I disagree a bit on the fact that Artanis' development is akin to Leonardo, and that he didn't grew, at least in the way you wished it was, with Tassadar.
It's not his development that's the problem, but his personality (maybe I worded myself poorly, I don't know). It's pretty common for the main character in a story to have this quality. A good example would be Luke Skywalker in Star Wars. Not a bad character per se, nor one without development, but it seems everyone and their mother prefers Han Solo, because he's... well, cooler and more charismatic (it certainly also helps that Harrison Ford is a better actor than Mark Hamill). It's a hard character to get right. I'm not saying Blizzard wrote Artanis in a bad manner, but simply that his personality lacks color.
And there is drama involved, as well, perhaps even more than I expected - The Korhal post-cinematic is a reaffirming of Raynor and Artanis' standing partnership, Rohana's severing is emotional and fitting to her arc, and even Karax gets to shine when even he didn't expect it, and the meaning to the end of the caste system, imposed by the Conclave years ago, means the ultimate change is inevitable - Where are Protoss see themselves as Protoss, despite their appearance, creed, belief or the feeling of bonding through a unity link. This doesn't mean, however, the Khala is bad, it did deliver a new age to the Protoss, putting an end to all slaughter, and satisfied all their emotional and psionic links when it was needed, and the Khala does mean 'faith' but it's also a lesson to never put too much faith, or become fanatic, like the Tal'Darim.
I appreciate those points, but what I would have liked is to have something like, say, a faction who refuses to cut their nerve cords, not because they want to serve Amon (like the Tal'Darim pre-Alarak), but because they see it as a ploy by the dark templar (or something like that). This would be a nice callback to the Protoss campaigns in the original game, in the sense that they still struggle to unite, even against a common foe. Not only is that great drama, but it easily translates into gameplay as well, as you would have to fight this faction in a mission (in the same way you fought the Conclave, when you should be allying with them and fight the zerg instead). They do touch upon this with Rohana, but that's just one character, and there's no gameplay involved.
I guess you could say this is something similar to what I wanted to convey with the Amina rebellion in Amber Sun 08, where you had your allies switching sides because they thought the fight was unwinnable.
Well, I suppose I should become one of the cool guys and write a review of LOTV too. Note: this write-up was based on a playthrough that was concentrated mostly on a single day (with the final four missions stretched over two additional days). Not an approach I'd recommend, but I needed to finish it and get back to my reading at school (the idea of studying while knowing this was left unplayed seemed... unrealistic, to say the least).
Includes spoilers
It pleases me endlessly to proclaim LOTV as the best installment of the trilogy. It is not without its flaws, and it doesn't compare to the original game (though it could be argued it bests some of its individual episodes, particularly Overmind and The Stand), but it really is a good expansion.
I still hold the belief that Starcraft storylines in general should be dark and pessimistic, especially since Blizzard already has two "lighter" game series (Diablo, despite its grim and gothic presentation, is at its core still a semi-traditional tale of good versus evil), but as I've long settled with the idea that Starcraft wasn't going back to its roots, I was able to live with it.
Story
I was probably one of those few who defended the story of Wings of Liberty. By no means did I find it to be a masterpiece, but I struggled to see the disaster everyone else proclaimed it to be. It engaged me, even with its side plots (hey, I like seeing the universe extended). No, it was really with Heart of the Swarm that Blizzard lost me. I expected the dark, Empire Strikes Back-esque middle part, but instead I got a shallow love story. It certainly didn't help that the promised something far more sinister (it even opened with a line that doesn't appear in the game).
Legacy of the Void succeeds mostly by dialing back on the bad parts of the two previous installments. There is less cheesiness, fewer cringy lines, and in general, the story feels more focused and coherent. It is also more engaging, much because of an opening act that dares to do what Heart of a Swarm couldn't when it kills off a central character (in what surely has to be one of the series' saddest scenes, period).
Do I argue that Blizzard should have killed Raynor? Not necessarily. My problem on that part was primarily Blizzard's failure of committing to their promise. If they hadn't teased Raynor's death, there wouldn't have been a problem (modern audiences are too trained to expect a body before believing a death, and Blizzard should have been savvy enough to know this).
