Stocks to Invest in 2012

7 Warren Buffett Stocks Dishing Up Double-Digit Gains to Buy in 2012

2012-02-14T05:18:00.000-08:00

Well, January sure set a pleasant tone for 2012. The market recorded its best first month of the year since 1997, with the S&P 500 up 5%, the Dow up over 4% and Nasdaq up a stunning 9% from Jan. 1 to Feb. 1.

Warren Buffett didn’t seem to fare as well, though, with his iconic Berkshire Hathaway 7 Warren Buffett Stocks Dishing Up Double-Digit Gains to Buy in 2012 - (NYSE:BRK.B) underperforming with a less than 3% return in January. But investors should know by now that Buffett stocks aren’t meant to be in your portfolio for a matter of weeks but for many months. The Oracle of Omaha has famously said that even if the market was open for just one day a year, he would still buy shares.

So don’t take this as a sign that Buffett has lost his edge just yet.

Which stocks is Buffett banking on in 2012? Here are the leaders so far. Share totals are as of the November filing for Berkshire Hathaway disclosure of equity stakes:

USG (NYSE:USG), 17.1 million shares. USG stock is up over 45% year-to-date in 2012.

Bank of America (NYSE:BAC), $5 billion in preferred shares bought with warrants at $7.14 per share. Common stock of BofA is up about 40% YTD, approaching $8 a share.

Ingersoll-Rand (NYSE:IR), 636,600 shares. Ingersoll-Rand is up 22% so far this year.

Moody’s 7 Warren Buffett Stocks Dishing Up Double-Digit Gains to Buy in 2012 - (NYSE:MCO), 28.4 million shares. The ratings agency is up 14% in 2012.

Intel (NASDAQ:INTC), 9.3 million shares. Intel is up 11% so far this year.

Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC), 361 million shares. Wells is also up 11% YTD.

American Express 7 Warren Buffett Stocks Dishing Up Double-Digit Gains to Buy in 2012-(NYSE:AXP), 151.6 million shares. AmEx is up 10% so far in 2012.

It’s no surprise that financials are the leaders here. Buffett’s value investing style has caused him to plow lots of cash into the financial sector in the wake of the crisis, and other Berkshire Hathaway holdings not making this list of double-digit gainers include U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB), Bank of New York Mellon (NYSE:BK) and M&T Bank (NYSE:MTB), all up roughly 8% so far in 2011.

It’s strange, then, that Berkshire would underperform with so many high fliers in there. But remember, the stakes are far from equally distributed. Berkshire’s portfolio has are some 200 million shares of Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) — with a total value of $13.6 billion, give or take a few hundred million. Coke stock is in the red year to date, and that has held back Buffett & Co.

But you can be sure that if financials keep rallying and Coke turns around, Buffett will do just fine in 2012.

In the meantime, take a good look at what Buffett has been buying, and ask yourself if any of these picks are right for your own portfolio.

Best Investment for 2012 - The Rise of the Dollar Store

2012-02-13T15:18:00.000-08:00

It used to be that a dollar store was ideal for party supplies, greeting cards, and little more.
But now that stigma is changing, and consumers are finding all kinds of uses for dollar stores’ many high-discount products.Best Investment for 2012 -
Dollar stores have been on the rise since 1998, growing into a booming industry that’s starting to get the recognition it deserves.
And now, the industry is worth around $56 billion.
As consumers realize that the deep discounts dollar stores offer are really worth it, and that the products are just as good as anywhere else, bargain shopping has taken a new direction.
The stores have even made their way into the media. Bargain home design television shows have shown designers traveling to these locations for low-cost picture frames and other items that could be put to stylish use.
And dollar stores are convenient, too.
Whereas bigger stores like Target (NYSE: TGT) or Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) may be located in congested areas and take a long time to get through, dollar stores are smaller and more often much closer to home.
Accessibility can go even further than that. Dollar General (NYSE: DG), for example, has a full website where customers can actually shop online.
And Family Dollar’s Best Investment for 2012 - (NYSE: FDO) website offers free coupons and a list of the weekly deals.
The industry’s popularity seems to have really gotten a boost with the recession. Family Dollar has been steadily rising since 2008:
Other dollar stores have followed similar ascending patterns, particularly over the past several years. It might be time to rethink how much you spend on your next trip to the store.

Best Cheap Stocks For 2012

2012-02-13T03:59:00.000-08:00

This has been quite a winter.
From Arab states falling to Twitter revolutions, to U.S. states finally owning up to their own fiscal shortfalls, to natural disasters in New Zealand, Australia and now Japan, stock markets around the world have been swinging up and down in manic runs from hope to despair.
And one other thing is true: The markets hate uncertainty. That means, in our current circumstances, smart investors are looking for real assets — tangible commodities and resources that the world has to have to survive or hedge against uncertainty. In 2010, I picked silver miner Silver Wheaton (NYSE: SLW) as my top stock for the year. It doesn’t get much more tangible than silver, and with the metal’s run higher, the stock was up more than 150%.
This year, I’ve found a couple more standouts in the real asset sector.
This duo is a real asset play on the same megatrend that’s been building since the dawn of man: The world’s need for food…

Best Cheap Stocks For 2011: Agricultural demand is growing

China, for instance, has a lot of mouths to feed — 1.3 billion at last count, or 15-20% of the world’s population. Unfortunately, it only has 7% of the planet’s arable land (and most of that is relatively unproductive).
On a per-capita basis, China has just a fraction of the available farmland as most other countries. And the gap is getting wider. Population is growing by around 10 million per year, while millions of acres of prime agricultural land are lost to soil erosion, urban construction, and heavy metals pollution.
This dire situation presents ongoing challenges for farmers — but unique opportunities for companies whose products can boost crop yields.
That’s where Yongye (Nasdaq: YONG) comes in. The firm is an emerging leader in the “green” agriculture movement, specializing in organic crop nutrients and animal feed supplements. The company has several advantages over the competition.
First, its chief marketing officer literally wrote the book on reaching out to rural farmers.
Second, its Shengmingsu brand’s liquid nutrient has proven to increase output by 22% and reduce harvest time by up to two weeks.
Finally, Yongye has been negotiating with independently owned supply stores to prominently display (and push) the Shengmingsu brand. The company has a year-end goal of 30,000 stores selling its product.
Ordinarily, you’d have to pay a rich premium for all this — but Yongye is trading at just five times forward earnings, a sharp discount to its expected 40%-plus growth rate. This stock could double in the next 12 months.

Best Cheap Stocks For 2011: Prices for agricultural staples are rising

The bureaucrats can say all they want about benign inflation. Apparently, they haven’t been to a grocery store lately.
And prices are still rising at the wholesale level, which means more retail markups in the weeks and months ahead. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, producers fetched higher prices for corn, soybeans, eggs, milk and apples last month.
Some of the blame (or credit, depending on your perspective) belongs to the Fed‘s dollar debasement policies. By definition, a depreciating dollar boosts the prices of dollar-denominated agricultural commodities.
But old-fashioned supply/demand imbalances are also playing a major role. A bad Russian winter wheat harvest and subsequent export ban sent prices skyrocketing. Here in the United States, torrential rains in the Corn Belt have left supplies at the lowest levels in 15 years.
Growing demand and shrinking supplies intersect at rising prices. Corn futures have spiked more than 70% since June. Wheat prices have spiked 35% so far this year. Soybeans and sugar are the same story.
And, because beef, pork and dairy producers have to buy mountains of feed for their livestock, rising grain prices will likely spill into the meat aisle as well (there’s typically a six-month lag).
With all this in mind, I strongly recommend readers fight back against the relentless price hikes by converting a few dollars into bacon and cereal — or at least pork bellies and corn.
========================== Part 2 ==========================
Large pharmaceutical companies are facing a crisis. The industry spent a record $65 billion on research and development (R&D) in 2009, but approval rates for new drugs have fallen 44% during the past decade and continue to drop. Also in 2009, drugs launched in the previous five years accounted for only 7% of all sales, meaning that older drugs closer to patent expiration make up the vast majority of sales. The failure rate of drugs in the final stages of development has doubled in recent years.

Best Cheap Stocks For 2011: PFE,GSK

These facts are sobering proof that productivity levels for bringing successful drugs to market have declined severely in recent years. It is leading to soul searching in the industry and large cutbacks in R&D expenditure. Pfizer (NYSE: PFE), one of the largest of the Big Pharma firms, is cutting R&D from 2010 levels of $9.4 billion to between $6.5 billion and $7 billion by 2012. European drug giant GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK) will cut spending by up to $4 billion and plans to radically change how it tries to bring new drugs to market. One industry source found it extremely troubling that the market sees R&D as destroying shareholder value.
Part of Glaxo’s shifting approach will be to outsource the initial stages of drug development. These earlier stages are the riskiest, as failure rates are high and are also costly, given the large number of compounds that must be tested. Finding the needle in a haystack is an understatement when it comes to bringing successful drugs to market. Other companies are following suit.The general belief is that Big Pharma will eventually outsource most of its drug development work to outsiders, be they university laboratories, smaller development-stage pharmaceutical and biotech startups, or companies known as contract research organizations (CROs).
Below is a list of the leading CROs…

Covance (NYSE: CVD) is the largest CRO in terms of sales and market capitalization, but not by a wide margin compared to Pharmaceutical Product Development Inc. (Nasdaq: PPDI). Charles River Labs (NYSE: CRL) and Parexel (Nasdaq: PRXL) are similar in terms of sales, while Icon plc (Nasdaq: ICLR), out of Ireland, is the smallest.
Here is an overview of the two that look most compelling to me from an investment standpoint.

