Starcraft II is a science fiction RTS game currently under development from Blizzard Entertainment, as a sequel to the critically acclaimed 1998 videogame Starcraft. Starcraft II is being prepared for release on Windows XP, Vista, and Mac OSX. The game is highly anticipated by both old and new fans, yet the game has no release date as of yet. This AAA title is set to utilize DirectX 9 fully, as well as DirectX 10. Blizzard has yet to announce whether there will be DirectX 10 exclusive content. For the Mac OSX version, OpenGL will be used. A vibrant new 3D game engine with support for multiple visual effects, massive unit and army sizes is being used as well. 

The age old battle of Red vs Blue.

Starcraft II brings back the three main races from the original game – Protoss, Terran, and Zerg; Blizzard has released these three will again be the only playable races in the game. Although Starcraft had a still used multiplayer system, Starcraft II wants to build on this. Blizzard wants to focus much more heavily on the multiplayer aspect, including overall improvements in Battle.net, competitive ladder systems, and an Xbox Live styled Match-Making component. Another addition to the online multiplayer is the ability to add “Linked-Maps” and “Online Campaigns.” This allows custom campaigns to be created, and played with friends. New scripting tools will also be released, not unlike the current editor for Starcraft.

Development of Starcraft II started on May 19^th 2007 and is still making headway now. Since then every few weeks the developers have released a Starcraft Q&A. These Q&A’s include community questions, frequently asked questions, and things the developers want to inform us about. The core gaming is very far along, and the multiplayer is near completion. The single player aspect is still rough, and won’t be ready for months to come. Even though multiple rumors have drifted by, the release date is still slated for TBA.

Various new aspects are being added to the mix, such as Terrans “Salvage Ability” which allows the Terran race to deconstruct an entire building and get 100% of the cost back. Enhanced various abilities like the Phoenix’s Overload ability are also being added. The new AI that is being added to the game will do a great deal more scouting, making decisions according to what is found during these scouting missions, and better point to point movement. A new damage system will also be in play, including bonus damages depending on the shielding. Now, you can also queue up multiple buildings at a time for those of you that like to multitask.  A bunch of smaller things such as High-Yield minerals, and destructible rocks will be added to keep things new. The Xel’Naga will play a bigger part in the story we are told, with many neutral structures scattered across the map.

The visuals in Starcraft 2 will be boosted beyond most PC’s abilities

There are a mass of new units being created, as well as old ones being dumped out. The Terran gets a revamped Battle cruiser, new vehicles, as well as new units such as the Reapers. Protoss are also getting new units. These include the “Immortal”, Collossus, Stalker, Pheonix, Warp Ray, Mothership and loads of other new technology to use. Over 25 units have been announced, both new and old. Most older units have been revamped with new powers and abilities.

The storyline takes place four years after the evens of Brood War, and features a number of main characters from the original games, such as Zeratul, Artanis, Sarah Kerrigan and Jim Reynor. Players will revisit the various worlds from the original series, as well as some new ones.  The main plot is fairly close to the original game. In the four years between Starcraft II and Brood War, Kerrigan has been unheard of; she has defeated the Terran Dominion, as well as the United Earth Directorates Expeditionary Force. Kerrigan retreats back to the planet of Char at the end of Brood War, and since then the Terran are expecting an attack at any moment. Meanwhile, the Protoss have retreated to a planet named Shakuras.

After than, Starcraft II becomes a shrouded cloud. There is still a lot to learn about this huge RTS. We will keep you updated all the way until its eventual launch (whenever that is).