warlord_7
03-07-2010, 11:53 AM
http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/2779/title1q.png
This week I thought I would go ahead and bring forth some opinions from various high ranked platinum players in all 3 divisions. Many have willingly voiced their opinion on the current state of Starcraft 2, and have even gone so far as to offer possible remedies to what they feel are growing problems. Below are interviews chalk full of great reading material to help those without the beta get a better understanding for how the game is progressing currently. Without further adu here they are!
This first interview was conducted with Louder. Coming from Starcraft 1, and being a notable force to reckon with in Broodwar, it is no doubt that Louder was able to rise to the very top echelon of play soo swiftly, and deliver his opinion on the current state of the betatest.
http://androidbit.com/wordpress/2010/02/24/interview-louder-david-fells/
This next interview is with another top US Platinum player, and a friend of Louders. Inka also hails from the original Starcraft, and has just recently become rather good. Playing for team USA, as well as sponsored team Evil Genisus he looks to make a name for himself in Blizzard's thrilling new title. Read and enjoy.
http://androidbit.com/wordpress/2010/02/26/interview-inka-kelby-williams/
Jumping oversea's for a little bit, we switch our attention from the US beta, to the European one. Bolstering tons of top Starcraft 1 players, the European server has quite a bit to say regarding the current metagame, and the possible future of Starcraft 2.
Starting things off is the original viking himself, Liquid.Nazgul! One of the biggest names in early Starcraft 1, he was one of the first non-korean players to take wins from the old school legend Slayers`Boxer (Proclaimed best korean player of all time). His success allowed him a temporary career in South Korea as a Professional Gamer alongside a few select others. Not many have risen to the level of Nazgul, and his words should be taken seriously and hopefully considered by Blizzard.
http://androidbit.com/wordpress/2010/03/04/interview-nazgul-victor-goossens
Jumping from one of the originators of Starcraft to a much newer face in MorroW. Unknown to the community for many many years, MorroW just recently hit the spotlight after ending in 2nd place in the ladder stage behind Idra in one of the biggest online tournaments to date, the TSL (TeamLiquid Starleague). Gaining respect in the previous community, Morrow is able to carry this over to Blizzards new title. Read what he has to say regarding current balance and gameplay.
http://androidbit.com/wordpress/2010/02/16/morrow-stefan-andersson-the-professional/
Moving east we now head over to Asia, and the South Korean scene. For the past 10 years, South Korea has been a dominating force in the RTS industry, with players making well into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Huge pro-teams have been set in place for years already, and millions of Korean residents find their entertainment in either watching competitive RTS, playing it, or both. Due to this influx in interest, South Korea has fostered billions of dollars in revenue. It is only natural that something as big as Starcraft 2 would stir up tons of fresh faces , and furious fingers in South Korea's mecca of gaming.
First is an interview with ex semi-pro player Zenio.WeRRa. He used to play Warcraft 3 at a very high level, but upon hearing of Starcraft 2's future arrival, he dropped everything, and switched over to Starcraft 1. After switching over, he spent a year with Starcraft in preperation of it's successor. Below is the interview translation from Korean to English, but more importantly, below are the words of a great Korean professional gamer. Read on and find out what he has to say!
YGosu: Hello, it’s YGosu here. Let’s begin with a brief introduction. Zenio: Hi, my name is Choi Jung Min, and I’m 20 years old. I live in Uijeongbu, and I’m currently unemployed….</p> YGosu: Oh, 20 years old! In the prime of your youth, I see. You have a girlfriend? Zenio: Huk! We broke up a week ago…
YGosu: T_T. My condolences to you. Zenio: T_T
YGosu: If it was one week ago, that coincides interestingly with the release of the Starcraft 2 beta. Does that have anything to do with your ridiculous win rate and #1 ranking? Zenio: Well I wanted to break up since before, and with the Starcraft II Beta coming out and all, I told her we should break up.
YGosu: Indeed… You took those wise words to heart: To achieve great things, distance yourself from women. Zenio: Yup, lolz.
YGosu: So, you’re #1 in division one of the platinum league, and have an amazing win rate with 224 wins and 50 losses. In short, you’re kinda good at Starcraft 2. So, you think you’re pretty good then? Zenio: ;;;;; (implies that he’s flustered) Nope. It just looks like I’m good because the Starcraft players aren’t playing yet. If the Starcraft players start, I think I’m gonna fall behind, they’re scary!
YGosu: Oh well then. Then who do you think is the best player in the Starcraft II beta so far? For example, yourself…. Zenio: Well, I’d like to say it’s me, but I’ll just say it’s Hyungju hyung (Check[pooh], Warcraft III pro who is #1 in another division), hehehe.
YGosu: What a peculiar answer, humble and yet not so humble at the same time. Zenio: LOL
YGosu: Starcraft II is a Protoss bonanza right now, but you’re tearing stuff up as Zerg. How are you spanking this overflow of Protoss players? Zenio: Oh, Protoss is strong?
YGosu: If you look at the platinum rankings, about 70% of the players are Protoss. I counted myself yesterday, I played 14 PvPs during a 20 game stretch yesterday. Zenio: Protoss doesn’t have anything to stop mutalisks with. I play thinking that if I can just survive the best I can with sunken colonies and zerglings, I’ll win when I get to mutas.
YGosu: Oh, I think I’ve lost to that a few times. Do you mean the 13 pool -> Expand -> Corruptor + Mutalisk build? Zenio: Yeah. As you make mutas, you’ll have some extra minerals, while you don’t have enough gas. I just throw all those extra minerals into drones, and once I’ve secured my second base I can make 5 hatcheries and mass roaches in a macro game. Kind of like ZvT in Starcraft: Brood War.
YGosu: I've lost to it, and it's a really scary build. There's no real counter for that as Protoss? Werra : Nope. You make mutas, and make a hatchery at your main, two at your natural, and two at your third base, a queen at each of them and then win like that. If you eventually take 4 gas bases, you just can't lose.
YGosu: You can run five hatcheries, all of them with queens? Zenio: Yup.
YGosu: I’d like to tell you that you’re kinda awesome. So you’re saying that as of now, the Phoenix, which are supposed to counter mutalisks, can’t really do much against them? Zenio: Yeah, I think so, and that it will probably be patched. There’s no good way to stop mutas right now…
YGosu: I guess so. Even if you get Phoenixes, they die easily to Corruptors. Even Archons aren’t like they used to be… Zenio: Yeah, it’s easy to dodge storm. Storm is just too weak. And if you make too many stalkers, you just die to zerlings and roaches.
