• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

StarCraft: Remastered |OT| Evolution Complete

rDvGxir.png


A huge special thanks to ScOULaris, FriskyrumX, Syf, and City 17 for their tremendous amount of help!

cYCAkhx.png


PUBLISHER: Blizzard Entertainment
DEVELOPER: Blizzard Classic Games
PLATFORMS: PC & Mac
PRICE: $14.99 (here's a link to purchase it!)
RELEASE DATES: August 14, 2017 (Worldwide)
LANGUAGES: English (US), English (EU), Español (EU), 한국어, Italiano, Deutsch, Français, Polski, Русский, 繁體中文, Español (AL), Português (AL), 日本語
REQUIRES: StarCraft Anthology (here’s a link to the download page)
PRE-ORDER BONUS:
9dQtan9.jpg


wZoE0vB.png


XR6v9cv.gif


StarCraft released back in March 31, 1998. It debuted at E3 1996 using a modified Warcraft II game engine that looks very different to the final product.

ydrb4gu.png


During the development of the game, Blizzard established its film department which brought high quality cinematics to the game and the sequel that followed. The game became a monumental success, holding a Metacritic of 88 and selling over 1.5 million copies worldwide in its release. It won many Game of the Year awards and quickly grew a huge following in South Korea.

latest
latest


Soon afterwards StarCraft received mini expansions that were called Insurrection and Retribution. While these games were not developed by Blizzard, they were authorized by them to be sold. They were not as well received as the original, with problems such as reused art assets and poor sound quality plaguing the games.

51PW35JSJAL._AC_.jpg


Shortly after the original StarCraft was completed, the true expansion began development. With most of the team back on board (and with some help from Saffire Corporation), the game was given improvements such as “Final Fantasy type events” and more interactions. Shortly before release there was a custom campaign called Enslavers: Dark Vengeance that would be a prologue to Brood War.
Brood War was met with overwhelming success and received many awards along with millions of copies sold. South Korea’s pro-gamer league grew even more thanks to the league teams that formed. It continued to be used in the pro-gaming scene until it was eventually phased out by its successor in October 2012.

eiotREB.jpg


In the year 2000, Blizzard and Mass Media Inc. released StarCraft 64 for the Nintendo 64. The game included all of the missions from StarCraft and Brood War, some new tutorials and a secret mission known as Resurrection IV which is set
after the conclusion of Brood War
. The Brood War missions required you to have an Expansion Pak to run. A new feature to make up the lack of online multiplayer was a split screen cooperative mode (which also needed the expansion pak) which allowed two players to control one race in-game.

SCGhostLogo.jpg


On September 20, 2002, a new game was announced by Blizzard with help from the compnay Nihilistic Software. StarCraft: Ghost was going to be a stealth shooter that starred a ghost operative named Nova. Nova was going to used various weapons and hand-to-hand combat along with her psionic abilities. There was going to be vehicles to use as such as the hoverbike and siege tank. Due to multiple delays and with Nihilistic finishing their part of development, Blizzard began colloboration with Swingin' Ape Studios to work on the game and announced the available platforms. Unfortunately after multiple more delays and the cancellation of the GameCube version, Ghost was cancelled (aka indefinite postponement).

qXUZFLq.jpg


StarCraft II began development in 2007 with multiple betas and a delay due to World of WarCraft. Wings of Liberty was fully announced and was followed by its two expansions: Heart of the Swarm in 2013 and Legacy of the Void in 2015. It (Wings of Liberty) was met with critical acclaim and currently has a Metacritic of 93. While it differed from the original in many ways, it still was well received by a majority of fans and continues to be played to this day.

28ZJcwo.jpg


But we’re here to talk about StarCraft: Remastered! Announced earlier this year, the remaster was developed over 12 months with help from the original artist. Many professional players helped with playtests. The original StarCraft and its expansion (now both known as StarCraft Anthology) were made free to download and are compatible with StarCraft: Remastered. South Korea and South America have a physical edition of the game while the rest of us chumps gets the digital version only.

HKMI7LHNPGAN1498784188355.jpg


Q673bz7.png


Set in the early 24th century, the game stars three races. Terran, Zerg, and Protoss. The Terran are the divided remnants of mankind after many of them got kicked out of Earth due to overpopulation. They seek to colonize a nearby system called the Koprulu Sector but due to conflict, never really work anything out. At the end the Confederacy of Man becomes the strongest faction with a rebel group called the Sons of Korhal seeking to overthrow them. In December 2499, an advanced alien race known as the Protoss make their appearance known to the Terran by destroying a Confederate colony world. With the Protoss also came the discovery of the Zerg, another alien race that is seeking to infest every living thing possible. The Protoss have been trying to stop the Zerg by destroying every planet that the Zerg comes into contact with.
But now due to the onslaught of two alien races looming over their heads, the Confederacy begins to crumble into ruins, with one ambitious man seeking to obtain power over them all….

