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BlizzCon '09: August 21-22 The next BlizzCon is coming this August to the Anaheim Convention Center! You can expect big announcements, exciting tournaments, revealing developer panels, StarCraft 2 terminals, and lots of Blizzard swag - Check back often for the latest details on tickets and more! More >
Beta Fever Battle.net 2.0 is coming first to the StarCraft 2 Beta Test, which from the mouth of the beast itself will be arriving quite soon. Keep checking back for the latest updates, as we collectively chew our fingernails off in anticipation. More >
HAWX PC Demo Man high-tech jet fighters in exhilarating supersonic air battles.
SC2 Q&A; Session #49 Lots of juicy screenshots showing off updated unit looks and some new features in the latest StarCraft 2 build.
Evolution of the Zerg A new set of screenshots compares the old and new models of several Zerg units demonstrating the evolving game artwork and graphics in StarCraft 2. The new generation has a darker, more authentically menacing look.
We�re challenging you to design and illustrate your own Blizzard Entertainment Theme Park, including roller coasters, water rides, shows, shopping areas, food courts, game areas, patrons, and whatever fantastic attractions you desire.
Submit your original park design by March 30, 2009, and we�ll choose our favorites based on the creativity of the design, artistic technique (including the medium and style), and how your park reflects the lore and spirit of Blizzard Entertainment's games.
You can submit illustrations that look like theme-park maps, compose your park to look like a screenshot from a game, or create whatever kind of park you wish -- the only limit is your imagination.
The grand prize winner will receive one Wacom Cintiq 12WX Digitizing Tablet, two StarCraft 2 beta keys, and the Echoes of War Blizzard game soundtrack. Additional winners, one for each of the company's three game series', will take home the Echoes of War soundtrack and two StarCraft 2 beta keys. Their entries will also be on display at BlizzCon 2009 this August and on the company's web site.
Friday, 20 February, 2009 � Planet Starcraft News
ForumPlanet: Changes/Upgrades 19:41 PST | -1313-Evil_Homer | Print NewsSoon GameSpy will roll out a number of changes to our boards. We have some nice improvements on the way to improve the overall board experiences. So keep a lookout for the following changes in the near future.
General Upgrades
The oft-requested Icon submission tool that allows users to upload their own icon.
We've removed the "your message has been posted" page between messages to make posting faster.
We have reduced posting time limit to 15 seconds between each post to speed things up.
Updated Quick Post feature with bug fixes, a new sliding interface, and new look for quick comments.
New Insider Only Features
Insiders can have colored user names. This applies to the text but not the border.
Insiders can now upload our new biggie-sized "MegIcons" (120x120 pixels)
Insiders can upload a small signature picture which will appear at the bottom of their posts.
Insiders, VIPs and above can give themselves catchy titles under their username.
There are a few things to note about the new changes. The larger MegIcons will only be available to the user who upload the icon themselves; they are not stored in a shared pool like the old icons. Check back for more info soon!
Q&A; Session #49[ Comment ] 4:48 PST | TheAcolyte | Print News | Category: StarCraft 2 - Battle.net - CommunityThe forty-ninth StarCraft 2 Q&A; Session features lots of goodies, many of which come before the standard set of community questions. Karune and the development team give us a detailed look at updated Zerg unit graphics and some all-new gameplay mechanics for all three races currently being tested.
The interview section primarily discusses Terran and Zerg units. We get answers about hovering units and spider mines, the workings of the mutalisk's attack, multiple building selection, regeneration stacking, Zerg tactics versus Terran, ad Baneling micromanagement.
5) What is a good counter for Zerg against Marines, which are upgraded from the original StarCraft?
Zerg actually have a few options that are quite effective. Zerglings can catch Marines out in the open and surround them relatively easily. Secondly, Banelings with the burrow ability are also very effective. There is nothing more gratifying than watching a group of Marines walk over a burrowed Baneling. When it unburrows � BOOM! Another counter that can be used are Roaches with burrow. A player can burrow a Roach at low health for it to regenerate back to full health in seconds, at which point it can unburrow and begin attacking the Marines again.
In late game, Infestor�s with their fungal scourge ability, which causes a biological unit to take damage over time until the unit explodes and does an area of effect damage, decimating groups of Marines easily if the opponent is not fast to react. Additionally, Ultralisks with their new cleave attack as well as 200 more hit points from the original StarCraft also make them an excellent counter to massed Marines.
BlizzCon Coming August 2009[ Comment ] 15:34 PST | TheAcolyte | Print News | Category: BlizzCon - Tournaments - CommunityBlizzard Entertainment's just revealed the next BlizzCon event, coming this 21-22 August once again to be held at the Anaheim Convention Center in California. Due to the event's huge popularity as witnessed last year when tickets sold out in minutes, the company revealed that it's expanded the convention from three to four halls.
IRVINE, Calif. - February 17, 2008 - Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced plans for its fourth BlizzCon� gaming convention, to be held at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California on Friday, August 21 and Saturday, August 22. BlizzCon is a celebration of the global player communities surrounding Blizzard Entertainment��s Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® universes. In response to the festival�s increasing popularity, this year�s event has been expanded from three convention halls to four.
Registration is also open for the World of Warcraft Arena Tournament. Read the FAQ for all the details.
The report, coming from announcements during Activision Blizzard's fourth quarter financial call this Wednesday revealed that the beta will be set upon the new version of Battle.net, and as is the trend with Blizzard betas it will likely include multi-player content only.
Reports flying around online say the company will certainly release one game this year. It's quite likely to be StarCraft 2, after the company stated that the Terran Campaign will be out before Diablo III. Of course, there's still that unannounced MMO project in the works, but it hasn't even been revealed yet.
