The Blizzcon Thread.

[Gregness]

This is the omnibus thread for all things blizzcon that excites us, whatever that may be for you.

For me, I'm really looking forward to Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SG_3R9BoVvg&feature=player_embedded) now. I know most of you all didn't stick with SCII's multiplayer, but I've actually gotten quite good at it (I'm in diamond league, and could probably get into master's if I didn't mind failing my classes). PC gamer has a pretty good summary (http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/10/21/official-list-of-unit-changes-in-starcraft-iis-heart-of-the-swarm-expansion/) of the multiplayer changes coming in Heart of the Swarm, and This is a little blurb about the planned campaign stuff. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxLIJfucJ7E&feature=related)

Of note about the new unit stuff: they look like their taking people's complaints about zerg not feeling zergy enough to heart. The swarm host seems like a bit of a cross between a lurker and a brood lord and banelings will be able to move while burrowed once at hive tech. On the one hand, this is pretty damn awesome. On the other, I play terran and it kinda scares me. :(

[Viridis]

Padarens. Weren't they, like, a joke thing there people assumed would never, ever be in the game?

Also, not sure about the new talent system people are talking about.

[Azisien]

Terran units are most boring. Protoss and Zerg units and changes are sick. But I guess that's okay because TERRAN IMBA!!!!!

Diablo III Ultimate Edition looks wicked.

[Gregness]

Pandarens were totally a thing in Warcraft 3. (http://classic.battle.net/war3/neutral/pandarenbrewmaster.shtml)

[Viridis]

Pandarens were totally a thing in Warcraft 3. (http://classic.battle.net/war3/neutral/pandarenbrewmaster.shtml)Oh, interesting. For some reason, I was under the impression that they were something the concept artist (Samwise?) drew for a laugh and weren't actually ever in any games.

[01d55]

The continuity nerd in me is favorably disposed to the Diablo 3 opening cinematic on grounds of fair enough conformance to fictional facts as established in previous games & their instruction manuals, which I actually read because I am a goddamn continuity nerd.

[Ryong]

Haha people bitching about the Pandaren.

Apparently, their starting area lies on the back of a turtle so that's how it took everyone so long to find them.

...Also, Hunters got their minimum range removed and thus have no more melee weapons.

[Kerensky287]

Holy SHIT those HotS units! It feels like they actually listened to peoples' complaints about Zerg and Protoss - they added Defiler-ish stuff and Lurker-ish stuff, for example - and... oh geez, the Oracle is so freakin' sweet. It doesn't look like the Protoss have anything new or interesting to use against Terran, but... well, we've got psy storms, Colossi, sentries...

Admittedly I haven't kept up with the metagame since Patch 1.2 or so but I still watch Day9 once in a while.

I disagree that the new Terran stuff is boring, too. I think the Warhound looks awesome, the Transformer Hellion could be badass, and while the Shredder Drone seems weak for now, I could see it being used in some really cool ways.

EDIT: Oh shit, does the Ultralisk's Burrow Charge count as a teleporting attack, like burrowing Raveners in DoW2? Because that could actually make them really, really useful.

EDIT 2: BANELING TUNNELING CLAWS

EDIT 3: Gameplay.
SG_3R9BoVvg

[Azisien]

Well Warhound LOOKS cool but its function is pretty boring. Like it is basically a replacement for the Thor, since they now restricted the Thor. Whoopee. Or I could go Protoss and REPLICATE shit!

Shredder I'm curious about, I suppose I would like to see it in action. It sounds like an annoyer unit that you would plant all about the battlefield, maybe in enemy expansion spots etc.

However, neither of those things make them as neat as the P/Z units!

EDIT: Once, just once, I want to sneak into some Bronze games after a season reset and go Protoss, and build only replicants until I convince my opponent I am actually T/Z.

[Gregness]

Yeah, thors are one of my favorite units and so I'm kind of sad they're getting the mothership treatment, but the warhound seems like it might actually make mech viable vs protoss since its bonus damage is vs mechanical (aka, 90% of protoss ground units). The battle hellion is the new thing that I think I'll be getting the most usage out of at this point since I use them in most of my games now as it is. It'll probably be an upgrade to research, but otherwise it seems like all upside.

