StarCraft - Definition by WordIQ

StarCraft (SC) is a real-time strategy computer game produced by Blizzard Entertainment in 1998. The game is similar to Blizzard's previous hit Warcraft II, but has a science fiction setting. The game was heavily edited during the development process to steer the game away from being simply "Warcraft in Space", and eventually the entire game engine had to be gutted and redeveloped to allow the developers to actually achieve the results they were after. The main storyline of the game revolves around a war between three galactic species: the Protoss (a race of humanoid religious warriors), the Zerg (insect-like aliens who share a hive mind) and the Terrans (human colonists from Earth). It was initially released for Windows, later for Macintosh and the N64.

StarCraft was the best selling computer game in 1998, and won the Origins Award for Best Strategy Computer Game of 1998. In that same year Blizzard released an expansion pack called StarCraft: Brood War. Recently, Blizzard has announced a third person shooter, StarCraft: Ghost that will be released sometime in 2005. Fans impatiently await the creation of StarCraft II - Blizzard has announced that they are interested in making a sequel to this incredibly popular game, and there is evidence that they may have started design for StarCraft II in late 2004 (such as a spate of posts on the Battle.net forums asking for suggestions for such a game, and the lack of other projects for Blizzard after World of Warcraft's completion, as well as a leak about a 2007 release from Hanbitsoft, the Korean publisher of Starcraft).

StarCraft

Release	1998
Platforms	Microsoft Windows, Mac OS, Mac OS X and N64
Developer	Blizzard Entertainment
Publisher	Blizzard Entertainment
Genre	RTS
Predecessor	WarCraft II
Expansion	StarCraft: Brood War, Starcraft: Retribution, Starcraft: Insurrection
Influences	Starship Troopers, Aliens, Warhammer Fantasy, Warhammer 40,000
Gameplay	Galactic war between 3 asymmetric species
Official site	StarCraft@Blizzard (http://www.blizzard.com/starcraft)

General information

Warcraft II, while advanced for its time, featured what many gamers believed to be a weakness in that, apart from a few minor (but significant, balance-wise) differences in available spells and the cost of upgrades, the game's two races were exactly the same mechanically, with only graphical differences. StarCraft improved upon this by incorporating three races, Protoss, Terran, and Zerg instead of two, and by revamping the unit rosters to include unique technologies and units in all three factions. The three races cover the spectrum of unit types in their racial identity, from the powerful and expensive Protoss, to the numerous and agile Zerg, with the Terrans as the flexible and moderate alternative.

The game also includes multiplayer gaming on Blizzard's own Internet gaming service Battle.net. One can play against opponents all over the world free of any charge beyond the original purchase of the game and local Internet access fees. Many fans enjoy playing in groups against the computer in skirmish games -- the AI is considered to be weak compared to a good player, but decent early game performance can make it an enjoyable opponent for more casual players, and fans also enjoy creating unfair maps giving the computer an advantage which can be extremely hard to beat. A couple of years after the release of the game Blizzard also released several free maps on the "insane" level.

An expansion pack called Brood War was released in 1998. The expansion provides several new units for each race (which were influential enough to dramatically change the gameplay) and a whole new set of scenarios which continue where the StarCraft scenarios left off. Most people who still play use this expansion and agree that it changed the game significantly for the better, although a few stick to the so-called "vanilla" game.

Notably, Starcraft has achieved a cult-like status in the computer gaming world. Due to the extreme complexity and depth of the strategic possibilities, many find that it never gets boring.

Playing StarCraft

The multiplayer game

Usually the game is played by one player against another over the Internet or a LAN. The game is usually won by destroying all of the opponent's buildings, although other, less commonly played game types also exist. Such a game, with reasonably experienced players (played at highest game speed), typically lasts between 8 and 60 minutes, the average being about 15 minutes. Traditionally the game does not end with the utter annihilation of one party. Instead, the losing player, when he does not see any chance of winning, sends the message "gg" (good game) and leaves the game.

Like most computer strategy games, the game is centered on resources. Resources are needed to construct units and buildings and better units require more resources. In order to win, the players need to balance between quickly expanding to the resource locations to gather as many resources as possible, defending those locations against the enemy, and preventing the enemy from gathering them for themselves. In StarCraft there are two kinds of resources: minerals (needed for all units) and Vespene gas (needed for some advanced units and upgrades). Minerals appear as blue crystalline formations protruding from the ground and are 'harvested' by drones, SCVs, or probes, while Vespene gas appear as green clouds forming above geysers. Vespene gas, unlike mineral crystals, can only be harvested after a refinery building is constructed over the geyser.

There is a limited amount of resources at each location, and only a limited amount of resources can be gathered in a specific time frame from one location. Depending on what race the players choose, one player might need to expand to considerably more resource locations in order to win the game (while of course also being better suited to do so).

Whether an action is good or not is judged by its cost-effectiveness, meaning the player's own costs/wins compared to those of the opponent. Also, the player cannot create an infinite number of units. Each unit has a "supply/support" rating that adds to a pool. If this amount exceeds 200, the player can no longer create units. Smaller, weaker units use one supply whereas larger ones, like nuclear missiles, can use up to eight.

Games prized success is also a result of its well balanced units. Traditionaly in many modern games stopping a large group of well armed and armored units requires talent while in StarCraft for example a fleet of (12x) Protoss Carriers appear to be unstopable, three clicks (an EMP from a Science Vessle, Plague from a defiler, or a psionic storm from a templar) can greatly turn the tide of the war forcing players to be very careful.

Mastering StarCraft

Many StarCraft players recognize three skills essential to becoming a good player: micro-management, macro-management and multi-tasking.

