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JohnKilltrane posted:No worries, I nearly posted this past spotlight in the StarCraft 2 thread. Didn't even notice until I previewed it. It'll probably end up happening sooner or later. "drat, this LotV spotlight is both really early, and incorrect!"
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Aug 21, 2023 02:49
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golden age of realtime strategy screen shot lets plays (RTSSSLP) in general
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Aug 21, 2023 02:49
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Not to mention the last few years of RTS interest in general steadily rising and multiple projects being worked on... it's intriguing to think about.
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Aug 21, 2023 05:51
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Sally posted:golden age of realtime strategy screen shot lets plays (RTSSSLP) in general Yeah, I was gonna say. AoE 2, AoM, we could even maybe count Lords of the Realm (the battles are real time). Might be a couple others that I missed.
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Aug 21, 2023 11:06
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Saw a cheesy-rear end PvT Reaver build today in the ASL: proxy robotics facility outside the Terran's natural expansion and slow crawl a Reaver to knock out the expansion before the Terran can get a siege tank with siege mode out
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Aug 24, 2023 06:47
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DISCLAIMER: I've been on the road this past week or so, which means this update has been done entirely on my phone. I beg your patience with any formatting issues or other mistakes that might crop up as a result. Also there's one line from a unit we don't have a face screengrab for and I won't be able to get one until I get to my computer... Sometime this weekend, hopefully? But I figured it wasn't worth delaying the update over. Protoss 6: Into the Darkness   Executor, I sense that Zeratul and his brethren are close by, but I have been unable to make contact with them. I fear they may be in grave danger. We must scour this area immediately and find the Dark Templar, lest they be overcome by the Zerg.Mission Objectives: Rescue Zeratul Tassadar must survive I think, I’m not sure, but I think that might be the shortest briefing in the game. I guess it makes sense – this mission is really just the second half of the last mission, and they might have been combined into one if the engine had allowed for that sort of thing. There is something to note about it, however: Starcraft 64 adds extra dialogue. In that version of the game, Jimmy pops in here to warn us that the Zerg we’ll be facing are being controlled by Kerrigan. Something we knew already based on the colour of the Zerg we’ve been facing, but it’s interesting that the team porting the game to console chose to add that in. Either they felt the implication based on colour wasn’t strong enough, or they realized it’s been a long time since we last saw or heard from Kerrigan and they didn’t want people forgetting she exists or wondering if she’d died. Our start:  It’s… Tassadar and the two Zealots we brought to the beacon. Kind of a neat bridge between the missions. The devs did assume that we researched all possible upgrades before sending our units in, so our Zealots have Leg Enhancements and +3 to weapons, armour, and shields. Not too shabby. Also, as you might have suspected from the layout, this is the dungeon-crawler for the Protoss campaign. The difficulty is ramped up a bit, but it shouldn’t be too – wait a minute, that’s weird. In episode 1, 2, and 3, the dungeon missions are levels 4, 5, and 6, respectively. Neat.  Tassadar, before his departure, the Terran Horner said that some of his warriors were attempting to wrest this facility from General Duke when the Zerg arrived. Although the odds are slim, some may yet survive. My thanks, Executor. We shall keep an eye out for any wayward Terrans.Our force is tiny and we can assume danger will lurk around every corner here, so we use Hallucination to scout for us.   One Zergling…  Uh… many Zerglings. And some Hydras. Man. This mission is not fooling around, this is a big ambush to face down at the start. Careless play here can easily cost you a Zealot, and that's a third of your forces down in the very first encounter. Also, looks like the Zerg painted the walls with Matt's forces. Uh-oh. While these Zerglings are occupied…     Well, our first skirmish sorted, let's do some more scouting.   Huh, that looks like…  Yep. Well that’s not good. That’s this mission’s twist: it’s littered with Infested Terrans, just waiting to pounce on your unsuspecting forces. They’ll one-shot everything (The other side of the high ground, if you were wondering, is just an empty dead end:  I generally won't showcase these but they do show up occasionally). Well, that out of the way, let’s proceed.  Here's a funny thing. Doors like this will, unless they're locked, automatically open when a unit comes near. Hallucinations, however, don't count for this - our poor blue buddy there is stuck. Guess you can't fool the door's motion sensors. Let's help him out.    