One of the biggest parts of heart of the swarm is the campaign. Very soon, we will get to find out what's happened after we saw Raynor and Kerrigan last time. Not only are there major developments in the story and lore, the actual gameplay has some new and exciting changes! So without further adieu, I'd love to present our complete overview of the Heart of the Swarm Campagin.
What's new in the story?
Last time we left Raynor, he had just recovered Kerrigan's partially de-zergafied body. Kerrigan's connection with the zerg is still there, albeit in a weakened state. Now that she's back to being a human (mostly), she can't remember most of what happened while she was the Queen of Blades. She has been told what she's done and the guilt is weighing her down. While she can still control the swarm, her connection is weakened. She's going to have to gather up all the fragments of her swarm before she can pursue her goals...
Zeratul has gone rouge in the last few years. He's discovered a cause that he believes is more important than all the fighting between the different races, and he's working in the shadows to advance this cause. He's still dealing with the prophecy, Hybrids, and Xel Naga, so he will definitely be returning for Heart of the Swarm.
So Izsha is an infested terran (Amanda Haley). When Kerrigan was still the Queen of Blades, she stored her thoughts and memories in Izsha. She can serve as an adviser of sorts, keeping track of things while Kerrigan is busy. She can also identity planets and their resources; When she identifies planets, you can choose which ones to conquer, and each planet will allow you to assimilate different bonuses for your swarm.
Shortly before the end of Wings of Liberty, Kerrigan created several Brood Mothers to rule over any swarms she was not using. Unlike many zerg beings, Brood Mothers actually are sentient, and have thier own initiatives and goals. Za'Garra happened to be the Brood Mother on Char, and when Kerrigan returns to the planet, she will not surrender her forces lightly. Kerrigan will have to defeat Za'Garra in order to retake char, and then take down additional brood mothers to rebuild her swarm.
What about the actual gameplay?
During Wings of Liberty, the campagin was designed to make you feel like you were way in over your head- just a rag-tag group of rebels hoping around the galaxy to earn cash. During Heart of the Swarm, Blizzard is taking a different approach. If you think back to WoL, whenever the zerg showed up on a planet, you wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. Blizzard wants to capture this feeling of total war and domination, and allow you to control that same power that terrifies the galaxy. The campagin will revolve much more around invading and conquering planets to further you causes. For example, taking over one planet may allow your swarm to assimilate the local creates, granting additional larva production speed. If you choose to instead launch a strike against a different planet, you might be able to assimilate DNA to allow for faster zerglings.
Blizzard didn't like their previous idea for an upgrade system (collecting "Mutagen Points" and upgrading units) because it felt way to similar to the Armory system from WoL. Now, the mutations are unlocked over time as you play the game. Each unit gets 3 unlock-able upgrades. Blizzard also added genetic splits, which allow you to actually "Evolve" your unit after the 3rd upgrade. For example, you may choose to evolve your zerglings into raptors or swarmlings. You can see their differences in the videos below.
Every unit will have a genetic split just like this, which you can choose after you research the 3rd upgrade for that unit type. You will also get to play a mission which uses both unit evolutions before you make your choice. For example, once I buy the 3rd zergling unlock, I can launch a mission that will allow me to evolve my zerglings. The mission will allow me to use both Raptors and Swarmlings. Once the mission is over, I can pick which variation I would like to keep.
Q&A
Blizzard allowed a good chunk of time for Blizzcon attendees to ask questions. Quite a lot of information was revealed in these, so I've summarized them below for your enjoyment. I've bolded some of the more interesting information ;)
Is Duran coming back? He was my favorite Charactor!
Duran is definitely not forgotten. He still has a part to play in starcraft 2. It's possible you might have met him already. Well actually, you totally have. ;)
Kerrigan doesn't remember everything except for some of the more intense moments. How can Raynor accept her after what she's done?
That's something that comes up during the game. While she doesn't remember everything, she has been told of her actions and her guilt is immense. Raynor will probably still forgive her, but there will be tension for sure.
Kerrigan is fueled by Anger towards Mengsk- but how does feel about Raynor's Rebel force and the Protoss?
She understands that she's public enemy #1. She is fully aware that pretty much everybody wants her dead, and that's going to color all her feelings. For her entire life, she's always been manipulated. During her ghost training and her reign as Queen, she never truly had freedom. So this is the first oppurtunity for her to define her own path. I hope it ends well for them...
Will the Zerg leave the Kurpulu sector and attack Earth?
