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Joneagle_X 2009 BlizzCon StarCraft 2 Gameplay Review

Discussion in 'Blizzcon 2009' started by MeisterX, Aug 25, 2009.

Joneagle_X 2009 BlizzCon StarCraft 2 Gameplay Review

Discussion in 'Blizzcon 2009' started by MeisterX, Aug 25, 2009.

  1. MeisterX

    MeisterX Hyperion

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    So this BlizzCon 2009 marks 52 hours of play time for me on StarCraft 2. That’s hardly two weeks worth of time if you had it in front of you but has taken me almost two years to accrue. Let that be a disclaimer to anyone who takes my opinions on the game’s development as reality; I could be wrong. Nonetheless, I do think I have a pretty good understanding of the game’s workings. Probably up there with some of the pro players seen in the exhibition matches (maybe more considering the fact that they keep getting roto-rooted by abilities they weren’t expecting).


    But I’m not going to baby an audience that I know already loves the game and wants to know more about the improvements and changes that have been made to a game they’ve been waiting for since the fourth grade. If you want a trimmed-down and n00bed up version please read my review at WarCry.com which should be up in a couple days. In any case we’ve had the most success with a report card style review of the previous builds so we’ll continue the tradition!


    Let’s get something straight. I’m extremely impressed with the way the three races have diverged into even more distinct styles of play. The Zerg have traveled even further down the “mass or die” road while the Protoss are even more entrenched in a technological advantage. Of the course the Terrans as a hybrid of this strategy have gotten some improvements as well that I think has brought them out of that “glass cannon” bubble in which they were regarded in the original StarCraft.



    [​IMG]

    Let’s move on to the changes and critiques:


    Terran Thor – Wow. This thing seems to have found its role. And it’s quite possible that it will knock the Siege Tank out of the Terran limelight. At a cost of 300/300 it’s a bit pricey but you’ve got to see what it can do. It does 30 damage on two attacks totaling 60 base damage. Compared to the Siege Tank’s 15 unsieged and 60 sieged, that means the Thor can match the Siege Tank’s damage output while remaining mobile. It also doesn’t have the minimum range that leaves the Siege Tank vulnerable to melee units. In addition to this advantage it also does 40 damage to air units with a bonus against light air. It also does splash damage against air units making it one of the Terran’s most deadly anti-air weapons. All-around badass Goliath anyone? On top of that the Thor now has a special ability called 250mm Cannons which pulverizes a selected building or ground unit for 500 damage over 6 seconds and also stuns the building. It costs 100 mana, so a fully charged Thor could fire it twice quickly. That’s right, a Thor can easily destroy a Hatchery by itself very quickly. I was absolutely amazed when an AI Terran used this against my Bunker. I give this change an A+ because the Thor has found its home.


    Terran Hellion The unit itself hasn’t changed very much and the development team told us it was the first Terran unit in line for a visual makeover, but they’ve boosted its speed. Now on top of having an AoE fire attack it’s also one of the fastest ground units second only to Cracklings. Toss in significant damage, low cost (only 100 minerals and no gas) and you have one hell of a successor for the Vulture. Plus it causes a heck of a death animation against the Zerg. You get to watch Hydralisks literally roast into a pile of Char. Cool. I give this change an A because the Hellion was already cool and now it’s just pimp. Put some 20s on this baby and I’d drive it. It’s a Hyundai with the punch of a Porsche.


    Terran Raven – Don’t get me wrong, every race needs a mobile detector, right? Well at least the Terran have one but I’m not all that convinced that it has filled the role of the Science Vessel as well as it needs to. Sure, it has auto-defense turrets which are great in a pinch. Sure, it has the Seeker Missile, but that’s another attempt at making the Siege Tank obsolete. Don’t the Terrans have enough splash damage? Plus it’s not all that effective against workers. I used it on a group of probes and only killed two and severely damaged a third. Not all that impressive. Now where’d I leave those Reapers? D-8 Charges are much more effective. I’m also not sure what to make of this new Defensive Drone ability either. It’s supposed to block stationary base defenses but it’s difficult to test. Could be the greatest thing since sliced bread or it could be the greatest thing since the Protoss Scout… I give this one a C because it overlaps the Siege Tank but has potential. Play up the Defense Drone and turrets and nix the Missile. Plus, it keeps staring at me with those big, googley eyes.


    Terran Marauder Never mind the unit’s stats or abilities, those are find. We’re talking animation here. I’m not sure when this changed but the animation for the Marauder now makes it look like a unit under its effect has been frozen by some kind of WarCraft 3 spell. It turns blue! Arthas, get out of SC2! Make the affected unit stop for a duration when hit, and then continue to move at normal speed again. It makes no sense to “slow” a unit in StarCraft 2. I give this change an F because this isn’t WarCraft in Space.


