- WarCraft 3 custom games more popular than original games.
- StarCraft 2 editor more powerful than WarCraft 3 editor. More on this in the SC2 panel.
- Item system available for map makers.
- Map publishing makes it easy to share maps. Can download maps without joining games. Can choose to play maps available on Battle.net, all published maps.
SC2 Marketplace
- Easy to find and browse maps.
- Maps can be commented and rated.
- Free and premium maps. Premium maps have to be bought, and the profit goes to map makers.
BlizzCon SC2 Development Panel:
- Lead designer on SC2 is talking about how the RTS games have changed in focus over the years. Now SC2 is supposed to be more story based with deeper characters and actual heroes. More available choices for each mission and paths you can take. Similar to Dawn of War 2, you choose what items to use and such.
- Desgner talking about the lava world. Two distinct cliff types (metal and rock). New water tools (ability to make lava overflow). Built in lighting effects for maps.
- Agra level (the truck mission from the demo vid) has alpha texture blending. No two parts of the
map will looks the same due to alpha textures. Hard tiles available (road). Custom terrain foliage, and you can generate doodads. - SC2 editor trumps WC3's. They're talking about how common it is for Blizzard to hire map makers.
- Custom map with an Uberlisk with units attached to his back, and he gets swarmed by 100 zerglings, explodes and kills everything.
- Custom map of a third person perspective shooter map. Use keyboard to move and mouse to aim. Uses custom UI to talk to other characters. All on 3rd person, great for RPGs or sniper/shooters. Ability to travel underground if desired.
- Last custom map is a Galaga-type map with a ship on the bottom of the screen shooting oncoming units like the arcade game.
SC2 Development Q&A:
- Guy asks them to clarify the term mod (they call WC3 maps "mods"). They consider all custom maps to be "mods," including SC maps - they love all types of mods.
- They're looking into the possibility of shareable libraries, since all maps are ultimately openly published.
- Tauren Marine will be in SC2 editor. Won't say about any other units.
- Someone asked about adding custom units (similar to what we deem "modding" for SC1). They say that they may allow it in the future, but wont be available at ship.
- Some guy asked about map stealing. They said it's a huge issue that they really dislike and they think publishing will fix it.
- Ability to adjust armor as a percentage like Warcraft 3 rather than a set value like Starcraft.
- They say it is pushed into 2010 and not only because of battle.net. They just aren't done with the game.
- Someone asked about saving heroes from a map to use in another game of the same map (like RPGs). They say you can save data from specific maps, but I don't think it's the same concept.
- Someone asking about character customization like having a ghost use a marine's gun. That is possible, and should be a "30 second change."
- They look at battle.net and monitor popular maps. If they love maps they have in the past offered jobs to map makers. Battle.net 2.0 will make this easier theoretically.
- Editor will be available with beta release.
- Map makers may be able to release betas of maps with friends.
BlizzCon Vids and Images:
Collapse Box
BETA WILL START BY THE END OF 2009
(Says one of the lead developers in an interview with the DirecTV commentators)
Post has been edited 6 time(s), last time on Aug 23 2009, 8:10 am by DevliN.
Currently Working On:
My Overwatch addiction.
My Overwatch addiction.