StarCraft II Multiplayer Panel at BlizzCon 2011
Dustin Browder, David Kim, and Josh Menke from the StarCraft II development team took the opportunity to talk about the state of play in StarCraft II, and of course, new multiplayer units for Heart of the Swarm on the Panel Discussion stage this afternoon at BlizzCon 2011.
Game Director Dustin Browder got the discussion started with a look at balance in StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, from global aggregate matchups to tournament results. For the most part, the observed balance across matchups was even, with some exceptions like masters' level ZvP favoring zerg on the European ladder, and terrans dominating GSL Code S in tournament play. The team has recently been examining the effects of patch 1.4 changes on the protoss vs. terran matchup which had aimed to reduce the effectiveness of the Terran 1/1/1 build, among other things. The increase to range on immortals has helped. Currently the development team is considering a nerf to EMP, as well as other changes, to further improve overall balance.
The coming of the Heart of the Swarm expansion set gives the development team opportunities to address game balance in multiplayer StarCraft II in more over-arching ways than would be possible through patches. With the chance to add and remove units, Heart of the Swarm will allow the team to more effectively address race weaknesses, spice up certain stale matchups such as ZvZ or PvP, and address missed opportunities in existing units. Browder reiterated that the game is a work in progress, nothing is final, feedback is crucial, and the forthcoming StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm beta will be extremely useful and informative.
Game Designer David Kim continued with an in-depth appraisal of all three races. Here's an outline of what's new in Heart of the Swarm multiplayer:
Terrans
- Issues and weaknesses
- Thor is too slow and clumsy
- Race has difficulties in handling mass zealots in late game
- New units and abilities
- New "battle mode" for hellion - transforms like a viking
- Battle mode hellion has more hit points, moves more slowly
- Shorter, wider arc on flame attack, and stronger
- Gives terran a beefy front-line fighter in the late game
- Warhound
- Smaller, more nimble version of Thor
- Effective anti-mech ground weapon to help break siege tank lines
- Anti-air attack with splash damage
- Shredder
- Robot that emits channeled, area of effect damage when immobilized
- Damage automatically shuts off when an ally moves into range
- Gives terran cheap zone control, but can't be used near main army
- Is still very work-in-progress
- Thor
- Moved to late game, more hit points and damage
- Can only have one, like mothership from Wings of Liberty
- New "battle mode" for hellion - transforms like a viking
Zerg
- Issues and weaknesses
- Mid-game difficulties with siege and controlling areas
- Missed opportunities with certain units like ultralisk and corruptor
- New units and abilities
- Ultralisk
- Existing version is bulky and has difficulties engaging in battle
- New burrow charge ability lets it dive underground and get into the fight easily
- Viper
- New caster unit with detection -- replaces overseer
- Has abilities like blinding cloud to help break entrenched positions
- Abduct ability allows it to pull units to itself -- pull siege tanks or colossus out of death balls
- Swarm host
- Zerg artillery for map control and siege
- Burrows into the ground, and continuously generates small creatures to attack
- Feels very zerg-y
- Ultralisk
Protoss
- Issues and weaknesses
- Needs more raiding options
- Needs area of effect, anti-air attacks
- New units and abilities
- Tempest
- New protoss capital ship, replaces carrier
- Anti-air splash damage for mutalisks and other aircraft
- Has direct air-to-ground attack as well that isn't splash
- Tempest
- Replicant
- Special unit that can clone itself into any non-massive unit
- Allows protoss to also take siege tanks or infestors from enemies
- Is very expensive
- Still very much a work-in-progress, not-final unit
- Oracle
- Caster unit used for raiding and harassment
- Can disable enemy structures, or prevent miningwith its abilities
- Doesn't actually kill or damage anything
- Mothership is cut in favor of this unit
There were some other adjustments and additions in multiplayer Heart of the Swarm. Some of the more interesting changes include the reaper gaining the ability to quickly regenerate health when out of combat, though its building attack has been removed. Battlecruisers will also get a new cooldown-based ability for a speed boost.
