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StarCraft II: Hands-On With The Zerg
Posted by Michael McWhertor at 1:40 AM on August 26, 2008
Blizzard's set up at Games Convention this year was identical to the last — one half dedicated to World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King, the other to StarCraft II. What had changed, rather dramatically, was how StarCraft II played, with massively rebalanced Terran and Protoss forces, as well as the inclusion of a playable Zerg.
Having spent considerable time with the Terran and Protoss at BlizzCon last year — and no access to the Zerg at Blizzard's Worldwide Invitational — I thought it might be fun to take out my old favourite class for a spin.
As you might expect, there was a wait, one that gave me ample opportunity to watch the Zerg in action. Most noticeable was the lovely look of the Creep, the purplish goo that the hivemind race builds upon. It has a constant visual pulse to it, not something that distracts when one actually gets one's hands on the keyboard and mouse.
That said, the Zerg were probably the hardest race to easily distinguish from their surroundings. Hopefully that's just due to inexperience and unfamiliarity with the new models, but the move to 3D and a higher resolution does make it a bit more difficult to pick out units.
We were limited to 15 minute gameplay sessions, so there wasn't exactly time for deep experimentation with the Zerg tech tree. We kept it pretty simple, building Zerglings and Roaches, fellow ground attacker, while tweaking them at the Evolution Chamber. Zerglings felt more like cannon fodder than ever before, as Protoss and Terrans laid waste to clusters of two dozen without too much effort.
Since we haven't been keeping up with the new Zerg units as much as we should, we were pleasantly surprised to get our hands on the Spine Crawlers. These replacements for the Sunken Colonies can be uprooted and relocated anywhere on the Creep, should you need to restructure your base defence. Very cool.
The Corruptor and Queen are two other early available units, requiring basic structures to build. Unfortunately, we didn't really get to take advantage of them that much, as the Corruptors are anti-aircraft units, and the AI hit us with mostly ground-based attacks.
What was kind of surprising was how far one had to progress to whip up a couple Hydralisks and make them useful. The unit had always felt a little overpowered in the original StarCraft, but Blizzard looks to be limiting their effectiveness by way of high cost, long tech progression and a more widely spread tech tree.
In fact, the entire tech tree feels that way, as upgrades for units are peppered throughout a wider range of structures and building upgrades. It's all going to take some time getting used to, as the Zerg felt much more straightforward in their previous incarnation.
After finally getting our mitts on the Zerg, we're more excited than ever about StarCraft II. We simply can't wait to annoy you via Battle.net with our crushing waves of Zerglings.
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
PrivateJ0ker
Posted 10:43 PM 25/8/08
Did you manage to extort any information out of them about THE BETA? I wish they had the beta out by now, its been too long of a wait!!
PrivateJ0ker
xeleion
Posted 11:13 PM 25/8/08
-jumps up and down-
Can't wait. This is like the only PC game I play.
xeleion
The_Atomic_Pod
Posted 11:27 PM 25/8/08
This is going to be great; 2035 is going to be a good year!
The_Atomic_Pod
deadjesterx
Posted 1:46 AM 26/8/08
@The_Atomic_Pod: And that places Diablo 3 at, what, 2048? :)
deadjesterx
VladMalice
Posted 1:42 AM 26/8/08
@The_Atomic_Pod:
I lol'd
VladMalice
zgnoud
Posted 2:09 AM 26/8/08
@Jonpaulk: roaches are the ground unit equivelent of the sky kamekazi scourges. They roll up and cause explosive damage upon contact with enemy ground units
zgnoud
Jonpaulk
Posted 2:01 AM 26/8/08
Man I love the zerg. After I had played for a couple years, they were my go to race. Spine Crawlers kind of sound like Lurkers. How are the roaches any different than the zerglings?
Jonpaulk
Brian Crecente
Posted 1:56 AM 26/8/08
@BigWeather: Hmm, must have been a pub hiccup. These stories were written hours ago in Germany, so maybe they momentarily popped up live.
