StarCraft

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

StarCraft
Developer(s)	Blizzard Entertainment
Publisher(s)	Windows, Mac OS NA Blizzard Entertainment PAL Sierra Entertainment Nintendo 64 Nintendo
Designer(s)	James Phinney (lead designer) Chris Metzen (lead designer) Samwise Didier (senior art director) Robert Djordjevich (technical artist) Peter Underwood (technical artist) Jeffrey Vaughn (technical artist)
Series	StarCraft series
Version	1.15.2 (2008-01-16)
Platform(s)	Windows, Mac OS, Mac OS X, Nintendo 64
Released	Windows (PC) NA / PAL April 01, 1998 (1998-04-01) KOR April 9, 1998 Mac OS NA March 1999 Nintendo 64 NA June 13, 2000 PAL May 25, 2001
Genre(s)	Real-time strategy
Mode(s)	Single player, multiplayer
Rating(s)	ESRB: T (Teen) USK: 12+ OFLC: M15+ ELSPA: 15+ PEGI: 16+ OFLC/NZ: R16+
Media	CD-ROM, Nintendo 64 Cartridge
System requirements	Windows: Windows 95 or better 90 MHz Pentium 16 MB RAM DirectX-compatible 2x CD-ROM drive 640x480 8-bit display Mac OS: System 7.6 or better PowerPC 601 or better 16 MB RAM

StarCraft is a military science fiction real-time strategy video game by Blizzard Entertainment and the first product in the StarCraft series. It was initially released for Microsoft Windows in 1998. A Mac OS version of the game was released in 1999, and a port to the Nintendo 64 was released in 2000. The main storyline follows a war among three galactic species: the adaptable and mobile Terrans, who are descendants of Human outcasts from Earth; the hive mind arthropodal Zerg; and the psionic humanoid Protoss warriors.

StarCraft was the best-selling computer game in 1998^[1] and won the Origins Award for Best Strategy Computer Game of that year.^[2] StarCraft was listed on IGN's "Top 100 Games of All Time" featured as seventh, and in 2006 received a Star on the Walk of Game at Metreon, San Francisco. It is especially popular in South Korea, where professional players and teams participate in matches, earn sponsorships, and compete in televised tournaments.^[3] As of May 21, 2007, StarCraft has sold 9.5 million copies worldwide,^[4][5] with 4.5 million of those copies being sold in South Korea.^[4] Blizzard initially intended to continue the story with the tactical shooter StarCraft: Ghost, which was later put on hold indefinitely. The sequel, StarCraft II, was announced on May 19, 2007 in Seoul, South Korea.

Contents 1 Gameplay 1.1 Multiplayer 1.2 StarCraft Campaign Editor 2 Story 2.1 Plot 2.1.1 Episode I 2.1.2 Episode II 2.1.3 Episode III 2.2 Characters 3 Development 4 Versions and sequels 4.1 Expansion of the PC version 4.2 Nintendo 64 version 4.3 Move into other genres 4.4 Sequel 5 Cultural impact 5.1 Reception 5.2 Legacy 5.3 Merchandise 6 References 7 External links

Gameplay

StarCraft's gameplay centers on the acquisition and control of two resources: minerals and vespene gas. They are harvested by worker units. Minerals, which are required for all normal units, appear as blue crystalline formations protruding from the ground. Vespene gas, which is required for advanced units and upgrades, appears as a geyser with green clouds erupting from it. An extractor must be constructed before worker units can harvest the vespene gas.

Some buildings allow the creation of new units, while others upgrade the players' forces or allow more advanced units or structures to be built. Each of a player's units demands a certain quantity of supply, which is provided by buildings or units particular to each race. Players must maintain enough supply to support their forces, lest they become temporarily unable to produce additional units. In standard games, the maximum amount of supply that can be used at any time for each controlled race is two hundred, limiting the total number of units any player may have.

The selection of units available to each species defines its racial identity. Protoss marshal powerful and expensive warriors and machinery, while Zerg rely on sheer numbers and speed to overwhelm their opponents. Terrans are the versatile and flexible alternative to both races, relying on fragile but powerful units that can be very effective when used in formations. No species has an innate advantage over any other. The balance between species has been the subject of numerous gameplay tweaks introduced via infrequent updates.

