Forget classic WOW

>Because when you get down the the meat, the leveling system in an RPG means nothing since everyone just hits max level anyway

The leveling experience is an integral part of the game; it forces a player to get a good feel of the character class rather than just popping out at level 80 because you hit "Choose this class", and it also allows for worldbuilding as you do quests around the world and get a feel for what's going on.
The level system is what guides the person through this world in a coherent form rather than having no direction in where to go on the path, as the area levels dictate a smooth direction for the player.

While you can say that it doesn't matter at endgame, the PVE experience of leveling is an integral and cherished part of MMO's and questing is much of the fun.

A new MMO from Blizzard is the stuff of dreams, especially in a sci-fi setting. A new Blizzard MMO run by Ion, not so much.

I kinda wish I could get into these games just because of all the hype. They look super boring.

I don't think StarCraft would work as an RPG, unless we took the concept of the co-op commanders and spun them into "classes" for players to role play as, I don't see anyone wanting to just being a baneling or a science vessel.

>Infested terrans are the player units.
>Each "Class" is just the terran mutating to be more like an actual zerg unit instead of a terran, such as Bipedal Ultralisk for Tank class

I disagree in part. Starting a player off with an effective loadout that has just as much purpose 10 minutes in as it does in endgame is a perfectly valid thing in an RPG, while the questing can be used to expand the available functions and playstyles of the player character without specifically making him stronger. A semi-close example of this would be EVE Online's ability to fly different ships, in which every ship, with the possible exception of the starter ship, has a purpose and role in the game, although skills can be trained to provide boosts to the player character's ability to provide them, their integral functions remain the same.

RPGs in the modern era forget all about having actual character design and progression and focus almost entirely on meaningless stat increases rendered null by ever increasing NPC stats creating a zero sum of the player never really getting any stronger in practice. While this makes sense from a design perspective, as the player should always be facing a challenge, it makes for poor RPG formats that seek evermore to funnel players into very specific designs not unlike how Overwatch makes premade heroes that function identically no matter who's playing them.

This, of course, is for talking about MMO RPG design -- in a single player RPG, level plays a much bigger role since there's less design considerations on building encounters around a certain toolset available to every player and more about creating enemies that can be conquered with more narrow designs as the entire game's toolset is usually available to the player throughout.

Not that Blizz has any problem shitting on the lore but I am pretty sure infested terrans is a pretty recent development. If the game took place when the terrans arrive in the sector, that's not fitting timeline wise.
I may be wrong though, I last read the Starcraft manual around 18 years ago, I forget.

With the new art directors they have Star Craft looks pants on head retarded. It went from simple designs for the protoss to all that ugly glowing shit. Same thing with the Terran marine armor. Fucking disgusting. Over designed shit. Fuck new blizzard.

Infested Terrans have been around since Terrans have been in the sector, which is going on around 40 years now, I think? Besides, you could look to Kerrigan's transformation as a yardstick of possible, sure the Zerg aren't going to spend resources to evolve every IT they have, but if one somehow distinguished themselves in the same way a Hydralisk became a Hunter-Killer, it wouldn't be that far out there.

To be honest though, I'd probably just take the same concept and start off the Zerg players as Zerglings or some special hyper-evolutionary unit that takes on traits just like the guy said. IT are too close to Terran, though having them as an option as an evolutionary end might be interesting, since as of SC2, Defilers have taken in Terran DNA and can spawn them from eggs. Zerg can literally grow their own versions of Terrans.

Why a prequel? You'd be better off building off into the future of starcraft.

after ex machina kerrigan, there is no future, it's ruined.

With kerrigan gone you can pretend that shit never existed and move on past that.

No need to ever mention That Space god Kerrigan shit EVER again, and just build a new More Grounded sci fi plot with the UED returning and the remaining Zerg queens in a civil war with each other.

m8, have you seen the future of Starcraft? Do you really want to go even further?

WoL should've ended with Jim putting a bullet in Kerrigan's head and the next two expansions dealing with the doomed universe it created. Would've been a far more interesting story than anything Blizzard's cranked out, and any small ground the Terrans and Protoss would've made in the Kopulu sector would've been an amazing part of spitting in the face of prophecy. Zeratul and Jim could've had a cold war over it too, giving them a reason to reignite hostilities.

IMO, dealing with post SC2 fallout is a nightmare. Also, going back far enough means there is not a single major player around which is less recognizable but prevents character assassination. And a clear goal to work towards. Stifling perhaps, but less prone to flights of fancy and supersaiyans.

According to the wiki, which I would not quote for certain but that's the only source I have on hand, infested terrans appear just before the original starcraft. The colonization happened in 2259 when the game happens by 2499 though the zerg are discovered sixty years prior. Still allows for a bit of leeway in the interim.

All they need to do is fire chris metzen. Or at least have him work exclusively on fanatasy/WOW stuff instead.

Make it all happen on Chau Sara or Mar Sara, don't show up so everyone is human out on the frontier of space. You're all the first colonists of the planet, so it's a free for all. Survival elements are in, player made factions constitute the PVP aspects, and small zerg populations are there for PVE. There could be representatives of big factions like the Kel-Moraine Combine and mining companies and stuff and they can hire players to talk out small mining towns of their competitors or something. Kind of like Planetside mixed with Day Z except there's clear advantages of working together instead of just being dickass bandits.

Only if its a mmo fps like planetside.

Metzen's gone already, I believe. The trouble is any of the other writers actually worth a damn are also gone. The stories are primarily written to garner immediate broad audiences to drive sales rather than creating interesting nuance that spars continued discussion for years to come, a standpoint primarily perpetuated by corporate.

Almost every story, be it video games or movies, is now written in such a way. The audience must be "wow'd" and riding a high at the end of the piece of media such that they feel the need to spread the word to everyone around them, pushing more people to experience the work. It doesn't matter that a few nerds who sit and analyze the whole thing find glaring flaws or a shallow narrative because those who look at media as such are in the minority and can't impact sales like the masses.

>It doesn't matter that a few nerds who sit and analyze the whole thing find glaring flaws or a shallow narrative because those who look at media as such are in the minority and can't impact sales like the masses.

I think this can also explain the dissapearance of RPG elements in games overall in the video game world as well. Even games that in the past were RPG strongholds nowadays are being butchered to be action games aimed at the "Mainstream", since apparently Stats confuse the DLC target audience.

Looking at things like Fallout 4 gutting any and all Skills/stats or D3 choosing stats for you and getting rid of skill trees. Or how the bioshock series has none of the skill class elements of system shock and is more of a pure action shooter series now.

Could work I guess.

>D3 choosing stats for you
That was a good move though. Meaningless stats are just bloat.

If the system is designed right, Stats are all Meaningful and choice is a big part of your build.