quite getting it yet ;)

[capthavic]

The technology used in a Gateway is similiar to that of a Warp Gate, but is a lot weaker. Call it a down-grade, if you will.


thanks. i thought they were two different structures that you can create or build in starcraft 2. so it is an upgrade then? you can upgrade your gateway to become a warpgate so now you can teleport units anywhere with pylon power field. right? or do you need to build a warpgate aside from the gateway.
¨
Protoss can't build Warp Gates. They forgot how to. :P


Yeah they can. First they build a gateway which can then be upgraded into a warpgate allowing units to be projected anywhere with pylon power. I don't know how fast they build but it does take a few seconds for the unit to warp in fully and is vulnerable during that time.

[zeratul11]

Let's see now... you know right from SC1 that it takes time to create units in the Gateway (naturally or it'd be totally unbalanced...). That's what differs it from the Warp Gate. While it takes time to warp units in the Gateway, warping units in the Warp Gate is instantaneous and requires no time at all.

You get where i'm going?


ha? so whats the structure called for building units (zealots) for the protoss in starcraft 2.. is it still called gateway? or warpgate? are they two different structures in starcraft 2? i thought you said they already forgotten how to build warpgates.



Yeah they can. First they build a gateway which can then be upgraded into a warpgate allowing units to be projected anywhere with pylon power. I don't know how fast they build but it does take a few seconds for the unit to warp in fully and is vulnerable during that time.


ok so gateway can be upgraded to warpgate. ok i got it now. thanks to you all ;D

[SirBaron]

Let's see now... you know right from SC1 that it takes time to create units in the Gateway (naturally or it'd be totally unbalanced...). That's what differs it from the Warp Gate. While it takes time to warp units in the Gateway, warping units in the Warp Gate is instantaneous and requires no time at all.

You get where i'm going?


ha? so whats the structure called for building units (zealots) for the protoss in starcraft 2.. is it still called gateway? or warpgate? are they two different structures in starcraft 2? i thought you said they already forgotten how to build warpgates.

That would be the Gateway.

Gateway: Building that produces infantry/mechanic walker units.

Warp Gate: Building that can't be build because the Protoss fails and needs to l2remember.

[capthavic]

The Gateway and Warp Gate are the same structure. See my post above.

[SirBaron]

The Gateway and Warp Gate are the same structure. See my post above.

Well then it's a different kind of Gate with the same name.
http://starcraft.wikia.com/wiki/Warp_Gate (THE REAL WARP GATE lawl)

This smells "Eredar/Draenei" plot alteration.

"Gateways are an inferior form of the Warp Gate technology which was lost during the Aeon of Strife. (The Protoss maintained the ability to use Warp Gates, however.)"

[capthavic]

It uses tech reverse engineered from the Xel'naga ones on Auir and Shakuras therefore it is a Warp Gate and they can make them.

[SirBaron]

It uses tech reverse engineered from the Xel'naga ones on Auir and Shakuras therefore it is a Warp Gate and they can make them.

Well i don't really give a crap what they name the frickin building, but story-wise in SC: BW the Protoss couldn't make Warp Gates since that would totally take away the need of interplanetary space travel (otherwise than to make new gates).
See, the Warp Gate concept was invented in BW to give the Protoss a quick means of escape to their new homeworld and a way for the Zerg to follow. That's why we didn't see any of it in SC1.

And if the "Warp Gate" in SC2 needs time to warp units, then it's just a cheap name-ripoff since real Warp Gates teleport units instantly without wait-time.

[paragon]

That would be the Gateway.

Gateway: Building that produces infantry/mechanic walker units.

Warp Gate: Building that can't be build because the Protoss fails and needs to l2remember.

http://www.starcraft2.com/features/protoss/
First building, Gateway/Warp Gate

Obviously not the same as the SC/BW warp gate but thats not really important. And it's obvious. And nobody is talking about the SC/BW warp gate

[SirBaron]

And nobody is talking about the SC/BW warp gate

Actually i was, until i realized the SC2 crew had named an upgrade to the Gateway in SC2 after the Warp Gate. (DAMN... YOU... EREDAR/DRAENEI!!!!" i hate alterations but no one gives a **** so i shouldn't either)

So everyone, i was talking about the Brood War Warpgate, and not the SC2 one. Brood War - Not SC2. Hopefully you will understand that i fail and needs to l2lookup****beforeipostaboutit. Sorry.