Brian Crecente
Agnates
Posted 1:53 AM 26/8/08
@BigWeather: They're drip feeding you to keep you busy!
Agnates
Polterg3ist
Posted 1:52 AM 26/8/08
I think I'll try the demo of this if it comes out.
Not convincing me to switch from DOWII, though. Not yet.
Polterg3ist
chozo_hybrid
Posted 1:52 AM 26/8/08
its been how many years? the amount of people that say they wanna give SC a go so they wait for the sequel is disgusting, play the 1sr game and Broodwar then you'll know the plot and also see how much better than C & C it is.
chozo_hybrid
vid3oman64
Posted 1:50 AM 26/8/08
Where does that screenshot take place? Stars are visible in the background, and there are signs on the buildings... Seems like a market or a mall or something.
vid3oman64
DigitalHero
Posted 1:50 AM 26/8/08
Can't wait for this game, I basically built my new pc for it.
DigitalHero
BigWeather
Posted 1:48 AM 26/8/08
What's going on with the site today? I saw this article hours ago and it disappeared, along with the XBLA Lode Runner hands-on. Odd!
BigWeather
moon1990
Posted 1:48 AM 26/8/08
i want to try starcraft. is it similar to cnc games??? cuz i love them
moon1990
Sugaray
Posted 2:32 AM 26/8/08
mAYBE IF I were Korean i'd be looking forward to SC2 but since i'm not, i could give a hoot about SC2.......now Diablo 3 on the other hand(and a NA ONLY Battlenet).
Sugaray
FrigidAir44
Posted 2:22 AM 26/8/08
@Polterg3ist: I agree. Starcraft 2 looks like more of the same. I'll buy it... just to play through the campaign.
But I'm not terribly interested in 9 year old game updated to 3D.
I'm looking more forward to DoW2 than this.
FrigidAir44
Mooglepinoy22
Posted 2:18 AM 26/8/08
Roaches aren't the ones that explode, Banelings are (a new form that the zergling can mutate into). Roaches, as far as I know, have extreme regenerative properties compared to other zerg units which makes sense because traditional roaches are known for being hard to kill.
Mooglepinoy22
relax_guy
Posted 2:14 AM 26/8/08
@The_Atomic_Pod:
LOL.
truth is funny.
relax_guy
zgnoud
Posted 2:12 AM 26/8/08
@chozo_hybrid: oh come on now, lol.
chozo_hybrid is probally one of the younger generation of gamers that wasnt exposed to the greatness that is starcraft - go easy!
zgnoud
relax_guy
Posted 2:56 AM 26/8/08
@AlreadyDead:
all he wants is separate but equal battle.net systems
:*(
relax_guy
Punkateer
Posted 2:55 AM 26/8/08
@deadjesterx: So that means my grandkids will enjoy Warcraft IV at my funeral. Please announce a hero class ala Warcraft III and tide me over until Warcarft IV -has anyone heard if this may occur?
Punkateer
SAKY
Posted 2:55 AM 26/8/08
@SAKY: geez, what a load of spelling errors. I still want that edit feature Brian.
SAKY
SAKY
Posted 2:52 AM 26/8/08
Zerg were my go to guys, the strategy was simple, build lots of guys and throw them at you enemies but watch out for Psionic storm, damn Protoss! I liked tht the micro-managment was minimal for Zerg. Protoss weer bad ass but there were too many sub commands for me to use them effectivly.
I'm starting to get excited for this game now, I can't wait until 2035!
SAKY
Ragarnok
Posted 2:50 AM 26/8/08
I wonder if Starcraft 2 is going to be leaked, every other recent Blizzard game has, but I hope for them it isn't (but I'd be lying if I didn't admit I secretly hope to play this game early)
Ragarnok
AndrewG009
Posted 2:50 AM 26/8/08
@AlreadyDead: Second.
