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There has been a ton of questions and fan feedback in the last week or so regarding Karune's exclusive Q&A and both Karune as well as another Blizzard rep, Cavez, have taken some time to address the more well thought-out questions about the Ghost, the Thor and the Nydus Worm. I think you will find the answers worth reading.

Question regarding Ghost:

Ok so I had been hearing that drop pods were removed from the ghosts for some time now. Did they ever say why? I was really looking for to using those things. What was the balancing reasons behind removing it?

Cavez:

Drop Pods were "one more thing" on the Ghost. The Ghost had a TON of powers for a while and when we were looking at it we decided we had to be simpler/cleaner with the unit design so cuts had to be made.

More importantly, when we played with them in-game we really struggled to find a good use for them in a lot of situations. They had some narrow-use cases of course, but just weren't that fun. They were balance-able.

As our unit mix changes we may find a use for them again, but today they are out.

Question regarding Thor:

So, they say the thor overlaps the siege tank. What if we make the thor a multi-purpose unit? 3-4 different types of weapons: Anti air, anti infantry & zerg & some protoss(anti biological,) anti mechanical ground, anti protoss shield. All these guns have bonuses against what they are designed for, and are weaker against the other types. You can change between these weapons, with a small cool down period. He has enough guns for this. Or he could shoot different types of projectiles. These weapon types are only suggestions, if there are any other ideas, please post. What do you think?

Cavez:

We have tried the "multi-unit" in various forms a few years ago and they never really work out. It's always very difficult for the enemy to figure out how to deal with the multi-unit. And once a large number of multi-units are in-play it becomes a pretty boring game for both players.

The Thor is actually working pretty well as: Anti-air (Flak Cannons are good vs. smaller air units). Point-man for a charge into an enemy defended position.

This gives the Terrans something that is less static than the Siege Tank from the Factory to "push" and it also gives them the badly needed anti-air from the Factory as well. So far the testing on him has gone pretty well, he is balance-able, reasonably different from other units in the game and fun to use.

Thors vs. Battlecruisers is a good example of a fun match-up with this design. Battlecruisers get messed up a bit by the Thor's AA but the damage isn't quite right for taking down Battlecruisers, Battlecruisers can respond with Yamato and Thors can respond to that with their self-repair ability. Battlecruisers also have the mobility advantage. Overall I think the Thor has the edge, but player skill is a big factor in these types of heavy-metal duels.

Anyway, you guys know that this stuff changes all the time, but until we learn more, the Thor seems to be in a pretty good space.

Karune elaborates on the Nydus Worm:

Something worth clarifying in these answers is that if a Nydus Worm is destroyed, the units that are loaded inside will not be destroyed. Think of each Nydus Worm as an opening in a system of tunnels created by the Nydus Worm. If you lose all openings to this tunnel system, you will then lose all units in that tunnel system. With multiple Nydus Worms, this opens up a lot of deadly strategies for Zerg, to virtually be in many different places very quickly.

Some players may open up multiple Nydus Worm holes in an enemy base in order to ensure they can get as many units out as fast as possible (since the Nydus Worms themselves have very little hit points). Other players may opt to open up a Nydus Worm on opposite sides of an opponent's base or between his main base and his expansion, to jump his army back and forth between the two openings with little transition time.

Question:

When a nydus worm surfaces, and after releasing its troops, does it become a back and forth instant transport system similar to the nydus canal in SC1? Or in other words, is it a 2 way road?

Karune:

It is a 2 way transport, allowing units to both move in and out.

Question:

After being deployed and releasing troops, is the nydus fixed forever in its spot, or can it move again?

Karune:

The Nydus Worm can repack up and move again. To change the Nydus Worm from its stationary mode to mobile mode, there will be a delay, which will be subject to balance.

Question:

Is Nydus Warren first entrance to tunnels? Or are 2 Nydus Worms needed (each one as entrance and exit)?

Karune:

Yes, the Nydus Warren acts as an entrance as well, though it does not always have to be the 'first' entrance. You can send your units into a Nydus Worm entrance and then exit from any other Nydus Worm or the Nydus Warren.

For those who don't know, the Nydus Warren is the prerequisite building to build Nydus Worms.

Question:

I.e. you load your units into the Nydus Worm/Warren, and they are stored "somewhere". And then you unload them from whichever Nydus Worm (deployed) or Warren.

Karune:

Correct :)

Question:

And is this transition instantaneous? Once all your units are in a warren/worm, and you unload them, does it take any time for the unloading process to begin, or does the Worm instantly start pumping out units?

Karune:

Yes, there is a slight delay between each unit unloaded. Thus, it is still beneficial to attack with multiple Nydus Worms, to increase the rate of units exiting on the other side. The 'slight delay' is of course subject to balance.

Source: Battle.net

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