Races of StarCraft
Three asymmetric races define the StarCraft universe.
The StarCraft series features three primary playable races: the human Terrans, the insectoid Zerg, and the psionic Protoss.[1][2][3] Each race was designed with distinct visual and mechanical identities to ensure they were identifiable both in appearance and gameplay.[4]
Quick Facts
- First appearance
- 1998 title StarCraft
- Number of playable races
- 3
- Terrans origin
- Descended from exiles from Earth
- Zerg origin
- Zerus
- Protoss origin
- Aiur
- Key xel'naga figures
- Amon, Ouros
Facts from the source article.
Key facts and history
For StarCraft II, the team polled developers to identify the most recognizable units for each race.[5] Following the release of Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness, Blizzard Entertainment initiated work on StarCraft.[4] At the 1996 E3 event, an early build of the game drew negative feedback for its resemblance to Blizzard's own fantasy franchise.[4] The Terrans received a rough, frontier look; the Protoss were given a more sophisticated, high-tech style; and the Zerg were designed with a biological theme centered on flesh and chitin.[4]
A significant portion of development was dedicated to achieving balance among the three factions while preserving unique mechanics like the Zerg's ability to burrow and the Protoss's ability to cloak.[4] By keeping well-known units, the developers had more flexibility to add new ones at other points in the tech trees.[5]
What the cited sources add
The "Rock and Roll Days of StarCraft" retrospective notes that the game's races were created through a process of freewheeling improvisation, with Didier saying "we just threw a bunch of crap at the wall and saw what stuck."[6] The StarCraft Story Primer explains that the Xel'Naga's goal was to wait for two species to achieve "purity of essence" and "purity of form" and help them ascend into a new life form.[7] The retrospective reports that the game's economy, based on Minerals and Vespene Gas, was not finalized until four months before release.[6]
References
- Wikipedia, "Races of StarCraft" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Underwood, "StarCraft", Blizzard Entertainment, April 1, 1998, p. 24–27 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Races of StarCraft" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Underwood, "StarCraft", Blizzard Entertainment, April 1, 1998, p. 52–58 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Races of StarCraft" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Underwood, "StarCraft", Blizzard Entertainment, April 1, 1998, p. 71–77 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Races of StarCraft" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Rock and Roll Days of StarCraft: A Development Retrospective", Blizzard Entertainment, March 30, 2017 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Races of StarCraft" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "The Big Evolution", 1UP.com (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "Rock and Roll Days of StarCraft: A Development Retrospective", Blizzard Entertainment, March 30, 2017. facts only, no text reused. news.blizzard.com
- Blizzard Entertainment, "StarCraft Story Primer", StarCraft II. facts only, no text reused. news.blizzard.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Races of StarCraft (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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