Best Cheap Stocks For 2011: Icon plc (Nasdaq: ICLR)

Hands down, Icon has been the fastest growing of the CROs. In the past three, five, and 10-year periods, sales growth has averaged more than 20% annually, as has profit growth. 55% of its business stems from long-term contracts that are fixed in price, which provides a fair level of revenue stability. The company also counts the top 20 pharmaceutical companies in the world as clients and boasts more than 650 clients total.
Icon is one of the most globally diversified CROs and is also impressively profitable. The company posted operating margins of 11.2% and returns on invested capital (ROIC) in the mid-teens (see table above) in its latest fiscal year. The stock looks a bit expensive looking at the forward P/E and trailing free cash flow, but the company is using this year to invest in its business and expects profits to take a short-term dip, after which growth has a solid chance of returning to historical levels and generating impressive returns for investors.
Best Cheap Stocks For 2011: Pharmaceutical Product Development Inc. (Nasdaq: PPDI)
Pharmaceutical Product Development Inc., or PPDI for short, has been another consistent grower over time that is impressively profitable. The company has been around for more than 25 years, which makes it one of the oldest CRO firms, allowing it time to extend its services to 43 countries. It has strong capabilities in the earliest stages of drug development, such as Phase I clinical trials.

Best Cheap Stocks For 2011: Merck (NYSE: MRK)

PPDI trades for one of the lowest free cash flow multiples and also boasts double-digit returns on invested capital. The company has a reputation for low client turnover, and counts Merck (NYSE: MRK) as a key strategic client. It is also the only CRO to pay a dividend, which demonstrates its confidence in generating stable and consistent profits. Its current dividend yield is 2.1% and should appeal to income-oriented investors.

Stocks to Invest in 2012 - ‘Blink’ Your Way to Profits

2012-02-12T05:59:00.000-08:00

If you want to make better trades, why not learn to “blink”?

The kind of “blink” I am speaking of here is a reference to Malcolm Gladwell’s compelling book of the same name. The thesis of the book has never been more applicable than when it’s focused on understanding trading psychology.

Face it, anyone with even a modicum of trading experience is all too familiar with the failure to trust their initial thoughts or instincts on a trade.
Often, we know that we waited too long and that we should have acted faster. We may ask ourselves, “Why didn’t I listen to that voice inside my head and just sell when I had those nice profits?”

If these tales of regret sound familiar to you, rest assured that you are not alone. I suspect that in this most-difficult market year, even the best and the brightest traders have experienced more than their usual share of regret.
Now, ask yourself this question: What do these regrets have in common?
The answer is that in every case, the trader failed to “blink.” Let me explain.
The essence of Gladwell’s thesis is that humans have the ability to gauge what is really important from a very narrow period of experience. He argues that spontaneous decisions are often as good as — or even better than — carefully planned and considered ones.
In the book, Gladwell — who wrote the very influential tome “The Tipping Point,” and is currently on the bestseller list with his 2008 work, “Outliers” — draws on a variety of anecdotes from fields as seemingly varied as science, fine art, advertising, medicine and even popular music to argue for the validity of his ideas.
Gladwell says that when we “blink,” we are essentially thinking without thinking. We do this, he claims, by a process he calls “thin-slicing,” which is the human knack for using ! limited information to come to our conclusions.
Throwing Darts at The Wall Street Journal
It’s Gladwell’s contention that in an era of easy access to boatloads of data on just about any subject matter, many times people make better decisions with snap judgments than they do with volumes of analysis.
Think about it, how many times have you failed to pull the trigger on a trade that you knew was the right thing to do? How many times have you thought your way out of an initial idea, and later found out that it would have made you a lot of money if only you would have taken action?
I suspect that the failure of so many professional money managers to beat the S&P 500 (SPX) has a lot to do with their failure to “blink.” These very smart people often reason themselves away from a good decision, and/or they let others talk them out of what could be profitable moves.
You have likely heard about those studies that show that monkeys throwing darts at the stock tables in The Wall Street Journal tend to outperform professional money managers. Well, perhaps this is because those managers fail to “blink” — i.e., they effectively outsmarted themselves into a state of paralysis.
Stocks to Invest in 2012 - Thin-Sliced Profits
Now before we continue, please understand that I am in no way arguing for an unthinking, non-contemplative approach to trading. I am not saying that if you feel like buying a stock, then just buy it without good reason. In fact, I am arguing for the contrary.
You see, when you “blink” you are thinking, and you are thinking with the mind’s unfettered processes. You aren’t clouding your idea that a stock may go up with reams of data that say, historically, in a particular month this stock’s shares have fallen X percent.
What prompted your original idea that a given stock may go up is, in fact, simply the process of “thin-slicing” at work.
Ke! ep in mi nd, however, that it takes time and a lot of trading expertise to reach the level of competent “thin-slicing.” When seasoned traders “trust their instincts,” what we should really say is that they are “blinking.” In other words, they are going with their initial thoughts, which are based on their cumulative knowledge, their current reading of the markets and their past trading experiences.
Finally, I don’t think you have to accept Gladwell’s theories in full to understand that he’s on to something with respect to trusting your initial judgment. When it comes to making good trades, often your greatest enemy is indecision. That indecision is all too frequently aided and abetted by too much information, information that puts a sense of doubt and distrust into your initial analysis.
So, the next time you feel the impetus of doubt, I recommend you take a split second and “blink.”

Jim Woods is a Senior Editor for OptionsZone.com. To learn more about him, read his bio here.

Best Stocks To Buy Right Now

2012-02-12T01:59:00.000-08:00

Best Stocks To Buy Right Now: Constellation Brands (NYSE: STZ)

Constellation Brands (NYSE: STZ), the largest wine company in the world by revenue and the largest premium wine company, offers a value-priced play on the potential growth of the US wine market.
Constellation also owns 50% of Crown Imports, the joint venture that distributes Corona Extra and Corona Light, the best selling imported beer in the US. As well, Constellation owns Svedka Vodka, one of the fastest growing premium vodkas.
The company’s well-known wine labels include Woodbridge and Robert Mondavi (acquired in 2004), Vendange (2001), Franciscan Oakville Estate, Estancia, Ravenswood, Arbor Mist (1998), and Clos du Bois (2007).
If you notice a number of acquisitions on this list, that is because Constellation spent the decade between 1998 and 2007 building up its position as the largest premium wine maker in the US, with sizeable positions in the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand as well.

Best Stocks To Buy Right Now: ETJ

High food prices aren’t helping either, for the same reasons. US consumers spend less of their total income on these two items than their counterparts in the developing world, where higher food prices will cause social disruption.
Covered-call funds typically give investors the advantage of producing income in flat markets, but don’t do well in quickly rising or falling markets. We like the idea that gently rising or falling markets can be profitable for such funds.
One such fund we’ve previously recommended is the Eaton Vance Risk-Managed Diversified Equity Income (ETJ). Its advantage is in the risk-managed part of its title. The fund sells calls like most covered-call funds, but also buys puts to guard against a market decline.
Today the fund trades at a steep discount of 9.5%, and offers a yield of 10.1%. We think their new policy of buying protective put spreads is a prudent strategy, although it may have scared off some current holders, depressing the price.
The largest holdings are in information technology at 18.04%, financials at 15.58%, health care at 11.82% and consumer staples at 11.45%.

Best Stocks To Buy Right Now: Zalicus (ZLCS)

Zalicus (ZLCS)—my top pick for a biotechnology stock breakout in 2011—is proving its worth, based on fourth-quarter results.
The company burned $2.1 million in cash during the quarter, and ended the period with $46.5 million in cash and equivalents. As is usual with development-stage biotech companies, aside from cash levels and cash burn, the accounting numbers were less important than management’s program update.
Zalicus has one product on the market: Exalgo, for chronic pain, marketed by a subsidiary of Covidien (COV).
When Covidien reported their results, they mentioned “good sales of our new Exalgo” product. I had forecast $400,000 in Exalgo royalties to Zalicus in the December quarter, so I was pleased to learn that they hit that right on the button.
With the initial distributor inventory back in balance, from here on Exalgo royalties should track prescription growth.
This year, I expect Covidien to target 12,000 frequent prescribers and sell about $50 million in Exalgo, yielding around $4 million to Zalicus at my 8% royalty estimate. Sales should increase to $100 million in 2012, $200 million in 2013 and level off at around $300 million in 2014.
The associated royalties of at least $8 million, $16 million and $24 million will help fund research and clinical trial expenses, with no stock dilution. Zalicus says the royalty rate is “tiered,” so my 8% estimate is conservative.

Best Stocks To Buy Right Now: Cloud Peak Energy (CLD)

One company is likely to take advantage of Asia’s long-term growth without bearing its share of risks. It’s Cloud Peak Energy (CLD), the fourth-largest thermal coal miner in the US.
Unlike base metals, thermal coal (which is used to generate electricity) is highly leveraged to long-run GDP growth.
Despite all the imbalances in Asia, the continent still benefits from an increasingly educated workforce, millions of people moving to cities, and so on. I believe Asian economic output and electricity demand will be much higher in 2021 than in 2011.
Of course, generating all that electricity will require a lot more thermal coal, even if nuclear and renewable energy become much more prevalent. Moreover, China and India have both become significant coal importers in recent years amid soaring demand.
Cloud Peak has not fully taken advantage of these trends and is trading for an exceptionally low valuation. We believe both are poised to change.

