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 Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2010 9:20 am
One of the aspects of the campaign that I enjoyed the most was being able to research different things as I progressed through the story.
I liked the use of mercenaries and the armory upgrades, but the research was my favorite.
During your play-through, which ones did you pick?
why?
what were your favorites or most fun to use?
which ones did you find most useful or useless?
Here's the list just in case you need to refresh your memory.
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Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2010 9:21 am
Protoss Research:
Ultra-capacitors:
 - Weapon upgrades increase attack speed by 5%.
- Applies to Armory and Engineering Bay.
These self-replenishing Ultra-Capacitors reduce the reload time of all of our weapons and weapons systems.
Now each of the weapon upgrades in the Armory and Engineering Bay increases attack speed by 5% in addition to increasing damage.
or
Vanadium Plating:
 - Armor upgrades increases unit life by 5%
- Applies to Armory and Engineering Bay.
We have created a new lightweight alloy called vanadium. Vanadium diffuses weapon impacts much more effectively than traditional armor plating, and it better preserves the life of our units.
Now each of the armor upgrades in the Armory and Engineering Bay increases unit life by 5% in addition to increasing armor.
----
Orbital Depots:
 - Supply Depots are built instantly.
We can now call down Supply Depots straight from orbit due to our new understanding of Protoss architecture. Key pivot joints have been added to the Supply Depot's structure, allowing the supply depot to survive the violent turbulence of breaking through an atmosphere.
Now an SCV simply has to place a Beacon, and the crew on the Hyperion will handle the rest.
or
Micro-Filtering:
 - Refineries produce vespene gas 25% faster.
- Also applies to the Automated Refinery.
Combining Terran and Protoss filtering techniques allows our Refineries and Automated Refineries to reclaim a higher amount of vespene gas in its purest form.
----
Automated Refinery:
 - Refinery no longer requires SCVs to harvest vespene gas.
We have adapted Protoss warp technology to transport gas canisters straight from the Refinery to the Command Center, eliminating the need for SCVs to carry them back.
Why the Protoss never thought to transport vespene in this fashion is a mystery. Perhaps they lack Terran creativity and pragmatism, or possibly their primitive superstitions forbid the practice.
or
Command Center Reactor
 - Allows two SCVs to be trained simultaneously.
We now have the ability to train two SCVs simultaneously, allowing our early mineral and vespene production to ramp up twice as quickly.
This breakthrough, made possible by recent insights into Protoss containment fields, should help us get a stronger foothold early in future missions.
----
Raven:
 - Detects cloaked and burrowed enemies.
- Can drop Auto-Turrets.
- Can place Point Defense Drones.
- Can deploy Seeker Missiles.
- Built at the Starport.
The Raven is an unmanned surveilance drone that can detect cloaked and burrowed enemy units. The Raven can also serve as a combat engineer by placing Auto-Turrets and Point Defense Drones and firing Seeker Missiles in strategically vital locations.
or
Science Vessel
 - Detects cloaked and burrowed enemies.
- Can Irradiate enemy units.
- Repairs nearby mechanical units.
- Built at the Starport.
We have created a unique version of the Science Vessel that can perform hull repairs on friendly mechanical units. This version of the Science Vessel can also irradiate individual targets and detect cloaked and burrowed enemy units.
----
Tech Reactor:
 - Combines the Tech Lab and the Reactor.
Protoss plasma shields have finally given us the ability to fit the Tech Lab and the Reactor into a single structure add-on.
This new add-on, known as the Tech Reactor, replaces the old Tech Lab and Reactor add-ons and allows us to train two of any unit types simultaneously.
or
Orbital Strike:
 - Barracks units now arrive by Drop-Pod.
- Drop-Pod lands at the Barracks' rally point.
We have developed a low-cost Drop-Pod that lets us send our infantry units straight from the Hyperion to the Barracks' rally point.
This technological marvel gives us the ability to reinforce instantly when far from our main base and to surprise the enemy from above.
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Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2010 9:21 am
Zerg Research:
Shrike Turret:
 - Outfits all Bunkers with an automated turret.