Sometimes Actions Per Minute (or APM) is used as a quantitative indicator of one's ability to micro- and macromanage. Having a high APM rating does not necessarily mean that one is a skilled, or even decent player; a high APM rating instead indicates a fast, active player. A player's APM rating is determined by calculating the average number of actions that a player performs during each minute beyond the first 80 seconds of a game. An action in StarCraft is defined as selecting a unit or building, giving an order to a unit or building, or designating a target for an order (for example, ordering a marine to attack a supply depot would be three separate actions). Professional gamers, such as those in South Korea, have been known to achieve average APM ratings of over 300, and peak APM ratings, such as during a battle, of over 500 (8.33 actions per second). The computer program BWChart (http://www.bwchart.com) allows StarCraft players to easily determine their APM ratings.

A typical game

Even though new tricks and tactics are still being discovered despite the game's age, it is possible to outline what usually happens in a 'one-on-one' between experienced players.

The map and thus the resource locations are known to both players, however the players are placed in the map at one of the possible spawn points randomly (if the map is set to have Random Start Locations), not knowing where the enemy started off. Everything out of the sight radius of their units begins as black, anything that has been seen at least once by the player's units will be shown grayed out in the last known status - this effect is known as the fog of war. Each player starts with some resource collecting units and the structure to build more of them, right next to a resource location.

The players start collecting resources immediately. Any Zerg player, being the only one to start with a movable unit not capable of collecting resources, will most likely start scouting (looking for the enemy) right from the start. The other races will wait a minute or two before sending one of their resource collectors to scout for them, so they won't lose resources in the crucial beginning. Scouting is crucial to keep informed about the enemy's threats and weaknesses.

About the time the player started scouting, he will also start building the structures he needs for his first goals. Those could be defending his base against opponent attacks, preparing for an early attack of chosen units himself and/or expanding his base. Each tactic has its strengths and weaknesses, which is why it's important for the player to act on the information gained through scouting. It's also why the player will try to kill or scare away the scouts of the opponent when he gets the chance. Scouting remains important during the whole game. Players will position cheap, cloaked and/or fast units at crucial positions in the map.

If the player chose to do some early attacks, then he will start doing that after 4 or 5 minutes. There are several known tactics for early attacks and how to best protect oneself against them. When two gosu (skilled players) play against each other, early attacks are not just a huge threat to the defender, but also for the attacker. That's because the attacker wasn't able to use the resources for collecting more of them, and mistakes in the early game matter a lot. Those 8 minute games, mentioned when describing the game duration, usually are the result of a very successful or unsuccessful outcome in an early attack.

If both players survive the first 10 minutes, the players start the battle for space. The players generally will try to get as many resource locations as possible to 'out-resource' the opponent, and 'starve' him by trying to prevent him from doing the same. The players start this quest with the handicap or the advantage of the early game. During this part of the game, the players will stock up their army and try to weaken their enemy by smaller and bigger attacks on resource locations, tech-buildings (structures required for upgrades and advanced units) and buildings necessary to build more units.

During the rest of the game both players will try to get resource domination. A considerable resource control advantage can still be broken by finding weaknesses in the opponent's strategy, doing a 'come-back'. A simple example of this is to build a lot of air units, when the opponent has little anti-air defense, because he concentrated on building a lot of anti-ground. Sooner or later one player will start dominating the game, winning more and more ground. There's an upper limit to the time it takes, because there is a limited amount of resources on the map - long games are rare as small advantages tend to increase over time.

In a typical ending the stronger player rushes towards the other player's main base. The losing player tries to delay the attacker in order to collect his troops for defense. The attacker will push the defender to the outskirt of the base, still with enough troops to defeat the enemy on his own ground. The defender, having almost no troops left and the opponent's army at the outskirts of his main base, surrenders. However often players surrender before a huge attack happens, because they realize they won't be able to get a resource advantage anymore.

An alternative ending is where the weaker, socially challenged player crashes the enemy StarCraft clients, possibly with a cryptic message such as "attack hover incomplete", due to security issues present (as of October, 2004) in StarCraft. There are also other alternatives, such as freezing the other clients while sending rude messages to them.

StarCraft culture

Popularity

In the early 2000s, the game received an explosive popularity among South Korean online gamers, to the point of being (only somewhat exaggeratedly) referred to as the national sport of South Korea by some avid gamers.

Even as of 2004, StarCraft is probably still one of the most popular online games in the world, as shown by the German multi-gaming clan pro-Gaming (in German) (http://pgde.mog-server.de/index.php?page=news&id=2476). However, as of 2004, most active StarCraft players come from South Korea.

In South Korea, StarCraft professional gamers, such as SlayerS_`BoxeR`, [NC]YellOw, and Nal_rA are celebrities: their games are broadcast over several television channels such as MBC Game, Ongamenet, and iTV. While a select few have become reasonably wealthy through this (for example, one highly successful player, known in-game as SlayerS_`BoxeR`, signed a 1 year, ~$2,000,000 contract in 2004), and some can earn a decent to good living from TV-contracts, sponsoring and tournament prizes, the lower-echelon pro players tend to subsist on relatively small wages. Many pro gamers play StarCraft pretty much every waking hour in order to maintain preparation for the highly competitive leagues. Superior StarCraft and Warcraft III players are called gosu, a Korean word meaning "highly skilled". South Korea is an example of how e-sports can have a social status similar to physical sports.

Also of note is the semi-infamous Operation CWAL (Can't Wait Any Longer). More than just a simple cheat to decrease unit build time, Operation CWAL formed in 1997, as a writers group, in the StarCraft Suggestions Forum in an attempt to "liberate" a final copy of StarCraft, which appeared obviously completed despite numerous delays on the part of Blizzard Entertainment. Blizzard Entertainment has gone as far as to give special thanks to this group in the manual for StarCraft, as well as including their name as a cheat code in the game.