YGosu: What a clear explanation from the ZvP master. I’m worried that more Zerg players will start using this strategy now. I’m considering deleting this interview T_T Zenio: Gasp!!!
YGosu: Onto the next question. It’s very hard to find a high ranking Terran in the platinum leagues, why do you think Terran is doing so poorly now? Zenio: Hmmm… I need a clever answer for this one… People might hate me if I answer this poorly, lol.
YGosu: Do you visit our site? If you did, you’d know it’s our policy to act first, and deal with the consequences later. Zenio: Really?
YGosu: Are you really a YGosu user? Zenio: Yes. I’m always checking the site out. I also had the #1 popular post a while ago.
YGosu: Oh, then you’re an Elite YGosu-er. In the spirit of our website, spit some truth. Zenio: Well in that case, Terran is strong, but no one knows how to use them.
YGosu: Wow, a pretty strong statement there. So you mean the players aren’t used to the new Terran yet? Or that all the Terran users are chobos? Zenio: I mean… I think so far that a lot of Warcraft III players are playing Starcraft II. They’re trying too hard to play the game like Warcraft III. How should I say this… they focus too much on microing units with special abilities, or trying to fight major battles with an army they’ve saved up. That’s not Starcraft. You have to make stuff quickly, burn through it quickly, and expand all the while. The Warcraft III players like to play off one base and complete their unit combinations.
YGosu: So you mean they are too passive, and too focused on battles? Zenio: I’ve tried Terran a little bit, and it seems like going 1 barracks expand is good, just like Starcraft: Broodwar. No one uses this build though. I think resource oriented play is good.
YGosu: Most people seem to think that it’s very difficult to protect a fast expansion in Starcraft II, but you think Terran can pull it off? Zenio: Yes, of course. If you scout them trying to attack you early, you can defend easily by building bunkers in time. If you defend a rush, then obviously you’re ahead. I think Terran can be very strong if they expand followed with a well timed attack, like Starcraft: BW.
YGosu: Ah, spoken like a true gosu, breaking the existing notions. Zenio: No, I’m not rewriting the rules or anything. Think about it. In a game that’s been played for over ten years, and researched to death, standard play isn’t standard for nothing. There’s a good reason. Starcraft II might be a different game from Starcraft: Broodwar, but classic play still works in the end. I’m kind of disappointed that people are missing that.
YGosu: Do you have a lot of experience at Starcraft: Broodwar as well? Zenio: Yes, I practiced a lot in preparation for Starcraft II.
YGosu: So that’s what it was, you did seem unusually good. How did you prepare exactly? Zenio: It was about this time last year, so it’s been an entire year now. I heard around then that the Starcraft II beta was coming out, so I stopped playing Warcraft. At the time, I was actually practicing to be a Warcraft progamer. To be honest, it was really tough. I suffered so much because the bar was already set so high. But when I heard the Starcraft II beta was coming out, I thought about hard it had been for me so far, and I decided to make a clean cut from Warcraft and take a shot at Starcraft II.
And in order to prepare for that, I started to play Starcraft: Brood War from March of 2009. But I didn’t know how to play Starcraft. I started in public games on the Battle.net Asia server. Then I learned about the “op 345” channel. I practiced there for a while, and then my friend told me about ICCup. So I switched to ICCup and played there. I managed to get to A- in about three seasons.
YGosu: That’s incredible. Starcraft is hard to get good at, even if you play it for two or three years. But you managed to hit A- in only a year. You must have practiced really hard. Did you feel discouraged at any point? Zenio: Yes, it was hard. It’s a totally different game from Warcraft III, so it would be strange if it wasn’t hard. It wasn’t really the gaming that was hard on me, it was some other things.
YGosu: What was the hardest part? Zenio: I didn’t have a good environment around me when I was playing Warcraft III. I was going to school, and had some family problems. My heart wasn’t all into it either. But now I’m out of school, and I’ve made up my mind. Now I can focus on Starcraft II completely.
Also, since I’ve tasted failure with Warcraft III, I would really hate to fail at Starcraft II. I’m the youngest kid in my family, and I don’t want to disappoint them when all eyes are on me. Think about it, the little kid in the family, wasting all of his time on video games, how that would break his parent’s hearts. I’m so sorry to them, so terribly sorry. I really want to succeed at Starcraft II so I can make my parents happy.
YGosu: That’s some resolve and determination there. You’ve persevered through that pain and practicing hard right now, I know you’re going to succeed. You’ll become the pride of YGosu! If you’d just do some One Piece (an anime) cos-playing, you could try and become not only the president of YGosu, but even the Emperor… (YGosu in-joke I don’t understand). Anyway onto the next question. So what do you think about Starcraft II? Do you think it can succeed just like the original? Zenio: Of course. I watched Starcraft I on TV recently, and I just couldn’t watch it… And I really like Starcraft.
YGosu: What do you think the strengths of Starcraft II are? Zenio: First off, it’s still in the beta phase, yet Battle.net works really well so even new players can start playing with ease. The ladder system is great, too. From an observer’s standpoint, the tempo of the game is quick so it’s fun to watch.
YGosu: Were you thinking about E-sports with that last bit? Zenio: Yes. There’s a real joy to watching the game.
YGosu: On the other hand, what do you think the weaknesses are? In terms of balance, or gameplay. Zenio: The sound effects could be better. I think Zerg has the biggest problem there, there’s just no energy behind the unit sounds. It barely sounds like they’re responding when you click on them, and you can’t tell what unit is making what sound. There aren’t units that sound desperate or growl at you aggressively, and the “You require more minerals” sound is kind of off-putting (the Korean dub of the Zerg lady is said to be pretty bad). So it’s kind of annoying.
YGosu: We’ll try to send your feedback to Blizzard. What about the maps then? Do you think anything is wrong with them right now? Like, racial imbalances, or differences in starting positions? Zenio: You know Desert Oasis, right? The main and natural are so far apart, so you have to defend them separately, which makes it difficult to expand. Even if you do succeed at expanding, it’s really hard to defend it, so I think the map forces you to play off your main. Naturally, you don’t get to make many units… It would be nice if they got rid of maps like that. I – I’m not saying that because I’m a Zerg user!
YGosu: … Thank you for your insightful (selfish) opinions. (The quip about selfishness is YGosu’s, not mine) You don’t feel that there’s any imbalance in starting positions? Zenio: Nope, haven’t felt that yet.