However, despite it generally being a good one, I must also admit that LOTV's story sometimes failed to reach a level that truly gripped me. Apart from Zeratul's death, I struggle to recall stand-out scenes or moments. There is simply too little drama. Artanis' struggle is primarily one of a physical nature, in the sense that there are enemies standing in his way that need to be crushed. The group of Protoss who stand against him are all corrupted, a far cry from the Conclave in the first game, who willingly opposed Tassadar (at the least opportune moment possible). Even the Tal'Darim are game for a union (sort of, anyway). Unlike Tassadar, Artanis doesn't win over his corrupted kin with his conviction, but rather by severing body parts.
I must give props to Blizzard for doing something with Legacy of the Void that Wings of Liberty couldn't, though, and that is to play on the existing lore of the first game. While the story of WOL could arguably have been played by a first-timer (with Kerrigan's fate and Mengsk's cruelty explained in a simple cinematic, and Zeratul conveniently forgetting Duran having made the hybrids), LOTV rewards the veteran, as it seamlessly integrates existing lore (like the Khala and the Aeon of Strife) into the main narrative, and it's all the better for it.
Gameplay
After WOL, I wondered how long Blizzard could continue their creative streak. Here was an installment where pretty much every mission offered something new, and I remember thinking how impressed I was by that. HOTS wasn't as creative, as some of the mechanics were pretty much blatant recycles of old concepts (sometimes from WOL, but also WC3's The Culling). I must also admit to feeling a strange sense of deja vu in the game when I was asked to destroy a building in one of the top map corners for the umpteenth time (LOTV replays this feeling by asking you to destroy crystals over and over).
LOTV sadly suffers from the same of the same creativity deficit as HOTS, but makes up for it with a consistently high level of presentation. LOTV's trump card is just as much its form as its content. This is a gorgeous game, with a great number of environments (I can't wait to start playing around with its tilesets). It's also a great-sounding game, with a soundtrack that I've played over and over already. A good example of the effectiveness of the presentation would be the Rak'shir mission, which takes a fairly simple concept (push the bad guy to the other side) and heightens it with its great visuals (Slayn looks so immensely cool) and fist-pumping music.
I must give extra props for the penultimate Aiur mission, Templar's Return too. Just as I began to wonder if I was ever going to get a Belly of the Beast-like mission (my favorite in WOL, and probably in the entire trilogy), I was given exactly that: a Belly of the Beast-like mission. I couldn't help but smile when it started out like Crimson Moon 6, before pleasantly turning into Bio-Tech Company 2 in the middle. Well done, Blizzard.
LOTV also gets a lot of mileage out of the Spear of Adun, which really is awesome (no other word is needed, really), as well as the numerous unit variations. I had a lot of fun building my army, and I can't tell you how many times I massed DTs, simply to see them blink everywhere (if that ability doesn't show up in some of my future work, I don't know what will). I also want to give extra props to Blizzard for giving the units traits that were true to their factions, both in looks and abilities. There is never a moment when a unit feels like it doesn't belong to its respective faction (surely, Blizzard must have consulted StealthToast).
Characters
Because Zeratul kicks it so early, the burden of carrying LOTV's story primarily rests on Artanis' shoulder, which is both good and bad. It's good because Artanis is better written than Raynor and Kerrigan, and because he is sympathetic enough for the player to stand with him through his trials. However, there is no denying that, for all his honor, he is kinda dull. He is the Leonardo character. He is honor-bound, loyal and ambitious. He's not a down-to-earth charmer caught in the middle of an alien conflict, like Raynor, nor is he an anti-hero like Kerrigan. I like Artanis, I really do, but I can't help to think of Tassadar, whose presence in the original game was so immensely profound. Artanis doesn't quite reach those levels.