EDIT: I'm also kind of bummed that reapers are having their vs building attack removed in favor of HP regen because about half the time I use them it's to snipe tech buildings. This is more of a sidegrade though, since this will make them better at harassing workers.

[Kerensky287]

EDIT: I'm also kind of bummed that reapers are having their vs building attack removed in favor of HP regen because about half the time I use them it's to snipe tech buildings. This is more of a sidegrade though, since this will make them better at harassing workers.

I actually like this idea, because reapers were sort of impossible to balance previously. They were either useless, or gamebreaking T1 then useless T2-onward.

Now that they don't have to worry about somebody getting enough reapers to 1-shot buildings, they can focus on keeping them as harassment/hit-and-run units, and HP regen is a great step forward in that regard.

Protoss Oracles seem interesting to me in a lot of ways, but their building observation ability strikes me as utterly useless. For one, they're stargate units, which means they're T2. By tier 2, you've probably got a good idea of your opponent's build/army comp. For another, being able to see what one structure builds doesn't help much, especially if it's a limited-time ability.

Replicants are a cool idea but they'll probably be gamebreaking until Blizzard can find a good way to balance them. Build 1 Colossus, then start replicating it, and you get an army of cheap Colossi with all upgrades pre-purchased. I do want to see what it'd be like to use infestors in my protoss army, and Protoss + Medivacs seems like a ridiculous combination, but I'm skeptical about how it will all play out.

[Azisien]

Replicants can't turn into massive units. It would be cheaper to just build Colossi. Which is not to say there will not be balance issues. New units introduced will ALWAYS cause balance issues. I've used medivacs to support Protoss allies in 2v2s, it's pretty fun.

[synkr0nized]

lolderans

Looks kind of dumb, to be honest, but *shrug*.
Some of the changes to the talent system could be neat, though.

[01d55]

The Heart of the Swarm trailer makes me glad that the ending of Wings of Liberty was as bullshit as I thought it had to be and angry that they tried to get that bullshit past us in the first place.

Prince Smartypants gets his comeuppance. Get force choked, son!

On the other hand I'm not sure if they'll manage to recapture what made the Queen of Blades so great in Brood War. Putting her in the player position means she's gonna win every fight, which helps the credibility issue she suffered when you was beating her every mission, but that wasn't the whole issue. Memory shenanigans do not bode well.

[Kerensky287]

I feel like the biggest thing that made Wings of Liberty so bullshit was the fact that the Overmind was apparently just misunderstood, not evil. Kerrigan lost a lot of her badittude, yes, but I got the idea that she wasn't useless; Raynor was just kicking all sorts of butt.

A reveal that I feel could not only save the story but kick it up several notches is the idea that Tassadar's "ghost" is not actually Tassadar, but a psionic projection of either the Overmind or someone equally nefarious. I mean, think - Kerrigan's obviously not on the good side. Why would Tassadar tell Zeratul to save her? And why else would they do such a massive personality retcon to the Overmind as "he was working to fight the real bad guys all along"?

I still don't like Kerrigan's new voice actress, but that's mostly because 1) she's different from what my nostalgia says she should sound like and 2) Tricia Helfer fucking SATURATES the sexy villainess market in nerddom. I'm sick of her.

[Gregness]

I actually like this idea, because reapers were sort of impossible to balance previously. They were either useless, or gamebreaking T1 then useless T2-onward.

Now that they don't have to worry about somebody getting enough reapers to 1-shot buildings, they can focus on keeping them as harassment/hit-and-run units, and HP regen is a great step forward in that regard.

*snip*

Actually, I was having quite a lot of success with them in their current state as a mid-lategame option. In TvZ I've been getting lots of ghosts/hellions/marauders and since I have 8-10 barracks with tech labs in the late game, rather than go out of my way to get a starport and medivacs so I could drop, it's much easier to just research reaper speed and slam out one production cycle of reapers. There's basically no reasonable amount of static defense that can stop 8 reapers.

Essentially, the reason they're not used much is because 90% of terrans just do marine drops to harass so there's not a niche for them to fill. For those of us using different styles, they're a good option.

[Arcanum]

I feel like the biggest thing that made Wings of Liberty so bullshit was the fact that the Overmind was apparently just misunderstood, not evil. Kerrigan lost a lot of her badittude, yes, but I got the idea that she wasn't useless; Raynor was just kicking all sorts of butt.

