Starcraft 2 unit upgrades

[UchihaItachi0129]

do you think they'll change the max upgrades? because i remember in sc1 the max upgrade was 255.

[paragon]

For the actual game, no.
For custom games, most likely. I can't remember exactly but I think WC3 could go up really high.

[SuperMarioPsycho]

i would like to see damage and armor levels upgradable to a fifth level. :powerup:

[Major Willy]

@Psycho: And spend more time harvesting, researching, and using the minerals/vespene?

Edited.

[UchihaItachi0129]

lol i never said you HAD to upgrade to that level. i just said it'd be cool if you COULD ^.^

[MrFrancko]

As long as everyone had more upgrades I don't see why not.

[paragon]

In StarCraft, the ability upgrades were for things that were later developed and added on either in the field or to all new units. It was explained as being this new thing they thought up (or in the case of the Zerg, a new mutation). Now, with StarCraft 2 being 10 years later, do you think they will have the same upgrades or will all the units that are returning have the old abilities by default (maybe not all of them) and then have some new abilities?

For example, the Battlecruiser has the Yamato cannon which was this new thing the Terran scientists cooked up and were just adding to the fleet in StarCraft. 10 years later you'd think all the old Battlecruisers would be retrofitted and all the new ones would come with the standard Yamato cannon. I'd be like making a car without the air conditioner being a standard feature.

For the Zerg how would they explain the Zerglings devolving to something slower when they got those new mutations in StarCraft?

[SirBaron]

In StarCraft, the ability upgrades were for things that were later developed and added on either in the field or to all new units. It was explained as being this new thing they thought up (or in the case of the Zerg, a new mutation). Now, with StarCraft 2 being 10 years later, do you think they will have the same upgrades or will all the units that are returning have the old abilities by default (maybe not all of them) and then have some new abilities?

For example, the Battlecruiser has the Yamato cannon which was this new thing the Terran scientists cooked up and were just adding to the fleet in StarCraft. 10 years later you'd think all the old Battlecruisers would be retrofitted and all the new ones would come with the standard Yamato cannon. I'd be like making a car without the air conditioner being a standard feature.

For the Zerg how would they explain the Zerglings devolving to something slower when they got those new mutations in StarCraft?

Gameplay reasons?

[paragon]

My question is how will they justify it with the story. They always put those long descriptions of things and why they are upgrades and stuff so what will they put now?

[MrFrancko]

It's true that it doesn't make much sense but I think the story is going to go more for the new units being the advances in technology and evolution. The lings may not be fast still but they will be able to morph into an acid wielding suicide bomber.

[10-Neon]

I always assumed that it was justified by recognizing that the technology was available to someone in the race, but since it's non-standard, not to the commander when they build the appropriate tech buildings. The "research" process would then be acquiring that tech from some master schematic and applying it to the local situation: perhaps updating individual units and unit designs to support the ability and upgrading buildings to be able produce units with that ability in the future.

As with old special abilities becoming standard, that may or may not happen. While the player used many of those abilities as if they were standard, there is no knowing how other Terran commanders (or Zerg Cerebrates, or Protoss Executors) used them. Perhaps most Terran Generals find the heavy lasers to be enough for what they do and don't even bother having their ships retrofitted?

And with the Zergling to the Baneling- there really is not such thing as "devolution." Evolution is change towards the most fit-most useful form for a given environment. Speed and strength have nothing to do with it. At any rate, Zerg "evolution" is not even evolution at all, and to be even more picky, Zerg units don't even claim to "evolve", they morph, so there's no point in trying to justify it as if it were. Of course, I will, just to keep my bases covered.

While the Baneling is slower than a Zergling, it probably has more health, and certainly does more damage. For the Zerg, it allows the unit to do things that the unevolved, unmorphed version couldn't. In the video, while Zerglings were getting torn apart by the Colossi and Zealots, those same Zerglings, morphed into Banelings did more than enough damage to obliterate the attackers. Since the game's environment is "war, and killing things," it would then follow that, with an evolutionary argument, Banelings are "more evolved" or "better adapted" than Zerglings at what they do when what they do is engage large or large amounts of units in direct combat..