It falls then, as it often does, on the side characters to color the palette, and most of them succeeds. Karax is wonderfully optimistic, so frequently enamored with the technological possibilities surrounding him that he seems to be forgetting the enormity of the situation he's in. Rohana, meanwhile, is given a solid and tragic arc where she has to slowly realize that she has to let go off her past to move. I can't say much about Vorazun, as she somewhat underused (which is surprising, considering she is the daughter of Raszagal, which surely could have inspired so many great arcs). Luckily, there's Alarak, who is so devastatingly honest about his own cruelty that you don't know if you should like him or not. Like Tychus in WOL and Abathur in HOTS, he is the break-out star, giving the campaign a well-needed spark of life.
And then there's Amon. For reasons I still can't understand, Blizzard chose to keep him in the shadows in WOL. Even in HOTS, he wasn't given much but a name. He is more present than ever in LOTV, but that isn't saying much. Unlike so many others, I don't have a problem with him being the traditional big-bad-out-to-destroy-the-universe (though something more complex would obviously have been preferable), but I still can't see the rationale of keeping him off-screen for so long. The idea of him requiring a host body is really cool (I'm a sucker for avatars, I guess), but it should have happened much sooner. Compare him to Archimonde in WC3, who was no more complex, but was at least given room to breathe in the story. SC2 deserved a great villain, and Amon wasn't it.
Final words
I liked Legacy of the Void, I really did. One day, I'm gonna play it again and see if that opinion holds, but I have a feeling it will. I also think I will like it more the second time. It's gorgeous to look at and great to listen to. It's also immensely difficult on Brutal (there was a few missions where I had to revert to Hard), which was a pleasant surprise after HOTS (which was way too easy). I don't want to give a grade (at least not yet), but instead repeat what I've said before, which is that this was a surprisingly good ending to the SC2 trilogy.
What do you mean, gimmicks/assets? I certainly hope to take advantage of whatever toys LOTV brings in its bag.
There is definitely gonna be custom models. I didn't use that at all for PS, except for Janus' suit, and that worked out well, so why not continue doing it? The extent of the use is still uncertain, though. Having custom models everywhere sounds nice in theory, but it takes a lot of time, and it's important to ask if it's worth it.
You could argue there's an hierarchy of importance, with heroes taking precedence over everything else. Characters become more believable if they don't look too much like the standard models. Tychus has already had to play Henderson; not sure I can ask him to play another role without the player failing to suspend his disbelief.
Then again, with all the cool factions that's being cooked up by StealthToast, there might already be an incentive to provide a variety of custom models. I might need to hire someone for that part.
I have naming some of the missions, as can be seen in the opening post. This should be read as a sign that the story work is progressing. Also: as even the unobservant can see, the writing is not entirely linear.
Yes, they do, and the point is that any order has to work. The campaign will likely begin with a disclaimer explaining this shortly. I'll write how for each campaign you play, the more of the big picture you'll see. So in the first campaign you know as much as the characters. In the second and third, you know more than they do.
A made-up example: Say there's a Protoss spy amongst the Terrans. If you play Protoss first, you'll later play the Terran and know there's a spy. Play Terran first, and this'll be a surprise twist.
I hope it involves changelings. Changelings are cool.
Shit, that's a great idea.
I opened up my "Ideas" document and noticed I have a lot of other cool stuff planned, the only difference being that these ideas aren't "confirmed" yet. Anyway, here they are:
A zerg base powered entirely by overlords instead of creep. Naturally, the enemy has a lot of anti-air.
A boss fight like The End from MGS3. He has an extremely long range, but needs spotters to see you (like Phantom Locust). Naturally, you'll have to avoid the spotters while trying to find him. Expect lots of tall grass.
A playable Protoss faction where the units are twice as costly, but also twice as strong.
A unit that that can be used to guide enemy attack waves to its location (not unlike a psi emitter, I suppose). Can be used to turn one enemy against another.
A favor system where helping one side will anger another.
Specific musical themes for each of the main characters.
A fight where you trap invading units in gas rooms. Kinda like Ossos, except closing the doors automatically kills everyone inside, meaning you don't have to do that yourself. This one is actually technically confirmed.
Some of the things you can expect in this campaign:
A Fallout-style Vault mission not too dissimilar from Annihilation 11, where you control a main hero that has to leave the safe confines of the vault to explore the dangerous exterior.
