star-craft
Latest
World of Warcraft college course has to be next
Out on the internet today the story that UC Berkeley is offering a course in StarCraft is spreading like wildfire. Joystiq covered the news today, and you can also find an extensive Digg on the subject. The course description partially reads: "What may look like complex topics are just ways we want you to think more deeply about the game to derive a greater satisfaction from playing."So... who wants to take bets on how long until there is a World of Warcraft course?If they're offering a StarCraft course aimed at "thinking more deeply about the game to derive a greater satisfaction from playing," imagine what a World of Warcraft course could do for that. Taking down raid bosses with 24 other people is quite satisfying, especially if it's the first kill. The communication and leadership skills necessary to successfully run raids are akin to running a small business, and the mathematics and statistics behind the true upper echelons of play require a solid understanding of calculus.That would be a course I'd be interested in. Not that I wouldn't sign up for a StarCraft course in a heartbeat, mind you.
New Starcraft II details from PC Gamer
The cover story of the latest PC Gamer is all about Starcraft II. The feature highlights the development process and decision-making and shows an ample amount of Protoss units, including old-hats such as the Reavers, Templars and Archons. Other tidbits: Hero units will not be as important or require as much management as they did in Warcraft III. The current plan is to keep the unit cap at 200. In terms of unit higlighting, the development team is testing the option to let you select an unlimited of units at the same time. Blizzard consulted with top competitive SC and WCIII players from Korea for the balance and design process. The ideal SCII match will last less than 20 minutes. No decisions have been made as to minimum system requirements, but Blizzard has always made games for a wide range of computers. The team did note that a Shader Model 2.0-compatible graphics card will be required. (That's GeForce FX, Radeon 9000 or better, PC Gamer reports.) Everything we've previously seen or read, the feature stressed, is subject to change. Here's hoping we get some more information (or hands-on time) at this year's BlizzCon. The latest PC Gamer is on newsstands now.%Gallery-3311%[Thanks, Einhanderkiller]
Readers pick best webcomic: crafty
Ctrl+Alt+Del's take on the Starcraft 2 announcement earned top honors in this week's webcomic wrapup. The punchline may have been explained a bit too much, as many of the commenters noted, but it didn't ruin the joke.Second and third place go to RPG-TV and Weird Comix, respectively. Thanks to everyone who voted and be sure to let us know of any game-related webcomics you stumble upon this week!
Starcraft pro gamers: a lesson in culture, ownage
One of today's hottest videos on YouTube is a recent match between Starcraft legend SlayerS_'BoxeR' (real name Lim Yo-Hwan) and Nal_rA (real name Kang Min). that was televised in Korea. Those who still play Starcraft (and with the sequel just announced, there's no better time to start again) could glean a lot from the 30-minute video, while nonenthusiasts can get a kick out of seeing professional coverage of a decade-old PC game, with involved spectators and expressive announcers.Fun fact: Hwan, also known as the "Terran Emporer," reportedly earns about US $390,000 and has a professional record of 500 wins and 336 losses. Video embedded after the break.
Blizzard's itinerary lists 'Medusa Demo' for the weekend
We have less than 24 hours before Blizzard is set to make their major announcement, and there has been speculation galore as to what new game they'll reveal. According to the developer's itinerary, as reported by 1UP, following the announcement, there will be a showing of the "Medusa Demo."Knowledgeable readers (or savvy Googlers) might recall that Diablo II featured an item entitled Medusa's Gaze, but wouldn't that make the codename too easily identifiable? Surely Blizzard is sneakier than that.A 1UP commenter named merc84, however, came up with the tenuous connection to Medusa and this quote by the infested Sarah Kerrigan: "I am the Queen of Blades. And my stare alone would reduce you to ashes." According to mythology, Medusa's stare could turn you into stone, so you could read Kerrigan's quote as a parallel to the mythology.With the announcement being made in Korea, a.k.a. the Starcraft Capital of the World, the odds of Starcraft 2 being unveiled seem a lot greater. Here at Joystiq HQ, however, we're still holding out for an original IP or, better yet, a Lost Vikings first-person shooter (with sneaking gameplay elements, of course).
