Raynor Sightings

Very recently, Jim Raynor has been spotted hiding in various screen shots on Stacraft2.com, for example…

Keep on the look out for more, we have conformation that these wont be the last easter eggs!

New Screen Shot: Zerg Overloard

This is the picture of the new Zerg Overloard, and a shot of the new design for the baneling, the previous baneling rolled, but it seems this new model walks sort of like the brood from starcraft brood war. This screen shot was introduced to us on the StarcraftII General Discussions Forum on battle.net, for more updates on Qna’s and new units, check Battle.net and this website.

sc2.com Update: The story so Far…

http://www.starcraft2.com/features/storysofar.xml

Terrans first journeyed to the far edge of the galaxy when a navigational malfunction sent their automated colony vessels hurtling off course. Bypassing their intended target, the ships crash-landed on three worlds scattered across the Koprulu sector.

Over several decades the terrans established colonies, spread to other planets, and came into conflict with one another. In the decade after the end of the Guild Wars, the Terran Confederacy stood unchallenged in its supremacy over colonial space.

The terran colonies first became aware they were not alone in the universe when a gleaming fleet of protoss warships suddenly emerged over the Confederate world of Chau Sara. The advanced alien ships incinerated the planet’s surface without warning.

 

Reeling from the unprovoked attack, the Confederacy sent a fleet led by Colonel Edmund Duke, to protect the nearby colony of Mar Sara. Surprisingly the protoss retreated, and Colonel Duke proudly declared the retreat a Confederate victory.

Mar Sara

Back on Mar Sara, Marshal Jim Raynor responded to a distress call out in the wastelands. He found a terran outpost that had been infested by unknown alien organisms. Realizing there could be no survivors, he and his men destroyed it.

The Confederacy reacted by imprisoning Raynor and his men. Further alien attacks broke out on the planet. It took the arrival of an anti-Confederacy rebel group called the Sons of Korhal to begin any sort of organized resistance to the aliens, which had become known as the zerg.

The bestial zerg spread too swiftly to be stopped. Freed by the rebels, Raynor uncovered proof that the Confederacy had anticipated the zerg’s arrival. He and the rebel leader, Arcturus Mengsk, evacuated everyone they could from Mar Sara before the protoss fleet reappeared and incinerated the planet.

Antiga Prime

Thoroughly disillusioned, Raynor joined the Sons of Korhal. On the planet of Antiga Prime he worked with Mengsk’s second-in-command, Sarah Kerrigan–formerly a ghost, one of the Confederacy’s elite psionic assassins–whom Mengsk had liberated from the government’s neural conditioning. Raynor and Kerrigan developed into a formidable team.

 

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Mengsk quickly stirred up a full-scale revolt against Confederate forces on Antiga Prime. Now a general, Duke tried to intervene, but his ship fell victim to a zerg attack. In a stunning coup Mengsk persuaded the general to join the Sons of Korhal in exchange for saving Duke’s command and his life from the rampaging aliens.

Hastily the Confederacy sent reinforcement troops to the planet. However, Kerrigan and Mengsk discovered a terrible secret: Confederate scientists had constructed a “psi emitter”, a device that acted as a beacon for the zerg. Tests of this new doomsday weapon had drawn the zerg to Mar Sara and other colonies.

Mengsk ordered a psi emitter to be planted in the Confederate base on Antiga Prime, and the zerg swarmed in to destroy the Confederate forces. Soon afterwards the protoss incinerated the planet from orbit, just as they had Chau Sara and Mar Sara.

Tarsonis

Jimmy, drop the knight-in-shining-armor routine. It suits you sometimes. Just not… not now. I don’t need to be rescued. I know what I’m doing. The Protoss are coming to destroy the entire planet, not just the Zerg. I know that because… well I just know it. I am a Ghost, remember? Once we’ve dealt with the Protoss, we can do something about the Zerg. Arcturus will come around. I know he will.
Kerrigan

Next Mengsk struck at the ultimate prize, the world of Tarsonis, capital of the Confederacy. He overrode his lieutenants’ misgivings and had General Duke place psi emitters on the unblemished and densely populated world. As the zerg descended on Tarsonis, Raynor began to question Mengsk’s sanity: no measure seemed too extreme for Mengsk if it achieved his goals. Even so, Raynor did not fully understand the depths of Mengsk’s malice.