Mind if we tag along? You must be the warriors Horner spoke of. We have cleared the area outside the entrance. It is safe for you to depart. But if you wish to aid us in our search, I will not turn you away. Not after what they did to Hank. Let's go, boys. It's payback time.Yep, our reinforcements in this mission take the form of Terran Marines that are somehow holding out against the Zerg infestation. I have two theories on this: first, that it's because Terran has basically ceased to exist for the second half of the campaign so they wanted to find a reason for them to show up again, and second, that it's because they wanted us to have ranged units but giving us even two or three Dragoons would be pathfinding hell in this maze-like mission. Well, whatever the case, we are checked up and good to go.     Zealots are just the perfect meatshields that Marines have always wanted but never had. A wonderful combination. Also, the Marines aren't fully upgraded, but they are at a respectable +1/+1. I didn't think to experiment to find out, but I believe they have their range upgrade as well. Here something bizarre happens:  For reasons that I can't even begin to remember, I decided not to continue down the hallway we just cleared and to instead turn around and go the other way. ??? The worst part is that we will eventually see what's down that hallway a fair bit later in the mission when I say "Oh yeah hey I wonder what's down there" and backtrack a whole bunch to check it out. I don't know what was going on with me that day.  Hey look, the N64 briefing was right, Steve/Kerrigan's brood (those two have a complicated power dynamic) is here as well. Makes sense because they were outside.  Three things to note about that picture. First, on the left, behind Tassadar, we've got a good shot of the blue "ghost." When a High Templar moves, these blue apparitions appear and trail in their wake. I don't think they're ever explained, but I guess the idea is that it's an effect of the sheer psionic energy being output by the Templar. I also briefly mentioned them in the HT spotlight - they can create an optical illusion of the Templar accelerating and decelerating, leading in part to the myth that HT hover. Second, on the right in the middle, you can see a blue glow around the one Zealot. That's just a visual effect when Protoss units take damage while their shields are up. We've seen it before, way back in Terran 9, in fact, but it's worth highlighting again. Third, and most importantly, look just below those Zealots.   Whoops. Well that's not great. We're out of energy for Hallucination so we send out a Zealot to scout instead:  This is why I have a love-hate relationship with this mission. On the one hand, it’s very cool: the level is dangerous, claustrophobic, and coated with Terran blood and guts, making you feel like every step could be your last. So what's the problem? The problem is that Tassadar absolutely destroys everything in this mission. Hallucinations to scout ahead and deal with Infested Terrans, Storms to slaughter the Hydra Ling hordes. Why is that a problem? Because it means you've got two choices: either you can take the easy but very tedious route of letting Tassadar handle everything and stopping every couple minutes to twiddle your thumbs while he recovers energy, or the exciting but difficult route of not doing that and watch your units get picked off by ambushes and big Zerg squads. We're opting for the second one. Don't get me wrong, we'll use Tassadar plenty, but we aren't really going to take much time to just stop and let him recharge. If he's got energy, great, if not, we make do.  We also leave our most wounded Marine behind as a rearguard, in case the mission tries any sneaky Infested Terran ambushes. So long as he's alive, we'll know our flank is safe. Ish. Doing so made me realize that the Marines are more expendable than our poor sole surviving Zealot, so we scout with one of those, instead:   Did you hear that?    I'm sorry, I know I'm probably going overboard on the footage of Infested Terrans blowing up. But we've barely seen them! They're so rare! I'll try to calm down, though. Also, I've never seen the map script, but I believe that when an ambush is preceded by Marine dialogue like that, it means the ambush is specifically scripted to only happen when a Marine walks through. A nasty way to get around players clearing all the Splodey Bois with Hallucinated Zealots, but also makes life a bit easier if you've lost all your Marines. Hmm, I wonder if a Hallucinated Marine would set it off… Anyway. We've cleared that hallway, but we saw some doors along the way. Let's check them out.   These big platform areas over seemingly bottomless chasms always put me in mind of the Death Star.  Stairs up, leading to…  What is the meaning of this? The very walls conspire to keep us at bay! Before we took this facility from Duke, they managed to get the security system running. It'll frag anything that's not a Dominion boy.Traps! Well, a trap. But with the promise of more to come. Up the stairs we find…  A beacon! What's this? Executor, it would appear the Terrans have been experimenting with warp technology! Though primitive, I wonder if this could be turned to our advantage? The Khalai say that the Terran teleportation field is barely strong enough for us to warp in even a small band of warriors. Then do so with all haste, for the resistance we've encountered is stronger than I anticipated, and a small band is better than nothing! Teleportation field activated. Two Zealots and a Dragoon! Going back to my comment earlier about why we're rescuing Marines, even this one lone Dragoon is going to be a pain to maneuver around this mission. A worthwhile pain, however, as its firepower and durability will be very helpful. The rift has collapsed; the field is spent. That is all we can send through. I thank you, Executor, for this shall be more than sufficient.There's nothing else up here, so we head back. This:  Is what really troubles the Dragoon in this mission. They do not handle stairs well. We actually get lucky here and get it down without much fuss, but don't count on that happening often. Well, let's see if there's anything else this way before we go back down the hall.  