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Recently I've gotten my hands on the beta for an awesome new game by blizzard. The games called starcraft 1 broodwar and I think it really is a direct improvement to it's predecessor starcraft 2 wings of liberty. I haven’t had much time with it but a few things have been pretty striking about the game that I'd like to make note of. (I played zerg in sc2 and I do so now as well in bw so I'll focus on that specific race.)
1: Unit value. In sc2 I found that zerg units were often as fragile as a web posters even temperment, dozens of zerglings were guaranteed to die in every engagement, but in bw if I postion my units perfectley(which does take considerable but worthwhile effort) I can effectively shut down any army so long as I'm on par with tech. And my late game turns out to be just as effective as tosses and terrans because ultralisks have been drasticaly improved and the nerfed viper now called defiler(people felt a flying spell caster that could pull away any unit and make allies invincible all while flying was a bit op) provides perfect cover. There really are no more useless units on this side of the zerg fence, the former snail like paperweight known as the hydralisk and the boring generic late game paper weight known as the roach have been merged into one unit, that youll be pleased to hear is actually pretty awesome and generally useful.
Whats more the awesomelisk can morph into a unit called the lurker(a unit that was developed during the sc2 alpha but was scrapped because blizzards was owned by activsion at the time and they hated us and kittens almost as much as they loved money, luckily the two companys split when Eric Hirshberg ate a blizzard employee's heart when said employee suggested that maybe their next entirely new game should NOT be an mmo(massive multiplayer onlineseaofcashcows ) The lurker provides the perfect defence for zerg players against even the most furiousley microed drops. The lurker is also a unit that forces terran back on the defensive until they tech up to science vessels(was a campaign unit in sc2 that people liked so much it ended up replacing the raven), which means zerg can pretty much take their expansion safely, something unheard of in traditional sc2 zvt. Another thing thats awesome is how the mutalsik (which has been buffed considerably in bw as well) naturally can morph into either an anti air unit or an anti ground unit, but it itself can hit air and ground, cool eh? Much improved I bilieve over how you had to throw away 2 mineral nodes and a vespene geysers worth of recources just to make room for corrupters(which are way shittier than the new devourer unit) which you would then just morph into broodlords(I actually did like the brood lord more than the new guardian but you cant have everything ) : ). Oh speaking of supply, guess what?
2: You never really max out. I've played over 30 games in the beta and not once have I maxed,( probably because I'm not aggressive enough with expansions) and because you never really max you dont ever quit making drones and units and you never really stop taking expansions, the game just doesn’t let up in terms of macro like sc2 did once you hit 200 200 at the 16 minute mark. Whats more even when you are actually maxed it's hard to control 200 supply worth of units, I end up sending half of them out to guard all eight of my very necessary incredibly vulnerable expos. Meanwhile I use a few groups of units to engage my enemy so I can micro way better(micro is actually relevant in this game). Small groups really can take down entire armies if used well, units like the lurker the reaver the defiler the siege tank(also buffed) and the high templar are all game changers that require intelligent responses from the enemy. Armies really are as powerful as you make them to be in bw.
3:Control groups. As hinted at before armies are much harder to control because control groups are restricted to 12 units, basically people bitched and moaned in sc2 that infinite control groups were stupid because they just resulted in big 200 200 army fights( which protoss always won) and terrible terrible caster tropes.
4: Graphics and sound:, unfortunately the production values are a bit dated because without activision blizz didn’t have the money to make a better graphics engine, but the units and maps are easy on the eyes and the sound effects are fantastic. Each race's main themes are particularly powerful.
So thats just a few of the things that struck me about blizzards new game, I'll update you guys later when I've had some more time with the beta. On a darker note I know sc2 revolutionized the rts genre, but the games hayday has passed and the many flaws we abided for so long in sc2 have all been fixed in Brood war. Also Blizzard has implemented something called battle net, it's really awesome, it puts the player in control of who he plays on ladder and it lets everyone get to know each other as more than just faceless opponents . Specificaly the chat channels and periodic tourneys are a delight. I gotta say I look forward to playing the game once it's finished and whatever the campaign is I'm sure it'll beat what wings of liberty's offered.
Trust me guys ,Brood war looks to be the real future of esports.
 
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This made me giggle. Makes me want to play BW now, too.
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I love you.
Well written, sir. =D
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Is it possible you could post some screen shots? I'm kind of curious about this new game now.
How do I sign up for the beta? <3 <3 <3
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On April 05 2012 06:31 Fishgle wrote:
Is it possible you could post some screen shots? I'm kind of curious about this new game now.
How do I sign up for the beta? <3 <3 <3
I'll post some shots in the next update, as for getting into the beta you can buy a key at a local game stop for 20 bucks.
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wacraft: orcs and humans 4lyfe.
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On April 05 2012 06:41 dAPhREAk wrote:
wacraft: orcs and humans 4lyfe.
If you think about it warcraft 3 was the sequel to bw we really wanted, you could hotkey buildings, better unit ai, more micro, an extra race, better battlenet, it was everything we wanted sc2 to be, except it wasn't balanced.