A reveal that I feel could not only save the story but kick it up several notches is the idea that Tassadar's "ghost" is not actually Tassadar, but a psionic projection of either the Overmind or someone equally nefarious. I mean, think - Kerrigan's obviously not on the good side. Why would Tassadar tell Zeratul to save her? And why else would they do such a massive personality retcon to the Overmind as "he was working to fight the real bad guys all along"?

I still don't like Kerrigan's new voice actress, but that's mostly because 1) she's different from what my nostalgia says she should sound like and 2) Tricia Helfer fucking SATURATES the sexy villainess market in nerddom. I'm sick of her.

The Overmind was evil. It's just that it was turned into this all-consuming entity, and wasn't naturally like that. Which honestly makes sense since the Zerg and Protoss are supposed to merge into a single race (the Xel'Naga) after millions of years of natural evolution, but with the way the Overmind was that wouldn't happen, and the Zerg would just infest everything. It's not that the Overmind was "misunderstood" as you put it, but that its all-consuming tendencies weren't part of the original Xel'Naga plan, and the Overmind created the Queen of Blades in an attempt to stop those who were interfering with the plans of it's creators, since it couldn't do that by itself. It's not that the Overmind was working for the bad guys all along, but that the course the Xel'Naga planned was altered by the bad guys. Learning this doesn't change anything about the Overmind, it just changes what we thought about the original intent behind the creation of the Queen of Blades.

As for Tassadar telling Zeratul to save Kerrigan, it's simple. She is the only one who can fight the Hybrids (or the Dark One (dunno if that's his current nickname, the big bad guy who altered the Overmind, is the boss of Duran and Ulrezaj and who is apparently manipulating Mengsk as well), depending on if he/it is the one controlling the swarm or if it's the Hybrids) for control of the Zerg. It is basically the only way to stop the Dark One from having complete control of the Zerg Swarm, which is what helped him wipe out all the Terrans and Protoss in Overmind/Tassadar/Zeratul's vision of the future.

From what we've seen, yeah it doesn't look like Kerrigan isn't on the good side, but that's not the point. The point is to keep the Zerg swarms fighting amongst themselves, and possibly have another ally when the Dark One shows himself; since Terran+Protoss VS Zerg+Hybrids didn't end well, maybe Terran+Protoss+Zerg VS Hybrids might fare a little better. Basically what I'm trying to say is: I'm fine with the events of Wings of Liberty.

Anyway, I know Tricia Helfer from like, Halo:ODST, and that's pretty much it, so I'm fine with it.

[Kerensky287]

I'm honestly just sick to fucking DEATH of "Two hated enemies must join side-by-side to fight a greater threat."

I would be much happier to know that the bad guy's just more genre savvy than the good guys, and tricks them into thinking that they need to let Kerrigan live to win, when in fact she's more likely to just doom them all.

And then the Protoss campaign is all about winning anyway.

(Re: Tricia Helfer: Battlestar Galactica, Number Six. CnC3, Kilian Qatar. Mass Effect 2 and 3, EDI. And now Starcraft 2, Sarah Kerrigan. Bluh bluh huge overexposure.)

[Karrrrrrrrrrrresche]

So when does the UED come back and positively destroy everybody since so far the Terrans are kinda holding their own despite being the descendants of a few colony ships?

[Gregness]

Here's a recording of the Starcraft II multiplayer panel, (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=II_Az4AfdsQ) and here's the campaign and lore panel. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rz4nMWExg98&feature=related)

[synkr0nized]

So when does the UED come back and positively destroy everybody since so far the Terrans are kinda holding their own despite being the descendants of a few colony ships?

lol

Did you miss Broodwar, wherein the fleet sent to check up on things got their asses handed to them and sent packing?

[Jagos]

I would be much happier to know that the bad guy's just more genre savvy than the good guys, and tricks them into thinking that they need to let Kerrigan live to win, when in fact she's more likely to just doom them all.

And then the Protoss campaign is all about winning anyway.


Well, there's still one more episode... So there's a LOT of story that needs to be figured out.

And is it just me, or does this basically cement the fact that games are much better than movies?