Best Stocks To Buy Right Now: UPS (NYSE: UPS)

UPS delivers economies of scale, operational efficiency, and an attractive dividend approaching 3%, write Josh Peters and Keith Schoonmaker of Morningstar DividendInvestor.
UPS (NYSE: UPS) is the colossus among global transportation companies, and powerful barriers to entry guard its economic profit. Its $45 billion of revenue in 2009 exceeded the combined sales of the four largest North American railroads.
The stock looks about fairly valued here, but we’re encouraged that the company’s recent 10.6% boost to its dividend will be the first of several handsome increases as the global economy revives.
Despite its extensive unionization and asset intensity, UPS produces returns on invested capital about double its cost of capital and margins well above those of its competitors. We credit the firm’s leading package density and outstanding operational efficiency, enhanced by extensive investment in information systems.
UPS and its competitors have turned to Asia and developing nations for growth, and we think UPS has a lot of runway left to build speed. Even existing operations have revenue expansion potential because of the firm’s rare pricing power.
While rapid changes in shipping demand during 2009 demonstrate the potential for short-run uncertainty because of macroeconomic factors, we are only optimistic about UPS’ future—and expect solid, if not record, results for 2011.
No Letup in Sight
UPS is in fine shape, financially speaking, with a Morningstar credit rating of A-. The firm has increased its use of debt in recent years, both to satisfy pension obligations and repurchase shares, but debt burdens remain fairly modest. In 2010, the dividend represented 53% of earnings, and the indicated payout ratio for 2011 looks to be around 50%.
While UPS operations are cyclical thanks to the high fixed costs of supporting its worldwide network, profits covered the dividend with room to spare even in the trough year of 2009 (per-share earnings of $2.31), and free cash flow remained strong.
While the cyclical nature of its business has kept UPS from raising its dividend every year, it has either increased or maintained its dividend for more than four decades, and the dole has risen in ten of the 12 years since the stock’s 1999 debut on the public market. (This probably has a lot to do with the fact that an impressive 36% of outstanding shares are Class A stock owned by employees, retirees and descendants of founders.)
The compound growth rate for dividends over the past decade has been a handsome 10.6%, although this pace includes an upward drift in the payout ratio (which averaged 39% from 2002 to 2007).

We believe overall global parcel-shipping market expansion and consistent price increases will enable UPS to grow at a compound annual rate of 8% during the next five years, a pace we expect the dividend to match.
At the stock’s current yield of 2.8%, we think UPS can deliver average total returns approaching 11% a year.

Best Stocks To Buy Right Now: TAL International Group (TAL)

TAL International Group (TAL) is one of the world’s largest lessors of containers and chassis. The company buys intermodal containers that can be transported on ships, trucks, and railcars—enabling containers full of goods to travel great distances with a minimum of handling.
TAL’s operations include buying, leasing, and subsequently selling multiple types of intermodal containers. TAL is also involved in reselling containers to container traders and users, as well as financing port equipment, such as container cranes, reach stackers, and so on. The company owns 856,000 intermodal containers.
Full Speed Ahead for Trade
Demand for containers dwindled in 2009, but rebounded with a vengeance in 2010. TAL’s utilization rate reached a record 98.6% at the end of 2010, even though the company added 180,000 containers during the year.
Container purchases are primarily financed by the company’s bond offerings. TAL’s bonds are rated “A” by Standard & Poor’s, and carry an interest rate of 4.8%.
Strong demand is causing a global shortage for containers, which is driving leasing rates and resale prices significantly higher—all to the benefit of TAL. Part of the stronger demand can be attributed to reduced direct container purchases by TAL’s shipping customers, which are trying to avoid new capital expenditures.
TAL has ordered another 180,000 containers for delivery in 2011, many of which have already been committed to leases. As a result, the company expects profits to accelerate during the next several quarters.
Sales increased 7%, and earnings per share catapulted from $0.72 in 2009 to $2.32 in 2010.

Best Stocks To Buy Right Now: Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) & Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT)

Those are Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) and Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT). Maybe I’ll take those in order.
Pfizer is a stock where everyone’s worried about the Lipitor patent expiring later in 2011. But there’s much more to Pfizer than just Lipitor.
If you look to 2012—which will be the first full year after the Lipitor is gone from Pfizer—the company should earn somewhere north of $2 a share, by our estimates as well as the guidance of the company.
The stock is trading at $19 or thereabouts, so you’re looking at a company that’s trading at roughly nine times earnings once you’re past this one negative event. That just seems way too cheap a price for that stock.
Looking at Abbott, it’s in a very similar situation in that they have one blockbuster drug, Humira, and people are thinking that Abbott today is going to be like Pfizer was a couple years ago where they’re just dependent on this one blockbuster.
Abbott is also just trading at a very cheap price. They should earn somewhere just below $5 a share, and the stock is in the mid 40s. So again you’re looking at a stock trading at about nine times earnings.
Or, if you want to strip away Humira and just assume that that falls off the planet a year from now, you’re looking at a stock that’s trading ex-Humira at about twelve times [earnings], which is still—even if that drug was gone—a very low price for a company of Abbott’s quality.

Introducing the top stocks to buy in 2012 24/7 Wall St. Wire

2012-02-11T17:39:00.000-08:00

These are some of the top analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen in Wall Street research notes this Tuesday morning:
Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE: ANF) Raised to Outperform at BMO Capital.
DG FastChannel, Inc. the top stocks to buy in 2012 -(NASDAQ: DGIT) Maintained Outperform but target cut to $41 at Oppenheimer.
Gap Inc. the top stocks to buy in 2012 -(NYSE: GPS) Raised to Outperform at Wells Fargo.
Green Plains Renewable Energy (NASDAQ: GPRE) Cut to Neutral at Piper Jaffray.
Kayne Anderson MLP Investment Co. (NYSE: KYN) Raised to Buy at Wunderlich.
Rackspace Hosting, Inc. (NYSE: RAX) Cut to Hold at Benchmark.
Rio Tinto plc (the top stocks to buy in 2012 -NYSE: RTP) Raised to Buy at BofA/Merrill Lynch.
You can join our free daily email distribution list to hear more about dividend trends, analyst upgrades and downgrades, top day trader and active trader alerts, news on Buffett and other investment gurus, IPOs, secondary offerings, private equity, and more.

How to Buy the best Bonds in 2012 in King Harald's Norway - SmartMoney.com

2012-02-10T15:22:00.000-08:00

Everyone knows the U.S. government faces a budget crisis. Everyone, it seems, except the bond market. Investors are still willing to lend to Uncle Sam for 2 to 3 percent interest, even for 30 years. Money continues to pour into bond funds.
I'm sorry to be a skeptic, but I think investors are making a mistake. These bonds may turn out okay, but they involve big risks -- not of default, but of currency debasement and inflation, which destroy a bond's value.

So, should we all be considering buying foreign government bonds? If so, which ones are the best bets? And how can you go about getting them?
Many foreign "sovereigns" seem to offer a much more compelling trade-off between risk and return. Start with the safe ones. According to the International Monetary Fund, the industrialized-world governments with the strongest finances include Denmark, Norway, Sweden, New Zealand and Australia.
Norway is in a league of its own. The country has invested its North Sea oil windfall sensibly: While we have a national debt, King Harald V is sitting on net assets. His government's assets exceed its liabilities by about $800 billion, or 170 percent of GDP. I'd be happy to lend this man money.Buy the best Bonds in 2012
People in finance still call the interest rate on Treasury bonds the risk-free rate, but for my money, that term ought to apply to King Harald's bonds. And yet 10-year Norwegian bonds recently yielded about 2.5 percent, compared with around 2 percent for U.S. Treasurys -- showing that investors have more faith in Uncle Sam than in the Norse.
The other strong nations are also sit! ting far prettier than the U.S. Sweden has net assets equal to one-fifth of its economy. Denmark, Australia and New Zealand have net debts, but each is less than 12 percent of GDP. The figure for the U.S. is 80 percent and rising.
Dan Fuss, the bond guru at Loomis Sayles, is a fan of all these countries. Your main risk is exchange rates: If the dollar rises against other currencies, it will eat into your returns. There are country-specific risks, too. Australia and New Zealand have inflation and are exposed to the commodities boom, for good or ill. So is oil-rich Norway. Fuss notes New Zealand has geological risks as well: It contains two of the world's supervolcanoes.
At the other end of the spectrum is Ireland. The fallen Celtic Tiger is trying to fight its way out of depression and austerity. There is a risk of default and a "haircut" on the bonds. But the 30-year bonds yield 9 percent. You could take a serious buzz cut on those, watching their yields plunge, and still beat someone who owned Treasurys.Buy the best Bonds in 2012
Mutual funds aren't a great avenue for owning these bonds; funds tend to spread investors out among bonds from a bunch of other nations, including Japan, whose bonds pay squat. The good news is that some brokers can help you buy these bonds directly; though you'll likely have to get on the phone to make it happen. You don't need to be a high roller, either. E-Trade, for example, can usually trade in lots of 25 bonds for developed countries. That typically works out to be around $25,000. And they can deal in Norwegian bonds for around $5,000 -- not bad for a piece of Harald's kingdom.