YGosu: Then what do you think is overpowered so far? Like, something like “Warp Gates are imba!” or like the mutalisks in ZvP like you mentioned before. Zenio: Overpowered, hmmm…
YGosu: For example, Warp Gates or Mutalisks… Zenio: Hmm.. Like I said before, I think mutalisks are overpowered. Besides that, I don’t think anything is really overpowered. I think the balance is pretty good overall, with the exception of mutas in zvp.
YGosu: Sharp observation, I hope it will be patched soon T_T. Are you streaming on Afreeca? Most other gosus stream their games there. Zenio: No, my computer is pretty bad T_T. I’m playing on lowest settings. I’d have to go to a PC Bang in order to broadcast. But it’s a pain to do that, and it takes a lot of money. I’d love to stream, but I’m not in the situation to do so right now.
YGosu: Laziness is fearsome indeed. The answer might be obvious, but would you like to be a pro-gamer once Starcraft II is released? Zenio: Yes, of course. For that, I’ve dropped everything else and gone all-in with Starcraft II.
YGosu: That shows in the insane amount of games you’ve played. Not even a week, and 300 games… Zenio: 40 a day is my goal. No more, no less, just getting in 40 games a day is my goal so far.
YGosu: We really hope you become a Starcraft II pro. Personally then, which progamer are you excited about making the possible leap from Starcraft I to Starcraft II? Zenio: Hmm… Flash or Jaedong. I guess that’s a pretty common answer.
YGosu: Yeah… A bit boring. Just say Yellow. Zenio: No no no no no.
YGosu: Kong Gga Ji ma T_T (don’t bash Yellow). Zenio: Lol. Well just personally, it’s Rock. I met him while I was playing Warcraft a long time ago. Since he’s dabbled in Warcraft III, I think maybe he’ll be okay at Starcraft II because they have a similar interface? Though should I be saying this about Rock? He’s still playing Starcraft…
YGosu: Perfectly OK. The commander of the major leagues (Stork. Refers to Rock’s nickname, commander of the minor leagues. Go look up his record in Challenge league or Survivor tournament, he’s incredible there) plays World of Warcraft, you know. Zenio: …. Really?
YGosu: ….Who knows? We’re not sure either. Someone out there must know the truth anyway. Well, in conclusion, a word to the YGosu-ers from a YGosu-er who will go on to become a Starcraft II pro! Zenio: YGosu is such a familiar site to me, so it’s an honor to be interviewed like this. I’ll try hard so you guys can interview me later when I’m a Starcraft II pro.
YGosu: When you’re a pro, please plug our site. Something like “I start my day by browsing YGosu.” Zenio: ROFL
YGosu: Ok, now pick the next interviewee. Who should we interview, amongst the many Starcraft II players? Zenio: Hmm, who should I pick?
YGosu: Don’t worry about it, just act. Like I said before. You’re a YGosuer? Act first, think later. Zenio: Then I pick Kim Dong Su, Garimtoss. He’s like the only Starcraft player who’s high in the ladder, so I think it would be great if you interviewed him.
YGosu: ….Thanks for picking such a difficult guy to get a hold of. Anyway, thanks for the interview! We hope to see you again as a YGosu-er progamer! Zenio: Thanks guys
Next, and equally as impressive is Check[pooh]. Hailing from South Korea, and being a dominate force in the Warcraft 3 scene, Check has decided to move on, and try his chances at a fresh new title. With a heart of dedication, and the hand speed of the gods, check fills us in on what he feels is both positive and negative so far with the current design. This interview has been translated from Korean to English and is worthy of a read.</p> YGosu: Hello. It’s an honor to interview a Warcraft III hero such as yourself. Could we begin with a brief introduction? Check: Hi, I’m Lee Hyung Ju, a Warcraft III progamer who’s thinking about switching to Starcraft II.</p> YGosu: Ah, so you plan to switch? I’ve played you a few times on the ladder, and each time I was scared s***less. So as a Warcraft III player, I doubt you’ve heard of YGosu… But what do you know of us? Check: You’re a Starcraft community.
YGosu: Thank you for recognizing us. At YGosu, we like to set ourselves apart from other interviews with our lighter tone and humor. We also request a certain degree of frankness, which has made is famous in the Starcraft community. We look forward to your honest and entertaining answers! Check: Ok.
YGosu: To begin with, we noticed that you’ve managed to be successful as a gamer even though you’re well over sixty years old. What is your secret? Check: I was born in 1986, so I don’t think I’m sixty quite yet. When I get into a game, I try to think about that game non-stop, and cut out thoughts that are irrelevant.
YGosu: In Starcraft, 25~26 years old is already considered to be an upper limit, so I seem to have made a mistake in thinking it’s the same in Warcraft III. So you’re focusing on Starcraft II exclusively now? Check: Yes, all-in with Starcraft II.
YGosu: Playing the Starcraft II ladder, I notice a lot of other Warcraft III gamers are focusing on Starcraft II. Is that how it is in the Warcraft III community right now, everyone is just naturally shifting to Starcraft II? Check: Yeah, besides the WeMade Fox team, everyone seems to be going over.
YGosu: What’s different about the WeMade Fox team, is it because they are salaried? Check: I don’t know the details, but the company hired them as Warcraft players, so I guess it’s right that they play Warcraft III.
YGosu: That’s a similar position as the Starcraft: BW gamers. If you’re part of a team, I suppose it’s the rule that you follow team policy. Then tell us what you think of Starcraft II. Check: It’s still beta, but it seems very complete. The balance is alright, and I rate it highly from an E-sports perspective as well. It’s being streamed a lot lately, and it’s getting a good response from the viewers. It’s personally pretty fun to watch other guys play as well.
YGosu: Outside E-sports aspects, do you think Starcraft II is a fun game that the average person could enjoy? Check: I think that maybe Brood War fans might not be able to get used to the fact that Starcraft II is in 3D. But it’s really similar to the original, and if they gave it a try I think they’d like it. The interface is more convenient, too.
YGosu: Now that you bring up the interface, it makes me curious. Fans of Broodwar and War3 are furiously typing it out over the internet about whether who Starcraft II will be more advantageous for. What do you think? Check: Eh, it just comes down to individual skill.
YGosu: So you’re saying that because it’s a new game, it’s all up to the individual, and it doesn’t really matter what game they played before. Check: Pretty much.
YGosu: Warcraft III pros are dominating the ladder right now. So you would say that this isn’t because they’re Warcraft III players, but because they are guys who were good enough at games to be pro-gamers? Check: Yeah, I think they have the basic RTS instincts, and with the BW gamers tied up by their teams, just from the outside it looks like Warcraft III gamers are doing well. If we all started off the same, who knows what the result would be?
