Spawning FTW
Currently, no.
One fan-favorite animation from the original Starcraft that is currently missing in the Starcraft II Beta is the ability for Zerg buildings to bleed when damaged.
They still spawn a small host of little Zergies when destroyed, which can often catch an unwary foe off guard, but the visual cue that the building is getting low on health is not there.
Sure, players can mouse over a Hive or Spawning Pool to get a look at the health bar, but there’s something viscerally satisfying about seeing the almost entirely organic Zerg buildings bleed out their life.
Several forum posts have asked the question “where’s the blood, yo?” (with the “yo” added as a placeholder for any and all l33tspeak), and Blizzard’s response has been clear: the blood will flow.
It seems that the blood animations took longer than intended, or are perhaps simply a “nice to have but won’t break the game if they’re not here” type of mechanic. The Beta plays perfectly well without the addition of blood, which can be easily added before the ultimate release.
The same question has been asked about Protoss buildings, though it’s blue fire, rather than blood, that used to spew forth from them when they were heavily damaged.
These are great bits of visual information to have, and can be extremely useful in a fast-paced match where the condition of buildings can be assessed only for a moment. More units must be built, defenses must be readied, and armies given one last stirring speech before the final assault begins – there’s no time for extra mouse clicking.
At the end of the day, this is a Beta. It’s more polished than most of the Betas we’ve seem (see: two or three), but it has a long way to go.
Case in point – something almost as insidious as the Zerg – Windows 7. By all accounts, this OS is not the spawn of Satan himself, but some sort of more effective demonic step-child. Users don’t actually loathe the program, which is a significant step up from previous iterations.
Of course, it doesn’t really work that well with Starcraft II. The SCII launcher can cause lock-ups or outright failure, and apparently the game just doesn’t play the way it should on Windows 7. Forum posts and Blizzard responses from over a year ago indicate that they had every intention of making Starcraft II Windows 7 compatible, and we have no doubt that it will work as it should by the time launch rolls around.
A number of people we know have actually stopped playing the Starcraft Beta because of minor technical issues, major ones, or the fact that it just doesn’t play like the first one. Sure, it’s possible that Blizzard will get this one wrong, but if they do, they’ll suffer for it.
Suffer; in this case, means slightly less giant yachts for their senior members, who by now must control almost all of the world’s gaming capital.
The Beta has issues, and of that there’s no doubt. It’s supposed to. We don’t agree with all of the changes that have been made, from the initial build and cost changes of almost all units to the more recent Roach/Marauder nerf.
It’s actually a testament to how well this thing works “out of the box”, as it were, since there have been no units actually lost from the game since it the Beta was rolled out. Overall, the Beta is humming along just as it should, and a good or bad Beta does not necessarily determine the fate of a game.
Blizzard needs to keep the hardcore fans happy while still making sure the game actually stays fun. So far, they seem to be treading this nerdy line extremely well, but only time will tell.
Now, if there was only a way that Blizzard could make Windows 7 bleed if it wasn’t working properly.