9 Insurance Stocks That Aren't 'Sure Things' to invest in 2012

2012-02-10T08:23:00.000-08:00

For the time being I’ve willed myself away from the financial industry as its problems still outweigh any benefit for any investor’s portfolio. And, once again, I have for you a group of struggling insurance companies who I’ve put on my sell list for a number of fundamental reasons.
I watch more than 5,000 publicly traded companies with my Portfolio Grader tool, ranking companies by a number of fundamental and quantitative measures.
Here they are, in alphabetical order. Each one of these stocks gets a “D” or “F” according to my research.
9 Insurance Stocks to invest in 2012-American International Group (NYSE:AIG) is an international insurance company that works with customers in more than 130 countries. In the last year, AIG stock has dropped nearly 34%. AIG stock gets an “F” for sales growth, an “F” for earnings momentum, an “F” for the magnitude in which earnings projections have increased over the past month, a “D” for cash flow and an “F” for return on equity in my Portfolio Grader tool. For more information, view my complete analysis of AIG stock.
Genworth Financial (NYSE:GNW) provides insurance, wealth management, investment and financial solutions. GNW is nearly 31% since last February. GNW stock gets an “F” for sales growth, an “F” for operating margin growth, an “F” for earnings growth, an “F” for its ability to exceed the consensus earnings estimates on Wall Street, a “D” for the magnitude in which earnings projections have increased over the past month, a “D” for cash flow and a “D” for return on equity in my Portfolio Grader tool. For more information, view my complete analysis of GNW stock.
Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) is an insurance and financial services company consisting of 52 mutual funds. In the last 12 months, HIG stock has dipped 30%. HIG stock gets an “F” for sales growth, a “D” for operating margin growth, an “F” for earnings growth, an “F” for earnings momentum, an “F” for its ability to exceed the consensus earnings estimates on Wall Street, an “F” for the magnitude in which earnings projections have increased over the past month and a “D” for return on equity in my Portfolio Grader tool. For more information, view my complete analysis of HIG stock.
Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) owns multiple insurance and retirement businesses. Despite gains by the broader markets, LNC stock is down almost 22% in the last year. LNC stock gets a “D” for sales growth, a “D” for earnings growth and a “D” for earnings momentum in my Portfolio Grader tool. For more information, view my complete analysis of LNC stock.
Manulife Financial (NYSE:MFC) is a Canada-based financial services group operating in 21 countries. Since last February, MFC stock has declined 37%. MFC stock gets an “F” for the magnitude in which earnings projections have increased over the past month in my Portfolio Grader tool. For more information, view my complete analysis of MFC stock.
9 Insurance Stocks to invest in 2012Old Republic International (NYSE:ORI) is involved entirely with insurance underwriting. ORI stock has dipped 14% in the last year. ORI stock gets an “F” for operating margin growth, an “F” for cash flow and an “F” for return on equity in my Portfolio Grader tool. For more information, view my complete analysis of ORI stock.
Principal Financial Group (NYSE:PFG) provides its customers with retirement savings, investment and insurance products and services. While the broader markets have posted gains, PFG is down 20% in the last year. PFG stock gets an “F” for sales growth, a “D” for earnings growth, a “D” for earnings momentum and a “D” for its ability to exceed the consensus earnings estimates on Wall Street in my Portfolio Grader tool. For more information, view my complete analysis of PFG stock.
Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) owns numerous insurance companies in the U.S. and U.K., and has posted a loss of 13% in the last 12 months. UNM stock gets a “D” for sales growth, and a “D” for the magnitude in which earnings projections have increased over the past month in my Portfolio Grader tool. For more information, view my complete analysis of UNM stock.
9 Insurance Stocks to invest in 2012XL Group (NYSE:XL) works with industrial, commercial and, professional firms, as well as insurance companies and other enterprises. XL rounds out the list with a loss of 11% in the last year. XL stock gets a “D” for sales growth, a “D” for operating margin growth, a “D” for earnings growth, an “F” for its ability to exceed the consensus earnings estimates on Wall Street, an “F” for the magnitude in which earnings projections have increased over the past month and a “D” for return on equity in my Portfolio Grader tool. For more information, view my complete analysis of XL stock.

What to invest in 2012 - By Opening its Doors to China for the First Time in 60 Years, Taiwan Paves a New Path for Investor Profits

2012-02-09T20:55:00.000-08:00

Oil and gas explorer What to invest in 2012 - Anadarko Petroleum (APC) rose 1.4% in after hours trading after releasingbetter than expected fourth quarter results.
Anadarko posted 85 cents of core EPS, 12 cents ahead of analysts’ expectations. The company reported revenue of $3.84 billion, against expectations for $3.29 billion.
The company said that its focus on liquids production (as opposed to natural gas) has helped boost sales.
“By continuing to focus capital investments on our liquids-rich opportunities, we achieved 10-percent year-over-year growth in liquids sales volumes, highlighted by production records in the Eagleford Shale, Wattenberg field, Greater Natural Buttes area, Bone Spring and certain other U.S. onshore resource plays,” said Chairman and CEO Jim Hackett in a statement.
Correction: this post originally said incorrectly that Anadarko posted 72 cents of EPS.

Best Stocks to Buy right now:Wednesday ETF Winners and Losers

2012-02-09T20:36:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Don Dion's "ETF Winners and Losers." Be sure to stop by throughout the week to find out which ETFs are gaining or losing.

Winners

Guggenheim Solar ETF(TAN) 4.2%
Solar energy stocks are ratcheting higher, pushing TAN to its sixth consecutive day of gains. This multi-day rally has propelled the fund to levels last seen prior to its November sell off.
Alternative energy has reveled in these increasingly confident market conditions. Investors must be cautious, because the fund could face steep headwinds if that sentiment turns south.
Best Stocks to Buy right now-Guggenheim China Small Cap ETF(HAO) 3.4%
After spending years taking steps to reign in the nation's explosive housing market, China's government appears to be reversing its course and seeking out ways to reignite demand. As lawmakers attempt to prop up the real estate industry, fears of a hard landing are falling by the wayside. Therefore, it is not surprising to see HAO and the SPDR S&P China ETF(GXC) head higher.
Market Vectors Vietnam ETF(VNM) 1.6%
VNM continues to make up for ground lost during 2010, ascending to its 200-day moving average for the first time since last April. Bloomberg has reported that the Vietnam's marketplace is currently the top-rated frontier market. Despite this encouraging news, investors should continue to approach this nation with extreme caution.
SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF(XSD) 1.0%
Semiconductors are benefiting, helping XSD power to 2012 highs. This corner of the tech sector welcomed some encouraging news this week courtesy of The Semiconductor Industry Association, which reported that chip sales grew in 2011 despite looming market headwinds.

Losers

Best Stocks to Buy right now-Market Vectors Junior Gold Miners ETF(GDXJ) -1.9%
Tuesday's gains from funds like GDXJ, the iShares Gold Trust(IAU) and the iShares Silver Trust(SLV) did not last long. With major stock market indices seeing tepid action, investors are opting to unload their exposure to shiny metals.
Investors are not fearless, however. On the contrary, the volatility-tracking VIX benchmark is seeing solid gains.
Best Stocks to Buy right now:- SPDR S&P Biotech ETF(XBI) -1.7%
For a second day, biotechnology stocks are heading lower, pushing ETFs like XBI and the iShares NASDAQ Biotechnology Index Fund(IBB) to the top of the loser's list. At the start of the week, I warned investors that these funds could be set to take a breather given their impressive run ups during the opening weeks of the year. Continue to keep them on the radar.

Stocks are now so oversold that a near-term bounce is likely in 2012

2012-02-09T03:11:00.000-08:00

After seven straight days of losses for the S&P 500 and the worst Thanksgiving week for the Dow Industrials since 1942, investors were apparently happy to forget about stocks and go shopping. After all, early reports show that Friday��s retail sales were up 6.6% over 2010��s Black Friday — the strongest increase since 2007, easily topping last year��s mediocre 0.3% rise.
The real reason for last week��s poor stock market performance had less to do with the U.S. economic outlook than Europe��s continuing debt problems. Italy��s weak bond auction, which on Wednesday produced little demand and a yield of 7.3% for its 10-year and 7.8% for its 5-year note, was a disappointment. On top of that, S&P downgraded Belgium��s credit rating, and on Thursday Fitch reduced Portugal��s debt to junk status.
The break of support for the Dow Industrials was significant because many technicians expected these dividend-heavy 30 stocks to provide some stability at the 11,600 area. Instead, the Dow folded as easily as less-dividend rich indices. Note, however, that MACD is now oversold, though not as much as at the bottom of the August sell-off, and the downward slope on the 20-day and 50-day moving averages tells us the index has not yet reached bottom.
This chart, like the chart of the DJIA, shows how easily the S&P 500 sliced through the initial support at 1,220 to 1,180, which is at the top of the major support zone of 1,220 to 1,120. Almost three months of day-to-day trading took place between 1,220 to 1,180, and yet it was pierced in just three days. Also note that like the DJIA, the S&P 500′s 20- and 50-day moving averages are turning down — a sign of further weakness. But MACD is getting close to the extreme level of August, and this could indicate that we are due for a bounce-back to the red resistance line at 1,180. It could also indicate that the support at 1,120 to 1,140 has a chance of slowing the decline.
The chart of the U.S.! Dollar Index Bullish ETF should be carefully monitored, since Friday��s close rests almost exactly on the long-term bearish resistance line at 22.45. A close above 22.42, which is also the high of September, would signal that a new bull market in the dollar is confirmed. This, of course, would tell us that the decline in stocks is far from over.
Conclusion: ?Last week��s sell-off plunged stocks through major support zones and moving averages. The short, intermediate and long-term trends are confirmed to be down. However, our internal indicators, including the important MACD, are now so oversold that a near-term bounce is likely. Still, if the U.S. dollar jumps to new highs, stockholders may be facing a tumble that could result in a test of the October low at S&P 1,075.

top stocks for 2012:You (Or Your Heirs) Can Collect More From A Plane Crash Than From A Shipwreck

2012-02-07T04:32:00.000-08:00

Most people assume they are safer on a cruise ship than they are on an airplane. Statistics to prove it are scarce. But this much is clear: When disaster strikes, as it did off the coast of -Tuscany on Jan. 13, you (or your heirs) can collect more from a plane crash than you can from a shipwreck.
This cruel and ghoulish irony stems from a combination of federal law, a key international convention and the extremely anticonsumer terms commonly found in cruise -contracts. Here are the key roadblocks built into the legal system.