:P

[zeratul11]

well the name doesn't really matter. i always use barracks for calling any building that creates ground units. lol.

all i wanted to know was if the gateway and warpgate in starcraft 2 are 2 different unique structures or are they just one (first its called a gateway and then you can upgrade it to a warpgate). thats all. but i believe what capthavic said, that gateway can be upgraded to warpgates.



So everyone, i was talking about the Brood War Warpgate, and not the SC2 one. Brood War - Not SC2. Hopefully you will understand that i fail and needs to l2lookup****beforeipostaboutit. Sorry.

:P


so it was all just a big misunderstanding. anyway thanks for the info about warp gates (the original ones). ;D

[capthavic]

Your right that they couldn't in BW but if you read the info on the official site it says that they are desperate and are willing to build something they barely understand how it works.

And because it's reverse engineered tech they barely understand it's not surprising that it would not be quite as efficient as the original. It uses Warp Gate tech so they called it Warp Gate too.

Anyway the delay is for balance reasons and as you can see in the demo trailer it was only 2-3 seconds; which is still pretty impressive for something being summoned from across the galaxy :D

[paragon]

Well yes the information travels through worm holes so it's instantaneousish.

[capthavic]

I'm done debating this beacuse you know what, it just a game! God forbid it doesn't adhere to reality and the laws of physics as we know them. If you really care that much then ask the folks at Blizzard since it's their game.

[Ishe]

Protoss and Zerg look awesome but Terran hasnt impressed me much yet really they dont like that interesting really

[SirBaron]

Your right that they couldn't in BW but if you read the info on the official site it says that they are desperate and are willing to build something they barely understand how it works.

And because it's reverse engineered tech they barely understand it's not surprising that it would not be quite as efficient as the original. It uses Warp Gate tech so they called it Warp Gate too.

Anyway the delay is for balance reasons and as you can see in the demo trailer it was only 2-3 seconds; which is still pretty impressive for something being summoned from across the galaxy :D

Yeah indeed, i usually don't read around much on SCII homepage anymore since i can get like 550% more info here :D But i read about them using reversed engineering and that would make sense i guess.

:powerup: for being correct! :P

[ya man]

Thats a good siege tanks :good:

[[LightMare]]

Why cause it shines? It's so undetailed and plain and cartoony. And it looks like its straight out of WarCraft 3 except more shiny like some ancient magical elven temple or something.

no, because it's more detailed, the surface is rounded, protoss aren't into squares and rectangle bull**** buildings. they are round, smooth surfaces. besides you gotta stick with the present, forget the past

[10-Neon]

Thats a good siege tanks :good:

[big image]



Speaking of looking like toys, I work at a store that sells toys (among other things), and I know for a fact that there are toys that look almost exactly like that. So maybe it is not the "toy" look that annoys people, but the stylization? The simple textures and colors?

[capthavic]

Protoss and Zerg look awesome but Terran hasnt impressed me much yet really they dont like that interesting really


Well thats because we have only seen 4 terran units (5 if you count the dropships) and only one of those is new. We'll have to wait and see what else is new.

[MrFrancko]

At least the drop ships look like they land and lift off. I know this was in the original starcraft but they took it out before release. It's a nice detail that you don't know you miss until it's not there.

[paragon]

The simple textures and colors?

Yes, this is the problem exactly.

[zeratul11]

omg! that siege tank (pic) looks like a toy. most modern tanks today looks better and detailed than that, im talking about the one in that pic not in the game.

[paragon]

How about this tank?
http://www.relicnews.com/images/articles/coh/coh_preview_e3/stug.jpg

[coalescence]

More gray, some technological doodads and the siege cannon and it would actually be alot better ;D

[paragon]

More gray, some technological doodads and the siege cannon and it would actually be alot better ;D

You could say that about most terran things.

