BR#2 Very close to release

Map: Blistering Sands
Commentators: Dustin Browder, Robert Simpson
Welcome to Blizzard Entertainment's first official shoutcast for StarCraft II, which is currently in the alpha phase of development. This match features two of the StarCraft II team's associate game balance designers, Matt Cooper and David Kim.
This transcript will automatically update to reflect the on-screen action. If you prefer, you can view the full transcript by clicking the button labeled "Expand Full Transcript" above.

[ 00:25 ]Matt Cooper and David Kim from the StarCraft II development team will be playing this match, with Cooper playing as Zerg, and Kim as Terran on a new 1v1 map called Blistering Sands.

[ 01:00 ]There's a single ramp entry to each base, along with one natural expansion point. There's also a narrow choke point into each base.

[ 01:20 ]Near the natural expansion is another expansion point with yellow crystals. The yellow crystals are worth more than blue crystals, meaning that minerals can be harvested from them more quickly than a regular expansion. Destructible rocks block the ideal building placement point at this expansion, however.

[ 01:33 ]A pair of Xel'Naga watch towers are in the center of the map, which can be captured by a single unit, giving players a huge sight radius in the area. Controlling these watch towers gives the player a big tactical advantage to track enemy movement in key areas.

[ 01:50 ]The Terran player finishes a barracks and sends an SCV to scout his opponent. The zerg player sends a drone out to establish a hatchery at his expansion point, but hides the drone off in the corner to prevent the SCV from blocking the expansion as it enters into the zerg base. The zerg player is able to place his fast expansion without interference.

[ 03:10 ]The Terran player sets a bunker down next to the fast expansion, hoping to get some marines into the bunker before the Zerg player can establish any defenses. A drone attacks and harasses the SCV building the bunker, preventing it from being completed.

[ 03:30 ]The Terran player moves across the map with a marine and another SCV to reinforce the position. The Zerg spawning pool completes, and four zerglings are being created to try and chase off the harassing Terrans. The Zerg player also sets down a baneling nest, as the bunker completes, and a single marine loads inside, protected so that it can freely attack the hatchery.

[ 04:25 ]The zerglings are forced to retreat from the bunker, but they move to the choke point to try and block additional marines from entering the bunker. The zerg player also sets down a spine crawler by the expansion, which will help attack the bunker. As the spine crawler finishes, 10 zerglings and a queen destroy the bunker as well as the accompanying SCVs.

[ 05:10 ]As the terrans are chased off, some extra larvae pop out next to the hatchery – zerg queens now have the ability (at the cost of some energy) to periodically induce hatcheries to produce more larvae, increasing the production capacity for zerg. This is a new macro mechanic that's being tested in the current build.

[ 05:20 ]Meanwhile, the Terrans have produced two bunkers with tech lab add-ons. The add-ons will enable the production of marauders. In conjunction with the mercenary haven that's also being built, the Terran player will be able to buy tech upgrades for marines as well as produce reapers from his barracks.

[ 05:33 ]A small group of zerglings explore the ramp to the terran base, but are immediately chased off by four marines and a trio of SCVs. The zerglings retreat and then begin morphing into banelings. Banelings are a new unit in StarCraft II that act as suicide bombers, rolling into infantry or buildings for massive area effect damage.

[ 06:00 ]The Terrans push out of their base into a small group of zerglings and banelings. Most of the Terrans are slaughtered by an exploding baneling as the remaining marine and SCV are forced to retreat. The zerg push into the Terran base but miss an opportunity to attack the SCV line as the small zerg force is blocked in between the Terran buildings. A pair of reapers help fend off the attack.

[ 07:10 ]Back at the zerg base, the spine crawler picks up and repositions itself, a new feature to zerg defenses in StarCraft II. He also creates a roach warren to field the new roach unit on the battlefield. Roaches have a short ranged attack and can regenerate health quickly.

[ 07:30 ]Another small skirmish between zerglings and reapers is fought outside the Terran base, with the reapers preventing the Zerg from pushing into the base. More zergling reinforcements arrive and kill a reaper attempting to scout.

[ 08:05 ]The Terrans begin construction of a new command center to try and establish at the new expansion and gain additional resources. Meanwhile, the zerglings begin attacking the destructible rock protecting the back ramp entry to the main Terran base. The Terrans are alerted to this threat when an SCV starts building a supply depot by the rocks. Reapers arrive on the scene and jump down from the cliff to chase off the zerglings, who retreat behind some tall brush and burrow. The reapers opt not to chase through the tall brush, which blocks their line of sight, as they risk walking right into an ambush.