A zerg stealth mission where you infiltrate a Terran base while they are busy engaging your Hive Cluster.
A dangerous, Hannibal Lecter-esque character confined in the deepest recesses of a laboratory.
A dark moment that is highly unlikely to make you feel well.
Multi-race alliances!
Cinematic interludes!
Plot twists galore!
I'm also trying to think of cool new ideas for the mission launcher, such as doing it HOTS-style, with the main character of each race standing in front of a changing location, depending on your progress. I also thinkered a bit with doing an interactive, Hyperion-style launcher, where you can walk and talk to people and gather lore, with the environment changing as you complete more maps.
Some thirty years ago, financial markets in the second sector of the Euler Quadrant began experiencing a massive meltdown, culminating in a widespread depression that cost millions of people their jobs. What followed was half a decade of low economic growth, substantial monetary deflation and a growing resentment not only of the ruling government, but also the entire democratic system.
Out of this chaos emerged a substantial number of populist politicians, none more charismatic than the young Fitzpatrick Felderman, an associate professor in xenomorphology at the University of Calimo. A passionate and well-spoken anarchist, Felderman blamed the crisis primarily on the sector’s legislative system, promising to repeal virtually law in existence if only he was given the power to do so. Mesmerized by his promise of a new beginning, the people lined up behind him, and only a few years after his arrival on the political scene, Fitzpatrick Felderman was elected sector president.
The Great Liberation
Shortly after assuming office, Felderman and his cohorts began deconstructing the state in what would later be known as “The Great Liberation.” Military units were disbanded, prisons were opened, and millions of public-sector jobs were lost.
To this date, historians argue about the success of the program. Many prominent figures criticized Felderman for enacting his agenda too rapidly, arguing that the economy was not given time to adjust to its new structure. Much controversy was made about the numerous corporations who began arming themselves in the wake of the program. Many of them became large, military entities that either killed their competition or forced it to submit to their rule.
Others pointed out how the non-existence of regulations led to an unprecedented level of technological process. Felderman, himself a prominent academic, often spoke favorably in the media about the discoveries he made. Many, particularly those in the trading sector, claimed the program’s success was unparallelled.
Some people learned to adjust to this new reality. The rest were forced to complain in silence. Meanwhile, a new generation was born; one whose members would know a world of laws as only a relic of the past.
The Wolf, the Locust and the Serpentine
Following the ruling government’s end, numerous mercenary companies, ex-military units, and various other special interest groups came together under the leadership of Melio Vhalar to form the Coalition of the Wolf. Only two years after The Great Liberation, Vhalar crowned himself emperor, and although his title gave him no official ruling powers, it still solidified his role as the de facto leader of the sector.
Eventually, the Coalition grew so powerful that it began to draw substantial criticism. Vhalar was accused of desiring a return to a pre-Liberation society, and although he denied this assertion himself, it was not enough to quench his opponents. Many claimed the Coalition’s rule was practically dictatorial in nature, accusing it of exploiting its near-monopoly in military power to silence its enemies and evolve its own rule.
A group of former traders, led by the successful merchant Jason Bell, began rallying support for a new Coalition. In what was originally just meant to be a simple mockery, Vhalar gave an off-hand remark on interplanetary television where he referred to Bell as a “locust”. Instead of dismissing this insult, Bell began to refer to his group as the Locust Union, wearing the nickname in pride instead of shame.
Throughout the two following decades, the Union repeatedly dealt a multitude of vicious blows to the Coalition, and although they never grew large enough to match their enemy in size, their efforts were significant enough for the Coalition to eventually begin regarding them as a serious opponent.
Amidst this grand conflict rose a third military faction, one later dubbed the Serpentine Alliance by outsiders. The animal monicker had no connotation to the group itself, who was primarily a scientifically-minded collection of individuals less interested in warfare than its counterparts, but it nonetheless stuck. To this date, the Alliance has not participated in any major conflicts, preferring instead to remain neutral. According to some reports, they have developed military weapons for both sides. Publicly, they have never expressed any desire to utilize these weapons themselves, adding to their myth as the most enigmatic of the three groups.