We have developed an automated turret that comes standard with all Bunkers. This turret which is based on our studies of Spore Crawlers, adds extra firepower to manned Bunkers and also allows unmanned Bunkers to contribute to base defense.
or
Fortified Bunker:
 - Bunkers gain +150 life.
This improved Bunker design, inspired by the Ultralisk exoskeleton, attaches a hardened carapace to the top of the Bunker. This carapace dramatically increases the amount of punishment that a Bunker can absorb.
----
Planetary Fortress:
 - Command Center can upgrade to a Planetary Fortress.
- Upgrade grants extra armor and the Twin Ibiks Cannon.
- A Planetary Fortress cannot lift off.
We can now outfit the Command Center with the Twin Ibiks Cannon and additional structure plating. Please note that this upgrade, nicknamed the Planetary Fortress, must be triggered after the Command Center has been built.
Also note that a Command Center that has been upgraded to a Planetary Fortress can no longer lift off because the added weight is far too much for the Command Center's Atlas Boosters.
or
Perdition Turret:
- Flame turret
-Does massive area damage
-Conceals itself when not in combats
This turret fires a deadly wall of flame that is ideal for holding off large waves of enemy units. The turret also conceals itself beneath the ground when out of combat, luring unsuspecting enemies into its field of fire.
The Zerg's ability to burrow has allowed them to massacre countless Terran soldiers in deadly ambushes. The new Perdition Turret help even the score.
----
Predator:
 - Anti-infantry specialist
- Periodically emits a powerful area shock attack.
- Built at the Factory.
The Predator is equipped with an electrical discharge field. This field activates each time the Predator strikes an enemy in combat, dealing heavy damage to all nearby enemy units. This makes the Predator a devastatingly effective counter to large groups of enemy units.
or
Hercules:
 - Massive transport ship
- Deploys loaded troops almost instantly.
- Loaded troops survive if Hercules is destroyed.
- Built at the Starport.
We have retrofitted the Herculess-class cargo ship for use on the battlefield. This massive transport can carry entire armies and unload them at record speeds.
The Hercules will also eject Survival Pods if shot down. Ejected occupants will sustain damage, but most would agree that injury is preferable to death.
----
Cellular Reactor:
 - Specialist units start with +100 energy.
- Specialist units gain +100 maximum energy.
This reactor has a larger energy reserve on startup and can hold a much larger charge. Now our specialist units can use their abilities the moment they hit the battlefield, and they can store more energy when idle for long periods of time.
Specialist units are units that use energy, such as the Medic, Ghost, and Wrath.
or
Regenerative Bio-Steel:
 - Ships and vehicles slowly regenerate life.
Our ship and vehicle hulls are now made from a material called Regenerative Bio-Steel. This material uses internal Nanobots to slowly repair any damage the hull sustains.
While this regeneration process is much slower than conventional SCV repairs, it can be the difference between life and death if no SCVs are available.
----
Hive Mind Emulator:
 - Defensive structure.
- Can permanently Mind Control Zerg Units.
This emulator can mimic the signals of the now-deceased Overmind and bring individual Zerg units under our permanent control.
Each conversion taxes the battery heavily, though, so a long recharge may be required before the next target can be controlled.
or
Psi Disrupter:
 - Defensive structure
- Slows movement and attack speeds of nearby Zerg.
- Constant effect.
Studies conducted by the United Earth Directorate have shown that concentrated doses of sigma radiation can slow Zerg movement and reaction speeds by as much as 50%.
The Psi Disrupter has been developed to constantly emit sigma rays in a large area of effect, making it an essential base defense when facing a large Zerg force.
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Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2010 9:24 am
I myself usually have gone with.