[[LightMare]]

OH MY GAWD!!!!!!!1112!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!211! THE SQARENESS HURTS MY EYES!!!!!!!!11!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1!!!!!!!!!!211!!!!!!
come on man. this is starcraft. not dusty tankcraft

[coalescence]

That wasn't really funny actually. But you are quite right. But SC2 is still in beta, I hope for some improvement.

[paragon]

I don't mean just like that. I mean add some dirt and scratches to the terran tank.

[zeratul11]

we are already in starcraft 2. 10 years after broodwar or 4 years?.. anyway units and terran armors should look new and not dirty, all old model and scratched units should be disposed. terrans are riched and they only focus on military prowess. i hope they give the half hero half human tychus some new armor and not the old used ones like in the cinematics.

[ImaGiNe.]

Come on guys, this is what Blizzard has built itself upon. It is essentially Blizzard's trademark identity. Look at the WarCraft and StarCraft games, they all look weird and "toy-like" but so what? These games have rocked the world... of WarCraft... (Sorry South Park pun... :P)

[SirBaron]

I trust Blizzard to do the best they can. Remember that the narrator said in the Gameplay Trailer that NOTHING is final. Not even graphics.

[coalescence]

we are already in starcraft 2. 10 years after broodwar or 4 years?.. anyway units and terran armors should look new and not dirty, all old model and scratched units should be disposed. terrans are riched and they only focus on military prowess. i hope they give the half hero half human tychus some new armor and not the old used ones like in the cinematics.


Terrans aren't knights in shiny armor, especially marines are mostly battle hardened convicts, the worn down look really works best.

[PrivateJoker]

I am actually hoping that Zerg is actually alot creepier in SC2. I thought they were just WEIRD AS HELL in Starcraft original. Imagine Zerg units that make very startling/sudden and monsterous noises right as they first start attacking? I think that if an opponent could be actually startled or frightened by Zerg attacks, that this would add an interesting level of player stratgey to the game.

[coalescence]

I am actually hoping that Zerg is actually alot creepier in SC2. I thought they were just WEIRD AS HELL in Starcraft original. Imagine Zerg units that make very startling/sudden and monsterous noises right as they first start attacking? I think that if an opponent could be actually startled or frightened by Zerg attacks, that this would add an interesting level of player stratgey to the game.


Would be nice if they growled like in sc1 when issued to attack but this time for everyone to hear (and in a more scary way) yeah. And maybe marines could scream when they are attacked?

[SirBaron]

Yeah it would be cool if the marines went like "Go go go!" just before commencing attack, for everyone to hear as you said.

[PrivateJoker]

Yeah it would be cool if the marines went like "Go go go!" just before commencing attack, for everyone to hear as you said.


The only reason they didn't in the original was probably due to MEMORY limitations from PCs of 10 years ago...

[SirBaron]

Yeah it would be cool if the marines went like "Go go go!" just before commencing attack, for everyone to hear as you said.


The only reason they didn't in the original was probably due to MEMORY limitations from PCs of 10 years ago...

Yes probably. But it's not 10 years ago today, SO WE MIGHT ACTUALLY GET IT! :)

EDIT: Not judging by the gameplay trailer though when i think about it.


:(

[[LightMare]]

in the "Making of the Cinematic Trailer" they say they almost broke their renderer because of over 5 million poly's.

[PrivateJoker]

in the "Making of the Cinematic Trailer" they say they almost broke their renderer because of over 5 million poly's.


polygons have nothing to do with sound effects. ;) I am also hoping for 5.1 channel (or 7.1 channel) surround sound. So the direction of an attack would come from the respective speaker set. Northerly attack fromt he front speakers, western attack from the left speakers, an easterly attack from the right speakers and southern attack from the rear speakers. :powerup:

It would be very cool, imagine being attacked from multiple fronts, Protoss unit sounds and voices from the north and Zerg snarling and growling coming from behind....;)

[[LightMare]]

oh i wasn't talking about sound. i meant the polygons in the trailer. an interesting idea you brought up

[PrivateJoker]

oh i wasn't talking about sound. i meant the polygons in the trailer. an interesting idea you brought up


TIme to let bygones be bygones...water over the dam...we are all here for the same reason, huh? :)

[paragon]

we are already in starcraft 2. 10 years after broodwar or 4 years?.. anyway units and terran armors should look new and not dirty, all old model and scratched units should be disposed. terrans are riched and they only focus on military prowess. i hope they give the half hero half human tychus some new armor and not the old used ones like in the cinematics.

