StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty | |
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StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty cover artwork, depicting protagonist Jim Raynor | |
Developer(s) | Blizzard Entertainment |
Publisher(s) | Blizzard Entertainment |
Producer(s) | Chris Sigaty |
Designer(s) | Dustin Browder |
Programmer(s) | Carl Chimes Bob Fitch |
Artist(s) | Samwise Didier |
Writer(s) | Chris Metzen Andrew Chambers Brian Kindregan |
Composer(s) | Derek Duke Glenn Stafford Russell Brower Neal Acree |
Series | StarCraft |
Engine | Havok |
Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows[1] macOS[2] |
Release | July 27, 2010[3][4][5] |
Genre(s) | Real-time strategy |
Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty is a science fictionreal-time strategyvideo game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment. It was released worldwide in July 2010 for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X.[6] A sequel to the 1998 video game StarCraft and its expansion set Brood War, the game is split into three installments: the base game with the subtitle Wings of Liberty, an expansion packHeart of the Swarm, and a stand-alone expansion pack Legacy of the Void.[7] In March of 2016, a campaign pack called StarCraft II: Nova Covert Ops was also released.
The game revolves around three species: the Terrans, human exiles from Earth; the Zerg, a super-species of assimilated life forms;[8] and the Protoss, a technologically advanced species with vast psionic powers. Wings of Liberty focuses on the Terrans, while the expansions Heart of the Swarm and Legacy of the Void focus on the Zerg and Protoss, respectively. The game is set four years after the events of 1998's StarCraft: Brood War, and follows the exploits of Jim Raynor as he leads an insurgent group against the autocratic Terran Dominion. The game includes both new and returning characters and locations from the original game.
The game was met with critical acclaim, receiving an aggregated score of 93% from Metacritic. Similar to its predecessor, StarCraft II was praised for its engaging gameplay, as well as its introduction of new features and improved storytelling. The game was criticized for lacking features that existed in the original StarCraft game including LAN play and the ability to switch between multiplayer regions. At the time of its release, StarCraft II became the fastest-selling real-time strategy game, with over three million copies sold worldwide in the first month.[9]
During BlizzCon 2017, it was announced that StarCraft II would be re-branded as a free-to-play game going forward. This unlocked the Wings of Liberty campaign, multiplayer and other modes of the game for everyone.[10] The change was in line with Blizzard's vision going forward, that is, supporting the game with micro-transactions such as Skins, Co-op Commanders, Voice Packs and War Chests which already proved to be successful.
- 1Gameplay
- 2Synopsis
- 3Development
- 4Release
Gameplay[edit]
The new Terran briefing system allows the player to explore the inside of the battlecruiser Hyperion.
StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty features the return of the three species from the original game: Protoss, Terran, and Zerg.[1] In the Terran campaign, the original StarCraft briefing room is replaced with an interactive version of the battlecruiser Hyperion, with Jim Raynor, now a bitter and hard-drinking mercenary captain, as the central character. In a departure from previous Blizzard games, the campaign is non-linear, with Raynor taking jobs for money and using that money to buy additional units and upgrades. Although each play through will vary, the end result remains consistent, keeping the storyline linear. Blizzard's Vice President Rob Pardo stressed that each campaign will function very differently.[11] The Terran campaign, Wings of Liberty, places players in a mercenary-style campaign, as Terran rebel group Raynor's Raiders raise funds by taking assignments from outside groups. The second release, Heart of the Swarm, is Zerg-focused and has role-playing elements. Kerrigan is the focus of the campaign, and the story revolves around the possibility of her redemption. The Protoss-themed Legacy of the Void is the final expansion, with the Protoss Artanis attempting to reunite the Protoss tribes in order to stop Amon, a fallen Xel'Naga.
Wings of Liberty has 29 playable campaign missions, but only 26 of them are playable in a single playthrough since three missions are choice-related alternates. There is one secret mission named 'Piercing the Shroud', which can be unlocked on the 'Media Blitz' mission, by destroying a Science Facility in a corner of the map. There is also a series of four missions in which the player plays as the Protoss in reliving the memory of Zeratul.[12][13]
The Wings of Liberty campaign contains several missions with unique features, such as lava that floods the battlefield every five minutes, forcing the player to move their units to high ground before they're destroyed. In another mission, enemy units will only attack the player at night, forcing the player into a form of siege warfare. Finally, in one mission, the player must use a single unit to influence the tide of an AI-controlled battle. The single player missions are highly customizable and are featured in the StarCraft II Community Zone. Between missions, players can choose units, buildings, and upgrades that are not available in the multiplayer missions.[14] A major new addition to the map-making community is the StarCraft II Arcade,[15] where high quality maps may be sold for a small fee as 'premium maps' over Battle.net. Lead Designer Dustin Browder has mentioned that even maps like player-created Defense of the Ancients in Warcraft III would not meet the quality requirements to be branded as a premium map.[16]
Wings of Liberty features approximately the same number of units as the original StarCraft.[17] Some units from the original game have returned, some featuring new upgrades and abilities. For example, the Protoss Zealot, a melee unit from the original game, now has the researchable ability to dash forward and quickly reach nearby enemies as a refinement of its speed upgrade from the original. Other units have been replaced or removed entirely: for example, the Scout, a Protoss fighter craft present in the original, has been replaced by the Phoenix.[18][19] Other changes to unit design have been inspired by story events in StarCraft and its expansion, StarCraft: Brood War, replacing old units with new or renamed versions which sport different attributes and abilities.[18] Units in StarCraft II have new abilities, compared to the original, that encourage more complex interaction with the game environment. Among these are the inclusion of units that can traverse varying levels of terrain,[20] or have the ability to teleport short distances.[18] Some Protoss units can be warped into pylon-powered areas using the Warp Gate, a slight modification of an existing building called the Gateway.[18][21]StarCraft II's campaign also has exclusive units that are only playable in the campaign and not in the regular multiplayer mode, though they are available for custom maps. These mostly consist of units that have been scrapped from development such as the Terran Diamondback as well as various returning units from the original StarCraft such as the Terran Wraith and Goliath. The campaign also features hirable mercenaries, modified versions of certain units with enhanced attributes such as health or damage that become available for hire once the standard unit is unlocked.[22]
Editor[edit]
The StarCraft II Editor is a campaign, map, and mod editor. It is far more sophisticated than StarCraft's StarEdit and Warcraft III's World Editor for creating custom maps and campaigns, and it is the first editor by Blizzard to feature built-in mod creation and usage support. Updated art and data from the original StarCraft that were not used, along with models and data that were scrapped during the development process (including those made as April Fools jokes) will be available in the editor.[23] Unlike previous editors made by Blizzard, it is the first to have Internet connectivity features such as map publishing, retrieval, and online activation of the editor client. Lead producer Chris Sigaty has stated that the editor gives players the ability to create role-playing, Hero-type units and structures resembling those from WarCraft III.[24] At BlizzCon 2009, Blizzard demonstrated a build of the StarCraft II Editor showcasing its capabilities, such as the ability to customize the user interface to include features such as the Item system from Warcraft III. The final build includes a third-person style perspective for missions.[25]
The editor was available for the first time during the phase 1 beta testing of StarCraft II, when it came with a patch. With the start of phase 2, the editor was updated. At present, there is a large map-making community using the editor, creating first-person shooter games, RPGs, tower defense, and AoS-type games. The map database is constantly being updated as more map makers create mods for the community. The new editor also changes the way maps are distributed: rather than hosting games using local map files, users now create and join games using maps that have been published to Battle.net. Map or mod uploads are limited to a total of 50 MB of storage, divided between ten files at most, with no file being larger than 10 MB. Although the StarCraft II Editor offers more features than the original StarCraft Editor in terms of game customization, there are concerns that the publishing limitations of Battle.net will not allow for large-scale custom maps or extensive map availability unless there is an external map publishing tool.[26][27]
On Friday, November 4, 2016 Alphabet's DeepMind branch announced a collaboration with Blizzard to create 'a useful testing platform for the wider AI research community.'[28]
Synopsis[edit]
Background[edit]
A Zerg colony gathering resources and expanding its military.