Archive of Forbes Articles By Deborah Jacobs
Deborah L. Jacobs, a lawyer and journalist, is the author of Estate Planning Smarts: A Practical, User-Friendly, Action-Oriented Guide. You can follow her articles on Forbes by clicking the red plus sign or the blue Facebook ��subscribe�� button to the right of her picture above any post. She is also on Twitter.

Best companies to invest in 2012 - US New-Home Sales Down

2012-02-06T15:38:00.000-08:00

The National Association of Realtors Best companies to invest in 2012 -(NAR) reports that sales were down 2.2% for new homes in December from the previous month, with a seasonally adjusted decrease of 7.3% from the same time last year. NAR economists have called on the federal government to make U.S. housing a policy priority, arguing that an improvement in the real estate market is the only sure way to set the stage for a broader economic recovery. They advocate a streamlining of the short-sales process as well as creating more financing opportunities for prospective homebuyers. For more on this continue reading the following article from Property Wire.
New single family home sales in the United States fell 2.2% to an annual rate of 307,000 in December from 314,000 a month earlier, according to the latest data from the Commerce Department.
The seasonally adjusted rate, dropped 7.3% from 331,000 a year earlier. The preliminary estimate for actual new homes sold in 2011 came in at 302,000, 6.2% below 323,000 sold in 2010.

The figures are released as the National Association of Realtors call on the US government to make housing a national public policy priority.
‘Restoring the health of the housing market is the only way to achieve a broader economic recovery. Realtors believe that more must be done to stem the rising inventory of foreclosed homes and address the lack of available and affordable mortgage financing, which is inhibiting a meaningful housing market recovery,’ said BAR president Moe Veissi.
‘Our families, communities, the housing market and economy all suffer when people lose their home to foreclosure. We are calling upon the Obama administration, Congress and lenders to help keep more people in their homes by taking more aggressive steps to modify loans and help homeowners significantly reduce their monthly mortgage payments,’ he added.
The NAR is also urging the government and lenders to streamline the often ! time co nsuming and inefficient short sales process and to quickly approve reasonable offers when a family is absolutely unable keep their home. It points out that keeping people in their homes and reducing foreclosures will help minimize the negative impact of distressed properties on home values and neighbourhoods.
‘Expanding financing opportunities could also help reduce excess inventories of distressed properties. Increased fees and higher down payments are making it harder for many creditworthy homebuyers and investors to obtain financing, thwarting the sale of distressed properties and prolonging the impact those homes have on local markets,’ said Veissi.
‘While we are beginning to see early signs of stabilisation in the housing market, NAR calls on Congress and the Obama administration to come together and make housing a priority issue. In this vein, we urge the White House to host a national housing summit to encourage a broad discussion among stakeholders to help formulate and advance policies that move the country toward a real housing and economic recovery,’ he added.

An Intro Concerning Service Strategy about the best stocks to buy in 2012

2012-02-06T01:54:00.000-08:00

The five steps in ITIL Service Lifecycle are Service Strategy, Service Design, Service Transition, Service Operation, plus Continual Service Improvement. The heart of Service Lifecycle is Service Strategy. ITIL specifies strategy as “a Strategic Plan designed to achieve outlined targets. The Service Strategy publication offers direction concerning how to design, produce as well as implement Service Management as an organizational capability and a strategic asset. IT service provides who own a particular service strategy will be able to operate and flourish in the long term.
The Service Strategy phase consists 4 root processes particularly Demand Management, Financial Management, Strategy Generation, together with Service Portfolio Management.
Service Strategy requires knowing your customers and users, developing the services they need, and knowing the IT capabilities as well as resources needed to give those services.
It’s essential to comprehend that for any business to thrive, they need to create value on their own and their customer as well as identify themselves from other companies. By answering the following inquiries, businesses will be able to produce value through having a marketing mindset: What is our company? Who are our clients? What does the customer value? Who relies on our services? How do they utilize our services? Why are they essential to them?
The core competencies acquired in an ITIL training class will personally benefit certification candidates. More and more companies require that job candidates possess an ITIL Foundation Certificate to be considered for certain positions. ITIL is the favored set of operating procedures among IT professionals and organizations on a global scale. Ever increasing popularity in ITIL training is testament to that.An Intro Concerning Service Strategy about the best stocks to buy in 2012
The ITIL V3 Service Strategy course at Ashford Global It could help companies develop a clear Service Strategy. Get in touch today with Ashford Global IT for additional details!
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An Intro Concerning Service Strategy about the best stocks to buy in 2012

The New Global Gambling Hotspot That Set to Overtake Las Vegas

2012-02-05T07:06:00.000-08:00

First it was Macau that leapfrogged Las Vegas as the No. 1 global gambling destination in 2006.

Now another Asian powerhouse is set to push Sin City down to third on the list of global gambling hotspots.

We're talking about Singapore - the Southeast Asian city-state that has a red-hot economy and a new reputation as a tourist mecca.

Singapore, with just two casinos, is set to pass Las Vegas as the world's No. 2 gambling hub, according to Frank Fahrenkopf, president of the American Gaming Association.

"Now more than a year old, the two integrated resorts in Singapore have exceeded all expectations and turned the nation into Asia's second global gaming superpower," Fahrenkopf told the AFP on the sidelines of a recent gaming conference in Macau. "The country's gaming market will likely overtake Las Vegas as the world's second-largest gaming center as early as this year."

Singapore's Resorts World Sentosa and Marina Bay Sands casinos will rake in $6.4 billion of combined revenue this year, Fahrenkopf predicted. That would be a sizeable increase over 2010's $5.1 billion take.

Las Vegas brought in $5.8 billion last year, after stumbling in the wake of the financial crisis and housing collapse. A report citing research by the Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC (NYSE ADR: RBS) indicated that Las Vegas would earn $6.2 billion this year, according to Agence France-Presse.

Macau is still tops among gambling destinations, as its 33 casinos generated $23.5 billion in revenue last year. And that figure could grow by 25% to 50% this year according to Fahrenkopf.

Still, Singapore, which is relatively new to the gambling scene, seems to have the hot hand right now.

"I'm dying to get into Singapore," Wynn Resorts Ltd. (NYSE: WYNN) CEO and casino tycoon Steve Wynn said in an interview with Singapore's Busine ss Times. "That's my next goal in life - to build a hotel in Singapore."

Wynn no doubt has been needled by the success of his chief competitor, Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE: LVS), which developed the Marina Bay Sands.

The sprawling casino complex, which opened in April of last year, reported first-quarter revenue of $719.4 million. That's a big reason why Standard and Poor's last week raised its corporate credit rating for Las Vegas Sands.

S&P bumped the company's credit rating to "BB" from "BB-," citing strong profits in the Asia-Pacific region. S&P expects the Marina Bay Sands to generate about $1.1 billion in EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amoritization).

The rating agency said net revenue in Macau would grow 10% this year, followed by a 2.5% decline in 2012, and 3% growth in 2013. Las Vegas Sands Macau properties generated $1.2 billion of revenue in the first quarter.

In fact, Asia now accounts for 80% of the company's revenue.

Las Vegas Sands carries a heavy debt burden of $10.1 billion, but expects to recoup at least some of its expansion expenditures through the sale of one of its Singapore assets. The company is looking to unload the shopping mall at Marina Bay for about $4 billion. However, the Singapore tourism authority says it won't be able to do so until 2017.

Just as Singapore's new casino row has boosted Las Vegas Sands' bottom line, it's also given a shot to the economy of the Asian city-state.

Money from tourism in Singapore rose to a record high level of $4.98 billion in the first quarter. And the entertainment sector, which includes gambling, showed the strongest growth - 321%.

That helped the city-state's economy, which was already thriving, expand 8.3% year-over-year in the three months through March. After growing 14.5% in 2010, Singapore's economy may grow 6.2% this year, according to the median estimate ! of 21 ec onomists in a survey by the Monetary Authority of Singapore, Bloomberg News reported.

If you're looking for a way to invest in this new Asian powerhouse, but don't feel like gambling on Las Vegas Sands, you may take a look at the iShares MSCI Singapore Fund (NYSE: EWS).

Best Stocks 2012 - Bright Future for Advisor M&A

2012-02-03T08:19:00.000-08:00

While merger and acquisitions of RIA firms slowed during the economic downturn, M&A activity among RIA firms is "poised for resurgence, as a new market environment emerges and the pool of potential buyers undergoes dramatic change," according to a new study released December 9 by Pershing Advisor Solutions (PAS) and FA Insight.
In a statement accompanying the study--Real Deals 2009: Definitive Information on Mergers and Acquisitions for Advisors (available for download at pershing.com)-- Mark Tibergien, CEO of PAS, argues that "M&A activity appears poised for a rebound. Advisory firm owners are interested in liquidity, serial buyers remain strongly committed to their longer-term acquisition strategies, and the pace of RIA-to-RIA mergers and acquisitions has increased." This study is the most recent component of Pershing's Ideas Without Limits program for advisors.
Dan Inveen, principal of FA Insight, which also produced the recent People and Pay study on advisor compensation, said that he suspects that by the second quarter of 2010, "if not sooner," there will be a pick up in deal-making. "Assuming continued progress in the economy," he argues, "it's not unreasonable to expect the level of activity to approach or surpass what we saw in 2007."
That's so, Inveen suggests, because advisors will be shifting their focus "from holding on to clients and getting them through the downturn and turn toward working on their businesses." Moreover, he says, the motivations to do a deal--realizing liquidity, achieving economies of scale, or establishing a broader range of expertise--"remain stronger than ever."

