OMG StarCraft.com

That was quick! After announcing that he would be taking requests from fans for screenshots in the upcoming Q&A batch, not a day later Karune releases the 32nd update and I'm happy to say that it's everything we could have hoped for.

Karune has managed to fit almost all of the fans requests into 4 quality screenshots. In addition he also gives a quality Q&A session that you can read through after you browse the new shots.

In this batch:

• You will see how the developers have toned down the bright team colors a bit as well as the environment. They have also given the Terran units more of a battle worn metal look to them which helps everything on the screen look more realistic.

• You will get first looks at the new Terran Jackal and Marauder units as well as the Protoss Nullifier and its anti-grav ability. The Dark Templars also make an appearance in one of the shots, but you have to look hard because those sneaky bastards are hitting the Terrans where they least expect it.

• You will also get to see Protoss Immortals taking on Terran siege tanks while stalkers use their blink ability to navigate cliffs to get up close and personal with the tanks.

• The Q&A portion covers some good questions involving potential advantages for allies, how anti-gravity works in more detail, bugs and glitches of SC2, and how Blizzard plans to support the eSports community.

So jump right in and see for yourself, batch 32 will blow you away&

Karune:

There is lots to talk about in Batch 32 and I'll be answering questions through the day about these screeenshots so fire away :) I hope everyone enjoys them!

Community ScreenCraft: In addition to our Q&A Map Maker Series, Gameplay Series, Lore Series, we are going to include our Community ScreenCraft Series, featuring screenshots crafted specifically to progress the dialogues and discussions we have currently going on in the community. To start us off, I have taken four screenshots which capture our latest discussions over the past month. Feel free to comment, give feedback, or ask questions in regards to these screenshots. When doing so, it will help to identify the screenshot you are referring to as Screenshot A or Screenshot B and etc.

Screenshot A: Blink Assault

In Blink Assault you can clearly see and feel the new sense of Terran grittiness. Team colors are a bit worn from battle and the metal texture in Terran units and building have been desaturated a bit. In this screenshot you can see Immortals take on the pounding of fortified Siege Tanks with their hardened shields, while the Stalkers blink up on the cliffs for the assault.

Screenshot B: A Lone Outpost

The Terran Army struggles to defend their lone outpost in the scrap yards, fending off a Protoss onslaught just long enough until the Battlecruisers arrive. Though even with their reinforcements, the battle is far from won, as the Protoss also arrive with their fleet of Carriers to counter.

Screenshot C: The Final Push

This screenshot depicts a large counter attack upon a Protoss base responsible for warping in several waves of attacks on Terran outposts. Dropped Siege Tanks bombard the area, while the Jackals torch up the surroundings with their area of effect line attack. Furthermore, the Marauders slow incoming Zealots as the Battlecruisers plasma weapons make short work of them.

Screenshot D: Anti-Gravity Back Door

As requested by the community, I have taken a screenshot showing a Dark Templar squad secretly infiltrating the Terrans front lines with the help of the Nullifier and its Anti-Gravity ability (previous moved from the High Templar). The Terrans wont know what hit them until it is too late.

As always, feel free to give the Devs and I a w00t if you are enjoying the batches, especially the new sections like the ScreenCraft section we've added.

---StarCraft II Q&A Batch 32: ScreenCraft Series ---

1. Will allies be able to use each others transport/teleportation methods? Marines in Overlords, Zealots in Nydus Worms, etc.. ? (sc2blog.com)

Many of these questions are still being debated within the development team and the final decisions will ultimately be determined through balance. Nonetheless, classic abilities, such as heal by the Terrans, will be usable on allies regardless of faction.

2. Does the Anti Gravity spell work for your own units? In other words, can you use it to lift up buildings to protect them from an early wave of Zergling? (TheWarCenter.com)

Yes, the Anti Gravity ability can be casted on friendly units and buildings. Also, the Anti Gravity ability has been added to the Nullifier, as the ability has proven much more effective in the earlier parts of the game. Nonetheless, this is still being tested and is subject to change.