It should be noted that often between screenshots there'll be minor skirmishes with a couple Hydras or Lings. Nothing worth showing, but it does mean relatively constant attrition.   Another scouting Marine meets a messy end. Again, attrition is the name of the game here. Your forces are just getting gradually eroded throughout the mission.    Payback. Hmm, more stairs. I wonder what's up there?    …a lot. Well, we know how to deal with that.    AI Zerg units set to burrow tend to reburrow once they lose sight of an enemy, and fortunately Psi Storm doesn't care if its victims are underground. Sadly there's nothing else up there, just a dead end with a bunch of Zerglings, so onward.  Back in the hall where our Marine scout met that Infested Terran earlier. We've run out of Marines, as you can see.     Huh. An intersection. Let's start by going right.   Phew. More Marines. We gotta move!Wait, what?  Uh-oh.    Yeah, you get a bunch of new units, but they're in the middle of a painful ambush. Your reinforcements are limited to whatever you can rescue. Regrettably, I just can't leave well enough alone and push further in.      …and end up Storming my own units. Welp. You know, it's kind of a shame they're only giving us Marines. Some Firebats would absolutely punish on this mission. I guess that's why they're only giving us Marines, but still, Firebats in their element are truly a thing of glory, and it'd be nice to show that off. Maybe someday. That's it for that branch, so we head up the one opposite it next:  Leading with the Marine that's down to 2 HP, obviously.  Did you hear that?Another ambush: here you can see a Zergling and Infested Terran as they unburrow. Oh, did we even mention at any point in the Zerg campaign that Infested Terrans can burrow? Well, they can.   (As the Terran charges you can just make out our Scout Marine, in the upper left, getting disemboweled by the Zergling. Farewell, uh, Marty Marine, we hardly knew ye).   I think this is the first time we've managed to gun down an Infested Terran. Moving on…  Whoo boy, there's quite a few more Zerglings than what the scout spotted. And no energy left for Storm, either. That's okay. With our durable Protoss units (including Tassadar himself) to tank damage…   The Marines can make short work of them.    The Infested Terran has awful vision range, so with care it's often possible to catch them like this and dispose of them before they even know you're there (the flipside, of course, is that if they're burrowed, they won't unburrow to attack you until you're already quite close…)    Another Death Star bay, this one mercifully empty.      …more or less. Ugh, stairs. Could this get any worse?  How about Hydras guarding the stairs? I don't want to bother with bringing everyone up, but…  That's okay, because the Zealot and Tassadar can handle it. Going to that beacon there…  Reveals and opens a previously locked door that we haven't seen yet. Good thing we went this way first, I guess. It's around this time that I remember our lone Marine in the rearguard:  I go to bring him to meet up with our force, but instead decide to bring the force back to him and explore that one hallway from earlier (again, no idea what my thought process was).    Mind if we tag along?More reinforcements! Again, likely intended to be found earlier in the mission, and would have made our lives a lot easier if we'd had. But oh well.  Back on the trail, we're taking the final path away from the intersection, hopefully towards the door we unlocked earlier.  An array of wall traps make it clear we're unwelcome.     Note that the dead Marines on the ground are decorations, not our soldiers. The traps dealt with, we -  Ah.   Neat. The Infested Terran focused on the Zealot and ran after it, ignoring the Marines shooting it. Since speed upgraded Zealots are faster than Infested Terrans, I was able to kite it around a bit, killing it harmlessly. I probably could have been making more use of this.  Let's do it again!   …or not. That time the Zealot couldn't keep ahead and the Terran killed it. Still gets rid of the Terran, though. I guess :/ What else do you think this corridor might contain? Would you guess…  A third Infested Terran? No Zealots left, but we should have enough Marines to gun it down before it reaches anything.  Our Marines move in, and as it turns out, we have chosen…     …poorly. Part of what makes this mission tense, and really any time fighting Infested Terrans, is how unforgiving it is. One wrong move and you can lose nearly everything. The good news is that since, as said above, Tassadar can body the level on his own, no matter how much you lose you can still make it, although it'll get real tedious, and he can't Hallucinate himself so it's helpful to keep at least one other unit around. Well. Onwards, I guess.     …but first we gotta do the Dragoon Dance. Getting this guy up the stairs can be such a pain that I've heard quite a few players assume it's impossible and that the stairs are a deliberate obstacle to force you to leave your Dragoons behind. Nope, they can go up them. It just takes lots and lots of patience.  Hey, it's the door we unlocked!  …and some floor traps. First ones we've seen this level, I think.  No problem. Between its tankiness and range, the Dragoon really is a big help in this mission. Well, and every mission, I guess. Through the door, we find…  Trouble.   