While not incredibly active today, Operation CWAL remains as one of Blizzard Entertainment's older and more loyal fan groups. Many CWALers are waiting for release information regarding another RTS in the StarCraft universe.

Influence

StarCraft draws from characters & scenarios taken from the movies Aliens (Terran Buildings, Dropship, Marines, SCV & Zerg Creep, Hydralisk, Infested Terrans) & RoboCop (Terran Goliath). The popular Warhammer series from Games Workshop also had a large influence on StarCraft's design and gameplay (Protoss, Zerg ecology, plot).

Because of its vast popularity, StarCraft has become extremely influential in the computer and video gaming fields. In the years immediately following its release, it was considered by many to be the bar against which new real-time strategy games were measured. Several terms now widely used in computer gaming in reference to other games are directly derived from StarCraft: rush (popularized by the term "Zerg rush") and zerging.

Novels and eBooks

StarCraft even became an inspiration for the creation of official novels and eBooks (which were generally not especially well-received by fans), such as:

Custom scenarios

The game comes with a campaign/map editor (practically a "Game Creation System" in itself) called StarEdit. StarEdit has many features, including a trigger system that allows one to make radical changes to the way that map works, readily giving gamers the ability to create custom map scenarios. Hundreds of custom scenarios are created everyday, giving the game a refreshing variety. The StarCraft map-making community has also constructed additional editors or functionalities that grant the user even more power to modify the game.

Scenarios are created with entirely different sets of rules, objectives, and units. More popular user created scenarios include StarCraft Diplomacy, Turret Defense, Sunken Defense, Nightmare RPG, and the ubiquitous Tower Defense. Scenarios with infinite minerals are also very popular, examples including "Fastest Map Ever" and "0Clutter." Many real-world events, including the Napoleonic Wars, World War I, World War II and the American Civil War, have also been used as a base for StarCraft maps. There have been recent StarCraft maps depicting single or multiple scenes from books and movies, such as Troy and the The Lord of the Rings. These maps include The Battle for Pelennor Fields and The Battle for Helm's Deep.

It is estimated that the popularity of special scenario Starcraft maps (or "custom" maps) among the general worldwide populace often exceeds that of the regular game, especially during peak traffic hours. The popularity of custom maps is not limited, however, to only online gaming. Because StarEdit allows the map maker to "link together" several maps, single player "campaigns" (which are long scenarios played out over several maps, hence the name "campaign") have become prominent in the community. Popularized by the revolutionary Antioch Chronicles (http://www.antiochforever.com/?The_Antioch_Chronicles), many campaigns even come with "MODs" that feature new "heroes" (ie. the map makers create new art files to be imported in to StarCraft, thus creating completely new units and characters - something StarEdit alone could never do). Popular player-made campaigns include Campaign Creation's Legacy of the Confederation (http://campaigncreations.org/starcraft/lotc/index.shtml), Life of a Marine (http://loam.samods.org), The Antioch Chronicles (http://www.antiochforever.com/?The_Antioch_Chronicles), and StarCraft.org's official campaigns: The Shifters and Fields of Ash (http://www.starcraft.org/scums/packs/).

In addition, some other map editors exist. These include the "Starcraft X-tra Map Editor," and have other features not in StarEdit. One of the possibilities included in some editors include "stacking" buildings and minerals, placing many one on top of the other. The ability to change player colors has been left to some of the more advanced editors, including "Scm Draft" and "StarForge," which were introduced after editors such as "GU Edit" and SCM Toolkit" were losing their popularity. Most serious 'mappers' now prefer "StarCraft X-tra Map Editor," "Scm Draft," "StarForge," and "ProEdit," because they give the user indepth capabilities, such as the ability to place different terrain types, hidden 'triggers' and 'AI scripts,' 'protecting' maps, running sounds from the StarCraft disc, changing the color of text, etcetera. Most of these editors (excluding "StarCraft X-tra Map Editor") are designed from scratch, eliminating most of the limits of the original StarEdit, the "StarCraft Campaign Editor." Many of these 3rd party programs have revolutionized StarCraft map making and new discoveries as to what different 'sprites' or 'unit numbers' do to the game, or as the most effective way to 'cloak' certain units are discovered virtually every day. Many websites including 'Starcraft.org,' 'staredit.net,' and 'scindex' have been built around the capabilities of these impressive StarEdits.

Replays, RWAs, VODs and Battle Reports

StarCraft enables the player to record a game and save it as a replay, which can then be viewed with any other copy of StarCraft, displaying the entire course of the game. As of 2004, there are many websites that host replays of players with different skill levels, though pro-level replays are relatively rarely released, for reasons of team secrecy and pro-league policy.

The RWAtools (http://www.bwchart.com/us/rwa.php) are a set of freeware tools that create valid replay files, additionally containing an Ogg audio stream. They allow gamers to comment their own games while they play them and comment replays of other players. During replay the commentary is kept in sync with the game. This can be particularly interesting for people new to the game, who can learn from more experienced players pointing out things about a replay they would not have seen on their own. Also, those replays can be quite fun to watch, if the commentator did a good job.

Lasgo's Observer Pack (http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=9999) contains, beside other things, a tool that allows you to see the results of the recorded player's actions as if you played yourself (except the mouse pointer and the selection boxes).

The most notorious and respected RWAer is considered to be Manifesto7, an administrator on Team-Liquid.net. Though he has since stopped production of them, at least temporarily, his informative and entertaining RWA's can be found at Manifesto7.com (http://www.manifesto7.com).

VODs (from "Video On Demand") are videos that show the screen of a commentator (or sometimes player) during a (usually) pro-level game. They are (legally or not) available from a variety of websites, and are ripped from Korean television or internet streams. They usually come in the ASF video file format for Windows Media Player, which plays them with seeking disabled, or in the WMV format. Because they are compressed with an MPEG-4 codec and the file size needs to be small, there is a significant quality loss in comparison to watching a replay. VODs are usually accompanied by enthusiastic announcing from the Korean commentators, and the occasional crowd shot.