3. What happens to units who are under a flying building when it falls down? Can you build a building under the building that are flying? and if that is the case, what happens to that building that it is landing on? Get.Yourgun (gosugamers.net)

This is actually a notable design challenge the development team is currently facing with the Anti Gravity ability. Currently, players are not allowed to build buildings under the floating object. When the object does land, it will land on top of whatever unit is under it. For example, if a Supply Depot is lifted up by Anti Gravity and it lands on a Marine when the ability duration is over, it will indeed land on the Marine (but will not cause damage). The Marine can then move out from under that building in the direction of that players choosing. The details around Anti Gravity are still very much in testing. As this is a new ability, many of the details are not finalized.

4. In StarCraft many glitches and near-bugs were discovered with the years passing. Many of them are used regularly and changed the game (Mutalisk stack, patrol-attacking, mineral hopping, Lurker hold, etc). This is and was even more true for other games (bunny hopping in quake or through-floors dmg, etc) and it became part of the identity of the game that people knew about those glitches, learned and mastered them. They became important aspects of the game. Will any of these bugs make an appearance in StarCraft II, but as intentional features? - Chosi (Teamliquid.net)

Yes, certain unit characteristics like the firing on the move dynamic of the Mutalisk, as well as stackable flyers will be in StarCraft II. Some of these characteristics may not feel completely the same, as it is a bit tougher to get flying units to stack, it will still be possible. Although it is important to note that not all of these characteristics will be making it back to StarCraft II, there will be plenty of opportunities for players to find new ways to use the units of StarCraft II in creative ways similar to the original.

5. What are the duties of the Blizzard eSports team, and how much will they be responsible for promoting Starcraft II as and eSport?(starfeeder.org)

The eSports team is responsible for developing Blizzards presence in the increasingly popular eSports scene. Their duties include the planning and operation of Blizzard tournaments around the world in places such as Asia, Europe and the United States. They also provide third-party support for the eSports leagues that host both online and live events using Blizzard titles. Additionally, they help provide balance feedback to our development teams based on interaction with professional gamers and response from the eSports community. They will have an integral role in promoting StarCraft II as an eSports as they have done for the previous Blizzard titles.

To see larger versions of the screenshots see these links:

http://www.battle.net/images/misc/08-03/A.jpg http://www.battle.net/images/misc/08-03/B.jpg http://www.battle.net/images/misc/08-03/C.jpg http://www.battle.net/images/misc/08-03/D.jpg

My impressions:

I think batch 32 is what fans have needed. We got to see all of the new units that have been mentioned in the previous updates and we got to see them with their new color scheme. I have to say that toning down the colors to make them less flashy was the best improvement the devs have made so far. In my opinion the game was looking too much like WarCraft 3 and not enough like StarCraft. Changing the texture of the Terran units to make them look more war torn was an excellent idea. I think screenshot A really displays how impressive these new changes are, and it's easy to see the differences if you look at these two screens of the same terrain side-by-side.

While I am a little confused with the Terran Jackal right now, I don't think it is disappointing at all. We had been told the Jackal would have a rail gun; however in these screens the unit looks closer to a flame tank firing a linear stream of flame. Perhaps the devs decided to make a change in weapon selection? Whatever the case may be, I think having it as a flame tank would be great since we lost the Firebat about a month ago and haven't had a flame unit since. Hopefully Karune will answer that for us soon.

The Nullifier looks sweet; we can see it using its standard lightning attack in a few of the screenshots as well as the anti-grav ability which also looks fantastic. The design for the Nullifier is certainly an interesting one; it looks almost like an ancient trilobite which I have to say I'm definitely digging.

Although we didn't get to see a glimpse of the Zerg it's understandable. Even though Blizzard has that locked down tight, Karune and the devs still managed to give us almost everything we wanted to see.

What a great way to end the week eh? Everyone enjoy and have a safe weekend!

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