This time the leader of the protoss fleet, Executor Tassadar, deployed ground forces in an effort to save the planet. There was every chance the protoss could succeed, and so Mengsk ordered Kerrigan to vanquish the protoss on Tarsonis. Despite her concerns Kerrigan obeyed and ensured that the planet would fall to the zerg.

Surrounded by zerg, she called for evac from the doomed planet. However, in a shocking betrayal, Mengsk abandoned Kerrigan and her troops to their fate. Furious, Raynor departed Mengsk’s flagship, the Hyperion, and returned to Tarsonis, but he arrived too late to prevent Kerrigan’s capture by the zerg.

The rise of the Terran Dominion

I will not be stopped. Not by you, or the Confederates, or the Protoss or anyone! I will rule this sector or see it burnt to ashes around me.
Arcturus Mengsk

Despite this minor setback Arcturus Mengsk’s victory was all but complete. With Tarsonis destroyed the Confederacy collapsed. Most Confederate survivors quickly joined the Sons of Korhal, which became the primary military force opposing the alien invaders. The former rebels saved many terran lives. They only hesitated when a planet did not welcome their intervention. After all, as Mengsk remarked sadly, a planet’s local government had ultimate authority on that planet. Besides, the Sons of Korhal had limited resources, and it was a time of war.

As planet after planet appealed to the Sons of Korhal for aid, Mengsk announced that a new government, the Terran Dominion, was necessary to keep watch over these worlds. He declared himself emperor of the Dominion, and he promised victory over the aliens.

Meanwhile, Raynor realized too late that he had begun to fall in love with Sarah Kerrigan. Unable to save her now, he resolved to seek justice in her name.

 

Overmind

Terrans mistakenly believed that the zerg were an instinct-driven hive society, but in fact a supreme sentience, the Overmind, controlled the zerg via intermediaries called cerebrates. Moreover, the Overmind had acquired a promising creature on Tarsonis, a creature that would serve the Swarm in new ways.

This creature was wrapped in a protective chrysalis and transported to the remote ash world of Char, where it awaited its rebirth into the Swarm. The creature’s powerful psionic emanations drew terran and protoss forces to Char, but the zerg fought off the interlopers and protected the chrysalis until it opened. A new being emerged: someone who would alter the future of the entire Koprulu sector forever.

Sarah Kerrigan emerged from the chrysalis a loyal servant of the Overmind. Her evolution had unlocked the fantastic potential of her psionic powers and incredible strength. Stripped of human ethics and morality, she was ruthlessly dedicated to the Swarm’s survival.

The Queen of Blades

During her time in the chrysalis, Kerrigan had been confused and distressed. She had reached out telepathically to her former comrades, Arcturus Mengsk and Jim Raynor. Raynor had come to Char to save her. Mengsk had sent General Duke, perhaps hoping to regain Kerrigan as an ally, perhaps simply wanting to capture and study whatever remained of her. Whatever their hopes, both men arrived too late. Her confusion was gone, and she easily drove the terrans away.

Yet the Overmind also suffered a terrible blow. Protoss led by Executor Tassadar kept the Queen of Blades and a number of other zerg busy while a dark templar named Zeratul assassinated one of the Overmind’s cerebrates. The zerg formerly controlled by the slain lieutenant ran amok, turning on the rest of the Swarm, which were forced to destroy them.

Well spoken, Concubine of the Zerg. But though we strike at you from the shadows, do not think that we lack the courage to stand in the light.
Zeratul

Yet all was not lost for the zerg. When Zeratul had killed the cerebrate, he had made a fleeting telepathic contact with the Overmind. In that moment, the Overmind had discovered the secret location of the protoss homeworld, Aiur.

