Hello everyone,
My name is Alex, I've been an active part of Russian StarCraft II community since 2010 and I currently run one of the biggest SC2 channels on YouTube.
One of the most important things which kept crowd attention on StarCraft II for a long time was a constant stream of new campaigns, new units, new co-op commanders, map pool updates and balance changes - however, we haven't seen anything new for the last year and a half and it's time to make something happen without Blizzard.
I'm running The Fourth Race Contest - the competition of modders and game designers who are eager to add something new to the current StarCraft II flow. In this contest you are supposed to create a mod with fully implemented fourth race gameplay, featuring unique units and game mechanics which are going to break the current meta.
What's the general point of this contest and why isn't it better to make our own "balance patch" for the current game? We're aiming to achieve three goals:
1. Adding a new race means that both casual and hardcore esports SC2 fans will have a lot of new content to enjoy
2. Implementing changes to the current meta would cause more controversy in the community as opposed to designing something completely new
3. Having an opportunity to invite progamers to participate in future competitions without actually breaking their current esports SC2 skills is also a plus (as no changes will be made to the existing three races, TvP/TvZ/ZvP matchups will all remain the same)
So, what are the rules, how to participate and what's the prize pool?
To take part in the contest, you need to create your own extension mod and publish it on the EU server while also including [Fourth Race] in the title and mentioning your contacts (preferrably email) in the description. It is also desirable to play a few games with your friend or companion and then send the replays to alex007 [at] clever.press. Please note, that
- You have to use the current StarCraft II multiplayer data set without any changes to it and with all future balance patches support;
- You have to use the narrative concept for the 4th race which thematically fits the StarCraft universe. We highly recommend creating the Hybrids race and using creatures which were already introduced in SarCraft II campaigns;
- You have to avoid using units / buildings / tech / game mechanics which already exist in current StarCraft II multiplayer and belong to any of the current races. The new race you design shouldn't be anything similar to another "Protoss tribe" or "Zerg brood";
- The fourth race should feature at least 10 ground units, at least 5 air units and at least 12 buildings;
- Designing a race which fully breaks the current meta (makes marine-tank, protoss air, roach-ravager compositions not viable on a high level) is a huge plus;
- It is highly recommended to use the same core mechanics (mineral and gas mining, energy/cooldown mechanics for casters etc) that are already used by the other races.
October 31st is the final day to publish your entries! On November 1st our team of judges will select the three best entries which will take part in the final show on November 7th on my YouTube channel. The final show will feature a live tournament held on the 4th race contest finalists mods, and the winner will be determined by combined crowd and judge voting.
Our current prize pool split is $500 for the winner, $300 for the second place and $200 for the third place finisher.
Let me know if you have any questions, good luck in the contest!