New Screenshots

[masterofhobbiton]

At first it doesn't really look like there's anything new. The banshees are looking especially nice here, but I think they're unchanged from WWI; same for the infestor.

From the first screenshot though you can see more about how the lighting and shadows will be working out: the explosion is definately not lighting up the units near it, the marines are lit up by their shots as usual but no shadows are cast by them, and when the marines are in the shadow of the terrain they are in the dark, but the infestor in the shadow of the infested barracks is just as bright as the ones outside.

There's a weird greyish *-shaped thing right next to the left infested barracks, but it might just be the first frame of an explosion or something I think.

Also there is a lot of blood all over the place, including lots of little stains by a bunch of marines who aren't dead, making me think that units might bleed a bit when they get hit.

In the second screenshot the zerg look the same as always, but the protoss buildings are dramatically different, with more ornate features that really change the style completely. I don't really think I like it so much, I had gotten used to their shiny plated smooth buildings. And they're nothing at all like the original buildings anymore. The zealots look especially amazing and detailed, though that could also be unchanged since WWI.

[gamer102]

White protoss look sharp, I'm always that color.

[DarkMirror]

I like the new ornate look. I imagine that thats a bit of Dark Templar style creeping in.

[ChimTheGrim21]

Can't wait, damn you blizzard! Just give it to me.

[Protogod]

I, too, like the ornateness of the Protoss. It makes the game feel more complete, whereas the smooth buildings really just felt like an alpha version. They needed some kind of further detail to justify all the graphics/art mumbo jumbo blizzard has talked about.

I like it.

[Vezer]

The Protoss buildings look amazing. Before they looked "bubbly" and cartoonish, now they look like imposing metal buildings, worthy of the mighty Protoss.

[Skullflower]

Are the Zealots psi blades still player color?

[neobowman]

Pink psi blades lol. Better than pink archons. I like the new Protoss look. The Zealots look awsome.

[DarkMirror]

Hopefully they removed pink as a player color.

[Skullflower]

Damn, it would only look cool in white or blue. Every other color would just look weird as fuck. Like brown or red or green or yellow.... damn.

[masterofhobbiton]

Oh, come on, pink zerg would be funny. :D

Teal crystals look awesome, and, come on, at least pink protoss look better than pink orcs in WC3.

[Skullflower]

OK, Teal doesn't look too bad. So pink's really a player color in SC2? Imagine Pink Terrans... awkward.

[DarkMirror]

I don't think we have seen pink in SC2 yet. That looks more like a purple.

[masterofhobbiton]

No, because we have seen purple on terrans and it's much darker than that.

I think that's pretty definately pink, and I think it'll stay in because I doubt they'd remove any colors that were available in WC3.

[DarkMirror]

Bah. I think pink is silly.

[3Vee]

Pink Zerg ftw. No, seriously, I think it's definitely something to consider, but as long as player colors are recognizable, who really cares what it looks like?

[Magmaniac]

I really like the way the protoss are looking! :D
The zerg units are still a blob though.

[NoobOfLore]

The pink toss really don't look that bad.
Teal toss look pretty awesome, actually.
I think that the more colors, the better. No reason removing a color just because YOU don't like it. It adds another player, and I'm sure someone other than you does like it.
Nice screenies, btw. Maybe if you run that game on highest settings you get real shading and lighting, from all light giving sources. I can imagine that would pretty much drain all of your computer power though. Cause a blackout maybe.

[HazzaDaShiz]

I like it.
And the Protoss buildings feel very sharp, with defined points to them rather than glossy curvature. However, I thought curvature exuded elegance and that was more the Protoss way...

[ChimTheGrim21]

Pink looks like a color the Protoss would use.. they're aliens after all, so it wont seem feminine to them. Just like everything gay doesn't seem feminine to Japanese people. Same concept :D

[WhatIsStarcraft]

I also like how the crystals in the pylons aren't so perfect as they were in Starcraft Vanilla and BW. They seem to have some faults here and there, which would suit the new hastyness of the Protoss because of the loss of Aiur, and fast rebuilding of their civilization.

[Fiendwurm]

protoss look amazing, but hydralisks still look like porcupines... oh well

[Skullflower]

The Hydralisks look very spiky.

[Thexenon]

Yes they do look very spikey

That reminds me.. anyone know when sc2 will be released?

I would really like to know if anyone does know so thanks if you post back :)

[Dem0nS1ayer]

I still don't like the buildings. They still look cartoony in my opinion.

[Protogod]

That reminds me.. anyone know when sc2 will be released?

No, there is not now, nor has there ever been any indication of a release date for sc2. I dont know why so few people know this.

[NoobOfLore]

No, there is not now, nor has there ever been any indication of a release date for sc2. I dont know why so few people know this.
I think that a good many people DID know this. Misfortune if you happened to come a cross a few who didn't.

