SC2Mapster

@DrSuperEvil: Yes, I think it is.

One idea for the Hauler transport: It has 2 modes. The standard air transport mode and a slow ground mode. When on ground mode it opens small slits that allow units to attack from inside, so it would be some kind of mobile bunker. It would be great for bringing reinforcements into battle.

I don't believe this has been suggested yet, but a medium sized unit that has been visually constructed out of spider mines would, I think, be interesting- and I shall tell you why! ...Maybe! As a base, it would have a decent melee attack, low armor and health, and a medium speed. Probably similar to a siege tank or so. That's too plain, obviously. >=) Can't have that. When destroyed, the unit would split into two smaller versions, dealing the same damage, with half health. This would proceed to the point of having one mine per unit, at which point they would act in a similar fashion to much weaker banelings- charging straight for the nearest unit and then exploding. I'm not talking 'huge explosion' exploding, though... just something like a marauder missile. ...Dangit, now I want to make this. =( No, no! I need to work on my map. T-T

• trundles off*

It bugs me everyone is going with human creations for these...

My own idea:

Countless years ago, the Xel'Naga were a race of vastness. They had set off to a quest to find what one could call the "perfect race." While this quest eventually led them to create the zerg, who nearly wiped their creator out entirely... this is a story from long before that.

A race of small humanoids, found in a nearby galaxy. These creatures were obsessed with technology. They built anything out of any material they could find. The Xel'Naga found their technology both primative, and yet impressive. Walkers made of wooden planks or rocks... but they were far from what they could be.

And so the mighty Xel'Naga enhanced their evolution. They sped the race; not realizing how short of a span they would have lived. While the race advanced and began to build much more impressive machines and robots, they were a quickly dying people. The Xel'Naga had sped them along too far, and feared they had doomed the race. Saddened by their failure, the intergalactic gods took their leave and continued their quest.

But the race was not so doomed. They saw their extinction on the horizon, and so preserved themselves. A massive mainframe was built, and every member of their race was connected to it. Their memories, thoughts, and emotions were all sucked from their minds and converted into data. The data was spread to the many machines, powering and operating them.

The race lived on in their creations, which went on to build more of themselves; advancing slowly once again. They eventually discovered the Xel'Naga had doomed their race to this form, and were angry with the gods. The machines advanced, reaching out into space, searching their galaxy for traces of the Xel'Naga. They searched, leaving their galaxy and traveling to the nearest. There, they found the protoss and zerg; creations of the gods.

The race sought to destroy the Xel'Naga's creations, and take revenge upon those who killed them.

One more Xel'Naga failure then. Considering they are the most powerful species in the galaxy, they are masters of epic fail lol. Its a good idea, but I'd like to tie this new race to the Starcraft universe without using the whole Xel'Naga-sped-up-evolution-and-failure-now-lets-get-revenge once more. C'mon they can't be responsible for everything that crosses Terran path ;-)

Quote from SoulFilcher: Go

One more Xel'Naga failure then. Considering they are the most powerful species in the galaxy, they are masters of epic fail lol. Its a good idea, but I'd like to tie this new race to the Starcraft universe without using the whole Xel'Naga-sped-up-evolution-and-failure-now-lets-get-revenge once more. C'mon they can't be responsible for everything that crosses Terran path ;-)

I've always theorized they're responsable for the terran, and humans, as well.

They could just be the remains of a dead race from another galaxy. In that event, I would go with a "Let us share this higher level of exsistance with you all" motive.

The major thing I thought of is that each robot is an individual: born of the collective data so it thinks and acts like a member of the dead race. While a central idea or goal drives them coopertively, there isn't a real hive mind aspect in the scenario I envision.

@AtikLYar: Go

Terrans ARE humans lol.

Quote from Nebuli2: Go

@AtikLYar: Go

Terrans ARE humans lol.

I know that, but I was just specifying that much so noone was like "Nu-uh! Terrans are human criminals so humans made them not Xel'Naga, nub!"

@AtikLYar: Go

I like this story. I hope they are like really strong race too.

What i think we should think of first is "Is this race going to be a 'mass units and attack' race or a 'slowly trickle in your units; you'll win eventually' race? 'diversity' or 'make a bunch of marines marauders and medivacs'? 'expand as much as possible; it doesn't matter if he notices, because by then, it'll be too late' or 'better get the island expo'?" Also, about the eco booster, could we make it so the unit doesnt have to be right next to the mineral patch to mine it? that would reduce the distance it had to go, thus boosting the economy.

@Jaxter184: I agree with you. Defining strengths and weaknesses is one of the most important decisions to make. The blueprint says this race has good stealth and hit and run tactics, so cloaked units and fast moving/cliff jumper units should be in.

'better get the island expo' LOL, what kind of strength is that? I guess you mean something like Lift Off?

Or an entirely different road:

Workers don't mine minerals. Workers build extraction devices on mineral patches, mining them like automated refinerys. These devices could be partially mobile (only when not attached to a patch) and be able to go to alternative patches, once theirs are depleted. Cost 50, can be upgraded once for 50 to sort of get the same saturation. Can only be applied to mineral patches with a nearby main building but function without it (and/or need power connection)

Pros:

• no travel time
  
• harder/different to kill compared to the usual eco line (they would have more hp than a worker and probably be armored)
  
• fast to build if you have many workers
  
• no mining time lost when constructing other structures
  
• probably quite unique (don't know, what the current system or previous suggestions stated ;) )
  
• workers could be used for different tasks like scouting ;) maybe provide food? maybe even get abilities?

Cons:

• not the same max saturation, the upgrade would equivalent 2 workers per patch
  
• stationary, so they cannot be evacuated when the eco-line gets raided
  
• can only be transferred after the mineral patch was mined out
  
• need to build workers and extraction devices.

Start units would be 1 worker and 6 extraction devices.

Eco booster would be a spell of the main building, which can be casted on the workers, allowing them to enter the devices temporarily to boost the extraction or to harvest from them temporarily.

So... would the devices act like spore crawlers? The walk over and sit down on the pates and if they are, say, in the bases power line, they start gathering?

How hard is it to make a footprint that forces them to sit on minerals? And how hard is it to make them act like the extractors from campaign?

So now it becomes a question:

Do we want to start with workers and build those later, or start with a few we can put down immediately?