Oops, sorry, that was supposed to say "Storm fodder," not "Trouble." drat autocorrect. Going through the door, we see…   Oh man! We do get Firebats on this mission! Dope! You may have also spotted:  The Ghost. Funny how he gets Lockdown, we're only fighting Zerg so it's completely useless on this mission. Cloaking, however, is much handier, and makes him the ideal scout.  But as he heads down the hallway…  Live for the Swarm!We hear a bunch of Zerg unit creation noises, and sure enough…  A truly unpleasant horde of Zerg speeds towards us. There's Hydras and Infested Terrans following that bunch, too. So, somehow, despite this being one of the most memorable parts of this or any game to me as a kid, I'd completely forgotten about it. I 100% blanked on this or anything like this happening in this level until suddenly those four words played and it all came back to me - too late. The point is that if you're prepared, this ambush isn't too bad at all. Have a fully rested-up Tassadar drop three Storms along the corridor while the Firebats and Marines handle everything that makes it through. No problem. Unfortunately, Tassadar's only got the energy for one Storm. This is trouble. Prepare yourselves, my warriors! Something comes!  HAHAHAHA! BURN, ZERGLINGS, BURN! Firebats are so fun at times like this.     Our Firebats are dead. Our Dragoon is dead. Most of our Marines are dead. Tassadar's out of Space Mana. This is not looking good.   Fortunately, Tassadar himself is still quite a beast. Welp. I guess that's why they gave us so many units. Only one Marine and Tassadar made it. At least our Ghost managed to stay hidden.  There's a bunch of open doors here, leading to…  …empty rooms. I think the Zerg swarm we just faced is kept in these rooms to prevent them from wandering out until you trip the trigger that makes them attack?  Hmm. This door's not open. Interesting.  Further down, we find…  Ah, crap. Traps are detectors, so they aren't thwarted by the Ghost's cloaking. Wait. What if Lockdown isn't useless in this mission?  Nice. I'd assumed traps count as buildings, but they're actually units. Lockdown works great. Because Ghosts are so frail (and, I don't know, but I'm assuming traps are Large, and therefore have 75% damage reduction from Ghost attacks), Tassadar moves in to finish them off.  There were three, and presumably there'll be another three lining the other wall as well. Tassadar took a bit of a beating, though - I always underestimate the damage output of those little floor turrets. Wait a minute. If the traps are units, then…   Hah! Yes. Amazing.   Moving to the beacon opens the previously locked door, revealing…  …another beacon. When we reach it:  Greetings, Dark One. I have come to bring you home. Greetings to you, mighty Tassadar. I knew that you would not forsake us. For in the time that you have spent with us, you have learned our ways and our methods. You have learned to channel our dark power as well as that of your masters; thus you alone have found completeness beyond the scope of the Khala. But I fear that the Conclave, in its pride, could never bring itself to welcome outcasts such as we. Outcasts though you may be, it is your vision and courage that may yet save our Homeworld from the Swarm. I beg of you, Zeratul, return with us to Aiur. Though they are petty, and have, in ignorance, cursed your kind for generations… help me save our people. Since our banishment long ago, we have never failed in our responsibility to Aiur. Though it shall cause us great pain to see our homeland once more, we shall return with you, Tassadar. We will do what we can. ***************************************** EDIT: I'm coming back to add in the cut dialogue. Thanks to blazetheinferno, I've learned that there was even more removed than the dialogue I was aware of. Here's the full, uncut mission briefing: Executor, I sense that Zeratul and his brethren are close by, but I have been unable to make contact with them. I fear they may be in grave danger. We must scour this area immediately and find the Dark Templar, lest they be overcome by the Zerg. That won't be easy, man. That's Kerrigan down there leading those Zerg. She won't let us go without a fight. I know, my friend. With all due respect to you, and to the feelings you once had for her, you must know that I will not hesitate to destroy her should she pose a threat to us. Nothing shall prevent me from delivering the Dark Templar to Aiur. Nothing.AFAIK, no one's ever spoken out on why this dialogue was cut. We can only guess. Maybe they felt it was misleading to make the briefing largely about Kerrigan when she never appears in the mission. Maybe they didn't want Raynor to be in touch with Tassadar for this part. Maybe they decided that Jimmy telling Tassadar about his brief flirtation with Sarah wasn't a direction they wanted to go in. I will say the way Tassadar repeats "Nothing" for emphasis feels a bit out of voice for him. JohnKilltrane fucked around with this message at 23:00 on Aug 26, 2023 |
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Aug 25, 2023 17:06
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I'm pretty sure Infested Terrans are an instant kill on Tassadar, even with explosive damage. The 300 shields take full damage, and then the 200 damage left over is halved to 100, which is still enough to take out Tassadar's 80 HP.
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Aug 25, 2023 18:15
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Yeah, the infested terrans do one-shot Tassadar, which makes this mission even more of a pain. I always tried to make use of their splash damage with hallucinations so they'd take out other zerg, or the wall guns in that one corridor.