I also appreciate the imperfections of the new pylons. And those who claimed that the toss were a bit too pointy, Look just a little harder. Note how there is a masterful mixture of curves and points, edges and bulbs.
All very entertaining to look at.
And also, yes, pink does seem to suit the toss rather well. It is unlikely that they have the same generic phobia to anything potentially feminine that we humans do.

[masterofhobbiton]

One problem I have with the imperfections of the pylons is that they'll all be imperfect in the exact same ways. By this I mean, if I build ten pylons next to each other, the crystals will all be identical. So what I really hope is that for this specific building, they make it so that when it is built the model appears randomly rotated. Since the pylon is symmetrical (especially since the ring around the crystal rotates anyway), the rotation would not be obvious and it would make the pylons look more varied and imperfect.

The pylons in the picture though don't seem to match, but it could be the angle as one is near the edge of the screen, or maybe they've already implemented a similar feature.

[Aqo]

It's possible that there are several building models and whenever you build one it picks a random graphics out of the pool, similar to hero names in WC3. It shouldn't be too hard to do as the artists that already made the pylon could easily make several more variations of it.

As far as pink goes, C&C3 allowed players to pick their colors and I always picked pink. It's the best color. Why the hell do people want it removed? I think it should definitely stay, and I'd like if SC2 also allowed picking your color; not like in WC3 where you had to move your spot for the appropriate player position, but rather an actual selection box like the race selection box. Or maybe simply let players choose any RGB value they want like in Dawn of War, that'd be nice right? Obviously, with a small mechanic that does not allow a player to pick a color that's at least in the range of 16 colors within the one picked by someone else, so that you don't get two similar hues of the same color.

Pink Zergling rush KEKEKEKE, as if getting zerglings into your enemy's base before his barracks is complete wasn't humiliating enough, this would be awesome :P

[NoobOfLore]

So true Aquo.
For those of you who are afraid of the color pink, we will just wait and THEN own you with pink lings. Pathetic.

Asymmetrical pylons seem like they will be implemented, as far as I can see. They don't quite look the same in the shot we saw.
Do we know exactly what protoss things will change colors with team color?
And also, the zerg don't appear to bleed in the first screenshot.

[Skullflower]

The Protoss actually look pretty cool in pink. And I would like to be able to pick the color you want to be in SC2. That would be awesome.

[HazzaDaShiz]

Yeah, that's always been something about BW that I've disliked, not being able to pick your colour. Obviously it no real impact on the game, but it does help you build up a profile, like your name, race and strategies do.
Yeah, think of the houses in AOE II. They had four different models, I think, so at least they weren't that similar. But hopefully there'd be more than 4 models in SC2.

[RavenCrusade]

I doubt they would make more than four, if they varied the models at all, which I'd like to add: I hope they do. I'd be perfectly happy if they had even just three models which interchanged randomly. That or return to the perfect pylons, because at least then it makes sense why they're all the same. However, if it is imperfect and a consistent model, then why would they all have the same imperfections?

[HazzaDaShiz]

However, if it is imperfect and a consistent model, then why would they all have the same imperfections?

Blizzard could make some lore about them being consistently useless architects.

Actually, with the Hydralisk attack animation, I don't mind the look of it. But it does seem a bit odd with it being just one needle when all the descriptions talk about them firing craploads of them.

[Fiendwurm]

I think the needles should travel faster... and they should be in little swarms. Also it looks like the hydralisks are throwing their spikes, I think it would be better to have the plates in their shoulders lift, then have the muscles underneath them flinch and launch a hail of spikes.

[masterofhobbiton]

About the bleeding terran units, it's true, in this video at about 2:15 some lings attack a ghost and leave before killing it and there's some blood on the ground from their attacks.

http://www.wegame.com/watch/Starcraft_2_Zerg_Gameplay_part1/?ref=gv

[Zoar]

man do they look good

like I always imagined the Protoss buildings looked but was never able to tell due to the graphics: can't wait to see the Nexus

I think those blood splotches are marines who were killed b4 and the other marines walked over the dead splotches

[masterofhobbiton]

No, in the video I linked to above you can see that when the terran infantry are attacked they create small bloodspots.

[SgtHK]

Damn, it would only look cool in white or blue. Every other color would just look weird as fuck. Like brown or red or green or yellow.... damn.
Brown psi blades XD

[gamer102]

Oh, come on, pink zerg would be funny. :D

Teal crystals look awesome, and, come on, at least pink protoss look better than pink orcs in WC3.

Future Pink > Brutal Pink

[Fiendwurm]

I have to admit those pink stalkers looked awesome.

