StarCraft 2 announcement on the 19th of May

[Litigator]

Diablo's pretty original. Plenty of post-Diablo games have turned that setting into something generic maybe, but I'm having a hard time thinking of things in the pre-Diablo era that were like that.

Starcraft (the setting, not the game) is not nearly the ripoff of 40k that WC is of Warhammer Fantasy. There aren't any Orks or Eldar, and there's nothing like the Zerg and Protoss in Warhammer.

Not to say they weren't inspired by WH though.

Well, Tyranids clearly have a lot in common with the Zerg, and have been around in pretty much their current form since their 1.5th ed WD articles (which is a couple years before '95 when the 2nd-Ed Army book came out). Not that much of the 'nids stuff isn't ripped off of Mr.Giger.

Protoss have a bit in common with both the Eldar and also the Tau. Probably partly inspired by the Eldar, but also the Predator, and the Protoss predate the Tau by years.

Zerg and Protoss are unabashedly variations on Aliens and Predators. I really don't think you need to look further than that. It's a pretty unapologetic ripoff. A lot of the unit dialogue for the Terrans was just movie quotes from "Aliens."

As for Warcraft, I don't think anything in fantasy can be called a ripoff of anything else. Tolkien ripped off Northern European folktales and mythology, and everything else rips off Tolkien. Fantasy is so incestuous that nobody can really be credited with inventing much of everything. Warhammer may have decided "let's give the orcs guns" before Warcraft did, but Warcraft is very self-consciously inhabiting a stereotypical fantasy world, and plays it for laughs to some extent, which cuts the absurdity factor of the straightforward, self-serious Everquest style. It really helps when the Dungeon of Preposterous Lore #26 opens up unexpectedly into a scripted set piece from "Raiders of the Lost Ark."

[schild]

Oh right. Resource gathering for levels. Right. Oh, and skills. IMO, slowed the game down too much.

[Miasma]

With all the units they are adding it sounds like it is going to be more complicated, and nearly impossible for Blizzard to balance.

[squirrel]

I seriously don't think this was worth the hype.

[Litigator]

Oh right. Resource gathering for levels. Right. Oh, and skills. IMO, slowed the game down too much.

We've had this argument before, where you insist Blizzard never innovates, and then I point out innovations, and you tell me they all suck anyway.

1) I like RTS game mechanisms that punish turtling.

2) I like RTS game mechanisms that give me shit to do while my base is building up.

3) I like that creeps were a different way of opening up part of the map, later in the game without resorting to "it's an island and you need a transport"

[squirrel]

Oh right. Resource gathering for levels. Right. Oh, and skills. IMO, slowed the game down too much.

We've had this argument before, where you insist Blizzard never innovates, and then I point out innovations, and you tell me they all suck anyway.

1) I like RTS game mechanisms that punish turtling.

2) I like RTS game mechanisms that give me shit to do while my base is building up.

3) I like that creeps were a different way of opening up part of the map, later in the game without resorting to "it's an island and you need a transport"

Cool. You like RTS games. Which is great. But honestly this is going to be SC1.25. We all know it. Fuck it, what a waste of time.

[Nija]

http://www.gamemeca.com/news/news_view.html?seq=2&ymd=20070519&page=1&point_ck=&search_ym=&search_text=

[Fordel]

Don't know how long this will last http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUXoekeDIW8 but the opening CGI.

[Azazel]

Zerg and Protoss are unabashedly variations on Aliens and Predators. I really don't think you need to look further than that. It's a pretty unapologetic ripoff. A lot of the unit dialogue for the Terrans was just movie quotes from "Aliens."

I did say that the Tyranids were ripped off of Aliens as well. Hence the "Giger" reference. I also mentioned the Predators as well. Which is not to say that Blizz is past taking a sideways glance at GW's ideas when setting up their own ripoffs of the A's and P's.

As for Warcraft, I don't think anything in fantasy can be called a ripoff of anything else. Tolkien ripped off Northern European folktales and mythology, and everything else rips off Tolkien.

We know this, but GW's somewhat distinctive take on Orcs and Goblins has been copied by many, including Blizzard/Warcraft. The current GW style of Orc and Goblin in turn is a (slight) evolution of Kev Adams' greenskin sculpts as he was the guy who really focussed, clarified and solidified GW's orcs and goblins over many years. Kev went on to continue to sculpt his exact same style of fantasy orcs and goblins many years later when he left GW and went to work for Heartbreaker Hobbies. Just through the years, Kev Adams' style of orc went on to become the GW style, which also became the Warcraft style and one of the main modern fantasy meme's of "Orc". (Right up to the cover art for Dark Messiah of Might & Magic, and so forth.)

Even the (High/Blood) Elves owe a fair bit to GW's visualisation, which again is heavily influenced by Moodcock/Elric/Melniboneans. The thing is that GW's visual takes on several of the generic fantasy races have become one of the main fantasy standards for those races. (Note LOTR's very different versions of orcs and goblins, trolls..).

We're talking visualisation of the fantasy races here though. Art design rather than names.

[squirrel]

YouTube version dies at about the 2 min mark or less. It's not the full cinematic.

[Mazakiel]

It's all there, you just have to refresh the page a few times before it'll download all of the movie. 

[Kitsune]

How on earth are you getting a protoss/predator vibe?  I'm hard-pressed to think of a single parallel between them.  One group is a bunch of invisible assholes who perch in high places and shoot people in the head, then laugh.  The other is a bunch of psychic mystics.  There are much more compelling similarities between the protoss and the eldar than the preds.  Which, given that Warcraft and Starcraft are both at least mildly stealing from the Warhammer line, isn't hard to swallow.