Battle Reports emerged as a a "review" of a game between two -or more- players. Written replays of a past game, a Battle Report goes into length on the tactics used in the game and the different battles. Battle Reports were popularized for StarCraft by a player known as Breeze, whose impressive visuals and writing brought some of the most popular StarCraft players and games to fame. While the quality of Battle Reports vary, a good Report will not only show tactics and battles, but discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the different players, and comment on the general strategies used.

StarCraft in space

Notable Players

Lim Yo hwan (SlayerS_`BoxeR`) (Terran)

Known to Koreans as the "Terran Emperor", Boxer is definitely the most popular Starcraft player in Korea, even having a DVD of his best games released. He is also probably the most successful, having won the World Cyber Games (WCG (http://www.worldcybergames.com)) twice and having won the OnGameNet Starleague (OSL) twice. He came to fame by dominating the professional Starcraft scene as a Terran player at a time when Terran was considered relatively weak, and innovated heavily, most notably making much more effective use of the Terran Dropship unit than had been achieved in the past. Boxer is particularly known for his superb micro (unit control) and his highly creative and original play, and was not so good at the macro (economic management) side of the game, which resulted in a gradual loss of dominance as other players improved at a faster pace. Today, while no longer the top player, Boxer is still going strong (having spent much effort improving his macro), and even made it to the finals of KTF-EVER sponsored OSL of late 2004 (though he lost to Oov 3-2).

One of his famous games is a Terran vs Terran against Chunsang. In that game, Chunsang has seven Battlecruisers, while Boxer has eleven Wraiths and seven Ghosts, a force that would normally fall easily to the Battlecruisers. However, Boxer drops off the Ghosts on a ledge and proceeds to lockdown all seven Battlecruisers in the span of one second. He then cleans up the helpless Battlecruisers with his Wraiths. Boxer's losses: one or two Ghosts. Chunsang's losses: 2800 minerals and 2100 gas within twenty seconds.

Guillaume Patry (X'Ds-Grrrr...) (Protoss)

Canadian player Grrrr... was easily the number one player in the world for some time in the era before professional gaming fully took off in Korea, and played successfully in Korea for some time (including winning an OSL) before fading from the scene as new players surpassed his skill.

Kim Dong-Soo (Garimto) (Protoss)

The only other player to win the OSL twice, Garimto was notable for succeeding even during Boxer's height of dominance. He also innovated heavily with Protoss build-orders, making frequent use of "hidden" tech buildings and other tricks. Garimto had to quit SC in order to do his Korean military service, but now regularly acts as a commentator for games. In his commentary he is known for criticizing current Protoss players for making mistakes and hence not achieving the potential of the race.

Hong Jinho ([N.C]...Yellow) (Zerg)

The most successful Zerg player over the long term, Yellow, the "Storm Zerg", is known for his aggressive play, and for his rivalry with Boxer (who is usually on the winning end, at least when it comes to important finals). He also seems to suffer from a certain degree of angst due to continued strong showings combined with failure to win one of the major leagues.

Hong's most impressive signature move may be his mutalisk harrassment, where he controls a small wing of mutalisk to hit random enemy targets and run before retaliation.

Park Jung Suk ([Oops]Reach) (Protoss)

Reach, the "Standard Protoss" (or "Hero Protoss") is the Protoss player who has been most consistent in the long term, beating Boxer in an OSL final near the height of his dominance, and generally placing well in tournaments. As his nickname suggests, he is generally known for his standard/solid/safe style of play, with strong macro and use of Psi Storm, although he has been leaning away from this slightly in recent times due to changes in the playing style of the other races.

Lee Yunyeol ([Red]NaDa) (Terran)

The "Tornado Terran", Nada succeeded Boxer as the number one ranked player. Nada also achieved the highest peak KeSPA (http://www.e-sports.or.kr) rank ever (estimated, as the ranking system was rescaled at one point). He is known for having incredible macro, with the ability to rapidly conjure up a large tank army seemingly from nowhere. His focus in gameplay tends to be more defensive in the early game, concentrating on building up a large force while skillfully harassing the opponent, rather than directly attacking them, with a massive strike being launched at precisely the right time.

Choi Yeon Sung (IloveOOv) (Terran)

The current number one ranked player (succeeding Nada), Oov's macro is even better than Nada's, leading to him being jokingly known as the "Cheater Terran" in Korea. He is also somewhat more aggressive than Nada and seems to have a more varied playstyle, and possibly a somewhat better strategic grasp of the game, which may account for his greater current success. Oov has won the MBCGame Starleague (MSL) three times in succession, an amazing feat, and in November 2004 finally won the OSL, cementing his place as the current strongest player of the game (as of late 2004).

He has an interesting relationship with Boxer (who is on the same team as him); he sees Boxer as a kind of "older brother" or mentor and as a result was somewhat regretful for beating him (3-2) in the finals of EVER OSL in November 2004.

Other Notable Players

Zerg

Protoss

Terran

Story

The coming of the Zerg and Protoss

In the beginning you discover that it is the year 2499. A Terran outpost on the edge of known space, named Chau Sara, is attacked by a technologically-advanced race known as the Protoss. The Terran Confederacy fears that Mar Sara is next and scrambles their defenses. At the same time, an insectoid alien race known as the Zerg slowly begin to spread across the surface of Mar Sara.

It is unknown at what moment the Terrans and Zerg made first contact, but it was a secret. The Confederates locked up Zerg in a secret facility on the planet Vyctor 5 in a complex called the Fujita Facility, surrounded by a complex weather formation known as the Fujita Pinnacle.