![Starcraft Starcraft](/uploads/1/2/3/7/123705733/407923220.jpg)
The campaign storyline of StarCraft II takes place four years after StarCraft: Brood War,[29] and features the return of Zeratul, Arcturus Mengsk, Artanis, Sarah Kerrigan, and Jim Raynor. It also features new characters such as Rory Swann and Tychus Findlay. In StarCraft II, players revisit familiar worlds, like Char, Mar Sara, and Tarsonis, as well as new locations, such as the jungle planet Bel'Shir and New Folsom. The Xel'Naga, an ancient space-faring race responsible for creating the Protoss and the Zerg, also play a major role in the story.[11]
At the conclusion of Brood War, Kerrigan and her Zerg forces became the dominant faction in the Koprulu Sector, having annihilated the United Earth Directorate's Expeditionary Force, defeated the Terran Dominion, and invaded the Protoss homeworld of Aiur. However, after the conclusion of Brood War, Kerrigan retreats to Char, despite having more than enough power to crush all remaining resistance in the Koprulu Sector. In the four years leading up to the events of StarCraft II, she has not been seen or heard from by any of the other characters.[30]
Arcturus Mengsk has been left to rebuild the Dominion, and is consolidating his power while fending off harassment from rival Terran groups. Mengsk has become power-hungry, declaring Jim Raynor an outlaw and showing little desire to protect or aid the colonies under his jurisdiction. Valerian Mengsk, a character introduced in the novel Firstborn, will play an important role in Dominion politics, due to his position as heir apparent to the throne. Meanwhile, Jim Raynor, whose role in the events of StarCraft and Brood War has been marginalized by the media under the Dominion's control, has become a mercenary who spends his free time drinking in Joeyray's Bar. Chris Metzen, Vice President of Creative Development at Blizzard, has emphasized that by the events of StarCraft II, Raynor has become jaded and embittered by the way he was used and betrayed by Arcturus Mengsk. Other new characters to the series include Tychus Findlay, an ex-convict and marine who becomes a member of Raynor's crew, and Matt Horner, Raynor's second in command, a character originally featured in the novel Queen of Blades.[30]
Following the fall of Aiur and the death of the Dark Templar matriarch Raszagal, the Protoss have retreated to the Dark Templar homeworld of Shakuras. There, Artanis, a former student of Tassadar, is trying to unify the Khalai Protoss and the Dark Templar, who have nearly separated into warring tribes as a result of centuries of distrust. Zeratul, tormented over the murder of his matriarch, has disappeared to search for clues to the meaning of Samir Duran's cryptic statements regarding the Protoss/Zerg hybrids in Brood War's secret mission 'Dark Origin'.[30]
Plot[edit]
Four years after the Brood War, the Dominion is once again the dominant Terran power in the Koprulu sector. News reports reveal that in the four years since the end of the Brood Wars, the standing Dominion military forces have been reduced and defense budget has instead been diverted to hunting down rebel forces that operate against the Dominion. For reasons unknown, Kerrigan gathered the swarm at Char and then vanished from sight. With the Zerg gone, the Protoss have once again taken a passive role in the galaxy. Jim Raynor has formed a revolutionary group named Raynor's Raiders in order to overthrow Dominion Emperor Arcturus Mengsk. On Mar Sara, Raynor meets with an old comrade, Tychus Findlay. Together, they liberate the local population from Dominion control and also discover a component of a mysterious Xel'Naga artifact. As the Zerg begin to overrun Mar Sara, Raynor arranges an evacuation to his battlecruiser, the Hyperion, captained by Matt Horner, Raynor's second-in-command.
With Tychus acting as the middleman, the Raiders embark on a series of missions to find the remaining pieces of the Xel'Naga artifact, which they sell to the enigmatic Moebius Foundation in order to fund their revolution. Along the way, they meet with Gabriel Tosh, a rogue Dominion psychic assassin known as a Spectre, and Ariel Hanson, a researcher on the Zerg and leader of a small farming colony. The Raiders perform missions to help Tosh procure the raw materials to train new Spectres as well as to aid Hanson as she attempts to secure her colonists who are caught between the Zerg infesting their planets and the Protoss attempting to eradicate the infestation. Horner also arranges a series of missions to undermine Mengsk, recovering intelligence information about his war crimes and broadcasting them across the Dominion. Finally, Zeratul sneaks aboard the Hyperion to deliver a psychic crystal that allows Raynor to share visions involving an ominous prophecy where Zerg-Protoss hybrids and an enslaved Zerg swarm wipe out Humanity and the Protoss. The vision reveals that only Kerrigan has the power to prevent the eradication of all life in the sector and beyond.
After collecting more artifact pieces, Raynor's forces encounter Dominion battleships at the pre-agreed Moebius Foundation rendezvous point. The Moebius Foundation is revealed to be under the control of Valerian Mengsk, Arcturus' son. Valerian, intending to show himself as a worthy successor to his father, asks Raynor to help him invade Char and use the artifact to restore Kerrigan's humanity, thus weakening the Zerg. To the initial dismay of the crew, Raynor agrees. With Valerian's aid, Raynor recovers the final artifact piece, and the Raiders and Dominion invade Char. The Dominion fleet is devastated by the heavy Zerg defenses, but Raynor secures a foothold on Char and rendezvouses with Dominion forces led by Horace Warfield, a decorated Dominion general. Warfield is later injured and appoints Raynor commander of surviving Dominion forces as well. The combined forces of the Raiders and Dominion military push towards the main Hive Cluster of the planet, protecting the artifact as it charges to full power, and the artifact eventually destroys all Zerg within its blast radius. Raynor's team finds Kerrigan restored to human form; however, Tychus reveals that he made a deal with Arcturus Mengsk, trading Kerrigan's life for his own freedom. Raynor defends Kerrigan from Tychus' attempt to kill her, fatally shooting Tychus in the process. The closing scene shows Raynor carrying Sarah Kerrigan out of the main hive in his arms.[31]
Cast[edit]
The English language version of StarCraft II has Robert Clotworthy and James Harper reprising their roles from StarCraft as the voices of Jim Raynor and Arcturus Mengsk. Notable absences included Tricia Helfer replacing Glynnis Talken as Kerrigan, Michael Dorn replacing Michael Gough as Tassadar, and Fred Tatasciore filling in for the late Jack Ritschel as Zeratul. The voice director for the game was Andrea Romano.[32] Over 58 voice actors were hired for the game, some of whom voiced multiple characters.[33]
Development[edit]
The development of StarCraft II was announced on May 19, 2007, at the Blizzard Worldwide Invitational in Seoul, South Korea.[34] According to Rob Pardo and Chris Sigaty, development on the game, though initially delayed for a year by the temporary reassignment of Blizzard's resources to World of Warcraft,[35] began in 2003, shortly after Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne was released.[36]StarCraft II supports the DirectX 9 (Pixel shader 2.0) software, and it is also fully compatible with DirectX 10 as well. The development team had decided not to add exclusive DirectX 10 graphic effects.[1] The Mac version uses OpenGL. The game previously featured the Havokphysics engine,[1][37] which allowed for more realistic environmental elements such as 'debris rolling down a ramp'[34] which has since been replaced with a custom physics engine.[38]
At the June 2008 Blizzard Worldwide Invitational, Blizzard Executive Vice President Rob Pardo announced that development of the single-player campaign was approximately one-third complete,[39] as well as that Wings of Liberty would be followed up by two expansion packs – StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm, which would focus around the Zerg and StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void, which would focus around the Protoss.[7] On February 25, 2009, Blizzard announced the Blizzard Theme Park Contest, where prizes would include two beta keys for StarCraft II.[40] The updated news and updates page of Battle.net for Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne stated that the top 20 players from each realm was to be given a StarCraft II beta key.[41]
Blizzard posted a release date for the game's first beta of Summer 2009, but failed to release a beta during that time.[42] Since May 6, 2009, it was possible to sign up for the beta phase of the game.[43][44][45] In November 2009, the game's producer Chris Sigaty confirmed there would be no public beta for the game taking place in 2009 but assured fans that it would happen next year.[46] In February 2010, Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime announced that a closed beta would open later that month.[47] On February 17, 2010, StarCraft II began closed beta testing, as promised.[48] The beta was expected to last for 3–5 months. Beta keys for the initial release were sold on eBay for prices as high as $400.[49] Blizzard also released a map editor for the beta as part of Patch 9.[50] According to the company, they had planned to release a major content patch towards the end of beta testing.[51] As of July 23, 2010, eighteen patches had been released for the beta (only seventeen on European servers),[52] including a patch which provided access to the Galaxy map editor. On May 12, 2010 Blizzard released the beta client for computers running Mac OS X, for the users who had signed up. On May 17, 2010, Blizzard announced that the first phase of the beta test would be coming to an end in all regions on May 31, but it was later extended to June 7.[53] The second phase began on July 7, 2010, and ended on July 19, 2010.[54]
In an interview held in June 2009, Rob Pardo indicated that LAN support would not be included in StarCraft II.[55][56][57] Removing LAN requires players to connect through Blizzard's servers before being able to play multiplayer games, causing gamers to voice their dissatisfaction online.[58] Further controversy was sparked when Blizzard confirmed that the game would not support cross-server play out of the box, restricting gamers to only play against local opponents—for instance, US gamers against those in the US and Europeans against Europeans. The company originally explained that Australia and New Zealand servers would be located in Southeast Asia, pitting them against combatants from Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. However, starting from patch 1.1.0, it was announced that the Southeast Asia/Australia/New Zealand version of the game would not be strictly region-locked, with gamers able to play on both the SEA/ANZ servers and the North American ones.[59]
Mike Morhaime, president of Blizzard, announced during the opening ceremony of Blizzcon 2009 that StarCraft II and the new Battle.net platform would both be released in 2010, with an approximately one-month gap between releases.[60] As of March 2010, Blizzard had stated that the new platform was being tested outside the beta and was planned for release in early July 2010,[61] for both StarCraft II and World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, with a later upgrade for Diablo III. On May 5, 2010, it was revealed that StarCraft II and Battle.net 2.0 would be integrated with social networking site Facebook, 'linking the world's premier online gaming platform with the world's most popular social platform'—a move that allowed gamers to search among their Facebook friends for StarCraft II opponents. Wired magazine, in its annual Vaporware Award, ranked StarCraft II first among the delayed technology products of 2009.[62]StarCraft II was finally released on July 27, 2010,[63] with launch parties in selected cities of countries around the world. Customers and reviewers who received the installation DVD before the July 27 release were greeted with an error screen, telling them to wait until the release date.[64] There was no known workaround and some reviewers had praised the action for limiting journalists to playing and reviewing the game with actual players.[65][66]
Compared to the original StarCraft, StarCraft II was designed to focus more heavily on the multiplayer aspect, with changes that included major improvements to Battle.net, a new competitive 'ladder' system for ranked games, and new matchmaking mechanics that were designed to 'match-up' players of equal skill level.[1] In addition, the replay function, which allows players to record and review past games, was improved. Blizzard also stated that they incorporated changes to the game that were suggested by fans.[67]StarCraft II continues its predecessor's use of pre-rendered cinematic cut scenes to advance the plot while also improving the quality of in-game cut scenes within the levels themselves, which are rendered on-the-fly using the same game engine as the graphics in the game proper. Blizzard stated that, with the new graphics engine that StarCraft II uses to render the gameplay, they 'can actually create in-game cut-scenes of near-cinematic quality'.[68] Improvements include advanced scenery allocation and more detailed space terrain, such as floating space platforms with planets and asteroids in the background. Small cliffs, extensions, and even advertising signs were also shown to have been improved and refined.[20]
Expansions[edit]
During the development of StarCraft II, it was also announced that the game and its expansions would form a trilogy; each chapter would feature one of the three playable races. The first expansion – Heart of the Swarm, which focuses on the Zerg race – was released on March 12, 2013.[69] The second expansion Legacy of the Void, which centers on the Protoss race, was released on November 10, 2015.[70]
An additional single player campaign called StarCraft II: Nova Covert Ops was released in 2016 in three episodes. This as downloadable content (DLC) focuses on a Terran special ops character called Nova Terra.