Top Stocks 2012 - Apple: Lost iPhone Prototype Triggers Criminal Investigation

2012-02-02T20:56:00.000-08:00

I’ve hesitated to get too sucked into the lost Apple iPhone story, but the tale has now taken a sobering turn: CNET reports that the incident appears to be under investigation by a computer crime task force led? by the Santa Clara County district attorney’s office. (I would note that while Apple is based in Cupertino, which is in Santa Clara County, the phone supposedly was lost – and then found – in a bar in Redwood City, which is in San Mateo County.)
CNET says a law enforcement official told CNET that an investigation is under way, and that Top Stocks 2012 - Apple (AAPL) has talked to local police about the incident.
In case you haven’t following this particular circus, the gadget blog Gizmodo said it paid $5,000 for what appears to be a prototype of a new iPhone; the blog has since returned the phone to Apple.
The CNET story says the purpose of the investigation is to determine if there is sufficient evidence to file criminal charges, but it does not indicate who the charges would be filed against: the seller? the person who lost the phone? Gizmodo? Someone else?
CNET notes that under an California law dating back to 1872, anyone who finds lost property and knows who the owner is and nonetheless “appropriates such property to his own use” is guilty of theft – or in the case of property worth more than $400, grand theft. There’s another state law which said you can get up to a year in prison for knowingly receiving property that has been illegally obtained.

StarCraft II Units Stalker

2007-06-05T07:01:00.000-07:00

Stalker

Builds From: Gateway
Armament: Chronal Web
Role: High Mobility Scout / Ambusher

he dark templar are a branch of the protoss race that refused to surrender their individuality to the encompassing psionic gestalt of the Khala. In ages past they were exiled from the protoss homeworld of Aiur and left to wander the Void before they found a new home on the distant planet Shakuras.

Denied the support of the great forges and armories of their homeworld, the dark templar were forced to find new ways to defend themselves from a hostile universe. dark templar warriors learned new ways of war. By focusing their inner psionic strength and drawing power from the Void itself the dark templar learned to mask their presence and strike unseen from the shadows. The defiant exiles perfected techniques to spread terror and confusion among their enemies by assassinating leaders and destroying vital structures. Ultimately the dark templar came to rival even the mighty zealots in combat.

However, the overthrow of Aiur has proven that guile alone cannot defeat a foe as relentless as the zerg. Inspired by the ancient and honored dragoon walkers the dark templar have begun to build war machines of their own. The stalker is a machine controlled by the shadow-essence of a dark templar warrior, willingly fused into its metal body to protect his people.

Swift and deadly, stalkers have been credited with many fantastic powers in recent conflicts. Nevertheless the only one that has been witnessed consistently is the ability to instantly teleport or 'blink' from one spot to another. This ability enables stalkers to strike from unexpected quarters, catch a fleeing foe, or escape an unfavorable encounter.

Protoss Stalker's blink ability lets it scale up to elevated positions where line of sight is available

The deadly particle disruptors mounted on the stalker's carapace are equally adept at crippling targets on the ground or in the air. Ambushes by groups of stalkers have brought fiery doom upon many attack wings that thought themselves safe from retribution.

StarCraft II Units Immortal

2007-06-05T06:59:00.000-07:00

Immortal

Builds From: Gateway
Armament: Twin Phase Disruptors
Role: Ranged Assault Support

efore the loss of Aiur, veteran protoss warriors who had been crippled in battle could volunteer to continue their service by being transplanted into dragoon exoskeletons. Now, the dragoons of the past are all but gone. The sacred shrine that was dedicated to the creation of the dragoons was infested by the zerg and lost along with the protoss homeworld itself.

The remaining dragoons have become the immortals, refitted with twin phase disruptors and hardened energy shields that can shrug off the most powerful weapon strikes - though at the cost of leaving them more vulnerable to the pinprick attacks of lesser foes. The heavily armed and shielded immortals give critical fire support to the ferocious legions of zealots by eliminating enemy artillery and ranged attackers, allowing the zealots to close in and complete their work of destruction.

Protoss Immortals' shields are very effective against Siege Tanks

But the loss of every immortal is keenly felt. These ancient warriors are a dying breed pledged to give their all in the end times of their race. They stand on the front lines of the final war, sacrificing themselves to buy their race a few more days or hours. Soon none will remain.

StarCraft II Units Zealot

2007-06-05T06:52:00.000-07:00

Zealot

Builds From: Gateway
Armament: Psionic Blades
Role: Assault Warrior

or millennia the Templar caste of the protoss have defended their people from threats both internal and external, dedicating their long lives to the pursuit of martial perfection. Zealots are peerless templar warriors who have yet to achieve the uppermost ranks of the Khala. Ever eager for battle, zealots train constantly to attune themselves more closely to the Khala's disciplines and prove themselves worthy of advancement. They exemplify the unbridled ferocity of the protoss at war.

The formidable physique of a zealot is further enhanced by cybernetic implants and their coveted power suit. Yet a zealot is far more than the technology he bears. Each Zealot is trained for decades in hand to hand combat, tactics, pain tolerance and martial discipline. Zealots are taught to hate their enemies with a white hot passion and to hunt them down without mercy.

All protoss have some psionic ability and zealots focus their minds exclusively on the pursuit of war. Focus crystals in their heavy forearm units enable zealots to channel their strength of will into blades of pure psionic energy - their primary melee weapons. Using a limited form of precognition, zealots can even predict enemy movements striking, with deadly accuracy and dodging attacks by inches.

Some Zealots have even developed the ability to turn their body into pure energy for a few microseconds. This allows them to move at lightning fast speeds and strike suddenly against an enemy that thinks they are out of range.

In recent times the zerg invasion of the protoss homeworld of Aiur forced its evacuation to the distant dark templar world of Shakuras. The Templar caste as a whole, and the zealots in particular, seethe with shame at this dishonor. Many and loud are the voices raised demanding a return to Aiur, cradle of the protoss civilization. The zealots have thrown themselves into an even more rigorous program of training in preparation for the glorious day when their services will be called upon once more.

The Making of the StarCraft II Cinematic Teaser

2007-06-04T06:19:00.000-07:00

he Insider recently sat down with Nick Carpenter, Blizzard's cinematic creative director, for a behind-the-scenes look at the StarCraft II cinematic teaser recently released at the Worldwide Invitational, as well as to discuss the challenges involved with continuing the single-player storyline from the original game...

Part 1: Concept

Insider: One of the things that really made StarCraft stand out when it was first released was the epic scale of events unfolding over the course of the original game and the Brood War expansion, told in large part through the game's cut-scenes and beautifully crafted cinematics. Of all the possible scenarios for a cinematic teaser, why did you decide to focus on the genesis of a marine?

Nick Carpenter: The idea of turning the creation of a marine into a cinematic has been on my mind ever since we started working on the cinematics for the original StarCraft. When you click on that button to build a marine, what does that mean? Actually showing the marine being built gives us an exciting opportunity to show that in the StarCraft universe, even something that's normally very mundane can have a truly epic feeling to it.

"Actually showing the marine being built gives us an exciting opportunity to show that in the StarCraft universe, even something that's normally very mundane can have a truly epic feeling to it."

When you see all the intricate pieces of the armor coming together, you really get to appreciate the power and the toughness of the marine unit from a whole new perspective. But this is only the most basic unit; this is your cannon fodder, your red shirts. If the creation of a mere marine is already this cool, just imagine what it must be like when a goliath or a siege tank is assembled. Essentially, we picked this scene because we felt it was a great way to return to the StarCraft universe - open up with something small, but finish with something really big.

Let's talk a little bit about how your team and the game design team for StarCraft II work together to create the cinematics. What role does each team play in coming up with ideas, and how are they then transformed into the actual movies?

There's a great deal of collaboration going on between all the teams that work on StarCraft II. We have a lot of brainstorming sessions where people from my team, the StarCraft design team, and our creative team sit down and throw around story ideas, character ideas, and just general thoughts of what's going to happen next.

For example, as we were coming up with the concept for the teaser cinematic and fleshing out the details for the marine portrayed in it, that marine evolved over time into a character, named Tychus Findlay, that features prominently in StarCraft II. Ultimately, the creative process involved with working Tychus into a certain role in the plot and fleshing him out helped us give him even more character depth in the cinematic.

Also, one of the big advantages of the cinematics team working directly with the game design team is that the cinematics are completely consistent with the game we're making, which isn't always the case when you're hiring an external company. Since we're part of the creative process, there's always a strong sense of consistency and continuity between the actual game and the cinematics.

Part II: Storytelling

It's been almost a decade since StarCraft and Brood War were released. What do you think your team has learned since then, and in what way is that growth reflected in the way the story of StarCraft II is told by its cinematics?

"To stand out, you can't just tell a story - you have to tell it well."

There's actually a lot of things we've learned since then, both in terms of technology and craft. Back then, things that we consider easy now were huge obstacles. If we want to have a talking character today, that's not that big of a deal. Back then, a good-looking facial animation was really difficult to achieve. So, this advance in the state of the art gives us a lot of freedom to tell our story, but good-looking 3D graphics are pretty much the standard that players have come to expect from games by now. To stand out, you can't just tell a story - you have to tell it well.

With every game we do, we try to take the cinematics to the next level. The cinematics of Diablo II were a huge step forward from Warcraft II, and Warcraft III raised the bar even higher. The cinematics for World of Warcraft and The Burning Crusade pushed the limits even further, so there are a lot of expectations for StarCraft II. We're improving our cinematics' quality by taking full advantage of the latest video rendering technologies, but at the end of the day the main goal still is to put all that technology toward crafting an epic story with a terrific cast of characters.

Aside from the pre-rendered cinematics, StarCraft and Brood War also relied on the actual game engine to deliver in-game cut-scenes to advance the plot. How does StarCraft II balance cut-scenes and pre-rendered cinematics? Also, what do you think are the strengths and weaknesses of each storytelling technique?

