New StarCraft 2 details from German magazine

  

German gaming magazine Gamestar got a good chunk of info after getting hands-on with Blizzard‘s StarCraft 2. Scans and details posted on a German forum generated some buzz, and we know where the posters there are coming from. We’re talking hot new details on Terran and Protoss units, as well as other sweet bits you’d want to know about.

The magazine lists some gameplay elements we’ve known before, along with new ones. Apparently, the production queue is still limited to a maximum of five units. Tall grass and plants will provide cover for smaller units, completely hiding them from view (they still appear on the mini-map). Terrain now features “destroyable elements,” like rocks that can be broken to block off ramps. Heroes will be back in single player, but without gaining experience ala Warcraft 3. Instead, they just get special abilities.

These sound great, but the beef of Gamestar’s feature is all about the new tweaks to Terran and Protoss. Don’t ask us where the love for Zerg is. Find what was posted on the forum after the jump.

  

German gaming magazine Gamestar got a good chunk of info after getting hands-on with StarCraft 2. Scans and details posted on a German forum generated some buzz, and we know where the posters there are coming from. We’re talking hot new details on Terran and Protoss units, as well as other sweet bits you’d want to know about.

The magazine lists some gameplay elements we’ve known before, along with new ones. Apparently, the production queue is still limited to a maximum of five units. Tall grass and plants will provide cover for smaller units, completely hiding them from view (they still appear on the mini-map). Terrain now features “destroyable elements,” like rocks that can be broken to block off ramps. Heroes will be back in single player, but without gaining experience ala Warcraft 3. Instead, they just get special abilities.

These sound great, but the beef of Gamestar’s feature is all about the new tweaks to Terran and Protoss. Don’t ask us where the love for Zerg is. Here’s what was posted on the forum, translated of course.

Protoss Details

• Gateways can be upgraded to ‘Warp Gates’ which allow units to be warped in anywhere there is Pylon energy. It takes 30 seconds to teleport a unit in total. At the destination, a unit will take 5 seconds to completely warp in . During this time, the unit is vulnerable to attack and cannot retaliate.
• Phase cannons will disappear if they are in energy form and are out of pylon power.
• The Cybernetics core will unlock Stalkers, Soul Hunters and Immortals.
• High Templar still has Psionic Storm. In addition to this, they can cast a type of stasis field that will last 15 seconds
• There are observatories that start out as neutral structures which will give large vision radius when captured by a player.
• The Twilight Archon has no special abilities as of yet.
• Shield batteries will not be in the game. This may change if there is a demand for it during beta tests..
• The Colossus costs about 2 times as much as a Reaver will.
• Star Relics have the ability to cloak units underneath them like the Arbiter. They will remain visible while cloaking all units underneath. The difference from Arbiters is that they must remain stationary (units underneath may move).
• Star Relics now have Hallucination spell.
• Star Relics have a Detonate ability. It allows them lock a blue beam onto an enemy unit. If it remains locked on that unit for some seconds, the unit will explode. You can escape by fleeing, or if the Star Relic is destroyed in time.
• The cost for the Mothership is 400 minerals, 400 gas and 10 unit supply. It has two separate upgrades which cost 300 minerals and 300 gas each, totaling 1000 minerals and gas.

Terran Details

• The command center can carry 5 SCV’s while lifting off.
• The Barracks and factory can have the tech center and reactor add-ons.
• The Sensor Dome will let you see enemy units in a large radius (shown by a green layer) as red dots (even in undiscovered territory) but the type of unit is not revealed.
• The Cobra unit can attack both air and ground.
• Battle Cruisers have two abilities. The Yamato gun similar to the original and a new ‘Plasma torpedos’ which deal area of effect damage to ground units. Only one can be chosen over the other.
• Vikings in mech form (ground) can actually attack air units too but have less armor than in their fighter form.
• Reapers have a time bomb ability. It lets them attach a bomb to a unit or building which takes 30 seconds to detonate. During this time, the bomb can be destroyed. There is a red timer bar that shows how long till it detonates. It does a lot of damage.
• It hasn’t been decided yet whether the Planetary Fortress can also attack air units.
• Thor’s special ability is an ‘Artillery Strike’. Can do area of effect damage over a long distance using 4 cannons. Weak to air attack as he is slow and takes a long time to turn around to flee.
• Ghost’s snipe ability can take down smaller units like marines, zerglings, hydras? They have an ability that lets them call in for re-enforcements up to 8 marines at once.
• The return of Medics has not been decided yet.

Via Ingame.de