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Preface: I remember reading an article here on TL about the effects of the new micro systems in place in SC2, like autosurround, but I don't remember any article specifically addressing the change in casting delay from BW to SC2. The search function didn't get me anything good, so here I am.
Spellcasting is disgustingly easy in SC2, compared to BW. Blanketing the opposing army in perfect storms, EMPs, or fungals is so easy that it's expected of every Master league player. This is because of two fundamental changes from BW: smartcasting and casting delay.
Smartcasting is great. It makes it mechanically 10x less demanding to cast spells in SC2; I may hate a ton of the changes in SC2, but smartcasting is so sexy I just can't help but love it. What smartcasting does, though, is hide a huge, massive change that Blizzard made to the casting mechanics: the removal of casting delay.
In SC1, spellcasters would take a half second to cast the spell after you issued the command. This is sometimes called the animation delay, because the unit goes through the casting animation during this period. This split-second delay is immensely important; it adds another dimension to the game, and one that I very much enjoy watching. Because of this split second delay, you have to predict where the other guy is gonna move his units - is he gonna scoot forwards or backwards? This is akin to football goalies for penalty kicks - they have to predict whether the kicker is going to go for the left or the right side of the goal, and they have that split second before the kick to "read" the kicker.
The "reading" element is one that is common in many different games, and is only possible with that half-second casting delay.. SC2 is mainly a strategy game, where you out-think your opponent - but I really like having this sort of "reading" element in place. It allows the players to fight on a dimension other than pure strategy; you can't prepare for awesome storm dodges by watching an opponent's replays, you have to get better at reading and predicting players in that split second.
In BW, spells feel much more powerful than in SC2, even though they do about the same amount of damage; storm melts marines, and EMP's still rock spellcasting units. But the uncertainty of their effective was what really made them stand out. You never knew if the player was going to throw out an epic storm, dismembering half an army, or one that would wiff and catch nothin' but air. And so, during epic clashes, the audience would lean forward, eyes hungry for storms that could make or break the game.
Now? In SC2, spells are a certainty, and as such can be planned on, and integrated into strategy to a much higher degree of certainty. You know they're going to hit, and you know exactly what is going to happen 3 days before a match when you're going over their replays. You know there's no dodging them, or him messing up; they're just too easy to throw out. "PLAAAAGGGUUUUUU" just ain't gonna happen, 'cause that fungal growth is always going to be perfect.
With that said, spellcasting is still fun to watch in SC2. Watching a bio army get blanketed in storms and end up a big gooey red mess is still cool, but it just lacks the intensity Jangi's or Bisu's perfect storms. And if for some reason Blizzard decided to add back in the casting delay? Well, then, I'd...
 
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I really hate to be the one to say it, but it's been discussed to death during the beta.
At the end of the day, SC2 != SC1
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The SC2 vs BW threads definitely feel like deja vu... I'm sure you put a lot of thought into this analysis but man have I(we?) heard it a lot.
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I learned how to play SC2 at a high Master's level as my first competitive RTS but I have been learning to play BW on iCCup and LAN with my friends. I really think that although SC2's casting system makes the game much more enjoyable for the vast majority of players, BW's casting (and pathing, for that matter) system makes high level play so much more challenging and thus enjoyable, both for the player and the spectator like the OP said. Cloning, and very technical micro in general, is pretty much nonexistent in SC2.
It'll be a cold day in hell when BW casting or pathing is implemented in SC2, but hey, we can dream 
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I completely agree with you that SC2 is easier mechanically, and all that jazz. However, they're not the same game. I want to play SC2, not SC1 with better graphics.
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On March 20 2011 13:36 milikan wrote:Now? In SC2, spells are a certainty, and as such can be planned on, and integrated into strategy to a much higher degree of certainty. You know they're going to hit, and you know exactly what is going to happen 3 days before a match when you're going over their replays. You know there's no dodging them, or him messing up; they're just too easy to throw out. "PLAAAAGGGUUUUUU" just ain't gonna happen, 'cause that fungal growth is always going to be perfect.
I have to flat out disagree with this. There's nothing that makes it different except perhaps the terrible pathing in BW(that sure is exciting wondering what path the ai will choose to take?). How is fungal growth always going to be perfect if there's lag in sc2 and not in bw? I just don't see your argument in this area. It seems like you're just bored and projecting or rationalizing your dislike of sc2.
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adding casting animations or projectile spells raises skill cap to use spells and adds more opportunity to micro vs them. seems like a good idea if you can balance it.
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I personally really enjoy trying to predict someone's next move in a video game. I can give WoW in example: If you played BC when all pvp rogues were shadow step build, there was a neat trick where you predicted when an enemy warrior was going to intercept you and then you casted shadow step at the exact same time and it kind of "glitched" and made you appear behind the initial position of the warrior. It gave you a huge advantage because the warrior couldn't hit you, and if the warrior was able to do so, you were eating a ton of damage. I remember all the excitement I had while watching pro wow players videos when they were doing these kind of tricks. All the prediction thing in video games add another important dimension and you explained it perfectly.
And this is another reason why SC:BW is the best game ever.
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EPT