StarCraft II will have cut-scenes just like the original StarCraft games, but one thing I'm really excited about is that this time, the controls for these scenes will be much more intricate than before. Since our graphics engine for the game itself can display a wide range of effects, such as normal mapping, we can actually create in-game cut-scenes of near-cinematic quality. And since we have more control over camera movement, unit animation, and lighting, our only limitations here are the engine's limitations. A good part of the plot will unfold through in-game cut-scenes, but the most pivotal scenes are still being told through cinematics.

Using pre-rendered cinematics has the advantage of giving us almost unlimited freedom in what we want to show and how we want to execute a shot. In-game cut-scenes still don't quite offer the full range of freedom we have with cinematics. On the other hand, creating art assets for pre-rendered cinematics can be a time-consuming and difficult task, and rendering a cinematic takes time as well. So while we are able to show almost anything we want in a pre-rendered cinematic, the price we pay for that is time. The new cinematics for StarCraft II are really testing the limits of our technology, but at the same time that lets us explore how we can still grow and overcome these limitations.

Part III: Technology

What technologies did you use to create the cinematic teaser?

"I think the polygon count on the marine ended up being well above five million. So when we tried to render the cinematic teaser, we actually broke our renderer."

Traditionally, we've used off-the-shelf software to create our cinematics, but as I said previously, we're reaching the outer limits of what that is capable of. For example, the 3D models used in the cinematic teaser are the most complex and detailed models we've ever done. I think the polygon count on the marine ended up being well above five million. So when we tried to render the cinematic teaser, we actually broke our renderer. It refused to render the scene; it was just too much. In the end, we had to do separate passes to render the cinematic, but this experience showed us that we're approaching a point where our current software might not be able to help us in all rendering tasks.

Now we're looking at other solutions, and one solution is to switch over to RenderMan, a renderer that was developed by Pixar. Doing so means a lot of in-house development, which is fairly unusual for a computer games company, but it's really just the next logical step for us. We have a lot of extremely talented people on the cinematics team, and all that skill and professionalism is being put toward making sure that the cinematics of StarCraft II will meet the players' expectations.

Speaking of in-house software, can you tell us a little about the tools you use to create the in-game cut-scenes?: Our plan is to make all the tools we use to create the in-game cut-scenes available to the players with StarCraft II. It's always been our tradition to ship level-editing tools with our games, and I think that adds a lot to the success and longevity of games like Warcraft III and the original StarCraft. Even with World of Warcraft, there are a lot of really great fan-made machinima movies out there. There is a desire among the players for software like our level editors, and we're really excited to see what they'll do with these tools.

Thank you very much for your time, Nick. Is there anything else you'd like to add?: The only things I'd like to add is that we're really excited to be working on StarCraft II and we hope players will have a great time with it once it's finally released. Also, I'd like to thank my whole team for their hard work and the outstanding job they're doing. They're an amazing bunch of people, and I appreciate everyone's dedication and energy.

Blizzard outlines Starcraft II gameplay

2007-06-01T10:18:00.000-07:00

Studio's top creative talent discusses Starcraft II gameplay details at a Worldwide Invitational panel discussion.

Believe it or not, even though the Blizzard Worldwide Invitational 2007 event is home to music concerts and some of the biggest game tournaments in the world, one of the most intriguing activities is actually sitting quietly in a theater. Three of Blizzard's top creative talents--creative director Andy Chambers, senior game designer Dustin Browder, and vice president of game design Rob Pardo--sat on a panel to discuss gameplay details for the company's newly announced sequel, Starcraft II.

Pardo began the discussion by revisiting several of the studio's previous games, going back as far as Warcraft II, which the vice president cited as the first Blizzard game to garner a significant following as a competitive multiplayer game. Pardo explained that the original Starcraft arose from the team's desire to create a fast-paced real-time strategy game like Warcraft II, but in a different universe, then described how Blizzard's subsequent RTS project, 2002's Warcraft III, took a very different approach by offering slower-paced gameplay with smaller armies, hero units, and many units with activatable abilities to appeal to "the average gamer." Pardo suggested that the units in both the original Starcraft and in the sequel will instead act as "movers and shooters"--mostly autonomous forces that generally lack special abilties but will be used in large control groups to "do their own thing" in battle, rather than requiring the micromanagement of high-level Warcraft III play.

In fact, the VP went on to state that the game will probably offer more early "tech tree" options--different development paths players can take by building different structures and researching different upgrades--which will make early-game scouting more important, and will make early-game rushing a more diverse, deeper strategy.

Pardo also suggested that Warcraft III might have been a more forgiving game for beginners--differences in skill levels seemed less pronounced in that game. The VP said that in Starcraft II, there will be many more nuances that will separate highly skilled players from beginners, and good players from great ones. So in contrast to the sometimes-protracted matches of Warcraft III, Pardo expects the average Starcraft II multiplayer match to last about 20 minutes of real time, possibly even as little as 15 minutes when played by the pros. Pardo pointed out that there will be numerous subtleties added to the game that expert players will learn to use to their advantage, such as a revamped "high ground" system. In the previous Starcraft, ground units that had a height advantage by standing on high ground gained attack bonuses, but would also reveal themselves when attacking. In the sequel, units with high ground will still gain the attack bonuses but will remain concealed by the "fog of war" (the black shroud that covers unexplored areas)--a fact that can be used together with other line-of-signt nuances to your advantage.

Pardo ended his part of the talk by emphasizing that Blizzard remains committed to making the three factions distinct, and to making Starcraft II's gameplay true to the original game, but also different and new. For instance, the VP cited the new Protoss units and abilities that have been shown, such as the ability to "warp-in" to different locations, and the powerful mothership unit. Pardo said Blizzard could have also attempted to create a "Terran version" and a "Zerg version" of these new units and abilities, but the team did not. It is instead looking to balance the factions against one another while keeping them distinct.

Pardo suggested that Starcraft II will, like the original game, be a game about "hard counters"--how certain units can be directly "countered" (defeated decisively) by specific counterunits. As an example, Pardo showed a brief demonstration of Protoss templar units, which are the counterunit to zerglings, annihilating a swarm of the tiny Zerg infantry with their "psi storm" ability. Said Pardo: "Yes, [Starcraft II] will stil be fast-paced and have 'multitasking' for resources and combat, but it'll be a very different game."

The floor was then given to game designer Dustin Browder, who used his time to cite specific examples of different units in play. To begin with, Browder showed a demonstration of the Protoss stalker, a ground-based unit that can attack both air and ground enemies and isn't all that tough, but can "blink" (warp in and out) to any location to which they have line of sight. The obvious uses of this handy ability include pursuing fleeing units by constantly "blinking in" in front of them, but they can also apparently be used as powerful base raiders.

In addition, extremely skilled players will be able to defeat slower-moving melee enemies with stalkers by sticking and moving, repeatedly blinking in and out of range. The designer showed a demonstration of stalkers up against a group of Protoss zealots, somewhat slow melee units that simply weren't able to close in for a hit as the stalkers kept blinking away and firing constantly, eventually winning the battle.

Browder showed how the new units and new abilties for existing units will help diversify gameplay and work within the counterunit system. For instance, the Protoss immortal, a ground-based tank unit, is extremely tough, but slow. It can therefore be countered by quick-thinking players with enough resources to build up counterunits, and therefore is also unable to effectively flee from a losing battle. However, it does possess a powerful energy shield that is triggered only from heavy-duty fire. This makes the immortal a natural counterunit for the Terran siege tank, whose powerful cannons can't do much against the immortal's energy shield. However, the slow-moving immortals themselves can be easily countered by a large swarm of zerglings, which don't deal enough damage to trigger the immortals' shields, and are too quick for the tank to outrun.

Browder then showed an additional example of the kind of subtleties that will separate skilled players from unskilled players. The Protoss phoenix, a flying unit, has a special "overload" ability that creates a damaging energy field around itself, then renders it immobile and helpless shortly afterward. Browder showed a simulated battle between a player with six phoenix units and another player with only four. The player with six phoenixes choked and used the overload ability too early, allowing the other player to dodge out of harm's way; then the player arranged the four phoenixes around the now-immobile six in a loose formation and overloaded the six into oblivion, which suggests that sheer numbers won't always prevail in the face of high-level skill in Starcraft II.

Browder then showed a demonstration of Protoss warp-in technology, which can be used to mount a powerful surprise offense by summoning a large army seemingly out of nowhere. However, the same tech can apparently be used for base defense; the designer showed how an early zergling raid on a Protoss base went sour as the tiny Zerg suddenly found themselves boxed in between Protoss buildings and a small contingent of melee-attacking zealots, with immortal tanks lobbing fire from a distance. The designer closed by stating that the team's goals are to "recapture the magic of the original Starcraft, which was a wonderful, wonderful game," and to "make Starcraft II about these three unique races by generating new tactics and strategies."

The panel then took questions, which revealed some intriguing new details about the sequel. An audience question about future beta plans prompted Pardo to state that Starcraft II will likely have a "closed beta by invitation, similar to [Blizzard's] other products--though this time, [Blizzard] will also enlist the help of pro players to help test for balance."

When asked about the status of the Terrans (who were decimated at the end of the Brood War expansion pack for the original Starcraft), creative designer Andy Chambers explained that "the UED terran forces were destroyed by Kerrigan's Zerg armies (though a few surviving companies may still be around somewhere)," and that the Terran faction in Starcraft II will primarily consist of the "evil empire" of the Terran Dominion. When asked about the status of lead character Jim Raynor, Chambers replied that since Starcraft II takes place four years after Brood War, "Raynor has been having some adventures for sure," but he declined to comment further.

Chambers also suggested that the ancient Xel'Naga, which helped both the Protoss and Zerg races become what they are (but were later destroyed by the Zerg) will also figure into Starcraft II's story "in a rather epic tale." To cap the presentation, Browder fielded a final question that may come as a relief to some players: There are "no plans at this time for naval combat in Starcraft II."