AndrewG009
AndrewG009
Posted 2:50 AM 26/8/08
I think that the Zerg should have the expanded tech tree, as the hydralisks could get up, going and annihilate Terran players pretty much from the get go, unless an alternate base or bunkers were implemented. I think that it's going to be a really great time seeing how all of the races play in SC2 now that Blizzard has been doing some new tweaking and not just giving us the original Starcraft in 3D but a whole new experience.
AndrewG009
AlreadyDead
Posted 2:47 AM 26/8/08
@Sugaray: Then why post? Racism?
AlreadyDead
greeble
Posted 2:47 AM 26/8/08
Hah starcraft is awesome. I'd still be playing it today if they upgraded the control interface to Warcraft III standards. SC2 is going to rock. (and no I'm not Korean or even Asian)
greeble
Hazzy
Posted 2:42 AM 26/8/08
Hydralisks are getting nerfed? GOOD.
As a die-hard Protoss player, Hydralisks were the bane of my existance. Only thing for 'em was nice psionic storm.
Hazzy
stevesan
Posted 3:22 AM 26/8/08
october is looking to be a busy month for me....
stevesan
exion
Posted 3:21 AM 26/8/08
so what, no more zerg rushing?
That's ultimately for the best, but I'm going to miss those angry cries of despair from my flatmate across the hallway :D
Methinks it's nearing time for me to upgrade my PC...
exion
hammerhand
Posted 3:20 AM 26/8/08
Hero class? I sure hope not. But now that I have seen screens of both it looks like the same engine as Diablo III. And Warcraft III. Fucking art style. Oh well.
hammerhand
Soroks
Posted 3:10 AM 26/8/08
Is it October yet? I wanna play...
Soroks
Deivion
Posted 3:50 AM 26/8/08
Guess no more blindly building just hydras for me.
Deivion
s1L3nt_n18t
Posted 4:00 AM 26/8/08
The next 6 months are going to be beyond amazing, yet so horrible at the same time. I cannot wait for SC2, I've been a huge fan for years, and nearly blacked out with joy when I heard about the upcoming game.
s1L3nt_n18t
Odin
Posted 3:54 AM 26/8/08
Hmmm just WotLK and SCII? Would have thought they'd at least have a TV screen running Diablo III trailers.
Odin
xCruciaLx
Posted 4:40 AM 26/8/08
2010 ?
xCruciaLx
Mmfok
Posted 4:37 AM 26/8/08
Can't wait. The original provided us untold hours of gameplay, and Blizzard isn't one to disappoint.
Mmfok
Quilt
Posted 4:28 AM 26/8/08
I hope the Hydralisks aren't TOO high up the tech tree. I really love Hydralisks. They were the Zerg backbone in Starcraft. At least for me they were.
Quilt
ludwigk
Posted 4:23 AM 26/8/08
@moon1990: I would say that Star Craft is an RTS, but quite different from CnC.
CnC is all about Macro and overwhelming with large groups of well-selected units. The combat is extremely rock-paper-scissor. You bring air, I bring rockets. You bunker down, I bring flame throwers, etc. When you have the 'key' opposing unit, it just instantly crushes the opposition. Resourcing is kind of sloppy, and you are limited in building construction by the power grid.
Is much more refined in that you have early rush tactics, midgame skirmishes, and late game macro play. Surgical strikes, drops, and stealth are much more important parts of the game. Micro tactics are also hugely important, which are almost impossible to use in CnC. The various races are much more different than in CnC where units often have clear analogs in other races. You are limited in how many units you can control, but can build infinite buildings. You build 'control structures' which allows you to control more units, but are limited to 200 points worth. A single unit may take 1-8 points depending on its size. Resource management is stricter and more complex in Starcraft, because there are two resources: one you can gather quickly, and need lots of early game, and eventually runs out, and one that you can gather slowly, but is more important late game.
If you're used to CnC, the micro control will blow you away at first, along with the "tightness" of the gameplay and balance.
ludwigk
wnflame
Posted 4:58 AM 26/8/08
Idk Dow2 is looking better by the minute.
wnflame
Cufol33tcat
Posted 4:57 AM 26/8/08
i hope they finish starcraft II soon so we get a wc4 in this century...