YGosu: It hasn’t really occurred yet, but everyone is relishing the moment BW and War3 gosus collide in Starcraft II. Which players do you think would adapt easily to Starcraft II? Check: I think players who are doing well right now, like Jaedong and Flash etc would be all be good if they tried Starcraft II. Their basic ability to macro and micro is just so good…
YGosu: We’ll know the result of such a showdown someday. Personally, I’d throw my vote in with the Warcraft III pros. You guys are just so good right now… What do you think the strengths of Stracraft II are? What are its most interesting characteristics and points of interest? Check: The Korean translations are dubs aren’t awkward at all, the graphics are great, and Battle.net 2.0 is good.
YGosu: This question is about the gameplay. As you’re well aware, most of the high ranking platinum league players are either zerg or protoss. Why do you think Terran is doing so badly? Check: There’s just no one who uses them correctly. I think it’s because they try to play it just like Brood War. I’ve been playing as Terran a lot lately, and they’re really strong. I was originally thinking of playing Zerg, but now I’m thinking about switching to terran.
YGosu: What do you think the strengths of Terran are? Check: You can scan and see what your opponent is doing.
YGosu: Do you think scouting is such a huge advantage? As long as you know what your opponent is making, do you think terran is capable of putting together a strong counter? Check: Like it is in any game, scouting is important. I don’t think Terran has any weak units, and if you combine them to counter your opponent they’re pretty strong.
YGosu: I would really like to ask for a specific strat here, but the competition is so fierce these days I’ll hold back. Are you going to continue streaming on Afreeca? Check: I started yesterday, and I plan to keep on going.
YGosu: What kind of fun do you get out of interacting with your viewers in such a way? Check: To be honest it’s not really to interact, it’s to get my name out there.
YGosu: So you’re advertising that “I, Check, am going to be the best Starcraft II player”? Check: Yup.
YGosu: We await the day that the ID Check shows up at the finals of a Starcraft II proleague. How about a parting word for our readers? They are the future Starcraft II viewers who might cheer for you one day… Check: It was an honor to be interviewed, and I hope to do well in Starcraft II tournaments in the future.
YGosu: And a final resolution, and your pick for the next interview if you please? And umm, could you get your pick to talk to us? Please? Check: Hmm, a bit ambiguous as to whom I should pick.
YGosu: If you could introduce us to a Warcraft III gamer who’s all-inning with Starcraft II, we would shed tears at your merciful gesture… Check: That’s a bit tough…. There’s this kid called ZenioWerra, he’s #1 right now. I had his MSN, but I can’t seem to find it. I’ll get him for you.
YGosu: Ah, that ultra gosu who’s #1 in platinum division one. Then we trust in you! Thank you for the interview. We hope you do well in Starcraft 2!
Staying in South Korea, we move along to much more recoginizable faces. Hailing from the Proteam eStro, none other than the white prodigy himself, Artosis gives his thoughts on the game. Never being shy to good discussion Artosis definitely states his opinion on the game, and it's possible emergence into the E-Sport scene.</p> http://androidbit.com/wordpress/2010/02/17/artosis-dan-stemkoski-the-ghost-of-esports-yet-to-come/
One last Korean player who just recently gave his opinion on the game is none other than the old school legend Garimto. Many years ago, Garimto was able to win a Korean Starleague for Starcraft 1, which is probably one of the most difficult things to do in the entire E-sports industry, as you compete against dozens of other extremely talented, highly motivated gamers all bolstering 13 hour daily practice schedules. Garimto showing his brilliance in the RTS genre was able to walk the royal road to victory, and because of that, has had quite an enthralling life as a professional gamer. After finishing his mandatory military service in Korea, Garimto has delved deep into Starcraft 2, attaining rank #1 in the Asia platinum division. This is no mere feat, as many state the Asian beta is much harder than the other 2 overall. Below are some thoughts from Garimto, and his feelings towards this new adventure in gaming.
Garimto's Thoughts:
It feels like Protoss and Zerg have established a power duo at the top.
It's a step up from the Protoss dominance early on, but it's still unfortunate that there's not many Terran players.
I think now, that ZvP is just a matter of who is the better player.
Starcraft II is a game where the person who thinks faster wins, not the person who clicks faster. They cut down on a lot of the repetitive macro, and offered a lot of solutions through counters and thoughtful play.
Multiple building selection means you don't need a godly left hand. You can just put everything on one key, and tab through the buildings to produce.
When you make buildings, you can order a bunch of workers to start make a building and only one of them will go follow your orders. If you're building a lot of buildings at once, you can just select 5~6 workers and tell them to build and they'll go about it smartly.
There's no worry about ordering workers to make a building and have it fail because you ran out of money, because you spend the money at the moment you order the building to be built. Of course, you get the money back if you cancel it.
By reducing manual tasks here and there, they try to make you focus on battles, build orders, and strategies.
Still, there are some problems with balance right now.
For example, there's PvP. PvP right now is one step away from being a total disaster. There's no way to stop 3 Warpgate zealots with an offensive pylon in the opponent's base. Your only counter is to do the same thing.
Also, Terran is a difficult race. Similar to SC1 in that way. They have to fight using a wide variety of units in and skills, and you have to manage a large amount of them at the same time.
Now that I think about it, even though I said the person who thinks faster has the advantage, it's still a nice to have quick hands anyway.
It's like playing TvP with 3 control groups of M&M, while you control a group of wraiths, EMP high templars, plant mines around the map, while still producing troops from your main. And then on top of that you have to focus fire your opponent's colossus with marauders.
You have to be able to do all of this during combat to be good at Terran. It's really hard to win as terran with simple strategies. As Protoss or Zerg (especially Zerg, as an extension from SC1), you can win a game just by playing a macro game with lots of troops. Brood Lords make the enemy's ground troops useless, and Hydralisks are specialized anti-air units. With Hydralisks defending the brood lords, you can play even long game without that much micro.
For protoss, they have an awesome ground unit called the Immortal, so they can just use those with some good storms, while the warp gates make producing troops so much easier, making it easy to play a macro game.
From what I've seen so far, I think this might be a difficult game for beginners. It's not a game like BW where you can win just by just blindly making a lot of units.