Hardly anyone had reason to look inside this weather complex, and getting inside was nearly impossible due to the powerful weather and the powerful defenses within. Nonetheless, Arcturus Mengsk did just that, shortly after the devastating attack on Korhal (an attack which had left the Sons of Korhal with fewer than a hundred members). Mengsk had used a powerful new addition to his arsenal, a formerly Confederate vessel he had renamed the Hyperion.

He didn't know there were Zerg there. He had gone hunting for a Ghost, Sarah Kerrigan, for reasons unknown to even his allies. He was quite surprised to find her as part of an experiment involving these xenomorphs. Not knowing what to make of them, his soldiers killed the few Zerg specimens and took the scientists with them. Shortly thereafter, Mengsk led an attack on the primary Ghost Academy on Tarsonis itself. Most of the small Sons of Korhal group were killed in this mission, but Kerrigan survived.

Perhaps interested in these Zerg (now that Kerrigan was one of his top officers) or perhaps seeking to undermine Confederate authority in outlying planets, Mengsk's Sons of Korhal made a raid on Chau Sara, early in November, 2499. This was very dangerous, as Chau Sara would quickly become the temporary headquarters of Alpha Squadron, generally acknowledged as the best of the Confederate Squadrons. Chau Sara's Colonial Magistrate Collins had called them in.

The Colonial Forces fended off the Sons of Korhal with help from Alpha Squadron, but shortly afterwards they made hostile contact with the Zerg (which they were still calling "xenomorphs"). This small attack was repelled by the Confederates.

Immediately after the attack a shadowy group calling itself "Cerberus Recon Squad" appeared. They were using advanced technology and claimed to have extensive knowledge of the xenomorphs, but were very disrespectful of Magistrate Collins. Nonetheless, they assisted in the destruction of the local Sons of Korhal base.

Magistrate Collins confirmed to Alpha Squadron that he had known about these xenomorphs for quite some time. They were being studied in the Flannum Installation but contact there had been lost. Now the installation was surrounded by xenomorphs, which had somehow created large, semi-organic structures, some of which were capable of defending themselves. Cerberus Recon Squad and Alpha Squadron cooperated in clearing a path to the installation.

Cerberus said they knew the code for the installation (something only Magistrate Collins should have known), which enabled them to use the bio-scanners and confirm the presence of the scientists. However, they didn't seem to be able to detect the xenomorphs, which had burrowed themselves in the installation floors. During the rescue of the scientists, the xenomorphs displayed some intelligence, setting traps (using the Terran computers, no less) and even staged a "counter-rescue" from outside the installation. Nonetheless, Cerberus was an elite force, and with the support of security guards found hiding within the facility they overcame the infestation.

The xenomorphs quickly attacked the city of Los Andares after the rescue of the scientists, and so Alpha Squadron and Cerberus had to rescue the city. General Duke himself assisted from his siege tank. Afterwards, Collins wanted to set up a tight defense against the xenomorphs but the Cerberus Commander overruled him, actually taking command of the colony to do so. Cerberus felt now was a good time to attack the primary Hive Clusters. Alpha Squadron and General Duke had to go along with this plan. Those xenomorphs were defeated, and then Cerberus left with a warning:

"By edict of Confederate High Command, all matters regarding these xenomorphs are under Class 7 Seal. Do not speak of the existence of the xenomorphs or in any way relay the events surrounding their appearance on Chau Sara. Failure to comply with these orders will result in immediate termination.

Downfall of the Confederacy

In the midst of the crisis which befell Chau Sara, a new Colonial Magistrate is named for the nearby world, Mar Sara. His early orders include taking the colonists to "concentration points" out in the wastelands of Mar Sara.

A small group of these colonists and troops is sent to seek out a local Marshall, named Jim Raynor, to help relocate the colonists. After this relocation, the Colonial Magistrate receives news from Backwater Station, a Confederate outpost that has been besieged by the Zerg. Alpha Squadron General Edmund Duke tells the Magistrate not to interfere, as he will send help, but Raynor, who despises the Confederacy, believes Duke will take too long. Raynor volunteers to lead colonial troops to rescue these Confederates (and is successful at doing so), but after destroying an infested installation he is sent to prison. However, Arcturus Mengsk, who leads the Rebel group Sons of Korhal, frees him.

General Duke has no patience for the Colonial Magistrate's protests over his treatment of Raynor. The Magistrate had a report on Conderate tactics made for him. According to the report, most of the Confederate outposts had been destroyed by the Zerg, the Confederates were refusing to openly face the alien menace, and indeed they had arrested most of the militias who had dared to face off with the Zerg. The Confederate cowardice meant the core city on Mar Sara was virtually undefended; the Zerg were attacking it, and the citizens still left there could not cope withe threat for long. Indeed, the only military group that was actually willing to face the Zerg in the open were the Sons of Korhal...

Arcturus Mengsk made a deal with the Magistrate. He would evacuate the residents of the core city if the Magistrate would work with him. The Confederates, meanwhile, seemed to have no interest in saving these innocent civilians. Left with little choice, the Magistrate agreed. He fended off the Zerg long enough for the Sons of Korhal to rescue the colonists. The Confederacy responded by firing him until they could finish their investigation. Despite his spirited defense of the colonists against the Zerg, he had dared to ally with a terrorist group to do so.

With the destruction of the core city, both the Confederates and the Sons of Korhal planned to flee. However, Mengsk wanted to do one more thing...

After freeing Raynor, Mengsk wanted the former Magistrate's assistance in raiding the last Confederate outpost on Mar Sara for Confederate technology. This base was operated by Alpha Squadron; it was called the Jacobs Installation. Raynor led the Sons of Korhal team inside where they stole an encrypted disk.