On the zerg side, banelings will be able to move while underground, through a late-game upgrade, while hydralisks will get a speed upgrade for off-creep movement. Corruptors will also have a new channeled ability called siphon. Siphoned buildings take damage over time, while the zerg player gains minerals as the building is being damaged.
Finally for the protoss, two new abilities have been added to the nexus. One is a mass recall, allowing protoss players to quickly return armies home, while the other is a defensive ability that temporarily gives any structure additional shield and building armor, as well as a weapon similar to a photon cannon.
Before taking questions, the StarCraft II developers reminded everyone that everything is still very much work in progress and subject to change.
What do you think about the StarCraft II multiplayer experience?
changes have been made
Part 4. PROTOSS
Issues and weaknesses
'Needs more raiding options'. I don't really feel this way. We have nearly instant-build units that merely require a power source, which can be supplied by a drop ship carrying units to defend while the army is being built. We have an easy rush in cannons, zealots, or dark templars that usually raid, burn, and pillage without usually killing the enemy out but giving a precious advantage. Zerg and terrans simply have zerglings and reapers respectively as early raiders and are even more-so limited in raiding later on. The raiding options are excedingly powerful in the right hands.
'Needs area of effect, air attacks'. This is a usefull thing but not required. What the protoss needs is more ground-to-air units. The stalker and archons are the only aa capable units that immediately come to mind. Whereas all of the protoss air units can hit other air units.
New units and abilities
The 'Tempest'. Ok. Its...a giant pheonix? I understand the need for better aa. What i dont understand is why this is your solution...a large, aoe pheonix is not impressive. If this were to replace the pheonix i would understand a little better. Replacing the unit who fails at its own job and its basically an improvment of anyways makes since. But replacing the carrier with it doesnt. Ok so about the carrier. It is a holy relic, yes, but its also wasting away. A small ammount of people actually use it and even then not effectively. The carrier isnt very good at combat vs units, i will concede that point but, have any of you thought of the use of it vs buildings? 10 carriers with mass void rays to deal with the other enemies can wipe a base clean in minutes. The units in the game are only useless when you dont use them properly. (Pheonixes still are useless;D)
The 'Replicant'. Now this seems interesting. If the cost, research, and limitations are done properly it can be balanced, and usefull at the same time. But if done improperly it will just be a waste of time fore everyone and more work in later patches.
The 'Oracle'. Strange. Not sure that I personally would use it. As said before it seems like it would have to be an early-game unit to be able to do any damge...decent limitations could make it early-game and not over-powered but im not sure what limitations would do so, if any.
Wow thats alot of 'buts'. Heh. Well thats it really. The last few paragraphs about the reapers, banelings, corruptors, etc seem fine. I dont really need an opinion on those cause those have actually had the most level-headed conversations of them all (surprising about the baneling part heh.)
Please reply with any issues to the post pertaining to them. Thanks!
Issues and weaknesses
'Mid-game difficulties with seige and controlling areas'. Ok. So maybe I don't fully understand how the zerg tactics work? Seige and controlling areas? That seems very swarmish...yeah sarcasms great. Ok. So my issue is that zerg are mostly a mix 'n mass race meaning they build as many of everything that is needed. They need economy, macro, and quick recovery. If they lose an area, they need to be prepared to push back. They aren't built to defend. They morph, change, adapt. They conquer. No need to improve area controll, but instead make them more unique in game-play. That's what I like about zerg even though i don't prefer them. They play differently in key manners.
'Missed opportunites with certain units like Ultralisk and Corrupter'. This is very clear to me. This is good. Improvement of current units to make them more unique. The ultralisk is big 'n beefy and chews through infantry and other ground-units but it lacks the ability to get past zerglings or other infantry between it and its target, even if the charge gets scrapped, let it walk over smaller units. The corrupter needs improvements. Its abilities and itself are hardly used (making brood-lords doesn't count!). It needs a new ability that will make it usefull without making it a "megalordofdethzomglolopQQ!!!".