[Moaner]

I'm a huge Starcraft fan, but after playing Company of Heroes it's going to be difficult to go back to anything else.  Good troop AI spoils you.

The gameplay videos I've seen on youtube are not impressing me much.  I think I'm more excited about the continuation of the story and game world than I am the actual game.

[Azazel]

How on earth are you getting a protoss/predator vibe?  I'm hard-pressed to think of a single parallel between them.  One group is a bunch of invisible assholes who perch in high places and shoot people in the head, then laugh.  The other is a bunch of psychic mystics.  There are much more compelling similarities between the protoss and the eldar than the preds.  Which, given that Warcraft and Starcraft are both at least mildly stealing from the Warhammer line, isn't hard to swallow.

It's been some time since I played SC, I kind of remember some kind of triangle/triumvirate design aspect on something that reminded me of the Predator's triangle/triple red-dot sight. Also the stealth bit. Other than that they seemed Eldar-influenced, as I said earlier, but I got a feel of both. Just like the Tyranids and Zerg are both ripped off of Giger's Alien, there's also a lot of nods to the 'Nids when it comes to the other critters in the Zerg forces.

 

[Wolf]

OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

"Hell, It's about time".

Coherent comment comming when I read everything. Best shit to wake up to! :)

ps: in your face Nonentity. Muahahahahahahhaha  :-D

[Xerapis]

It was much better live.

I just got back from the WWI.  More details to follow.

[Megrim]

Courtesy of Teamliquid.net

Working movie links and stuff.

[eldaec]

Will there be a console version of StarCraft II?

    StarCraft II is being developed for the PC. We have no current plans to bring the game to any console platform.

Thank heavens.

[Wolf]

Stuff that stuck out for me - No new race? (expansion?) NO HEROES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm a happy camper :)

[Darkgar]

With CnC3 already out and a couple other good RTS's as well, I was hoping for Diablo III personally.  The screenies look like they too the Warcraft III engine and tweaked it.  I love Starcraft though, but AoE III has spoiled me.  We'll see I guess.  If it's nothing more than WCIII it could be boring. The new race seems a bit unnecessary, I hope it ain't Blood Elf Space Pirates (hehe).

[Signe]

It's not even a Starcraft MMO.  It's a stupid Starcraft RTS.  Bleh.

[Wolf]

With CnC3 already out and a couple other good RTS's as well, I was hoping for Diablo III personally.

There's no new good competitive online strategy. DoW is close, but it's no starcraft. And don't even mention CnC3, it was shit online.

[Speedbrusher]

http://www.starcraft2.com/ is also online, now with movies, screenshots etc.

[Venkman]

This is not the game you're looking for.
Move along.

Disappointing. Maybe they'll do something more interesting than just vamping the graphics engine. Or maybe they don't need to if SC has already become an organized sport? Maybe it's enough to have broadcast-quality graphics (presumably) so they can convince more sponsors.

In any case, this could have been a mere press release for how uninteresting the whole thing is.

[Trippy]

Disappointing. Maybe they'll do something more interesting than just vamping the graphics engine. Or maybe they don't need to if SC has already become an organized sport? Maybe it's enough to have broadcast-quality graphics (presumably) so they can convince more sponsors.

StarCraft had "broadcast-quality" graphics and in fact you might even say it was optimized for TV output.

[Yegolev]

Will there be a console version of StarCraft II?

    StarCraft II is being developed for the PC. We have no current plans to bring the game to any console platform.

Thank heavens.

If there is anything totally awesome about developing for Korea, this is it.

Just SC2, I am a little underwhelmed.  Not surprised, just underwhelmed.

[Yegolev]

Stuff that stuck out for me - No new race? (expansion?) NO HEROES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm a happy camper :)

You are not seriously asking for a fourth race in SC2? You make funny?

[Xerapis]

Well, as I mentioned elsewhere, even the Koreans were kinda hoping for a Starcraft MMO.  Of course, they're HAPPY with SC2, but I can't help but think that they might have been even happier with World of Starcraft.

SC and WOW received equal amounts of applause-noise during the Blizzard game montage movie.  With a smaller happy-noise for Diablo.  Warcraft got the least amount of excitement.

[Yegolev]

Even Jack Thompson is bummed-out that this is just SC2 instead of WoS.  I had a crazy idea that they might do something like AoC with a partly online and partly offline thing, but even that halfass idea was too much.

[Wolf]

Stuff that stuck out for me - No new race? (expansion?) NO HEROES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm a happy camper :)

You are not seriously asking for a fourth race in SC2? You make funny?

Nah, I'm perfectly happy with three. It was just commonly mentioned as a rumour, plus the fourth race IS in the original game :) In fact there's even a fifth :P

[Venkman]

StarCraft had "broadcast-quality" graphics and in fact you might even say it was optimized for TV output.

I'm thinking HD though, with better Observer-mode tools, for MCs/broadcasters. 3D-based SC2 looks much more appropriate for TV coverage than bitmap-based SC1.

I probably shouldn't have used the term "broadcast-quality" though as, technically, to your point it was already there.

[MrHat]

Blizzard won't make a new gametype until it's already been made 4 times by other people.

[Miasma]

I can't believe Blizzard is using their shitty, much reviled bittorrent system to download the trailers.

[MrHat]

I know, I was going to download it up to that point.

[Xerapis]

I'm just re-watching the trailer and gameplay demo on TV.  The Korean gaming channels are showing it rather...repeatedly.