Taught by a physics student and professional StarCraft player, the class isn't so much about the game itself but rather applying it in examples of war tactics and using complex mathematics to predict outcomes. Those concepts can be ultimately applied to the game, but offer historical and contemporary significance as well.
This episode features appearances by the Lead Designer and Production Director to Wrath of the Lich King's second expansion set, J. Allen Brack and Jeffrey Kaplan, followed by a talk with Senior Vice President of Creative Development Chris Metzen.
Nethaera: Of all the possible expansions that could have come next, why was it important to do Wrath of the Lich King?
Jeffrey Kaplan: Well, I think we always wanted to go to Northrend when we were working on the original World of Warcraft game. We had development going on, on The Frozen Throne, so we�re working on the RTS at the same time, and we�re really inspired by the things going on in Northrend. When we wrapped up the development of World of Warcraft we started talking next expansions and came up with a lot of ideas. Our two front runners were Outland and Northrend. It wasn�t a matter of favoring one over the other it was more a matter of, you know, what�s the right timing. I think Lich King was probably very exciting to most of the team after the development of Burning Crusade. That was kind of our pushing it to the limits in terms of creativity and really testing the boundaries. Lich King was kind of this coming home experience for a lot of us.
J. Allen Brack: Yeah, Northrend actually was one of the very first zones that was prototyped back in the original days, so one of the zones that eventually we ended up making for this expansion was one of the first things that the team worked on.
Many of the newest art updates have actually been made in the animations, weapon particles, and in special effects, which are much harder to show in screenshots. For instance, Hellions now burn Marines to a crisp when they are destroyed by the flames. Dark Templars also end up eviscerating Marauders in a ruthless fashion. In our next batch we'll see if we can emphasize on some of these new additions made.
The session goes on to discuss how the development team will provide a continually compelling experience when each of the three campaigns will include around 30 missions each, and the involvement of major characters from the other races.
1UP: Touching on the non-linear campaign comment earlier, how will this affect the actual plot? Despite a non-linear mission structure, will the story still be a tightly constructed, linear affair, or will you be able to change some elements of it depending on your story? And if so, will those changes be reflected in the plot and missions of the subsequent campaigns?
DB: There's still going to be a discrete beginning and ending to the storyline in each campaign. The path you take to get from point A to point B is what's going to vary from player to player. There will be side-plots you explore where the choices you make can affect the fate of certain characters, or possibly worlds. But we still want to ensure that we're telling one single, coherent story, and that we avoid any ambiguity in the primary plot arc.
The interview provides two particularly interesting screenshots. One depicts the Terran Campaign's screen between missions for purchasing building and unit upgrades as well as for unlocking more. Additionally, we see a cut-scene in action with a rendered portrait of a Terran officer, looming close to a Battlecruiser in action.
3. Will there be any multi monitor support? StarCraft II will support widescreen but not multi-monitor. Widescreen is definitely becoming more of an industry standard, but multi-monitor support for StarCraft II may be too great of a tactical advantage over other players without more than one monitor.
Additionally, Karune gives mention that user created ladder maps may be introduced to the ladder pool, pending the maps' competitiveness and quality.
7. Are you going to add some of the best custom maps to the regular ladder pool?In the future, there will be opportunities for map makers to get their maps added to ladder pools. These maps will of course, be selected based on quality, in terms of competitiveness for multiplayer games.
- In-game Speed Options menu now has a "Enable CPU Throttling" checkbox.
Enabling this option will allow StarCraft to consume fewer CPU cycles. By
default this option is off.
Bug Fixes
- Fixed an issue with the reply feature where any character followed by a "r "
was being treated as a reply.
- Removed an unnecessary delay when processing palette cycling updates.
- Lessened the imposed delay in the CPU Throttling feature.
Be sure to grab it here or head in-game for the auto update from battle.net
"Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II will build on the critical acclaim and commercial success of the Dawn of War franchise, letting players experience RTS gaming like never before," said Kevin Kraff, vice president of global brand management, THQ. "Combining non-linear gameplay, cooperative multiplayer, cinematic visuals, and destructible battlefields brings a new, innovative dynamic to the genre."
"Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II stays true to the fast-paced, brutal heart of the Dawn of War series, while introducing branching single-player storylines and unique unit customization," said Tarrnie Williams, general manager, Relic Entertainment. "The deep, tactical gameplay lets players develop and lead personalized elite units who gain experience and grow stronger with every ferocious battle."
If the game lives up to the high expectations following it from the original title, it may likely prove a good substitute until the first of the StarCraft 2 triology is released.
Tuesday, 13 January, 2009 � Planet Starcraft News
IGN Compares StarCraft 2, Dawn of War 2[ Comment ] 5:01 PST | TheAcolyte | Print News | Category: StarCraft 2 - General GamingThere are some striking similarities, in appearances at least, between two big name titles you likely recognize: StarCraft 2 and Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 2. IGN takes a look at these offering some clarification on some key differences in structure and gameplay styles while taking these shared qualities into account.
The way both StarCraft II and Dawn of War II approach combat differs significantly, as it seems if you've got more opportunity for random variation with Dawn of War II whereas StarCraft II sticks more with the notion that if you do X you can be sure Y is going to happen. One of the reasons for the difference is the way the battlefield can be affected in Dawn of War II. Structures can be garrisoned and blasted apart. Cover, like in Company of Heroes, plays a big role, and cover spots such as sandbags and hedges can be blown to bits by lobbed grenades or other explosives, making the battlefield more unpredictable. Then you also need to consider the wargear system when it comes to the single-player campaigns, something that adds even more variety to your troops on the ground, which we'll explain a little later.
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