In our interview with Chris Sigaty, the Lead Producer of StarCraft II, we go over a few of the exciting changes and what fans can expect from the highly anticipated sequel.
The Terrans are still instantly recognizable - in fact the whole game is. Sigaty made it clear that Blizzard wants to retain the original feel of the game while updating the graphics and allowing more story and character development. "We want to roll it out with a totally new sheen," said Sigaty.
But the upgrades aren't just superficial. The game's AI has been tweaked under the hood.
"The big things we are doing with the AI is we are requiring it to really scout you. It can only see what it can spy out, which is a huge difference even from Warcraft 3. As far as how the AI attacks, we definitely want more it more varied, but we are still working on it," continued Sigaty.
While the gameplay engine and graphics have been given a complete overhaul, the camera angle remains in its original position - a conscious decision on the part of game developers. "We're constantly looking at it, but why we have it where we have it is to cater to two groups - the laymen and the experts," says Sigaty. "For now we don't want the added element of learning how to use the camera. There is some of the functionality from Warcraft 3, with the rubber band camera, where it bounces back [to its original viewpoint]."
Blizzard has always been about story and characters - one of their great attractions is the lore and canon of the worlds they create. With StarCraft II, they are taking the story and the characters to a whole new level.
No longer a single over-arcing mission with little to no choice for the player, StarCraft II will offer varied and complex missions as well as numerous subplots the player can pursue or not, depending on how they feel.
"It's a very, very different experience than what has been in our previous games. It's figuring out what's going on[at] a global level. The intention is that the player can have access to several different missions, and based upon the player's actions other missions are unlocked," continued Sigaty.
