Starcraft Faq By Lord Zero Lord_0@yahoo.com Copyright 1999 Index- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1)WHat´s is starcraft? 2)How is this game compared to the other ones? 3)What´s about this game and Warcraft? 4)Anything else? 5)The Races. 5.1)Terrans 5.1.1)Units 5.1.2)Buildings 5.1.3)Strategies 5.2)The Zerg 5.2.1)Units 5.2.2)Buildings 5.2.3)Strategies 5.3)The Protoss 5.3.1)Units 5.3.2)Buildings 5.3.3)Strategies 8)Legal stuff ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Release Notes 1.0 Intial stuff,never released. 1.2 Complete revision and 1.04 notes. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1)What is Starcraft? Starcraft is a very good game based in real time strategy.It presents 3 races and a lot of new units. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2)How is the game compared to the other ones? A tough competition.Starcraft presents a exelent design and blizard(Warcraft,Diablo) is behind this game,so is guaranted fun. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3)What´s about this one and Warcraft? A totally new begining.Starcraft is similar to warcraft in terms of gameplay, but includes a whole lot of new things.this one also eliminates any marine units. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4)Anything else? Yeah,Have fun. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5.1)The Terrans: The Terrans are probably the easiest and most versatile race to paly.They have anything:Strong ground units,strong air units, and a goddamned great defense. You can do anything wrong when playing terrans,anything can be fixed. 5.1.1)Infatry Units:The terrans now have a great advantage because of the medics and now,all the terran units should have a very,very long life.All the infatry units can get into Bunkers,and this infantry units are really the most versatile in the game. SCV:The Worker of the Terrans.Not much to say here,but they are the hardest of all the workers and they can repair buildings and all the vehicles of this race. Marines:Probably the most versatile unit in the game,you cannot go wrong planing anything when the plan includes marines.The Marines are cheap small,fast,greatly upgradeable and can have a very long range.The long range is what makes them such a great unit.At late game,they will be forgoten,however, they are great for fast and cheap defense. Firebats:The mixed bag.The Firebats are fast,and have a cool attack against small units(Zealots,Zerglings)and they are specially devastating when lots of small units come running to your base.They use a spray attack,which will not only atack the first unit,but the ones behind it too.Anyway,when the big guys comes around,use them with discretion. Ghosts:This guys will drive any one mad if use correctly.They can cloak which means they can go and blow up a lot of units if the enemy isn´t taking care of the cloak detection.They can fire a special bullet, called lockdown which will stop any mechanical unit long enough to kill it(or get the hell out of there!)They also can direct the nuclear missile,which is the most devastating weapon in the game.The low side is the concussive nature of their attacks,this,combined the long time you´ll play before even see them,makes them just a support unit. Vehicles:The Vehicles of the terrans are the low side of this guys.Of course you have the almighty Siege tank, but the Vultures and the goliaths are one of the most unuseful units on the whole game. Vulture:As I said before, the vultures aren´t a very good unit.However they are great for recon missions and cool enough to defense.They still have a great ability, the spider mine, a small mine which ,when any ground ground unit(except vultures and workers) comes around,will follow it and blows!125 HP destroyed. Goliaths:Another unit which nobody uses a lot.Probably their only use are to guard against air units.Their air attack is greater than the wraith,and is quite fast.Too costly for nothing. (The Almighty)Siege Tanks:The best terran unit.Sure,30 points of damage isn´t too much,but how about 70 points of damage,at almost the same range of the yamato cannon?At 150 minerals and 100 gas, this is a bargain,and when used with lots of marines,just will have a very very strong force. The Air units:The air units of the terrans are a very cohesive force.The Wraiths provide the in-your-face strike and the battlecruiser kill off at great distance,while the science vessel protect all the fleet from cloacked units. Wraiths:Cheap,fast,cloakeable and really nasty,they are a great unit often the main one on many attacks.Anyway,keep em away from detector unts,or you´ll suffer many casualties. Battlecruiser:This is the best units taking out legions of towers.Their laser attack isn´t very strong,but they can take a lot of damage,and are a great support unit.The low side is their high cost. Science Vessel:Their main use is to detect hiden units,but they can be used to another objetives.The Radiate spell is great to protect siege tanks from melee units.It will cause a green smoke to attack any organic unit it touches,plus it will be attached to the unit!The EMP shockwave is a very nasty spell,which will drain all the shields or energy from any unit.great when casted on archons.The Other spell will protect any unit ,reducing all the damage taken to 1 hp Dropship:The hardest transport in the game,but