The latest batch of Q&A from Blizzard on StarCraft 2 focuses on a bit of lore and Karune gives us a small look into the current gameplay of the newly named Nullifier, formerly Stasis Orb.
Karune begins the post with a small Gameplay Blog highlighting, the spellcasters previously known as Stasis Orbs, the Nullifiers. This small teaser gives us a look into one of the spells that the Nullifier has in its arsenal. The Force Field seems to have aided him well in a PvZ battle where he was able to use it to splice a large Zergling force in half, making it easier for his Zealots to fight off the attack.
Protoss Stasis Orb
The Force Field seems to be a temporary barrier created by the Nullifiers. They are also tier 1. Could this give a new meaning to the term Manner Pylon? A 15 second time duration with a cost of 30 energy and each Nullifier holds 3 Force Fields at anytime. I hope they are expensive tier 1 units, because I'd hate to have 2 or 3 of these camping my mineral line.
After the short teaser into the current gameplay of StarCraft II, the post gets down to business.
---StarCraft II Q&A Batch 26---
1. Do Protoss warriors actually die? What is the blue flash when they die?
In the chaos of the battlefield, Protoss warriors fight with tremendous power and grace, but even so, they can be mortally wounded. Then the Protoss' foes often bear witness to a startling sight: the injured Protoss disappears in a bright flash of light. Such a vision has caused primitive races to quail in superstitious fear, and yet it has no supernatural cause. On the contrary, it is merely the result of teleportation, which is one of the chief strengths of Protoss technology. Protoss warriors typically have teleport mechanisms built into their armor. If the warrior is sufficiently injured, a properly functioning mechanism will automatically teleport the body to the nearest safe haven.
A Protoss warrior who is badly injured but still living may be placed in a dragoon--or latterly an immortal--shell to continue to fight. This is the choice of the individual warrior. Some warriors elect to shoulder the burden of remaining among the living instead of joining the sum of Protoss lives embodied in the Khala. It is worthy of note that the lives of individual Protoss that have passed into the Khala are no longer coherent entities, and the Protoss cannot speak with their dead per se. However, there are memories and strands of experience that can be accessed. Only the most skilled Protoss preservers can locate and follow specific desired strands of knowledge. The tremendous value of preservers comes from the fact that they carry within themselves and can access the sum total of Protoss experience at an individual level.
2. Will there be more ways to give energy(mana) to a caster? (www.starcraft2.hu)
Protoss casters will have an ability to transfer energy from one caster to another. This ability will allow for a lot of micromanagement opportunities to maximize the amount of energy to a single caster, for the maximum number of special abilities casted.
3. On what kind of energy are based Protoss shields? If they are based on PSI energy, how can be possible for a Terran EMP attack to drain their energy? (www.starcraft-2.cz)
Protoss energy sources are highly esoteric because their starting point was the Protoss' use of their own psionic powers to protect themselves; to charge their tools and weapons; and to make, manipulate, or meld matter. Over time technological advances have enabled the Protoss to mimic these psionic processes to the extent that the Protoss can now construct inorganic devices to tap into the same universal processes to power shields, drives, weapons, and robots. Thus, for example, the energy field projected by a pylon that powers Protoss structures cannot truly be called psionic in nature, just as the shields protecting a zealot are not purely technological constructs. Rather, the two processes are so closely interlinked that they are almost the same. As a result, Protoss power sources and particularly their shields are vulnerable to disruption by technological means such as EMP weapons. Similarly such power sources can be restored or recharged from artificially stored energy.
1. Do Protoss warriors actually die? What is the blue flash when they die?
In the chaos of the battlefield, Protoss warriors fight with tremendous power and grace, but even so, they can be mortally wounded. Then the Protoss' foes often bear witness to a startling sight: the injured Protoss disappears in a bright flash of light. Such a vision has caused primitive races to quail in superstitious fear, and yet it has no supernatural cause. On the contrary, it is merely the result of teleportation, which is one of the chief strengths of Protoss technology. Protoss warriors typically have teleport mechanisms built into their armor. If the warrior is sufficiently injured, a properly functioning mechanism will automatically teleport the body to the nearest safe haven.
A Protoss warrior who is badly injured but still living may be placed in a dragoon--or latterly an immortal--shell to continue to fight. This is the choice of the individual warrior. Some warriors elect to shoulder the burden of remaining among the living instead of joining the sum of Protoss lives embodied in the Khala. It is worthy of note that the lives of individual Protoss that have passed into the Khala are no longer coherent entities, and the Protoss cannot speak with their dead per se. However, there are memories and strands of experience that can be accessed. Only the most skilled Protoss preservers can locate and follow specific desired strands of knowledge. The tremendous value of preservers comes from the fact that they carry within themselves and can access the sum total of Protoss experience at an individual level.
2. Will there be more ways to give energy(mana) to a caster? (www.starcraft2.hu)
Protoss casters will have an ability to transfer energy from one caster to another. This ability will allow for a lot of micromanagement opportunities to maximize the amount of energy to a single caster, for the maximum number of special abilities casted.
3. On what kind of energy are based Protoss shields? If they are based on PSI energy, how can be possible for a Terran EMP attack to drain their energy? (www.starcraft-2.cz)
Protoss energy sources are highly esoteric because their starting point was the Protoss' use of their own psionic powers to protect themselves; to charge their tools and weapons; and to make, manipulate, or meld matter. Over time technological advances have enabled the Protoss to mimic these psionic processes to the extent that the Protoss can now construct inorganic devices to tap into the same universal processes to power shields, drives, weapons, and robots. Thus, for example, the energy field projected by a pylon that powers Protoss structures cannot truly be called psionic in nature, just as the shields protecting a zealot are not purely technological constructs. Rather, the two processes are so closely interlinked that they are almost the same. As a result, Protoss power sources and particularly their shields are vulnerable to disruption by technological means such as EMP weapons. Similarly such power sources can be restored or recharged from artificially stored energy.
An enlightening post into the lore of the Protoss Zealot and the technical aspects of, to put simply, their technology. Another interesting fact is the ability of Protoss casters to be able to transfer energy between casters. It sounds like this ability may be used between casters in general meaning High Templars could swap energy with Nullifiers, and the vice versa. I use the word swap, but I'm sure it's through very hygienic means.
And to end the batch, it seems like the fellows at www.starcraftcz.com are eager for another collectible item.
4. Are you planning to make another statue, for example, statue of Kerrigan?(www.starcraftcz.com)
We are planning to fully explore the high end collectibles realm with plenty of StarCraft II merchandise, and yes, there are projects already in the works.
---End of Transmission---
We are planning to fully explore the high end collectibles realm with plenty of StarCraft II merchandise, and yes, there are projects already in the works.
---End of Transmission---
18'inch statue of Zeratul anyone?
Links
Battle.net - Batch #26
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