Starcraft UT Interview
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OK this is my first interview so be easy on me ok? :)
well i got to ask Etelian and Spyhunter some questions about this upcoming great mod!
well cause your here you know that this is about StarCraft UT - Converts StarCraft
into a FPS teamplay mod with fast paced action! i also got some exlusive shots from the production
of StarCraft UT, i think those are the first one seen online anywhere! so remember us at Frag-Energy.net
for the next time :) Well enough babbling, Here's the goodies:


Q: Does Blizzard and the Starcraft UT team have any sort of agreement at the moment?

Etelian: Yes, There is a agreement at the moment. We cannot reuse Starcraft sound, and any graphics
(Menu design, HUD design etc.) in Starcraft UT. Blizzard also want's to look at the public release
beta of Starcraft UT. Thankfully Blizzard has not shut down the project, and i feel that the
relationship between the SCUT team and Blizzard will only improve with time.



Q: What kind of Gameplays will there be in Starcraft UT?

Etelian: There will be many UT gametypes such as Assualt and Capture the flag
with a StarCraft twist.The SCUT team is also debating new game types. Recently the SCUT team
has been talking about a gametype in wich there is resource collection for money, and other
gameplay elements you usually find in RTS games. The new gametype that i am most excited about
is a map in wich the survivors of crashed bettlecruiser most hold off the Zerg long enough for a rescue
force to arrive. It's like a hostage situation, but the hostages have guns.

Q: When will the first version of Starcraft UT be released to the public?

Spyhunter: As we are currently slightly behind schedule, The BETA will not be in April.
Mostly likely in June/July Time.. But things could change for the better!
We will be BETA testing for about 2 months before the final release to the public!

Q: What's the story in the Single Player version? Etelian: the story takes place after Brood Wars. Spyhunter: Due to many comments, We have decided to stop the work on the single player game to concentrate on the multiplayer version. We had a poll on the site and Single Player won by a margin! The idea was to get better code and release it sooner to the public as it was multiplayer, This was possible! We wan't to make the Single Player game the best ever single player UT game, and felt if we worked on the Multiplayer aspects that half our job was done! We would have all the structures,

skins and weapons coding by the time we release the multiplayer version.
That would mean a quicker production for releasing the Single Player game shortly afterwards!!
The Multiplayer game will have many Gametypes playable over the net as well as
Single Player (Bots). The main Concept being 'Team Play' (named 'TeamCraft' for obvius reasons).
We wanted to create another 'CounterStrike' feeling game, but with it not being
an actual CounterStrike Clone!! SCUT will have many extra options including special
abilities, Driveable vechicles and all!! something never seen before online!!

Q: Will Starcraft UT be in First Person view?

Etelian: Yes, Starcraft UT is a FPS

Q: From the Starcraft UT site it looks like a lot of stuff is being developed for 'Terran',
but almost nothing on the Zerg side. Why?

Etelian: It's just easy to start out with the Terran since of all the sides in Starcraft UT the Terran
side is familiar, and i find it easy to make Terran weapons since i know what gun looks like.
On the other hand it's really though to think up new alien weapon designs that look weird, and also
don't look silly. This is why there are a lot more pretty Terran pictures on the SCUT site.

Spyhunter: Because Zerg Weapons and structures have a kind of 'Biological' feel to them,
They are taking longer to develop. And as much as the public wants to see stuff getting done,
So do we!!! hence why we started mostly on the Terran units and we know what
they are and what they do... So it's not too complicated. But Zerg items are being worked on,
as more and more of our members gain even more experience from actual working with items
as well as gaining knowledge from fellow members. We treat it like a family, We all help each other out!!

Q: In Starcraft UT, will you be able to build structures?

Spyhunter: No. This has not been planned at this stage. altough there may be a gametype where
you can destroy them. We shall see.



Q: Many people say this mod will be just like Half-Life's 'Team Fortress'
Do you see any similarities between Starcraft UT and Team Fortress?

Etelian: Yes, there are many similarities between Starcraft UT and Team Fortress.
The multiplayer component of Starcraft UT will have a class system. Each class has unique
weapons and special abilities. The SCUT team is working on adding depth to each class
so people will allways be finding new tactics and tricks for each class.

Spyhunter: Where's most team-based games are 2-sided, this will be 3-sided.
Giving more tactical thought into your attacks! Starcraft UT is very similar to Team Fortress,
But whenever you design a game you allways tend to put in all your favorite bits from other games.
For example, Wouldn't you have a like a 3D version of Blizzard's Starcraft?
and maybe if you where designing StarCraft 2 you would implent all your favorite and requested items
(if you could), So there will be many similiar things to many games, But the actual content will be
new and never seen online!!!

Q: Will Starcraft UT have support for more players than 32? Spyhunter: Not at the present, 32 is our maximum, But who knows what future patches/releases will bring!

Q: Will Starcraft UT use a faster netcode than Unreal Tournament?

Spyhunter: Yes. We are revamping some of the network code for faster 'Non-Lagging' Online play.
This will be seen and tweaked in the BETA versions.

Q: From The Starcraft UT page, it looks like the structures are very complex.
Will Starcraft UT be playable on older computers?

Etelian: The Unreal engine is great since it's easy to find the best compromise between
graphics and framerate. I'm sure that Starcraft UT will be playable on a wide variety of computers.

Spyhunter: Yes. We have a standard to follow when building structures.


Frag-Energy would like to thank Etelian and Spyhunter for this little Q&A session! thanks!
Written by Krofinzki