Release[edit]
Starcraft II at gamescom 2015
Versions[edit]
On April 8, 2010, Blizzard announced that the game would be available in a standard and collector's edition. The game was made available for digital download from Blizzard on the release date; pre-loading began on July 15.[71] The collector's edition comes with an artbook, 2 GB flash drive modeled after Jim Raynor's dog tag with the original StarCraft and Brood War expansion preloaded, behind-the-scenes DVD, soundtrack, comic book, unique avatar portraits, a unique model for the in-game Thor unit in multiplayer, and a World of Warcraft pet.[72]
On June 24, 2010, at a press-only Korean event, Blizzard announced that Korean players would be able to play StarCraft II for free with an active World of Warcraft subscription. In PC bangs, or other cybercafés, players can play the game by paying 500 to 1500 South Korean won (approx. $.50 to $1.50) per hour. Other options include a 30-day subscription for ₩9900 (approx. $8), a 24 hours play-time ticket for ₩2000 (approx. $1.50), and unlimited access for ₩69,000 (approx. $56).[73] The end-user license agreement (EULA) for StarCraft II differs significantly from those of Blizzard's earlier titles in that buying the game only grants the buyer a license to play, while the game itself remains the property of Blizzard. Any breach of the EULA amounts not only to breach of contract but copyright infringement as well, giving Blizzard greater control over how the game is used. Concerns have been raised by Public Knowledge over how the altered EULA may affect multiplayer tournaments not endorsed by Blizzard.[74]
On August 3, 2011, Blizzard replaced the previously available StarCraft II demo with the new StarCraft II: Starter Edition. It allows anyone to play part of the game for free and it comes as a 7 GB package downloaded using the Blizzard Downloader client. The Starter Edition is available for Mac and Windows, and requires a Battle.net account and an Internet connection to play.[75]
Sales[edit]
A Korean Air Boeing 747-400 at Incheon International Airport with an advertisement for StarCraft II painted on the fuselage. Jim Raynor is prominently displayed on the plane.
Blizzard entered into a co-marketing agreement with Korean Air that lasted for six months, in which two of the airline's airplanes on both domestic and international routes prominently displayed StarCraft II advertising featuring Jim Raynor on the fuselage.[76] On August 3, 2010, Blizzard announced that StarCraft II sold more than one million units worldwide within one day of its release. After two days, when Blizzard began selling the game as a digital download on its website, approximately 500,000 additional units of the game were sold, bringing the total up to 1.5 million worldwide and making it the fastest-selling strategy game of all time.[77] In its first month on sale, StarCraft II sold a total of three million copies worldwide.[9] As of December 2010, the game has sold nearly 4.5 million units.[78] The game was also heavily pirated, reportedly being downloaded over 2.3 million times, and setting a record for most data transferred by a single torrent in only three months.[79]
Technical difficulties[edit]
Several gaming and technology sites reported an 'overheating bug' with StarCraft II that in some cases resulted in permanent damage to video cards. The source of the problem is the fact that the frame rate is not locked on menu screens. This causes the graphics card to continuously render the image, resulting in excessive heat. Blizzard has acknowledged the problem, and posted a temporary workaround.[80][81][82][83] They also recommended ensuring computer systems are well ventilated and contacting the videocard manufacturer for hardware-related issues.[84] In response to the reports, Blizzard's Public Relations Manager, Bob Colayco said: 'There is no code in our software that will cause video cards to overheat. When we saw this issue first reported, we conducted thorough additional testing and determined that for those players experiencing this problem, the cause is most likely hardware-related.'[84]CrunchGear has also suggested that the problem is not with StarCraft II, but rather due to poorly maintained hardware and inadequate cooling. They do however agree that the overheating only occurs on non-framerate locked screens and provide the fix that Blizzard has offered to users.[85] Other articles recommend that users regularly clean the dust out of their computer to improve the cooling efficiency of their systems.[83][86] Blizzard posted a message on their forums regarding the issue that has since been removed.[83][87] The message was: 'Screens that are light on detail may make your system overheat if cooling is overall insufficient. This is because the game has nothing to do so it is primarily just working on drawing the screen very quickly.'[83][87]
Reception[edit]
StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty has been met with critical acclaim since its release. It received an aggregated score of 92.39% at GameRankings[88] and 93/100 at Metacritic.[89] The game was particularly praised for retaining the popular RTS gameplay from StarCraft, while introducing new features and improved storytelling. GamesRadar felt that 'in many ways, StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty feels like StarCraft 2.0 – and that’s a good thing', stating that it 'delivers on all fronts'.[96] NZGamer.com said the game was 'the best RTS game released in years and one of the best games on PC'.[103] In relation to its story, GameTrailers stated, 'If there's anything immediately apparent from Wings of Liberty's story, it's that the series' narrative structure has evolved well beyond the original's sparse between-sortie intermissions,' calling it 'an epic and entertainingly told yarn',[97] while Eurogamer criticized the dialogue as being 'flat' and the characters as being 'either clichéd, banal or both'.[91]Giant Bomb echoed this view while also noting the Hyperion portion between missions, finding it to have 'more depth of character, more believable pathos, more surprise twists—than I honestly expected out of the story'.[98]IGN however noted that 'no doubt franchise fans will eat it up, but newcomers may be wondering what all the fuss is about while going through the early missions that lack the kind of urgency you would hope when the fate of civilization is in peril.'[99]
Joystiq was very positive towards the improved multiplayer matchmaking service, calling it 'similar to Xbox Live and PlayStation Network, which is a welcome change from the archaic matchmaking of Battle.net in previous Blizzard games',[100] while GameSpot called the amount of online content 'remarkable', noting the variety of maps and up to 12 player online support.[94] When comparing the single and multiplayer modes, GameSpy felt that the single-player portion was 'less inspiring, mostly because of the extremely shallow learning curve', with the online multiplayer being 'so smooth, so challenging, and so much plain-old-fun'.[95] John Meyer of Wired praised the improved graphics engine, saying that it 'shows decades of polish' and a 'slick new presentation'.[105] Matt Peckham of PC World also noted that some buyers expressed dissatisfaction with the absence of LAN-based multiplayer gameplay, the lack of cross-realm play and the campaign being limited to the Terran race.[106]Game Revolution, in relation to only being able to play the Terran campaign, however, pointed out that 'Wings of Liberty has 29 missions; the original StarCraft had just over 30. Fair odds say the next one will have roughly the same amount; Broodwar brought about 30 too. We already got the full game for $50, and we’re getting offered two expansions. If you want to feel outraged about something, pick something else.'[93]
Ars Technica gave the overall game a verdict of 'buy' and especially praised the single-player campaign as 'fun as hell'. They were also very impressed with the game modding tools that allow users to create their own content and distribute it to other fans. The two 'ugly' issues they identified with the game were lack of LAN play and the decision to split up the regions. They suggested that these decisions were influenced by Activision rather than by the game designers at Blizzard, and felt that this would turn many people off of the game and make things difficult for people who have international friends.[107] In a separate article, Ars Technica vigorously supported StarCraft II against a series of 1-star ratings given to the game on Amazon.com in protest against the lack of LAN play.[108] They argued in Blizzard's defense against complaints that it was not a full game because only the Terran campaign was released, but did suggest that the customers' complaints about the lack of LAN and cross-region play were legitimate.[109]
In August 2016, StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty placed 26th on Time's The 50 Best Video Games of All Time list.[110]
Soundtracks[edit]
StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty Soundtrack | |
---|---|
Soundtrack album by Russell Brower, Glenn Stafford, Derek Duke, Neal Acree, Sascha Dikiciyan & Cris Velasco | |
Released | July 27, 2010 |
Genre | Video game soundtrack |
Length | 67:12 |
Label | Azeroth Music |
Two official soundtracks were released for StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. The original score, composed by Derek Duke, Glenn Stafford, Neal Acree, Russell Brower, Sascha Dikiciyan and Cris Velasco was released on CD as well as on the iTunes Store. Both versions contain 14 tracks and the iTunes version contains additional digital extras.