As you can clearly see, opinions differ greatly. One thing however that does seem to resonate through everyone is the potential that Starcraft 2 may hold. Everyone seems happy and excited to discover the changes as they blossom, and graciously follow the path through the fog of uncertainess, hoping for a brighter, clear, and more certain future. I know I am!</p> -Luck
This week I thought I would go ahead and bring forth some opinions from various high ranked platinum players in all 3 divisions. Many have willingly voiced their opinion on the current state of Starcraft 2, and have even gone so far as to offer possible remedies to what they feel are growing problems. Below are interviews chalk full of great reading material to help those without the beta get a better understanding for how the game is progressing currently. Without further adu here they are!
This first interview was conducted with Louder. Coming from Starcraft 1, and being a notable force to reckon with in Broodwar, it is no doubt that Louder was able to rise to the very top echelon of play soo swiftly, and deliver his opinion on the current state of the betatest.
http://androidbit.com/wordpress/2010/02/24/interview-louder-david-fells/
This next interview is with another top US Platinum player, and a friend of Louders. Inka also hails from the original Starcraft, and has just recently become rather good. Playing for team USA, as well as sponsored team Evil Genisus he looks to make a name for himself in Blizzard's thrilling new title. Read and enjoy.
http://androidbit.com/wordpress/2010/02/26/interview-inka-kelby-williams/
Jumping oversea's for a little bit, we switch our attention from the US beta, to the European one. Bolstering tons of top Starcraft 1 players, the European server has quite a bit to say regarding the current metagame, and the possible future of Starcraft 2.
Starting things off is the original viking himself, Liquid.Nazgul! One of the biggest names in early Starcraft 1, he was one of the first non-korean players to take wins from the old school legend Slayers`Boxer (Proclaimed best korean player of all time). His success allowed him a temporary career in South Korea as a Professional Gamer alongside a few select others. Not many have risen to the level of Nazgul, and his words should be taken seriously and hopefully considered by Blizzard.
http://androidbit.com/wordpress/2010/03/04/interview-nazgul-victor-goossens
Jumping from one of the originators of Starcraft to a much newer face in MorroW. Unknown to the community for many many years, MorroW just recently hit the spotlight after ending in 2nd place in the ladder stage behind Idra in one of the biggest online tournaments to date, the TSL (TeamLiquid Starleague). Gaining respect in the previous community, Morrow is able to carry this over to Blizzards new title. Read what he has to say regarding current balance and gameplay.
http://androidbit.com/wordpress/2010/02/16/morrow-stefan-andersson-the-professional/
Moving east we now head over to Asia, and the South Korean scene. For the past 10 years, South Korea has been a dominating force in the RTS industry, with players making well into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Huge pro-teams have been set in place for years already, and millions of Korean residents find their entertainment in either watching competitive RTS, playing it, or both. Due to this influx in interest, South Korea has fostered billions of dollars in revenue. It is only natural that something as big as Starcraft 2 would stir up tons of fresh faces , and furious fingers in South Korea's mecca of gaming.
First is an interview with ex semi-pro player Zenio.WeRRa. He used to play Warcraft 3 at a very high level, but upon hearing of Starcraft 2's future arrival, he dropped everything, and switched over to Starcraft 1. After switching over, he spent a year with Starcraft in preperation of it's successor. Below is the interview translation from Korean to English, but more importantly, below are the words of a great Korean professional gamer. Read on and find out what he has to say!
YGosu: Hello, it’s YGosu here. Let’s begin with a brief introduction. Zenio: Hi, my name is Choi Jung Min, and I’m 20 years old. I live in Uijeongbu, and I’m currently unemployed….</p> YGosu: Oh, 20 years old! In the prime of your youth, I see. You have a girlfriend? Zenio: Huk! We broke up a week ago…
YGosu: T_T. My condolences to you. Zenio: T_T
YGosu: If it was one week ago, that coincides interestingly with the release of the Starcraft 2 beta. Does that have anything to do with your ridiculous win rate and #1 ranking? Zenio: Well I wanted to break up since before, and with the Starcraft II Beta coming out and all, I told her we should break up.
YGosu: Indeed… You took those wise words to heart: To achieve great things, distance yourself from women. Zenio: Yup, lolz.
YGosu: So, you’re #1 in division one of the platinum league, and have an amazing win rate with 224 wins and 50 losses. In short, you’re kinda good at Starcraft 2. So, you think you’re pretty good then? Zenio: ;;;;; (implies that he’s flustered) Nope. It just looks like I’m good because the Starcraft players aren’t playing yet. If the Starcraft players start, I think I’m gonna fall behind, they’re scary!
YGosu: Oh well then. Then who do you think is the best player in the Starcraft II beta so far? For example, yourself…. Zenio: Well, I’d like to say it’s me, but I’ll just say it’s Hyungju hyung (Check[pooh], Warcraft III pro who is #1 in another division), hehehe.
YGosu: What a peculiar answer, humble and yet not so humble at the same time. Zenio: LOL
YGosu: Starcraft II is a Protoss bonanza right now, but you’re tearing stuff up as Zerg. How are you spanking this overflow of Protoss players? Zenio: Oh, Protoss is strong?
YGosu: If you look at the platinum rankings, about 70% of the players are Protoss. I counted myself yesterday, I played 14 PvPs during a 20 game stretch yesterday. Zenio: Protoss doesn’t have anything to stop mutalisks with. I play thinking that if I can just survive the best I can with sunken colonies and zerglings, I’ll win when I get to mutas.
YGosu: Oh, I think I’ve lost to that a few times. Do you mean the 13 pool -> Expand -> Corruptor + Mutalisk build? Zenio: Yeah. As you make mutas, you’ll have some extra minerals, while you don’t have enough gas. I just throw all those extra minerals into drones, and once I’ve secured my second base I can make 5 hatcheries and mass roaches in a macro game. Kind of like ZvT in Starcraft: Brood War.
YGosu: I've lost to it, and it's a really scary build. There's no real counter for that as Protoss? Werra : Nope. You make mutas, and make a hatchery at your main, two at your natural, and two at your third base, a queen at each of them and then win like that. If you eventually take 4 gas bases, you just can't lose.
YGosu: You can run five hatcheries, all of them with queens? Zenio: Yup.
YGosu: I’d like to tell you that you’re kinda awesome. So you’re saying that as of now, the Phoenix, which are supposed to counter mutalisks, can’t really do much against them? Zenio: Yeah, I think so, and that it will probably be patched. There’s no good way to stop mutas right now…
YGosu: I guess so. Even if you get Phoenixes, they die easily to Corruptors. Even Archons aren’t like they used to be… Zenio: Yeah, it’s easy to dodge storm. Storm is just too weak. And if you make too many stalkers, you just die to zerlings and roaches.