No, probably not. But it's certainly a cool idea that would stir up emotions in us all. But as for Heart of the Swarm, nope.
What happened to Nova? Will we see her?
She's definitely in the game. But this is a zerg campagin, so the focus is on Kerrigan, not Nova. She does have an important role and will show up during this campaign and future games. For the mission side of things, we want to make great missions. So if she fits into one, that's great.
Are there any Easter eggs in these Blizzcon Demos?
Who Knows? You might as well keep looking. We pack these maps full of lots of fun stuff.
Does Duran have any connection to Narud? (Name spelled backwords)
I don't know. DURAN....NARUD.... I don't know? Do you see a connection? *Wink Wink*
Will our choices in WoL make an impact in the HotS story?
We hope to import your decisions from WoL into HotS, as long as the technology can handle it. While it won't make any huge changes to the story, any lines of dialog dealing with these events will be correct depending on your choices. If you didn't play the WoL campagin or we can't do it, we'll go with option A for all of them.
You got to see a lot of Dominion Society during WoL. But there are very few self-aware zerg, so how will you keep the world feeling alive?
There are quite a few characters, don't worry. We used things like the NewsCast and crew-mates in WoL to give a terran feeling. This is our chance to really explore the swarm and see it far closer than ever before. We will find a way to express that sense of a living, breathing world. Maybe we can add a infested Jukebox...
Are the Protoss angry with Kerrigan? I mean, she killed Fenix and Tassadar....
Oh they're pissed. She's a terrible person! There will be shenanigans.
What happened to the UED? And Stukov?
The UED is pretty much gone; they got their butt kicked pretty bad, and there's not much butt left. They won't be returning for HotS but we may hear from them in the future. HotS has a lot of returning characters (but not Tychus :D ). There are some old favorites who do show up, and I hope you will be pleasantly surprised.
Kerrigan realizes the world is going to end- so why does care so much about Mengsk? Is she aware that she is the "queen on the chessboard" for the entire world?
In WoL, she was aware that the world was ending. But she wanted to prepare the swarm to meet the threat, even though they would loose.Nobody really understands the prophecy in it's entirety except for Zeratul. So these themes will come up. But the more prophetic component of Starcraft is still there, and it's something that will be appearing in the games.
Will the Hybrids be returning? How much impact will they have?
Do you think we'd set them aside? You will see them, and they'll do mean things to you.
Will we see the characters from the books?
Probably not, although it's possible. Most of the book characters are terrans, and this a zerg story. If we felt that adding one of them would really fit, then who knows? But we're not going out of our way to add them. Although here's something new- the terran character Amanda Haley actually became Izsha.
There's a character called Cole Bennet, who can change his appearance... Is he Duran?
We're 99% sure that he's not actually Duran. We're very confident that he's just changing other people's perception of him, not actually changing himself.
What are the Protoss going to do with the zerg?
They're not happy. They pretty much want them dead.
Raynor used to have a wife and a son before Sc1. Will we see them?
No. Although that is an interesting idea. We pretty much know where we're going with HotS and LotV.
So we've seen the hybrids mind control people. Why don't they just go into the government and start a civil war?
How do you know they're not already doing that? ;) But they're not. Like the last question, we pretty much know where we're going with these next 2 games.
I've seen Kerrigan glow both blue and orange at different times. And her hand becomes partially re-zergafied in one of the pictures. What gives?
I'm not at liberty to say, but you are definitely on to something.
So that's about it for the HotS campagin panel- I hope you guys are as excited as I am! You can check out additional Blizzcon Articles here. Make sure to share your thoughts & opinions below. ;)
Do they screen the questions? Too bad no 'rebel' got in and asked if they're rethinking the structure of the campaign... as (I found) the last one didn't really engage, whether it was a sub-par story or non-linear (and slightly pointless) planet hopping. Just felt like "oh great now I have to go to this planet... okay finished missions, now onto this planet, okay finished missions, etc...". I think by making the structure more open the sacrificed a lot on a purposeful and sensible story that blows your mind.
Just my opinions though. I enjoyed the Zombie mission the most probably :D
Yes they screen the questions. You have to tell the person with the mic what your question is before you get in line. Then they let you know if that's okay. Obviously you could change your question, but you'd probably get jumped by ninjas never to be heard from again.