Cufol33tcat
Erignamatic
Posted 5:37 AM 26/8/08
Why must one need to choose between SC2 and DoW2? I will have both and love both to the end of my days.
Erignamatic
Crawl to China
Posted 5:35 AM 26/8/08
@Quilt: I think the instruction manual called them the "bread and butter unit for the Zerg." Yeah, they were pretty popular. Even backbone-ish.
Crawl to China
kingmanic
Posted 5:32 AM 26/8/08
@wnflame: Well, DoW had pretty low production values do DoW 2 doesn't have to try hard to look better. Compared to Sc2, it's not even in the same league. It's serious sam (DoW2) vs Half Life 2 (Sc2). It's niche DoW 2 vs AAA SC2.
kingmanic
Emmanuel Goldstein
Posted 6:14 AM 26/8/08
We require more vespene gas.
Emmanuel Goldstein
ironspam
Posted 5:58 AM 26/8/08
I'm sooooo looking forward to this game. Damn, how many years has it been since the original came out? I'm still playing it this day. There are very few games with such a lasting appeal.
ironspam
spork
Posted 6:26 AM 26/8/08
@Erignamatic: I guess it's because they're pretty similar on the surface, though the guts are quite different.
I had a lot of fun with the original DoW, though I never felt like I "got it". I felt like I "got" Starcraft. How the units interacted. How the different strategies flowed. How you needed to weight micro vs macro.
In Dawn of War, I never felt like I "got it". I built units and I did what I was supposed to and I won. In Starcraft I felt like I had like an 80% understanding of the game, mechanics, and strategies. In Dawn of War, I felt like I had a 25% understanding of the game.
It kinda felt like how Warcraft 3 did for me too. I know there's differences to the different factions, but I basically played them very similarly where as in Starcraft, I played the 3 different races very differently.
spork
Gnutslinger
Posted 3:12 AM 26/8/08
Well thats excellent. I agree that the Hydralisk was slightly overpowered. I'm glad the tech progression is much more fleshed and spread out. Cheers to blizzard!
Gnutslinger
kingmanic
Posted 6:53 AM 26/8/08
@spork: In war 3 each faction has strengths and weaknesses. They aren't as different as in SC but they each had a distinct flow and different strengths.
Humans, very flexible. Humans rarely had mana problems due to the ArchMage. Probably has the best hero selection of all 4 races. They were more vulnerable early, but had a lot of oomph late with one of the best late air, average melee, and very useful casters. Weak early, good med-late.
Orc, Struggles against air. Has poor late game air but dominates in melee. shamans and docs have extremely useful spells but limited mana keeps it controllable for the opposition. Good early, okay mid, bad late.
Undead, owns air units. Fiends make air almost useless unless you have good micro. Less strats and with the exception of frosties, most late game strats struggle. Really a medium game race. ok early, ok late.
Night Elf, good against air, low hp, needs a lot of finesse. high damage but low endurance. weak early. better med to late.
The races character changes too with every major game revision. NE used to dominate early and lag late. They were re juggled. Each has a character but I agree their not as distinct as the 3 in SC. SC and War3 are my two favorite RTS's. Deep, and eternally entertaining. My $60 has yielded hundreds of hours of entertainment.
kingmanic
Nirolak
Posted 7:33 AM 26/8/08
@ludwigk: Actually, having played a ton of StarCraft and the RA3 beta, C&C has become waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more like StarCraft with its newest entry.
The Japanese army is almost unplayable if you can't micro well, and stacking huge numbers of units doesn't work as well since you need to be able to use all the secondary abilities well and focus on individual units within your group as well.
But before the latest entry, yeah, they weren't that similar.
