Since Starcraft II launched, the talented developers at Blizzard Entertainment have been hard at work on its 'Heart of the Swarm' expansion, due out on March 12 for PC and Mac. While the real-time-strategy series is well known for its gorgeous cinematic scenes and engaging single player story, multiplayer pumps the lifeblood of the franchise, and has sustained interest in the brand since it was first conceived in 1998. 'Starcraft' still even serves as the headliner of the tremendously popular e-sports industry in Korea.
In an interview with Polygon, Blizzard Game Director Dustin Browder pulled back the curtain on 'Heart of the Swarm," and revealed a new training mode designed to transition players from the single player experience to online multiplayer.
"We certainly think we're doing a better job now than we ever have before," he says. "We've changed how the starting controls work. We put up auto rally points automatically. It takes a lot of stress off the opening game so you can think about match ups in the first few seconds instead of panicking trying to grab your guys. We've added all these new tutorial modes. We've added unranked play for people who are scared to play on ladder. We've added a new experience point system which allows you to gain something whether you win or lose."
Even the user-interface (UI) has been streamlined to include more useful information, according to the site. Why has Blizzard spent so much time streamlining the multiplayer? Browder explains that the campaign was never a sufficient tutorial for online play, and required a set of different skills and strategies to succeed.
The game director adds, "The reason a lot of players are strong at 'turtling' is because that's how campaign teaches you to play; a lot of our past campaigns certainly did. We're doing that less in this game."
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