YGosu: What a clear explanation from the ZvP master. I’m worried that more Zerg players will start using this strategy now. I’m considering deleting this interview T_T Zenio: Gasp!!!
YGosu: Onto the next question. It’s very hard to find a high ranking Terran in the platinum leagues, why do you think Terran is doing so poorly now? Zenio: Hmmm… I need a clever answer for this one… People might hate me if I answer this poorly, lol.
YGosu: Do you visit our site? If you did, you’d know it’s our policy to act first, and deal with the consequences later. Zenio: Really?
YGosu: Are you really a YGosu user? Zenio: Yes. I’m always checking the site out. I also had the #1 popular post a while ago.
YGosu: Oh, then you’re an Elite YGosu-er. In the spirit of our website, spit some truth. Zenio: Well in that case, Terran is strong, but no one knows how to use them.
YGosu: Wow, a pretty strong statement there. So you mean the players aren’t used to the new Terran yet? Or that all the Terran users are chobos? Zenio: I mean… I think so far that a lot of Warcraft III players are playing Starcraft II. They’re trying too hard to play the game like Warcraft III. How should I say this… they focus too much on microing units with special abilities, or trying to fight major battles with an army they’ve saved up. That’s not Starcraft. You have to make stuff quickly, burn through it quickly, and expand all the while. The Warcraft III players like to play off one base and complete their unit combinations.
YGosu: So you mean they are too passive, and too focused on battles? Zenio: I’ve tried Terran a little bit, and it seems like going 1 barracks expand is good, just like Starcraft: Broodwar. No one uses this build though. I think resource oriented play is good.
YGosu: Most people seem to think that it’s very difficult to protect a fast expansion in Starcraft II, but you think Terran can pull it off? Zenio: Yes, of course. If you scout them trying to attack you early, you can defend easily by building bunkers in time. If you defend a rush, then obviously you’re ahead. I think Terran can be very strong if they expand followed with a well timed attack, like Starcraft: BW.
YGosu: Ah, spoken like a true gosu, breaking the existing notions. Zenio: No, I’m not rewriting the rules or anything. Think about it. In a game that’s been played for over ten years, and researched to death, standard play isn’t standard for nothing. There’s a good reason. Starcraft II might be a different game from Starcraft: Broodwar, but classic play still works in the end. I’m kind of disappointed that people are missing that.
YGosu: Do you have a lot of experience at Starcraft: Broodwar as well? Zenio: Yes, I practiced a lot in preparation for Starcraft II.
YGosu: So that’s what it was, you did seem unusually good. How did you prepare exactly? Zenio: It was about this time last year, so it’s been an entire year now. I heard around then that the Starcraft II beta was coming out, so I stopped playing Warcraft. At the time, I was actually practicing to be a Warcraft progamer. To be honest, it was really tough. I suffered so much because the bar was already set so high. But when I heard the Starcraft II beta was coming out, I thought about hard it had been for me so far, and I decided to make a clean cut from Warcraft and take a shot at Starcraft II.
And in order to prepare for that, I started to play Starcraft: Brood War from March of 2009. But I didn’t know how to play Starcraft. I started in public games on the Battle.net Asia server. Then I learned about the “op 345” channel. I practiced there for a while, and then my friend told me about ICCup. So I switched to ICCup and played there. I managed to get to A- in about three seasons.
YGosu: That’s incredible. Starcraft is hard to get good at, even if you play it for two or three years. But you managed to hit A- in only a year. You must have practiced really hard. Did you feel discouraged at any point? Zenio: Yes, it was hard. It’s a totally different game from Warcraft III, so it would be strange if it wasn’t hard. It wasn’t really the gaming that was hard on me, it was some other things.
YGosu: What was the hardest part? Zenio: I didn’t have a good environment around me when I was playing Warcraft III. I was going to school, and had some family problems. My heart wasn’t all into it either. But now I’m out of school, and I’ve made up my mind. Now I can focus on Starcraft II completely.
Also, since I’ve tasted failure with Warcraft III, I would really hate to fail at Starcraft II. I’m the youngest kid in my family, and I don’t want to disappoint them when all eyes are on me. Think about it, the little kid in the family, wasting all of his time on video games, how that would break his parent’s hearts. I’m so sorry to them, so terribly sorry. I really want to succeed at Starcraft II so I can make my parents happy.
YGosu: That’s some resolve and determination there. You’ve persevered through that pain and practicing hard right now, I know you’re going to succeed. You’ll become the pride of YGosu! If you’d just do some One Piece (an anime) cos-playing, you could try and become not only the president of YGosu, but even the Emperor… (YGosu in-joke I don’t understand). Anyway onto the next question. So what do you think about Starcraft II? Do you think it can succeed just like the original? Zenio: Of course. I watched Starcraft I on TV recently, and I just couldn’t watch it… And I really like Starcraft.
YGosu: What do you think the strengths of Starcraft II are? Zenio: First off, it’s still in the beta phase, yet Battle.net works really well so even new players can start playing with ease. The ladder system is great, too. From an observer’s standpoint, the tempo of the game is quick so it’s fun to watch.
YGosu: Were you thinking about E-sports with that last bit? Zenio: Yes. There’s a real joy to watching the game.
YGosu: On the other hand, what do you think the weaknesses are? In terms of balance, or gameplay. Zenio: The sound effects could be better. I think Zerg has the biggest problem there, there’s just no energy behind the unit sounds. It barely sounds like they’re responding when you click on them, and you can’t tell what unit is making what sound. There aren’t units that sound desperate or growl at you aggressively, and the “You require more minerals” sound is kind of off-putting (the Korean dub of the Zerg lady is said to be pretty bad). So it’s kind of annoying.
YGosu: We’ll try to send your feedback to Blizzard. What about the maps then? Do you think anything is wrong with them right now? Like, racial imbalances, or differences in starting positions? Zenio: You know Desert Oasis, right? The main and natural are so far apart, so you have to defend them separately, which makes it difficult to expand. Even if you do succeed at expanding, it’s really hard to defend it, so I think the map forces you to play off your main. Naturally, you don’t get to make many units… It would be nice if they got rid of maps like that. I – I’m not saying that because I’m a Zerg user!
YGosu: … Thank you for your insightful (selfish) opinions. (The quip about selfishness is YGosu’s, not mine) You don’t feel that there’s any imbalance in starting positions? Zenio: Nope, haven’t felt that yet.
