SC2Forums.org Starcraft 2 Press Conference Report

I liked GasMaskGuy's questions so much that I'm reposting them here for you guys.

The Zerg unit and building regeneration (secluding the Roach), was it the same as in SC1?

I didn't really sufficiently explore this part of the Zerg as it was tough to determine. However the regeneration rate does not stand out in my mind, so I would assume the rate is about the same as it was in SC1.

Please estimate the Marauder's stats, and it's slowing attack. Is it capable of replacing the Medic as the second M in M&M?

Well, obviously, it doesn't heal. I believe it had around 100 HP, or the same as the Ghost. It costs around 75/25 (not 100% on this) and has 80 HP (THIS IS CONFIRMED AT 80 HP). It does 6 dmg (same as Marine) and does +4 bonus versus armored units. It also has a range of 6 (same as Marine). However, when combined with Marines this unit is absolutely deadly effective. Solo it isn't as destructive because of its relatively high cost.

How useful/devastating can a BC be, considering it's late game and all? Is it as unusual to see one on the field of battle as it was in SC1? Plasma torpedoes, effective?

The plasma torpedoes are VERY effective against groups of units if they don't move, but it is possible to avoid it. I did not try using Yamato. However, the BC is now useful in ones and twos rather than just large groups. One or two Battlecruisers can change a battle whereas in SC1 they were only really effective in large groups.

Did you use warp in?

Yes. While units warp in somewhat quickly, I still thought it was a bit slow for it to be practical in use for surprise attacks. I attempted to warp in Dark Templar into an enemy base, and my attempt failed. It was just a bit too slow. Also, the cooldown time at your WarpGate is VERY LONG so unless you're really good at maximizing your build time, it's not entirely worth it.

However, the Phase Prism is very useful. I found it very effective to transform my cannons into plasma form and move them up into offensive positions. This tactic was extremely useful in supporting offensive operations.

Any fun scenarios you remember.

Ummm.... I used a large group of about 12 stalkers, 15-20 Zealots, 2 WarpRays and 5 or so Nullifiers to entirely wipe out a Terran army. They were walled in behind supply depots and bunkers. So I anti-gravitied a supply depot and three bunkers, rushed in, killed the tanks and other units, then killed the supply depots and bunkers as they returned to earth. Deadly effective.

In another scenario a teammate in a 3v3 (versus Karune) used 12 or so Banshees to effectively fend off a 3 player combined army. We were 2v3 because we lost a partner early and it was basically a matter of time. But he did rather well and finished off one opponent. I also managed to severely cripple the other Terran player with my DTs sneaking in to his mineral line, but Karune was built up enough, and we were significantly weakened. So Karune ended up taking the field.


Bonus 400 minerals to GasMaskGuy for awesome questions!!!

 

How does the cooldown for Queen's buildings work? Is the building set up instantly and you have to wait to get a new one? How long does it take?

The buildings are supposed to have a 15 second cooldown, but you can queue up like 15 of them and she'll just methodically keep building. Their build time is also ridiculously fast.

 

i believe he mentioned somewhere that there a 15 second cooldown or so on building buildings with the queen.

dont quote me on that though.

 

Very nice information. Hoping you return with some pictures or videos, that will be best

I want to have a look at Zerg's base defences, I don't know if they are Sunken Clutches that cast by the Queen or not. In Battlenet forum, Dustin said Zerg base defences are not 1×1 now, however, I have no idea of this change, did you have seen this and give us some infor on Zerg's defence.

In our forum, many guys have suggested to make overlord turning into the new basic defence and co-opreating with the Queen. That is really a good idea, I hope you could read that thread and represent us to bring this idea to Blizzard developpers.

 

sad to here that. =\

heres another interesting question.

Is blizzard trying to implement the day and night cycle in the game? just like the short clip in blizzcon where there is a colossus attacking some turrets in a very dark(night) enivronment.

please say yes this time. ^^

The design team was certainly considering this option, but they said any effects, including weather effects, would be determined by beta testing further down the road. They do not want to affect gameplay in any way. They did mention that there are currently weather effects on Char maps.

and whats the best looking terran unit overall for you? i want to know what do you think about the terran units models in real gameplay.

Personally I think the Ghost and the Seige Tank look absolutely great. The Ghost seems a lot slimmer and they may have eliminated his backpack. In contrast I'm not a big fan of the Viking in air mode. It just looks chinsey at this time. But in ground mode he is very imposing, but weak in actual combat. We'll see where that unit goes.

maruader, ghost with backpack etc? how about the viking? dont you think it look kinda chubby?