[LoserInLosing]

Im just hoping for some abilities which doesn require research. Ghosts should have Cloak ability straight away, and Battlecruisers with yamato cannon, and Templars with Psi Storm etc. These are, the most commonly used abilities which are actually useful, (some abilities arent useful at all, such as medics flare, because usually u have a group of units so the sight is still basically no issue) to be as a base ability requiring no research, as u know, research is quite tiring and slow and costful

[Nuclear Launch]

Wouldn´t it be cool if blizzard give the attack and defense upgrades visual changes? Imagine the psi blades looking cooler each time you upgrade its damage, or the siege tank shot looking more and more amazing! The armor/hides would also change, looking spectacular when the last upgrade is completed. It´s just an idea. What do you think?

[GuiMontag]

they have already done this, one example is the sheild upgrade

[Major Willy]

That's a seperate one (I'm assuming) that gives health.

His idea goes for every unit.

[capthavic]

Yeah I really would like that too. To be able to know what upgrade level a unit is just by looking at it instead of just being an invisible stat increase.

Also it would be great for all buildings to have animation, at least while they are working.

[Hadean]

This is a really cool idea. I could picture a wave of marines coming with little measly rifles attacking a line of upgraded marines who're carrying huge gauss rifles with them. That would be insanely cool.

[DDDx]

I hope they do do this its a great idea, it realy dosent chage much except the way they look but still it would be awsome, like seeing a marine with no upgrades and then one with all the upgrades that would be cool. i wonder what a zergling with all the upgrades would look like, and hydras with all the upgrades would look realy awsome.

[Alasdair]

I'd think that marines would get more armor (get bigger) for armor upgrades, while attack upgrades will either give them a new kind of gun, or bigger guns, and maybe look a bit more spiffy (as oppose to the rugged look of most terran). Maybe for the range upgrade, they'd get a longer barrel!

So fully upgraded marines would be massivecompared to non-upgraded marines, maybe fully upgraded marines would be the size of a zealot (cuz protoss are huge compared to terran)

[ArchLimit]

Yep, I agree with it being a great idea. The only thing holding me back from thinking it'll work is due to memory/performance issues, which I don't know much about. If it doesn't have an effect on lag or something silly like that, I'm all for the idea. I'd love too see visual stages to the upgrades.

[Nikzad]

http://www.starcraft2forum.org/forums/index.php?topic=78.msg12969#msg12969 :'(

oh the pain of unrecognized brilliance

[CodyFallsForth]

haha, :powerup:

I never saw that post.

But visual effects are an AMAZING idea. Post that on the blizz forums. They took advice for one thing, maybe this is another good idea.

[Nikzad]

thanks, one good turn deserves another, so :powerup:

i unfortunately can't post on blizzforums because I am at work and it is blocked, but I'll register or something when I get home

[Nuclear Launch]

I seems we had the same idea then, Nikzad. And it is a good one.

[capthavic]

lol great minds think alike

[Nikzad]

*we bow*

[Alasdair]

*snap, snap* ah, the accursed paparazzi.....

[Nikzad]

Haha no worries, I'm more concerned with the promotion of the idea rather than my power level!

Not to say I don't mind a power level increase here and there...:D

I posted on Blizzforums last night but I can't access it at work...oh the suspense

[Nikzad]

well i posted as Nikzad (it wasn't taken...what a surprise!) and the title was something like visual upgrades. don't tell me what people have said, just tell me if anyone has responded. I'd hate to be criticized then have to wait all day to get home and post a reply.

[Nikzad]

it was under starcraft 2 discussion, I posted sometime around 9 or a little later...if you can't find it like that, it's basically a copy/paste of my post here:
http://www.starcraft2forum.org/forums/index.php?topic=78.msg12969#msg12969
so you may be able to use advanced search if they have one

if not or if you don't feel like it, no sweat, I'll check when I go home

[Nikzad]

It's probably cuz I'm a n00b. I registered last night. Oh wait. Are you searching Battle.net? Because I posted on blizzforums.com! Maybe that's why ;D. Should I have posted on Battle.net?

[Nikzad]

cue recreation of our own umpteen page thread of the same sort...

yeah sorry about that markus - i said blizzforums but forgot to correct you when you asked if it was on bnet