Long had the Overmind sought the protoss homeworld. With the location of Aiur and the terrans to serve as the zerg’s newest servants, the Overmind was confident that the Swarm could finally defeat and assimilate the protoss. Using protoss DNA, the Overmind would produce the perfect killing machines: a new strain of zerg that would conquer the rest of creation.

The infestation of Aiur

 

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The Queen of Blades hunted down the protoss on Char while the main force of the zerg departed to assault Aiur. Although Aiur’s inhabitants resisted valiantly, the zerg established a foothold among the planet’s lush jungles, and the Overmind embedded itself in the planet’s surface.

As the ruling caste of the protoss, the Judicator caste held authority over all protoss on Aiur. The caste’s governing body, the Conclave, was in furor. Executor Tassadar, leader of the protoss warrior caste, was fighting on distant Char and defying the Conclave’s orders to incinerate any terran world infested by the zerg. Now the zerg threatened to overrun Aiur.

A new executor, Artanis, was chosen and sent into battle, winning a crucial victory in the province of Antioch. Soon afterward Tassadar contacted Artanis and spoke of the battles upon Char, the discovery of the dark templar, and Zeratul’s victory against the cerebrate.

Dark brethren

The dark templar had been banished from Aiur long ago for refusing to become part of the Khala, a deep telepathic connection that had linked all protoss in ancient times. Most protoss believed that the reestablishment of the Khala had ended millennia of civil war and saved their race from extinction.

Thus, Tassadar’s decision to work alongside the dark templar, even against the zerg, was heresy in the eyes of the Conclave. The horrified protoss demanded that he return to Aiur, but Tassadar refused, saying he would return when the time was right.

At Tassadar’s recommendation, Artanis shifted tactics on Aiur, targeting a cerebrate with a small detachment while his main force kept the zerg occupied. The cerebrate’s death threw its minions into disarray, but they recovered when the Overmind reincarnated the slain leader. Only the potent energies wielded by the dark templar could ensure a cerebrate’s permanent destruction. The Conclave directed Artanis to return to traditional tactics, and he won another battle in the province of Scion, albeit at great cost.

The trial of Tassadar

Stay thy hand, Judicator. The stewards of Tassadar shall not fall while the Dark Templar live. Call off your guards and stand aside, and you may yet live to see another moonrise.
Zeratul

Confident of their final victory, the Conclave dispatched Executor Artanis to bring Tassadar back to Aiur for judgment. Artanis journeyed to Char and regretfully informed his predecessor of the Conclave’s wishes. Tassadar agreed to return peacefully if the executor helped him free Zeratul and the other dark templar from a terran installation where they had been trapped by the zerg.

Artanis agreed, and Jim Raynor and his crew also joined the fight. Raynor and the dark templar then accompanied Tassadar back to Aiur, where they planned to help fight the invasion. Unfortunately the Conclave proved intractable in refusing to work with the dark templar. The Judicator caste came to blows with Tassadar’s loyal followers and their allies.

Unable to bear the sight of his people destroying themselves, Tassadar surrendered himself to Judicator justice. Even so, his allies swiftly liberated him from imprisonment to face the approaching crisis.

 

Death of the Overmind

The Conclave had seriously underestimated the zerg. The protoss military was almost exhausted, whereas the zerg seemed more numerous than ever. Whole continents were being overrun, and Zeratul had worse news to impart. When he had slain the cerebrate on Char, a telepathic link had briefly connected him with the Overmind. He had seen that the evolution of the zerg, like that of the protoss, had been directed and speeded by a race known as the xel’naga.

Remember us, Executor. Remember what was done here today. May Adun watch over you.
Tassadar

Ultimately the Overmind had outgrown the xel’naga’s control and devoured that ancient race. Now the Overmind intended to consume the protoss as well. If it succeeded, no one would be able to stand against the zerg.

Tassadar rallied the flagging protoss for one last push against their foes, making peace with the failing Conclave shortly before the battle. He and the other heroes only weakened the zerg while sustaining heavy losses themselves. In a last desperate gamble, Tassadar channeled the energy of the dark templar through the hull of his ship, the Gantrithor, and steered it on a collision course with the monstrous Overmind.