 

He already answered that

 

How fast do the larva appear?

About the same speed as they did in SC1, perhaps a bit faster, but not noticeably so.

If you cancel a zerg unit production will the egg die or revert back to a larva?

The egg dies.

How fast are overlords now? similar to sc1 or not.

Actually, without upgrade, they're pretty slow. Probably the same speed as in SC1. But Overseers are rather quick, and so are upgraded Overlords.

 

thanks.

so it is currently implemented. now all blizz needs to do is show us the gameplay where there is an actual day and night cycle. that would be really great.

 

More questions heading your way Jon.

1. Is the physic storm and it's animation pretty? Karune said that screenshots do not justify it. What do you think yourself? And as for gameplay, is it still popular vs. masses of Zerg units?

The animation was only used once i the games I was playing, and it does cover a slightly smaller area. However, the animation is pretty cool. While I wouldn't say the screen shots don't do it justice, it doesn't look as weak in actual gameplay.

2. I like the new individual Zerg unit upgrading system you recently told us about. I am just wondering how it works. For every lvl, does the attack and carapace, and possibly even an ability get added?

Ex. lvl 1 Zergling - Nothing.
lvl 2 Zergling - Carapace 1, Melee 1, Metabolic Boost.
lvl 3 Zergling - Carapace 2, Melee 2, Metabolic Boost, Adrenal Glands.

Is this how the system works? Or do they start at lvl 0 (otherwise Zerg units will not be able to get lvl 3 carapace, spines etc)?

This is pretty much how it works except that Metabolic boost is at lvl 1. And yes, zerg units start at lvl 0.


3. Did the Viking (and the Thor) cover all Terran AA needed? Then perhaps there is no need for a Predator equivalent.

While the Thor is very effective, I wouldn't say that the Terran are taken care of. I think all Terran players would prefer to have the option of a more mobile air unit.

4. Is there gas similar to the yellow, high yield minerals?

Similar? High Yield minerals were present on every map we played. They were a high spot of contention and a HUGE advantage if you could attain them. It's a good gameplay mechanic.

5. Did you ever mine from yellow minerals? Worth to fight for?

Yes, I did. They're not absolutely necessary to your victory, but you will need two expos instead of just one at a high mineral field in order to counter its value. However, while it is high yield, it also contains about the same minerals, but you will gain them faster.

6. Does Terran and Zerg really lack detection, or did all Z and T players just forget to use their new detection mechanics?

Terran has a lot of detection with their Sensor Towers, but because their range is so significant, they often only build one or two. So it was quite easy to walk in and wipe it out before progressing on to other parts of the base, or to use another unit to take it out in a suicide attack. I did this a number of times to different players. Even with the need for the Overseer upgrade, Zerg players did not seem to be wanting for detection. The Shriekers are very useful even without detection and easy to attain. Also, the Overseer upgrade is very easy to obtain and does not require additional tech beyond the lair.

7. How well do the Immortals fare vs. Zerg? Most Zerg units do less than 10 damage.

Immortals are pretty effective against Ultralisks, but I think its pretty apparent that you don't want to use them against regular Zerg troops. They're not the weapon of choice, for certain.

8. Did the Medic have any abilities we don't know about? How do you use Flare and for what?

The Medic was not in the build we played. And the Medivac Dropship had no other abilities other than heal.

9. Your units will no longer be revealed when attacking. Did you ever shoot from a cliff to leave the opponent confused about your whereabouts? Or did someone else do it to you? Are strategies like these effective?

This was not used in combat as far as I know, but probably only because we were only partially aware of it.

10. Are there visual changes to the Queen when it levels up, more than an increase in size?
I think it should be similar to Hatchery->Lair->Hive. The final Queen should be spikey and totally grotesque.

She seemed only to increase in size. But she's huge by the time she reaches level 3.

11. Which rax/fact/port units benefit from the Reactor addon?

Barracks = Marine, Factory = Tank, Starport = Viking

12. Are the factions overly dependent on certain units? Sounds like Terran will rely on Siege Tanks again. Same thing with Zerg and Protoss?

Yes, from what I could see the Terran are either reliant upon the Banshee or the Tank, but I was pleasantly suprised by this. The Banshee is actually effective enough that you can skip tanks if you get them quickly enough.

The Protoss are very adaptable and do not rely on one type of unit. However, you need either a lot of Zealots of some Colossus against Zerg. But you do not require both.