TPwau5T.png


StarCraft is a real-time strategy game where the goal is to defeat all of your opponents (or it could be something completely different!). You have three races, each with their own unique technology trees. Each race and character have their own twist on gameplay that will require you to use different tactics to survive.
The Terrans are the more evened out of the three races. Offering military powers such as tanks, armor, and nuclear weapons. Their units are flexible to combat and easier to control.
The Zerg use cheaper units that can be produced faster to overpower their enemies through sheer force. While disposable at times, their units are fun to play with.
The Protoss have powerful units that use shields and energy to wipe the floor with their enemies. This large amount of strength is offset by the length of time (and cost) it takes to produce these units.
Even though the three species have different forms of strategy, they are still all balanced and are a blast to play with. Strengths, powers, and abilities are the same in the end.

Here are some gameplay videos!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9cg-5DFO0Y Zerg Units and Abilities
https://youtu.be/5MDhMT7-ago Terran Units and Spells
https://youtu.be/Qi8kPNsbzVA Protoss Units and Abilities

To help jog your memory, here's a brief list of some classic game types that exist in the world of custom maps:
  • Madness: EVOLVES, Blood, Golems, Rancher maps, Bunker Warz
  • Conquest: World War, LoTR, War for Hyrule, Civilization, Diplomacy
  • Survival: Zombie Hotel/Raccoon City, Starship Troopers, Protect Bob, Test of Survival, Protect the Queen
  • Assault: Heaven and Hell, Helm's Deep, Braveheart, Dynasty Warriors, Normandy
  • Warrior: DBZ maps, Aeon of Strife, DotA, Dynasty Warriors, Hero Arena, Hero Wars
  • RPG: Kyprion Pact, A Day at School, Legends Open RPG, Padorath's Return, Final Fantasy maps, Metal Gear Solid, Diablo, RP maps, Crash RPG, DragonLance, Winterglades, Spellsword, Morrowind, Elements, and too many others to list.
  • Paintball: Sniper Elite, Team Fortress, Commando Wars, Assassinate the President, Laster Tag, V-TEC Paintball, 007 Arena, Counter-Strike
  • Bound Maps: Thousands of variations on the same concept
  • Obstacle Courses: Race maps, Jail Break, Red Light Green Light, Follow the Leader, Run Zergling Run, Dodge the Rapist
  • Games: SCV Football, SCV Hockey, Chess, Minesweeper, Pac Man, Puzzle Aventure, Mario Party
  • Defense: Turret Defense, Lurker D, Poker D, Matrix Defense, Marine Defense, Bunker Defense, Random Beacon Defense, Cannon Defense, Sunken Defense

For those who want to join the Discord UMS server to chat with others about custom maps and such, here is the link! Quote to reveal!


SAueglq.png


The Three Species!

Terran
latest

The typical good guys (except not really)

Zerg
latest

The bad guys who want to consume everything (for now)

Protoss
latest

The advanced alien race who want to keep their home safe (kinda overzealous at times)

Noteworthy characters include:

Jim Raynor:
latest

“I knew I should have stayed in bed this morning...”
A Terran marshall who works hard to get the Zerg out his planet and to take the Terran to victory. For now. Vigorously working on growing his hair for the sequel.

Sarah Kerrigan
latest

“Doesn’t take a telepath to know what you’re thinking.”
A Terran ghost who works for the Sons of Korhal. Has the worst luck in the series.

Fenix
latest

“I fear not death! For our strength is eternal!”
An honorable Protoss zealot who defends his people from the evil Zerg infestation. Needs to work on keeping his psi-blades in full working condition.

Tassadar
latest

“I was executor long before you!”
The revered Protoss High Templar (and former executor) who boldly goes into battle seeking a friendship with the Terrans to help defeat the Zerg. He’s the coolest hero.

Zeratul
latest

“Khas Naradahk!!”
One of the Dark Templars who live in exile from the Protoss homeworld, he seeks to uncover the truth about the Zerg and their connection to the Protoss. Spends half his portrait in the shadows.

Artanis
latest

“This is not WarCraft in space!”
The newly appointed executor for the Protoss. He tries his best as the new Preator to ensure the safety of the Protoss after their homeworld was destroyed. Better get used to his awesomeness.

