A new feature has been launched on the official StarCraft 2 site, and today’s update is the first of its type. The Planetary Update gives us the background story of Char, one of the main points of contention in the StarCraft universe. Along with the history of the place, the page also contains two new concept art pictures and a new amazing screenshot of a battle taking place on the planet’s surface between Zerg and Terran forces.

Char currently serves as the primary hive planet of the Zerg. It’s a volcanic hell, with temperatures that shoot right up to 800c when its orbit brings it close to the sun. It also has a Terran-constructed space platform, termed “Char Aleph”, which now serves as an orbital nesting site and hatchery.

There has been a great deal of speculation over the zerg choice to occupy Char, given its harsh environment and total lack of any organic life forms to exploit. Theorists are evenly split among the ideas that Char forms a useful jump-off point to the core worlds of terran and protoss space, that its inhospitable nature makes it easier for the zerg to defend it, or that Char’s high radiation levels promote an increased rate of mutation in zerg organisms to enable forced evolution of specialist strains.

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Regardless of the reasoning, the zerg presence on Char has ensured that the planet has remained a cauldron of battle. Protoss and terran forces have attempted infiltration missions on the planet with varying degrees of success. Huge and bloody battles were fought there amongst the zerg themselves as the Queen of Blades overthrew the cerebrates controlling the Swarm. Four years ago three entire fleets met their demise when they confronted the Queen of Blades on Char. The Queen of Blades emerged as the dominant power in the sector after an apocalyptic battle that destroyed a Terran Dominion fleet, a protoss armada, and finally the UED expeditionary force. Since then the zerg have remained curiously quiescent, apparently content to remain on the worlds they infested so rapidly during the initial invasion.

The screenshot that was coupled to the update reveals a few new Zerg structures and a new design for the Terran Jackal.

* Click for Big

• The new Baneling Nest, the prerequisite building for morphing Zerglings into Banelings.
• The new Jackals have 2 front wheels, providing them with a buggy look, distancing them from the old Vulture design.
• The Infestor Pit is the prerequisite building for Infestors, and also serves as the place for Infestor upgrades.

That’s it for this planetary update.

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15 Comments to “StarCraft 2 Planetary Update: Char”

1. Yank31 — June 18, 2008 @ 3:47 pm
   

   Ok, i have to say it now:

   I hate the hatchery model.
   I hate the drones model.
   I can’t read what’s happening on the screen in this screensh*t

   :\

2. Joe — June 18, 2008 @ 5:06 pm
   

   Hehe, yea, I thought the Baneling Nest and Infestor Pit were new units. I am pretty unhappy with all of the zerg buildings, pardoning of course the little tentacles However I want to see more blood and less green ooze. Or more blood overall

   For example, I want the Ultralisk to explode like it did in the original

   It would be good if the zerg units could be revised as the terrans were, but I’m happy to wait until the actual list of units is more fleshed out.

3. Kane — June 18, 2008 @ 6:43 pm
   

   You’re looking at an action heavy picture of a game you haven’t played and don’t really know. It’s not surprising that it’s hard to read. I’m sure seeing it in action a handful of times will allow even the dumbest of you to understand what’s going on.

4. Apharion — June 18, 2008 @ 9:53 pm
   

   No doubt more changes will be coming.

   But this time around, I really would like to see more units. Blizz keeps saying they don’t need units that doesn’t have a core role in balttles. But I really would beg to differ…

   I would hope to see a few rather ‘niche’ units for each race, whether just as eye candy, or leaving it for players to creativity use them, will add a lot more fun to the game.

   According to blizz.. they say the Protoss is quite complete… but from the looks of it.. it just seems like too few units… no heavy hitters. (hardest hit is probably dark templar for around 40 – 50, comparing to over 100 by terrans.)

   Terrans.. the infantry seems very marines specific…. I have an idea… how about when you build a marine.. you can select in the barrack some specifications? (which cannot be modified after unit production.)

   1, Normal machine gun marine
   2, Grenade launching marine (hits slower, harder)
   3, front line pushing marines (with shields, better armor)

   that will add a new level to the games for players to have fun with each unit.

   Similar concept can be added to Protoss zealots.

5. Arthur Santana — June 18, 2008 @ 11:01 pm
   

   I disagree with Apharion; more units means more difficulty when balancing. Starcraft I wouldn’t be nearly perfect if it wasn’t balanced. (we even forget the crappy path-finding)

6. THE_BANANA_REPUBLIC — June 18, 2008 @ 11:09 pm
   

   Yeah. I, too, completely disagree with Apharion. But please keep contributing, Apharion!

   Why was the second section of the quote on Char highlighted? Isn’t this already well-known information? The first bolded quote on Char I find *very* interesting. Could this radioactive mutation be the reason why the Zerg laid dormant for four years? !

7. THE_BANANA_REPUBLIC — June 18, 2008 @ 11:40 pm
   

   “Jackal?” Seriously? It looks more like a Puma.

8. Battlarmd — June 19, 2008 @ 12:04 am
   

   I am ok with more units, I partially agree that fewer units means ‘less creativity’, but I also agree with the hard to balance bit. Like.. steam-engines in WC3, do you ever see them? that’s a niche unit… but I do agree, when I do see them, its usually a cool scene, but really, more of a ‘you suck’ to your opponent too…

   which I am okay with.

   The Marine/units having some customization is a really cool idea though…. maybe BCs can have theirs done like that too. More of a Terran idea.

9. sarge52 — June 19, 2008 @ 1:21 am
   

   the jackal has similarities with the buggy from c&c-generals (“Rrrocket Barrrrrage Rrready!”). but imho it doesnt fit into a space-biased rts…. it somehow reminds me of the old lunar rover (try to imagine a buggy on a space-platform^^).

   what about the attacks of the jackal? if it sticks just to fire, plz give us back the good old firebatter :>.

   imo, the zerg look very good. regarding the fact that blizz says the zerg are the most “incomplete” race.

   and i dont really agree with alpharion, too. different units from the same type (eg: BCs with barrage or yamato) require unnecessary microing – and: different types of marines would require different types of AI for the units, too. the idea is not bad, dont get me wrong. but i dont think the “customization-idea” fits into the principles of starcraft.

10. SikTh — June 19, 2008 @ 4:02 am
    

    I liked the Jackal better as a rail-gun-firing-hover-bike than a space buggy.

11. David Herbert — June 19, 2008 @ 4:14 am
    

    Cool update. Until Starcraft 2 comes out, I’ll visit this site constantly to see any new updates.

12. Kent — June 19, 2008 @ 8:42 am
    

    I happen to really like the customization thing. I am a micro man, and it will give me more edge.

    I think BCs already have this feature, they need to choose their upgrades from yamato or plasma cannons.. so it is not like this interface isn’t there.

    If Blizz would consider this for other units, that will be MIGHTY AWESOME.

13. MagnusMastah — June 21, 2008 @ 8:10 pm
    

    Putting up all this Starcraft lore certainly makes it more helpful if they would possibly, oh I don’t know, make a Starcraft MMO soon or something.

14. StarcraftReplays — June 23, 2008 @ 3:29 pm
    

    Char looks very interesting. I’m happy that they are taking their time to really get into the lore and provide a good storyline behind everything that they do.

15. Dan — November 5, 2008 @ 11:09 am
    

    I dunno, I think that the customization for the marines sounds cool. It’s not really that much different from the zergs mutating into specialists. It’s definetly possible. Whether or not it is truly “SC” is the question. I suppose to a degree it would be cool, i like the idea of shields!!! I think it should be considered or at the very most implemented on a small scale.