YGosu: Then what do you think is overpowered so far? Like, something like “Warp Gates are imba!” or like the mutalisks in ZvP like you mentioned before. Zenio: Overpowered, hmmm…
YGosu: For example, Warp Gates or Mutalisks… Zenio: Hmm.. Like I said before, I think mutalisks are overpowered. Besides that, I don’t think anything is really overpowered. I think the balance is pretty good overall, with the exception of mutas in zvp.
YGosu: Sharp observation, I hope it will be patched soon T_T. Are you streaming on Afreeca? Most other gosus stream their games there. Zenio: No, my computer is pretty bad T_T. I’m playing on lowest settings. I’d have to go to a PC Bang in order to broadcast. But it’s a pain to do that, and it takes a lot of money. I’d love to stream, but I’m not in the situation to do so right now.
YGosu: Laziness is fearsome indeed. The answer might be obvious, but would you like to be a pro-gamer once Starcraft II is released? Zenio: Yes, of course. For that, I’ve dropped everything else and gone all-in with Starcraft II.
YGosu: That shows in the insane amount of games you’ve played. Not even a week, and 300 games… Zenio: 40 a day is my goal. No more, no less, just getting in 40 games a day is my goal so far.
YGosu: We really hope you become a Starcraft II pro. Personally then, which progamer are you excited about making the possible leap from Starcraft I to Starcraft II? Zenio: Hmm… Flash or Jaedong. I guess that’s a pretty common answer.
YGosu: Yeah… A bit boring. Just say Yellow. Zenio: No no no no no.
YGosu: Kong Gga Ji ma T_T (don’t bash Yellow). Zenio: Lol. Well just personally, it’s Rock. I met him while I was playing Warcraft a long time ago. Since he’s dabbled in Warcraft III, I think maybe he’ll be okay at Starcraft II because they have a similar interface? Though should I be saying this about Rock? He’s still playing Starcraft…
YGosu: Perfectly OK. The commander of the major leagues (Stork. Refers to Rock’s nickname, commander of the minor leagues. Go look up his record in Challenge league or Survivor tournament, he’s incredible there) plays World of Warcraft, you know. Zenio: …. Really?
YGosu: ….Who knows? We’re not sure either. Someone out there must know the truth anyway. Well, in conclusion, a word to the YGosu-ers from a YGosu-er who will go on to become a Starcraft II pro! Zenio: YGosu is such a familiar site to me, so it’s an honor to be interviewed like this. I’ll try hard so you guys can interview me later when I’m a Starcraft II pro.
YGosu: When you’re a pro, please plug our site. Something like “I start my day by browsing YGosu.” Zenio: ROFL
YGosu: Ok, now pick the next interviewee. Who should we interview, amongst the many Starcraft II players? Zenio: Hmm, who should I pick?
YGosu: Don’t worry about it, just act. Like I said before. You’re a YGosuer? Act first, think later. Zenio: Then I pick Kim Dong Su, Garimtoss. He’s like the only Starcraft player who’s high in the ladder, so I think it would be great if you interviewed him.
YGosu: ….Thanks for picking such a difficult guy to get a hold of. Anyway, thanks for the interview! We hope to see you again as a YGosu-er progamer! Zenio: Thanks guys
Next, and equally as impressive is Check[pooh]. Hailing from South Korea, and being a dominate force in the Warcraft 3 scene, Check has decided to move on, and try his chances at a fresh new title. With a heart of dedication, and the hand speed of the gods, check fills us in on what he feels is both positive and negative so far with the current design. This interview has been translated from Korean to English and is worthy of a read.</p> YGosu: Hello. It’s an honor to interview a Warcraft III hero such as yourself. Could we begin with a brief introduction? Check: Hi, I’m Lee Hyung Ju, a Warcraft III progamer who’s thinking about switching to Starcraft II.</p> YGosu: Ah, so you plan to switch? I’ve played you a few times on the ladder, and each time I was scared s***less. So as a Warcraft III player, I doubt you’ve heard of YGosu… But what do you know of us? Check: You’re a Starcraft community.
YGosu: Thank you for recognizing us. At YGosu, we like to set ourselves apart from other interviews with our lighter tone and humor. We also request a certain degree of frankness, which has made is famous in the Starcraft community. We look forward to your honest and entertaining answers! Check: Ok.
YGosu: To begin with, we noticed that you’ve managed to be successful as a gamer even though you’re well over sixty years old. What is your secret? Check: I was born in 1986, so I don’t think I’m sixty quite yet. When I get into a game, I try to think about that game non-stop, and cut out thoughts that are irrelevant.
YGosu: In Starcraft, 25~26 years old is already considered to be an upper limit, so I seem to have made a mistake in thinking it’s the same in Warcraft III. So you’re focusing on Starcraft II exclusively now? Check: Yes, all-in with Starcraft II.
YGosu: Playing the Starcraft II ladder, I notice a lot of other Warcraft III gamers are focusing on Starcraft II. Is that how it is in the Warcraft III community right now, everyone is just naturally shifting to Starcraft II? Check: Yeah, besides the WeMade Fox team, everyone seems to be going over.
YGosu: What’s different about the WeMade Fox team, is it because they are salaried? Check: I don’t know the details, but the company hired them as Warcraft players, so I guess it’s right that they play Warcraft III.
YGosu: That’s a similar position as the Starcraft: BW gamers. If you’re part of a team, I suppose it’s the rule that you follow team policy. Then tell us what you think of Starcraft II. Check: It’s still beta, but it seems very complete. The balance is alright, and I rate it highly from an E-sports perspective as well. It’s being streamed a lot lately, and it’s getting a good response from the viewers. It’s personally pretty fun to watch other guys play as well.
YGosu: Outside E-sports aspects, do you think Starcraft II is a fun game that the average person could enjoy? Check: I think that maybe Brood War fans might not be able to get used to the fact that Starcraft II is in 3D. But it’s really similar to the original, and if they gave it a try I think they’d like it. The interface is more convenient, too.
YGosu: Now that you bring up the interface, it makes me curious. Fans of Broodwar and War3 are furiously typing it out over the internet about whether who Starcraft II will be more advantageous for. What do you think? Check: Eh, it just comes down to individual skill.
YGosu: So you’re saying that because it’s a new game, it’s all up to the individual, and it doesn’t really matter what game they played before. Check: Pretty much.
YGosu: Warcraft III pros are dominating the ladder right now. So you would say that this isn’t because they’re Warcraft III players, but because they are guys who were good enough at games to be pro-gamers? Check: Yeah, I think they have the basic RTS instincts, and with the BW gamers tied up by their teams, just from the outside it looks like Warcraft III gamers are doing well. If we all started off the same, who knows what the result would be?