Resource management, expansion to control resource locations, and effective offensive and defensive combat tactics are key to victory. In order to excel, players must develop the ability to perform both micro- and macro-management simultaneously. Micromanagement includes moving units into certain formations and maneuvering them on the map or in battle, while using their different combinations of abilities and numbers to full advantage. This unique skill requirement distinguishes StarCraft from many other, more modern real-time strategy games, the latter performing many of the strategic organizational arrangements with active assistance from the game's artificial intelligence.

Multiplayer

Blizzard's Internet service Battle.net grants online multiplayer gaming at no additional charge. Many fans, especially casual players, enjoy playing in groups against computer-controlled opponents, as well as on teams against one another. Games between players with no computer-controlled opponent tend to be a bit more challenging since adding the human aspect makes the opponents' next move unpredictable. Since experienced players generally do not find the artificial intelligence of the game challenging, fans have also created maps that are advantageous to the computer and can be extremely hard to win. Up to eight spots can be filled in a game when played on Battle.net, four with direct cable connection, and two players with modem connections.^[6] In cooperative play, several people can play on the same team, controlling the same units, or on different teams that are "allied" so they do not harm each other. Clans gather groups of people for competitive team play.^[7] Clan involvement ranges from casual friendship to mandatory meetings and tournaments. In multiplayer gameplay, some players use modified or "hacked" versions of the StarCraft client to gain an unfair advantage. Some players also use illegitimate programs to gain other unfair advantages such as commanding more than twelve units at once, no fog of war, infinite resources, and other unfair ways of winning. Blizzard attempts to detect and ban those who modify their client software, and several third-party "anti-hack" programs are under constant development to prevent these hacks. In 2003, Battle.net closed over four hundred thousand accounts for cheating and hacking.^[8]

Most competitive, high-level gaming outside of the Korean professional scene takes place on "private" ladders such as Pro Gamers Tour or World Gamers Tour. These ladders use specific sets of maps - mostly taken from Korean pro leagues like MSL and OSL - hack-preventing third-party programs, teams of administrators, and sometimes even a private server to enforce fair play. Since the end of July 2006, with the release of patch 1.14, Blizzard has removed the Ladder option on all gateways, save the European gateway, whose Ladder is now held in cooperation with World Gamers Tour.^[9]

Beginning with version 1.08, StarCraft enables the player to record a game and save it as a replay, which can then be viewed with any other copy of StarCraft, displaying the entire course of gameplay. Replays allow for the studying of game players tactics, and thus pro-level replays are rarely released to protect team secrecy and to comply with the policies of pro leagues. Fans have developed applications such as BWChart and Lasgo's Observer Pack^[10][11] to analyze replays in detail and compute statistics such as the number of actions per minute (APM). Some replays are accompanied by an audio commentary recorded by the player or an experienced observer in real time or during later viewing. When the audio files are produced using third-party recording and playback tools, the viewer must manually synchronize the audio with the replay. Alternatively, auxiliary applications such as RWA can ensure synchronization.^[11] VODs (from "Video On Demand") are videos showing a commentator or player during a pro-level game. They are sometimes illegally ripped from Korean television or Internet streams. They usually come in the ASF video file format for Windows Media Player or in the WMV format. Because they are compressed with an MPEG-4 codec into a small file, their video quality is poorer than replays.

StarCraft is also one of the few games that include a "spawn" installation, which allows for limited multi-player. It must be installed from a disc, and requires a CD-key to work just as the full version does. However, one CD-key can support multiple spawn installations, allowing, in theory, one copy of StarCraft to enable several players on Battle.net at once. Thus, one of the main advantages of a spawn installation is that it allows for players who have not yet purchased the game to play online. Limitations of a spawned installation include the inability to play a single player campaign, create multi-player games, or join ladder or PGL games.

