All about Blizzard’s Starcraft 2

Will the defensive matrix of the Terran Nomad apply to enemy units within its AoE (Area of Effect)? (www.starcraft2forum.org)

Yes, the Terran Nomads Defense Matrix ability will affect both friendly and enemy units, thus using this ability on a position that the player can hold will be wise.

What helps to delineate the Thor and Battlecruiser as both being high-tier support units? Lots of concern over this duality? (www.starcraft.org)

Does the Time Bomb ability of the Mothership stop a Nuclear Missile (just like other missiles) when used on the area where the Nuclear Missile is about to explode? (starcraft4players.de)

The Time Bomb ability of the Mothership is designed to stop a Nuclear Missile if used at the right time, making a powerful counter in the hands of a skilled Protoss Player. This ability has still yet to go through the needed balance to make sure this is not over powering, but it is our intention to try and get that ability in the final version as designed.

In the UI there are little boxes just to the right of the minimap that have numbers on them. How exactly do these function? Different gameplay screenshots suggest different functionality. (www.starcraft-source.com)

Can an upgraded command center be salvaged? Does it lose its mobility when upgraded to a surveillance station?

No, the command center cannot be salvaged, nor can it lift off after it is upgraded to a Surveillance Station (allows the use of the Comsat ability).

In StarCraft 1, when you cancel a nuclear launch that is in progress, you lose the warhead. Will StarCraft II make any changes to this setback? (http://www.starcrafttwo.com)

Will there be Vespean Gas deposits that yield better rates, the same as yellow crystals? (starcrafttwo.com)

It is very likely that there will be higher yield Vespean Gas deposits, though we are being very careful in balancing this, since gas collection is based on a more linear rate of collection (3 collectors) versus mineral collection.

What happens if you initiate the warp-in of a Protoss Stalker but the pylon providing power is destroyed before warp-in completes?

Are the Ultralisk making a return in SC2? (starcraft2forum.org)

The Ultralisk figures heavily in our current plans, but as with everything else relating to units and balance, this is subject to change.

Will there be in game voice chat supported in SC2? (teamliquid.net)

How useful will tier 1 units be in the late game? (broodwar.de)

As a staple of the original StarCraft, which we intend to carry over to StarCraft II, is that every unit has a specific role in that factions army. Every unit will fulfill a unique role, which complements the other units, some better than others of course. In subscribing to that idea, tier 1 units will be quite useful in late game as well as early. Many of the tier 1 units will be able to be upgraded to keep up with the later game units as well.

For example, the Terran Marine currently has 3 upgrades available to it, as well as its standard attack and armor upgrades. New upgrades such as the combat shields, increasing the Marines health will be important in having the Marine deal with later game units.

Can we expect units to replace the Reaver and the Soul Hunter? (starcraftzone.com)

Will map sizes in StarCraft II be similar or larger than the maps in the original StarCraft?

Map sizes can fluctuate on a per-map basis, but generally the playable area on maps are about the same. The terrain cells were converted over into the new editor to proportionally match the original StarCraft (i.e. 128×128 SC1 is about the same as 128×128 in SC2 ).

Will StarCraft II Heroes have unique abilities?

The following are the Starcraft II Q & A Batches:

Starcraft II Q & A Batch 1
Starcraft II Q & A Batch 2
Starcraft II Q & A Batch 3
Starcraft II Q & A Batch 4
Starcraft II Q & A Batch 5

What does the “Intercept Missiles” function of the Predator do exactly?

The Predator is equipped with a point defense laser system which destroys incoming enemy projectiles. This ability makes the Predator an excellent support fighter to help defend slower capital ships, such as the Battlecruiser.

Can the Radar Tower also detect invisible units even in Fog of War?

In the gameplay video the UI is toggled on/off several times. Will that be an option in-game?

Currently, the UI will only toggle off during game cinematics. There are currently no plans to implement this for single-player or multiplayer as it would give some players an advantage over others.

Will the Twilight Archon have abilities?