Infested Kerrigan
latest

“ALL RIGHT!”
Sarah Kerrigan captured by the Zerg and infested to become their warrior. She seeks to enslave all of the races under the Overmind’s power (or more importantly, her power). Likes to betray people.

Samir Duran
latest

“I told you my name it’s Duran! Duran!”
A mysterious Terran Lieutenant working for the Confederate Resistance Forces. He wishes to fight against the Dominion and its Emperor in exchange for amnesty.
Don’t believe his lies!

PjQtXQI.png


Blizzard Entertainment said:
We’ve remastered our units, buildings, and environments, improved game audio, and broadened our supported resolutions. Illustrated interludes bring the struggles and victories of heroes like Artanis, Fenix, Tassadar, Raynor and Kerrigan to life like never before. Most importantly, the strategy gameplay that StarCraft perfected years ago remains unchanged.
  • Remastered Graphics up to 4K with Widescreen Support
  • Remastered Dialogue and Audio
  • Blizzard Friends and Matchmaking
  • Stylized Briefings – Race-themed comic book interludes tell the story with a fresh coat of paint.
  • Cloud Saves
  • 13 Languages
  • Enhanced Narrative
  • Leaderboards
Here are some pictures and videos showing the differences between the new and old graphics!
2jPQU0T.jpg

9d4xc6a.png

inUtiXC.png

zUgRbnE.png

dtOcisw.png


Gameplay comparisons
Terran Units comparisons
Zerg Units comparisons
Protoss Units comparions
Extra comparisons

tBM3niA.png

IGN:Link here.9.0

Woops forgot to post about it but Day 2 of the Launch Event Live Stream is live!

https://www.twitch.tv/day9tv

Do your self a favor and watch it, you'll die laughing, trust me.

More information here ... http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=246083220&postcount=2
 
Remember, every time a cute little Reaver dies, a Korean cries in agony. Please spare the Reavers. (WOOOOOOOOOH HYPU)

Don't forget the Launch Event Live Stream happening on the 14th-15th also!

https://starcraft.com/en-us/articles/20975166

The world-wide launch of StarCraft: Remastered approaches! On Monday, August 14 through Tuesday. August 15, we welcome you to join us as we bring some of the storied StarCraft: Brood War personalities and players together for a 2-day hang-out extravaganza over StarCraft: Remastered. Below we've put together details to help you get ready for this broadcasted LAN-party celebrating the re-release of a game which caused us to re-imagine what it meant to be a gamer.

Stream Location & Schedule
Twitch.tv/day9tv

Monday, August 14
12 p.m. to 9 p.m. PDT

Tuesday, August 15
12 p.m. to 9 p.m. PDT

Hosts/Casters: Sean 'Day[9]' Plott and Nick 'Tasteless' Plott

Players:
Legionnaire
Draco
G5
Nyoken
Ret
White-Ra

Both!: Dan 'Artosis' Stemkoski and Geoff 'iNcontroL' Robinson

U98LQ1X8YOWL1502485516346.png
 

Levito

Banned
Not a huge fan of StarCraft 2's art style making it's way into the original game, but overall the remaster looks fantastic.
 

Syf

Banned
My all-time favorite game returns. Can't wait for tomorrow morning! Gonna burn through the campaign once more before hopping online. Thanks for the thread.
 

Laiza

Member
You got the history lesson and the comparison screenshots in there?

I approve this OT. Good job, OP. 👍
 
Great OT, I'm so hyped for my childhood game to re-enter my life. I've been kind of out of the loop on everything, custom games are in, right? I can Tarpit-D til my eyes bleed just like the old days?
 

ScOULaris

Member
Great OT, I'm so hyped for my childhood game to re-enter my life. I've been kind of out of the loop on everything, custom games are in, right? I can Tarpit-D til my eyes bleed just like the old days?
Yep. Custom maps all carry over to Remastered. 20 years worth of user-generated content just got a 4K audiovisual facelift.

A glorious thread, OP.

Going to focus on the campaign .. as MP is too much for me.
When it comes to MP, UMS (custom maps) is the way to go. Take it from me. I've been playing SC1 since release, and I've never once played an online melee match. Nothing but UMS for nearly 20 years now.
 
Sorry its kinda shabby looking everyone! The original OT was in my computer and that broke just two days ago. Plus I've been in the hospital so the internet wasn't very good to get some pics and videos. The OT will continue to get improved over time.

Honestly it's thanks to the people I mentioned in the OT that this was able to get done in (close enough) time. Thanks again guys!

