Starcraft 2 Armory - Unofficial Starcraft 2 Fansite

1 - How does the Medivac + Marines (and also Marauder) combo relate to Medics + Marines in overall effectiveness?
As a whole its much more effective. For one thing it can heal from range, secondly it can pick up units that are about to die (similar to how you burrow a Zerg unit to avoid death) and lastly it is airborne. Another note on the ranged healing, you can maneuver your Medivac to the back or sides of your squads to avoid the most damage but still be able to heal the frontlines. Also if you ever need to make a quick escape, simply load up all your units and take off. This works extremely well against melee only units like Roaches and Zealots.

One note however, if your Medivac dies with units inside, the units also die.

2 - Do hunter seeker missiles have an indicator to what unit it was following?
First off, the ability is now simply called "Seeker Missile". But yes, it has a red laser that paints itself on its target (similar to the a sniper rifles laser scope or the Ghost gun animation). It helps to determine which of your units has been targeted. However, you have about 10 seconds to get the unit out of the larger group, which can be quite difficult.

3 - What do you think about Thor's 250mm Strike Cannons? How exactly does it work? And does it still stun the enemy?
Its a wonderful ability for taking out stationary defenses or large units. To make it work, you would cast the ability on a target, the Thor would transform and mount in place (like the old animation) and start dealing 500 damage over 6 seconds (about 85 damage a second). It will destroy all stationary defenses, but its range is only about 6, so you are still able to be attacked by Photon Cannons for example. Now does it stun a unit? I am not sure as I only ever used it on structures.

4 - If you got to try out the MULE mechanic, how useful was it? Were you able to remember to continuously spawn them?
I enjoy using the Mule. A good strategy is to get the Orbital Command as soon as possible (seeing as how its only minerals) and start pumping out Mules. The extra income in the early game is great for double pumping Marines and Hellions. Now I didn't remember to cast it repeatedly but whenever I returned to my base and notice my Command has about 150 energy, I would spawn 3 of them instantaneously (unless I needed to save for scanner sweep).

5 - Did you get the Medivacs early enough for them to be as effective as the medics in SC1?
Yes its pretty easy to get the Medivacs quickly. You won't however get them for the first match ups of Marines vs Zealots, but that's why we have Marauders to tank it until Medivacs arrive. Medivacs can also be double pumped with a Reactor, so for me I would always build two right off the bat to support my infantry.

6 - Last we heard the Raven had Hunter Seeker Missiles, Auto-Turrets and Point Defense Drones. Are those the current powers of the Raven? Also how does the Point Defense Drone work?
Yes those 3 abilities are the current Raven ****nal. The Point Defense Drone would have to be my favorite ability on the Raven. When summoned, its a little flying aerial drone (immobile) that shoots down enemy missiles with a red laser (only destroys actual projectiles, so Marines attack would not be affected). Each time it shoots down a missile it takes away about 5 energy and once its energy is depleted it self destructs.

You can see an example of the model and what its animation looks like by viewing the old targeting drone screenshot. I remember one game where I was playing Stebo and he had an army of Stalkers, Photon Cannons, Zealots, etc. I pushed his base and cast 2 of these drones and was not damaged (except by Zealots). To say the least, I stomped his army.

7 - Terran seemed destined for bio-builds and air-builds in SC2. Did you try Factory based Terran builds? Did they seem viable in competitive multi-player? Did Factories see much use at all?
Factory units always had there place. I would ALWAYS go Hellions as fast I could, simply because your enemy would still have low tier units like Lings, Zealots and Marines and you can micro them amazingly to dish out damage without getting hurt by melee units. I remember once game where I had a squad of about 10 Hellions and would move + fire on the enemy roaches and take them out one by one.

I used Thors to tank when I pushed an enemies defense or base. They are useful for destroying any strong unit or turret while the rest of your army pushes in. Tanks can hold their own as long as you have a few M&M watching the ground to protect them.

8 - It's still unclear how Medivacs heal. In the guide it says that heal is a ranged ability, while elsewhere I've heard that the Medivac needs to pick up units to heal them. Which is it?
Its a ranged heal, probably around 5 or 6. It shoots down a green beam that heals a unit extremely fast and can alternate between units quickly. Units that are transported are not healed within, they must be outside the Medivac to be healed.

One special note is that Thors are transportable. The Thor transforms into a little square shape and attaches itself to the underneath of the Medivac. It also takes up 1 slot instead of 2 or 4, however you can only transport one at a time.

9 - For Battlecruisers, must each ability be researched, or only the weapons refit upgrade, in order to produce cruisers with the different special abilities? Can you have a few of each type of Battlecruiser, or only one type?
To be able to specialize the BC with 1 of the 3 abilities, you must first research the Weapons Refit upgrade. Once upgraded you can pick your specialization, however its a permanent upgrade, so you cant switch it later on. Each BC is upgraded individually so you can have an army of BC all with different abilities.

10 - How are the Terrans doing in terms of defense? Does the ability to burrow your supply depots make a difference?
Burrowing depots are the best thing to ever happen to the Terran. In early early game, its standard for a Terran player to build 2 supply depots and a Barracks (or Bunker) at their ramp, to block off that choke. That immediately stops Zerg and Protoss players from even harassing since they cant get past those structures without getting killed by the Marines on the other side. This gives the Terran player a chance to get Factory or Starport units relatively quick, without having to worry about a harassment (just be sure to watch for transports and the destructible rocks paths). Once the enemy has died, simply lower your depots and walk through to push forward, pure win.

This works extremely well against melee only units like Roaches and Zealots.

Quote by blueberrycream9

This works extremely well against melee only units like Roaches and Zealots.

Does this mean roaches are melee now?

Quote by gearvOsh

One special note is that Thors are transportable. The Thor transforms into a little square shape and attaches itself to the underneath of the Medivac. It also takes up 1 slot instead of 2 or 4, however you can only transport one at a time.

Quote by gearvOsh

The Point Defense Drone would have to be my favorite ability on the Raven. When summoned, its a little flying aerial drone (immobile) that shoots down enemy missiles with a red laser (only destroys actual projectiles, so Marines attack would not be affected). Each time it shoots down a missile it takes away about 5 energy and once its energy is depleted it self destructs.

You can see an example of the model and what its animation looks like by viewing the old targeting drone screenshot. I remember one game where I was playing Stebo and he had an army of Stalkers, Photon Cannons, Zealots, etc. I pushed his base and cast 2 of these drones and was not damaged (except by Zealots). To say the least, I stomped his army.

Quote by gearvOsh

First off, the ability is now simply called "Seeker Missile". But yes, it has a red laser that paints itself on its target (similar to the a sniper rifles laser scope or the Ghost gun animation). It helps to determine which of your units has been targeted. However, you have about 10 seconds to get the unit out of the larger group, which can be quite difficult.

Find me in beta ---> DVUSpy.438

Quote by DVUSpy

Quote by gearvOsh

First off, the ability is now simply called "Seeker Missile". But yes, it has a red laser that paints itself on its target (similar to the a sniper rifles laser scope or the Ghost gun animation). It helps to determine which of your units has been targeted. However, you have about 10 seconds to get the unit out of the larger group, which can be quite difficult.

Very difficult i imagine, esspecially if you target a unit in the center of the group, he will be blocked in by his other units.