 

 

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The resulting massive explosion killed the Overmind and threw its minions on Aiur into disarray. The protoss had little cause to rejoice, though, for much of Aiur was left in ruins. Furthermore, the zerg race itself was undefeated. Far away on the planet Char, Kerrigan felt the death of the Overmind and finally grasped the true purpose of her creation. The reign of the Queen of Blades was about to begin.

To be continued…

 

 

 

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Starcraft2.com Update: BattleCruiser

These massive, heavily armored combat ships are virtual flying fortresses, built to keep the peace and dominate the space lanes of the Koprulu sector. Outfitted with bristling laser batteries and thick neosteel armor, these imposing vessels are among the most powerful to be found in terran space. Many commanders use battlecruisers as their command vessels during extended campaigns. There are several examples of vessels specifically refitted for this purpose, such as General Duke’s Norad II and Norad III, as well as the battlecruiser Hyperion commanded by Jim Raynor.

The old Behemoth-class battlecruiser has proven to be an enduring design when kept up to date with periodic upgrades. Even the more modern Hercules- and Minotaur-class ships have retained the distinctive hammerhead shape which so defines the classic terran battlecruiser. Research has led to the development of two alternative weapon upgrades that can be retrofitted into a battlecruiser hull to supplement its already formidable armament.

The Yamato cannon is a terrifying weapon that uses an intense magnetic field to focus a nuclear detonation into a cohesive beam of energy. The cannon requires a huge reserve of energy to fire, but its effects on the target are impressive, to say the least. Plasma torpedoes give battlecruisers an armament capable of saturating a target area with a lethal deluge of fire, ideal for breaking up oncoming attack waves or ravaging a defensive position. As with the Yamato cannon, a battlecruiser needs to build up a sufficient reserve of energy to unleash a plasma torpedo bombardment.

Starcraft2.com update: The MotherShip

Protoss motherships are mighty vessels that were constructed centuries ago during the golden age of protoss expansion. They were intended to act as primary command ships to lead vast armadas of protoss explorers into the darkness of deep space and bring them safely home again. Those days are long gone, and the surviving motherships later became holy shrines to the protoss, representing an honored way of life and a part of the proud history of the protoss race.

At the heart of each mothership is a huge khaydarin crystal infused with an incredible amount of psionic energy. By tapping into this energy, a mothership can warp or crack the very fabric of space and time itself. The devastating power of a mothership can wipe out squadrons of enemy ships in the blink of an eye or lay waste to entire planets. As the golden age reached its apogee, the motherships were left in place as titanic monuments at the farthest reaches of protoss exploration. It was believed that their like would not be needed again.

After the loss of Aiur, however, the motherships were called back into service from the far corners of the galaxy. Now they are crewed not with mystics and historians, but with warriors. The oldest and most powerful weapons of the protoss have been awakened and are prepared to burn the galaxy to avenge the loss of the protoss homeworld.

http://www.starcraft2.com/features/protoss/mothership.xml

To see what people are saying about the MotherShip, check this link out below

http://www.battle.net/forums/thread.aspx?fn=sc2-general&t=20895&p=1&#post20895

QnA batch 12

Our next two batches will be answering questions submitted by the StarCraft II Community. Be sure to also check out sites involved, to participate in our Monthly Discussion Topics, starting with the Protoss Mothership for September.

Every so often, I hope to also update you guys on chats I’ve had with the Devs, to let you know what they’re currently working on in StarCraft II.

Chat with the Devs: The StarCraft II Team is working hard on making Terran Medics ‘smarter’ so they do not run up to the enemy when you give a move order to a group of Marines and Medics. Medics, if given an attack move order, will scan the area on its path for injured infantry, then break off its limited path to heal those soldiers.

Again, give devs and me a w00t! if you are enjoying these Q&As!