it falls on the speed side. 5.1.2)Buildings:All the terran buildings can be repairing,using an SCV and a few resources.Also,most of these buildings can fly. Command Center: This is the HQ of any colony.Here,you can build SCVs and return all the resources.This one can fly.Plus,you can build to add-ons buildings: -Comm Sat Station:Here,you can use a special ability,which will reveal all the terrain,units and hidden units in the area selected. -Missile Silo:here you can build the Nukes(or nuclear missiles)to be fired by the Ghost.Anyway,they are too expensives. Supply depot: It provides you with 8 supply units.They are especialy vulnerables against Nuclear Missiles so protect them. Barracks: Here you can train all the infatry units,and it can fly. Engineering bay: Here you can upgrade your infatry units´s armor and guns.You´ll need a science facility to reach the 2 and 3 levels weapons and armors. Can fly. Bunkers: A very useful building,here you can hide your infatry units and they will be protected for the bunker HP(as long it´s still there) and will add a bit of longer range to your units. Academy: Here you can research two very useful upgrades for your infantry units:The u-223 will add two squares of range for your marines, while the stimpack will make your marines and firebats faster, for the cost of 10 HP. Missile turret: Is a defensive strcuture which will fire missiles at any air unit who comes in range.It´s also a detector unit. Factory: Here you can build all of your vehicles.You can buil a machine shop too. -Machine shop:Here you can upgrade your vultures velocity, and research the Spider mine ability and the siege mode for your siege tanks. Starport: This is the place where you build all of your air units.You´ll need a control tower for anything but the wraith. -Control Tower:Here you can add a +50 energy space for your wraiths, plus the cloack ability. Armory: Here´s where you can upgrade the plates and weapons for both your air units and your vehicles.Also allows you to build goliaths. Science Facility: The science facility allows you to upgrade your science vessels,and opens the door to build the Covert Ops and the Physic lab: -Covert Ops:here you can research cloack,sight,energy upgrade and the dreaded lockdown for your ghosts. -Physics Lab:This is the place to research the big YaMaTo CaNnOn and the energy upgrad for your Battlecruisers. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5.1.3)The Strategy First,the Terrans are the humans,and like they are humans,they aren´t very strong.And second,forget about "trowing your units in the middle of the battle" it can be fun,but you´ll lose anyway. There´s one thing the Terrans do the best:Closing small bottlenecks.While the Terrans ca be overwhelmed in large battlegrounds,when playing in small areas, the siege tanks can show off all their power.get all the bridges,build lot of bunkers put your tanks in siege mode,4 goliaths and a few SCVs,adn you´ll be invicible.There´s little room for more strategies for the enemy,but trowing all his armada to you and suffer a lot of casualties,while you can repair your tanks,reinforce them and when the enemy start sending air units,surprise!you have about 15 cloacked wraiths. That´s all.Inteligent position of your siege tanks and bunkers. Instead,you can use your bunker while attacking.See:when you start bombarding the enemy base with your tanks,use your SCVs to build some bunkers.When your infatry units get hurt,get them into the bunker,and you´ll have more firepower without losing any unit. Though teh nuclear strike is really destrcutive,is an intelligent idea to send more than one ghost when attacking.even better,use like 6 ghost,but only 3 will sen dthe attack.Put them around the enemy´s base and put the not attacking ghost in the most obvious places.Send all the missiles at the same time,and the enemy will found 6 ghosts!He will kill one,and he will rest,till he sees all his base turned to nothing. Remember your firebats.They are great Vs zerglings and zealots. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5.2)The Zerg: The zergs have one thing in their advantage.They are really fast when it comes to build a goddamned large force.Some units come in couples,and you can build 3 units at once!The problem comes when you must battle large scale battles. 5.2.1)The Units: Unlike the terrans and the Protoss,all of the Zerg units are build in the same place,the Hatchery.Also all of the Zerg units can be considered infatry. Drones:The drones are the working force of the zerg.They are fast and get the job done.The low point is that the drones actually transform itself into a building, so you´ll lose a drone,thus recovering a control point Zerglings:The zerglings are little rats.They aren´t a very powerful unit but they are so cheap and fast to produce(and they come in couples!) that you can build a very big army with these guys.When upgraded they are a Stank eater. Hydralisk:One of the best units in the game,they are one of the few long range based unit of the swarm.They are highly upgradeable,and are a great attacking unit.Forget the ultralisk and get these guys. Defiler:These scorpions hace quite useful abilities:There´s the dark swarm,which makes ranged attack unuseful,the Plage,a really annoying spell wich will reduce the HP(no shields,just HP) till 3 HPs!whoa! There´s also the