YGosu: It hasn’t really occurred yet, but everyone is relishing the moment BW and War3 gosus collide in Starcraft II. Which players do you think would adapt easily to Starcraft II? Check: I think players who are doing well right now, like Jaedong and Flash etc would be all be good if they tried Starcraft II. Their basic ability to macro and micro is just so good…
YGosu: We’ll know the result of such a showdown someday. Personally, I’d throw my vote in with the Warcraft III pros. You guys are just so good right now… What do you think the strengths of Stracraft II are? What are its most interesting characteristics and points of interest? Check: The Korean translations are dubs aren’t awkward at all, the graphics are great, and Battle.net 2.0 is good.
YGosu: This question is about the gameplay. As you’re well aware, most of the high ranking platinum league players are either zerg or protoss. Why do you think Terran is doing so badly? Check: There’s just no one who uses them correctly. I think it’s because they try to play it just like Brood War. I’ve been playing as Terran a lot lately, and they’re really strong. I was originally thinking of playing Zerg, but now I’m thinking about switching to terran.
YGosu: What do you think the strengths of Terran are? Check: You can scan and see what your opponent is doing.
YGosu: Do you think scouting is such a huge advantage? As long as you know what your opponent is making, do you think terran is capable of putting together a strong counter? Check: Like it is in any game, scouting is important. I don’t think Terran has any weak units, and if you combine them to counter your opponent they’re pretty strong.
YGosu: I would really like to ask for a specific strat here, but the competition is so fierce these days I’ll hold back. Are you going to continue streaming on Afreeca? Check: I started yesterday, and I plan to keep on going.
YGosu: What kind of fun do you get out of interacting with your viewers in such a way? Check: To be honest it’s not really to interact, it’s to get my name out there.
YGosu: So you’re advertising that “I, Check, am going to be the best Starcraft II player”? Check: Yup.
YGosu: We await the day that the ID Check shows up at the finals of a Starcraft II proleague. How about a parting word for our readers? They are the future Starcraft II viewers who might cheer for you one day… Check: It was an honor to be interviewed, and I hope to do well in Starcraft II tournaments in the future.
YGosu: And a final resolution, and your pick for the next interview if you please? And umm, could you get your pick to talk to us? Please? Check: Hmm, a bit ambiguous as to whom I should pick.
YGosu: If you could introduce us to a Warcraft III gamer who’s all-inning with Starcraft II, we would shed tears at your merciful gesture… Check: That’s a bit tough…. There’s this kid called ZenioWerra, he’s #1 right now. I had his MSN, but I can’t seem to find it. I’ll get him for you.
YGosu: Ah, that ultra gosu who’s #1 in platinum division one. Then we trust in you! Thank you for the interview. We hope you do well in Starcraft 2!
Staying in South Korea, we move along to much more recoginizable faces. Hailing from the Proteam eStro, none other than the white prodigy himself, Artosis gives his thoughts on the game. Never being shy to good discussion Artosis definitely states his opinion on the game, and it's possible emergence into the E-Sport scene.</p> http://androidbit.com/wordpress/2010/02/17/artosis-dan-stemkoski-the-ghost-of-esports-yet-to-come/
One last Korean player who just recently gave his opinion on the game is none other than the old school legend Garimto. Many years ago, Garimto was able to win a Korean Starleague for Starcraft 1, which is probably one of the most difficult things to do in the entire E-sports industry, as you compete against dozens of other extremely talented, highly motivated gamers all bolstering 13 hour daily practice schedules. Garimto showing his brilliance in the RTS genre was able to walk the royal road to victory, and because of that, has had quite an enthralling life as a professional gamer. After finishing his mandatory military service in Korea, Garimto has delved deep into Starcraft 2, attaining rank #1 in the Asia platinum division. This is no mere feat, as many state the Asian beta is much harder than the other 2 overall. Below are some thoughts from Garimto, and his feelings towards this new adventure in gaming.
Garimto's Thoughts:
It feels like Protoss and Zerg have established a power duo at the top.
It's a step up from the Protoss dominance early on, but it's still unfortunate that there's not many Terran players.
I think now, that ZvP is just a matter of who is the better player.
Starcraft II is a game where the person who thinks faster wins, not the person who clicks faster. They cut down on a lot of the repetitive macro, and offered a lot of solutions through counters and thoughtful play.
Multiple building selection means you don't need a godly left hand. You can just put everything on one key, and tab through the buildings to produce.
When you make buildings, you can order a bunch of workers to start make a building and only one of them will go follow your orders. If you're building a lot of buildings at once, you can just select 5~6 workers and tell them to build and they'll go about it smartly.
There's no worry about ordering workers to make a building and have it fail because you ran out of money, because you spend the money at the moment you order the building to be built. Of course, you get the money back if you cancel it.
By reducing manual tasks here and there, they try to make you focus on battles, build orders, and strategies.
Still, there are some problems with balance right now.
For example, there's PvP. PvP right now is one step away from being a total disaster. There's no way to stop 3 Warpgate zealots with an offensive pylon in the opponent's base. Your only counter is to do the same thing.
Also, Terran is a difficult race. Similar to SC1 in that way. They have to fight using a wide variety of units in and skills, and you have to manage a large amount of them at the same time.
Now that I think about it, even though I said the person who thinks faster has the advantage, it's still a nice to have quick hands anyway.
It's like playing TvP with 3 control groups of M&M, while you control a group of wraiths, EMP high templars, plant mines around the map, while still producing troops from your main. And then on top of that you have to focus fire your opponent's colossus with marauders.
You have to be able to do all of this during combat to be good at Terran. It's really hard to win as terran with simple strategies. As Protoss or Zerg (especially Zerg, as an extension from SC1), you can win a game just by playing a macro game with lots of troops. Brood Lords make the enemy's ground troops useless, and Hydralisks are specialized anti-air units. With Hydralisks defending the brood lords, you can play even long game without that much micro.
For protoss, they have an awesome ground unit called the Immortal, so they can just use those with some good storms, while the warp gates make producing troops so much easier, making it easy to play a macro game.
From what I've seen so far, I think this might be a difficult game for beginners. It's not a game like BW where you can win just by just blindly making a lot of units.
As you can clearly see, opinions differ greatly. One thing however that does seem to resonate through everyone is the potential that Starcraft 2 may hold. Everyone seems happy and excited to discover the changes as they blossom, and graciously follow the path through the fog of uncertainess, hoping for a brighter, clear, and more certain future. I know I am!</p> -Luck