Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
FIGURe 10.1
different subsets of the
core mechanics cre-
ate different levels for
Lunar Colony.
A big difference between the original
StarCraft
and
StarCraft II
is that many missions
in the later game introduce mission-specific mechanics (we already mentioned and
discussed a few of these effects in Chapter 2). For example, in the level “The Devil's
Playground,” minerals can be harvested only from low areas that are periodically
flooded with hot lava (Figure 2.6). This requires players to move their units to safety
from time to time. In effect, it adds a powerful
slow cycle
pattern to the internal
economy of
StarCraft II
. A different slow cycle appears in the “Outbreak” level, when
mutants attack the players base en masse during the night and the player goes out
to destroy infested structures during the day (
Figure 10.2
). Other levels force players
to keep moving their bases across the map to protect or attack periodic convoys or
to quickly capture specific targets.