One of the biggest parts of heart of the swarm is the campaign. Very soon, we will get to find out what's happened after we saw Raynor and Kerrigan last time. Not only are there major developments in the story and lore, the actual gameplay has some new and exciting changes! So without further adieu, I'd love to present our complete overview of the Heart of the Swarm Campagin.
What's new in the story?
Last time we left Raynor, he had just recovered Kerrigan's partially de-zergafied body. Kerrigan's connection with the zerg is still there, albeit in a weakened state. Now that she's back to being a human (mostly), she can't remember most of what happened while she was the Queen of Blades. She has been told what she's done and the guilt is weighing her down. While she can still control the swarm, her connection is weakened. She's going to have to gather up all the fragments of her swarm before she can pursue her goals...
Zeratul has gone rouge in the last few years. He's discovered a cause that he believes is more important than all the fighting between the different races, and he's working in the shadows to advance this cause. He's still dealing with the prophecy, Hybrids, and Xel Naga, so he will definitely be returning for Heart of the Swarm.
So Izsha is an infested terran (Amanda Haley). When Kerrigan was still the Queen of Blades, she stored her thoughts and memories in Izsha. She can serve as an adviser of sorts, keeping track of things while Kerrigan is busy. She can also identity planets and their resources; When she identifies planets, you can choose which ones to conquer, and each planet will allow you to assimilate different bonuses for your swarm.
Shortly before the end of Wings of Liberty, Kerrigan created several Brood Mothers to rule over any swarms she was not using. Unlike many zerg beings, Brood Mothers actually are sentient, and have thier own initiatives and goals. Za'Garra happened to be the Brood Mother on Char, and when Kerrigan returns to the planet, she will not surrender her forces lightly. Kerrigan will have to defeat Za'Garra in order to retake char, and then take down additional brood mothers to rebuild her swarm.
What about the actual gameplay?
During Wings of Liberty, the campagin was designed to make you feel like you were way in over your head- just a rag-tag group of rebels hoping around the galaxy to earn cash. During Heart of the Swarm, Blizzard is taking a different approach. If you think back to WoL, whenever the zerg showed up on a planet, you wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. Blizzard wants to capture this feeling of total war and domination, and allow you to control that same power that terrifies the galaxy. The campagin will revolve much more around invading and conquering planets to further you causes. For example, taking over one planet may allow your swarm to assimilate the local creates, granting additional larva production speed. If you choose to instead launch a strike against a different planet, you might be able to assimilate DNA to allow for faster zerglings.
Blizzard didn't like their previous idea for an upgrade system (collecting "Mutagen Points" and upgrading units) because it felt way to similar to the Armory system from WoL. Now, the mutations are unlocked over time as you play the game. Each unit gets 3 unlock-able upgrades. Blizzard also added genetic splits, which allow you to actually "Evolve" your unit after the 3rd upgrade. For example, you may choose to evolve your zerglings into raptors or swarmlings. You can see their differences in the videos below.
Every unit will have a genetic split just like this, which you can choose after you research the 3rd upgrade for that unit type. You will also get to play a mission which uses both unit evolutions before you make your choice. For example, once I buy the 3rd zergling unlock, I can launch a mission that will allow me to evolve my zerglings. The mission will allow me to use both Raptors and Swarmlings. Once the mission is over, I can pick which variation I would like to keep.
Q&A
Blizzard allowed a good chunk of time for Blizzcon attendees to ask questions. Quite a lot of information was revealed in these, so I've summarized them below for your enjoyment. I've bolded some of the more interesting information ;)
Is Duran coming back? He was my favorite Charactor!
Duran is definitely not forgotten. He still has a part to play in starcraft 2. It's possible you might have met him already. Well actually, you totally have. ;)
Kerrigan doesn't remember everything except for some of the more intense moments. How can Raynor accept her after what she's done?
That's something that comes up during the game. While she doesn't remember everything, she has been told of her actions and her guilt is immense. Raynor will probably still forgive her, but there will be tension for sure.
Kerrigan is fueled by Anger towards Mengsk- but how does feel about Raynor's Rebel force and the Protoss?
She understands that she's public enemy #1. She is fully aware that pretty much everybody wants her dead, and that's going to color all her feelings. For her entire life, she's always been manipulated. During her ghost training and her reign as Queen, she never truly had freedom. So this is the first oppurtunity for her to define her own path. I hope it ends well for them...
Will the Zerg leave the Kurpulu sector and attack Earth?
No, probably not. But it's certainly a cool idea that would stir up emotions in us all. But as for Heart of the Swarm, nope.