The Zerg are very unpolished at this time, but yes, they need to use Banelings and Roaches to counter Zealots, especially once the Zealots get Charge.

13. Estimate the tier 3 Hydralisk's stats (It was tier 3 when you played, right? They were planning on making it tier 2 though). It must have been buffed somewhat.

While it must have been buffed, it didn't seem overly so. The Hydralisk was still not effective enough even to take down Colossi in a group, which I had assumed they would be since they were at a higher tier and ranged. I think the Hydralisk was a bit weak for being at Tier 3 and I expect it to be moved to a lower tier.

 

Thanks for answering my questions

Would Ghost be realiable attacking behind Marines, meaning is their general damage and rate of fire useful in battle or are they only worth using when sniping and nuking?

The Ghost has an effective attack but it is no more effective than Marines.

When you used the Nomad, did you initiate any assult tactics with it?
Could a large group of Nomad turrets kill an expansion?

The Turret is VERY effective against miners and small units. It was able to stand up to a tank 1v1, but it will not win large battles for you. Also, it is very ineffective against buildings.

If the Thor is still built from an SCV and you canceled its production half way would it take a short time to 'dismental' or did it just stop straight away?

The Thor is built from the factory.

How was the salvage ability to your liking?

I disliked Salvage because I think it's a bit unfair to get all your money back. However, it is very effective. You can disassemble unnecessary buildings.

Now I'm going to ask how units would fare 1 on 1 and in equal groups in combat:

Immortal vs Ultralisk?

Immortal would inflict more damage, but would eventually lose because of the Ultralisk's high HP, that's assuming the Immortal has the Hardened Shield upgrade.

Phoenix vs Mutalisk?

Phoenix for sure. A Phoenix can take on 2-3 Mutalisks even without Overload.

Viking vs Stalker?

Stalker wins even without blink.

Hydralisk vs Viking?

This is not a matchup I actually saw... one on one I would say the Viking wins, but it would be close.

Stalker vs Hydralisk

Stalker, hands down.

Assult Mode Crucio vs Roach?

Hmm.... close matchup. Probably the tank though. The only question here is the regen rate of the Roach relative to the damage of the tank.

 

Thanks for answering again Jon.

"Barracks = Marine, Factory = Tank, Starport = Viking"

Very interesting! Does this mean that you can construct Siege Tanks right off the bat? Because as far as I know the Reactor benefiting unit is supposed to be the unit that doesn't require a Teck Lab or an Armory.
Doesn't this make Siege Tanks extremely potent rushers (even without Siege mode, since Assault mode seems to be somewhat stronger) ?

I actually think I'm wrong about the tank. I think it benefits the Jackal. :-\ Sorry to get you excited!

And I thought that the Viking was a Factory unit again! Does this mean that there is room for one more in the Factory?

The Viking is definitely a Starport unit.

 

very good Q&A man very professional now add some Blue color and we can have Batch 33


Question:
-Did you noticed any Terran building that is now able to lift off that was existed in Sc1 but wasnt able to lift back then?

No that I'm aware of. It was all the traditional buildings... pretty much anything that can build a unit, plus the Engineering Bay.

-i havent seen anyone (or maybe i missed it) talking about the Starport, is there any building that produces the Battlecrusers + Banshees and is there anyscreenshot showing with that?

I haven't seen any screenshots of it, and the building is rather unremarkable anyway.

-what was the in the current build the Motherships abilities? did you tried any?comment?

Cloaking, Planet Cracker, and Void. Void is similar to black hole.

tnx

 

Alright the mothership has the BH again. awesome.

 

Why is still everyone syaing the hydra is tier 3?
Its tier 2, as it comes after Lair, johnnyxp64 posted a link to a site who also played the game, and Lair=tier 2.

 

Johnnyxp64, I don't mean to be mean, but your grammar sucks.

Why is the hydra tier 2 anyway? It should be tier 1.5 like it was.

 

Because of the roaches...
But i agree with you, cut the roaches! And make hydra tier 2 1.5!

 

No, they should be switched, roaches seem more advanced, hydra's have always been zergs bread and butter.

 

Yeah, but it seems like the roaches are used as early tanks (high reg, low dps), so if they come to late, they will overlap with "those big i just forgot the name of"´s

 

You mean ultra's? Tier 2 isn't late enough where they would overlap.

 

Yes i mean ultralisks. Perhaps, but how much usefull will the roach even be? When it comes really early (tier 1.5), it will be able to kill zealots, but ar tier 2, they enemy will already have stalkers (focus fire owns high reg units) etc.
So i still think the roach should be cut.