Also I hope some of you don't mind the little tidbits of humor and secrets that I added! I couldn't help it!
 
Sorry its kinda shabby looking everyone! The original OT was in my computer and that broke just two days ago. Plus I've been in the hospital so the internet wasn't very good to get some pics and videos. The OT will continue to get improved over time.

Honestly it's thanks to the people I mentioned in the OT that this was able to get done in (close enough) time. Thanks again guys!

Also I hope some of you don't mind the little tidbits of humor and secrets that I added! I couldn't help it!
The OT is great man you did a gosu job!


Now I need it to come out so I can relive the campaign again and remember how much of a badass Fenix is.
 

ScOULaris

Member
Sorry its kinda shabby looking everyone! The original OT was in my computer and that broke just two days ago. Plus I've been in the hospital so the internet wasn't very good to get some pics and videos. The OT will continue to get improved over time.

Honestly it's thanks to the people I mentioned in the OT that this was able to get done in (close enough) time. Thanks again guys!

Also I hope some of you don't mind the little tidbits of humor and secrets that I added! I couldn't help it!
I think you did a great job with the OT, and I was happy to help. I just want Remastered to get as much exposure as possible on GAF because it's really a dream project come true IMO. An old 640x480 2D RTS having all of its art assets redrawn in 4K detail while mostly maintaining the original art style and silhouettes? Oh, and it maintains nearly complete compatibility with tens of thousands of user-made custom maps from the last 20 years?
Shit sounds like a pipe dream, and yet here we are less than 24 hours from release.

Tomorrow is gonna be awesome.
 

Syf

Banned
I really hope this sparks the competitive scene, especially in S.Korea.
Brood War was already on the rise again with the ASL, and that'll be continuing in late Aug - early Sept with the remaster being used for season 4. There's also word of OSL returning and a new regional based league like Overwatch is getting (source - he is very reliable). By all accounts the remaster is doing well in Korea and there should be a solid pro scene to follow in time.
 

dmr87

Member
Brood War was already on the rise again with the ASL, and that'll be continuing on Aug 29 with the remaster being used for season 4. There's also word of OSL returning and a new regional based league like Overwatch is getting (source - he is very reliable). By all accounts the remaster is doing very well in Korea and there should be a solid pro scene to follow in time.

Yeah I'm catching up on the ASL as we speak, loving it.

Let it be 2007 again.
 
So maybe I misunderstood about the release time, because on the forums it says 10 AM PDT for deployment time, but the Blizzard Launcher news section for the launch event says 11 AM PDT for the world wide launch. Maybe that means 10 AM is when the maintenance begins to add it to the Blizz Launcher (hence deployment) with an expected release at 11 AM, would of been nice if they specified when the maintenance was in the second post in that thread..

Thought it was weird both Twitter and the News both said 11 AM but the forum said 10 AM but I guess it makes sense lol.
 

Ecto311

Member
Played the fuck outta sc2 but never really got into 1. Going to watch the streams tomorrow since I am off and get an idea how it compares. Already pre-ordered but might play sc2 for the warchest points for a bit. Hope some of my sc2 skill (very little after years of daily play) translate into the remaster. Amped to see Day9 casting again. Once he left sc2 I forgot about the guy.
 

Pachimari

Member
I've never played a Starcraft game before but seeing how I love Blizzard's other games, I might as well try this one out. I installed the Starcraft Anthology (Brood Wars) linked in the OP but how exactly do I buy and install the remaster?
 
Any streams of it tonight?
Maybe from streamers in the Closed Beta, but it doesn't launch till 10-11 AM PDT.

I installed the Starcraft Anthology (Brood Wars) linked in the OP but how exactly do I buy and install the remaster?
It should be essentially installed now, just have to wait till it's added to the blizzard launcher then you're all set. You have to buy it off the Blizzard Store.

https://us.battle.net/shop/en/product/starcraft-remastered
 
So... how does this work exactly? Is it like a patch for Starcraft Anthology?
Well, they said both the main game and the remaster will be added to the battlenet launcher (pretty much the same game though with one button I believe) and the way it works we think is, you just download the Anthology, Buy Remaster, then you're just set.

Reason we think that is because it essentially has a lot of the remaster stuff already included with the Anthology, just locked.
 

ScOULaris

Member
So... how does this work exactly? Is it like a patch for Starcraft Anthology?

Not so much a patch as it is an add-on. You have to have Anthology installed on your machine, and then purchasing Remastered unlocks all the new options within Anthology. If you don't own Remastered, all the new hotness options are greyed out.