At the current moment, it has been only a few days since the Locust Union landed on the remote planet Taurus, which is populated by colonists officially sympathetic to the Coalition. Recognizing this as a power ploy, the Emperor sends his greatest soldier, major Reynia "The Blood Bride" Mallevion, to investigate.
Maybe EivindL's maps lack some data editing and default abilities look kind of boring (for my high standards), but still i am imressed how well he managed to utilize default campaign stuff to create such diversified gameplay in his maps. For example that boss fights when locusts provide vision to a siege tank
Interesting you should mention that. The data editor is indeed my weakest area. Because I didn't know how to create dodgeable missiles (practically a requirements for boss fights), I came up with the locust idea to compensate. So many good ideas appear when you realized you've painted yourself into a corner.
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It's not his development that's the problem, but his personality (maybe I worded myself poorly, I don't know). It's pretty common for the main character in a story to have this quality. A good example would be Luke Skywalker in Star Wars. Not a bad character per se, nor one without development, but it seems everyone and their mother prefers Han Solo, because he's... well, cooler and more charismatic (it certainly also helps that Harrison Ford is a better actor than Mark Hamill). It's a hard character to get right. I'm not saying Blizzard wrote Artanis in a bad manner, but simply that his personality lacks color.
I appreciate those points, but what I would have liked is to have something like, say, a faction who refuses to cut their nerve cords, not because they want to serve Amon (like the Tal'Darim pre-Alarak), but because they see it as a ploy by the dark templar (or something like that). This would be a nice callback to the Protoss campaigns in the original game, in the sense that they still struggle to unite, even against a common foe. Not only is that great drama, but it easily translates into gameplay as well, as you would have to fight this faction in a mission (in the same way you fought the Conclave, when you should be allying with them and fight the zerg instead). They do touch upon this with Rohana, but that's just one character, and there's no gameplay involved.
I guess you could say this is something similar to what I wanted to convey with the Amina rebellion in Amber Sun 08, where you had your allies switching sides because they thought the fight was unwinnable.
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Legacy of the Void - Review
Well, I suppose I should become one of the cool guys and write a review of LOTV too. Note: this write-up was based on a playthrough that was concentrated mostly on a single day (with the final four missions stretched over two additional days). Not an approach I'd recommend, but I needed to finish it and get back to my reading at school (the idea of studying while knowing this was left unplayed seemed... unrealistic, to say the least).
Includes spoilers
It pleases me endlessly to proclaim LOTV as the best installment of the trilogy. It is not without its flaws, and it doesn't compare to the original game (though it could be argued it bests some of its individual episodes, particularly Overmind and The Stand), but it really is a good expansion.
I still hold the belief that Starcraft storylines in general should be dark and pessimistic, especially since Blizzard already has two "lighter" game series (Diablo, despite its grim and gothic presentation, is at its core still a semi-traditional tale of good versus evil), but as I've long settled with the idea that Starcraft wasn't going back to its roots, I was able to live with it.
Story
I was probably one of those few who defended the story of Wings of Liberty. By no means did I find it to be a masterpiece, but I struggled to see the disaster everyone else proclaimed it to be. It engaged me, even with its side plots (hey, I like seeing the universe extended). No, it was really with Heart of the Swarm that Blizzard lost me. I expected the dark, Empire Strikes Back-esque middle part, but instead I got a shallow love story. It certainly didn't help that the promised something far more sinister (it even opened with a line that doesn't appear in the game).
Legacy of the Void succeeds mostly by dialing back on the bad parts of the two previous installments. There is less cheesiness, fewer cringy lines, and in general, the story feels more focused and coherent. It is also more engaging, much because of an opening act that dares to do what Heart of a Swarm couldn't when it kills off a central character (in what surely has to be one of the series' saddest scenes, period).
Do I argue that Blizzard should have killed Raynor? Not necessarily. My problem on that part was primarily Blizzard's failure of committing to their promise. If they hadn't teased Raynor's death, there wouldn't have been a problem (modern audiences are too trained to expect a body before believing a death, and Blizzard should have been savvy enough to know this).
