Information AboutStarcraft |
''StarCraft'' ('''''SC''''') is a '' had been sold since its releaseBlizzard Entertainment. 2005. Blizzard Entertainment Unveils Key New Starcraft: Ghost Features at E3 , Press Release, and it has achieved an international cult-like status in the computer gaming world, especially in its online multiplayer form. Although in a , the Hive Mind -sharing Insect oid Zerg , and the Psychic Humanoid Protoss warriors. It was initially released as a hybrid for Apple and PC platforms and the Nintendo 64 . Though a best-seller all over the world, the game is especially popular in South Korea , with nationally recognized tournaments, training groups, professional players, and televised cable-access competitions that often broadcast live tournaments, leading some to refer to the game as South Korea's National Sport . BASIC GAMEPLAY Main article: Gameplay Of StarCraft Gameplay centers on acquisition and control of resources, which are necessary to construct combat units and buildings. It features two kinds of resources: Minerals (required for nearly all units) and Vespene Gas (required for non-basic units and Upgrade s). Minerals appear as blue crystalline formations protruding from the ground and are 'harvested' or 'mined' by worker units ( SCVs , drones, or probes, depending on the race) while Vespene gas appears as a geyser with green clouds erupting from it, and a certain structure (Refinery for Terrans, Extractor for Zerg, Assimilator for Protoss) must be constructed above it before SCVs/Drones/Probes can harvest Vespene Gas from it. In addition, players can create only a limited number of units (with the exception of the Zerg Overlord which is counted as a building for "supply/support" purposes): each unit has a "supply/support" rating roughly correlated with that unit's combat strength, and players must maintain enough unit-supporters (Supply Depots for Terrans, Pylons for the Protoss and Overlords for the Zerg) to support their forces. Players construct a variety of unit types and buildings that provide specialized upgrades to defeat their computer or human opponents. Management of resources, expansion to control resource locations, and effective application of offensive and defensive combat tactics are the keys to victory. The unit types available to each race define its racial identity. The Protoss can field powerful and expensive warriors and machinery, while the Zerg rely on sheer numbers and speed to overwhelm their opponents. The Terrans are the versatile and flexible alternative to both races, providing a compromise between specialization and Combined Arms . See Also: StarCraft units and structures BASIC GAMEPLAY IMPROVEMENTS ''StarCraft'' significantly improved upon '' game '' War Wind ''. Though the game's three races (). Some of the ''Brood War'' units such as Dark Templar were available in ''StarCraft'' at the beginning of single-player missions, but could not be produced. Many exclusive upgrades to each race's units were also created in Brood War. MULTIPLAYER The game also includes Multiplayer gaming on Blizzard's own Internet gaming service Battle.net . One can play against opponents free of charge beyond the original purchase of the game and local Internet access fees. Many fans enjoy playing in groups against the computer in skirmish games. While more experienced players generally do not find the AI challenging, decent early game performance can make it an enjoyable opponent for more casual players. Fans may also create maps that are advantageous to the computer and can be extremely hard to win. For cooperative play, several people can play the same team (controlling the same units), or different teams that are "allied" so they do not harm each other. Up to eight spots can be filled in a game, either by players or computers. Another popular type of multiplayer game is the comp stomp. A comp stomp is where a group of human players goes against a team of AI controlled players. Clans are groups of people, who would play under accounts labelled with a "tag", usually two to three letters separated from their name by a dash or within brackets. The involvement in a clan ranges from casual friendship to mandatory meetings and tournaments. In multiplayer gameplay, some players use modified, or "hacked" versions of the StarCraft Client to gain an unfair advantage. Blizzard commonly bans "hackers" in all their games, and several third-party "anti-hack" programs are under constant development to prevent these techniques. Battle.net Most recreational, low-skill gaming takes place on Battle.net. This is also where the vast majority of "money maps", UMS ("Use Map Settings" - custom scenario maps) and "hackers" reside. Because the Battle.net Ladder tournament is considered to be corrupted by "hackers" beyond salvation, very little, if any competetive gaming takes place there. Instead, Battle.net is usually a practice place for the average player or a Newb trying to get better. Sometimes, very experienced players called "smurfs" prey on newbies by making a new account that would be able to participate in a "newb game." Accounts are created in grandiose amounts as a result of many players having multiple accounts administered to themselves. Private ladders Most