What happened to Nova? Will we see her?
She's definitely in the game. But this is a zerg campagin, so the focus is on Kerrigan, not Nova. She does have an important role and will show up during this campaign and future games. For the mission side of things, we want to make great missions. So if she fits into one, that's great.
Are there any Easter eggs in these Blizzcon Demos?
Who Knows? You might as well keep looking. We pack these maps full of lots of fun stuff.
Does Duran have any connection to Narud? (Name spelled backwords)
I don't know. DURAN....NARUD.... I don't know? Do you see a connection? *Wink Wink*
Will our choices in WoL make an impact in the HotS story?
We hope to import your decisions from WoL into HotS, as long as the technology can handle it. While it won't make any huge changes to the story, any lines of dialog dealing with these events will be correct depending on your choices. If you didn't play the WoL campagin or we can't do it, we'll go with option A for all of them.
You got to see a lot of Dominion Society during WoL. But there are very few self-aware zerg, so how will you keep the world feeling alive?
There are quite a few characters, don't worry. We used things like the NewsCast and crew-mates in WoL to give a terran feeling. This is our chance to really explore the swarm and see it far closer than ever before. We will find a way to express that sense of a living, breathing world. Maybe we can add a infested Jukebox...
Are the Protoss angry with Kerrigan? I mean, she killed Fenix and Tassadar....
Oh they're pissed. She's a terrible person! There will be shenanigans.
What happened to the UED? And Stukov?
The UED is pretty much gone; they got their butt kicked pretty bad, and there's not much butt left. They won't be returning for HotS but we may hear from them in the future. HotS has a lot of returning characters (but not Tychus :D ). There are some old favorites who do show up, and I hope you will be pleasantly surprised.
Kerrigan realizes the world is going to end- so why does care so much about Mengsk? Is she aware that she is the "queen on the chessboard" for the entire world?
In WoL, she was aware that the world was ending. But she wanted to prepare the swarm to meet the threat, even though they would loose.Nobody really understands the prophecy in it's entirety except for Zeratul. So these themes will come up. But the more prophetic component of Starcraft is still there, and it's something that will be appearing in the games.
Will the Hybrids be returning? How much impact will they have?
Do you think we'd set them aside? You will see them, and they'll do mean things to you.
Will we see the characters from the books?
Probably not, although it's possible. Most of the book characters are terrans, and this a zerg story. If we felt that adding one of them would really fit, then who knows? But we're not going out of our way to add them. Although here's something new- the terran character Amanda Haley actually became Izsha.
There's a character called Cole Bennet, who can change his appearance... Is he Duran?
We're 99% sure that he's not actually Duran. We're very confident that he's just changing other people's perception of him, not actually changing himself.
What are the Protoss going to do with the zerg?
They're not happy. They pretty much want them dead.
Raynor used to have a wife and a son before Sc1. Will we see them?
No. Although that is an interesting idea. We pretty much know where we're going with HotS and LotV.
So we've seen the hybrids mind control people. Why don't they just go into the government and start a civil war?
How do you know they're not already doing that? ;) But they're not. Like the last question, we pretty much know where we're going with these next 2 games.
I've seen Kerrigan glow both blue and orange at different times. And her hand becomes partially re-zergafied in one of the pictures. What gives?
I'm not at liberty to say, but you are definitely on to something.
So that's about it for the HotS campagin panel- I hope you guys are as excited as I am! You can check out additional Blizzcon Articles here. Make sure to share your thoughts & opinions below. ;)
Thanks Zelda! People threw some lame questions there lol.
Blizzard got some good artists, can't wait to play campaign for it's exciting gameplay and great visuals.
Do they screen the questions? Too bad no 'rebel' got in and asked if they're rethinking the structure of the campaign... as (I found) the last one didn't really engage, whether it was a sub-par story or non-linear (and slightly pointless) planet hopping. Just felt like "oh great now I have to go to this planet... okay finished missions, now onto this planet, okay finished missions, etc...". I think by making the structure more open the sacrificed a lot on a purposeful and sensible story that blows your mind.
Just my opinions though. I enjoyed the Zombie mission the most probably :D
And yes Blizz has amazing artists.
Yes they screen the questions. You have to tell the person with the mic what your question is before you get in line. Then they let you know if that's okay. Obviously you could change your question, but you'd probably get jumped by ninjas never to be heard from again.
Tee hee I'm gonna get the game!