A second soundtrack, Revolution Overdrive: Songs of Liberty, was released on CD, vinyl and iTunes.[111] This soundtrack features the original and cover songs heard in JoeyRay's bar during the video game.
Professional competition[edit]
StarCraft II is played professionally throughout the world, though much like its predecessor StarCraft: Brood War's professional competition, the highest level of play has historically been centered in South Korea. The game was widely considered the largest esport in the world during its early years and has been credited as bringing esports to the rest of the world in the way the original brought it to South Korea.[112] It has since experienced a decline and a more recent resurgence following its transition to a free-to-play business model.[112][113]
Starting with its founding in 2012, the StarCraft II World Championship Series (WCS) has been Blizzard's primary sanctioned StarCraft II tournament circuit.[114] Since 2013, both Korean individual leagues like the Global StarCraft II League (GSL) and non-Korean events such as Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) and Dreamhack have been included in the WCS system, distributing points and guaranteeing spots that qualify players for the Global Finals, held annually at BlizzCon.[115]
LAN play[edit]
StarCraft II does not offer the ability to play directly over a local area network (LAN), as is possible with StarCraft; all network games are routed through the Internet via Blizzard's gaming servers.[116] The latency delay between commands issued and game response when played online is greatly reduced when playing over a LAN and this allows for much finer control over in-game units;[117] there were concerns that a professional scene would not develop as a result.[118] Over 250,000 fans signed a petition asking Blizzard to add LAN play to StarCraft II, before the game's release.[119] Currently, Blizzard has no plans to support LAN play.[120] Although it does not change the routing of the game through Blizzard's servers, a Players Near You feature was added in StarCraft II patch 2.0.4, to help with organizing games with other players on the same local network.[121]
Feb 14, 2016 so you've seen how to install minecraft mods using forge well now its time for how to install mods without forge! Now its time for how to install mods without forge! Follow us on twitter: http. Jun 21, 2018 I am on a Mac and my parents won't allow me to run Forge.jar because it 'could harm the computer'. Does anyone know a way to get Mods without Forge? I have seen several tutorials for this but all of them need WinRar which is unavailable for my version of OS X. So you've seen how to install minecraft mods using forge well now its time for how to install mods without forge! Follow us on twitter: http://full.sc. How to mod minecraft without forge.
DeepMind[edit]
In January 2019, developers from Google's DeepMind tested their latest AI software by pitting a computer against a professional Starcraft II player. The AI won ten games in a row, with the human player winning the last match.
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External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to StarCraft II. |
- StarCraft II at Blizzard Entertainment
- StarCraft II at Battle.net
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=StarCraft_II:_Wings_of_Liberty&oldid=904267687'
I have been attempting this mission for the past 2 days but I cannot beat it. I didn't think I would have to come to the forum for help.
I am doing the 'Air' choice. I read a post that said the 'Air' choice was easier. That person was trolling. After watching videos it's clear the Air way is much, much harder. You get attacked by hundreds of air units and still a mass of ground units.
I attempted on Brutal first and tried about 6 different strats..
- All ghosts in 4-5 bunkers by artifact. Battlecruisers / Planetary Fortress to defend SCVs.
Result = By the time you have 12 ghosts, the zerg overrun your base. You have no money to build any defense because you spend so much on the ghosts.
- 3-5 bunkers per side with 2 siege tanks behind. Use a small marine force to kill Kerrigan, and replace destroyed bunkers. Use Hive emulators to capture Mutalisks.
Result = I lasted until 77% on Brutal before dying. Kerrigan destroys one sides, takes to long to rebuild bunkers because Zerg are already rushing that side. The artifact is already low hp and zerglings destroy it so I fail the mission.
- Marines + Medics and mass turrets by artifact.
Result = Didn't work at all. Marines died so fast even with healing. Zerg overran my base.
I watched 8 different guides but none helped. Most seem to be made before some nerf to siege tanks among other things.
The ground version looks so much easier if you just build mass siege tanks and marines to deal with Kerrigan. You don't even need bunkers. If I want to do that, I have to start the whole game over.
Has anyone beat this mission on Brutal or Hard in 2013? The Air choice, not the Nydus.
I am doing the 'Air' choice. I read a post that said the 'Air' choice was easier. That person was trolling. After watching videos it's clear the Air way is much, much harder. You get attacked by hundreds of air units and still a mass of ground units.
I attempted on Brutal first and tried about 6 different strats..
- All ghosts in 4-5 bunkers by artifact. Battlecruisers / Planetary Fortress to defend SCVs.
Result = By the time you have 12 ghosts, the zerg overrun your base. You have no money to build any defense because you spend so much on the ghosts.
- 3-5 bunkers per side with 2 siege tanks behind. Use a small marine force to kill Kerrigan, and replace destroyed bunkers. Use Hive emulators to capture Mutalisks.
Result = I lasted until 77% on Brutal before dying. Kerrigan destroys one sides, takes to long to rebuild bunkers because Zerg are already rushing that side. The artifact is already low hp and zerglings destroy it so I fail the mission.
- Marines + Medics and mass turrets by artifact.
Result = Didn't work at all. Marines died so fast even with healing. Zerg overran my base.
I watched 8 different guides but none helped. Most seem to be made before some nerf to siege tanks among other things.
The ground version looks so much easier if you just build mass siege tanks and marines to deal with Kerrigan. You don't even need bunkers. If I want to do that, I have to start the whole game over.
Has anyone beat this mission on Brutal or Hard in 2013? The Air choice, not the Nydus.
gotta admit the air version is pretty hard. A medium sized force of viking with a few raven can take care of any air you might encounter but kerrigan (especially in the later stages) is the big problem.
Kerrigan pose a problem as she is very tanky, have a spell that destroy big and costly units while having another spell that kill mass of weak units. You have to find a way to kill kerrigan the fastest posible, be it saving energy nova for her or training units specially to kill her.
I head you can use spectre do deal huge damage to her before she kill too much units but I haven't used it.
Also, emulator can be used to control broodlord wich after serve to block the pathing of ground units (maybe stall kerrigant too?)
It's doing a long time I didn't play it in brutal and i didn't use any of the tricks mentionned earlier. (the artefact exploded when I won litteraly)
Kerrigan pose a problem as she is very tanky, have a spell that destroy big and costly units while having another spell that kill mass of weak units. You have to find a way to kill kerrigan the fastest posible, be it saving energy nova for her or training units specially to kill her.
I head you can use spectre do deal huge damage to her before she kill too much units but I haven't used it.
Also, emulator can be used to control broodlord wich after serve to block the pathing of ground units (maybe stall kerrigant too?)
It's doing a long time I didn't play it in brutal and i didn't use any of the tricks mentionned earlier. (the artefact exploded when I won litteraly)
Do you have the hive mind emulator? You need it to mind control brood lords.
Hard's not a problem imo, I did Air on Hard and got the achievement for not using the artifact or whatever limitation there was. Unfortunately I don't recall exactly how I did it but I think I went heavy BC and marines as a mineral dump/anti Kerrigan because she can insta kill a BC.
Brutal really is brutal though. I've only played/beaten Air All In on brutal once and I had to use tons of Hive Mind Emulators.
Brutal really is brutal though. I've only played/beaten Air All In on brutal once and I had to use tons of Hive Mind Emulators.
All ghosts in 4-5 bunkers by artifact. Battlecruisers / Planetary Fortress to defend SCVs.
what the !@#$? why only ghost?