The 'Viper' seems sort-of similar to the defiler but flying. It seems cool and unique, definetly helpful and fits the zerg, but my main question is about the pull ability it has. Can it pull friendly units or just enemies? Pulling enemy tanks or colossi out of their place is great but it would be amazing if we could save friendly ults, colossi, or tanks out of enemy range. Another question, will the pull remove the tanks from siege mode if they are in it? Or will they remain in siege mode?
The 'Swarm Host'. Yes. I believe they used to call these lurkers, but I guess the key differences allow for a name-change. I don't mind the idea of swarm hosts but i disagree with the 'feels zerg-y' statement...the idea of the lurker was barely zerg-y and neither is this. If they are as similar to lurkers as they seem then they won't be useless since you can use them for ambushes and (uggh) defense, but they really don't match the other units in the zerg swarm.
See part 4
New units and abilities
'Battle mode for hellions' seems a bit like a draw back to the firebats in a big way. The firebats did well against light-infantry but that was all. The hellions already do that job well and are much more mobile. I think that the hellions as-they-are should stay. If noone uses them as-is then replace them entirely because the old version doesnt suit any realistic needs. The battle mode hellion seems like it would be a good unit, but it would be better as a replacement for hellions, not an upgrade.
'Warhounds' seem like strengthened goliaths or weakened thors. As said in previous post, slightly less-weakened thors that are more maneuverable would be better than the current versions 'seem' to be.
'Shredders' dont really seem neccesary. The terran already have great area control with the ability to lift-off, raise/lower, and scavenge buildings with ease. The siege tanks defend well against ground and the missile turrets are cheap and do decent damage against air. So with the ability to block paths with some depots, tanks and turrets, terrans are well-off in the area control section. It is, after-all, what terrans are best at.
'Thor as uber-unit'. Is just not going to work. Uber-units really arent needed at all. Massing isn't the most graceful thing but it will always prevail against an uber-unit. Just as said before; weaken the thors a bit and just increase their movement options.
See part 3
TERRANS:
Issues and weaknesses
"Thor is too slow and clumsy". This is pretty accurate. The removal of multiple Thors may upset several terran players but that is expected in changes as large as this expansion plans to bring. Making them slightly weaker and faster would be likely prefered to the current plan of one thor and the 'new' unit called Warhounds.
"Race has difficulties in dealing with mass zealots in late game." This could be true for inexperienced or players that aren't very good at micro. A decent mix of marines and tanks kill zealots with ease if micro-ed properly. The problem here lies with the general tactics used, not the balance itself. The objective of balance isn't to make sure every unit has one tailored to kill it and a unit it was tailored to kill, but instead to give enough options and unit-types for the players to make squads and tactics that defeat certain enemies better.
See part 2.
Moon Guard
1) Please don't remove the Carrier from multiplayer! It's an iconic piece of Protoss warfare. If it was removed then something would not feel right. Maybe make it a limited super-unit that a player can only have one of at a time, like the Mothership or (new) Thor.
2) The Mothership is a very cool unit that maybe just needs some tweaking (such as greater attack or ruggedness)... perhaps give players the option of building either one Mothership OR one Oracle (assuming that I understand it correctly)
3) If terran and protoss will have some nice AoE-AA attacks, maybe Zerg can get a little too... perhaps a small AoE effect for the corruptor or Spore Crawler.
Hellion battle-mode sounds like a great idea to break up big groups of zealots and zerglings.
Looks like there is going to be a lot of AoE against air added but zerg doesnt get any, that might hurt zerg a lot with AA because now mutalisks will be very easy to counter.
Zerg will get nerfed into the ground, Terran will get buffed to high heaven and protoss will get neglected.
Ysondre