Dungeon Master Forum

The beta has just begun. (I don't have a key, so don't ask for screens, just go to sclegacy.com )

Graphically, the game rocks. Animations are super impressive.
Zergs teems with life.
Protoss radiate might with their shiny armors.
Terrans have a solid mechanical theme.

The game will be carefully balanced, as all Blizzard games.

My only fears:
- It may not be Starcraft II but more like " Starcraft 1.3d "
- Removing fun stuff because it's hard to balance.
- Not enough innovation because there's too much money involved.
- My laptop heats too much and shuts down when I'm playing some recent games

What IS IT with Starcraft that makes it so popular? I've never played it and it looks just like an RTS to me... :O

Oh, Starcraft 2 Beta? Cool, it will be one of the very few new games I'll be buying!

ian, Starcraft IS just an RTS, but one of the best. The three fractions play totally differently, but are very balanced. The background story is great. Also, the game puts emphasis on gameplay, not on fancy shenanigans like graphics. And it is supported very well by Blizzard. If you even remotely like RTS games, give it a try.

Yeah, what Trant said basically.

ian_scho wrote:What IS IT with Starcraft that makes it so popular? I've never played it and it looks just like an RTS to me... :O

It's way more polished than most strategy games.

In every RTS I've played, there is always something that is below starcraft in terms of standard:
In starcraft:
- Controls are smooth. unit respond to orders immediatly and with exact precision (no imprecision in positioning relative to cursor e.g.)
- The game is fast. you have to manage your units all the time and be careful about enemies, checking your radar map all the time.
- There is tactics: the way you use local terrain, the mix of units in your army, the use you make of special abilities... is DECISIVE.
- There is strategy: unlike expectations, the overall turn of a game is not entirely due to small battles-of-clickfest (like in WarCraft3)
but much more by how you did manage your ressources, how many factory you build, how you spied on the enemy and responded to its own strategy.

I think the four reasons account to why it's much more suitable as a pro-game than C&C or other RTS, which have some interest but often lack precision and balance, or are too slow or have weird complicated mechanics than can't be used properly in multiplayer-fast-games.

The only RTS game which is more geared toward strategy and less toward tactics than Starcraft is Total Annihilation.
You can play remakes: TA3D or TA SPRING on recent machines. TA is one of the best games ever made, side to side with Starcraft.

They're not going to just idly change the rules of the national sport of Korea, after all. It will likely be a very conservative sequel.

the last RTS i played was The Settlers on Amiga...

Hmmm, I never really got into playing Starcraft hardcore multiplayer style but had a bit of a play with the mission editor when the game first came out. I remember it being quite in-depth - enough for me to create a mini-campaign, complete with voice-overs. Probably still have it lying around on a Zip disk somewhere. Man, I wish I had that dedication today.

Not sure what I make of them splitting the three campaigns into different games / expansion packs though. Still undecided if it's a cheeky cash-cow or if it really is for the benefit of the players.

Sophia wrote:They're not going to just idly change the rules of the national sport of Korea, after all. It will likely be a very conservative sequel.

Good point.

Joramun wrote:- Controls are smooth. unit respond to orders immediatly and with exact precision (no imprecision in positioning relative to cursor e.g.)
- The game is fast. you have to manage your units all the time and be careful about enemies, checking your radar map all the time.
- There is tactics: the way you use local terrain, the mix of units in your army, the use you make of special abilities... is DECISIVE.
- There is strategy: unlike expectations, the overall turn of a game is not entirely due to small battles-of-clickfest (like in WarCraft3)

Sounds like Dune II. (it's actually the only RTS I have ever played)

Dune 2 is a good game, but doesn't hold a candle to Starcraft. In Dune 2, all three fractions play basically the same, with only minor differences. In Starcraft, all three differ significantly in the way they harvest resources and build structures - not to mention that every single unit is unique to its race. And the controls are actually better, not to mention the plot is great, the terrain offers more variety etc.

So I fired the beta up last night to see if SC2 lives up to the hype and on first impressions it's pretty good. The game's nicely presented and got into a match quickly and easily. Picked back up quickly too, the core principles are the same by the looks of things. Almost everyone I played against played Zerg, and performed the obligatory Zerg rush. Hopefully other player's will get a bit more tactical as my score goes up