Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty
Preview
Hell... It's about time!
by Patrick Steinmann
previewed on PC
Gameplay
Gameplay-wise, we expect Blizzard to retain the good and revise the not-so-good, rare it may be. As in the original, the Zergs will swarm everything with masses of goo-dripping mutants, the Protoss will have a few expensive, but powerful units, and the Terran will rely on manpower and all sorts of mechanical vehicles to hold their own. We’ve been promised that contrary to many other RTS games, the limit on unit numbers will be much higher, if it’s included at all. Effectively, this means that literally hundreds of units can be participating in a battle – good news especially for Zerg players. Blizzard has also stated that the controls will reflect this, for example, you will be able to group any given number of units into a squad, as opposed to other titles, where these squads are usually limited to, say, 30 or so units. Similarly, most units will now require less micromanaging, instead automatically employing their various skills as needed.
battle.net, v2
With three such different factions, a good assortment of maps is essential. Information is scarce at the moment, but according to Blizzard, many maps from the original will make a return, such as the afore-mentioned Char, though obviously a slew of new locations will also be added.
Multiplayer has always been a strong side of Starcraft. For the sequel, the multiplayer client, dubbed battle.net, will get an overhaul, along with some new stricks up its sleeves. We expect, amongst other things, a tool to record, share, and view matches as a spectator, as well as new multiplayer modes to expand on the features of the original.
Lookin’ good…
When 10 years separates the original and sequel, you’d expect quite an improvement on the graphics front. Back then, gamers got hand-painted, 2D sprites. Naturally, that won’t do for today’s graphics-spoilt gamers, so Blizzard has moved on. Starcraft II, set to run on XP, Vista, and Mac OS X, will be fully 3D this time around, in the case of Windows systems, support DirectX 9. As of now, DirectX 10 is supported, but not utilized, although this is subject to change. The Mac version will run on OpenGL. The Havok physics engine will be utilized to add some extra excitement in the form of debris rolling down ramps and slopes for example.
So what’s the result of all this? Well, truth be told, the game looks fantastic for an RTS title. Not only are the maps nicely detailed, but all the units and buildings look extremely nice. Structures look crisp and sharp, while many units constantly shift around, move and rotate. For example, flames from jetpacks constantly pulse and flare, and so on. Furthermore, some units have multiple different deployment modes, and the transformations all look very nice.
Where the graphics shine most however, is in battle. Bolts of light flying around, muzzle flashes pop up everywhere, units explode in showers of debris, fire and smoke. Blood spatters the ground and acid will leave nasty burn marks. All in all, there’s a lot of razzle dazzle going on, providing heaps of beautiful eye candy.
I Say
Summarizing, Starcraft II is shaping up to be one of the hottest RTS titles of the year. Retaining the best of the famed original, and improving on its (admittedly very few) deficits, Blizzard is working hard on the sequel, and, by the looks of it, is doing everything exactly right.