StarCraft Campaign Editor

Main article: StarCraft Campaign Editor

The game is packaged with the StarCraft Campaign Editor, often referred to as StarEdit. The editor's trigger system allows users to change maps radically and create custom map scenarios. The StarCraft community has constructed new editors and functionalities that grant users even more power to modify the game. The company Microstar sold a CD with new levels created with the StarEdit feature, but was forced to stop when Blizzard won their court case against its distribution.^[12]

An exemplar campaign developed by Blizzard Entertainment, Enslavers, was included with the release of StarCraft. This campaign, following the Terran Dominion and the Protoss during Episode II, showcased the means of creating a full custom campaign for StarCraft.

Story

StarCraft takes place in the distant future. Human exiles fight for survival on the edge of the galaxy, and a unified Terran government has formed through espionage, deceit and military might. In the midst of these events, the Zerg have begun an invasion of the Terran worlds, along with the war against the Protoss.^[6]

Plot

The plot of the original StarCraft game revolves around the Terran civilization in the Koprulu Sector, which was founded by former prisoners exiled from Earth. The most powerful Terran faction is the Terran Confederacy. It is opposed by other factions, such as the "Sons of Korhal," a paramilitary organization. The arrival of the Zerg, led by the Overmind and its cerebrates, greatly complicates matters for the Terrans. The Zerg Swarm is itself closely followed by a Protoss fleet led by the executor Tassadar, which burns the surface of any world the Zerg infest.

Episode I

In Episode I, the player assumes the role of a colonial magistrate of the Confederate colony of Mar Sara. He soon meets local marshal Jim Raynor. After being arrested by the Confederacy for destroying Confederate property - regardless of the fact it had been infested by the Zerg - the player joins the Sons of Korhal, who free Raynor from prison. Raynor also joins the Sons of Korhal and frequently accompanies the player on missions. After the Protoss destroy the Zerg-infested Confederate colony on Mar Sara, the leader of the Sons of Korhal, Arcturus Mengsk, uses psi-emitters to lure the Zerg to Confederate installations and further his own goals. Mengsk acquires the services of General Edmund Duke, a Confederate general, and sacrifices his second in command, the psychic Sarah Kerrigan, to the Zerg to ensure the destruction of the Confederacy. Raynor is outraged and flees with a small number of soldiers, accompanied by the player. Mengsk then uses psi-emitters to destroy the Confederate capital world of Tarsonis by means of Zerg infestation. Mengsk reorganizes what remains of the Terran population under his control into the Terran Dominion, crowning himself Emperor.

Episode II

In the second episode, the player assumes the role of a newly created Zerg cerebrate and is entrusted to the care of the chrysalis. It soon opens to reveal Kerrigan, who has been infested by the Overmind. Meanwhile, Tassadar has discovered that the Zerg cerebrates can be near-immediately reincarnated by the Overmind unless they are killed by the dark templar, whose energies match those used by the Overmind. Tassadar allies with the dark templar, and while he distracts Kerrigan, the dark templar Zeratul assassinates the cerebrate Zasz. This disrupts the Overmind's control over the Garm brood (causing chaos as the brood runs rampant), but also allows the minds of Zeratul and the Overmind to come into contact for a brief second, enabling the Overmind to learn the location of the Protoss homeworld of Aiur, for which it has been searching for a considerable amount of time. The Zerg soon invade, despite heavy Protoss resistance, allowing the Overmind to embed itself into the crust of the planet.

Episode III

In the third episode, the player takes the role of the newly appointed Protoss fleet executor - revealed during the development of StarCraft II to be the Brood War character Artanis^[13] - replacing Tassadar, who has been branded as heretic by the Conclave (the Protoss ruling council) for working with the dark templar. The player at first serves the Conclave in their fight against the Zerg on Aiur. However, while on a mission to arrest Tassadar, the player ends up joining him. This results in a Protoss civil war with Tassadar, his unlikely templar allies, and the dark templar pitted against the Conclave and the Khala. Tassadar and the dark templar prove themselves by having Zeratul slay two Zerg cerebrates. The Conclave then reconciles with Tassadar and the dark templar in time for their assault on the Overmind. The Protoss are aided by Raynor and his raiders. When the shell of the overmind is destroyed, Tassadar channels dark templar energies into the hull of his ship, the Gantrithor, and crashes it into the Overmind, sacrificing himself in order to slay it.

