Starcraft 2 Gameplay

The Gameplay in Starcraft was highly addictive and the sequel will do anything to keep its gameplay as close as possible to the original. This is not a simple task at all and the expectations are extremely high, especially when the graphics are fully 3D now.

First, Blizzard announced that all the three factions will be back, including many (modified) units from the original and lots of new units and abilities to each race. All three races will be tightly balanced yet, fundamentally different from each other, as we learned to expect from Blizzards RTS titles to be.

Starcraft's gameplay is known for its fast pace, high pressure and the need to have complete control on what's happening on the screen (and off it) in each second. If you want your guys to know how to handle themselves in battle, use special abilities or anything else, this is not the game for you. Starcraft makes you concentrate on the battlefield at all times, micro manage your soldiers, position them in the correct formation and in the meantime, make sure your economy is stable as well. Judging by the gameplay movies released by Blizzard, the gameplay of Starcraft 2 amazingly resembles the original and fans will feel at home right from the first mouse click. The interface and controls was refined and polished but the basic functionality was not changed greatly. One of the problems in Starcraft was the path-finding algorithm for certain units (Goliaths, Dragoons). This is going to change. Units will find their way to their targets more cleverly and other units will clear the way for them to pass through. Also, players will be able to select as many units as they want (max 12 units in the original).

The single player campaign, besides featuring a great storyline, will not be linear. The player will be able to choose which missions he wants to accomplish, earn money and purchase additional abilities / units to use in future missions. This gives the game a valuable replayability option. Each one of the three campaigns will feature different elements, unique briefing methods and interesting environments (like the Terran's interactive battlecruiser shown at BlizzCon 2007). The game will use pre-rendered cinematic as well as in-game cut-scenes to unfold the storyline.

The storyline is amazing, the single player campaigns are great, but the reason Starcraft is still on the map for almost 10 years is its amazing multiplayer mode. Blizzard intends to make big improvements in their Battle.Net servers, adding some ladder options, leagues, matchmaking option (which was really missing in the previous) and so forth. The replay mechanism will be improved as well. In addition, there are plans to implement VoIP into the game as well.

Blizzard also offers a great campaign editor, allowing fans to create custom maps, simulate different situations and create various mods for the game. Also, units that will not be included in the final version of the game will be available in the custom designs for fans to experiment with, cool!

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