Nirolak
otis123
Posted 7:37 AM 26/8/08
2035 2035 2035! prove me wrong blizzard!
otis123
whatnub
Posted 1:49 AM 26/8/08
@moon1990: Oh man, you're missing out
whatnub
Lyner
Posted 8:42 AM 26/8/08
@The_Atomic_Pod: Awesome! 2035 here I go. :D
Lyner
Dimipapa
Posted 9:34 AM 26/8/08
@SAKY: I sort of disagree with you about zerg needing the least micro management. Sure zerg had the cheapest units but they were not incredibly sturdy, if you wanted to use them effectively you had to micro manage. Protoss I think required the least amount of micro management simply because they had the most powerful units, I was a group user, and good get by during most games with just zealots and dragoons. Terrans for the most part had a stronger attacks then the zerg but they were easier to kill. Terran units required the most micro management to be effective. While I tried, and got pretty good I was never a Terran master, there was just too much micro managment, defense, and climbing the tech tree involved. On the other hand I was just terrible with zerg, I could never quite get the hang of sacrificing my workers to build structures and only being able to build on the creep. I thought terrans were the most fun and the coolest but I was best with protoss. With protoss I didnt have to worry about elaborate offense or defense and could employ more basic strategies and still be successful.
Dimipapa
GhostWhoWalks
Posted 9:33 AM 26/8/08
I've heard some rumbling from the developers that the Zerg are going to see some major tweaks, particularly with bringing the Hydralisks to a lower tier.
One thing that kind of concerns me is that the Zerglings are, as stated, becoming more cannon fodder-ish. The original Zerglings were much more like glass cannons, capable of dishing out plenty of damage but not taking it, making good support for those Zerglings crucial. Hopefully, that's how they'll end up in the final version.
GhostWhoWalks
Dimipapa
Posted 9:26 AM 26/8/08
I always hated good zerg players. And not simply because I choked balls as the zerg. The fact is zerg was the most powerful race for one simple fact, they can out produce terran and protoss. If they all forces of comparable size and strength, and then wipe each other out, zerg can reproduce the force that was just destroyed faster. And if you were ever playing on a map hacked for nearly unlimited resources then you were really screwed.
Dimipapa
Trai_Dep
Posted 10:00 AM 26/8/08
Lot's of love for Blizzard emanating from here. Nice thing is that they're an A-Game publisher who support the Mac, because, Of Course!
It's also why I buy all Blizzard software sight unseen. Their quality is incredible and their support of multiple platforms deserves my support.
Although, geez, I hope it's out soon. REALLY soon.
Trai_Dep
ssoltero
Posted 10:20 AM 26/8/08
Hotness! I can't wait, even though I have too. I already bought a Mac Desktop Pro to play this when it arrives. This is truly the only game left on the PC platform that I plan on playing in the future.
ssoltero
Grandreaper999
Posted 2:07 PM 26/8/08
Sounds like they messed up the zerg pretty bad. Being my favorite race, it sounds like these changes are going to make playing them more difficult than they should be. The hydralisk was the backbone of Zerg, they were the only thing that could flexibly fight it out against other units. Now with them so high up in the tech tree, it sounds almost impossible to play against the other races.
Grandreaper999
Trai_Dep
Posted 3:09 AM 27/8/08
@Grandreaper999: I'm sure Blizzard will have different - although equally fiendishly clever - strategies for the Zerg. I'd have been disappointed if they photocopied the same strategy mechanics from the old to the new games.
C'mon, admit it: you too, right?
Trai_Dep
Renomune
Posted 7:50 AM 27/8/08
I have Played SC for a decade I have been awaiting this like Xmas day. PROTOSS all the way. I just hope I don't here the dreaded "You Must construct additional Pylons!" And Thank You for the Zerg balancing I used to play my 3 friends 3v1 and as long as all of them did not be the Zerg they never beat me even once. Good times. I always have my old lan Pcs up for some SC or Quake 3 arena.
Renomune
Crawl to China
Posted 12:30 PM 27/8/08
@Renomune: haha i used to do that, cept I woulld be zerg and they could be whatever. lurker rush FTW.
Crawl to China