My idea for a Starcraft spinoff game - Just for fun

General Discussion
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Dear Blizzard and StarCraft community,

I’ve been a StarCraft fan for years, and I’d love to share an idea for a new game: an MMOFPS set in the StarCraft universe, inspired by Planetside 2’s massive battles and Battlezone 2’s FPS-RTS hybrid style. Picture hundreds of players fighting across planets and in orbit, with AI-controlled units like Marines, Zealots, and Zerglings filling the chaos. Every player can direct a few basic units, while squad commanders and platoon leaders control the heavy hitters. Players can also jump into iconic units like Terran Siege Tanks, Protoss Colossi, or Zerg Ultralisks—or pilot ships like Battlecruisers, Carriers, and Leviathans in epic space battles. It blends shooter action with StarCraft’s strategic depth, surpassing Planetside 2 with orbital combat, and I think it could redefine the franchise. Here’s my vision—hope you find it compelling!

Overview
This is a persistent, open-world MMOFPS where players choose Terran, Protoss, or Zerg to battle for control of planets and their orbits. You play as one of several unique classes per faction, fighting on the ground or in space, while AI-controlled NPC units—spawned and directed by players—create the scale of a StarCraft war. Every player can control a few minor units, like Marines or Zerglings, but squad commanders and platoon leaders deploy pricier ones, like Banshees or Carriers, adding strategic weight to leadership. Drawing from Planetside 2’s massive territories and Battlezone 2’s blend of shooting and tactics, capturing hexes drives the fight and unlocks NPC spawns. Space battles elevate the experience beyond Planetside 2, with starships dominating orbit, supporting ground troops, or seizing orbital hexes, forging a galactic conflict.

Factions and Player Classes
Each faction has six player classes—sniper, light assault, heavy, medic, engineer, and max—designed to stand apart from NPC units and give every faction its own playstyle. These focus on ground combat but adapt to space roles when piloting ships.

Terran
Humanity’s rugged soldiers with versatile tech.

  • Sniper: A sharpshooter with a high-powered rifle for long-range kills.

  • Light Assault: A trooper with a jetpack for short-distance flight, zipping over obstacles or onto rooftops to flank enemies, inspired by Planetside 2’s agile mobility.

  • Heavy: A durable fighter with rockets or a minigun to anchor lines.

  • Medic: A field medic healing and reviving squadmates.

  • Engineer: A tech specialist repairing gear and deploying turrets.

  • Max: A heavy exosuit with dual cannons, built to dominate.

Protoss
Advanced warriors with precision and power.

  • Sniper: A cloaked Dark Templar sniping with energy bolts.

  • Light Assault: A Zealot with psionic thrusters for short-distance flight, gliding swiftly to engage in melee or seize vantage points, mirroring Planetside 2’s dynamic movement.

  • Heavy: An Immortal with shields and plasma cannons.

  • Medic: A High Templar healing allies and disrupting foes with psionics.

  • Engineer: A Probe deploying pylons and defenses.

  • Max: A Colossus striding above, firing thermal lances.

Zerg
Zerglings are best as swarmy NPCs, so I’ve created new bio-units for players to keep Zerg brutal and unique:

  • Sniper: Spikewyrm, firing toxic spines from a distance.

  • Light Assault: Skitterclaw, a predator with winged membranes for short-distance gliding flight, leaping to ambush or scale terrain, echoing Planetside 2’s light assault flair.

  • Heavy: Gorebrute, a massive beast with armored plates and crushing strength.

  • Medic: Healslime, secreting regenerative ooze for allies.

  • Engineer: Creepweaver, spreading creep to enhance Zerg and grow defenses.

  • Max: Swarmbeast, a ground-based giant spawning critters or spraying acid.

These classes ground the factions—Terran’s gritty, Protoss’s elegant, Zerg’s feral—with Light Assaults unified by Planetside 2-style flight, letting players soar briefly to outmaneuver foes while staying true to each faction’s vibe.

NPC Units: Shared Strategic Control
NPC units are AI-controlled and flood ground and space battlefields to capture StarCraft’s massive wars. They’re separate from player classes, acting as grunts and support, with control split by role for fairness and strategy, inspired by Battlezone 2’s tactical depth and Planetside 2’s scale:

  • Minor Units (All Players): Everyone can spawn and direct a few basic units using resources (like minerals or gas earned in-game). Examples:

    • Terran: Marines, Firebats.

    • Protoss: Zealots, Sentries.

    • Zerg: Zerglings, Roaches.
      These let every player contribute—say, spawning Marines to guard a hex or Zealots to push a choke.

  • Major Units (Squad Commanders & Platoon Leaders): Leaders control pricier, high-impact units, amplifying their role. Examples:

    • Terran: Marauders, Hellions, Banshees, Battlecruisers.