Characters

Main article: Characters of StarCraft

The StarCraft storyline is carried by multiple positively received characters. As the series comprises a number of games, authorized add-ons and novels, the StarCraft universe has an extensive list of characters, but only a limited number of these characters have a major influence of the overall story arc. The characters that do exert influence generally first appear in one of the Blizzard-developed games, although characters have emerged into the games from the novels.

Most of the main characters in the StarCraft series are playable at some point within the game to some degree. Jim Raynor and Fenix are consistently controllable throughout the games, whilst others such as Edmund Duke appear multiple times but are only usable by the players once or twice. Some characters, such as Arcturus Mengsk and Aldaris are never controllable during the course of the games, but feature prominently in the lore of the series. The universe also contains a whole host of minor characters.

Development

Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness, an earlier Blizzard production, had been criticized for the similarity between its two races with the only exception being minor differences in spells and upgrade costs. As a result, Blizzard Entertainment implemented decisive asymmetries among its races in StarCraft.^[14]

The pre-alpha version of StarCraft was still very similar to Warcraft II in terms of user interface and style. After receiving much criticism on the 1996 E3 for this lack of technological improvement,^[15] Blizzard started to rework the game engine. This included changing the interface from the distinctive Warcraft II-sidebar to the now common bottom bar. Further improvements included pre-rendered sprites and backgrounds using 3D Studio Max. An isometric view was used, unlike Warcraft II's top down perspective. CD quality music and professional voice acting were also utilized.^[16]

Operation CWAL (Can't Wait Any Longer) was formed in 1997 as a writers' group in the StarCraft Suggestions Forum to try to "liberate" an early, unauthorized final copy of StarCraft, which appeared obviously completed despite numerous delays on the part of Blizzard Entertainment. Blizzard Entertainment went so far as to give special thanks to this group in the StarCraft manual and use their name as a cheat code.^[17]

The Brood War expansion released by Blizzard in 1998 provided several new units and a new campaign for each race, continuing the original StarCraft storyline and changing the game play. Brood War allowed the production of units, such as the dark templar, which StarCraft had only made available at the beginning of certain single-player missions, and created exclusive unit upgrades for all three species.^[18]

Versions and sequels

Expansion of the PC version

Further information: StarCraft: Brood War, Insurrection (StarCraft) and Retribution (StarCraft)

Around the same time that the PC version of StarCraft was released, Blizzard Entertainment also released a shareware demo.^[19] This shareware demo offered a short single-player campaign that acts as a prequel to the game, and is not included in the full version. Blizzard later made the campaign, with an extra two missions, available for download as a custom add-on from Battle.net.^[20]

Soon after the release of StarCraft, two authorised add-ons became available. Both released in 1998, Insurrection was developed and published by Aztech New Media and Retribution was developed by Stardock Systems and published by WizardWorks Software. Both add-ons featured three full length campaigns and numerous new multiplayer maps but were not made widely available. They were followed in November 1998 by a full expansion pack, StarCraft: Brood War, developed in co-operation by Saffire and Blizzard Entertainment. Unlike the authorized add-ons which focused on isolated and contained areas of the StarCraft story, Brood War was a direct continuation of the StarCraft storyline and with several new features. Brood War itself was later augmented with Enslavers: Dark Vengeance, a sequel to the Enslavers campaign released with StarCraft to demonstrate the methods of creating a custom campaign.