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Aug 25, 2023 18:25
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Mass Recall makes a very simple and very cruel change to this mission: it periodically turns out the lights.
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Aug 25, 2023 18:43
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Nostalgamus posted:I'm pretty sure Infested Terrans are an instant kill on Tassadar, even with explosive damage. The 300 shields take full damage, and then the 200 damage left over is halved to 100, which is still enough to take out Tassadar's 80 HP. Oh, true enough. Good catch.
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Aug 25, 2023 19:28
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The saving grace is that if Tassadar is running away and not just face-tanking it directly, he's likely to be outside of the "Full damage" range of the explosion's AoE, and will only take partial damage. Also of note, not only does Raynor point out that Kerrigan is leading the Zerg, Tassadar acknowledges the feelings Raynor once had for her, then goes on to say that despite that, Tassadar will not hesitate to destroy her should she pose a threat. A couple of cut briefing lines that nearly ever campaign mod, be it Mass Recall or UEDAIP, tends to add back in... because let's be real, there was no real reason to cut it outside of Kerrigan herself not actually appearing in the level.
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Aug 25, 2023 20:02
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Interesting, I never knew they were cut. For some reason I thought they were written for the N64 version, not removed from the PC version. I wonder why they were cut. Like you said, Kerrigan not actually appearing seems like the only reason.
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Aug 25, 2023 20:12
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JohnKilltrane posted:Interesting, I never knew they were cut. For some reason I thought they were written for the N64 version, not removed from the PC version. I wonder why they were cut. Like you said, Kerrigan not actually appearing seems like the only reason. It's quite telling that there is actual audio lines for that cut dialogue, as that's the proof it wasn't just written for the N64 - the N64 version did not have voiced campaign dialogue for briefings or even in-mission events. It also means that the Desperate Alliance n64 objective to win offensively was also intended for the PC version but cut, as the Adjutant has a voiced line suggesting that it may be possible to break through the Zerg's defenses to reach Mengsk's transports.
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Aug 25, 2023 20:23
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I don't remember this mission being such a sausage grinder.Cythereal posted:Mass Recall makes a very simple and very cruel change to this mission: it periodically turns out the lights. That's just twisting the knife. Very MR thing to do... 'The superior pathfinding in the SC2 engine makes this game too easy... let's gently caress with their vision'!
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Aug 26, 2023 01:06
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This is probably the worst mission in the game overall just because of how much of a punishing miserable slog it is. If you're not stopping to let Tassadar recharge energy or save scumming you can instantly get incredibly hosed in so many different circumstances. if Mass Recall let Tassadar regenerate his energy at a faster rate just for this mission it would be a lot more tolerable.
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Aug 26, 2023 02:17
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this mission is fun (if you're a masochist, not sure what that says about me) and it led to one of the few times I ever saw a reset in a Longplay. I believe the scripting for the ambushes isn't always a marine triggering them, the second one that pops up only happens after you go and rescue the marines actively engaged in a firefight. Someone forgot about that one and ended up walking Tassadar straight into the pathway of the Infested Terran. It sticks with me because it was a World of Longplays video, and they are quite honest saying that savestates and other things are used to preserve the experience of a single take. Why keep a failure in then? Complete with the mission failure screen and repeating the whole level over again, the player could've just used the good take and we never would've known the difference.
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Aug 26, 2023 03:53
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Are people okay with spoilers from the Real Scale version of Mass Recall?
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Aug 26, 2023 09:27
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Damanation posted:Are people okay with spoilers from the Real Scale version of Mass Recall? Not my decision, but I would like to hear more. I've never heard of this project. I assume that it is an attempt to make the game more proportional to SC1, but I could be wrong.
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Aug 26, 2023 19:26
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JustJeff88 posted:Not my decision, but I would like to hear more. I've never heard of this project. I assume that it is an attempt to make the game more proportional to SC1, but I could be wrong. No, its an attempt to make to make all the units their canon size. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iU-DxJeSC70 (SC2 spoilers in the vid)
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Aug 26, 2023 19:52
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I've gone back and edited the post with the cut briefing lines, added at the bottom of the update for the curious.Damanation posted:Are people okay with spoilers from the Real Scale version of Mass Recall? I have no problem with that. My main motivation for the spoiler policy is to limit discussion about units we haven't seen yet in order to prevent both posts and the thread from descending into incomprehensible gobbledygook for people who either haven't played or are a bit rusty. I don't think Real Scale Mass Recall should be an issue for that. If you meant spoilers for the Real Scale Mass Recall mod itself, that's not something I mind but I'll leave that one more up to thread consensus since it's beyond the scope of this actual LP.
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Aug 26, 2023 23:06
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Also I finally had time for some housekeeping! I went back and cleaned up all the dead links in the spotlights so hopefully those are gone for good.