However, despite it generally being a good one, I must also admit that LOTV's story sometimes failed to reach a level that truly gripped me. Apart from Zeratul's death, I struggle to recall stand-out scenes or moments. There is simply too little drama. Artanis' struggle is primarily one of a physical nature, in the sense that there are enemies standing in his way that need to be crushed. The group of Protoss who stand against him are all corrupted, a far cry from the Conclave in the first game, who willingly opposed Tassadar (at the least opportune moment possible). Even the Tal'Darim are game for a union (sort of, anyway). Unlike Tassadar, Artanis doesn't win over his corrupted kin with his conviction, but rather by severing body parts.
I must give props to Blizzard for doing something with Legacy of the Void that Wings of Liberty couldn't, though, and that is to play on the existing lore of the first game. While the story of WOL could arguably have been played by a first-timer (with Kerrigan's fate and Mengsk's cruelty explained in a simple cinematic, and Zeratul conveniently forgetting Duran having made the hybrids), LOTV rewards the veteran, as it seamlessly integrates existing lore (like the Khala and the Aeon of Strife) into the main narrative, and it's all the better for it.
Gameplay
After WOL, I wondered how long Blizzard could continue their creative streak. Here was an installment where pretty much every mission offered something new, and I remember thinking how impressed I was by that. HOTS wasn't as creative, as some of the mechanics were pretty much blatant recycles of old concepts (sometimes from WOL, but also WC3's The Culling). I must also admit to feeling a strange sense of deja vu in the game when I was asked to destroy a building in one of the top map corners for the umpteenth time (LOTV replays this feeling by asking you to destroy crystals over and over).
LOTV sadly suffers from the same of the same creativity deficit as HOTS, but makes up for it with a consistently high level of presentation. LOTV's trump card is just as much its form as its content. This is a gorgeous game, with a great number of environments (I can't wait to start playing around with its tilesets). It's also a great-sounding game, with a soundtrack that I've played over and over already. A good example of the effectiveness of the presentation would be the Rak'shir mission, which takes a fairly simple concept (push the bad guy to the other side) and heightens it with its great visuals (Slayn looks so immensely cool) and fist-pumping music.
I must give extra props for the penultimate Aiur mission, Templar's Return too. Just as I began to wonder if I was ever going to get a Belly of the Beast-like mission (my favorite in WOL, and probably in the entire trilogy), I was given exactly that: a Belly of the Beast-like mission. I couldn't help but smile when it started out like Crimson Moon 6, before pleasantly turning into Bio-Tech Company 2 in the middle. Well done, Blizzard.
LOTV also gets a lot of mileage out of the Spear of Adun, which really is awesome (no other word is needed, really), as well as the numerous unit variations. I had a lot of fun building my army, and I can't tell you how many times I massed DTs, simply to see them blink everywhere (if that ability doesn't show up in some of my future work, I don't know what will). I also want to give extra props to Blizzard for giving the units traits that were true to their factions, both in looks and abilities. There is never a moment when a unit feels like it doesn't belong to its respective faction (surely, Blizzard must have consulted StealthToast).
Characters
Because Zeratul kicks it so early, the burden of carrying LOTV's story primarily rests on Artanis' shoulder, which is both good and bad. It's good because Artanis is better written than Raynor and Kerrigan, and because he is sympathetic enough for the player to stand with him through his trials. However, there is no denying that, for all his honor, he is kinda dull. He is the Leonardo character. He is honor-bound, loyal and ambitious. He's not a down-to-earth charmer caught in the middle of an alien conflict, like Raynor, nor is he an anti-hero like Kerrigan. I like Artanis, I really do, but I can't help to think of Tassadar, whose presence in the original game was so immensely profound. Artanis doesn't quite reach those levels.
