Call to Action: Heart of the Swarm Beta Leveling

Now that those of you with Heart of the Swarm beta access have had some time to sink your teeth into the new features that arrived with Beta Patch 2.0.3, we kindly request your assistance in testing the leveling system.

To honor your hard work and achievements during this time, we decided to create a few new rewards that you can earn through the leveling system. For each faction you manage to raise to level 30, you'll receive an exclusive character portrait specific to that race. If you'd like to unlock all three new portraits, you'll face the daunting task of reaching the maximum level with each race, for a total character level of 90.

Here’s a look at what's up for grabs:

Though some of these units are no longer with us, we felt each was representative of the beta experience in its own right, and that these portraits could be a fun way to show off your dedication as a Heart of the Swarm Beta tester.

Once you’ve met the experience requirements detailed above, the level-30 portraits you’ve earned and a Feat of Strength achievement will transfer over to your permanent account when Heart of the Swarm is released on March 12, 2013. So get logged in, start up a game, and earn those rewards!

Thank you for thoroughly testing the leveling system during this phase of the beta, and continuing to provide your constructive feedback for Heart of the Swarm. If you'd like to participate in the beta, you can gain access by pre-purchasing the game digitally on Battle.net.

Arcade Highlight: Mass Destruction 2

Mass Destruction 2 is an appropriately named tank warfare game which pits up to 12 players against one another on a battlefield where the primary objective is to blast each other to smithereens with a variety of different weapons. As if that isn’t enough mayhem, the battlefield is also littered with power-ups to boost speed, amplify damage, or even teleport across the field of play.

  

---

By default, MD2 tosses you into a Free-For-All Deathmatch, but you can also choose between several different game modes including Capture the Flag, King of the Hill, and more. Once you feel you’ve gotten the hang of the game, you can try out the game’s more advanced modes or even create your own custom game mode.

Game designer Ole “Sourc[e]x” Busk has also added numerous customization options which allow each player to create their own unique tank. As you level up or complete objectives, you can acquire new attachments such as fighter wings, a spoiler, or even spikes that change the look of your tank and boost your in-game attributes.

If you’re yearning to take control of a tank and unleash carnage on your foes check out Mass Destruction 2, now featured in the StarCraft II Arcade. But first, read on to learn what Ole had to say about creating the game.

---

Traysent: What made you want to get into game design?

Ole: I've been playing games for as long as I can remember, and I've always been interested in the design process behind games. My first encounter with level creation was using the editor bundled with the MS-DOS game Jetpack. I remember building a lot of custom levels using that. Since then I've created maps and mods for games such asWarcraft II, Red Alert, Doom, Warcraft III, and now StarCraft II. There is just something very rewarding in creating interactive stuff.

T: What made you want to make games with the StarCraft II editor?

O: Mostly the fact that I have a lot of experience using the Warcraft III editor, and the StarCraft II editor seemed to work much in the same way. The interface is quite similar, so I thought learning how to use the SC2 editor would dramatically reduce the learning curve compared to learning some other game from scratch.

T: What was the inspiration for Mass Destruction 2?

O: I've wanted to create a fun arcade tank game for some time. I made Mass Destruction 1 for Warcraft III a few years ago, but it was really clunky and very frustrating to play online due to the huge keyboard input delay. I got my inspiration for Mass Destruction 1 and 2 from the "old" games of the 90's. Games like Desert Strike,Worms, and Future Cop to name a few.

T: How many people worked on this game and what roles did they have?

O: I'm the sole developer of Mass Destruction 2, and I made everything but the custom music myself. Though, the map probably wouldn't have made it this far if it wasn't for the support and feedback from friends and the people over at Unconfessional Design (www.udmod.com).

T: How does the game work? What’s in store for a first time player?

O: You're controlling a tank from a top-down perspective using the W, A, S, and D keys to move around and the mouse to aim and shoot. The goal is to get as many points as you can based on the current module and mode you're playing. For instance, in King of the Hill you have to stay inside a constantly moving circular area while staying alive. Keep in mind, firing your weapon will generate heat and if you’re not careful, you can overheat your tank, temporarily preventing you from using any weapons.

