EVOLUTION COMPLETE! - musings on StarCraft stuff

[CetaMan]

As a note, medics have an arm-mounted grenade launcher. Usually only filled with signals or flashbangs, but still a grenade launcher. Occasionally seen with concussive or explosive rounds. Not exactly unarmed. Mentioned that some also carry sidearms, but never in game.

As for the protoss repair functions. I would conjecture its due to the equipment being sophisticated enough that field repairs usually aren't worth it, except for patch-jobs by terran SCV's welding a neosteel plate over a hole in a dragoon leg. We know repair drones from carriers can do repairs, as well as orbital support from arkships somehow repairing planeside assets or other vessels.

More extreme would be psionics. Artanis has his "Astral Wind" psionic ability that heals both mechanical and biological units. Perhaps some Khalai are gifted enough to psionically repair mechanical objects, and are just kept away from combat for being valuable.

[Shroom Man 777]

As a note, medics have an arm-mounted grenade launcher. Usually only filled with signals or flashbangs, but still a grenade launcher. Occasionally seen with concussive or explosive rounds. Not exactly unarmed. Mentioned that some also carry sidearms, but never in game.

I wonder if that launcher is the same as the nano-whatever projector. Like, the default setting of the device is just something that spews nanites - a nanite gun. Then the flare or flashbang grenades are launched from it like rifle-grenades.

Though of course, I'm sure units "IRL" aren't just restricted by what they've got in-game... I'm sure Marines, Medics, etc. can bring around extra arms, underslung grenade launchers, demolitions specialists with space shotguns, kegs of beer that are kept chilled by THANK GOD FOR COLD FUSION.

GOT YER ZERG RIGHT HERE - bbbbbllleeaarrrrggghhh!!

As for the protoss repair functions. I would conjecture its due to the equipment being sophisticated enough that field repairs usually aren't worth it, except for patch-jobs by terran SCV's welding a neosteel plate over a hole in a dragoon leg. We know repair drones from carriers can do repairs, as well as orbital support from arkships somehow repairing planeside assets or other vessels.

Ah, this still conforms with the speculations. The carriers can repair the interceptors because the carriers are the "base" facilities that forces deploy from. Like how Terran forces deploy from battlecruisers.

Of course, if it wasn't for game mechanics, most of the campaign missions would involve deploying from the capital ships. Instead of base building BS.

More extreme would be psionics. Artanis has his "Astral Wind" psionic ability that heals both mechanical and biological units. Perhaps some Khalai are gifted enough to psionically repair mechanical objects, and are just kept away from combat for being valuable.

Isn't there some Khalai character in the Legacy of the Void campaign who, aside from looking like the Protoss equivalent of a squat dwarf, has like extra mechanical limbs for tech work? Phase smiths and stuff?

Is Legacy of the Void worth it?

[CetaMan]

Is LotV worth is? Depends. For multiplayer I would say no, but I usually only play with friends or the occasional unranked. For campaign it was overall better then the other two in terms of gameplay, definitely more enjoyable then HotS for story (just don't play the epilogue - the Christmas special of starcraft, or was that resurrection...). I would say unless you play StarCraft a lot, I'd say pick it up when it goes on sale if you want to play the campaign.

As a note, I am a mapmaker and modder and thus enjoy the thousands of new assets and engine improvements, so that added personal value.


Back to lore:

Karax, the protoss-with-a-beard phasesmith with doc-oc arms. He seems to be more R&D and engineer then battlefield repair. He shows protoss-on-protoss "hacking" skills by controlling the mechanical parts of protoss machines, even dragoons and immortals which can apparently be controlled san-pilot according to his dialogue. He has no repair capabilities but his attack is 2 servitors (the small floating repair bots in the Spear of Adun), and we see them doing likely repairs aboard. Most of his tech seems to come from his Omni-tool gauntlet thing, which he uses to repair stuff and "hack" enemy-controlled mechanics. (He's fiddling in it in a cutscene where he repairs a servitor, and the control ability uses it as an icon.

The carrier repair drones can repair any mechanical unit, and fly as escorts rather then like interceptors.

Yeah, the field manual mentions tat an underslung grenade launcher is a technically against regulations but common modification, along with a bayonet for fighting zerg and based on the brood-war intro an RPG component. There are some additional weapons from SC:Ghost and the comics such as a hand-held flamethrower based on the firebats, as well as heavier gauss rifles more fitting of a squad support weapon or anti-vehicle then anything else. Two named shotguns, one of which is similar to modern but gauss-y (used by the light-infantry in Ghost), the other from the Nova missions that does something odd I need to check before posting.