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Aug 27, 2023 00:52
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Fantastic Foreskin posted:No, its an attempt to make to make all the units their canon size. Great Googly Moogly!
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Aug 27, 2023 01:45
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It’s worth pointing out to people who had difficulty with Mass Recall, that they toned the AI back down. So I would say overall it’s easier, but you would have to get used to how different units are. That said, zerglings hatch in batches of 10, and man is it fun to send a swarm of them to their death until they get close and rip everything to shreds.
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Aug 27, 2023 02:13
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Damanation posted:It’s worth pointing out to people who had difficulty with Mass Recall, that they toned the AI back down. So I would say overall it’s easier, but you would have to get used to how different units are. When was this toning down done? I played a few years ago, and had the common problem of being bored on easy while having my face pushed in on normal. I also didn't realise that they made such drastic gameplay changes to core units. When did that happen? I cannot imagine building 10 zerglings at a go.
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Aug 27, 2023 18:33
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JustJeff88 posted:When was this toning down done? I played a few years ago, and had the common problem of being bored on easy while having my face pushed in on normal. I assume the batches-of-10 thing is for that Real Scale mod. Mass Recall still just replicates the mechanics of SC1/Brood War.
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Aug 27, 2023 18:37
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Tenebrais posted:I assume the batches-of-10 thing is for that Real Scale mod. Mass Recall still just replicates the mechanics of SC1/Brood War. Yes, this is why I shouldn’t post half asleep. The maker of real scale mass recall is the one who toned the AI down. I’m a scrub so I play on normal, and couldn’t for mass recall. I was able to do so for the real scale version though. I will say that the Terran campaign was the hardest of the 3. I haven’t done brood war yet.
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Aug 27, 2023 23:01
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Unit Spotlight: Archon The Archon as it appears in the manual. Cost: 100 minerals, 300 Vespene, 4 supply HP: 10 Shields: 350 Armour: 1 Size: Large Damage: 30 (+3) Damage Type: Normal DPS: 35.71 (+3.57) Range: 2 Speed: 4.9 Sight: 8 Special: Hovers; Splash Damage (no friendly fire); Merged from High Templar Durable and powerful, the Archon is the Ultralisk's competition for strongest ground unit in the game. Boasting a ton of shields, the second-highest DPS in the game, and an attack that hits both ground and air and does splash damage that doesn't harm friends, it's a mighty, mighty unit. It shares a range of 2 with the Firebat, and so like the Firebat falls into a role of "technically ranged but for all intents and purposes melee." This is actually a huge boon for the Archon, as it allows the unit to attack from behind Zealots, rather than trying to scrunch up into the front lines alongside them. Unfortunately the Archon is big and bulky enough and its range short enough that it still shares the Ultralisk's limitation of having a hard time getting a good surround on something, just not to the same degree. As we've seen, it isn't produced from any structures but rather merged from two High Templar - the unit's "cost" listed above is actually the cost of the two HT, merging the Archon itself costs nothing. Interestingly enough, it also doesn't require any tech - if your Templar Archives get destroyed, your existing HT can still merge. It takes some time for an Archon to merge, and the unit is helpless while it does so. Be smart and cautious about when and where you merge.  The process of building the Archon sprite for Starcraft Remastered. Helps to see what the Archon actually looks like without the big cloud of psionic energy covering it. The Archon has three main weaknesses: first, it's a one-way trip. Archons can never unmerge so the HT that become one are gone forever, and as awesome as the Archon's damage output is, it's still not as good as Storm. Second, the price. Three hundred Vespene is a lot of gas - equal to the gas cost of a Battlecruiser, in fact, and more expensive than any other unit we've seen so far. Finally, it’s a little bulky and clumsy, making it sometimes difficult to control. It’s not unusual to see one of these bumbling around, trying to reach a point where it can fire on the enemy. The Archon does hover, but unlike the Vulture it lacks the speed and range to be able to pull off any cool tricks as a result, so it’s mostly just a quirk and a “Get out of Spider Mines Free” card. Oh, also, it’s worth clarifying the supply cost, since it can be confusing. The four supply cost of the Archon replaces the four supply taken up by the two Templar, it doesn’t add to it. HXE Tllw Gl Tl, Hri:* The Archon is unique in that it's a being of pure psionic energy, making it the only unit in the base game that is neither Biological nor Mechanical. Archons can't be Lockdown'd, they can't be Irradiated, and in fact they don't count as alive so they can't be Broodling'd, either (which I think we saw briefly in the Zerg campaign?). If a spell or ability checks for a unit type, the Archon's immune to it - though note that, like a Mechanical unit, the Archon can still be targeted by Irradiate and therefore have its AoE do damage to Biological units near the Archon. Fluff: In times of great need and desperation, High Templar may elect to give up their lives and merge together. Their sacrifice creates the Archon, a being of pure psionic energy that can unleash a devastating Psionic Shockwave; essentially a more focused version of the Psionic Storm. Templar who undergo this transformation are said to have reached the Khala's end, and their names are recorded forever in the Templar Archives. Blizzard would later add the fluff that the psionic energy of the Archon is so great that it makes them inherently unstable - they can only survive for a few hours before they collapse in on themselves like a dying star. This surprised me - not the tidbit itself, but rather the fact that it's a later addition, because I was sure that it was in the original SC1 lore, but if it was I can't find it. Anyway, the point is that lore-wise, an Archon merge is a great sacrifice that is only undertaken in the direst of circumstances.  