They evacuate the planet, which was shortly thereafter sterilized by the Protoss, and flee to the Second Moon of Antiga Prime, where a group of people are ready to rebel against the Confederacy. While they're on the planet they meet up with Sarah Kerrigan, Mengsk's second-in-command. Later, the ship Norad II, flagship of Confederate general Edmund Duke, is shot down by the Zerg, who had arrived at the planet for reasons unknown. They rescue the ship and convince him to join the Sons of Korhal.

Duke probably helped Mengsk decrypt that data disk they had stolen on Mar Sara - it contained the information necessary to create a psi-emitter. This device could amplify the psionic energy produced by a psychic Terran (eg a Ghost, such as Sarah Kerrigan) and attract the attention of the Zerg with it.

With the defection of Alpha Squadron (a huge loss to the Confederacy), Delta Squadron was sent to fight the Zerg and take over the colony. This force, while not as professional as Alpha Squadron, was a lot bigger. Due to recent losses, the combined Sons of Korhal and Alpha Squadron could not hope to defeat them. Instead, Mengsk resorted to trickery. He had Sarah Kerrigan infiltrate the main Delta Squadron base and activate the Psi Emitter. A huge number of Zerg flooded the area, destroying the Confederate army there and, of course, spreading out to kill civilians and so forth.

The Sons of Korhal evacuated, and the Protoss arrived to destroy the infestation (along with all other life on the surface of the planet).

Duke helps them bring down the Confederate homeworld of Tarsonis. To get rid of the Confederacy once and for all they plant a psi-emitter on the planet, a device capable of attracting the Zerg. The Zerg bear down on the planet and destroy the Confederacy. The Protoss follow, but instead of attacking the Zerg they are themselves attacked by a Sons of Korhal force led by Kerrigan - her mission is to protect he Zerg long enough for them to finish wiping out the Confederacy. While she was successful, she had also questioned Mengsk's morals and strategy. Mengsk left her to the Zerg, which overwhelmed her force. Her fate was unknown. In response, Raynor breaks away from the Sons of Korhal. Duke and Mengsk faced off with Raynor, using a powerful Confederate Ion Cannon which Duke had reactivated in order to prevent Raynor's small force from escaping. However, Raynor and the former Mar Sara Colonial Magistrate were able to destroy the Ion Cannon and escape.

Mengsk then unites the Terrans and forms the Terran Dominion, crowning himself as Emperor.

Rise of a new power

Meanwhile, the Zerg Overmind is protecting a "new creation," which you soon learn is to be born from an egg. The Zerg travel to the planet Char and protect the egg. When it hatches an infested form of Kerrigan emerges, now working to serve the Zerg. Kerrigan soon discovers that the Protoss are on Char. Tassadar is leading these forces, and Kerrigan challenges him to a fight. However, Tassadar summons an illusion, which serves as a distraction so that the Protoss can flaunt their new weapon, the Dark Templar, capable of killing Zerg Cerebrates. The Dark Templar Zeratul kills Zasz, but when Zasz is killed the Overmind learns the secrets of the Protoss, including the location of the homeworld of the Protoss, Aiur. The Zerg then travel to Aiur to obtain a Khaydarin Crystal. They set this upon the ground of a Xel'Naga Temple. The Overmind is then able to manifest itself upon this ground, establishing Zerg dominance of Aiur.

Betrayal of the Conclave

Meanwhile, the Protoss known as Fenix flees to the colony of Antioch to defend against a Zerg attack. While there you quickly discover that Tassadar has deserted the Protoss Conclave. He was drawn to Char by Kerrigan's psionic signature, and there met Zeratul, one of the banished Dark Templar. Tassadar says that Zeratul told him that killing Cerebrates is the key to bringing down the Zerg. After they slay the Cerebrate it is immediately reincarnated. Tassadar quickly notes that the only way to kill a Zerg Cerebrate is to use Dark Templar. Fenix then leads an attack against the Zerg and is nearly killed. His crippled body is recovered and placed in a Dragoon exoskeleton so that he may fight again. The Conclave, led by Aldaris, then begins to track down Tassadar and arrest him for his treason. Apparently the treason was not being right about the Cerebrate, which was reincarnated. When they find Tassadar it is found that he has aligned with the Terran Jim Raynor. Tassadar says that he will submit himself once he proves that the Dark Templar indeed can bring down the Cerebrates. The Conclave agrees and Tassadar seeks out Zeratul. He is found with a group of Dark Templar. Fenix soon sides with Tassadar and Zeratul. However, it is soon discovered that the Conclave has betrayed them, and they take out a key Conclave base. However, Tassadar cannot bear the Protoss fighting each other and submits himself to the Conclave. Raynor and Fenix then team up and free Tassadar. Zeratul moves in and eliminates two cerebrates guarding the Overmind so that they may stage their final assault.

Assault on the Overmind

In a final climactic battle, Raynor and his forces, Fenix, Tassadar, and Zeratul team up to defeat the Overmind. Also, in a surprising move, Aldaris apologises for his actions against Tassadar. An immense battle takes place, and finally, in the end, Tassadar realizes that he must sacrifice himself. He takes his personal Carrier, the Gantrithor, channels Dark Templar energy through it, and rams it into the Overmind. The Overmind is killed, but Tassadar is taken with it.

But the threat does not die with the Overmind, for another is poised to take this opportunity to come to power themselves...

The Brood War: Protoss Missions

The Zerg and Protoss were both left in a weakened state by the death of the Overmind and the battles on Aiur.

The Zerg went wild, taking over 70% of Aiur and killing 70% of it's population. At least two Broods were completely leaderless because of Zeratul's actions, while the Protoss Conclave was destroyed. Aldaris and Zeratul become the de-facto leaders of Aiur. Believing themselves unable to defend the Homeworld, Zeratul proposes evacuating Aiur. He will lead the Protoss refugees to the last Warp Gate on Aiur and lead them to Shakuras, the world the Dark Templar had adopted as their own. On their way they meet up with Raynor and Fenix, who assist in holding off the Zerg (who are attracted to any powerful source of psionic energy, such as the Warp Gate) until the Protoss can escape.

