#Starcraft 1 tech tree series#

In line with this goal, doubling the starting worker count increases the resource gathering rate at the start, and this allows players to access their desired buildings, units, and upgrades quicker. Making StarCraft II more exciting by increasing the pace is one of the main changes Blizzard wanted to implement in LotV. They lay down the groundwork for my arguments of negative byproducts in the next section. In this section, I am going to describe three consequences of increasing starting worker count that are easily observable. Consequences of the starting worker change

This article focuses on the negative byproducts of increasing the number of starting workers from six to twelve. However, while the new economy system has improved the game in the intended ways, there are negative byproducts that affect the quality of StarCraft II as a real-time strategy game. This design goal is well justified because deathball and turtling were considered as negative design outcomes of HotS. Put it simply, in comparison to HotS, LotV encourages players to expand their influence on the map which would in turn create actions at multiple places. These changes are intended to create вЂњa more action packed experienceвЂќ, which is in line with the seven design goals Blizzard had for LotV. The supply granted by the Command Center, Nexus, and Hatchery are being increased to account for this.вЂќ вЂњIn order to generally reduce the passive time-periods in the game, weвЂ™re increasing the starting worker count from 6 workers to 12 workers. Vespene Geysers now hold 1,700 Vespene Gas instead of 2,500вЂќ Mineral Fields now hold 1,000 Minerals instead of 1,500 Combined with our unit changes for each race, this should make mid-game aggression much more potent and viable. To do this, weвЂ™re incentivizing faster expansions by decreasing the resources on Mineral Fields and Vespene Geysers by 33%. вЂњIn order to encourage aggression, we intend to create more places to attack. BackgroundДЄ new economy system was introduced along with the announcement of Legacy of the Void at the end of 2014. Lastly, I will discuss how different stakeholders are affected.

#Starcraft 1 tech tree series#

Next, I will lay out three outcomes of the worker change, and then I will discuss how these three factors interact to produce a series of negative products. I will first refresh your memory of the economy changes implemented in LotV.

This article does not discuss balance per se but focuses on the negative products of doubling the starting worker count. Players used to start with six workers in Wings of Liberty (WoL) and Heart of the Swarm (HotS), but the number of starting workers doubled in Legacy of the Void (LotV). While the balance patches and maps receive much attention, the influence of starting worker count to the game is largely overlooked. The community was critical of the state of the game at the end of 2019. This article discusses the impact of moving from six starting workers to twelve in Legacy of the Void. Although it is largely considered the best expansion of StarCraft II, the economy changes have unintended effects on the game. Legacy of the Void has brought us countless memorable games these five years.