Fanart of the Archon. Tech Fluff: No tech for the Archons, sadly. Campaign Usage: Archons are decent in the campaign. They’re well-rounded and, while we’re in the “AI likes to attack with frequent small groups” part of the campaign, they’re actually probably better than Storm. Although, we’ve probably just left that part of the campaigns for good, come to think of it. The fact that they’re so strong also makes them a pretty good candidate for players who say “Look, I just want to turtle in my base, make a big army, and A-move it across the map.” A stack of Archons is more than a match for most of what the game will throw at us. Their main downside is their cost. Even in the campaign where we don’t have to be all that concerned about resource efficiency, 300 gas is just so much. The same as a Battlecruiser, in fact, although the mineral cost is much lower. And when it comes to “beating missions by A-moving across them,” we’ll soon be getting a unit that can do so better and with a lower gas cost (although, again, a considerably higher mineral cost). So it’s a unit we’ll be using sparingly, but we will use it. Competitive Usage: Archons are probably the weirdest unit in the game when it comes to their role in competitive. You will see them in every matchup, probably in every game that lasts past the early mid-game, but Protoss will almost never "go Archons," i.e. attempt to amass the unit as a core part of their strategy. See, Protoss aren't hurting for a big, beefy unit to tank hits the way Zerg are, and as impressive as the Archon's damage output is, it still pales in comparison to the awesome destructive power of Storm. So an Archon isn't going to be able to wreak the same amount of havoc as a High Templar is, let alone two. But the problem with Storm is that it's limited by Space Mana - once it runs out, what do you do? You will see the rare occasion where Protoss is in a place to allow their Templar to recharge, but far more commonly they'll forego that long-term investment for the short-term power boost that comes from the Archon. So because Protoss always gets High Templar, they will also always have Archons. But, like I said, it generally won't be a core part of their strategy, and it's pretty rare that Protoss will build Templar for the express purpose of merging them into Archons. Vs Terran: Surprisingly useful in this matchup. The fact that Archons are 97.5% Shields makes them incredibly vulnerable to EMP, but that's not really Terran's main concern. See, if you're Terran and you've got Vessels, your top priority is EMP-ing Arbiters. Your second priority is EMP-ing High Templar. Wiping out a unit's shields, even a unit like the Archon, is a distant third. Don't get me wrong, it'll still happen occasionally, so Archons aren't entirely off the hook, but it's a lot less common than you'd expect. In fact, by exercising their Delete High Templar Space Mana button, Science Vessels are probably responsible for creating far more Archons than they destroy. The bigger concern with Archon's shields, generally, is going to be the fact that they take full damage from the Vulture's brutal Concussive attacks (and in a vacuum, Firebats also do quite well against Archons. Regrettably you'll never see this in action, because Firebats are Storm and Reaver fodder that are horrendous against Dragoons, but in theory…). Archons do have their advantages, though. They're tough enough to withstand a few Siege Tank volleys and as hovering units they can clear minefields without any risk to themselves. Their damage output is nothing to sneeze at either, though unfortunately Terran tank lines tend to be too spread out for the Archon's splash damage to hit more than one at a time.   GuemChi’s Archon absorbs the blasts from Royal’s Siege Tank and closes in for the kill. Vs. Zerg: This is the Archon's big matchup. They annihilate Zerglings, their splash attack is incredibly strong against clumped Mutas, and their huge amount of Shields allows them to more or less shrug off the damage output of Zerg's ground siege unit (Lurkers). In fact, if Protoss hits +2 weapon upgrades, Archons start oneshotting Lings. +3, and Archons one-shot Lings even with max armour. They're not without limitations, of course. As good as they are against Mutas, they have the unfortunate distinction of being one of the only units with a shorter range than Mutas, meaning with careful micro the Zerg player can kite the Archon and kill it safely. Hydras are popular in this matchup, and here the Archon falls into the same boat as the Dragoon; how viable they are depends on just how many Hydras Zerg has accumulated. Nonetheless, if it’s a manageable number, Archons do a real number on them. They still generally fill the same role of "units that you make when your Templar have nothing better to do" just because as strong as they are against Zerg, again, Storm is stronger. Storm doesn’t need upgrades to oneshot Zerglings. Storm doesn’t care how many Hydras Zerg has - in fact, the more the merrier. But once the Space Mana’s gone, Archons are still a force to be reckoned with, and besides, considering how Zealot-heavy Protoss’ composition tends to be in this matchup, sometimes you don’t want to just blanket everything in Storms.   