StarCraft II Beta Preview

[[MyIS]Zips]

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, the much-anticipated upcoming real time strategy sequel from Blizzard Entertainment, puts players back in control of the Zerg, Protoss, and Terran forces immortalized in the 1998 original. This game is set in the 26th century in another part of the galaxy where the three races again fight for survival.

I'm looking good!

I had the chance to play the multiplayer beta of StarCraft II and the setup was very straight forward. After creating an account on Battle.net you are able to then setup the downloaded game and log in. The game loaded quickly into a very cinematic image of a ship flying toward a ringed planet that was reminiscent of Saturn. Selecting the multiplayer option brings you to the main interface. From there, you can tweak all of the settings for creating an online game such as how many players, if the game will be co-op, what race you will play, and even creating custom games with custom map options. There is even a friends list that can be created where you can chat and invite others while in the interface. There are no LAN setup options as Blizzard has designed the game to run solely through Battle.net.

This interface starts all the fun!

The in-round interface is very similar to the familiar setup of StarCraft. Starting with a few harvesters and a main base, players have a wide array of additional structures to place. Many of the original buildings make a comeback, but they now have many more options and upgrades to play with. Interfaces for each unit type are nicely done, with each showing a small avatar, while clicking repeatedly on the unit still makes for some funny comments and reactions. The interface also shows the capabilities of the unit as well as its offensive and defensive upgrade levels. Grouping units and assigning keys to them is easy with multiple clicks or dragging your cursor over them and then holding the control key and selecting the number you want to assign.

That probe just divided by zero!

Map design is very well done with added elements like lightning, rain, caverns with jagged rock, planetary birds flying in the sky, strange plant and rock formations, and even ruins. Some maps even have working marquees and lighting equipment left behind from before the invasion, immersing you in the fact that war has broken out quickly in the area. Each map has a number of resource locations to allow players to strategically expand their hold on the map. Getting to those locations first could be the key to victory over your opponent.

The rain make the zerg look even more slimey.

The buildings are far more complex with their colors, lighting, and shadowing, which makes the structures come to life with activity. Each building has its own series of animations when constructing or researching an upgrade so that you can tell that it is actively working on something. The destruction animations are also different based on how the building is being attacked: from explosions to catching fire and collapsing. Screenshots alone cannot adequately represent these details.

The details on the buildings and units look very polished. Note that this screenshot came from a recording.

Units are also given greater detail in their movements and actions. Though their destruction is not something you want to happen, seeing the different ways the units are killed makes you want to see all of the other methods. From Zergs tearing armored Terrans in half to flamethrowers setting Zerglings on fire to Protoss shields glowing at deflected shots; the player is constantly immersed in the action. Units of the first StarCraft have seen some updates and a whole new set of units comes with a myriad of new tricks. Blizzard has also focused on a support role for units that do not directly attack or defend, but assist those that do, making the defense or attack even stronger.

These Reavers just dropped off some defensive toys.

Online play has been very smooth and quick to create a match. There has not been any disconnects other than maintenance windows for new changes. Changes have been made with costs, damage, and defense of units and buildings as well as build time in the beta, making the game more polished and balanced. With all these changes and updates, Blizzard is making sure you are not getting a StarCraft re-boxed, but a game that can continue the StarCraft legacy.

End it with a bang!

~Written for Total Gaming Network by CptainCrunch

[jake_]

Why didn't Crunch just post this himself? >_>

[CptainCrunch]

There are editing and processing steps that need to get done first. So to get it done faster, Zips generally posts it.

Crunch