Since I don’t play the game as much as I did when it first game out, I have no business trying to analyze the flaws of the original compared to what Blizzard has done and is doing with the sequel. Therefore, I will stick to enumerating the new additions found in this latest gameplay trailer.

Highlights

1. The Terran Command Center now doubles as an scv transport. This gives Terrans unprecedented mobility when trying to rebuild.
2. Terran buildings now have modular addons. Each addon, provides special functionality. In particular, the Reactor allows buildings such as barracks to double their output capacity.
3. The new detector, the Sensor Tower, upgrades into a radar tower which has a much larger range and allows players to detect enemies in the fog of war.
4. Battlecruisers (and possibly all major units) are upgraded individually. This means you must spend resources per Battlecruiser to give them your choice between the old Yammator Canon and the new Plasma array.
5. The Viking is the new Valkyrie. It deals area of effect (AOE) damage to capital airships, but thats not all. It can also transform into a ground assault unit.
6. The Banshee is the new Wraith. It is an air unit with the ability to cloak, but unlike the Wraith, it is armed with AOE missiles (This seems a bit too much considering the new Viking, so I wonder if it is only an Air to Ground attack unit).
7. As was seen in the original gameplay trailer, the Reaper is a new light ground unit with the ability to traverse terrain obstacles. However, this new trailer highlights the Reaper’s new armament: demolition charges. These demolition charges are basically land mines with timers.
8. The Terran Command Center now has the ability to transform into a planetary fortress, giving it a heavy artillery canon for defending against enemies.
9. The Thor is the new Terran heavy siege unit. It looks like a cross between a Battlecruiser and a Siege Tank as it has both, powerful laser canons and a siege mode.
10. Replacing the Vulture is the Cobra, a fast ground attack vehicle armed with a rail gun.
11. Last, but not least, are the Ghosts. However, Ghosts are no longer weak attack units. They come with a new “sniper” attack that is a slow and high damage (one shot against marines). In addition to the traditional nukes, Ghosts can call down drop pods which are basically paratroopers. This should make base raids and sieges particularly interesting.

Since this is the third time I have seen the gameplay trailer, I must admit, I am impressed with the direction of Starcraft 2. Although it stays true to the original in terms of gameplay, this sequel adds many new dynamics to the game. Each race we have seen so far looks like they will have many more options for building effective armies. Micromanagement will again most likely separate good players from great players, and as I said in my last post, terrain will probably be a big part of the game. All we need now, is the Zerg’s gameplay trailer so that we can marvel in what will be Starcraft 2.

Trailer Download

Blizzard’s Starcraft 2 movie page