New Interview with Chris Sigaty

Along with the new Beta information there was a interivew with Chris Sigaty released along with the new model for the Spawning Pool and the Queen.






Q. StarCraft II opt-ins are now available through Battle.net. Does the opt-in process mean that the start of the StarCraft II beta is imminent?

A. We're getting closer and closer to the start of our closed beta with each week that passes. Several months ago, we expanded our internal testing of the game to the entire company, and we've made significant progress since then. We're looking forward to inviting external testers into the process soon, which is why we're starting sign-ups now.

Q. What aspects of the game will be available for testing in this beta?

A. As with previous betas for our real-time strategy games, the StarCraft II beta test will be multiplayer only, and players will have access to all three races -- terrans, protoss, and zerg -- and all of their units. We'll include a selection of multiplayer maps, but they won't necessarily include all of the maps that will be in the final version of the game. We're making some great progress on the single-player campaign, but we don't plan to do a public beta since we want to keep the story under wraps until the game's out.

Q. Will we be able to try the new Battle.net during this beta?

A. You'll be connecting to and playing on the new Battle.net in the StarCraft II beta, and you'll definitely have a chance to play around with a few of the new features -- but what you'll see in the beta is really only a taste of what's to come.

Q. What updates and changes have you made to the game recently?

A. We're constantly tweaking the gameplay and balance, and we will be all throughout the beta process, but perhaps the most visible changes have been made to the zerg. Our art team has done a polishing and iteration pass on many of the zerg unit models and structures, so players can look forward to seeing a lot more detail there. Compared to the versions you've seen before, the zerg units and bases now look a lot slimier and more sinister.

We're also really looking forward to seeing testers try out the new gameplay mechanics we've introduced to each race, like the proton charge for the protoss and the MULE for the terrans that allow them to harvest minerals faster. The zerg also have a spawn larvae ability that gives them a new way to expand their production. We're hoping these abilities increase the strategic tension for players and force some tough tactical decisions when managing economies and micromanaging battles.

Q. Which regions can join the StarCraft II beta test?

A. Our plan is to include multiple regions and countries in the StarCraft II beta-testing process. We'll be starting with a North American beta, where testers from the United States and Canada, as well as Australia and New Zealand will be able to join. We'll then phase in testers in other regions such as Korea, Taiwan, and Europe as soon as we're able to set up in those areas.

Q. Why aren't you running StarCraft II beta simultaneously in all regions?

A. It's more efficient from a development standpoint to phase in each region one at a time. A big part of the beta test involves setting up new hardware and networking infrastructure, which is not a trivial process. If we set up one region at a time, we can more quickly address any issues we run into at the start, and take the lessons we learn from that experience to establish a smoother setup experience for the next region.
We can also implement all sorts of gameplay and balance changes, view the results, and react to what we've observed much more quickly in a single test environment, as opposed to getting bogged down trying to push those changes out across several test environments. Once the major issues are ironed out, we can expand the testing to additional regions. Going region by region will also put us in a better position to test localized versions of the beta.

Q. Will testers be allowed to write about the beta? Take screenshots and videos?

A. Yes! Beta testers will be free to write about their experiences playing the beta as well as take screenshots or videos. We're really looking forward to getting the game into players' hands so we can hear their feedback, since that will help propel us into the final stages of development and balancing. We've been working hard on StarCraft II, and we can't wait to finally be able to hear what everyone has to say about it.

Source: Starcraft2Forum.org

 

good find....i like the new models personally

 

Duh

But seriously, nice compilation. Thanks.

 

That new queen makes me want to fertilise her.

Nothing new from Mr. Sigaty though.

 

Love the new models.

 

The new Spawning Pool I like even if it doesn't have the separate pools.

The Queen... I can't say I like her 100%. The new upper body looks really improved... the bottom half...

Eh. The claws for her feet are way better though.

 

Its the perspective of the shot that makes the lower half look a bit odd . I assure you its fine!

 

How can you be sure if you have never seen the right perspective pictures. :/

She does look meaner this way. I must say I like that. Hmm, not really much to see untill we see some properly moving images.

 

Nice with an interview, no feedback this time Serandin - im of fot vacation, see you on sunday!

 

I always thought that the old spawning pool looked like something taken out of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r20/JACKOVER/charlie_and_the_chocolate_factory_0.jpg

 

Ya the spawning pool looks so much better and was probably the number one building that seemed too cartoonish/bright and happy in my opinion.

 

So the beta test thing is random, but is it random for each region?

 

Probably not depending on where the fan base is and also whats easier to set up will most likely determine where the beta will be going.

 

Well, the Netherlands is pretty much the crossroads of the internet. Nowhere else are such huge serverparks that guide traffic. I find it strange they do Europe last. If there is one region with good internet, then that regeon is Europe. No offense to others, though. It just is.

 

Damn Blizzard. That's ******* brilliant.

Rep for Blizzard +1111

 

i found it interesting that they decided to let players write and take vids, usualy the standard non-disclosure form is in place, guess blizzard wanted to have mercy on us for once.

 

.... or they realized there's no way of stopping videos so they figured that they might as well let us do what we're already going to do. It even helps them get even more feedback.

 

And there are already plenty of videos and sightings of the game from BlizzCon. There is just no point in not allowing it. And as Tychus said: there would be no way of stopping them anyway. I mean, every person with the beta can upload stuff to youtube, and it will be impossible for Blizzard to find out who did it.

 

I think the question was to make it explicit that testers are encouraged to share their experiences. Anyway, as GForce said, a lot of betas are extremely secretive. Definitely a question worth asking.

Stuff is looking good. I think I preferred the multi-tiered spawning pool, but the actual look is much improved.

 

Actually Blizzard has always seemed to be pretty open with their betas. It has always been the alphas they are super secretive about.