1. Vanadium Plating. (More life please. :] )
2. Micro-Filtering. (Must practice not supply blocking myself, so no Orbital Depots)
3. Automated Refinery. (Don't want to get in a habit of queuing up workers.)
4. Science Vessel. (Heal my tech!)
5. Tech Reactor. (Making 2 units of anything at the same time with just one structure? Awesome!
and
1. Shrike Turret. (Burn Baby. Burn!)
2. Perdition Turret. (loved having a few of these by my base along win a bunker and regular turret)
3. Predator. (I didn't use this one that much, but I still used it more than what I would have with the Hercules)
4. Regenerative Bio-Steel. (More tech healing? No way! :] )
5. Hive Mind Emulator/Psi Disrupter. ( I like taking control of other race units. It's just so much fun. The Psi Disrupter made my turret, bunker, and flame turret just so much better of a defense.)
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Primity Aurora Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2010 3:26 pm
depends on the difficulty I play. on Normal, I just totally went for a speedrun, grabbing all of the "instant" or "double" power-ups such as Cellular Reactor, Orbital Depots and Command Center Reactor. on Brutal where I actually have to play through the missions, I choose the following:
1. Ultra-capacitors: more attack with more damage. it's win-win. especially useful on units with large cooldowns that benefit greatly from attack upgrades by being given more damage per upgrade such as Siege Tanks or Thor, and couples very nicely with stimpacked infantry assisted with Medivac for healing.
2. Micro-Filtering: more gas yield means I can produce bigger tech units more often. mineral dumps such as Marines and Hellions don't cut it in Brutal difficulty.
3. Automated Refinery: this upgrade effectively allows free gas-mining. it frees up 3 SCVs per refinery and allows proxy Refineries without the use of any defensive measures or additional SCVs.
4. Science Vessel: the ability to heal Mech is overpowered. that is all.
5. Tech Reactor: double Tank output beats insta-infantry. also, as I've pointed out, infantry doesn't cut it in Brutal.
1. Fortified Bunker: seems like an easy selection.
2. Planetary Fortress: another easy selection IMO. protects an expansion at a minimal cost.
3. Hercules: i used neither during the course of the game. but I chose the Hercules anyway.
4. Regenerative Bio-Steel: makes the Science Vessel's life a little easier. but not by a whole lot since the Mech I produce is en masse anyway. Zerg upgrades suck compared to Protoss.
5. Hive Mind Emulator: chosen purely for the last mission of the campaign.
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Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2010 4:08 pm
1. Ultra Capacitors - Often I wouldn't even get armor upgrades during a mission, but I would ALWAYS get weapon upgrades. I felt armor was easily substituted with bunkers or extra medics.
2. Orbital Depots meant my SCV's weren't busy as often with building supply depots, and thus increased my income, also it made it easier to recover from a supply block.
3. Automated Refinery - meant less need to build more scv's, and constant resource gain, just seemed easier and was something that would be beneficial throughout the entire mission, rather than doubling up on scv's for a few minutes and then finding it's usefulness wearing out by mid-late game.
4. Science Vessel because I loved it in BW, it healed my mech, detected, and awesome for burning through swarm life.
5. Tech Reactor - I can make 2 CATTLE BRUISERS?! At the same ******** time?! This not only saves you money on buildings but is obviously imba, of course I'm going to take it.
zerg
1. Shrike Turret to improve my defences, a fortified bunker seemed kind of pointless as 150 life is nice and all, but is easily remedied by just throwing an scv on auto-repair next to it.
2. Perdition Turret - mostly because I already decided I was getting orbital command so it would have made the PF void anyways, also Perdition Turrets seem like an obvious choice going up against the Zerg.
3. Hercules - This thing is actually so imba it's ridiculous. The amount of units you can pack into a single transport and then into an instant auto drop was absolutely hilarious, I used it A LOT.
4. Regenerative Biosteel - Probably my hardest choice and made entirely because I didn't have Spectors/Ghosts at the time and this seemed to have the most instant reward. I also had tanks in mind the whole time, I utilized tanks quite heavily in the campaign, so it seemed the be the best choice, meant I wouldn't have to repair my base defences.
5. Psi Disruptor - I turtled a lot and this seemed to be the most effective choice for holding a base defence, turrets, bunkers, perdition turrets, and tanks with a psi-disruptor meant the zerg was never getting in. The Hive Mind Emulator sounded cool and everything but it didn't really sound like it would pay off too well.