The terrans are far from rich. Last time they just had their ass kicked by the Zerg. And over the last 10 years the Zerg have problem been keeping them down. And "half hero half human"? I think he's all human and all "hero".

[Darkener]

Woah! i can actually see the people in those SCVs! That means that blizz is certainly working hard for the Zerg buildings to match or even surpass that level of design.

[paragon]

I want Terran buildings that look like they were made in a hurry on a battlefield not some pristine shiny glossed up 'i feel like i'm going to break this thing' building.


Actually I think those robotic arms only appear when the building is under construction. In the demo video, you can see the robotic arms when the SCVs are building the Missile Turrets (Y'know, before the entire area gets levelled by the Mothership)
-NotDeadYet-

No, you can see SCVs mining from it and the yellow robotic arms are moving the vespene around.


Woah! i can actually see the people in those SCVs!

No, thats a missile turret (I assume you are talking about the thing with the yellow cage and the guy in it on the bottom left of the picture).

[10-Neon]

hmm now technology is far advanced in game development...there should be more of eye candy !


Are you serious? Are you suggesting that you would rather play the interface than play the actual game? A really good game goes for a minimalist interface. Some games even try to go for no visible interface. The interface is the means by which the player interacts with the game, the window into the game world. You're asking for prettier windows, hinting that you don't care what you see on the other side!

[10-Neon]

Yeah it would be cool if the marines went like "Go go go!" just before commencing attack, for everyone to hear as you said.


Well, Marines and... all other Terran units are inside suits or vehicles. They would have to have external loudspeakers for enemies to hear them shouting. And in space? No air? No sound.

[Ych9]

Wow, after paying close attention to the refinary, I am speechless.

Everything is soo detailed about it. I love those cranes on it.
All the new building looks unbelievebly beautiful. I'm sure everyone has seen the Stargate already. The animation and the style of the building is just simply amazing.

After seeing all the buildings details, I really can't wait to see the new Zerg buildings.

[goliath]

[quote=goliath ]

Are you serious? Are you suggesting that you would rather play the interface than play the actual game? A really good game goes for a minimalist interface. Some games even try to go for no visible interface. The interface is the means by which the player interacts with the game, the window into the game world. You're asking for prettier windows, hinting that you don't care what you see on the other side!


well i didnt mention that there should only be a pretty interface....i jus expressed my views it wud be nicer to see a gud interface rather than usual interface .... i was jus talking about the interface and leave aside the gameplay and other stuff ...interaction would actually be fun ...and i wasnt stressing on it too much!

[coalescence]

God, learn how to work the quote button please.

10-Neon has a big point though.

[GuiMontag]

Yeah it would be cool if the marines went like "Go go go!" just before commencing attack, for everyone to hear as you said.


Well, Marines and... all other Terran units are inside suits or vehicles. They would have to have external loudspeakers for enemies to hear them shouting. And in space? No air? No sound.


lol, since when did reality impact on tv/games :P
i want to hear battleship lasers!
and protoss dont even have mouths :P

[ImaGiNe.]

Yeah it would be cool if the marines went like "Go go go!" just before commencing attack, for everyone to hear as you said.


Well, Marines and... all other Terran units are inside suits or vehicles. They would have to have external loudspeakers for enemies to hear them shouting. And in space? No air? No sound.

First off, why would you want enemies to know that you're going to attack them by shouting out the venerable "Go! Go! Go!" battle cry? I mean sure sometimes you will be put in a position where the enemy knows you are already there, but what about the "surprise" attack and the usefulness of the "fog of war."

Secondly, I am sure that the Terrans are smart enough to have communication networks that could be used to directly contact an enemy (though they may be alien...) Besides, Blizzard does not take into account reality as evident by the creation of the World... of WarCraft. 8)

[FlyingTiger]

have you seen the new refinery?
its got loads of little robotic arms on it.
likes guite cool in my opinoiun


haha the missle turret looks like a cute little bug shooting missles. Like the pink lights are the eyes and the orange thing in the middle is the nose and below it is its mouth. And the missle launchers on the sides are its cute little arms! yea!