02/03/2013 07:58 PMPosted by MyronGaines
Use a small marine force to kill Kerriganone does not simply use marines to kill kerrigan.
Also I want to add that ringing your base with missiles turrets also help. You should have enough minerals for all of that.
This is a really simple, low apm strat.
make sure you chose the mission that removes the air units and you have all tank upgrades and have the building that slows down zerg movement
What you do is mass siege tanks and put them in the center of your base. dont build bunkers or static defence or anything, except for that building that slows down zerg. anything that comes to your base will die before it gets to the tanks. dont bother with the nydus worms. kerrigan might give you some trouble but thats what the merc units are for.
Im pretty sure you also get a couple of BCs at the start so save them for kerrigan.
easy win on brutal.
make sure you chose the mission that removes the air units and you have all tank upgrades and have the building that slows down zerg movement
What you do is mass siege tanks and put them in the center of your base. dont build bunkers or static defence or anything, except for that building that slows down zerg. anything that comes to your base will die before it gets to the tanks. dont bother with the nydus worms. kerrigan might give you some trouble but thats what the merc units are for.
Im pretty sure you also get a couple of BCs at the start so save them for kerrigan.
easy win on brutal.
- 3-5 bunkers per side with 2 siege tanks behind. Use a small marine force to kill Kerrigan, and replace destroyed bunkers. Use Hive emulators to capture Mutalisks.
Result = I lasted until 77% on Brutal before dying. Kerrigan destroys one sides, takes to long to rebuild bunkers because Zerg are already rushing that side. The artifact is already low hp and zerglings destroy it so I fail the mission.
First, are you falling back from where the initial bunkers are? Those zones are death traps, and you want to wall off back in your base more.
Second, Air is arguably easier than Nydus if you use the Hive Mind emulator to control everything. This means you do not kill the Mutas or Broodlords, but use them. Ground forces should be contained by the Broods and a few Planetaries/Bunkers/ Siege Tanks. Kerrigan is countered by Broodlords; she gets stuck on the Broodlings, and dies fairly quickly. If this isn't working, Snipe her to death, or Reapers to kill her. Reapers do more base damage more quickly than marines do. Don't let Kerrigan near your tanks or BC's, because she'll rip them apart.
Basically, you have to have enough APM and Hive Mind towers to capture everthing, and let a few ground forces clean up the rest.
This is a really simple, low apm strat.make sure you chose the mission that removes the air units and you have all tank upgrades and have the building that slows down zerg movementWhat you do is mass siege tanks and put them in the center of your base. dont build bunkers or static defence or anything, except for that building that slows down zerg. anything that comes to your base will die before it gets to the tanks. dont bother with the nydus worms. kerrigan might give you some trouble but thats what the merc units are for. Im pretty sure you also get a couple of BCs at the start so save them for kerrigan.easy win on brutal.
Sound good except he said specifically that he knew how to do it with ground and that he wanted to do it by air.
This is a really simple, low apm strat.make sure you chose the mission that removes the air units and you have all tank upgrades and have the building that slows down zerg movementWhat you do is mass siege tanks and put them in the center of your base. dont build bunkers or static defence or anything, except for that building that slows down zerg. anything that comes to your base will die before it gets to the tanks. dont bother with the nydus worms. kerrigan might give you some trouble but thats what the merc units are for. Im pretty sure you also get a couple of BCs at the start so save them for kerrigan.easy win on brutal.
Sound good except he said specifically that he knew how to do it with ground and that he wanted to do it by air.
oh sorry, for air:
get a bunch of the hive mind controllers. control pretty much any zerg flyer that gets to your base. Dont forget about putting turrets in your mineral line.
You should have a huge fleet of zerg air before the last big waves of units. make sure you micro away from kerrigans storm otherwise your mutas and broodlords will melt.
get lots of BCs and a few merc tanks in the center of your base. dont bother with static defence as it usually just dies, if you try to repair with scvs, you lose too much mining and you dont want to be spending minerals rebuilding scvs.
call down mercs when needed.
spam yamato on kerrigan.
easy win on brutal.
How long since you guys last did the mission? Looking at videos people say 'that doesn't look like to brutal to me' and I agree.
On hard or brutal the waves come crazy fast.
How can I get a huge fleet of battle cruisers and missle turrets in time?
I get 5 mind controllers but by around 63% I have zerglings rushing up the ramps to the artifact. I have broodlords all around my attacking and then Kerrigan comes in and finishes me off.
I had around 20 mutalisks on Brutal and I had to send them all around my base because there were units everywhere destroying me.
By the second zerg wave the original 2 bunkers and siege tanks are gone. If I am not defending that they are in my base. Then I have no minerals to spend on anything else.
On hard or brutal the waves come crazy fast.
How can I get a huge fleet of battle cruisers and missle turrets in time?
I get 5 mind controllers but by around 63% I have zerglings rushing up the ramps to the artifact. I have broodlords all around my attacking and then Kerrigan comes in and finishes me off.
I had around 20 mutalisks on Brutal and I had to send them all around my base because there were units everywhere destroying me.
By the second zerg wave the original 2 bunkers and siege tanks are gone. If I am not defending that they are in my base. Then I have no minerals to spend on anything else.
get lots of BCs and a few merc tanks in the center of your base. dont bother with static defence as it usually just dies, if you try to repair with scvs, you lose too much mining and you dont want to be spending minerals rebuilding scvs.
Isn't Planetary Fortresses with a couple SCV's on auto-repair really good? The agro should go to the PF's first, and the SCV's repair each other anyway if they take splash. Broods and Mutas should take care of the rest.
Also, Reapers work wonders against Kerrigan. I personally feel BC's clog too much supply to be worth it versus Kerrigan. I just put the ones I start with above my mineral lines, and then a few tanks, and the rest in Vikings and Banshees.
*GENERALIZED TIPS*
Dont just turtle by the artifact, you need to have both flanks locked down untill atleast the 90% mark. Start bulking up on supply-free defenses by the artifact around the 80ish% mark, and then just fallback around the 95% mark and hold out.
Keep alot of SCVs, I mean somewhere from 6-10 per flank (with dual fusion repair), seriously
Keep 3-5 medics per flank to make your SCVs last longer.
ALWAYS BUILD SIEGE TANKS!!!!
You many around 6 per flank regardless of any other choises you've made, plus merc tanks on the high-ground.
Both the psi disruptor and the hive mind emitter are highly useful. Just make sure to use them. Protip, save hive-mind energy for Ultralisks. You can use medics to keep them alive FOREVER. I beat that mission with somewhere from 6-10 ultras in front of my bunkers. Id recommend hive-mind if you killed air (because ultras are more common), and disruptors if you killed nydus (they are great at keeping your merc vikings alive, since enemy mutas will deal half damage)
Use unless you need them for specific tasks. (Stanks, banshees, viking) Use your merc units to patrol the center of your base and keep things clean.
Keep alot of SCVs, im saying it again because they love dying alot, even with medic support. Always be checking to make sure you have more than you need at any given time, you'll need all of them.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
*PLANETARY FORTRESS*
If you chose PFs put two PFs on each flank, with bunkers on the sides. Sell the two bunkers by the artifact for quick money, put that cash into quick PFs. Later on, replace those two bunkers with two more PFs. I'd recommend PFs for this mission regardless of other choices.
*PERDITION TURRETS*
Put a few flame turrets in front of, or in-between your bunkers; they melt ling swarms like no other are are very cheap/easy to repair and replace between waves.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
*IF YOU NUKED ORBITAL PLATFORM*
Have you bunkers stocked with 1 marauder for anti-armor/slow, 2 marines for general purpose killing, and 1 reaper. You may think a firebat would be better, but reaper with U-238 deal a TON of damage (enough to kill lings quickly, your tanks deal enough AOE), and have enough range to melt hydralisks before they beat your bunkers with their high DPS. Build lots of banshee for sneaking around the map. Kill nydus worms immediately as they spawn, or they will really give you hell. Just go kill kerrigan with your mass banshees when she hits your tank line, but be carefull to pull your units out of her razor swarm spell. That stuff hurts.
*IF YOU FLOODED NYDUS CHAMBERS*
Keep your bunkers stocked with 1 medic, and either 1 marauder and 3 marines, or 5 marines. Marauder is usefull for anti roach/ultra, as well as slowing banelings down. If you need more AA, replace the marauder with marines. Keep all your bunkers on hotkey and just stim like mad whenever you get hit. Most of your supply should be going into mass BC and viking. When Leviathan shows up just yammato the shiznit out of it then finish it off with vikings while your BCs distract spawned mutas. Use your merc viking to partol over your bunkers, and you will take down broodlords before they can do too much damage. When kerrigan attacks, just yammto her while landing your vikings (they deal good damage). Again, just make sure to keep your viking out of her razor swarm spell.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
How long since you guys last did the mission?
I literally just finished a brutal playthough of the WoL campaign, then hopped on the forums to cool off and found this thread. No joke I beat this mission 10 minutes ago.