Bisu’s Templar unleash the pain with their Storms, then…  …with their mana depleted, they merge into an Archon…    …and go to raise some hell. Note in the middle picture that the Archon’s shields are mostly depleted. Damage sustained by the Archon while merging carries over to the completed unit. Zerg tried to kill the Archon before it could finish, but failed. Vs. Protoss: This is the matchup where Archons are the weakest. Like I said, in traditional play this tends to follow a trajectory of Dragoon Wars -> Reaver Wars -> Templar Wars, with each step being cumulative, and Archons have a really hard time against Dragoons and Reavers (although ironically they’re great against High Templar). You’ll still see them plenty here, because again it’s rare that you’ll have enough breathing space to let depleted Templar recharge, but they generally won’t be decisive.   Snow’s Archons lead the charge into GuemChi’s Dragoons, winning him the game. You know, I just want to throw a disclaimer in here, because I’m worried I’m underselling the Archon a bit. Yes, I keep noting that its attack isn’t as strong as Storm, but nothing is as strong as Storm. Not Siege Tanks, not Reavers, not upgraded Zerglings, nothing. Well, okay, Nukes. And I guess arguably Plague, although that’s a complicated comparison. But no standard attack is anywhere near being as strong as Storm. And like we saw in the overview - Archons have the second-highest DPS of any standard attack in the game. They have the second-highest durability of any ground unit in the game. They’re tough and they can go through the enemy army like a hot knife through butter. It’s just the fact that their creation involves the sacrifice of two powerful spellcasters that makes evaluating the unit’s effectiveness a bit more complicated than normal. But don’t make the mistake of thinking Archons are weak, because they aren’t. They’re terrifying forces of nature. So, to summarize… Well, it’s actually kinda the same in all three matchups. Expend your Templar Space Mana then turn them into brutal tyrants of destruction. Five Minutes Shorter: We will not be seeing the hero version of the Archon, as it only appears in the map editor. Named Tassadar/Zeratul, it’s a theoretical merging of those two characters that never actually happens. With 800 Shields, 100 HP, 3 Armour, and 60 damage, Tassadar/Zeratul is arguably the single strongest unit in the game - not even the Norad II could match those stats. Funnily enough, while this unit never appeared in any official Starcraft content, it would eventually become a pet in World of Warcraft, named Zeradar. The specific concept of Tassadar and Zeratul merging is also interesting, because starting in SC2 High and Dark Templar can merge with one another into Archons. *Sometimes it is wise to think backwards. ********************************** It’s vote time! Spotlight’s a weird place for it, I know, but I forgot to do this at the end of the last update. I’d like to start laying some future groundwork here so we’re going to vote on the identity of our next commander now. In Episode 4, we’re going to be playing as the Protoss again. Since Artanis will be an actual character there, we can’t play as him again, so we’ll have to choose someone else. So, are we going to be… Selendis, the (semi?)canonical Executor of episode 4 and character that will later appear in Starcraft 2 Or… Write-in Vote, which, as before, will work with all write-in votes being counted together and the result chosen from among them if it wins, so people don’t have to worry about vote splitting.
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Aug 30, 2023 22:46
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Stevendis
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Aug 30, 2023 23:07
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Selendis
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Aug 30, 2023 23:10
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Matt Horner, who should be available.
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Aug 30, 2023 23:13
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Terran magistrate-turned-commander-turned-executor on a work-study program Matt Horner
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Aug 30, 2023 23:18
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Selendis
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Aug 30, 2023 23:18
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As
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Aug 30, 2023 23:21
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It's Selendis's time to shine
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Aug 30, 2023 23:30
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SIGSEGV posted:Matt Horner, who should be available.
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Aug 30, 2023 23:37
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SIGSEGV posted:Matt Horner, who should be available.
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Aug 31, 2023 00:10
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SIGSEGV posted:Matt Horner, who should be available.
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Aug 31, 2023 00:11
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Selendis begins her career soon. Also, I'm really not getting that 'think backwards" bit. Anyone able to decipher that? It's still gibberish spelled backwards.
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Aug 31, 2023 00:24
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How did it wind up in the world of starcraft? Nobody knows. But the Exeggutor faked it til it made it and now leads its fellow sunlight powered, psychic brethren into battle.
FoolyCharged fucked around with this message at 01:12 on Aug 31, 2023 |
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Aug 31, 2023 00:52
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Selendis
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Aug 31, 2023 00:59
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