It falls then, as it often does, on the side characters to color the palette, and most of them succeeds. Karax is wonderfully optimistic, so frequently enamored with the technological possibilities surrounding him that he seems to be forgetting the enormity of the situation he's in. Rohana, meanwhile, is given a solid and tragic arc where she has to slowly realize that she has to let go off her past to move. I can't say much about Vorazun, as she somewhat underused (which is surprising, considering she is the daughter of Raszagal, which surely could have inspired so many great arcs). Luckily, there's Alarak, who is so devastatingly honest about his own cruelty that you don't know if you should like him or not. Like Tychus in WOL and Abathur in HOTS, he is the break-out star, giving the campaign a well-needed spark of life.
And then there's Amon. For reasons I still can't understand, Blizzard chose to keep him in the shadows in WOL. Even in HOTS, he wasn't given much but a name. He is more present than ever in LOTV, but that isn't saying much. Unlike so many others, I don't have a problem with him being the traditional big-bad-out-to-destroy-the-universe (though something more complex would obviously have been preferable), but I still can't see the rationale of keeping him off-screen for so long. The idea of him requiring a host body is really cool (I'm a sucker for avatars, I guess), but it should have happened much sooner. Compare him to Archimonde in WC3, who was no more complex, but was at least given room to breathe in the story. SC2 deserved a great villain, and Amon wasn't it.
Final words
I liked Legacy of the Void, I really did. One day, I'm gonna play it again and see if that opinion holds, but I have a feeling it will. I also think I will like it more the second time. It's gorgeous to look at and great to listen to. It's also immensely difficult on Brutal (there was a few missions where I had to revert to Hard), which was a pleasant surprise after HOTS (which was way too easy). I don't want to give a grade (at least not yet), but instead repeat what I've said before, which is that this was a surprisingly good ending to the SC2 trilogy.
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There does seem to be a consensus on it being the best part of the trilogy.
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Amazing how many new campaigns are coming. I'll try this out when I get the chance.
And thank you for the shout-out! :D
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What do you mean, gimmicks/assets? I certainly hope to take advantage of whatever toys LOTV brings in its bag.
There is definitely gonna be custom models. I didn't use that at all for PS, except for Janus' suit, and that worked out well, so why not continue doing it? The extent of the use is still uncertain, though. Having custom models everywhere sounds nice in theory, but it takes a lot of time, and it's important to ask if it's worth it.
You could argue there's an hierarchy of importance, with heroes taking precedence over everything else. Characters become more believable if they don't look too much like the standard models. Tychus has already had to play Henderson; not sure I can ask him to play another role without the player failing to suspend his disbelief.
Then again, with all the cool factions that's being cooked up by StealthToast, there might already be an incentive to provide a variety of custom models. I might need to hire someone for that part.
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I have naming some of the missions, as can be seen in the opening post. This should be read as a sign that the story work is progressing. Also: as even the unobservant can see, the writing is not entirely linear.
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Yes, they do, and the point is that any order has to work. The campaign will likely begin with a disclaimer explaining this shortly. I'll write how for each campaign you play, the more of the big picture you'll see. So in the first campaign you know as much as the characters. In the second and third, you know more than they do.
A made-up example: Say there's a Protoss spy amongst the Terrans. If you play Protoss first, you'll later play the Terran and know there's a spy. Play Terran first, and this'll be a surprise twist.
Indeed. That's why nothing goes public until everything's done. This means being a tester is an extra privilege this time.
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Just for curiosity's sake, in what race order would people play the three sub-campaigns?
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I don't know Robear, even tho I post on SCLegacy occasionally. Ghostnova did the white Janus model, though.
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Shit, that's a great idea.
I opened up my "Ideas" document and noticed I have a lot of other cool stuff planned, the only difference being that these ideas aren't "confirmed" yet. Anyway, here they are:
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Some of the things you can expect in this campaign:
I'm also trying to think of cool new ideas for the mission launcher, such as doing it HOTS-style, with the main character of each race standing in front of a changing location, depending on your progress. I also thinkered a bit with doing an interactive, Hyperion-style launcher, where you can walk and talk to people and gather lore, with the environment changing as you complete more maps.
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I haven't read Dune, though I saw the movie. I prefer David Lynch's other work.
Note that each of the factions is in the process of being given detailed custom tech trees by StealthToast. He's truly doing an amazing job.
