StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty will take you back to the Koprulu sector and reunite you with many familiar faces from StarCraft and its expansion, Brood War, continuing the saga of the terrans, the zerg, and the protoss in new and innovative ways. Branching conversations with the game’s varied cast of characters may open up surprising and unique new mission options. And as the leader of Raynor’s Raiders, you decide which missions your crew takes on and which ones you save for later. The decisions you make will change how the game’s story plays out; you’ll see certain events, cut scenes, and cinematic moments only by following a particular path in StarCraft II’s mission structure.
Rather than offering a strictly linear campaign, StarCraft II lets players get involved more directly in the game’s story with branching, non-linear missions. Sometimes, players will face major decisions that could change the fate of certain characters or worlds. Other times, players can set aside specific missions for a while in favor of other jobs.
StarCraft II will run on a vibrant new 3D-graphics engine capable of rendering beautiful landscapes as well as massive army sizes. The speed, responsiveness, and epic-scale battles that made the original StarCraft such a memorable game are all realized in 3D with this brand-new engine.
A number of distinct new units to the protoss, terran, and zerg, and some of the familiar units that return in StarCraft II will have new tricks up their sleeves, which will give the game its own unique flavor. The maps themselves will also offer new interactive elements that enhance the strategic nature of the game and create more tactical points of interest for players to contest. One example of this is the Xel’Naga watchtower structure—when captured, it reveals line of sight over a large area of the map, creating an advantage for the player in control of the tower.
In addition, Battle.net will be overhauled with some new and exciting features to enhance online play and competition, while the single-player campaign will also offer some unique aspects for players to enjoy.
In StarCraft II, players will see the return of the protoss, terran, and zerg races. The goal is to ensure that all the factions in the game play even more distinctly from one another than in the original StarCraft, while still maintaining the fine balance that helped make StarCraft a classic. They’re also introducing a number of new units to each race, as well as modifying some of the familiar units returning in StarCraft II. With these design refinements and the new features they have planned for the single-player and multiplayer elements of the game, StarCraft II will offer a next-generation StarCraft experience.
The StarCraft II Trilogy consists of the base StarCraft II game and two subsequent expansion sets. StarCraft II is subtitled Wings of Liberty (working title) and will include a lengthy single-player campaign that focuses on the terrans and puts players in the role of Jim Raynor, one of the series’ main heroes. The first expansion set, Heart of the Swarm (working title), will follow later and include a single-player campaign focusing on the zerg and Kerrigan, Queen of Blades. The second expansion set, Legacy of the Void (working title), will continue the story experience with a single-player campaign centered on the protoss.
From the beginning, StarCraft II will be a fully featured multiplayer game, and all three races will be available for competitive play. The expansion sets will add new content to each race for use in multiplayer matches. This could include additions such as new units, abilities, and structures, along with new maps and Battle.net updates.
StarCraft II’s terran campaign will consist of approximately 26 to 30 missions, and each expansion set will include a similar number of missions. This means that the complete StarCraft II Trilogy will include as many as 90 single-player missions.
Players will be able to choose their mission path and technology upgrades for their army as they advance through the campaign. There will be more interactive sets and elements for players to explore during each campaign, along with other interesting design elements to differentiate the single-player game from multiplayer matches. For example, the technology choices within the terran single-player campaign will include special upgrades and unit types that are unique to the single-player game. These could include the ability to purchase classic units such as the wraith or firebat to add to Jim Raynor’s army.
Oh and P.S., it will, of course, include an all-new map editor. (Most likely based off the Warcraft 3 editor).
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{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
I along with a few hundred of thousands of StarCraft have been waiting for this with nosmall amount of impatience. As described it will have been worth the wait