[A] Starbow - Page 465

The Spider mine, as it works in BW, is really hard to make in the SC2 editor. It has been buggy and messed with enemy units AI for a looong time now in Sbow, and I am just unable to solve it.

The Spider mine now works like this:

When an enemy unit comes within range 3, the Spider mine unburrows and stands still for 2 sec. Then it launches a missile towards the enemy ground unit. The missile deals the same damage in the same area as before. The missile has a tracking beam that indicates which enemy unit will be hit. This allows the enemy player to micro against it by splitting his units, move into a dropship, mine drag into Terran units etc.

Not a suprise, heh? ^^

Stats:
- Cost 75/25
- Supply 2
- Requires no Tech lab.
- Build time 30 sec.
- 130 life
- 1 amor
- Armored
- Speed 1.95 (slightly slower than Marine)
- Deals 16 explosive damage. (100% vs amored, 75% vs medium, 50% vs light units)
- Always deals 4 extra damage vs mechanical units.
- Attack cooldown 2.14 seconds
- Range 4

Comments by me:

This Marauder is basically as the old Marauder we had in Starbow, with the same stats. It got removed together with the Stalker + Roach, since I wanted to establish the early/midgame BW balance first, without other core units affecting it.

- Purpose of this unit is to make Bio or Bio + mech playable vs T and P, which leads to more diversity.
- 130 life allows it to survive 2 Spider mines.
- 4 extra damage vs mechanical units allows it to be weak vs Lurkers, but still good at fighting Vultures, Goliaths etc.
- The DPS of this Marauder is much lower than in SC2.

Stats:
- Cost 300/200
- Supply 6
- Requires Tech lab, Armory and Fusion Core.
- Build time 60 sec.
- 400 life
- 2 amor
- Armored, Massive
- Speed 1.74 (slightly slower than Marine)
- Deals 2x25 normal damage. (100% vs everything)
- Splash damage vs all unts
- Attack cooldown 1.84 seconds. (Same as Dragoon)
- Range 5
- Starting energy 75
- Maximum energy 200

Thor can use two abilities it starts with:

Hammerstrike

Costs 125 energy to detonate the ground. ALL nearby ground units around the Thor takes 60 damage and are stunned for 3 seconds.

Activate Javelin Launcher

Costs 75 energy to activate the Thors anti-air attack for 15 seconds.
- Deals 4x8 splash dmg vs air units
- Attack cooldown 3.3 seconds
- Attack range 9

Comments by me:

- Thors do not work well in deathballs or clumped up. They splash friendly units and benefits from being spread out.
- Has potential for good synergy with Dropships - harass enemy worker lines, drop on enemy Tanks to Hammerstrike them and so on.
- Activate Anti-air attack requires energy management aswell as offers more room for counterplay vs the Thor.
- Hopefully will Hammerstrike affect how P and Z engages mech positions, especially when A-moving Zealots, Ultras, Zerglings etc. Everything at on

- In terms of balance, both Protoss and Zerg have much stronger lategame army mobility, compared to Terran. Warpgates + offensive Nydus worm at Overlord creep spread. Terran instead got an additional late game positional unit with the Thor, which intends to make Terran stronger at holding ground.

Stats:
- Cost 100/50
- Supply 2
- Requires Roach Warren at Lair. (Costs 100/50)
- Build time 33 sec.
- 160 life
- 2 amor
- Armored
- Speed 2.55 (Slightly slower than Dragoon)
- Deals 16 medium damage. (100% vs everything.)
- Attack cooldown 1.87 seconds (Same as Dragoon)
- Range 3

Roach can use two abilities:

Tunnel (Costs 100/100 to research at Roach Warren) - Burrow the Roach for 5 seconds. During this time it moves as fast as speed Zealots. It receives only 50% damage while burrowed. When it unburrows, enemy units can not attack it for 1.5 seconds, which allows it to always get the first shot off. 10 seconds cooldown before it can burrow again.

Morph into Swarm Host (Costs 150/150 to research at Roach Warren. Requires Hive tech.) - Roaches can morph into Swarm Hosts. Details below...

Stats:
- Cost 100/50 to morph from Roach. (Total cost 200/100)
- Supply 3
- Requires Swarm Aspect upgrade at Roach Warren (Costs 150/150)
- Build time 33 sec.
- 160 life
- 1 amor
- Armored
- Speed 2.07 (As Marines)

Swarm Host can use two abilities from start:

Spawn Locusts - Just as in HoTS, 2 Locusts are spawned. They have the same stats for now. BUT it costs 15 gas to spawn them! Lasts 30 seconds.

Spawn Weevil - Flying bug with no attack. Can Neural parasite an enemy unit. Costs 15 gas. Lasts 30 seconds.