These two heroes maintain small forces on Aiur; their main purpose is to defend this Warp Gate.

Shakuras, a strange and dark planet, was never fully colonized by the Dark Templar. Indeed, the Dark Templar never made an effort to defend their own side of the Warp Gate, which would quickly cause trouble.

The refugees, under the command of the new Protoss Praetor, Artanis, found a suitable site to create their new colony, New Antioch. It was promptly attacked by Zerg (and these Zerg were promptly killed by the Dark Templar of Shakuras).

The Zerg had taken control of the Warp Gate and could now flood to this new world. The Dark Templar and Protoss refugees cooperated to destroy the Zerg who had nestled on the Shakuras side of the Warp Gate, then moved on to the primary Zerg Hive Clusters.

During the battle Jim Raynor and Fenix recaptured the Aiur side of the Warp Gate. They sent a transmission informing Artanis and Zeratul of this, and say they will shut down the Gate on their side to prevent any more Zerg from getting through. This will prevent the refugees and Dark Templar from sending any reinforcements to help Raynor and Fenix, and Artanis, moved, says he will send as many warriors as he can spare.

Zeratul has an emotional reunion with Matriarch Raszagal, the Matriarch of the Dark Templar, in her Citadel in Talematros, the capital of Shakuras. Zeratul had been away from Shakuras for "many decades".

Raszagal welcomes the Protoss refugees to her planet; she has no qualms with them now that the Conclave has been destroyed. Of course, this kind of greeting does not please Aldaris.

She says there is a way to defeat the Zerg who have now spread over much of Shakuras. On her world lies another Temple to the Xel'Naga which can harness the energies of the High Templar and the Dark Templar to eradicate the Zerg. However, doing so will require the crystals Uraj and Khalis. The Uraj is a High Templar crystal, while the Khalis uses the energies of the Dark Templar. In the meantime, two Zerg Cerebrates nestled themselves near the Temple, presumably in order to study it. The Zerg no longer appeared as insane as they had been after the death of the Zerg Overmind on Aiur. The Dark Templar, working with the refugees, defeat the Zerg and kill the two Cerebrates. They are surprised at the results.

A Zerg Overlord arrives, carrying with it Sarah Kerrigan. She informs the Protoss that she must talk with their Matriarch. The Protoss naturally protest, but Raszagal surprises them by agreeing to this discussion. Aldaris is especially upset at this.

In Raszagal's Citadel, Kerrigan tells her story. She says that with the death of the Overmind she is now free of Zerg influence (at least the mental kind) but that this will soon change. There is a new Overmind growing on Char and when it becomes mature it will control her again. She claims that Senior Cerebrate Daggoth ordered it's formation from the union of a many Cerebrates. Aldaris does not believe her and storms out of the meeting.

Zeratul is not particularly interested in assaulting the new Overmind. If he can acquire these two crystals and activate the Xel'Naga Temple, the Zerg will not threaten the Protoss on Shakuras. In some ways, it seems as if Zeratul is giving up on Aiur. Kerrigan, ever the diplomat, agrees to help the Protoss on their mission if they'll help her with her mission. Raszagal appreciates her help.

The Uraj is located on Braxis, a small cold moon "recently" settled by the Terans (the date of settlement is unknown). The Terrans and Protoss forces (with Kerrigan aiding the Protoss directly) began fighting with each other, with the Protoss gaining a victory. Now they can establish a forward base to aid in thir search. Artanis informs the Protoss that the Warp Matrix has been damaged and they cannot use the large Stargates to summon Protoss spacecraft.

Zeratul says that Braxis was a Protoss colony called Khyrador a long time ago, during the Aeon of Strife, and that the Uraj was abandoned on the planet with the chaos at the end of the Aeon of Strife. The Protoss had never returned to reclaim the crystal until now.

The Protoss find the Uraj, which was being studied by the hostile Terrans. With Kerrigan leading the battle, the Terrans are driven off and the Uraj was recovered.

When the Protoss try to leave Braxis, however, they are surprised to find it blockaded by another Terran force. Vice Admiral Stukov introduces himself (rather arrogantly) to the Protoss, demanding they surrender to the authority of the UED. The large orbital platform built around Braxis is studded with UED missile turrets, powered by fusion power generators. The Protoss had learned about Earth (and the UPL) from Raynor, and are quite surprised to find these humans here.

Artanis is dismissive of these Terrans, saying the Protoss have nothing to fear from them, but Zeratul counsels him, saying the Protoss were only able to defeat the Overmind with the aid of Terrans.

Artanis leads the charge against the Terrans, and with backup from Zeratul is able to destroy the fusion generators and cut a path to freedom.

Zeratul had previously felt the energy of the Khalis on Char, which was, of course, heavily infested by the Zerg. The Khalis was next to a powerful source of psionic energy, which Kerrigan reveals is the new infant Overmind itself. Fortunately it is still weak, and this weakness extends to the Zerg who serve it.

Kerrigan suggests striking quickly and making off with the Khalis; it is curious that she doesn't take the opportunity to destroy the new Overmind immediately. Artanis suggests damaging the Overmind enough to temporarily subdue the Zerg, which Kerrigan says will also work.

Once the Protoss make their way to the planet, Kerrigan is able to use her formidable psionic powers to capture a small Zerg Hive Cluster which works alongside the Protoss. This combined force is able to retrieve the Khalis and escape. Unfortunately, Artanis and Zeratul had been away from Shakuras for quite a long time, and Artanis believed that Shakuras may have already been completely overrun by the Zerg.