Nintendo 64 version

In 2000, StarCraft 64 was released for the Nintendo 64. The game featured all of the maps from the original game and the Brood War expansion, as well as some exclusive missions, such as two different tutorials and the secret mission Resurrection IV.^[21] Brood War missions also required the use of an Expansion Pak.^[22] The game was not as popular as the PC version, perhaps because of the clumsiness of the N64 controller compared to a mouse and the lack of online multiplayer capabilities (split-screen multiplayer option was included, however). Also, speech during mission briefings was omitted^[21] and the cutscenes were shortened. Blizzard previously considered a PlayStation port of the game, but it was decided that the game would be released instead on the Nintendo 64.^[23]

Move into other genres

Main article: StarCraft: Ghost

Blizzard had been working on a third-person shooter, StarCraft: Ghost, originally slated for a 2003 release, but this was repeatedly postponed through 2006 in a classic example of development hell. Although some players welcomed the game's new concepts, others felt that a change in genre from real-time strategy to stealth action^[24] was unnecessary or unfaithful to the game's core attraction. Ghost also was to be made only for console release with no PC version. This aroused protests and disillusionment amongst many die-hard fans. In March 2006, StarCraft: Ghost development was put on hold indefinitely, while the producers considered next-generation consoles.^[25]

Sequel

Main article: StarCraft II

A number of Easter eggs can be unlocked during and after completion of Warcraft III which relate to StarCraft, leading many to sequel speculation.^[26] There was also a leak about a 2007 release from HanbitSoft, the Korean publisher of StarCraft.^[27] Job advertisements on Blizzard.com looking for a "Game Balance Designer" with experience in StarCraft and Warcraft III,^[28] and the fact that there are several unannounced titles also being developed, suggested that Blizzard was working on another real-time strategy game, possibly StarCraft II.

On January 16, 2007, Blizzard hinted at StarCraft II at the Burning Crusade expansion launch night for World of Warcraft.^[29] On May 13, 2007, a timeline was added at www.blizzard.com, documenting the three flagship series. The timeline ended on May 19, 2007, when Blizzard Entertainment announced at the Worldwide Invitational in Seoul, South Korea, that StarCraft II is in development.^[30][31] However, Blizzard has not confirmed a release date.^[30]

Cultural impact

Reception

Reviews
Publication	Score
GamePro	4.5/5[32] (PC & Mac) 4.5/5[33] (Nintendo 64)
Game Revolution	B[34]
GameSpot	9.1/10[35] (PC & Mac) 8.4/10[21] (Nintendo 64)
IGN	9.5/10[36] (PC & Max) 7.7/10[37] (Nintendo 64)
MobyGames	92%[38]
PC Gamer UK	92%[39]
PC Zone	8.8/10[40]
Compilations of multiple reviews
Compiler	Score
Metacritic	88%[39] (PC & Mac) 80%[41] (Nintendo 64)
Game Rankings	93%[42] (PC & Mac) 77%[43] (Nintendo 64)
Awards
Greatest Game of All Time - GameSpot[44]
Game of the Year - AIAS[45]
Game of the Year - Computer Gaming World[45]
Game of the Year - PC PowerPlay[45]
RTS Game of the Year - PC Gamer[45]
Strategy Game of the Year - Games Domain[45]

StarCraft was the best-selling PC game of 1998, selling over 1.5 million copies worldwide.^[1] As of 2005, StarCraft and Brood War combined have shipped over nine million copies.^[46] As of January 15, 2006, over 3.5 million copies of StarCraft, about a third of worldwide sales, have been sold in Korea.^[3] As of June 2006, StarCraft and Brood War combined have sold over 9.5 million copies,^[47] and as of May 31, 2007, the two games combined have sold almost 10 million copies.^[48] As of May 21, 2007, StarCraft has sold 9.5 million copies worldwide,^[4][5] with 4.5 million of those copies being sold in South Korea.^[4] Blizzard's Battle.net online gameplaying service grew over 800% after StarCraft's release.^[49] StarCraft remains one of the most popular online games in the world.^[50]

StarCraft received a star on the floor of the Metreon as part of the Walk of Game in San Francisco in early 2006.^[45] IGN rated the game as the seventh best on its "Top Games of All Time" in both the 2003 and 2005 editions, calling it the "best real time strategy game ever made". It also placed second among PC games, behind Sid Meier's Civilization II.^[51][52] GameSpot named StarCraft one of the greatest games of all time.^[44]

Not without criticism, the game's graphics suffers from low resolution compared to more modern games.^[36] It was also noted at release for the problem of "rushing" - allowing players to swiftly conquer one another by attacking first instead of allowing time to build up forces - during multiplayer mode.^[35]