02/03/2013 07:58 PMPosted by MyronGaines
The Air choice, not the Nydus.This would be the 4th time i've beaten the campaign on brutal, overall i've tried all choices about evenly, but but for this run I had
But I won! WOO-HOO!
The moral of the story, PFs are a divine force to be idolized by all who seek to not die. Make at least two per flank, and one more per side to wall off the high-ground.
Just build mind emulators. That's it.
Barracks must be built in a way that no zergling will ever pass through it. Only marines is ok, but patrol scvs behind the barracks, and place 2 medics to heal them. Around 2-3 Siege tanks. I placed only 2 PFs in-base, just to protect the facilities. Those 3 production facilities at the start was all I ever needed, as long as I have that tech reactor. Turrets! Turrets everywhere! 2 Armories, 2 Engi bays. Ground Attack, Bio Armor, and Air armor is what I go for, first, because I build around 2 or more battlecruisers to keep watch of the artifact.
Now for the best part. Even at the start of the game, build Mind Emulators.. Build them here, there.. Heck! EVERYWHERE! And a heck of a lot of turrets around the edge of the artifact plateau.
Here's the trick, since you've built Mind emulators everywhere, everytime you see Muta, Broodlords, and Corruptors (if any), mind control them! ALL OF THEM! Making sure that you'd have more than enough to kill any zerg incoming. Even Ultralisk, control them. When kerrigan comes, I usually have 3 BLs at the start, and just use their 9 range to kill Kerrigan. Pretty funny, actually. She casts her spells on top of herself. XD
By the end of the game, my bunkers might have fallen because I usually never replace them, but I have 15 broodlords, and 32 mutalisks!.. Something around that number. Yeah..
So I get to 100% with a destroyed base, but with an entire Zerg army under Mind control. XD
Anyway, Going air was fun. XD
Just build Mind Emulators... EVERYWHERE! XD
Barracks must be built in a way that no zergling will ever pass through it. Only marines is ok, but patrol scvs behind the barracks, and place 2 medics to heal them. Around 2-3 Siege tanks. I placed only 2 PFs in-base, just to protect the facilities. Those 3 production facilities at the start was all I ever needed, as long as I have that tech reactor. Turrets! Turrets everywhere! 2 Armories, 2 Engi bays. Ground Attack, Bio Armor, and Air armor is what I go for, first, because I build around 2 or more battlecruisers to keep watch of the artifact.
Now for the best part. Even at the start of the game, build Mind Emulators.. Build them here, there.. Heck! EVERYWHERE! And a heck of a lot of turrets around the edge of the artifact plateau.
Here's the trick, since you've built Mind emulators everywhere, everytime you see Muta, Broodlords, and Corruptors (if any), mind control them! ALL OF THEM! Making sure that you'd have more than enough to kill any zerg incoming. Even Ultralisk, control them. When kerrigan comes, I usually have 3 BLs at the start, and just use their 9 range to kill Kerrigan. Pretty funny, actually. She casts her spells on top of herself. XD
By the end of the game, my bunkers might have fallen because I usually never replace them, but I have 15 broodlords, and 32 mutalisks!.. Something around that number. Yeah..
So I get to 100% with a destroyed base, but with an entire Zerg army under Mind control. XD
Anyway, Going air was fun. XD
Just build Mind Emulators... EVERYWHERE! XD
I always thought the brutal final mission was easy. You just need a massive wall off sim city (like i am not talking a simple line of depot wall off, i am talking full panic wall off with rax) with tank and bunker reinforcements and abuse the crap out of mercenaries.
If you want to go back and take the other choice, go load up a campaign autosave from the 'Belly of the Beast'mission, and abort back to menu and play Shatter the Sky instead.
However, beating the air all-in is perfectly doable, as long as you have the Hive Mind Emulator, instead of the PSi Disruptor.
Without the Hive mind emulator, itmaybe possible but is a much much larger challenge.
Build a few HME's around the artifact, 1-2 at each choke, and 1-2 in your mineral line, and put them all in a control group, and grab every broodlord you can (and mutalisks or corruptors if there aren't broodlords in range).
other advice:
Maintain SCV production. You are not saturated at the beginning of the game, and you are going to be losing SCVs all game long (repairing). Make PFs at the chokes, and continue to produce SCVs with them, so you always have repair SCVs available while still being saturated.
macro. Keep your upgrades going. Maintain constant unit production. Don't float money.
Actually in the campaign, floating money isn't the end of the worldbecause you can call in mercs. But still, try to macro.
for me, the hard part was always kerrigan, but apparently, she is easily beaten by bio if you dodge the storm.
Make sure you can always save your energy nova for the kerrigan wave, so you can clear the wave and have the freedom to go kill her with marines.
I chose ravens isntead of vessels, and I'm glad I did. PDD blocks kerrigan auto-attacks, and is also amazing against zerg anti-air. But you can beat it without ravens (everyone except me goes vessel)
However, beating the air all-in is perfectly doable, as long as you have the Hive Mind Emulator, instead of the PSi Disruptor.
Without the Hive mind emulator, itmaybe possible but is a much much larger challenge.
Build a few HME's around the artifact, 1-2 at each choke, and 1-2 in your mineral line, and put them all in a control group, and grab every broodlord you can (and mutalisks or corruptors if there aren't broodlords in range).
other advice:
Maintain SCV production. You are not saturated at the beginning of the game, and you are going to be losing SCVs all game long (repairing). Make PFs at the chokes, and continue to produce SCVs with them, so you always have repair SCVs available while still being saturated.
macro. Keep your upgrades going. Maintain constant unit production. Don't float money.
Actually in the campaign, floating money isn't the end of the worldbecause you can call in mercs. But still, try to macro.
for me, the hard part was always kerrigan, but apparently, she is easily beaten by bio if you dodge the storm.
Make sure you can always save your energy nova for the kerrigan wave, so you can clear the wave and have the freedom to go kill her with marines.
I chose ravens isntead of vessels, and I'm glad I did. PDD blocks kerrigan auto-attacks, and is also amazing against zerg anti-air. But you can beat it without ravens (everyone except me goes vessel)
All In Air on Brutal is indeed a challenge - especially without the benefit of PFs, Emulators, or Ravens. I have beaten it two times without those tools.. barely.
The major threats in this mission are Kerrigan, the Broodlords, and the Leviathan. Ground forces can be mopped up on their own with bunkers, turrets/PFs, and a couple tanks(3-4). You should have at least 6-10 Vikings to take out any Broodlords/other air units that cross your path. As the game goes on you'll want at least 6-10 more so you can split up the fleet to take on the Zerg air approaching from two different sides at once.
You'll also want a large number of Battlecruisers. Yamato is a blessing against Kerrigan and the Leviathan. Ghosts/Spectres can be useful in taking down Kerrigan, but I've found Yamato takes less charge-up time, and does more burst damage. Just be careful when you approach Kerrigan with the BCs - make sure she's targeting your static defenses first, then fire away with the Yamatos. You want to avoid Kerrigan's one-shot attack as much as possible. You also want to use Nova every time Kerrigan comes around. You'll wipe out her accompanying Hydras and deal damage to her; the thing should recharge in time so you can do it every time Kerrigan approaches.
As the mission goes on start building flame turrets/defense around the artifact. By the time the Leviathan comes you should at least have covered the platform half full - the Leviathan will take out a large chunk of your Vikings when you engage it, making yourself more vulnerable to Broodlords/etc. Also get a ring of missile turrets at the edge of the platform at all times. You may want at least 3-5 SCVs on each front of defense to repair.
That's all the tips I have. Good luck!
The major threats in this mission are Kerrigan, the Broodlords, and the Leviathan. Ground forces can be mopped up on their own with bunkers, turrets/PFs, and a couple tanks(3-4). You should have at least 6-10 Vikings to take out any Broodlords/other air units that cross your path. As the game goes on you'll want at least 6-10 more so you can split up the fleet to take on the Zerg air approaching from two different sides at once.
You'll also want a large number of Battlecruisers. Yamato is a blessing against Kerrigan and the Leviathan. Ghosts/Spectres can be useful in taking down Kerrigan, but I've found Yamato takes less charge-up time, and does more burst damage. Just be careful when you approach Kerrigan with the BCs - make sure she's targeting your static defenses first, then fire away with the Yamatos. You want to avoid Kerrigan's one-shot attack as much as possible. You also want to use Nova every time Kerrigan comes around. You'll wipe out her accompanying Hydras and deal damage to her; the thing should recharge in time so you can do it every time Kerrigan approaches.
As the mission goes on start building flame turrets/defense around the artifact. By the time the Leviathan comes you should at least have covered the platform half full - the Leviathan will take out a large chunk of your Vikings when you engage it, making yourself more vulnerable to Broodlords/etc. Also get a ring of missile turrets at the edge of the platform at all times. You may want at least 3-5 SCVs on each front of defense to repair.