When Artanis and Zeratul return to Shakuras, they find it in the throes of a revolt. Aldaris took control of a large number of Protoss refugees, including virtually all of the High Templar, Archons and Judicators, and led them in an attack against Raszagal. The Matriarch returned the favor.

Raszagal: "Executor, as Matriarch of the Dark Templar and custodian of this world, I hereby order you to terminate Judicator Aldaris, and quell this untimely uprising without delay! There will be no dissent among us while the Zerg are poised to strike!"

However, Zeratul had known Raszagal for a long time and felt that, perhaps, Aldaris was on to something. Out of Raszagal's earshot, he said to Artanis:

"There is something amiss here. The Matriarch has always been a wise and gentle soul. Though there is some merit in her decision, this is very unlike her."

Nonetheless, the Matriarch's forces attacked. Raszagal had even authorized the creation of the Dark Archon, something which had not been done for a thousand years (about the time the Dark Templar were exiled from Aiur). With this kind of power behind her, she was able to defeat Aldaris' revolt.

Cornered, Aldaris tried to explain himself to Artanis and Zeratul. He claimed that while the two Protoss were away, he discovered that Kerrigan had somehow corrupted the mind of Raszagal. Kerrigan interrupted his explanation by murdering him.

Only because of her assistance in acquiring the crystals did the Protoss let her leave, with a warning. Kerrigan retorted "Fine. I've done what I came here to do. I've insured the destruction of the renegade Cerebrates, and I used you to do it. Have fun, mighty Protoss... We'll be seeing each other again, real soon..."

After this betrayal, Raszagal assured Zeratul that, with Kerrigan gone, she was back to normal. Now that the Protoss refugees sided once again with the Dark Templar, they could retake the Xel'Naga Temple.

Artanis carried the Uraj while Zeratul carried the Khalis. The Zerg were cleared from the Temple, which was surrounded by a powerful Protoss force. Artanis and Zeratul carried their crystals within the Temple and channeled energy through them into the Temple. The process took a long time, and the Zerg almost desperately began to attack the Temple. The Protoss were victorious, however, and when the Temple was about to activate, the Protoss forces withdrew from the temples and braced themselves for the upcoming attack.

The Temple created a giant burst of energy, seeming to kill all Zerg on the planet of Shakuras. As an additional surprise, the sun rose over the planet. Shakuras now had a night and day cycle like most other worlds.

The Aftermath: The Protoss didn't dare reactivate the Warp Gate, fearing that Zerg would once again flood onto Shakuras. This had tragic consequences, since Zeratul could not warn Fenix and Raynor of Kerrigan's treachery.

The Protoss were almost perfectly safe on Shakuras. The Terrans did not know their location, and the Zerg couldn't attack them there, either. From there, they could threaten the Zerg on Char. Indeed, this probably prevented the Zerg from conquering the entire sector.

The Brood War: Terran Missions

The Terran missions follow the United Earth Directorate Expeditionary Fleet's attempt to conquer the Sector with an iron fist. They stole both a fleet of battlecrusiers from the Dominion shipyards and a prototype Psi Disrupter from Tarsonis, right from under the Zerg's noses. The UED fleet successfully conquers the Terran Dominion after disabling Mengsk's most powerful weapons, and occupies Korhal after the massive Siege of Augustgrad, the capital city. However, Mengk himself is rescued by Raynor and Fenix. The UED follows them to Aiur, but the zerg distract them at a critical moment and the three escape again. Following an internal rebellion the Vice admiral is killed and the Psi Disrupter almost destroyed. The UED then used the Psi Disruptor to attack Char and using psychics and powerful drugs enslave the second Overmind, leaving the UED in command of it's swarms.

The Brood War: Zerg Missions

Sarah Kerrigan, infested Terran and self-styled Queen of Blades, then makes her move to overthrow the UED and destroy the new Overmind. Based on the Zerg infested former Condfederate capital Tarsonis, Kerrigan makes a deal with Mengsk that if he will give her Psi Emitters so she can stop the effect the Psi Disrupter is having on her control of her Zerg faction, then Raynor and Fenix help her destroy the Psi Disrupter on Braxis, she'll help them retake Korhal from the UED. After a fuel raid on Moria (which had kept it's freedom from the UED by buying them off) led by Fenix, Kerrigan and her "allies" successfully liberate Korhal as the UED falls back to Char.

Immediately after the battle, Kerrigan shows her true colors and takes her revenge on Mengsk by devastating his forces and killing General Duke. Convinced that Raynor and the Protoss would also pose a threat to her, she attacks them as well and kills Fenix.

The UED used their enslaved Zerg to attack Tarsonis, but Kerrigan beats them off. Kerrigan then destroys the city of Talematross on Shakuras to distract the Protoss so she can "kidnap" the Matriarch. As a price for returning her, Kerrigan wants Zeratul and his bretheren to aid her in the attack on Char, as only a Dark Templar can kill the Overmind. Kerrigan's assault on Char kills the second Overmind and sends the remnants of the UED fleet in full retreat. Zeratul then attempts to rescue the Matriarch but Kerrigan intercepts him. It turns out the Matriarch was telepathically enslaved by Kerrigan and the only release is death; Zeratul kills her as she passes leadership of the Dark Templar to him. Kerrigan then lets him live, with his guilt.

(Bonus mission: Zeratul leaves but discovers a facility on a distant planet with a Protoss energy signature. Investigating with little more than a pair of Dark Archons, he manages to break into the depths of the base, which proves to be a genetic facilty hybridizing the Zerg and Protoss. And a mysterious entity taunts him saying that no matter what he does he cannot stop what will come...)

Mengsk, the Protoss, and the remnant of the UED fleet attack Kerrigan's new base on an orbital platform over Char, but she defeats them all and eradicates the UED fleet down to the last ship. DuGaulle commits suicide rather than give Kerrigan the pleasure of killing him.