View Full Version : Blizzard Announces Starcraft II
njiska
05-19-2007, 05:58 AM
Best hangover morning, ever!
Announcement
http://kotaku.com/gaming/starcraft-2-for-the-win/its-official-starcraft-2-on-the-way-261835.php
Announcement video
http://kotaku.com/gaming/poetry-in-motion/clip-starcraft-2-announcement-video-261847.php
Gameplay Video
http://kotaku.com/gaming/chock-full-of-starcraft-2/clip-starcraft-2-gameplay-footage-261850.php
Wolfrider31
05-19-2007, 08:09 AM
I love you man! I looooooooveee youuuuuuuuuu!
slip81
05-19-2007, 08:10 AM
awesome. and since it's Blizzard we'll get an OS X version right off the bat.
Wolfrider31
05-19-2007, 08:20 AM
I was thinking yesterday that this might follow the Warcraft 3 route and make it more character based, but it looks like classic RTS action from the gameplay video.
Of course if they changed the basic mechanics of the game I could see the entire nation of Korea descending on Blizzards offices.
Synergy
05-19-2007, 08:48 AM
I was figuring with the futuristic space-themed timeline they were teasing us with all week that it would be StarCraft II, but you never know with Blizzard. I've been checking it every day and finally saw it this morning. :)
Yes, it's about time. I can't wait!
kainemaxwell
05-19-2007, 09:12 AM
About damn time!!
Mr.FoodMonster
05-19-2007, 11:13 AM
I don't think the term 'nerd-gasm' really gives the full effect of what this announcement has made me feel. 'Eternal happiness' may begin to cover it.
diskoboy
05-19-2007, 11:26 AM
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c212/MeoTwister5/MrBurns.jpg
Snapple
05-19-2007, 11:29 AM
On the GameFAQs poll, my guess was a StarCraft MMORPG, but Starcraft 2 would've been my second guess.
I would say I'm looking forward to it, but that would be provided that my computer would be able to run it.
FantasiaWHT
05-19-2007, 02:34 PM
Has Blizzard ever put out a game that required the most modern, high-spec computer out there? Don't think so :)
Habeeb Hamusta
05-19-2007, 04:02 PM
God finally. I can't wait. I can't wait to see what use map settings games people make.
BHvrd
05-19-2007, 04:19 PM
This is great news!
Honestly though I want Diablo 3 more, but who am I to complain. We gettin Starcraft 2 WOOHOO!
Starcraft 2 Cinematic Trailer:
http://www.fileplanet.com/files/170000/177116.shtml
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slip81
05-19-2007, 04:20 PM
On the GameFAQs poll, my guess was a StarCraft MMORPG, but Starcraft 2 would've been my second guess.
I would say I'm looking forward to it, but that would be provided that my computer would be able to run it.
Has Blizzard ever put out a game that required the most modern, high-spec computer out there? Don't think so :)
yeah, it's an RTS. I'm sure it'll run fine on any system made within the last 5 years.
dgordon86
05-19-2007, 04:40 PM
about time. My fingered curled up for two weeks once after playing 8 straight hours while resting on my elbow (no bathroom break, mind you).
Good old days on multiplayer...
Trebuken
05-19-2007, 04:46 PM
The cinematic trailer tasted an awful lot like Gears of War.
Looks great, might be too many units in the gameplay trailer which generally makes things tougher to control accurately....ought to be fun...
boatofcar
05-19-2007, 07:06 PM
awesome. and since it's Blizzard we'll get an OS X version right off the bat.
Any ideas on what you think the Mac system requirements might be? I hope it's not for Intel Macs only...
njiska
05-19-2007, 07:55 PM
Any ideas on what you think the Mac system requirements might be? I hope it's not for Intel Macs only...
Well clearly there's no details available yet, but i'd say intel only is a distinct possiblity. Considering it's Blizzard the game will be at least a year or more off and as the PPC is a dying breed there's a good chance that making it PPC compatible may not be feasible.