    Terran Planetary Fortress Okay, so maybe it hasn’t been changed in this build but it’s still worth mentioning. Why? Because it heralds the era of fast expands for the Terran race. Put one of these things outside your ramp and say goodbye to early rushes. I don’t know how many Zealots I killed with this thing but let’s say Auir’s enrollment will be down this year. It takes such a significant force to take this thing down that it serves in itself as a huge distraction to your opponent. I give it an A- because I wouldn’t want to be on the other end.
     
    Last edited: Aug 25, 2009
  2. MeisterX

    MeisterX Hyperion

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    Zerg Queen – What a cool unit gone down the drain. Originally hailed as the entry of “heroes” into StarCraft 2, I never really saw what the big deal was. When I played the Queen in her original form she was upgradeable as your Hive progressed. She didn’t feel like a hero, in fact she felt almost like a building. She doesn’t leave the Creep, okay? But now you can build as many as you want. She stays only in one form and has only three abilities: Creep Tumor, Spawn Larvae, and Transfusion. I never found a use for Transfusion but Spawn Larvae is extremely, um, awesome. It allows you to produce four extra larvae from any Hatchery at any time. It costs 25 mana and each Hatchery has a cooldown for the ability. It’s effectively the macro counter for the Protoss’ Obelisk and the Terrans’ M.U.L.E. In any case, I think she needs to grow and get some more abilities as it goes on. I give this change a D because she’s more powerful in Chess.


    Zerg Roach Listen, I like this unit. But it’s lost its super-regeneration abilities. This unit isn’t going to make the cut for the role of Tier 2 Zerg tank like the Hydralisk used to be. It’s easily massable but it’s lack of air attack doesn’t help the fact that it’s lackluster on the ground as well. It’s regen was really all that was saving it. We’ve heard some whispers about serious changes with this unit but for now I’m giving it a C.


    Zerg Hydralisk Speaking of the Hydralisk, I’m pretty sure that the problem here isn’t placement, but rather cost and strength. The Roach is a good, cost-effective alternative to the Hydralisk but doesn’t pack the punch necessary. However, the Hydralisk dies just as quickly as it did in SC1 and has even less potential against enemy Zerglings because of their increased speed and the Hydralisk’s increased cost (less of them means less bodies to shoot). A lot of their shots are now wasted because of their increased damage (shooting a Zergling with 2 HP isn’t any fun). Then you have the Protoss stalker which costs 125/50 and does 20 damage and has ridiculous HP. Compare that to Hydra’s 100/75 and 10 (maybe 15 damage plus light armor bonus) and the cost ratio isn’t very good. Now the unit has become situationally useful, mostly for creating Lurkers. I give it a C because whoever set the cost didn’t take Zerg Economics 101.


    Zerg Brood Lord – While it’s theoretically nice to be able to switch from all ATA (Corruptor) and then to all ATG, I can’t find an actual use for this. I can’t think of a situation where an opponent might abruptly shift from all air to all ground unless they were Zerg and in that case you should be using Mutalisks anyway. This unit should definitely evolve from the Mutalisk. I think Blizzard was just avoiding having it be the same tech tree as SC1 which makes sense. But hey, there’s some serious room for Zerg to have some crazy, new mechanic. Wow us! I give it a C because you picked the wrong unit, silly!


    Zerg Overseer/Overlord This setup needs to stay but the abilities are a bit weird. The Overlord is fine and it’s easy enough to upgrade to a quick detector in the Overseer, but the Overseer now has an irradiate-like ability that increases the damage taken by enemy units. I found it useful against Mutalisks but I’m not sure how the thing works. Needs to come with an owner’s manual. StarCraft isn’t meant for abilities that increase damage by percentage. I give it a B because I don’t want to have to buy a copy of “My Overseer and Me.” P.S. to Blizzard – I think the Changeling was broken in that build. It has a new visual look but it never morphed into the enemy units! Plus, 5 HP? Really? Still a great idea though.


    Zerg Lurker This unit is infinitely useful. It destroys any kind of armored unit and it has the ability to upgrade its range to siege range. What else could you ask for? The only real counter is great micro, AoE, or air units. I’m going to say once again that this unit needs to move back down to Tier 2 to bolster the Zerg’s choices in that tier. I give this a C because this unit needs to get off its “high horse.”