Comments by me:
- Even a few numbers of Swarm Hosts can be useful now, due to the Weevils. Which also gives the Swarm host another purpose, besides just flooding out free units to attack the front.
- The low gas cost of Locusts + Weevils prevents players from flooding the game with "unlimited" Locusts.
- Roach into Swarm Host adds a new tech tree branch for Zerg. Just Roaches without morphing into anything else might feel too naked for the game.
- The stats of Locusts need to be fine tuned, especially if they cost a low amount of resources.

- Cost 75/50
- Supply 2
- Requires Twilight Council.
- Build time 40 sec.
- 60 life, 40 shield
- 0 amor
- Armored
- Speed 3.07 (Same as speed Zealots)
- Deals 8 plasma damage. (+50% vs light units. 12 dmg in this case.)
- Attack cooldown 1.6 seconds. (Faster than Dragoons)
- Range 4
- Can attack ground and air units.

The Stalker has the following special features:

- Can be Warped in. (Keep in mind, Dragoons can not!)

- Can see above cliffs. (Allows it to Blink up cliffs without any air unit nearby)

- Starts with a special version of Blink. After it Blinks, the Stalker will "fade in" again for 3 seconds. During this time, enemy units will not attack it, unless they focus fire it. This allows the fragile Stalker to avoid damage, dodge enemy attacks, do hit and run attacks, but it also offers counter micro for Terran when Stalkers Blink into Tanks.

- Can research an upgrade that reduces Blink cooldown from 24 to 12 seconds, and increases casting range from 4 to 8.
(With the upgrade, Blink kinda gets its normal stat values.)

Comments by me:
- A more specialized mobile fragile hit-and-run and scouting unit.
- Its low health and short range should make them bad at straight engagements vs Hydras etc.
- P must not go Stargate or Robo to get scouting information.
- Offers P a way to deal with Mutas, apart from getting Corsairs.
- Might be useful in PvP as a way to deal with enemy Zealots and dodge Reaver shots.
- Will it see play vs T? Probably not as a combat unit, but maybe as a way to hurt clumped up enemy Tank lines and abuse the new version of Spider mines. Or move on the outskirts of Terran bases to snipe Turrets.

!!!

This unit requires a special explanation by me.

I looked at what potential units could be brought into the game, especially at Robotic facility.
Immortal, Sentry and Colossus were kinda the only available ones.
Ofc no unit shall be added just for the sake of being added.
I wanted to try and do something meaningful out of the Colossus. See if it is possible to make it fun and make it fit into the game.

Here are four bad things with the Colossus in SC2, in my opinion:

- It is so expensive and important for the army, that players are super careful to not lose ot.
- It is slow enough that it can not really move out of the army on its own. (So easy for the enemy to catch and snipe it.)
- It has insane attack range.
- It can walk over units.

Combined, all of this makes the Colossus a deathball unit. Clump them up above your ground army to benefit from insane DPS.

Here is how I tried to attack the problem:

Stats:

- Cost 100/200
- Supply 4
- Requires Robotic facility. (Reaver requires Robotic bay.)
- Build time 90 sec. (Prevents it from coming too early into the game.)
- 180 life, 120 shield
- 1 amor
- Armored, Massive
- Speed 2.55 (Slight slower than Dragoon.)
- Deals 11x2 normal damage. (100% vs everything)
- Attack cooldown 2.35 seconds. (Each shot is more important.)
- Range 6 (Same as upgraded range Dragoons.)
- The model is smaller!

Features of the Colossus:

- It attacks in a straight line like on the picture:
+ Show Spoiler +
This makes the position matter more. Since the Colossus is faster, find a good angle.

- It can only walk over Light units and cliffs. (Not stand above your Dragoons or anything.)

- It has no range upgrade, so it can not outrange static defence or anything.

- It can research an upgrade at Robotic Bay. When upgraded, it can not take more than 40 dmg to its shield from a single attack. This is relevant vs Spider mines, Tanks, Scourge and Reavers.

Comments by me:

- The Colossus allows Protoss a midgame unit who can fight vs mass Hydras + mass Bio. It is however not strong enough to just melt everything. But it can add valuable support in the midgame. But later on will P need Storm or Reavers.

- The DPS is lower than in SC2.

- The build time of the Colossus is so long, and Robotic facilities are expensive, that it is unlikely that massed Colossus will dominate the game too early.

- Since the Colossus is cheaper, faster, can be Rifted, and has a shield upgrade for protection, will it be more able to move away from the army to harass or abuse the terrain.

- How does this look vs other Protoss splash attacks?

Reaver - Long range, high burst damage. Can outrange static defence, Lurkers etc. High tech unit.
Archon - Short range, melee splash damage. Can attack air. High tech unit.
Colossus - Medium ranged, low splash damage over larger area. Mobile. Mid game tech unit.

- This is the biggest Joker in the patch and probably a risky one.