EPTHello, everyone. I was fortunate enough to attend MLG Anaheim this past weekend and sit down for a couple quick games with the Heart of the Swarm beta, and I wanted to write down some thoughts. I don't have much to say mostly because other responsibilities kept me from spending a lot of time with it, but also because I don't think there's really much to say about the game itself. You can find YouTube videos that showcase the new units and abilities better than my short wall of text ever will, and as some of the professional players have already pointed out, it's too early to take balance seriously—everything will be tweaked in the open beta.
That said, I was amazed by what I saw. But I think the most important parts of the HotS beta had little to do with anything that was installed on those computers. Instead, I'd like to talk about the philosophy of HotS, its role in the community, and why a review is kind of hard.
First Impression
All of my interactions with the game happened on Friday, before the important MLG matches got underway. When I had time, I also checked out the demonstration videos that played during the dinner breaks or whenever MLG needed something to broadcast. At first I was disappointed that not much had changed. It looked like the most dramatic changes were the addition of the mothership core and the removal of the shredder for the widow mine. By the time I left, I'd done a 180. The build at Anaheim was the same build revealed at BlizzCon, but tweaked to address the community's balance concerns. For example, Blizzard chose to limit the effectiveness of the new nexus abilities like mass recall and purify by adding the mothership core, which also allowed them to keep the mothership and give it a more prominent role (in some form) throughout all phases of the game. I also loved the widow mine, which added a way of controlling space and addressing late-game TvP issues without being unstoppable.
In fact, almost all the new abilities make units and structures more effective when controlled the right way. You could make the case that any of the units were overpowered, but there's nothing that can't be stopped with proper scouting and anticipation. As with Wings of Liberty, people will have trouble until they learn to counter the 22-range Tempest or speed hydralisks or widow mines or whatever, and that's fine. If I had to guess, I'd say temptests will get a range nerf (unless maps can be tweaked to prevent the most abusive tactics), widow mines will see their explosion delay reduced (half-decent players will never take AOE damage), and the warhound will see more changes to better define its role (now that the thor is back, Terran has two hard-hitting, missile-shooting mech walkers). I don't think Zerg will see many changes beyond those to the costs of hive-tech upgrades. If iNcontroL can be believed, even IdrA seemed cautiously optimistic.
Regardless, patches will address specific problems. More importantly, after HotS, no one will be able to say that Blizzard doesn't listen. All of the changes address WoL's major flaws phenomenally. In my opinion, WoL has been figured out. We still see exciting games all the time, but we can be reasonably certain that no one is going to burst onto the competitive stage with a revolutionary mass-raven all-in. If Blizzard implemented just half of the changes present in the current HotS build, we'd see some wonderful new playstyles start to develop. The increased viability of mech will probably be enough for Terran players, and as a Protoss player the possibility of viable openings besides forge-FE brings a tear to my eye.
Difficulties and Conclusion
I feel like HotS is difficult to review. Talking about my own experience seems futile at some level because those who want to keep up-to-date are going to play it no matter what. Major companies will compete to be the first to feature a HotS tournament. HotS is more than just a expansion. If it's successful, it will raise the StarCraft 2 scene to new heights. The only question to answer is, will we enjoy watching the games HotS will provide? I think so. Like Brood War was to the original StarCraft, HotS has the potential to give StarCraft 2 real longevity. It will add depth and complexity and allow for a greater diversity of playstyles. Even the out-of-game features, like shared replay viewing and cross-server play, add to the StarCraft 2 experience and prove that Blizzard is committed to its game. Sometimes I don't think Blizzard gets enough credit for that, which is a shame.
In the distant future, way after Legacy of the Void, Blizzard will have to step away, throw its hands in the air, and let its fans decide if StarCraft 2 can really stand on its own. Until then, the new units will give us the pleasure of trying to discover the most broken strategies all over again. HotS will breathe new life into the community. I, for one, can't wait.