[Kim]

I don't know if any NPF members are attending this event, but I hear THQ is handing out I Love Rim Jobs shirts if you want to pick one up.

[01d55]

Aw, poor carriers. I guess nobody ever figured out how to make them good :(

[Karrrrrrrrrrrresche]

lol

Did you miss Broodwar, wherein the fleet sent to check up on things got their asses handed to them and sent packing?

I remember it being mentioned as a minor setback and only a fraction of their military.

[Ravashak]

Yeah, the UED expeditionary fleet was pretty small, and even had to steal its battlecruisers from the Dominion. The UED proper would be a significant force, though i don't think we're gonna see them again, with the expeditionary fleet being completely destroyed, they're a bit in the dark as to what happened in the Koprulu Sector.

I just hope Kerrigan gets back to being the manipulative, backstabbing bitch we've learned to love in Brood War.

[01d55]

Fyeah moon physics. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=zk8M8xOnLdI#t=817s)

[synkr0nized]

But no one likes the UED, not even the Terran forces in the sector already. If they do come back and have larger numbers, I expect them to find few friends and potentially even a three-pronged assault to get them to go home.

In any case, if Kerrigan isn't the Kerrigan I've grown to love and keeps getting "saved" by Raynor, boooo hiss.



But, man, back of a huge turtle or whatever? "Hey let's take this joke/for fun race and make them actually happen!" I mean, it might be really fun, don't get me wrong, it just seems all very stupid.

But then there already are motorcycles and rockets and other random things.



e: this post has a lot of buts. Hurrr butts.

[Kerensky287]

But, man, back of a huge turtle or whatever? "Hey let's take this joke/for fun race and make them actually happen!" I mean, it might be really fun, don't get me wrong, it just seems all very stupid.

But then there already are motorcycles and rockets and other random things.

World of Warcraft History

Expack 1: Elves that drink magic, extradimensional aliens, a portal to another world, and the ability to fucking fly.

Expack 2: Hero classes, the arctic (full of dragons) and a chance to fight and kill the main antagonist.

Expack 3: Werewolves, goblins, and the entire world exploding, more or less.

Expack 4: PANDAS PANDAS PANDAS PANDAS PANDAS PANDAS PANDAS PANDAS PANDAS PANDAS

EDIT: If I'm honest with myself I'd probably be playing Cataclysm already if it didn't require WoW vanilla, Burning Crusade AND Wrath of the Lich King to be playable. Maybe if it JUST required the original WoW, yes, but I'm not gonna spend 120 bucks just to roll a Worgen character.

[EVILNess]

EDIT: If I'm honest with myself I'd probably be playing Cataclysm already if it didn't require WoW vanilla, Burning Crusade AND Wrath of the Lich King to be playable. Maybe if it JUST required the original WoW, yes, but I'm not gonna spend 120 bucks just to roll a Worgen character.

Battlechest. That is all.

[Marc v4.0]

Wait to see if they do another Holiday Sale. I got Vanilla, BC and WotlK for 5 bucks a pop.

[Kerensky287]

Battlechest. That is all.

Battlechest only contains Burning Crusade, sadly. Otherwise I might have bought it already.

Wait to see if they do another Holiday Sale. I got Vanilla, BC and WotlK for 5 bucks a pop.

...Really? That sounds pretty awesome, actually. I hope they do that.

[synkr0nized]

Yeah, when I got pulled on to playing on the real servers I snagged a Cata launch sale. It is likely they will do another for the coming holidays.


Also the secret enemy the Pandas come to save everyone from is the Zerg. Starcraft II invades WoW.

[Ravashak]

But no one likes the UED, not even the Terran forces in the sector already. If they do come back and have larger numbers, I expect them to find few friends and potentially even a three-pronged assault to get them to go home.

In any case, if Kerrigan isn't the Kerrigan I've grown to love and keeps getting "saved" by Raynor, boooo hiss.

So, same as in Brood War, Kerrigan creating an anti-UED coalition, only to do a major backstab the second the UED was dminished (followed by her taking on those she backstabbed and the UED combined, and kicking their collective asses).

The only thing that could've made Zerg better at that point was Daggoth xP

[Magus]

And once again, nary a mention of Blackthorne 2!

Blizzard, you continue to disappoint.