Jorpho
05-19-2007, 09:07 PM
I saw someone on another board comment that this is surely a secret US plan to destory the Korean economy.
(I have now seen it with my own eyes: South Korea has a cable channel where you can tune in at any hour of the day and watch people play Starcraft. Words escape me.)
thegardentool
05-19-2007, 09:27 PM
I have a feeling for the full effect of the game, you're looking at a modern PC. It will be a DirectX 10 game. And Supreme Commander can require a pretty nice system as well.
I'd say anything from Core 2 Duo and nVidia 8800 and beyond is going to run it rather well.
Snapple
05-19-2007, 09:36 PM
Well, I've never had any problem running any Blizzard RTSes before, but right now my main computer is a laptop, and it can't run a lot modern games because of its video card and processor speed, so I never know.
meancode
05-19-2007, 09:39 PM
I was hoping for Diablo 3 as well.
Snapple
05-19-2007, 10:36 PM
Diablo 3 will come. There's no way they're not making it, it's just a matter of when it's coming out. When they do announce it, then we all pray that it stays free to play online.
Took long enough, but GG Blizzard LOL
FantasiaWHT
05-20-2007, 08:18 AM
Follow up- has Blizzard ever announced a game for the first time that then came out within 2 years? hehe.
I'm guessing 2009 at the soonest. The specs would probably look killer if we could see them right now, but by 2009 they'll be commonplace.
xmagxus
05-20-2007, 08:27 AM
My guess is diablo 3 will come out next in within 2 years of starcraft 2... that's assuming blizzard doesnt make any more MMORPGS which I really doubt blizzard will since all they will be doing is stealing subscribers from WoW more than anything.
My money would be on this AFTER starcraft 2 and any possible expansion(s) they make for it we will see
Diablo 3 > Warcraft 4 > NEW MMORPG possibly Universe Of Starcraft or a follow up to WoW since in about 5 years WoW will go the way of everquest 1 and lose a lot of subscribers unless they redefine the gameplay by that time.
Trumpman
05-20-2007, 06:00 PM
God I can't wait for this game to come out. :P
FantasiaWHT
05-20-2007, 08:37 PM
My guess is diablo 3 will come out next in within 2 years of starcraft 2... that's assuming blizzard doesnt make any more MMORPGS which I really doubt blizzard will since all they will be doing is stealing subscribers from WoW more than anything.
I get to do it again! Has Blizzard ever released any two games within two years of each other?
OatBob
05-20-2007, 09:24 PM
"Hell, it's about time"
slip81
05-20-2007, 10:14 PM
Any ideas on what you think the Mac system requirements might be? I hope it's not for Intel Macs only...
I'm sure it'll be PPC compatable, all OSX software is. The intel chip is still way to new for a company to only cater to it. I'm sure Blizzard is gonna want people with Mac desktops to be able to play, the the MacPro isn't even a year old.
Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if early versions of the game was running on Quad G5s last year during development.
I'm guessing for system requirements (Mac that is) OS 10.4, 1.8 PPC or intel chip, 128MB RAM and 128MB VRAM.
boatofcar
05-20-2007, 11:11 PM
I'm sure it'll be PPC compatable, all OSX software is. The intel chip is still way to new for a company to only cater to it. I'm sure Blizzard is gonna want people with Mac desktops to be able to play, the the MacPro isn't even a year old.
Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if early versions of the game was running on Quad G5s last year during development.
I'm guessing for system requirements (Mac that is) OS 10.4, 1.8 PPC or intel chip, 128MB RAM and 128MB VRAM.
Guess my 1Ghz iBook is out of the running then :) Ah well, one more reason to buy a cheap Dell for gaming...
cyberfluxor
05-20-2007, 11:47 PM
I have a feeling for the full effect of the game, you're looking at a modern PC. It will be a DirectX 10 game. And Supreme Commander can require a pretty nice system as well.