I want Terran buildings that look like they were made in a hurry on a battlefield not some pristine shiny glossed up 'i feel like i'm going to break this thing' building.



haha maybe in the 2500s they have buildings that can be made in a hurry and look nice at the same time. Our perception of hurried buildings means dirty ranshackled buildings might be flawed when comparing two different time periods. However, it might be a lame excuse for having glossy models ;D

[coalescence]

But in sc1 they roared while attacking.

[paragon]

Well, Marines and... all other Terran units are inside suits or vehicles. They would have to have external loudspeakers for enemies to hear them shouting. And in space? No air? No sound.

There is also very little light once you get away from the stars. So they can't see too? SciFi always just bends these rules.

[paragon]

Just like those fancy effects they have for macs where the windows twirl around or some **** before closing. When I close a window I want it gone from my sight I don't want to see it flying around doing some fancy absolutely pointless dance down to the bottom of the screen.
The SC2 interface is great just how it is. I would actually be mad if they did change it a lot.

[goliath]

God, learn how to work the quote button please.

10-Neon has a big point though.
i m sry please excuse me i m a newbie to forums

[generalrievous]

aye the ui is superb I like how they finally got rid of that fing menu button that was above the portriat looked retarded to me in tha first one :P

[capthavic]

Most of the buildings we've seen are Protoss, and Protoss buildings have these wonderful plasma shields to protect them from weather and most battle-related ugliness. The Terran buildings on the other hand, while too pristine, just have ugly, chunky models. I hope they do something about them...


Considering they probably just got built a min ago they haven't had time to get dirty :D

But anyway I think the blocky design fits well. Terran buildings (and equipment in general) are modular and utilitarian in nature. If you want beautiful but deadly then look to the protoss.

[Nikzad]

I was just reading the thread about 3 or 4 zerglings from one larva, and making them weaker to compensate. That made me think of the fun I'd have with my reavers, taking out scores of zerglings, and I thought: wouldn't it be great to be able to see the flow of the game in visual form afterwards?

I think it would be great for Blizzard to create a tab with a graph on the Final Score screen at the end of a game, like they had in Age of Empires 2. It would show everybody's population (military vs. worker) on a timeline and would have symbols where battles took place and stuff like that. You could really see the huge fluctuations in the population of the zerg players as they attack then rebuild their forces and stuff like that.

I'll post a picture later so those of you who don't know what I am talking about get the idea.

Any thoughts?

[FlyingTiger]

yea it seems like they have that in like most rts games. Notably all the recent C&C Games. It'll be nice to have one for fun to see how the game progressed. It can always be a tool to see where in the game progress you need improving on or where you kicked ass haha.

[drewcbarnard]

Not a bad idea...I like it alot actually. It all comes down to preference, but I don't think it is something that could hurt the game at all. If anything it might improve strategy and help players analyze crucial decisions they made in the game. Good thought Nikzad! :powerup:

[Nikzad]

hahaha thanks...

I have to admit though, I hadn't thought of what flying tiger is talking about; I get some sort of personal satisfaction where I see my military line skyrocket and that of the my opponents drastically drop :D

I point to the point and go "THIS is when I deployed my siege tanks on that cliff and raped those zerglings into steaming pools of boiling blood and guts BWAHAHAHAHA!!!"

[drewcbarnard]

I point to the point and go "THIS is when I deployed my siege tanks on that cliff and raped those zerglings into steaming pools of boiling blood and guts BWAHAHAHAHA!!!"


"And that was the last time we saw Nikzad as he walked away into the mist......."

[[LightMare]]

having never played age of empires, i'd like a pic. it sounds great though

[Fenix]

I totally agree. It's fun too look at, and I love the "Massive Battle" icons.. Wouldn't change the gameplay any, just a fun little add on.

[Nikzad]

I point to the point and go "THIS is when I deployed my siege tanks on that cliff and raped those zerglings into steaming pools of boiling blood and guts BWAHAHAHAHA!!!"