That's all the tips I have. Good luck!
How long since you guys last did the mission? Looking at videos people say 'that doesn't look like to brutal to me' and I agree.
The campaign is unchanged from release. Blizzard never touches it, so any video on Brutal is the same you'll be facing. To be honest, it is likely a matter of your macro and micro skills that is the problem compared to the video. I am not trying to be rude: the videos are done by people who have spent time to make a perfect strategy, and present their best run. However, they also fail to show that one little break through can actually end the mission. You can't recover from it, and will eventually die.
I get 5 mind controllers but by around 63% I have zerglings rushing up the ramps to the artifact. I have broodlords all around my attacking and then Kerrigan comes in and finishes me off.
I had around 20 mutalisks on Brutal and I had to send them all around my base because there were units everywhere destroying me.
You should have far, far more Hive Mind Emulators, and a LOT more than 20 Mutas..
Also, Kerrigan WILL rip your units to shreds if you don't micro out of Razor Swarm. Use Marines/Reapers to deal with her. You should also basically be able to control any air unit and Ultras that come near you.
abuse the save feature
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Introduction
Well, I'm about half done with the Starcraft 2 campaign on Brutal, but seeing as how I already beat it once before (on Hard), I'm going to list the top 5 tech upgrades (in no particular order) you should acquire in the game. This list will have entries from the Armory and from the Laboratory.
Also, this is only my opinion. You may disagree with this in part or even completely, but in either case I will know that you have read it, and that is appreciated. :)
So, let's begin! :D
1. Concussive Shells
Upgrades: Marauder
Effect: The Marauder's missiles now slow down their target and anyone immediately adjacent to the target.
Acquired by: Purchase in the Armory
I start out this list with perhaps the best early-game investment you can make. Marauders are godly against armored opponents. If you're playing at Brutal difficulty, you'll need to get Marauders ASAP, and then get this. Concussive Shells are actually the second upgrade I get during the campaign (the first one being the Combat Shields for Marines as a life boost of nearly 25% is serious business). Once you have this upgrade, you can do such devious things like put a Marauder in every Bunker you set up for the slow down bonus and reduce most groups of opponents to nothing. There's a reason why triple M (Marines, Marauders, Medivacs) are so feared even in online play. ;)
Besides, you'll need the breathing room at Brutal. Speedlings (Zerglings with Metabolic Boost) are almost stupidly fast and will swarm your armies if given half a chance. This is the equalizer. ;)
2. Bunker Upgrades
Bunkers are so awesome that I'm going to take all three of the upgrades that I acquire for them and mention them in this section (and will act as if this is only one upgrade. :P).
I recommend you get each upgrade as soon as possible, in the following order:
Starcraft 2 All In Mission Strategy
Projectile Accelerator
Effect: Bunkers give units inside of them an additional +1 Range (so Bunkers now give +2 Range to all garrisoned units).
Acquired by: Purchase in the Armory
As you check out the Armory, you'll notice that the Bunker has two upgrades. You may be wondering why I'm not going for Neosteel Bunkers first and the answer is: There's not much use for them early. An expanded Bunker would've done wonders in Zero Hour, but the game is so evil that you don't even have access to the Armory before that mission. For the first few missions, they're not really needed. This upgrade, however, improves the efficiency of your garrisoned units by increasing their reach. All the better so your Marauders can slow down their victims from a longer distance. :D
Neosteel Bunker
Effect: The Bunker now has 2 additional unit slots (Marauders take up 2 slots each, for the record. Reapers do too, but only in the campaign).
Acquired by: Purchase in the Armory
As I mentioned above, there's not much use for this in the first few missions. However, this is a pretty good upgrade that I recommend you get by the time you go to Meinhoff. The infested Terran waves will press your defenses dearly, even if you have Neosteel Bunkers, so I don't want to imagine what'll happen if you don't have them. :P
Reinforced Bunkers
Effect: Bunkers gain an extra 150 life.
Acquired by: 5 Zerg Research Points in the Laboratory
Your Bunkers get a boost in the first tier of the Zerg research tree as well. The other option is the Shrike Turret which, frankly, is a joke. A Shrike Turret on top of your Bunker is roughly the same thing as having an extra Marine inside. That seems good until you realize how quickly your defenses can fall in Brutal difficulty. After that, I believe that it's a shut-out. I'd rather have 6 Marines in a 550 life Bunker than 7 Marines in a 400 life Bunker, but your mileage may vary on this one. ;)
3. Shaped Blast
Upgrades: Siege Tank
Effect: Damage done to allied units due to Siege Tanks in Siege Mode is quartered (reduced to 1/4).
Acquired by: Purchase in the Armory
This is one of my favorite upgrades since it's so darn useful. The usual Terran defensive set-up is some variation of Supply Depots in front of Bunkers in front of Siege Tanks. If you don't have this upgrade, your Tanks are bound to end up helping out your opponents as they cleave through your damaged structures. By lowering the friendly fire to a minimum, you maximize the damage your defensive emplacements can inflict on the enemy. No brainer for me. :)
The other Armory upgrade for Siege Tanks (Maelstrom Rounds) is nice, but not a must-get. If you find yourself having some extra credits that you don't know what to spend them on, then I'd get it.
4. Tech Reactor
Replaces: Tech Lab, Reactor
Effect: An add-on that combines the functionality of the Tech Lab with the double unit production of the Reactor.
Building Cost: 75 Minerals, 50 Gas
Acquired by: 25 Protoss Research Points in the Laboratory
This add-on is ridiculously useful. The ability to make 2 of any type of unit at the same time is arguably the best bonus in the entire game. Imagine how broken the online metagame would be if these were allowed in league games? ;P
I'll even go so far as to recommend that you do the Zeratul missions ASAP so that you're only a few points away from getting this gem by the time you're done with them (I'm 4 points away in my Brutal playthrough and still have roughly half of the campaign to go. :D ).
Their counterpart at the top tier is Orbital Strike, which is little more than a novelty. Perhaps if the drop ship affected more than just the Barracks Units, but as it stands, it's garbage compared to the almighty Tech Reactor.
5. Hive Mind Emulator
Effect: At the cost of energy, take over an opposing Zerg unit permanently. Drones and heroic Zerg units (*cough*Kerrigan*cough*) are unaffected.
Building Cost: 150 Minerals, 100 Gas
Acquired by: 25 Zerg Research Points in the Laboratory.
My final upgrade is a dose of Blizzard nastiness. You see, what you get at the top tier of the Zerg research tree should be based on your strategy in the final mission of the campaign. If you want to take on the air units in the final mission, then this building will do wonders. However, if you leave the Nydus Worms intact for the final mission, then your defenses may be better served by having Psi Disrupters around your Bunkers.
This upgrade, more so than the others I mention in this guide, is a toss-up. If you're good at micromanagement, then you may vastly prefer this building as compared to the Psi Disrupters which have the effect of slowing down Zerg units in its radius.
Conclusion
So, there you have it: The top 5 campaign tech upgrades in the Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty campaign. There are definitely more upgrades that are useful in the game, but these are my favorite five (well four plus three Bunker upgrades, but who's counting, eh? :P).
Honorable Mentions
Fire Suppresion System: Terran buildings no longer burn themselves into the ground once they're in the red? Yes, please!
Permanent Cloaking for Ghosts/Spectres: Not having to worry about your energy running down while cloaked is a godsend.
Planetary Fortress: A 1500 HP, 7 range, 40 damage defensive emplacement that costs 550 minerals and 150 gas and also gives 10 supply. I don't think I have to explain why it's cool. It does prohibit you from researching Perdition Turrets though.
Until the next time, take care and have fun! ;)
-Winterfate
- I love the upgrade system that they introduced to SC2, added a lot to the campaign experience. I'm not game to attempt it on brutal like you.I'm all for the bunker upgrades and teach reactor upgrades, I need to make better use of concussive shells though.
- Great and true sequel to pbobarly one of the greatest, if not the greatest RTS of all time. When I saw the first game as a kid I was imply blown away by its presentation and loved how deep and crazy the multiplayer can be, since the official announcement of the game I could not wait to come out. I was able to play it unfortunately a year after its release, but man IT BLEW ME AWAY AGAIN. No other game made me had dreams while sleeping strategies to pwn my opponents. No other game gave me a rush and thrill in every match I played (maybe except Warcraft 3). No other game made me want to be actually GOOD at it. Damn Blizzard nailed it with this sequel.Now addressing some of the negative aspects you have mentioned.-Campaign split into 3 separate parts.Well the original game costs 60 dollars and the single player was well worth 90% of the money you spent, the same goes for the multiplayer. Now think about the next part of the story costing you less money and bringing improvements to the game, now the whole picture starts to get much, much better.-Battle.NetSo far it works very well. It is much more functional than the version of it, because you can play the game instantly against an opponent who is calculated to be at around your level, witch is great, because new players would instead be intimidated for being annihilated by experienced players + it gives you a good way of finding out how your progression goes on. The chat is available, but honestly I do not know anyone using it, except for the secret cow chat, where you moo after every post.-Guest passesThey are fine in my opinion. Good way to introduce to a friend how awesome the game is. Eventually if he likes it he will by it. I do not think that spawn copies were any creation of Blizzard, since it wont bring them any profit, besides anything else, they are a Business company, when you spent money on something, witch is meant to be for sale, you would pbobarly expect someone to buy it, right? -Region restrictionsThat sucks. Imagine I want to be a better player, or I want challenge. No chance for me to test my skills against a Korean. Also I wont be able to play with friend from other regions.