—StarCraft II Q&A Batch 12—

1. How useful will tier 1 units be in the late game? (broodwar.de)

As a staple of the original StarCraft, which we intend to carry over to StarCraft II, is that every unit has a specific role in that factions army. Every unit will fulfill a unique role, which complements the other units, some better than others of course. In subscribing to that idea, tier 1 units will be quite useful in late game as well as early. Many of the tier 1 units will be able to be upgraded to keep up with the later game units as well.

For example, the Terran Marine currently has 3 upgrades available to it, as well as its standard attack and armor upgrades. New upgrades such as the combat shields, increasing the Marines health will be important in having the Marine deal with later game units.

2. Can we expect units to replace the Reaver and the Soul Hunter? (starcraftzone.com)

Yes, we are always testing the addition of new units as well as the removal of older units. For instance, in our current build, the Terran Firebat is back in the game, as we test how he interacts with the new additions into StarCraft II. Of course, nothing is final though.

3. What was the reasoning behind axing spell X (lockdown, mind control etc)? (sclegacy.com)

As mentioned above in question 2, much like with units, we are also testing several new abilities for StarCraft II. If these abilities do not work as we would intend, it is always possible for a reintroduction of original abilities from the original StarCraft. We are constantly striving to improve and complement what has already been very successful with StarCraft for StarCraft II.

4. Will there be a black player color? (starcraft-source.com)

We have tried using black, but it was too difficult to differentiate units on the mini-map from the fog of war.

5. Will you be able to use custom army colors in the game? (teamliquid.net)

In custom maps created through the Map Editor, players will be able to select any color for their factions. In multiplayer games, players will be able to choose between approximately 12-18 colors.

QnA batch 11

I know many of you are wondering what Blizzard is up to now with StarCraft II… such as what is happening with the Mothership? Is it going to be unique or not? Are the Reavers going to be back or are they permanently removed?

Right now the devs are working hard in testing what is right for StarCraft II, and what can be improved with other functions or new units. Once we are more sure on those answers, be sure we will let you know.

Either way, be sure StarCraft II will be finished at Blizzard’s highest standard, and we hope to surpass your expectations.

Again, give devs and me a w00t! if you are enjoying these Q&As!

—StarCraft II Q&A Batch 11—

1) Will map sizes in StarCraft II be similar or larger than the maps in the original StarCraft?

Map sizes can fluctuate on a per-map basis, but generally the playable area on maps are about the same. The terrain cells were converted over into the new editor to proportionally match the original StarCraft (i.e. 128×128 SC1 is about the same as 128×128 in SC2 ).

2) Will StarCraft II Heroes have unique abilities?

Heroes will have unique abilities different from regular unit abilities. Heroes will be playable only for single player and will not be a part of the multiplayer skirmish experience.

3) Will the Terrans be weak to melee without the Firebat?

Dont worry, the Terrans will have plenty of other counters to melee units. Nonetheless, because we know there are so many people who do love the Firebat unit, it will be in the map editor.

4) Will Mutalisks attack still hit multiple targets?

Yes, the Zerg Mutalisk unit is currently designed to hit multiple units with a single attack.

5) Will a submerged supply depot still be able to be attacked? Will it have more hit points while submerged?

Yes, the submerged supply depot will still be able to be attacked, and no it will not have more hit points. The ability to submerge a supply depot is designed to allow units to move over them strategically. Players will not only be able to keep enemies out, allow friendly units to pass through, but they are also powerful roadblocks in separating incoming armies in 2.

Starcraft 2.com update “the thor”

So finally they update the official starcraft2.com site with the thor, it also included a short video a couple of animations with sound

http://www.starcraft2.com/features/terran/thor.xml

The Thor project has been shrouded in mystery since its very beginning. Agents of the Umojan Protectorate were the first to uncover a trail of clues that the Terran Dominion was intent on creating some kind of new terror weapon. The Umojans’ curiosity was aroused when they heard rumors that the huge Simonson munitions facility on Korhal IV had been placed under a complete security lockdown by Dominion forces. Something big was in the offing, so big that the workers at the Simonson plant had been virtually placed under arrest to prevent any information from leaking out.

