New Units
Take a deep breath. Aware of the tactical and visual chaos that ensues from simply slinging more and more stuff at a game, StarCraft II is being kept lean. For every new unit, an old unit must bow out. The victims of this cull will be determined by whether or not they're part of the "essence" of StarCraft. So, Zealots, Siege Tanks and Zerglings are safe, and given new powers. Many other units, however, will face forced redundancy. Lead designer Dustin Browder took us through the demo video, which showcased the new Protoss fleet. Here's a quick summary...
First you've got the Protoss Immortals - slow-moving heavy assault units, with a shield that activates automatically when under heavy fire. In combating them, you'll want to use units with lower firepower, as they won't activate the shield. The high ground is even more important now, because the fog of war is 3D too; gaining a hilltop vantage will allow you to attack your enemy unseen.
The Protoss Stalkers are mean-looking harassment units, and have the ability to "blink" - teleport to you and me - anywhere in visual range. Send a probe up that hill and you've got yourself blinking access, plus some great purchase to rain down invisible hell on your opponent.
Blinking is a great example of a basic move that offers more devastating possibilities the better you are at the game. You or I might use blink to run away from an infestation of Zerglings, or to run away when we realize we're hopelessly outclassed.
However, Blizzard anticipates that pro gamers will use the ability to pick off enemy units that would easily win if left to fight without intervention. Seeing the tide of combat changed by this ability was one of the things that made the crowd gasp most audibly.
Check out thesecond and concluding part of the StarCraft II feature.
