It’s been a while since the last Q&A batch. Since then, Blizzard has released new screenshots to fan sites and to a magazine, and has probably been busy after the news of their merge with Activision.

Karune, Blizzard’s RTS community manager, has posted the 23rd Q&A batch. Before advancing to the meaty part, he reiterates the official Blizzard line regarding the merge:

It has been an exciting week of business related headlines about the new company ‘Activision Blizzard.’ Many have asked me about how this would affect products like StarCraft II, and the answer is that it won’t. We still have our extremely talented development team on this task, working exactly like they have been over the past years. Furthermore, StarCraft II will still be branded as Blizzard Entertainment, meaning you will not see Activision Blizzard logos on the product or introduction. StarCraft II is still set to rock the PC gaming stage!

 

If you have more questions about the proposed merger, please visit our FAQ at:
http://blizzard.com/press/activision-faq.shtml

The Chat with Devs section is somewhat lacking this time, not providing any real insight into development. Instead, Blizzard is reminding everyone again that the game isn’t finished yet and everything is likely to change:

Chat with Devs: After my chat with Dustin this past week, he wanted me to remind everyone that there are still several new units being created and tested for all three factions. What you have seen of the Protoss and Terran factions are in no way finished and more new units will be introduced, as well as the likeliness of current units being replaced.

On to the questions:

1. Will the Campaign have as many videos as the original Starcraft?

 

There will be several more in-game cutscenes, which are at a much higher quality than the original StarCraft pre-rendered movies. And while StarCraft II’s single player will likely feature a few less pre-rendered movies, they will be much longer and more epic than anything seen in the original StarCraft.

Amazing, isn’t it? In less than 10 years, computers have advanced so much that they can generate 3D graphics, in real time, that are superior in every way to the pre-rendered cutscenes of the original StarCraft - cutscenes that took multiple computers many hours and days to render.

Blizzard’s games are famous for their high quality animated sequences, pre-rendered or not, and StarCraft 2 will not be an exception. To watch some of the original StarCraft 1 videos, check out this recently constructed “The Story So Far” Blizzard page.

2. Is the ghost unit going to be able to use the EMP Shockwave and -within short time interval- the Nuclear Strike as well?

 

Currently, there is no restriction to when you can follow up a special ability with another, as long as there are available energy points.

A dangerous combo, indeed. Since the Ghosts of StarCraft 2 are likely to appear in much larger numbers, this one-two combo is going to become the killing blow of choice for many Terran players who are facing Protoss opponents.

3. Will the Ghost’s EMP affect building shields and energy?

 

Yes, the Ghosts EMP ability currently affects both building and unit shields, as well as casters energy. It is important to note that there is a possibility the Ghost may lose its EMP ability due to balance.

EMP remains unchanged from its StarCraft 1 incarnation as a Science Vessel ability. Many people think that the Ghost, as it currently exists, is too powerful. It will likely lose some of its abilities, and EMP, a very powerful offensive capability, might be one of them.

4. Will there be some sort of wall structure in StarCraft, for any of the races?

 

Aside from building current structures close to each other to form walls, such as a line of Terran Supply Depots, no, there will not be walls that can be built. On the other hand, there will be some new wall structures in the single player mode and these doodads can also be accessed in the map editor.

 

5. Will the game feature a mechanic similar to Warcraft 3 where if a selection of units contains more than one unit type then the whole selection will move at the speed of the slowest unit to maintain cohesion?

 

No, units in the same selection will not move at the same speeds. The slower units will need to be micromanaged by the players to keep up with the larger group.

Here’s one place where automation doesn’t fit in the StarCraft gameplay. Players will have to manage their forces, taking unit speed into account, without artificial help. This is the kind of unit control and management issue that differentiates players according to pure skill, and we’re glad to see it in the game.