T: What do you feel makes your game compelling?

O: I see Mass Destruction 2 as more of a party game than some of the more competitive games out there. It's a fast-paced action game with a lot of replay value due to its many modules, game modes and customization options. Players can create their own game mode based on existing functions and conditions. Say you want to play a game where Zerg units are spawning and the first player to kill one hundred of these units by only using land mines wins. You can do just that!

T: Are there any tweaks coming to Mass Destruction 2 that the community can look forward to?

O: I'm always looking to improve the game any way I can. I do have plans for a new game module and battlefield which I will add in future patches. I will continue updating the game with balance and bug fixes for as long as they're needed.

T: What advice would you give to someone who is interested in using the SC2 editor to make their own game? Where is a good place for them to start the learning process?

O: Start small and be patient. Designing games takes a lot of time and dedication, and starting a massive project right away is not the best idea. Take some time to just become familiar with the editor and learn what the different buttons and functions do. Be curious, experiment, and learn from your mistakes. And if you're stuck, visit an active StarCraft II modding forum such as SC2Mapster.com to ask questions and search for answers.

T: Do you have any plans for other games or future goals as a game designer?

O: I'm currently working on a little game for StarCraft II called JetCraft. It's a platform game with its own fully functional level editor. I hope to get into game design at some point in the future.

T: What’s the best way people can follow you and your work (Twitter, Facebook, Website, etc.)?

O: You can find out what I'm up to by visiting my website at http://www.cgsource.net or go tohttp://md2.udmod.com if you'd like to discuss, bash, give feedback or suggestions for Mass Destruction 2.

T: Do you have any favorite games on the StarCraft II Arcade?

O: I’d have to say BlasterBots is my favorite, though there are many I haven’t tried.

StarCraft II Heart of the Swarm Beta Patch 2.0.3

This update to the beta test includes a number of new systems, polish updates, and a fix for Mac users.
There are still improvements coming to Heart of the Swarm, and we appreciate your thorough testing and feedback. Please read the full patch notes, previous notes (Patch 2.0.1, Patch 2.0.2) and related articles to learn all about what’s available in the beta test.

General

• Exciting new replay features have been added to Heart of the Swarm.
  • Watch With Others - This feature allows you to watch replays in sync with other players on Battle.net.
  • Take Command - This feature allows you or your group to take control of selected player armies while watching a replay.
  • Recover Game - This feature allows you to recover a prematurely ended game from a replay.
  • For more details about these new features, please see our overview on the StarCraft II Community Site.
• Vs. AI Mode has been enabled. Players can now challenge an AI opponent that scales in difficulty.
• Training Mode has been enabled. In Training Mode, you’ll work your way up from basic StarCraft gameplay skills to greater challenges designed to hone your skills.
• Lots of tweaks and polish have been made to the new UI throughout the beta.

Balance

• The latest balance changes can be found in our Balance Update threads in the Beta Discussion forum.

Bug Fixes

• The Mac version of the Heart of the Swarm Beta is now working properly again.
• A full list of documented game and service bugs can be found in our Known Issues sticky in the Beta Bug Report forum.

What’s New in Heart of the Swarm

If you’re eager to find out how your StarCraft II playing experience will evolve in Heart of the Swarm, we’ve got some research that should appeal to your inner-Stetmann. We’ve just released a new page detailing most everything that’s coming your way in the second entry of the StarCraft II trilogy. You can learn about how you’ll direct the evolution of the Zerg swarm, get a closer look at Kerrrigan’s terrifying new powers, and much, much more.

Check out the new page now and see what’s new in Heart of the Swarm!

New Replay and Resume Features Coming in Heart of the Swarm

Whether you play from home or on a stage in front of thousands of people, StarCraft II replays are a powerful tool for improving your game. They’re so useful that we continue to expand and improve them as much as possible. In Heart of the Swarm, we’re introducing three new replay features.

In StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, replays served the purpose of reviewing a game by your lonesome. In Heart of the Swarm, you’ll be able to watch replays with others.