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On April 05 2012 06:47 gumshoe wrote:If you think about it warcraft 3 was the sequel to bw we really wanted, you could hotkey buildings, better unit ai, more micro, an extra race, better battlenet, it was everything we wanted sc2 to be, except it wasn't balanced.
eiw, warcraft 3? hell no. warcraft: orcs and humans!!
![[image loading]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/9c/Warcraft_-_Orcs_%26_Humans_Coverart.png)
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On April 05 2012 07:02 dAPhREAk wrote:Show nested quote +On April 05 2012 06:47 gumshoe wrote:On April 05 2012 06:41 dAPhREAk wrote:
wacraft: orcs and humans 4lyfe. If you think about it warcraft 3 was the sequel to bw we really wanted, you could hotkey buildings, better unit ai, more micro, an extra race, better battlenet, it was everything we wanted sc2 to be, except it wasn't balanced. eiw, warcraft 3? hell no. warcraft: orcs and humans!!
Cool whens that game coming out?
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5/5
Clever post!
Eagerly waiting for a follow-up - perhaps as a T or P user?
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On April 05 2012 07:02 gumshoe wrote:Show nested quote +On April 05 2012 07:02 dAPhREAk wrote:On April 05 2012 06:47 gumshoe wrote:On April 05 2012 06:41 dAPhREAk wrote:
wacraft: orcs and humans 4lyfe. If you think about it warcraft 3 was the sequel to bw we really wanted, you could hotkey buildings, better unit ai, more micro, an extra race, better battlenet, it was everything we wanted sc2 to be, except it wasn't balanced. eiw, warcraft 3? hell no. warcraft: orcs and humans!! Cool whens that game coming out?
1994
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On April 05 2012 07:11 dAPhREAk wrote:Show nested quote +On April 05 2012 07:02 gumshoe wrote:On April 05 2012 07:02 dAPhREAk wrote:On April 05 2012 06:47 gumshoe wrote:On April 05 2012 06:41 dAPhREAk wrote:
wacraft: orcs and humans 4lyfe. If you think about it warcraft 3 was the sequel to bw we really wanted, you could hotkey buildings, better unit ai, more micro, an extra race, better battlenet, it was everything we wanted sc2 to be, except it wasn't balanced. eiw, warcraft 3? hell no. warcraft: orcs and humans!! Cool whens that game coming out? 1994
Your no fun ) :
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On April 05 2012 07:13 gumshoe wrote:Show nested quote +On April 05 2012 07:11 dAPhREAk wrote:On April 05 2012 07:02 gumshoe wrote:On April 05 2012 07:02 dAPhREAk wrote:On April 05 2012 06:47 gumshoe wrote:On April 05 2012 06:41 dAPhREAk wrote:
wacraft: orcs and humans 4lyfe. If you think about it warcraft 3 was the sequel to bw we really wanted, you could hotkey buildings, better unit ai, more micro, an extra race, better battlenet, it was everything we wanted sc2 to be, except it wasn't balanced. eiw, warcraft 3? hell no. warcraft: orcs and humans!! Cool whens that game coming out? 1994 Your no fun ) :
it requires a 1.44 MB disk drive. you've probably never heard of it. [puts on hipster glasses.]
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[...] the sound effects are fantastic. Each race's main themes are particularly powerful.
So true, I happened to get a hold of the soundtrack from the beta. It's amazing.
I am not sure if the lack of Activision isn't a bad thing though. I think it could mean less pressure and more freedom for Blizzard which is always a bad thing. It means going back to the roots... horrible.
I am glad they finally addressed the issues with that battle.net. I mean with SC2 you have to admit that the technology wasn't there yet. Broodwar is a fresh start and I think a big step forward!
I think Hot_Bid should re-open is Beta-Ban-Roulette again... this time for BW.
Edit:
+ Show Spoiler +
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Haha funny blog, good read
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I was a Warcraft II player baby, awwwyeah.
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Does anyone still think the Human's helmet looks so goofy on that cover for WarCraft 1? They probably tried badass helmets but he probalby looked like Sauron or something
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Dude you forgot the campaign leak!
The story blows the Wings of Liberty plot out of the water.
10/10 would play again
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loooooooool. i was all excited and then...i got more excited.
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I'm also in the beta, I'm actually playing on a free service that somehow has better latency than sc2's bnet, it's so high tech! also, it's not region locked! imagine that! I also can make clans, access friend lists in game without opening up some blocky browser, and moderate chat channels! plus i can see people's nationality when they join my game, and this server allows me to play on maps that I want to instead of stupid blizzard made maps while still participating in the ladder! oh, i almost forgot, i can even write offensive game names when i host (for example "1v1 d- andro no fucking koreans or peruvians") to keep minorities out! wow... i haven't even mentioned the real game yet lol, how did blizzard fuck up SO MUCH with bnet 2.0...