    Zerg Infestor The new model is great and so is this unit. I’m still a little uncomfortable with the neural parasite ability but it gets the job done and is extremely necessary to counter units like the Colossus and WarpRay which are absolutely devastating to the Zerg on the battlefield. Spawning Terrans is all fine and dandy but I think it might be a better option to go with another mind-control type ability that allows you to infest enemy units that are left in place for too long. If they don’t issue a command to them in a certain time the Infestor takes them over. It would be a great harassment mechanic. At least it would make more sense lore-wise. Of course the new ability would only affect biological units. Other than that I’m still a little concerned about its placement and timing because the Colossus tends to get out before this unit does so it’s a game of keep-away until you can have the Infestor in play. Stalkers make air units a poor choice for a counter as well. I give this one a B because moving underground might be the Zerg’s new mechanic they’ve been waiting for.
     
  3. MeisterX

    MeisterX Hyperion

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    Protoss High Templar Psi Storm now not only costs mana but also has a cooldown timer. What’s the deal? This unit is known for psi storm and now it can’t even defend itself. Sure, it’s worth the splash damage but I think I’d rather go for a solid counter like a Colossus. This unit is absolutely necessary and perhaps the psi storm nerf is needed, but it feels weird. I guess we’ll see. I give it a B- because it might be overpowered without it.


    Protoss Dark Templar - Okay, so maybe this unit hasn’t changed at all but in the midst of gameplay I realized that this unit has a gigantic advantage. Not only does it cloak and rip apart Terran infantry (it also negates high armor values on units like the Ultralisk just like it did in SC1), but it’s also a lot cheaper than the previously mentioned High Templar. What does that mean? Archons as cheap as dirt since two DTs can morph just like two HTs. Also, you only have to tech once to get to them unlike in SC1. This is a huge advantage against Terran foes where you can now skip Psi Storm entirely and just go for Archons and DTs. What a beautiful combination.It gets an A+ because it’s classic and I think an unintended consequence that rocks.


    Protoss Carrier – Another classic unit that we’ve had some self-esteem issues with. Now it’s got Siege Tank range interceptors and an upgrade that allows you to release said interceptors a lot faster. This makes it a pretty deadly unit as it can patrol a large area for smaller units easily and is highly mobile. However, it’s extremely vulnerable to units like the Corruptor and Viking. I also wonder how this unit’s micro will compare to the Battlecruiser. Can’t be destroyed if you can’t catch it. Anyway this unit is clearly meant for a support role and it feels like it has a decent spot on the tech tree. If you’ve built more than one or two of them you’re either already winning or you’re already dead. I stamp it with aB+ because it’s lost a little of its shine.



    Protoss Immortal – Moved it to the Robotics Facility and I’m not really sure why. Supposedly it was overpowered when warped in… I never experienced that problem. But in any case the Robotics Facility costs 200/200 which hardly makes it feasible to mass produce the Immortal. Move it back to the Gateway and require extra power to warp it or something. However, this unit is a great counter for Stalkers, Thors, and Tanks which is more reason to make it producible in bulk. Giving it a D because I bet you can’t have just one.


    So those are the major changes (and some things that shouldn’t be changed). So let’s move on to the overall grades for the races.


    Terran They feel pretty darned good. They have plenty of production options. Despite a few overlap issues I think those will be solved during beta testing. Their production ability is just amazing. I was able to produce four Hellions in just over four minutes (by swapping out my Barracks for my Factory to grab the Reactor) which is amazing. Otherwise there’s not much to say here except that I still feel the Command Center looks a little bit like the Michelin Man. Overall Grade: A.


    Protoss – I like the tech tree of this race. There are a few anomalies in this build like the Immortal but other than that it makes pretty good sense. They have casters in the right places and the Stalker is incredibly useful, Blink being icing on the cake. Overall Grade: A+.


    Zerg – They’re fun and maneuverable at Tier 1, dangerous at Tier 1.5, and absolutely suck at Tier 2. If you can survive to Tier 3 you have a decent chance at winning but you really have no choice but to tech through Tier 2 or die. The Roach is able to buy you some time but isn’t going to turn the tide. The Lurker needs to either move down or a new, better mechanic needs to be invented. I’ve heard underground roach movement suggested. Let’s try that! Overall Grade: B.


    Discuss this article in the Forum!
     
  4. Maelstrom

    Maelstrom New Member

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    Great post. Thanks for the info
     
  5. Cabbage

    Cabbage New Member

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    Did you try the banshee? If so, what are your comments?
     
  6. MarineCorp

    MarineCorp New Member

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    Awesome review, glad to hear that the Thor was able to find a role now :D
     
  7. Inside Sin

    Inside Sin Active Member

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    And to think I wondered what exactly you'd be doing at the BlizzCon, do you get special tickets or what? hahah.

    This is extremely detailed and very worth while reading.
     
  8. Renatus

    Renatus New Member

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    I am interested to know your opinion of the game in respect to graphics and art.
     