To do so, you’ll select a replay and then click the new “Watch with Others” button. This will produce a Battle.net lobby that you can invite other players to join. If you’re already in a party when you press the button, your party will join the replay lobby with you, as it would join a Custom Game lobby.



Starting the replay puts all of the players in the lobby in-sync, as though you’re watching a live game. You can chat with the other viewers, and you can individually control the Observer UI. Each viewer can adjust his or her own UI, such as the leader panel, the tug-of-war panels, or the player vision controls.

Whoever hosted the replay lobby also gets the ability to control the timeline. The host can click back to any point in the replay, and all viewers will jump back to that spot and continue watching together. The host can also control the replay playback speed.



We’re also making it easier to get right into the replay of the game you just completed. A new “Watch Replay” button on the score screen will take you right into the replay for the game you just completed, and if you’re in a party, it will create a replay lobby so that you and your party can review the replay together.

Now that you can watch a replay with friends, we’re taking it a step further and making replays even more powerful. We’ve added the ability to jump right into any spot in a replay and take over the gameplay from that point. You and your friends can pick a timestamp, choose which of the original players you’re each going to take over for, and play the game as you like.

There are many possibilities for the Take Command function. You might be playing against a friend and challenge one another to go back to a turning point in the game and play it again. You might be playing with a teacher who can now take you back to play through the same section of a game repeatedly, improving on your results with practice.

This feature offers you the ability to play out scenarios that you previously could only wish for. Remember that game between Flash and Jaedong? If you and I have the replay, we could find out what might have happened if Flash’s Siege Tanks were able to avoid being abducted by Jaedong’s Vipers!*



*This scenario intended for example purposes only. Neither you nor I play anything like Jaedong does, and let’s face it—Flash’s APM is, like, 10x mine. Possibly 15x. Still, we should totally give it a shot.

We love eSports tournaments, and we know just how quickly difficulties can arise at any time when you’re trying to do something as complicated as broadcast a live match to viewers on-site and watching streams around the world. To quote our good friend Nick ‘Tasteless’ Plott, “Technology is the vehicle of eSports.” Sometimes things go wrong—hardware fails, or network connections drop, or facilities have issues—and that’s not fun for players or viewers.

With Heart of the Swarm, we’ve added the ability to recover from such events and resume a game from any point using the replay.

To recover the game from a spot before the issue, you’ll need the original players and a replay from the original game. In the Replay screen, right-click on the replay and select “Recover Game” in the context menu to take you to a Battle.net lobby. From this lobby you can invite the original players of the game.



Once all original players are in the lobby, click the “Recover” button to be presented with a dialog window that allows the host to select the time in the replay from which to continue the game.  To assist in finding an appropriate timestamp to resume from, the game now monitors for events that might represent an issue, such as one player ceasing to provide input, or one or both players being dropped from the game. From there, it’s simple: choose the point to restart from, and click the “Start” button.



The game will show a loading screen, seek to the selected time, and then display the game in a paused state.  This will give the players a moment to reacquaint themselves with what was going on in the game at the time it was recovered. At that point a referee or the players themselves can unpause the game and continue playing where they left off.

We’re incredibly pleased to bring these powerful new replay features to StarCraft II in Heart of the Swarm, and Beta testers will be able to start using them in the next major Beta patch, which is coming very soon. In the meantime, we’ll be looking for your feedback and answering your questions in this discussion thread.

Heart of the Swarm Opening Cinematic Revealed

The Queen of Blades is gone. On the hellish planet Char, Jim Raynor harnessed the power of an ancient Xel’Naga artifact in a desperate bid to stop the Zerg Swarm from overrunning the Koprulu sector, and the artifact restored Sarah Kerrigan to her human form. Without their queen to guide and unify them, the Swarm has fractured into several broods scattered throughout the Koprulu sector. One of the greatest threats to the galaxy has been neutralized... or so it seems.

On March 12, 2013, the release of StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm will answer many questions for players around the world, but many more questions remain.