Legacy

See also: StarCraft professional competition

After its release, StarCraft rapidly grew in popularity in South Korea, establishing a successful pro-gaming scene.^[53] Pro-gamers in South Korea are media celebrities. StarCraft games are broadcast over three television channels dedicated to the professional gaming scene.^[54] Pro-gamers in South Korea have gained television contracts, sponsorships, and tournament prizes, allowing the most famous player, Lim Yo-Hwan (known in-game as SlayerS `BoxeR`),^[55] to gain a fan club of over half a million people.^[3] Professional gamers dedicate a lot of time playing StarCraft to prepare for the highly competitive leagues. Lee Yun-Yeol, a Terran player known as [Red]NaDa, reported earnings in 2005 of US$200,000.^[50]

Merchandise

In addition to numerous fan fiction works taking place in the StarCraft universe, it has spawned several official novels and eBooks, including StarCraft: Uprising, StarCraft: Liberty's Crusade, StarCraft: Shadow of the Xel'Naga, StarCraft: Speed of Darkness, StarCraft: Queen of Blades^[56] and StarCraft Ghost: Nova. Simon & Schuster has also announced the publication of StarCraft: the Dark Templar Saga #1: Firstborn for late May 2007 (ISBN 0-743-47125-3) and the publication of StarCraft: the Dark Templar Saga#2: Shadow Hunters in the series (ISBN 0-7434-7126-1) for November 2007. The storyline of the Dark Templar Saga series is in tie with the storyline of StarCraft II. Firstborn in particular involves a lot of Protoss history.^[57]

Blizzard Entertainment authorized two short stories in Amazing Stories magazine, entitled StarCraft: Hybrid and StarCraft: Revelations.^[58] Blizzard also licensed Wizards of the Coast to publish StarCraft Adventures, a supplement for the role-playing game Alternity set in the StarCraft universe. Even manga comics^[59] and action figures have been done in the StarCraft universe.^[60] A CD was also released of 2 game tracks and 11 original works by Korean musicians.^[56] A StarCraft board game entitled StarCraft: The Board Game was released in October 2007.^[61]

References

External links

• The official StarCraft site at Blizzard Entertainment.
• The StarCraft Compendium on Battle.net

v • d • e Topics related to the StarCraft series
Video games	StarCraft · Insurrection · Retribution · Brood War · Ghost · StarCraft II
Novels	Liberty's Crusade · Shadow of the Xel'Naga · Speed of Darkness · Queen of Blades · Nova · The Dark Templar Saga
Universe	Characters · Locations · Protoss · Psionic technology · Terrans · Xel'Naga · Zerg
Other	StarCraft Adventures · StarCraft the Board Game · StarCraft Campaign Editor · Professional competition

v • d • e Professional competition with StarCraft
Players	Protoss players: Kang "Nal_rA" Min  · Kim "Bisu" Taek-Yong  · Park "Reach" Jung Suk Terran players: Choi "iloveoov" Yeon-Sung  · Lee "NaDa" Yun-Yeol  · Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier  · Lim "BoxeR" Yo-Hwan Zerg players: Park "JulyZerg" Sung-Joon  · Ma "sAviOr" Jae-Yoon
Organisations	Distribution: Blizzard Entertainment  · HanbitSoft Broadcasting: Starleague  · Ongamenet  · MBCGame Team sponsors: SK Telecom  · KTF Teams: MBCGame Hero

v • d • e Video games developed by Blizzard Entertainment
Diablo series	Diablo  · Diablo II (Lord of Destruction)
Racing series	RPM Racing  · Rock N' Roll Racing
StarCraft series	StarCraft (Brood War)  · StarCraft II  · StarCraft: Ghost
Warcraft series	Warcraft  · Warcraft II (Beyond the Dark Portal)  · Warcraft III (The Frozen Throne) World of Warcraft (The Burning Crusade  · Wrath of the Lich King)
Other games	Blackthorne  · Lost Vikings  · Death and Return of Superman  · Justice League Task Force