cannibal,uhh,err..sorry the comsume ability,which will "eat" any friendly unit receiving 50 magic.Quite useful,cause all the defiler spells are kinda expensive.If used correctly they can be the key to victory. Ultralisks:Annoying as they can be,they aren´t anything "too" special. They have the most HP for a ground unit in the game,and they are a hell when you must kill em.Anyway,they are REALLY EXPENSIVES and are SLOW don´t have a air attack,and are killed quite easily by Tanks and Reavers. Good support unit,but nothing else. Brodling:Weak and very weak,their only asset is that they are free, and can cause some serious destrction when they appear in a middle of siege tanks.Created from the Queen with the spawn brodlings spell. Infected Terran:Well...Send em to a building and see 500 HP less in a few seconds.not much strategy needed here. The Air Units:THe weakest air force in the game ,they must be used in swarms to get some useful resources.The Mutalisks are cheap and fast,but are massacred by spells and the guards are very slow. Mutalisks:Kinda strange unit,they are the main air force.They are fast and are small,that means they take half damage from Scouts and Wraits. The scout still overwhelm them and the Battlecruisers and Carriers kill em with ease.A nice point with them is that when you mutate them into Guardians they will recover all their hit points. Guardians:The catapult of the game:they are slow,big,ugly(very ugly!) and do a helluva damned damage at a fast rate.They are mutated from a Mutalisks and are a most defensive unit.The main problem is that they can´t attack air units and are so slow that a bunch of scouts can crush them.Protect them with scourges and hydralisks and you should be fine. Scourges:A single use unit,they are a suicide unit which will strike causing 110 damage.They come in couples and are really fast.Beware of cruisers which will kill em whit a single shot. Queens:Great for scouting mission and have quite useful spells:The dreaded spawn brodlings,which will kill a unit making 2 brodlings come from it body.There is the Ensarne spell,which will slow any unit and reveal hidden units.They have the Infest spell,which will turn a command center(terran) into a zerg structure capable of building Infested terrans.quite aanoyin.Also,the almighty parasite,which will let you see what the parisited unit sees. 5.2.2)The Buildings:All The Zerg buildings come from a mutated drone.These are living creatures and they bleed,and heal over time.All the zerg buildings must be mutated on creep. Hatchery:The hatcery is the HQ of the zerg.It produces creep,is the recolection center for resources,produces larva(Which will mutated to your units)and can be upgraded to a Lair.IT¨s cheap,but it has a problem it only adds 1 control unit,so you can´t build a lot of units only with this structure.It also lets you research the Burrowing ability. wich will let your units hide underground. Lair:It´s an evolutionated version of the Hatchery,it adds more HP,and gives you 3 new ability to your overlords:There is the Antennae,wich will add a few more squares of sight to your overlords.The Ventral Sacs will let your overlords transport units.And the pNeumaticed carapace will make your Overlords a bit faster.It can be upgraded to a hive. Hive:It´s the hardest HQ of the game (2500 HP!)and allows you to trasnform your Mutalisks to Guardians. Evolution Chamber:Here you can upgrade Melee and Ranged attack and the carapace for all your ground units. Creep Colony:This building produces creep,and can be mutated into 2 defensive structures,The Sunken Colony and the Spre colony. Sunken Colony:It targets grounds units and send a tentacle to attack doing decent damage.Quite slow,anyway.Use them in groups. Spore Colony:Targets air units and shoot a weak green thing.It has a lot of HPs and it is really fast attacking. Spawning Pool:It allows you to build the Zerglings,and has two upgrades the adenal glands,which will make the zerglings attacks a bit faster and the Metabolic boost,which will make your Zerglings move faster. Hydralisk Den:Allows you to build Hydralisks,and gives you two new upgrades:Muscular Augments,to make your Hydras move a bit faster and the Grooved Spines,which will add a few squares to the Hydras Attack range. Spire:It allows you to build Mutalisks and Scourges,and to upgrade their attack and carapace,but you´ll need a greater spire to for the high level upgrades: Greater Spire:Activates the guardian aspect for the Mutalisks. Queen Nest:Allows you to build Queens,and let´s you research three upgrades for the queens:Spawn Broodling ,Ensarne and Gamete meiosis(50% more energy) Nydus Canal:It creates a link between 2 nydus canal and trasport units instatly to the other gate no matter the distance.Quite useful in multiplayer. Defiler Mound:Allows you to build defilers and to research their spells and their energy upgrade. Ultralisk Cave:allows you to build the mighty Ultralisks. Infested command Center:When you infest a Terran command Cente,it gains the ability to build infested terrans.You can lift off it and fly it to your base,remember. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5.2.3)The Strategy: The Zerg aren´t a very hard race to learn.Most battle can be won rushing the Opponents or using just brute force.But there is their low point.A well prepared and organized oponent will receive you with lots of firepower.The Spells are a total plage Vs the zerg,and the splash damage is a very good oponent vs the Swarm. Ok,There are a few strategies to be noticed about:First of all,remember your queens,they can be really useful.If you see a bunch of siege tanks,try casting Spawn Broodling on 1 or 2 of them.Wow,you´ll see some serious destruction.There is another point,and is using lots(and I mean LOTS) of zerglings,and attack an small force.After winning the battle,get the hell out of there and burrow all the zerglings.Wait till they are healed,and attack another small part.Slow,but it does work.It works with Hydraliks too.And another key to victory is to try to preserve your units at the longest life rate.Mutate yor Mutalisks into guardians when they are hurt,hide your Defilers underground and retire if nescesary. You can build on anyone´s creep,so you can get a nydus canal on the enemy´s base. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5.3)The Protoss: The Protoss are the most powerful race,but it is also the most expensive.They have some of the best units,and are really tough to beat in a long game.Forget them if you´re a defensive guy,it will kill you eventually. 5.3.1)The Units: The protoss Units are almost all of them mechanicals..They lack somehow in the ground battle,and is a slow race.They have 2 kinds of HPs,the shields and the HP.The Shields regenerate over time,and can be recharged using a shield battery. Probes:They are the weakest worker of the game,but they have something that makes them great:They doesn´t need to stay there waiting for the building to be completed,they just open the warp. Zealots:Well...12 Zealots are a force to be feared.These guys are amazing. This,combined with the fact their velocity can be upgraded,makes them a great unit. They can be really devastating.They can be crushed by ghosts and Firebats,cause they are small,and the lack of air attacks makes them vulnerable to guardians. Dragoons:Probably the worst Protoss unit,they can do lots of damage,and are fast,but they are specialy vulnerable to zergling.If you plan to use them,don´t forget to upgrade their range,and protect them with zealots or something like that. High Templars:A cool unit,they have two very important spells:The Psionic Storm,which will create a psi storm which will pour down the battlefield. Quite annoying whe casted on guardians.The Halucination will create two copies of any unit.Perfect when casted on full loaded carriers. The low point is taht they are easily killed. The Archon:This one´s created from two High Templars merged.These are the best protoss units.They attack very fast and do an exagerated amount of damage.They lack velocity,and their HPs are 350 shields and 10 HP,meaning that any Terran Sci Vessel can cast EMP shockwave on them leaving them to be killed by a marine. Reavers:These big dump trucks attack with scarabs,built inside of them They are really devastating and you must build their weapons inside them and are soooooo sloooooow.The Shuttle is needed to use them correctly. 5.3.2)Air Units:The Protoss fleet is probabbly the best,and most expensive of the game.If you can get a full fleet of these guys,you have already won the battle. Scout:A great unit.You can upgrade their velocity and sight,and are powerful at attacking and are though to beat.Too expensives anyway. Shuttle:The fastest transport in the game.It´s too weak,but are so fats they can past a few defenses before going down. Carriers:The best air unit in the game,well,at least for me.They launch little interceptors who´ll swarm a target.When totally upgraded are probably the only unit who can face the battlecruisers when they fight head to head. Interceptors:This is the weapon of the carriers.Kinda weak,but just too f*ckin fast. Observer:They are little eyes that are cloacked,and can be upgraded to be really fast.If someone discover them,anyway,they are already dead. Arbiter:The most annoying unit in the game.Let see it this way:When you see an Arbiter,probably there are about 9 Carriers 5 Scouts,and a few reavers,Cause it cloacks any unit near it.And if you send a Battlecruiser there,he´ll probably teleport a few dragons to bring you hell.They use a weak shot,and two special attacks:Stasis Cell,Which will stop any unit and protect it from attacks,and Recall,used to teleport units to the Arbiter´s Location. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5.3.3)Strategy: The protoss have one thing in advantage.When the Zerg and the Marines are Weak, they are strong.In the start of the game,The Terrans must start building and protecting his units,the Zerg have to get the hydralisks,you can only build a big force of Zealots and conquer new lands.The Air force of The Protoss is pretty expensive,but it paybacks twice.The Carriers can get some serious destruction specially Vs the Zerg,and the Observer is kinda a cheap unit.It´s just so fun to send one of these to all places and see what everyone´s thinking they are doing on the stealth way. Forget about using draggons to attack.Zerglings just kill´em too fast. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6)Legal Stuff. This file is copyrighted 1999 Lord Zero.All rights Reserved.You shouldn´t use any of the content for profit.If you need to use anything on the faq,please give me credit.This took me a lot of time to write.Cya.-