I'd say anything from Core 2 Duo and nVidia 8800 and beyond is going to run it rather well.
It might have added support for DirectX 10 but they realise most still have other Windows systems than Vista. Not to mention they have MAC users in mind so don't expect that type of dependancy just yet.
As for those specs, yes. I really expect Blizzard to for once make a dynamic graphics setup so you can run higher resolutions and add more detail to the 3D models. That was the downside in their previous games using 2D sprites. I keep wishing I could boost the resolution on Diablo 2, Starcraft or even Warcraft but you just can't. There are plenty of older RTS games out there that will push to whatever the operating system detects, which really is a great feature! And actually that's how I play Supreme Commander, Total Annihilation, Cossacks and other games on 3360x1050 resolution. :D
I'm guessing for system requirements (Mac that is) OS 10.4, 1.8 PPC or intel chip, 128MB RAM and 128MB VRAM.
128 MB RAM? Are you serious? Supreme Commander eats up over 800MBs within 10 minutes on its smallest maps. The largest maps (81x81) require 1.5GBs on the get-go (now imagine 8 players with bases and mass units...). It may be Blizzard but I hardly see any newer computer games having minimum specs under 512MBs. As for VRAM, well anything under 128MB today isn't going to be too smooth or meet mid-grade graphics detail.
slip81
05-20-2007, 11:52 PM
Guess my 1Ghz iBook is out of the running then :) Ah well, one more reason to buy a cheap Dell for gaming...
Well don't count it out just yet, you may just be able to max out the RAM and be good to go.
If it's anything like Warcraft III it'll probably have options to tone the graphics down, though after seeing the hi-res screen grabs you may not even need too. It doesn't look too far ahead of that game, and I could run WCIII at full 1680x1050 with everything turned up on a G4 800mhz with 768MB ram and 128MB vram.
EDIT:
128 MB RAM? Are you serious? Supreme Commander eats up over 800MBs within 10 minutes on its smallest maps. The largest maps (81x81) require 1.5GBs on the get-go (now imagine 8 players with bases and mass units...). It may be Blizzard but I hardly see any newer computer games having minimum specs under 512MBs. As for VRAM, well anything under 128MB today isn't going to be too smooth or meet mid-grade graphics detail.
oh yeah you're totally right. Not sure why I put such a low amount, was probably thinking about WCIII. Anyway, yeah, it'll probably require 512, which is pretty much the norm nowdays.
cyberfluxor
05-21-2007, 12:04 AM
Okay. I just watched the trailer and earlier today visited the website with all the screens and goodies. Of course I've been waiting for this just as most others have however it looks to have a good chunk of the Warcraft III engine being used. Now I wasn't a fan of how they designed that game (I was just hooked on WC1 and 2 since the early-mid 90's) and well, I really hope it's an improvement. I'd hate to see them slap a Starcraft theme onto the WC3 stuff.
thegardentool
05-21-2007, 01:16 AM
oh yeah you're totally right. Not sure why I put such a low amount, was probably thinking about WCIII. Anyway, yeah, it'll probably require 512, which is pretty much the norm nowdays.
I'd say a straight GB minimum and 2GB recommended. You have to remember, this game isn't coming out tomorrow or next week. It is going to be 1-2 years. Now that doesn't mean 512MB won't work but it is going to be choppy unless you still game at 640x480 on the PC.
If you don't have 2GB in your computer right now and you are running DDR2, you should be ashamed. It's less than $100 for 2x1GB sticks. Now if you are on DDR, well that sucks because it's still expensive for the good stuff.
They already stated DX10 support and that it is a flexible engine so there is a chance of backwards compatibility with DX9 but who wants to game on DX9 in a year? I sure don't, which is why I have an 8800GTS.
slip81
05-21-2007, 10:11 AM
Well, I doubt it's gonna take another year or two before it comes out. The official site stated that it's already far along in development, so I'm thinking a Q4 2007 release. Especially if it is running on the WCIII engine or a slightly updated engine. Like me and cyber have noticed, the hi-res pics don't make it look that much better than that game, and when did it come out, about 4-5 years ago?