The only thing I could think of using it's energy on would have been an ultra or broodlord otherwise it just seemed like a waste, and you simply don't see enough of those two, where as the psi disruptor would affect ALL zerg with no further actions by me.
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Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 9:27 am
For Protoss Research, I chose...
1. Ultra Capacitors- Not only did this upgrade my attack, but my attack speed as well? Hell, Finally My Marauders would get their Grenade on faster.
2. Micro-Filtering- I would get more gas, hell, all I thought when I read that was, "Must be using beans for that gas."
3. Automated Refinery- Screw building more SCV's, I got an automated cow doing that gathering for me!
4. Science Vessel- Who doesn't love some good old fashioned radiation?
5. Tech Reactor- ...Nuff said.
As for Zerg Research, I chose...
1. Shrike Turrent- My bunkers saw a LOT more building. If only I had these bad boys back when Zero Hour happened.
2. Perdition Turret- Oh man, When I got these, I didn't think much of em. Then I build some during the mission you need to escort the colonists. Been in use ever since.
3. Hercules- Ever load up Goliaths, Thors, Sieg Tanks, and still have room? No? Well this bad boy did the trick for me. I actually managed to build another base thanks to three of these during All in. Totally worth it.
4. Regenerative Bio-Steel- Sorry, My Thors Regenerate? What is this, Super Robot Wars? But surely enough, My group of 25 thors owned in the gates of Hell, So I'm not complaining.
5. Psi Disruptor- Ah, the sound of the Zerg never reaching my bunkers never sounded more sweet. This bad boy saved me big time in All In, that's for sure.
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Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 5:02 pm
Protoss Research:
Ultra-capacitors - I wanted to kill faster more than a bit more armor; although both have their uses.
Micro-Filtering - I saw no need for Orbital Depots as it seemed like just a gimmick. Only good for those who keep getting supply blocked - if you don't get supply blocked often cause you are paying attention to your supply, then orbital depots aren't all that useful.
25% faster gas was a lot better given you often went mech-heavy or needed upgrades fast.
Automated Refinery - This was a no-brainer in my opinion. There really isn't a need to train two SCVs simultaneously - usually either you don't have enough minerals at the beginning to train two, or it messes up your supply. No need.
Automated Refinery on the other hand is extremely useful - saves 3 SCVs, and if you have two gas to a base, 6 SCVs. Final mission, 9 SCVs. That's a huge amount. Also allows you to harvest gas from places without a CC nearby.
Science Vessel - The Raven is more or less useless in my opinion for the campaign. Science Vessel is a lot more useful - such as in Maw of the Void, Media Blitz, Engine of Destruction.
Tech Reactor - Very useful; being able to build two tech-lab-only units at a time from one production facility.
Orbital Strike is kind of useless except maybe in that drop-pod mission if you want all achievements. Even then though you can just call down a mule and you'll still get the achievement.
Zerg Research:
Fortified Bunker - I found +150 life to be a lot more useful than a turret. More life = more time for the SCV to repair it.
Planetary Forstress - On my first playthrough I used Perdition Turrets but they aren't as useful. In fact Planetary Fortress is especially useful on that mission with the laser drill - makes it a breeze on Brutal difficulty. Very useful for the final mission too. Also found its use on the drop-pod mission.
Hercules - Didn't really use it during Brutal campaign; only used it on Normal difficulty when I was playing around with it on that Data Core mission. Never used the Predator before but I heard it is more or less useless.
Cellular Reactor - I've played on Normal, Hard and Brutal and switched between the two. I find Cellular Reactor more useful if you are going to go Spectre on the last mission against Kerrigan - other than that I don't really know.
Hive Mind Emulator - I only used Psi Disrupter once during Normal play-through. I prefer HME because I'm cheap and use it on the air-only All-in which makes it super-easy on Brutal.
Every time I played All-in (Hard and Brutal) I would end up with a handful of Broodlords and a MASS of mutalisks. like; MASSIVE.
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