  9. the8thark

    the8thark New Member

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    Same but I am interested in your opinions on the game physics and animations. As in how fluid/responsive they are and how good the AI is etc. All that technical stuff.
     
  10. Bthammer45

    Bthammer45 New Member

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    Ya Im pretty sure they are going to change the roach because there original idea of a tank unit isent working out and I don"t see how that was going to work in the first place (i liked the roach but dident like the idea of him getting fast regen as his niche plus he just seems too expensive) .

    I also never liked the idea of hydras getting a boast in their cost and like the stalker should of stayed the way they where in sc1 because it was that way for a reason.

    The queen is too stale right now.

    The whole zerg in general are missing alot of things, interesting units, new more zergish abilites, a tech tree overhaul, a mechanic that defines them, and that cost effective more units type deal.

    I also don"t like the idea of moveing the immortal to the RF like JX said just make it so it costs extra stuff too do or rework the warp in technology.
     
  11. Cybertox

    Cybertox New Member

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    Thanks for your info very interesting information the Thor sounds a bit overpowered because he can defend himself from air units
     
  12. Higgs Boson

    Higgs Boson New Member

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    I am fine with siege tanks not being all that spamable anymore but they still deserve a good spot in the terran army. Thor looks too universal of a unit to me. :(
     
  13. Seradin

    Seradin New Member

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    Awesome review jon thanks! ill be writing my own eventually, focusing alot on the art aspect of the game and maybe more on how my Matches went across.
     
  14. Kraziliak

    Kraziliak Guest

    Some zerg misconceptions.



    http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=100475
    according to that link the queen is the funnest and most dynamic of the macro mechanics.

    [/COLOR][/B]
    ROACH HAS TO BE BURROWED FOR REGEN and they recieved a huge hp boost.


    Many players said hydras we very good units. They shouldn't be used alone like is sc1. They need meatshields such as roaches or zerglings.



    Players should have a mix of units and ATA + ATG is a very potent combination. These guys have siege range and with only 10 of these there would be 40 broodlings in 10 seconds. Also, a player could totally wipe out the enemy air then morph half of their corruptors into broodlords for base siege.






    The lurker has said to be OP in tier 2. With improved unit clumping lurkers can easily take out a group of marines in no time at all.





    And did you even use the nydus worm? Many zerg players said it was pivotal in the zerg army. The nydus network building can now spew out as many worms as you want anywhere there is creep.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 25, 2009
  15. n00bonicPlague

    n00bonicPlague New Member

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    So with the decrease in the Tank's siege cannon power, can I safely assume that its supply requirement is down to 2 instead of the previous requirement of 3?
     
  16. cameronielsen

    cameronielsen New Member

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    Any commentary on the Disruptor? Banshee?
     
  17. Zero

    Zero New Member

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    Come on Jon, where were you June 22nd? I wrote about this in my June 22, 2009 StarCraft II Review

    This was before anyone was certain that the beta wasn't going to be released before BlizzCon, so they must have made the Immortal move to see how the fans respond from the BlizzCon play.

    But I don't mean to get on your case, Jon, you're a good guy. I wasn't able to make it to BlizzCon this year due to prior engagements, but your review looks good and I can't wait to see how the lower grades (hopefully) change on the next playable build.
     
  18. MeisterX

    MeisterX Hyperion

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    Hey Zero,

    Good to see you over here. And yeah I wasn't there for June 22nd, kind of sucked. And somehow I missed your review. LoA apparently refuses to notify me of good posts lol. Anyway I agree with why they would move the Immortal it's just not the right solution. Maybe the Immortal should only be producible from a regular Gateway and not a Warp Gate. That would solve the problem, right?

    200/200 just for the building to produce the Immortal makes it too inaccessible.
     
  19. Zero

    Zero New Member

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    I don't think it'd work if you couldn't build it from a Warp Gate. If you have all of your Gateways set as Warp Gates, as I'm sure most of the pros would use, if you had to respond to a group of heavy attackers, you'd have to spend the time to revert the Warp Gates back into Gateways, and then add build time to that. With minimal effective defenses, your pylons would be wiped out before you could build anything. Not having played the Robotics Immortal, I can't make my own judgment, but if it's not right where it is, I'd suspect it getting moved back to the Gateway, and maybe given a slight cost increase to balance out the very quick and effective counter the Immortal provides.
     
  20. MeisterX

    MeisterX Hyperion

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    That's exactly my point. It takes only a few seconds to revert back to Gateways from Warp Gates. 10 seconds at the most. It should be acceptable. But it's definitely better than being at the robotics facility. You only build one or two of those things at most. Either move them or cut their build time drastically so you can produce more.

    Another choice would be to require multiple pylons to warp in certain units like the Immortal and/or Stalker. So you would need two overlapping fields.