The crack team of spies swung into action to search for leads that would betray the work being undertaken. Hacked cargo manifests showed deliveries of battlecruiser-weight neosteel armor plating extending back over a year. Passive sensors that the spies planted around the facility picked up occasional industrial-strength electromagnetic discharges and regular seismic shocks. An increasing flow of high-ranking Dominion officers was observed coming and going, indicating that the project was close to completion. Yet beyond these tantalizing pieces of the puzzle, the Umojan team drew a complete blank.

The Umojans began to be frustrated by their lack of progress, and frustration can lead to recklessness. A young operative on the team, Ulli Trey, offered to take the risk and try to infiltrate the facility. The team leader was reluctant but out of other options, and so he approved the plan. Trey’s approach was flawless: she liquidated the driver of the Dominion commander and took his place. As she had anticipated, the rigorous security checks needed to get through the outer cordon around the facility were focused on the high-ranking officer instead of his lowly driver.

Once inside the facility, Trey released a clutch of nanotech micro-spies to trail the commander as he went deeper into the facility. From this point Ulli Trey could only sit and wait, hoping that the stealth capabilities of her miniature spy drones would be good enough to prevent them–and her–from being caught.

Within a few hours Agent Trey was free and clear, carrying vital information about the Dominion’s most significant military development since the Brood War: Project Thor. The micro-spy images showed a huge bipedal war machine armed with two giant particle beams and a dorsal artillery battery that wouldn’t be out of place on a battleship. Most disturbing of all was the demonstration that this monster could be built from the ground up by ordinary construction vehicles in an astonishingly short time frame. The Umojan team reported back to Protectorate, thoroughly shaken by their findings and praying that some counter could be found for such a beast.

starcraft2.com Update:AH/G-24 Banshee

any experiments with dedicated air-to-ground attack have been undertaken by the terrans. Various dead-end approaches were tried and then discarded: ordnance packages for dropships, remote semi-autonomous drones, and airborne artillery platforms, to name but a few. Such continual compromises eventually led to retrofitting variants of the Wraith space superiority fighter with a belly-mounted burst laser to fulfill the role in the short term. Even so, the abiding problem of finding truly effective air-to-ground support below battlecruiser weight remained.Procyon Industries has been the latest to tackle the problem by approaching it from a different direction. Instead of attempting to adapt existing aircraft designs for a role they were never intended to fulfill, the technicians at Procyon designed the banshee from scratch. As a planetary craft, the banshee wouldn’t need high-powered engines to achieve escape velocity and fight in orbit, so instead technicians fitted it with economical twin turbofans. Any air-to-air weaponry was deemed unnecessary: the banshee would only hunt ground targets. Thus, it was equipped with powerful air-to-ground cluster rockets.

Read more at:  www.starcraft2.com

sc2.com update, dark templar

The dark templar are powerful psionic warriors whose forebears were exiled from the protoss homeworld of Aiur over a thousand years ago. The protoss who would eventually become the dark templar were banished for their refusal to join the emerging Khala, the communal mind link shared by all protoss, and the accompanying caste system enforced by the ruling Conclave of the protoss.Some protoss rejected this movement, believing that their individual identities would be erased to further the suffocating rule of the Conclave. They even went so far as to sever the long nerve tendrils that characterize the protoss. This act symbolically and literally cut them off from the primal chord of their race. The Conclave saw these rogues as a threat to the new order and charged the Templar caste with hunting and destroying them.

The templar, led by the idealistic warrior Adun, could not bring themselves to slay fellow protoss and thus hid them. The Conclave’s fears appeared justified when Aiur was lashed by a wave of violent psionic storms unleashed by the undisciplined minds of the rebels. The Conclave was not willing to punish the templar openly for their disobedience because doing so would reveal the existence of the rebels. Instead, the dissident protoss were loaded aboard an ancient but functional xel’naga vessel and launched into space.

read more at http://www.starcraft2.com/features/protoss/index.xml?tab=darktemplar