- You're a really good writer, man. Have you ever considered writing professionally as a freelancer? It's a great way to make some extra money for video games :)Anyway, liked the hub a lot. I haven't gotten past hard yet, but I'm bookmarking this for when the time comes. Thanks for SHARING.
- I agree with almost everything that you have said here, but I would place a few different techs in the tree.Firstly, instead of concusive shells, I would definitely get stim packs. Although they only effect marines in the campaign, the extra speed and damage more than compensates for the speedlings. Also, when paired with the medivac advanced healing ai (Not a must get, but still amazingly useful), the health loss is near instantly compensated for. Although, the choice is definitely a toss up between this and the medic's better healing upgrade.I myself took the orbital drop over the tech reactor. Though many people see it as just a novelty, it is the epitome of 'cheese' tactics in the campaign. Take Maw of the Void for example. A quick 5-6 minute win on brutal? Build 4 barracks, 4 shadow ops and 4 nukes from the shadow ops. Then, send a medivac or viking on a path across the top of the map towards the artifact to trigger all the cutscenes. From there, just drop 4 ghosts/spectres in on the cliff that the artifact vault rests on, preferably the South West corner, cloak them when they land and drop all 4 nukes right on top of the vault. Though, I would normally get the tech reactor, I prefer cheesing my way through as many missions as I can on brutal.
- I'm still working through 'Hard' on the campaign, and wondering how to upgrade.Good hub to lay out some no-nonsense reasoning behing how to tech up!
Posted byPrime3 years ago
Archived
Why hello there!
I'm glad very glad to have you join this great subreddit. I'm going to assume you have come here to try and learn the basics of Starcraft 2 after you saw all the hype floating around Starcraft 2: Legacy of the Void.
In this post I'll try to help you get through the beginning steps of learning Starcraft 2.
Starcraft 2 is a very complicated game, it's very in-depth and has a steep learning curve. But please don't let that intimidate you from trying to understand everything. Everyone started somewhere in this subreddit, and no matter what we'll try to help you to the best of our ability.
Before you start a game, you can pick a race from the 3 that are available. You have Terran, the human race. Zerg, the weird creepy aliens and Protoss, the ancient wizards. You can also pick to play as random if you're up to the challenge, but I recommend sticking with one race for now.
The main objective of this game is pretty simple: kill the opponent's structures/units. A game can be won by destroying all of your opponents structures but usually players surrender before that since they know there is no way they can win the game anymore (Staying in a lost game can be seen as bad mannered.) But there's a lot to do before you can even start killing the opponent. The most important thing of Starcraft 2 is macro. This is what the game is all about. I'll tell you some more about macro later on in this post.
At the start of a game, you have exactly 12 workers, they are there to mine the blue crystals called 'Minerals' for you. With these minerals you will be able to build more workers, buildings and ofcourse units. For some structures or units you will also need Vespene gas. You can extract vespene gas from the cleverly named Vespene gas gysers. The only problem being is that you need a structure on-top of these gysers to extract the gas. You can build these structures with minerals.
This game has a supply cap. That means that you need to keep building supply structures or for the Zerg, units. At the beginning of the game you will need to build a supply unit/structure for you to be able to continue building workers and units. Try to keep building up supply so that you don't get supply blocked later on in the game. The maximum amount of supply you can have is 200.
Now that you know a little more about the basics, let's go into the deets of the 3 races we have in store for you.
Terran
Nice job picking Terran, we already have something in common. (altough I was a dirty Protoss player back in the days.)
Terran is the human race of this series. You will play with an army that has actually humans in it with gigantic space suits.
Since I have a limited supply of text I can put here, I'd like to direct you to this a website that digs into the basics of the Terran race: Click(Warning: Could be a little outdated.)
So you've picked Zerg huh? Good choice! You'll probably be having a lot of fun controling this very aggressive race.
I recommend reading this guide about the basics of Zerg: Click(Warning: Could be a little oudated.)
Protoss
Nice! You picked the race which LotV is all about. You'll be able to control the ancient and very cool Protoss.
The basics of this race can be found here: Click(Warning, can be outdated)
Alright, we've arrived at the core mechanics in this game. Micromanagement is the process of controlling your units during the game. Macromanagement is the mechanic of getting your economy up to speed and getting a good army.
Macro
Macro is basically the setting up, using and stabilizing your economy. From those 12 workers you get at the start you will be able to setup a great economy to make sure you get the money to build structures and army units. You want to make sure you have your game planned before the start of a game. The best way to do this for you newbies is to pick a build-order and sticking to it. With these build orders you will be able to efficiently macro. I recommend picking some from this site: Click! and Click here to learn how to read these build orders.
Build orders are mostly used in Multiplayer, as it might not be as good during the campaign.
Micro
While micro might not be as important as macro, it is still definitely something you need to know. As a new player it will be very hard to remember doing actions and doing them at a quick speed. That's alright, everyone on this subreddit had to learn it just like you.
Micromanagement is basically a term used to describe controlling your units. In this game you want to make sure you use your units abilities, position them right for engagements and use the units you have available as much as you can. Liquidpedia (our very own wikipedia) explains very well what you can do with your units in a game of Starcraft 2. You might not understand all of the terms used, but other then that micro should make a little more sense. Here's the guide: http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft2/Micro_(StarCraft)
Useful links
There is a lot more to learn about Starcraft besides what's mentioned above and I've created a list where you can learn those things:
The /r/starcraft subreddit has a nice tutorial for beginning players where you can find a lot of information; Click
There are also subreddits to learn more about specific races:
If you have race-specific questions I recommend posting on one of the 3 subreddits listed above!
Essential Day 9 dailies
We have this awesome guy in the community called Sean 'Day 9' Plott. He is someone who shows us players how to improve our Starcraft 2 gameplay through this stream. Here are some essential Day 9 dailies that teach you newbies the essentials of Starcraft 2:
Also, you should totally watch This Day 9 daily #100 where he gives some more insight into the SC2 community. Click
Guides
Beginners guide by /u/REInvestorClick
Another great beginners guide: Click
Liquipedia's Starcraft 2 portal: Click
/u/Meoang's guides, in video form! Click
Entertainment/Comedy
![Starcraft 2 all in Starcraft 2 all in](https://d2skuhm0vrry40.cloudfront.net/2013/articles//a/1/7/4/8/6/2/0/1.jpg.jpg/EG11/resize/690x-1/quality/75/format/jpg)
Starcraft 2 also has a big esports scene. We just got done watching the Grand finals of the Starcraft 2 World Championships Series held at Blizzcon. It was pretty exciting to watch, if I may say so myself.
Starcraft 2's esports scene is so big that I wouldn't be able to explain it all in this post, luckily TotalBiscuit was nice enough to make a guide about Starcraft 2 esports in video form. You can watch it here: ClickWarning: Could be oudated
Well then, that should be about it, unless I'm missing something really important. Thank you for reading all the way, and good luck in Legacy of the Void! <3
DAETLO?
323 comments
I'm a new Starcraft 2 player, got it for Christmas, and Starcraft 1 was the last RTS game that I played with any regularity, about 10 years ago. I've played through most of the campaign on my friends computer, but got to the end and did not have all upgrades.
So is there a way to get all of the upgrades in the campaign? If not what are the recommended upgrades to get, and when. Also what upgrades should I balance with mercenaries? Should I save up for upgrades to things latter in the game or should I spend all my credits between every mission.
fredley41.5k8080 gold badges274274 silver badges430430 bronze badges
Andrew ReddAndrew Redd
1 Answer
Although there are other answers about upgrades, I could advise about mercenaries. From my perspective the most valuable are siege tanks and battle cruiser. I would save money from hiring other stuff. They are not much better and die relatively quickly.
And in short: is it possible to get all upgrades? If in one campaign - short answer 'no'. But if you OK to bother with earning moneys via passing same missions 5-10 times just to get research points to be converted into money - you could try. Although I don't see any value in that.
EDIT:
Sorry. To be honest I must to say I didn't try to earn more research points. But I read that it will works ONLY after getting 25 Zerg/Protoss points. Only after that time you could try to earn more. But I would suggest to play in usual way (probably on casual level) to pass 10-15 missions and to get 1M credits. Made a save and after that do 1 upgrade line - get achievement, reload. Do another upgrades line ..
BuddaBudda5,28755 gold badges4646 silver badges8989 bronze badges