"And that was the last time we saw Nikzad as he walked away into the mist......."



hahahaha so much like Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now...he just goes nuts and disappears

I'll get a screenshot when I get home, hopefully I have a saved game I can wrap up quickly because I'm trying to devote my time to getting better at BF2, since I suck balls at it and need to get better (right now I just die left and right)

Stay tuned for a pic!

[Fenix]

<<<) -=Will cyber for minerals=- (>>>


Ew.

[drewcbarnard]

<<<) -=Will cyber for minerals=- (>>>


Ew.


If you think that is gross, I'd hate to know what he would do for Vespene Gas...It sends shivers down my spine....

[Meloku]

Its a good Idea, and there is something exactly like this in command and conquer. I played a battle just now so I could show it to ya =P

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a117/JayPeeMonie/units.jpg
the visual chart lets you see some cool things, such as when battles took place. Note the sharp drop in my units when he deploys a super weapon.


http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a117/JayPeeMonie/stats.jpg
and they also have the normal screen at the end.

[Light]

ah, i remember this. probs blizz will include it, most modern rts's do.

[Fenix]

<<<) -=Will cyber for minerals=- (>>>


Ew.


If you think that is gross, I'd hate to know what he would do for Vespene Gas...It sends shivers down my spine....


"You require more Vespene Gas!"

"OK"

*SQUISH SQUISH SQUISH*

[Nikzad]

nice

the AoE one is a little different though, I'll try to get one

and just for the record, I eat enough vegetables to supply myself with oodles and oodles and oodle of vespene gas

[FlyingTiger]

nice shots meloku. i was trying to find those on the net cause i uninstalled C&C 3 to study for the mcats haha. :powerup:

[drewcbarnard]

I like it...Blizz should definetely try to incorporate something like this. It really wouldn't hurt, I think it could only help if anything. :thumbup:

[Lord David]

Yeah sure, it wouldn't hurt (even if it isn't anything new) to implement a graph and statistics screen as opposed to just a mere points screen...

Maybe even have the replay video (assuming you saved it or it saves automatically or whatnot) come with in footage tips? Maybe some sort of system implemented where tips are shown on the screen when you are watching replay footage? (It would only apply to skirmish maps and multiplayer of course) It doesn't have to be fancy or anything, just show some text tips on key parts of a battle or key battles themselves on how you could have potentially have countered an opponent, or tips on failed assaults or what not...

[Nikzad]

yeah that would be great...for instance if you don't micro your zerglings well enough and you just click on the enemy Terran base. Your zerglings get there and you aren't microing them to go up the ramp that is on the other side of the raised area of the platform and they get incinerated by siege tanks...and the tutorial type thing tells you that you can't just click and forget

[Ghost]

I love it. That graph is awsome but what game is that?

[Nikzad]

I just had an even greater idea! What if you could point to a place on the timline, be it an event or just a random point, and it would automatically load the replay and fast-forward to that point? If it was an event, then it would shift the view of the battlefield to where the battle/nuke/whatever happened. If it was nothing big then it could fast-forward to that point then pause and let you find out where it was that you wanted to see, then resume playback!

[drewcbarnard]

Now if only we were Blizzard game designers.......

[Ghost]

It would be chaos, good chaos, but still, chaos.

[Light]

we could only hope they will implement this. it sounds like good idea-look back at the game, the high moments, the part which we knew went wrong, etc. most modern rts's do, so sc2 is most likely. im sure blizzard will think of everything, making the perfect game.

[drewcbarnard]

I will threaten to light myself on fire at Blizzcon if they don't implement it.....

[UchihaItachi0129]

lol suicide "bomb"

[burkid]

i love the idea.
i wont be suprised if paragon comes on and starts yelling at all of us for trying to incorporate part of C&C in starcraft.

[10-Neon]

Well, most of this already exists in BWChart (http://bwchart.teamliquid.net/us/bwchart.php), you just have to save the replay then load it up.

It doesn't say "there was a battle here" or anything, but it does graph pretty much everything you can ask it to: APM, resources, supply, units, research, build order...
It also gives you graphs for the distribution of the orders you made (I "select" much more often than I "move," which is fairly unusual. I had a friend, much better than me, that didn't know about "attack-move,"(I know, seriously, how does that even happen?) so he would "patrol" instead...it showed up clearly, and I let him know.)