You will also be able to launch Starcraft Remastered from the Blizzard Launcher if you own it, and it will automatically sign you into your account like it would when launching Overwatch, HotS, etc. from the Blizzard Launcher. Your settings, saves, and other data for Anthology/Remastered are now synced to your Blizzard account, but you can still create multiple online accounts for Bnet within the game.
 
We won't know how the campaign looks until release day due to that option being blocked according to various streamers.
You know, have people even datamined anything from the Campaign? Cause I literally haven't seen anything, so either it's with the Anthology but encrypted or something, or it's going to be patched in.
 
You know, have people even datamined anything from the Campaign? Cause I literally haven't seen anything, so either it's with the Anthology but encrypted or something, or it's going to be patched in.
Absolutely nothing as far as I've looked. It's bizzare. We don't even know how the new comic book interludes look like yet.
 

Pachimari

Member
It should be essentially installed now, just have to wait till it's added to the blizzard launcher then you're all set. You have to buy it off the Blizzard Store.

https://us.battle.net/shop/en/product/starcraft-remastered
Thanks, I'll keep an eye out on the Blizzard launcher.

Reading through the OP I see that Sarah Kerrigan has an infested version. Does this mean that she eventually becomes infested? Is this a plot point? And does the game have an alright/interesting story throughout the campaign?
 

Big-E

Member
Finally got finished with legacy of the void in anticipation for this. That game ended really poorly so hope the memories in a new skin will rekindle the greatness of Starcraft.
 

RowdyReverb

Member
Nice OT title! So excited for this. I'm watching professional BW games for the first time and my life and I'm surprised to find I can't get enough of them. Ever since the Remastered launch event, I've been hooked
 
Thanks, I'll keep an eye out on the Blizzard launcher.

Reading through the OP I see that Sarah Kerrigan has an infested version. Does this mean that she eventually becomes infested? Is this a plot point? And does the game have an alright/interesting story throughout the campaign?

Yes it is a plot point but I won't spoil it.

And yes, the story is amazing, if you can handle SC being a bit of a older RTS and push through, it's a really great experience.
 
I can't wait. I haven't played the original game in years (and tbh I still never got around to Legacy of the Void) so this will be an awesome treat.

Really hoping D2 and W3 remasters are on the way from here.
 
Reading through the OP I see that Sarah Kerrigan has an infested version. Does this mean that she eventually becomes infested? Is this a plot point? And does the game have an alright/interesting story throughout the campaign?
Well it is a plot point but if you played StarCraft II then you have a better grasp of the situation. Also the Remastered version shows Infested Kerrigan in the title menu as well as in the campaign selection screen. But
yes she eventually becomes Infested. Actually pretty early in the story as well!

As for the story? Many people view SC1 and Brood War as the best of the series. Some even lament on how StarCraft II went in comparison to the first game!
 

Roboculus

Member
Wow I didn't realize it was about to come out.

Definitely interested in seeing the reception. I know some people are disappointed with the portrait changes but I've generally been happy with what I've seen.
 
I wonder how much of the old speedrunning cheese still works in the remaster's campaign mode.
Well, they've been very adamant on not changing any of the gameplay, so I'm sure all of them still work 100%, given when the speedrun was and if it was before or after some balance patches were. (Did those ever affect single player? Don't even remember.)
 
Won't get much time with this during the launch due to travel, but I definitely intend to play through the campaign again, something I haven't done in several years. Putting together a working SC1 LAN party a few years ago was an absolute nightmare, due to a number of issues from patching to the deprecation of the old Mac build. All of us were absolute rock-bottom casuals at SC1 but still had enough interest in the game to make this work, and I foresee the remaster doing very well in a casual setting just from this alone.

I never got as hooked on the UMS scene in this game as I did in WC3, so it will be nice to try out some of the first-generation customs in an active community again. Highly doubt I'll ladder seriously in BW like I did through all expansions in SC2, but a lot of that comes down to the game itself being a little obtuse, as beyond the mechanical difficulties, advanced play is so dependent on out-of-game knowledge about quirks of pathing and blocking.

Haven't decided yet if I'll remap hotkeys to match the more comfortable defaults in SC2, which I know much better. I probably will; switching to tapping M instead of A for marines gets me every time. (I haven't heard whether you can set siege/unsiege to separate keys, though; if not, not everything can be made equivalent.) It would have been nice to just have a one-click preset for SC2 mappings. I know some players will go for the Grid layout just for simplicity, but I don't play Grid.
 
Top Bottom