    • Protoss: Stalkers, High Templar, Phoenixes, Carriers.

    • Zerg: Hydralisks, Ultralisks, Mutalisks, Leviathans.
      Commanders might send Stalkers to flank, deploy a Banshee for a strike, or unleash Ultralisks to break a line.

Hex control also triggers spawns: a Barracks hex deploys Marines for anyone, a Gateway hex sends Zealots, or a Hatchery hex unleashes Zerglings. In space, a Starport hex spawns Wraiths, a Stargate hex Phoenixes, or a Hive hex Mutalisks, with leaders directing bigger ships. These NPCs hold ground, attack, or support, creating cinematic chaos focused by leadership decisions.

Player-Controlled Units: Ground and Space Power
All players can take direct control of iconic units beyond their class, both on the ground and in space, earned through resources or hex control. This draws from Battlezone 2’s hybrid style, offering a temporary power-up open to everyone:

  • Terran Ground: Climb into a Siege Tank for artillery barrages, pilot a Viking for air-to-ground strikes, or ride a Vulture for fast raids.

  • Terran Space: Helm a Wraith for cloaked dogfights or a Battlecruiser for heavy bombardments and orbital support.

  • Protoss Ground: Warp into a Reaver to launch scarabs, control a Stalker for hit-and-run attacks, or channel an Arbiter to cloak allies.

  • Protoss Space: Pilot a Scout for agile skirmishes or a Carrier to unleash interceptors and dominate orbit.

  • Zerg Ground: Meld with a Lurker to burrow and ambush, become an Ultralisk for a ground-shaking charge, or use an Overlord to scout and drop creep.

  • Zerg Space: Fly a Mutalisk for swarmy hit-and-runs or a Leviathan for massive bio-plasma assaults and troop drops.

These units are limited-use to keep classes central, letting players live StarCraft moments—like blasting foes as a Colossus, dogfighting as a Scout, or charging as an Ultralisk. They’re distinct from NPCs, ensuring every player can access iconic units while commanders shape the war with NPC spawns, balancing Planetside 2’s accessibility with Battlezone 2’s command.

Hexes and Territory Control: Planets and Orbit
The map spans planetary hexes and orbital zones, expanding Planetside 2’s system. Capturing them drives the war across both arenas:

  • Ground Spawn Hexes: Control a Factory for Hellions, a Gateway for Zealots, or a Spawning Pool for Hydralisks, with anyone spawning minor units and leaders deploying major ones.

  • Ground Resource Hexes: Secure minerals or gas to fund spawns, unit control, or upgrades.

  • Ground Strategic Hexes: Unlock perks like faster respawns, Terran orbital strikes, Protoss Mothership drops, or Zerg Nydus Worm ambushes.

  • Orbital Hexes: Capture space stations or satellite hexes to deploy Wraiths, Carriers, or Mutalisks, or enable bombardments and troop drops, with players spawning basic ships and leaders controlling heavy fleets.

Holding more hexes—ground or orbit—means more spawns and options, like accessing a Starport for a Battlecruiser, a Nexus for a Protoss fleet, or a Hive for a Zerg Leviathan. Orbital control ties to the ground: space dominance enables strikes or shuttles, while planets fuel ships with resources. This creates a dynamic war, blending Planetside 2’s territory game with Battlezone 2’s strategic depth.

Why It Could Work
StarCraft’s three factions, rich lore, and epic battles make it ideal for an MMOFPS with ground and space combat. Shared NPC control—minor units for all, major ones for leaders—adds strategy while keeping everyone engaged, and piloting Colossi, Battlecruisers, or Leviathans brings the universe alive. Light Assaults with Planetside 2-style flight unify the factions’ mobility while respecting their identities. Planetside 2 shows persistent shooters thrive, but its lack of space battles leaves room to innovate, and Battlezone 2 proved FPS-RTS hybrids can merge action with tactics. Blizzard’s talent could make this a standout, drawing shooter fans and giving StarCraft veterans something new. A live-service model with cosmetics—like Terran decals, Protoss shield effects, or Zerg mutations—could sustain it fairly.

Closing Thoughts
This MMOFPS could be a bold step for StarCraft, combining shooter thrills, shared AI-driven wars, and the rush of piloting a Carrier, Ultralisk, or Viking across ground and space. I imagine capturing a hex, gliding over a ridge as a Skitterclaw to flank, spawning Zealots as a regular player, then jumping into a Scout to dogfight in orbit while my commander calls in a Carrier. Blizzard, you’ve built incredible worlds—could a game like this, inspired by Planetside 2 and Battlezone 2, fit your vision? I’d love to hear your thoughts or explore details, like how creep might shift battles or what other ships players could control. Thanks for reading, and I’m curious what the community thinks too!

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