[Basan]

One problem I have with the imperfections of the pylons is that they'll all be imperfect in the exact same ways. By this I mean, if I build ten pylons next to each other, the crystals will all be identical. So what I really hope is that for this specific building, they make it so that when it is built the model appears randomly rotated. Since the pylon is symmetrical (especially since the ring around the crystal rotates anyway), the rotation would not be obvious and it would make the pylons look more varied and imperfect.

...

Imho, I have always thought that the Pylons were built by 'Toss automated factories and thus were quite prone to perfect look alike copies of the original. And if that's your angle then I also want different Zerg looking buildings. Afterall they're organic and thus a lot less prone to look like perfect clones. ;)

[ChimTheGrim21]

Imho, I have always thought that the Pylons were built by 'Toss automated factories and thus were quite prone to perfect look alike copies of the original. And if that's your angle then I also want different Zerg looking buildings. Afterall they're organic and thus a lot less prone to look like perfect clones. ;)
That's an interesting idea about zerg buildings. I like it. It'd be sweet if there were 3 different Zerg building palettes that cycled randomly. Add a little variety to the Zerg.

[masterofhobbiton]

Afterall they're organic and thus a lot less prone to look like perfect clones.

But zerg buildings and units are perfect clones. Zerg buildings and units don't breed. In the manual it says about larvae, "each larva containss within it the genetic makeup of every other zerg breed," and about drones, "drones [are] engineered with the larvae's ability to break down their own genetic coding and transform themselves into rudimentary zerg structures." I don't think they would bother to give each drone and each larva a very slightly different version of each genetic code to create the normal variations in species, they'd just all have a copy of the same one. So they would produce perfect clones.

If you do want buildings to be different though, then they should make the buildings mature over time, so that an old spawning pool would be a bit bigger and zergier than a brand new one. Now that would be cool.

[PrisonLove]

the only building variations should be in the protoss pylons, anything else would just be going overboard, because if you really want to be nit picky, then every single building should have variations, and thats overkill. you can say that all terran buildings would be built slightly differently, or that each zerg structure might lean a certain way, its overkill and completely unnecessary. stick to variations in the pylon crystals.

==edit==
and for those of who think pink should be removed as a color, grow up.

besides girls need a color to be; and yes, im confident that girls play these types of games

[NoobOfLore]

besides girls need a color to be; and yes, im confident that girls play these types of games

Ehem...Because girls can only play as pink.[/sexism]
However, yes, pink is just a viable a color as purple or blue. It's common and easily recognized.
And having irregular buildings=Unnecessary and impractical.
Protoss pylons should, simply because they are carved from giant crystals, and you need to recognize that. Zerg are ACTUALLY perfect clones of eachother. So the buildings are going to be the same. Human contructs use precise blueprints and accurate measurement methods.
But even if you feel like discounting any of those, keep in mind that it adds nothing to the game, and takes a good deal more effort to accomplish.

[Vezer]

I think the new age SC2 pylons should be imperfect, considering they no longer have a base planet that has been creating pylons for thousands of years. They don't just warp buildings in from Aiur anymore.

[NoobOfLore]

Which reminds me...Where ARE they warping in units and buildings from?
There should be some actual unit training and creation facilities, to excuse the fact that they are always warping them from somewhere. But only put them on the main stronghold, where they create the units.

[PrisonLove]

Ehem...Because girls can only play as pink.[/sexism]



of course its sexist but its a valid argument for keeping pink around : )

anyway, the pylons do have variations, every screenshot i see, the pylon crystals look slightly different, and yes making variations of every building would absolutely be unnecessary and add nothing to the game

[DarkMirror]

Which reminds me...Where ARE they warping in units and buildings from?
There should be some actual unit training and creation facilities, to excuse the fact that they are always warping them from somewhere. But only put them on the main stronghold, where they create the units.
Already fit into lore. Thats the whole reason Dragoons are gone, the temple where they made them got infested by the Zerg.

[NoobOfLore]

That doesn't explain where they are getting there current units from. Just because there are no more dragoons doesn't mean that now they can warp units out of nowhere. Units still NEED to be trained somewhere. And all the protoss buildings warp in units as opposed to training or creating them. WHERE DO THEY WARP THEIR CURRENT UNITS FROM is the simple and straightforward question I want answered.

[DarkMirror]

Woah woah woah! Calm down! I just helped answer that. Dragoons were BUILT in that temple. The Temple is now gone, so there are no more Dragoons. My best bet for where they come from are those big cities you see in the background of the Protoss Breifing room.

[NoobOfLore]

Sorry if that seemed like an outburst. It was me calling attention to the fact that you didn't actually answer the underlying question in my post, and so I put a part in all caps because I was to lazy to bold/underline it.

[markymark]

The new envirenments look really stunning in SC2!! Hope the units will get the same stunning look in the final SC2.