Anyway, if using an older engine allows them to get the game out quicker, great, StarCraft was never about the visuals anyway. The game would still be fun if it looked like an NES title.
I'm sure it'll be PPC compatable, all OSX software is.
Some of the newest Mac ports from Aspyr, one of the big names in Mac gaming, are Intel-only. This apparently makes the translation from the PC source quite a bit easier, enough that they're not making PowerPC versions (see Star Wars: Empire at War).
I know those are ports of PC games, and I know they're not Blizzard, but if Blizzard can start with a common code base for Intel that is easily transported between PC and Mac, and they save a large chunk of time by not making a PowerPC translation, then it wouldn't surprise me to see an Intel-only Starcraft II.
cyberfluxor
05-21-2007, 12:54 PM
I know those are ports of PC games, and I know they're not Blizzard, but if Blizzard can start with a common code base for Intel that is easily transported between PC and Mac, and they save a large chunk of time by not making a PowerPC translation, then it wouldn't surprise me to see an Intel-only Starcraft II.
Well, if it does turn up being based off an updated WC III engine then there's a very high chance it'll be available for both systems. Personally I think it'd be lame as hell if it doesn't considering all other pervious games were for both (unless I missed something).
FantasiaWHT
05-21-2007, 09:30 PM
I'd hate to see them slap a Starcraft theme onto the WC3 stuff.
Agreed, that's the worst possible thing they could do right now.
If you don't have 2GB in your computer right now and you are running DDR2, you should be ashamed. It's less than $100 for 2x1GB sticks. Now if you are on DDR, well that sucks because it's still expensive for the good stuff.
Yeah I really dug myself into a hole when I bought my last mobo =/ DDR only, sigh.
cyberfluxor
05-21-2007, 10:27 PM
Yeah I really dug myself into a hole when I bought my last mobo =/ DDR only, sigh.
Haha, that's no problem at all. My favorite gaming PC runs off SD-100. :)
calthaer
05-21-2007, 11:17 PM
One comment:
Kekekekekekekekekeke ^_^
Trumpman
05-20-2008, 03:05 PM
I was surfing Best Buy's website and found this (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?type=product&id=1200702781643)
It lists a release date of December 3rd, 2008, and a price of $60?!
I'm going to be really pissed at Blizzard if they take advantage of our Starcraft urges by pricing it at $60. But the 12/3 release date does sound cool. Then again, you can never trust retailer's release dates.
boatofcar
06-02-2008, 04:54 AM
I was surfing Best Buy's website and found this (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?type=product&id=1200702781643)
It lists a release date of December 3rd, 2008, and a price of $60?!
I'm going to be really pissed at Blizzard if they take advantage of our Starcraft urges by pricing it at $60. But the 12/3 release date does sound cool. Then again, you can never trust retailer's release dates.
Is $60 really that much for a game that most people will be playing for the next ten years?
Speaking of which, I snapped this photo of my students yesterday.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2255/2533129535_f764234030.jpg
10 years on, and Koreans still can't get enough :)
Trumpman
06-02-2008, 04:00 PM
Is that the original Starcraft manual? Man that thing was a beast - in a good way. It had something like a 15-page backstory. They don't make manuals like that anymore today. My favorite part of Starcraft was actually the story. It was very well-written and intriguing. I'm really excited for the single player in Starcraft II.
Hopefully they take out the 12 unit limit when selecting. That has always frustrated me.
Also, on Amazon and other retailers, they have the price listed as $50. Don't know why Best Buy has it at $60, but if they have a collector's edition I'm definitely coughing up the dough for that.
I hope that the rumors that it's coming out this holiday season are true, but then again, this is Blizzard we're talking about.