With large numbers of replays, it'll even keep track of the records, races, win percentages, average APMs, etc, for every player that was in a game included on one of the replays. Those averages can be a bit skewed though if you save only your best games, or only your worst... or anything but all/a random sample.

I suppose, something like this will be included, built-in with StarCraft II. At any rate, I've added it to my list of things to find out at BlizzCon.

[Nikzad]

here's what it looks like in good ol' Age of Empires 2

light is villager population, dark is military

http://nikzad53.googlepages.com/AOK000.BMP

(i was blue)

[ImaGiNe.]

Wow Nikzad. Good job on the military might.

Thank you for noting this 10-Neon, be sure to let a thousand questions of the StarCraft empire descend upon them.

[FlyingTiger]

yea I've never heard of BWChart until now. Looks pretty cool and I hope they'll implement something similar to it in SC2

haha Nikzad you owned those stats ^_^

[ImaGiNe.]

BWChart was the ultimate analysis program for any one! How FlyingTiger? How?! You can use it to see if the player you challenged hacked or not, pretty neat.

[FlyingTiger]

haha I played in battle.net a lot around 2000-2001 then stopped playing it since there were other games to play but I ocassionally logged in from time to time. I made a tiny comeback 2004-2005, but now I'm prolly gonna come back to it after I take those damn MCATs.

So in all I didn't really pay attention to third party stuff relating to SC like BWChart.

[mc2]

From now on, discussions about the visual and physical appearances of units and buildings in starcraft 2 should be in here, whether if it's a compliment or complaint or it looks like freakin toys .

[capthavic]

haha personally I'm cool with the current looks (for the most part) but of course any improvements are welcome. For example I do think they could improve the siege cannon a bit by adding, say, support rod(s) along the sides or make the team color at the tip thinner.

[GuiMontag]

all units will look slightly different at blizzcon, the graphics team will be working on every unit until the game is released.

[Lemmy]

Wow thats nice, markus. I didnt notice. Hope it is true.

[TheFearless]

maybe the more kills they have, the brighter and cooler the blades look like

[Lemmy]

:s dont think so... haha

[Meloku]

An interesting thought, but maybe blizz thought the old zealots looked like pansies and tried to beef them up. But we just don't know which it is, and I'm sure the possibility has run through their heads. Meaning- they don't know which it is either.

[im a roc]

An interesting thought, but maybe blizz thought the old zealots looked like pansies and tried to beef them up.


So they finaly noticed...

That could be for upgrades, but I doubt Blizz would be working on minor things like that at this stage of development. Could just be the lighting and angle...

[burkid]

the pylons also look better, but i think thats because they got changed rather than an upgrade.

the zealots looked so sweet when i first saw them in that pic!

[Major Willy]

And to please Zealot fans even more, Blizzard should give the Psi Blades an effect much like Kratos' blades have in God of War when they swing.

But this is badass. Since SC 1 I thought the blades weren't that awesome but these things look like they can carve Ultralisks like a turkey dinner.

[zeratul11]

maybe when you upgrade charge their psi blades becomes big. but i dont really think this is an upgrade. its the new version.

[im a roc]

But this is badass. Since SC 1 I thought the blades weren't that awesome but these things look like they can carve Ultralisks like a turkey dinner.


That was an extremly awkward comparison.... Im jut going to ignore that I ever heard that...

[Major Willy]

They look like. I'm not suggesting you send a single upgraded Zealot against an Ultralisk to watch it "win".

[Nikzad]

I heartily agree Red...and I didn't know it was just firefox...I always thought "Glow" was a misnomer

[im a roc]

ok, ill do that now...

[Exis]

It could be very possible that there's different visuals for upgrades however, if you look closely, the picture on the right has no unit shadows. This could mean the picture on the left has higher visual settings thus making the psi blades look 'bigger and brighter' and more badass.

[im a roc]

Good observaton... That might be it.

[MarineCorp]

I think they are upgrades......seriously I really do think they are upgrades nice thinking markus ^^

[JudicatorPrime]

Simple fix, after you build them smash some Siege Tank shells into them... they'll look as gritty as you want them to be :)

Haven't they already said they wanted upgrades to reflect visually on the battlefield?