Sarah Kerrigan is on the loose. Even without the terrible powers of the Queen of Blades or the might of the Swarm at her command, the former Ghost remains a foe not to be taken lightly. But if the artifact really did set her free, then why is Kerrigan seeking out Zerg broods scattered throughout the Koprulu sector? Is she still pursuing her quest for vengeance, or has her transformation given Kerrigan a new purpose?

We are pleased to present the opening cinematic for StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm in full HD glory. Whether you ultimately choose to play as Protoss, Terran, or Zerg, you simply must ask yourself one question:

Who is Sarah Kerrigan?

StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm arrives March 12. Avoid the (Zerg) rush on launch day and pre-purchase the game digitally on Battle.net now. 

StarCraft Discussion Roundup

Every two weeks, we’re going to highlight discussions across the StarCraft community that we think you might be interested in reading or joining.

eSports Headlines

• After leaving StarTale, Parting joined the KeSPA team  SK Telecom T1.  Reddit StarCraft | TeamLiquid.net
• Axiom Gaming showed off its new team house in Korea.  Reddit StarCraft
• Axiom and Acer made a video announcing their combined participation in the upcoming season of GomTV's Global StarCraft II Team League. Reddit StarCraft | TeamLiquid.net
• GomTV released the final Code S groups for GSL 2013 Season 1.  Reddit StarCraft | TeamLiquid.net
• Grubby will be playing for FXO Korea in the upcoming season of GSTL. Reddit StarCraft | TeamLiquid.net
• Squirtle also left StarTale in search of a contract with a KeSPA team.  Reddit StarCraft | TeamLiquid.net
• Team StarTale filmed a three-part documentary offering an inside look at Korean StarCraft II professional teams.  You can watch the videos on YouTube.com | Part 2 | Part 3 and discussion can be found here: Reddit StarCraft | TeamLiquid.net
• The North American Star League launched the pilot episode of its new weekly StarCraft II eSports talk show The Pulse.  Reddit StarCraft | TeamLiquid.net

Gameplay Discussion

• Crazymalc wants to know, what is the Most Satisfying Thing in StarCraft?
• New unit dances in Heart of the Swarm Reddit StarCraft | StarCraft2.com
• What are your thoughts on moving the Burrow upgrade to the Hatchery in Heart of the Swarm multiplayer?StarCraft2.com Forums | TeamLiquid.net

Community Content

• Are you looking to level-up your StarCraft II play? If so, be sure to submit a reply to Anesthetic's Adopt-A-Newb thread on the StarCraft2.com Forums.
• GLHF Magazine launched its third issue this week, featuring 46 pages of StarCraft content. Reddit StarCraft |TeamLiquid.net
• PotatoLiSk, Zappy, Alazavrus, Doncroft, and Muad'dib analyzed the Hellion in the latest Mechanics of StarCraftepisode, and they're discussing it here.
• Ponera takes an in-depth look at the Zergling in his latest Anatomy of StarCraft episode, and the discussion thread can be found here.
• Raver posted a write-up on the correlation between musical instruments and each race in StarCraft II.
• Speed Demos Archive streamed a StarCraft II Wings of Liberty campaign speed run on brutal difficulty.

We’re always on the lookout for things to talk about! If you know of a particularly active and interesting StarCraft discussion online, consider dropping a link to it in the comments below.

Wings of Liberty Situation Report - January 11, 2013

Updated 1:00 p.m. PST January 15, 2013

Maps

Going forward, we’re going to make a few changes in our approach to the 1v1 ladder map pool.

First, we’ve decided to alter the start location rules for Antiga Shipyard and Entombed Valley to match those of popular tournaments. From now on, starting locations on Antiga Shipyard will be locked to cross-positions only, while Entombed Valley will allow players to spawn only in vertical and cross-positions.

We’ve held off on these changes until now primarily because we thought having different sets of hidden start location rules for each map might be confusing to lower level players. At this point, however, we feel that most StarCraft II players have a solid understanding of starting locations on each map. You will find these changes published during an upcoming server maintenance that will be happening next week.

We’re also discussing our direction for the Heart of the Swarm map pool. Though we will go into further detail at a later date, we are currently planning to make heavier use of popular tournament maps, refresh the map pool more frequently than we did in Wings of Liberty, and work closely with tournament organizations around the world in order to collaborate on map development.