competitive, high-level gaming takes place on "private" ladders such as PGTour. These ladders use a specific set of maps, hack-preventing third-party programs, a team of administrators and sometimes even a private Server (such as the PGTour's Bnet-X) to try to enforce fair play. Private ladders usually do not allow "money maps", which puts them into stark contrast with the regular Battle.net. SINGLE-PLAYER STORYLINE See Also: StarCraft storyline The plot of the original ''StarCraft'' game revolves around the Terran civilization in the Koprulu Sector , which was founded by former prisoners exiled from Earth. The most powerful Terran faction is the Terran Confederacy . It is opposed by other factions, such as the terrorist organization " Sons Of Korhal ". The arrival of the Zerg , led by the Overmind and its Cerebrates , greatly complicates matters for the Terrans. The Zerg Swarm is itself closely followed by a Protoss fleet, led by High Templar Executor Tassadar , which burns all worlds the Zerg infest. After the Protoss destroy the Confederate colony on Chau Sara , the Zerg are used by the rebel organization Sons of Korhal, whose leader Arcturus Mengsk lures them to a number of Confederate installations using Psi-emitter s to further his own goals. Mengsk acquires the services of General Edmund Duke, a Confederate general, and sacrifices his right-hand woman, the psychic Sarah Kerrigan , to the Zerg after she begins to object to his morals and tactics. This action alienates another of his followers, Jim Raynor , who, along with the unnamed commander played by the player, flees from Mengsk with a small number of soldiers. After the Confederacy's fall, Arcturus Mengsk reorganizes the Terran worlds he controls into the Terran Dominion , crowning himself Emperor. Meanwhile, the Zerg flee to the planet Char with their prize, Kerrigan, who is in the process of becoming a Zerg in a cocoon under the protection of a Cerebrate under player control. Tassadar discovers that he can disrupt the Overmind's control over the Swarm by eliminating its Cerebrate servants with the help of the Dark Templar , a group of Protoss who have forsaken their ancestral psionic powers and the religion of the Khala . While on Char, Tassadar encounters one of the Overmind's newest servants, the recently infested Kerrigan , a powerful psychic. The involvement of the fallen Dark Templar will prove to be fateful; indeed, while slaying the Cerebrate Zasz , the Dark Templar leader Zeratul briefly comes in psychic contact with the Overmind, which is then informed of the Protoss home-world Aiur 's location and directs its Swarm towards the Protoss world. This contact also gives Zeratul knowledge of the origin of the Zerg. The Zerg inflict a number of heavy defeats upon the Protoss, who fight back bitterly, but are simultaneously involved in a civil war between the Protoss high authority, the Conclave , and the alliance between Tassadar and the Dark Templar , with whom the player's character is aligned. In a desperate attempt to put an end to the Zerg's destructive rampage, Tassadar, Zeratul, and the remaining Protoss unite their strengths with Terran forces and attack the Overmind itself. They manage to crush its outer shell, and Tassadar sacrifices himself by ramming his ship into the vulnerable form of the Overmind, thereby killing it and himself in the process. See also: Influences While it has many similarities with its conceptual predecessor ''Warcraft II'', ''StarCraft'' also draws heavily from characters and scenarios taken from many Science Fiction works, most notably popular movies, and the Warhammer 40,000 table-top gaming series from Games Workshop . For example, many characteristic elements of the Terran race in ''StarCraft'' are reminiscent of James Cameron's '' Aliens '' movie, however many elements such as the Terran Marines and Firebats appear nearly identical in appearance to Warhammer's Space Marines . Terran buildings much resemble the installations of the Hadley's Hope colony in ''Aliens''; the resemblance is especially obvious in ''StarCraft's'' cutscenes (see cutscene ''The Amerigo''). Terran Marines were also clearly inspired by ''Aliens'' USCM Marines; both the Terran Marine and the Terran Dropship units in ''StarCraft'' directly quote characters from the movie. The Gauss Rifle used by the Terran Marines has an LED digital ammo display much like the M41A Pulse Rifle from ''Aliens''. The Zerg and their infestation process are also reminiscent of Aliens' '' Xenomorphs '' and Warhammer 's Tyranids . The game also displays many elements from the novel '' Starship Troopers '' by Robert Heinlein, as well as some general themes of Military Science Fiction and Space Opera . The Xel'Naga , a key race in the StarCraft Universe , are also very reminiscent of the "Creators" in the Guyver series. The Creators, like the Xel'naga, created and experimented with races of powerful warriors for their own selfish reasons. They were also eventually overcome by their own powerful creations just as the Zerg did with the Xel'Naga. There are also parallels to the book series '' Animorphs '': a 3 way-war between a parasitic race, a highly advanced telepathic race, and humans. |
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