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TERRAN BACKSTORY
Fitzpatrick Felderman
Some thirty years ago, financial markets in the second sector of the Euler Quadrant began experiencing a massive meltdown, culminating in a widespread depression that cost millions of people their jobs. What followed was half a decade of low economic growth, substantial monetary deflation and a growing resentment not only of the ruling government, but also the entire democratic system.
Out of this chaos emerged a substantial number of populist politicians, none more charismatic than the young Fitzpatrick Felderman, an associate professor in xenomorphology at the University of Calimo. A passionate and well-spoken anarchist, Felderman blamed the crisis primarily on the sector’s legislative system, promising to repeal virtually law in existence if only he was given the power to do so. Mesmerized by his promise of a new beginning, the people lined up behind him, and only a few years after his arrival on the political scene, Fitzpatrick Felderman was elected sector president.
The Great Liberation
Shortly after assuming office, Felderman and his cohorts began deconstructing the state in what would later be known as “The Great Liberation.” Military units were disbanded, prisons were opened, and millions of public-sector jobs were lost.
To this date, historians argue about the success of the program. Many prominent figures criticized Felderman for enacting his agenda too rapidly, arguing that the economy was not given time to adjust to its new structure. Much controversy was made about the numerous corporations who began arming themselves in the wake of the program. Many of them became large, military entities that either killed their competition or forced it to submit to their rule.
Others pointed out how the non-existence of regulations led to an unprecedented level of technological process. Felderman, himself a prominent academic, often spoke favorably in the media about the discoveries he made. Many, particularly those in the trading sector, claimed the program’s success was unparallelled.
Some people learned to adjust to this new reality. The rest were forced to complain in silence. Meanwhile, a new generation was born; one whose members would know a world of laws as only a relic of the past.
The Wolf, the Locust and the Serpentine
Following the ruling government’s end, numerous mercenary companies, ex-military units, and various other special interest groups came together under the leadership of Melio Vhalar to form the Coalition of the Wolf. Only two years after The Great Liberation, Vhalar crowned himself emperor, and although his title gave him no official ruling powers, it still solidified his role as the de facto leader of the sector.
Eventually, the Coalition grew so powerful that it began to draw substantial criticism. Vhalar was accused of desiring a return to a pre-Liberation society, and although he denied this assertion himself, it was not enough to quench his opponents. Many claimed the Coalition’s rule was practically dictatorial in nature, accusing it of exploiting its near-monopoly in military power to silence its enemies and evolve its own rule.
A group of former traders, led by the successful merchant Jason Bell, began rallying support for a new Coalition. In what was originally just meant to be a simple mockery, Vhalar gave an off-hand remark on interplanetary television where he referred to Bell as a “locust”. Instead of dismissing this insult, Bell began to refer to his group as the Locust Union, wearing the nickname in pride instead of shame. Throughout the two following decades, the Union repeatedly dealt a multitude of vicious blows to the Coalition, and although they never grew large enough to match their enemy in size, their efforts were significant enough for the Coalition to eventually begin regarding them as a serious opponent.
Amidst this grand conflict rose a third military faction, one later dubbed the Serpentine Alliance by outsiders. The animal monicker had no connotation to the group itself, who was primarily a scientifically-minded collection of individuals less interested in warfare than its counterparts, but it nonetheless stuck. To this date, the Alliance has not participated in any major conflicts, preferring instead to remain neutral. According to some reports, they have developed military weapons for both sides. Publicly, they have never expressed any desire to utilize these weapons themselves, adding to their myth as the most enigmatic of the three groups.
At the current moment, it has been only a few days since the Locust Union landed on the remote planet Taurus, which is populated by colonists officially sympathetic to the Coalition. Recognizing this as a power ploy, the Emperor sends his greatest soldier, major Reynia "The Blood Bride" Mallevion, to investigate.
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For my next campaign, I intend to involve other people more, making it more of a team effort.
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Interesting you should mention that. The data editor is indeed my weakest area. Because I didn't know how to create dodgeable missiles (practically a requirements for boss fights), I came up with the locust idea to compensate. So many good ideas appear when you realized you've painted yourself into a corner.