[ 08:50 ]The reapers move to capture the nearby watch tower as some roaches move up to reinforce the Zerg's forward position. Roaches and zerglings chase the reapers off the watch tower as the Terrans are again forced back into their base.

[ 09:30 ]The Zerg go back to attacking the rocks at the backside ramp, as additional reapers move to defend the rock. Roaches move in to continue the attack on the rocks as the Terrans move out over the choke point with reapers and marines. D-8 demolition charges from the reapers vaporize several roaches while most of the Terran infantry are annihilated by banelings.

[ 10:30 ]The remaining two banelings and roaches move into the Terran expansion, attacking an empty bunker as three marines load inside. One wounded roach burrows to regenerate hitpoints while the remaining roach scurries into the main base, where it's quickly dispatched by a marauder.

[ 10:55 ]The other roach harasses the mineral line at the Terran expansion, but reinforcements are unable to reach it as the bunker fends off the trickle of Zerg forces coming in. Without detection however, the Terrans can do little about the lone roach burrowed in the mineral line.

[ 11:50 ]Several banelings burrow outside the Terran base, but the Zerg player opts to let them walk by, luring them into a trap at the nearby watchtower. Once pinned into the tower platform, the entire Terran force is wiped out by banelings.

[ 12:55 ]The Zerg are finally able to break through the backside rocks, but some well-placed bunkers discourage the Zerg player from rampaging in the Terran base. The Zerg force retreats, content for now to maintain map control against the Terrans, and to attempt to establish a third base on the Terran side of the map.

[ 14:25 ]The Terran player does spot the Zerg expansion with an SCV scout and has also created a trio of starports with tech labs, allowing for the creation of banshee and nighthawk aircraft. The Zerg have not advanced high up the tech tree yet, so there's currently little anti-air capability to combat these aircraft.

[ 15:20 ]A pair of banshees take out the third Zerg base before it can be established. The banshees move into the Zerg base to attack an infestation pit, but a nearby infestor creates some infested marines to chase off the banshees.

[ 16:00 ]As the banshees retreat from the Zerg base, they stumble upon a group of roaches and zerglings. This zerg force can't shoot air units, so they're forced to burrow underground to safety. Some Terran nighthawks immediately fly in, and with their passive detection ability they're able to spot the burrowed Zerg, allowing the banshees to attack and chase the roaches and zerglings into their own base. The banshees attempt to pursue but are turned away by a queen and some hydralisks.

[ 16:30 ]Meanwhile a group of marines takes on some roaches camped outside the Terran base. Banelings make short work of of the marines, but another group of Terran infantry, backed by nighthawks, cleans up the remaining Zerg forces, including a burrowed infestor.

[ 17:00 ]The combat shield upgrade for Terran marines finishes, giving marines an additional 10 hit points. Banshees continue to harass Zerg forces, this time next to the northwestern watch tower. Hydralisks chase off the banshees.

[ 17:30 ]A concentrated force of zerglings, hydralisks and roaches runs headlong into a group of marines and nighthawks. Though the Terrans are badly outnumbered in this fight, the hunter-seeker missiles of the nighthawks allow the Terrans to thin out the zerg forces considerably. Hunter-seeker missiles lock on and strike at an enemy for a good amount of damage as well as some splash, making it an ideal choice for clumps of enemy troops. The decimated hydralisks attempt to push into the Terran base, but are turned away.

[ 18:25 ]The nighthawks again use hunter-seeker missile to great effect, scattering the Zerg forces. A massive firefight in the middle results in the Zerg being chased off, with the Terrans losing lots of marines but only one of the expensive nighthawks in the process.

[ 19:30 ]With the Zerg on their heels, the Terran move to establish a new expansion. The Terrans drop in several mule gatherers to assist in harvesting minerals at the new base. Mules are a new ability that can be called in from orbital command, which is an upgrade to Terran command centers. Mules can gather minerals much faster than an SCV but break down after a period of time. A nearby overlord attempts to block the command center from landing by spreading creep, but is a few seconds too late.

[ 20:00 ]The Terran army attempts to push the Zerg even further back, but even with the assistance of auto turrets from the nighthawks, there are simply too many hydralisks and roaches to contend with. The surviving Zerg forces attack the defenseless Terran expansion, but a massive band of reinforcements arrives to chase off the Zerg.

[ 21:20 ]As the Terrans counter-attack, they encounter some zerglings caught in the midst of evolving into banelings. These are dispatched easily and the Terran infantry push the Zerg defenders deep into their own base. When another massive group of reinforcements arrive, the Zerg player is forced to surrender. GG!