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On April 05 2012 09:33 Endymion wrote:
I'm also in the beta, I'm actually playing on a free service that somehow has better latency than sc2's bnet, it's so high tech! also, it's not region locked! imagine that! I also can make clans, access friend lists in game without opening up some blocky browser, and moderate chat channels! plus i can see people's nationality when they join my game, and this server allows me to play on maps that I want to instead of stupid blizzard made maps while still participating in the ladder! oh, i almost forgot, i can even write offensive game names when i host (for example "1v1 d- andro no fucking koreans or peruvians") to keep minorities out! wow... i haven't even mentioned the real game yet lol, how did blizzard fuck up SO MUCH with bnet 2.0...
5/5
Im crying it's so true.
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On April 05 2012 09:33 Endymion wrote:
I'm also in the beta, I'm actually playing on a free service that somehow has better latency than sc2's bnet, it's so high tech! also, it's not region locked! imagine that! I also can make clans, access friend lists in game without opening up some blocky browser, and moderate chat channels! plus i can see people's nationality when they join my game, and this server allows me to play on maps that I want to instead of stupid blizzard made maps while still participating in the ladder! oh, i almost forgot, i can even write offensive game names when i host (for example "1v1 d- andro no fucking koreans or peruvians") to keep minorities out! wow... i haven't even mentioned the real game yet lol, how did blizzard fuck up SO MUCH with bnet 2.0...
It really is nice to see the developers we care about learning from their mistakes and moving forward ( : (btw: tl writer posting in your thread =awesome.
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On April 05 2012 09:33 Endymion wrote:
I'm also in the beta, I'm actually playing on a free service that somehow has better latency than sc2's bnet, it's so high tech! also, it's not region locked! imagine that! I also can make clans, access friend lists in game without opening up some blocky browser, and moderate chat channels! plus i can see people's nationality when they join my game, and this server allows me to play on maps that I want to instead of stupid blizzard made maps while still participating in the ladder! oh, i almost forgot, i can even write offensive game names when i host (for example "1v1 d- andro no fucking koreans or peruvians") to keep minorities out! wow... i haven't even mentioned the real game yet lol, how did blizzard fuck up SO MUCH with bnet 2.0...
Yeah I quite like the beta for those reasons too. I like how I can type /f m to send a message to all my friends. Chat channels are a lot better too, because not only can I talk to buddies who also play the beta, but I can talk to anyone on b.net and they can all join my chat channel. I'm really glad Blizzard made it that way because the community actually feels like a community, unlike Sc2's impersonal and limited chat features.
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5/5.
Fantastic blog. I love you already.
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I also tried out the beta yesterday. I realised that these units called vultures are so good!!! It replaces the hellion in SC2 and it costs only 75 minerals instead of 100! Did you know what the beauty was? They actually plant these things called spider mines that are like mini nukes and you get 3 per vulture! The part I loved the most when I was playing some D- scrub who called himself Stork yesterday who kept running his dragoons (dunno what they are, but when they die blue goo comes out) into my mines, I also managed to beat a C- (who thought he was pro) Stats and I planted a mine in his mineral line of probes and BOOOOOOMMMMMMM all his probes died and shortly gg'ed afterwards.
Don't let me get started on Siege tanks, they somehow melt everything unlike in SC2.
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On April 05 2012 11:04 Zariel wrote:
I also tried out the beta yesterday. I realised that these units called vultures are so good!!! It replaces the hellion in SC2 and it costs only 75 minerals instead of 100! Did you know what the beauty was? They actually plant these things called spider mines that are like mini nukes and you get 3 per vulture! The part I loved the most when I was playing some D- scrub who called himself Stork yesterday who kept running his dragoons (dunno what they are, but when they die blue goo comes out) into my mines, I also managed to beat a C- (who thought he was pro) Stats and I planted a mine in his mineral line of probes and BOOOOOOMMMMMMM all his probes died and shortly gg'ed afterwards.
Don't let me get started on Siege tanks, they somehow melt everything unlike in SC2.
haha don't make fun of d-!! i remember slumming it up under the ID robot5 because i didn't want tasteless to make fun of my W/L when i eventually made it to korea!
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On April 05 2012 11:04 Zariel wrote:
I also tried out the beta yesterday. I realised that these units called vultures are so good!!! It replaces the hellion in SC2 and it costs only 75 minerals instead of 100! Did you know what the beauty was? They actually plant these things called spider mines that are like mini nukes and you get 3 per vulture! The part I loved the most when I was playing some D- scrub who called himself Stork yesterday who kept running his dragoons (dunno what they are, but when they die blue goo comes out) into my mines, I also managed to beat a C- (who thought he was pro) Stats and I planted a mine in his mineral line of probes and BOOOOOOMMMMMMM all his probes died and shortly gg'ed afterwards.
Don't let me get started on Siege tanks, they somehow melt everything unlike in SC2.
For 75 minerals you get 3 spider mines, and the factory even throws in a vulture for free! What a bargain!
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Looks like Blizzard will have to balance out the races then. Thank goodness it's just a beta where we can get all the imba ironed out.
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EPT