Balance

Note: This balance change went into effect in StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty at 12:15 p.m. PST, January 15, 2013.

We felt the nerfs we made to the Infestor with our most recent balance update did not have as much of an impact as we had hoped. In the Heart of the Swarm beta, we’ve been testing Infested Terrans that do not benefit from weapon or armor upgrades, and feel that bringing this change to Wings will help discourage mass-Infestor play in the late game.

We’ve just published a new version of the Antiga Shipyard balance test map to the custom games list under the name (4)AntigaShipyard (1.5.3 Balance v2.0). Please help us test the following change so that we can make another small update to Wings of Liberty balance:

Zerg

• Infested Terrans no longer gain weapon and armor upgrades.

We’re looking for feedback on this change that is based on playtesting. After you’ve had a chance to thoroughly test it, please join us in this discussion thread.

StarCraft II Creative Development Q&A - Part 11

In part eleven of our continuing series, Brian Kindregan, co-lead writer of StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty and lead writer of Heart of the Swarm, answers more of the community’s most burning lore questions.

Question: In times of peace, what do templar, judicators, khalai, and Nerazim do?

Answer: Practice, man, practice!

Question: Throughout Wings of Liberty, Kerrigan invaded several planets and systems around the Koprulu sector in search of the artifact pieces. As a result of this, she must have come across several new strains to assimilate into the zerg army. Through this exploration, have there been new zerg strains introduced to the Swarm?

Answer: The Swarm did indeed encounter lots of new genetic material! There was not time to incorporate these strains before the battle on Char, but the Swarm is still aware of the other types of essences out there.

Question: Why haven't the protoss advanced in tech over the course of the games?

Answer: The protoss are an inward-looking race. They feel they achieved the perfect approach to technology and civilization long ago, and now they have little interest in changing. There are certainly protoss innovators, but in general they prefer steady, methodical progress. The protoss basically value stability above all. New tech has a way of changing everything.

Question: Raynor and Zeratul had a vision. We learned it was the Overmind's and that it showed the future (or a possible future). But how and why did the Overmind have this vision in the first place?

Answer: The Overmind's consciousness was molded by the entity referred to here as the Dark Voice. During that process, the Overmind was exposed to some of the Dark Voice's plans for the future. Scattered, confused images, sensations, ideas, concepts. Nothing clear or concrete. That vision was a narrative the Overmind constructed from bits and pieces, and it was about all that the Overmind could glean from the time spent with the Dark Voice.

Question: Is there any chance that the Swarm could manifest some kind of compassion if the zerg stopped being driven by the singular goal of protoss destruction?

Answer: The mandates and operating parameters that kept the Overmind from having complete free will were mostly subverted when the Queen of Blades, an infested terran who retained much of her sapience, took over. (As I've said elsewhere, there was still some influence from the Dark Voice, as she had lots of zerg mutagen floating around in her system, but her non-zerg sapience freed her up a great deal.)

From that point on, the zerg became capable of acting in whatever way their leader was capable of acting. But why would the leader of the Swarm ever want or need to show compassion? Compassion would not serve to grow the Swarm, and it's unlikely any race would ever accept the Swarm as allies or equals.

Question: If the zerg are biological life-forms, how can they survive traveling across the universe without any air, shields, or armor suits?

Answer: They can adapt to handle those environments. The question of how they can do things without tools is a uniquely human way to look at a problem. When we can't do something, we build a tool to do it for us. A race that can evolve and adapt so rapidly and so well simply doesn't think that way. As an example, there are creatures that thrive on the bottom of the ocean here on Earth, in places where our tools and equipment have only recently allowed us to go.

Question: The "new" Jim Raynor seems kind of weak. He seems to have forgotten about Fenix and all the abominations Kerrigan has done, and more than that, he killed his best friend for her. He is no longer the mighty badass warrior from SC1. Why is that?

Answer: When people go through traumatic events, it takes a toll on them. They process it for a long time afterward and try to cope in different ways. The Jim Raynor in Wings is a man who has been to Hell and back many times, and it has certainly changed him.