[Sento]

it all looks good, although i think things should look a little more gritty, like they did in SCI. Thats just a personal opinion tho

[HazzaDaShiz]

it all looks good, although i think things should look a little more gritty, like they did in SCI. Thats just a personal opinion tho

The constant talk about Blizzard not making their games 'gritty' or 'grungy' enough is really getting on my nerves.
Why do people want a carbon copy of SCI and then complain about how SCII is shit and will never be as good as SCI?
If people let Blizzard get through the ALPHA stage before chucking a hissy-fit over a small part of the shading, we might end up with a decent game.

[Kimera757]

That doesn't explain where they are getting there current units from. Just because there are no more dragoons doesn't mean that now they can warp units out of nowhere. Units still NEED to be trained somewhere. And all the protoss buildings warp in units as opposed to training or creating them. WHERE DO THEY WARP THEIR CURRENT UNITS FROM is the simple and straightforward question I want answered.

The answer is in StarCraft: Frontline's first story, Why We Fight.

Point #1) Shakuras is relatively safe. It hasn't seen any zerg in four years. The majority of the protoss population probably live there.

Point #2) The protoss have been exploring the xel'naga temple's technology for use in their own technology, which is how we got the current gateway tech. (See the page on www.starcraft2.com). It makes sense that they'd be making stuff there.

Point #3) In StarCraft I, everything was military and there were very few campaign-only units and structures. As a result, we couldn't see the Dragoon Shrine, and stuff like that.

Point #4) In Why We Fight, we saw Khastiana, a protoss from the untouched protoss colony world of Ash'Arak. She moved to Shakuras where she trained as a zealot. The training must have taken her less than four years. (Note that, to be technical, the only way marines could be trained that fast in-game is through neural resocialization. And this is covered in Speed of Darkness.)

Point #5) In Why We Fight, we actually saw zealots and high templar assembling in a room on Shakuras, and warping (through warp gates) to the world of Artika. Once there, they joined the battle.

Point #6) Back on Shakuras, a crippled Khastiana was transformed into an immortal. We saw the inside of the structure that she was placed in. Presumably (as in point #5) she will remain at some kind of "barracks" until she is needed, at which point she'll warp to a warp gate or gateway. Alternatively, she could be put on guard duty somewhere.

[DarkMirror]

What the hell is "Why we Fight"?

[masterofhobbiton]

Get with the times, man. :D

http://www.starcraftwire.net/gallery/data/502/medium/starcraft-frontline-cover.jpg

http://www.tokyopop.com/modules/manga.player.php?id=1803351&module=tp_manga

I haven't read it myself though.

[DarkMirror]

Point #4) In Why We Fight, we saw Khastiana, a protoss from the untouched protoss colony world of Ash'Arak. She moved to Shakuras where she trained as a zealot. The training must have taken her less than four years. (Note that, to be technical, the only way marines could be trained that fast in-game is through neural resocialization. And this is covered in Speed of Darkness.)

Actually, that was covered in the SCII promo. Marines aren't trained when you build them, thast just them being taken froma cell and given the armor.

Get with the times. ;)

[masterofhobbiton]

No, that was when the armor was put on. I mean, you have to have training to use it before you can just go out and fight (covered in liberty's crusade). That's probably what happens when you click the button on the barracks, but they need training or resoc before that happens.

[Kimera757]

Actually, that was covered in the SCII promo. Marines aren't trained when you build them, thast just them being taken froma cell and given the armor.

You have not read Speed of Darkness. You can use resoc to train a marine really fast. (Of course, not all marines have undergone resocialization. Findlay obviously hasn't, and he obviously wasn't being trained in the trailer.)

No, that was when the armor was put on. I mean, you have to have training to use it before you can just go out and fight (covered in liberty's crusade). That's probably what happens when you click the button on the barracks, but they need training or resoc before that happens.

According to the StarCraft I manual, using a dragoon requires you to focus through the Khala, so it might not require training for a follower of the Khala.

Alternatively, she'll have to learn to walk again inside that facility. (I guess that would be Immortal Shrine, to replace the Dragoon Shrine that was lost.) If that's the case, she won't be warped anywhere until she's done her immortal training.

[DarkMirror]

I didnb''t say I hadn't read the book. I did. What I'm saying is that they were probobly trained beforehand, and then when you hit the button they get the armor put on.

[masterofhobbiton]

Gah, I think you edited your post and I didn't see it, sorry.

[Kimera757]

I didnb''t say I hadn't read the book. I did. What I'm saying is that they were probobly trained beforehand, and then when you hit the button they get the armor put on.

Are we even disagreeing on something? Now I'm confused.

According to Speed of Darkness, Melnikov learned how to use his suit after one session in the resoc tanks. It was implied he learned other skills earlier through the tank (but not confirmed).

[DarkMirror]

No editing was done.