Starcraft 2 Fanatic

For more coverage check it out here,
http://blizzardfanatic.com/forums/index.php?topic=66.0

Since the NDA terms has expired today, a lot of single player information has surfaced on various fansites!

- StarCraft II Single Player Hands-On
- StarCraft II Single Player Reveal
- Wings of Liberty SP Coverage

Since we are not in the blizzard fansite program, alas we have no spiffy articles here on our site. Not to worry though, I have plenty planned and in the works for the site, and network!!

Alas the rumors are true,

Today we announced that StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty will not be ready for release by the end of 2009. Over the past couple of weeks, it has become clear that it will take longer than expected to prepare the new Battle.net for the launch of the game. The upgraded Battle.net is an integral part of the StarCraft II experience and will be an essential part of all of our games moving forward. This extra development time will be critical to help us realize our vision for the service.

Our mission is to develop games that deliver an epic entertainment experience. As part of that commitment, we will always take as much time as needed to ensure that our games and services meet the expectations of our players and the standard for quality that we set for ourselves as developers. As we work to make Battle.net the premier online gaming destination, we’ll also continue to polish and refine StarCraft II, and we look forward to delivering a real-time strategy gaming experience worthy of the series’ legacy in the first half of 2010.

We will share more details about the beta, Battle.net, and StarCraft II’s launch in the future. Keep an eye on the official website at http://www.starcraft2.com for updates, and as always, thank you for your continued enthusiasm and support for StarCraft II and all of Blizzard Entertainment’s games.

Source Here,
http://forums.battle.net/thread.html?topicId=19110062236

For those lucky enough, and still wondering what to do with their blizzcon keys, direct yourselves here!

If you have a BlizzCon key from 2008, you can now register it at http://blizzcon.com/beta

Please note that the key on the back of the BlizzCon card is NOT a StarCraft II 'key'. When you opt in on the above site, your email will be added to a distribution list for a guaranteed StarCraft II beta key. When time comes, an email containing a StarCraft II beta key will be mailed out to those who registered with their BlizzCon key. At that point, players will be able to enter their StarCraft II beta key at their Battle.net account management page, allowing them the ability to download the StarCraft II beta client.

Source: StarCraft 2 Forums

Most of this is old news, however there is one very interesting part about it.

Many people have been asking where they can get beta keys for StarCraft II. Here are a few of the opportunities out there right now, and more will come as we approach closer to beta.

"Vespene Laughs" StarCraft II Comic Contest (reoccurring monthly)
http://forums.battle.net/thread.html?topicId=10697505926&sid=3000

Blizzard Theme Park Contest (Ends for North America March 30th, end dates differ for each region, check with the regional site)
This is a great opportunity to get creative, especially since we'll be giving out a pair of beta keys to each category winner. Go Go Go!
http://forums.battle.net/thread.html?topicId=15230879667&sid=3000

Warcraft III The Frozen Throne Tournament Season Winners 2009
The top 20 eligible participants at the end of each region’s invitational ladder will receive a StarCraft II beta key.
http://www.battle.net/tournaments/2009/faq.shtml

Upcoming Opportunities to look out for:
Beta Opt-in
BlizzCast Contests/Events
Future Find Raynor Screenshots (will be announced when it starts, unfortunately does not include previous finds)
StarCraft II Trivia
StarCraft II Fan Site Program
and more...

With the Beta Opt-in, that means the beta is very very close (in blizzard time).

Source: StarCraft 2 Forums

The chat with the Devs this time focused on the many options of the replay system currently being developed.

Chat with Devs: StarCraft II from its conception has been designed to be an eSport and one of the backbone features to helping players learn more about their own gameplay as well as their opponents is through replays. In our chat with Dustin this week, he highlighted various features that will be available to players while viewing replays. These features are designed both to help players improve in StarCraft II as well as serve as a platform of statistics for eSports commentary.

• How much damage did that Reaper raid do on the enemy economy?
• Does it look like the enemy is going to be able to make a comeback?
• Is that player walking into a losing battle?

These are all questions that are raised in exciting competitive games and replays. With the new replay system, players and eSports casters will be able to follow these games in much more depth, as well as understand the repercussions of players’ major decisions on the battlefield. Players will be able to easily compare statistics of opposing players in real time as well as make their own predictions based on stats comparing army size, resource collection rate, resource allocations, and tech research in progress.

Reapers Raiding Zerg’s Economy
http://www.battle.net/Images/misc/3-17/Replay_UI%20_Resources_1.jpg
http://www.battle.net/Images/misc/3-17/Replay_UI%20_Resources_2.jpg

Comparing Army Sizes
http://www.battle.net/Images/misc/3-17/Replay_UI%20_Units_1.jpg
** Replay UI is still very much work in progress
*** Shown are two tabs of various info tabs the player will be able to view while viewing a replay

As always, feel free to give the Devs and I a w00t if you're enjoying these Q&As!

As always hit up the link for the rest of the Q&A!

Source: StarCraft 2 Forums

Blizzard Theme Park Contest
What would you do if you could design the Blizzard Entertainment theme park of your dreams? Here's your chance to show us! We're inviting you to illustrate your own original Blizzard Entertainment theme park, complete with rides and attractions based on the Warcraft, Diablo, and StarCraft universes. The most creative and fantastic designs will receive prizes including StarCraft II beta keys, a chance to have their entry displayed at BlizzCon 2009, and more. For more information, head to the contest page or read the official rules.

Contest Page
http://www.blizzard.com/us/inblizz/contests/themepark/

Official Rules
http://www.blizzard.com/us/inblizz/contests/themepark/legal.html

Source: Starcraft 2 Forums

A new Q&A is out, the actual Q&A part is not very long however we have been given another look into blizzards development process!!

Art Updates
The StarCraft art team have been making massive updates to the Zerg faction, adding various new animations and improving even further on the textures of Zerg units and buildings. A picture is a thousand words so check out the updates for yourself!

Zerg Drone (Before/After)
http://www.battle.net/images/misc/09-02/UpdatedDrone.jpg

Zerg Overlord (Before/After)
http://www.battle.net/images/misc/09-02/UpdatedOverlord.jpg

Zerg Hydralisk (Before/After)
http://www.battle.net/images/misc/09-02/UpdatedHydralisk.jpg

Zerg Overseer (Before/After)
http://www.battle.net/images/misc/09-02/UpdatedOverseer.jpg

Zerg Baneling (Before/After)
http://www.battle.net/images/misc/09-02/UpdatedBaneling.jpg

I am very glad to see this happening, this is one of the many added bonuses of the extra time blizzard allows for their development on games. There are even more images and changes at the link! (plus the actual Q&A)

Source: StarCraft 2 Forums