Who do you think is more heroic: a character who has been through all that pain and suffering, yet manages to overcome his trauma, climb back to his feet, and engage in badassery; or a character who is just always badass? I know which one I think, but opinions may vary. J

Question: Do zerg breathe in space, or do they bring oxygen (or whatever they breathe) with them?

Answer: Most zerg are not adapted for space travel by themselves. They would be aboard larger zerg that are adapted for it, like leviathans. Any zerg that you see in space either has vast stores of oxygen within it or has been adapted to not require oxygen. Depends on the particular adaptation you're talking about!

Question: Why does Tychus Findlay, who always smokes a cigar in his armor, never get choked?

Answer: I'd like to say it's because he's got special air-circulation pumps. But the truth is, he's just that tough.

Question: Is there any history between Tychus Findlay and the girl on his armor?

Answer: The girl is Kyla Velassi, a popular entertainer who is featured in the text crawl at the bottom of the UNN news segments. She has an entire storyline that plays out there, if you can manage to read it.

That decal is already on his armor when he comes out of cold sleep. So either someone put it there while he was out of it, or Kyla has been around a long time and is still going strong. The celebrities of the Koprulu sector may just have their own version of Botox!

If you’re looking for more lore, here’s part 1 of our StarCraft II Creative Development Q&A, part 2,  part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9, and part 10. We’ll have many more answers to your burning questions in the weeks to come.

StarCraft Discussion Roundup

After a nice holiday vacation, we returned to find the StarCraft community talking up a storm swarm on a number of topics. There’s a new year underway, and in between sessions of creative writing for the many threads in Joeyray’s Bar, we figure you might be interested in joining one or more of the following discussions. 

eSports Headlines

• Grubby will be staying with team FX Open’s South Korean branch to train for GSL. Reddit StarCraft
• Parting leaves Startale in search of a new team. TeamLiquid.net Forums | Reddit StarCraft
• Major leaves ROOT Gaming to join KeSPA Team 8. TeamLiquid.net Forums | Reddit StarCraft
• SidianTheBard made an appeal for refreshed tournament map pools in 2013. TeamLiquid.net Forums
• EG.Stephano will make his GSL Code S debut in Season 1 of 2013. TeamLiquid.net Forums | Reddit StarCraft
• Team Liquid's annual StarCraft II Awards reviewed 2012 in eSports. TeamLiquid.net Forums | Reddit StarCraft

Gameplay Discussion

• Existor posted a massive Heart of the Swarm multiplayer tip compilation at TeamLiquid.net.
• Skolops has “A Detailed Analysis of Tiered Racial Balance” in the Heart of the Swarm Beta Discussion Forum.
• PotatoLiSK, Zappy, Fonzy, Doncroft, and Ponera have a new Mechanics of StarCraft video, and they’re talking about it here.

Open Competition

• You can sign up for the Bacon Community’s annual StarCraft II Forum Open. This is a two day, single-elimination 1v1 tournament with signups open to any StarCraft II forum member. Matches begin Saturday, January 5 at 10:00 a.m. PST.
• Get to know your fellow StarCraft II forum goers better by playing against them in a friendly best of three showmatch.
• Signups are now open for Round 2 of TeamLiquid.net’s StarCraft II Fantasy ProLeague. Registration closes at 6:50 p.m. PST on January 4, 2013. Register | How to play | Share your team

We’re always on the lookout for things to talk about! If you know of a particularly active and interesting StarCraft discussion online, consider dropping a link to it in the comments below.

2013 Season 1 Begins

In StarCraft II league play, 2013 Season 1 has begun! Bonus pools and standings have been reset, and 2012 Season 5 milestones have been awarded. You can take a look at your 2012 Season 5 results by visiting the Leagues and Ladders section of the game.

Reminder: the hidden skill ratings used for matchmaking and league placement carry over from one season to the next, so if you were already placed in a league prior to the 2012 Season 5 lock, you'll only need to play one placement match to kick off the new season.

Good luck, and have fun!