Blizzard talks Starcraft II art design

2007-06-01T09:57:00.000-07:00

A panel of the Irvine, CA-based studio's top artists discusses the art design and environments in the newly announced Starcraft II.

SEOUL, South Korea--At the 2007 Worldwide Invitational event, Blizzard Entertainment is offering tournament play for its hardcore fans and open panel discussions for its inquisitive ones. The company's senior artists, including senior 3D artist Dave Berggren, senior 3D artist Allen Dilling, senior 3D artist Trevor Jacobs, lead technical artist Rob McNaughton, and senior art director Samwise Didier, sit on a panel to discuss how the studio creates art "the Blizzard way."

Didier explains that within the core philosophies of Blizzard art design, "nothing is subtle--every character is over the top; every environment is either beautiful or battle scarred." According to the art director, Blizzard's characters come to life by means of strong silhouettes, exaggerated proportions, distinctive animations, and "bold, saturated colors" so that they not only look memorable, but are easy to distinguish at a glance as well--an important quality for real-time strategy units that must often be viewed from a zoomed-out view. Didier adds that at Blizzard, art is something that "isn't finished until the game is shipped"--artists typically work on continued passes right until games are complete.

Technical artist McNaughton then takes the stage and explains how the studio uses a handful of primary art tools to create its games; there is Adobe Photoshop for texture art, 3D Studio Max for its low-polygon models, and Mudbox for its high-polygon models, as well as its own proprietary toolsets, such as "Startools," to create in-game objects such as trees and other "doodads," and "Scumedit," the updated map editor. McNaughton also points out that Startools and Scumedit will be part of the map- and mod-making tools that will ship with the game. McNaughton explains that Starcraft II's graphics will be based off of the DirectX 9.0 API and fully support Pixel Shader 2.0, including support for conventional DirectX 9.0 effects such as normal mapping and high dynamic range lighting and bloom. While the game will be playable on both Windows XP and Vista, Starcraft II does not support DirectX 10 in its current state. The artist tempers his description of the advanced graphical effects by explaining that although the game will feature advanced graphical effects, it will scale, to some extent, downward to still allow players who don't own cutting-edge PC hardware to play the game.

3D artist Jacobs then discussed the process of how Blizzard starts with 2D concept art and eventually arrives at finished models, using the Protoss Immortal tank as an example to go from hand drawing to rough modeling (adjusted to make sure the model looks good from the traditional RTS overhead view) to texturing to polishing, and 3D artist Dilling reiterates the importance of creating distinctive animations for units. As an example, Dilling shows the Starcraft II flying mutalisk and tiny, doglike zerglings in action, both alone and in large crowds.

Starcraft II's units will have multiple "move cycle" animations so they don't all move in unison with the exact same frames of animation; the crowd of zerglings looks especially creepy because none of them seem to be running in the same way or in the same direction, like a swarm of hyperactive fire ants. Dilling explains that because Starcraft II is being developed with professional competition in mind, the sequel's special effects will be "tight, fast, and quick" such that they don't obscure the action or slow down your computer. However, "landmark events" like the summoning of the top-level Protoss mothership unit will be accompanied by sufficient graphical fanfare to point out their importance.

The panel winds down with a brief presentation on environments from 3D artist Dave Berggren, who suggests that Starcraft II will take place both in new worlds and in worlds that had appeared in the original game. Berggren shows concepts for the Protoss world of Bel'Shir, a lush, jungle planet that had once served as a religious retreat for the race before it was sacked by the Zerg. The planet has since become covered in ruined temples. Berggren also introduces Braxis Alpha, the Terran settlement that appeared in yesterday's video presentation. Braxis Alpha will be a combination of industrial wasteland and mountainous regions, covered in craggy rock formations and factory-like debris, such as loose gears and turbines that jut out from mountain faces. Finally, Berggren shows concept art of the Zerg world of Char (where Kerrigan, the Terran-ghost-unit-turned-Zerg-commander holds court), which will, like in the previous games, be a craggy, volcanic planet covered in lava floes. Berggren points out that although Blizzard's art team is taking advantage of modern texturing approaches to environments by mapping terrains and overlaying photorealistic textures, the art team will also make final passes to tweak environmental areas by hand.

Inside Mac Games News: StarCraft 2: Distinctive Art & Fast Gameplay

2007-06-01T09:52:00.000-07:00

Gamespot recently posted two articles examining panel discussions at the Blizzard Worldwide Invitational 2007, both focusing on aspects of the recently announced StarCraft 2. The eagerly awaited continuation of the successful sci-fi RTS series will feature a distinctive art style designed to please the eye and make units readily identifiable, and quick gameplay with enough depth to satisfy power gamers.

Senior art director Samwise Didier explains that within the core philosophies of Blizzard art design, "nothing is subtle--every character is over-the-top; every environment is either beautiful or battle-scarred." According to the art director, Blizzard's characters come to life by means of strong silhouettes, exaggerated proportions, distinctive animations, and "bold, saturated colors" so that they not only look memorable, but are easy to distinguish at a glance--an important quality for real-time strategy units that must often be viewed from a zoomed-out view. Didier adds that at Blizzard, art is something that "isn't finished until the game is shipped"--artists typically work on continued passes right until games are complete...

Starcraft II's units will have multiple "move cycle" animations so they don't all move in unison with the exact same frames of animation; the crowd of zerglings looks especially creepy because none of them seems to be running about in the same way or in the same direction, like a swarm of hyperactive fire ants. Dilling explains that because Starcraft II is being developed with professional competition in mind, the sequel's special effects will be "tight, fast, and quick" such that they don't obscure the action or slow down your computer. However, "landmark events" like the summoning of the top-level Protoss mothership unit will be accompanied by sufficient graphical fanfare to point out their importance.

StarCraft 2: Of Secrets And Release Dates

2007-06-01T04:48:00.000-07:00

StarCraft 2 has been the talk of the gaming world ever since Blizzard unveiled it as its next project. Still, a few details and a handful of pictures and trailers are less than enough to keep the fans happy. MSNBC had a long talk with Blizzard's vice president of game design, Rob Pardo and got some interesting data.

Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the StarCraft 2 saga was Blizzard's ability to keep the game under wraps for such a long time. The game entered development back in 2003 and still nobody outside Blizzard knew nothing about it.

Well, here's how they did it:“We keep games under code names and we teach developers to refer to games by their code name. And we’re just really careful about talking about the game internally. We don’t bring external folks through unannounced product areas. But I think even I’m surprised that we were able to keep it under wraps all the way to the end.”

Having a smaller development team (as compared to many other developers) sure helped a lot keeping this secret. However, Pardo outlines another advantage of smaller teams. At least, he sees it as an advantage, but all those eager to get their hands on the game might not approve:

“Different companies have different philosophies on how long they spend on products. I think we…have smaller development teams than other companies in the industry, and that turns into longer development cycles. We’re very iterative in our approach to game development. We can really look at the game and make really big decisions on redoing whole aspects of the game. [...]You see a lot of companies that are so focused on the release date that they put 100-person, 200-person teams together to hit that date, and at that point you’re really the runaway train. You have to hit that date and live with decisions that you might not have been 100 percent happy with. We take the opposite approach.[...]

The only thing I can give you [that’s] concrete is it’s not going to be this year. Some people were hoping, because of how advanced the game looks, that we’d have it out by Christmas, but that’s definitely not happening.”

Starcraft 2 - Protoss Units

2007-06-01T03:40:00.000-07:00

Screenshot	Name	Description
	Immortal	Before the loss of Aiur, veteran protoss warriors who had been crippled in battle could volunteer to continue their service by being transplanted into dragoon exoskeletons. Now, the dragoons of the past are all but gone. The sacred shrine that was dedicated to the creation of the dragoons was infested by the zerg and l...
	Phase Prism	For thousands of years the Protoss have studied the nature of time and space. Through their painstaking studies and experiments protoss researchers have uncovered many of the secrets of the universe. Using psionic manufacturing processes, the protoss have learned how to create a robotic mind whose programming is built ...
	Stalker	The dark templar are a branch of the protoss race that refused to surrender their individuality to the encompassing psionic gestalt of the Khala. In ages past they were exiled from the protoss homeworld of Aiur and left to wander the Void before they found a new home on the distant planet Shakuras. Denie...
	Zealot	For millennia the Templar caste of the Protoss have defended their people from threats both internal and external, dedicating their long lives to the pursuit of martial perfection. Zealots are peerless templar warriors who have yet to achieve the uppermost ranks of the Khala. Ever eager for battle, zealots train consta...

Blizzard VP, Rob Pardo, Talks Starcraft 2

2007-05-31T20:00:00.000-07:00

MSNBC recently sat down with Blizzard vice president of game design, Rob Pardo, to discuss Starcraft 2: why it took so long, how they kept it a secret, and when it might come out.

As Pardo explains, the reason for the nine-year gap between the first Starcraft's release and the new one's announcement was that the development team decided to revisit the Warcraft universe first. That project of course became Warcraft III. The team began work on the Starcraft sequel in 2003, but really didn't start into full production until a year later. He admits his own surprise at being able to keep the project a secret for so long. They simply used code names for the project and generally kept outsiders away (although Penny Arcade has their own theories). The reason the game is taking so long is because the development team is relatively small, with only 40 people working on it. Also, Blizzard's strategy tends to focus more on getting out a quality product than hitting a deadline.

That's probably why Pardo couldn't give even a ballpark estimate of when the game will be ready to launch. There was one unfortunate thing he made clear though:

"The only thing I can give you [that’s] concrete is it’s not going to be this year. Some people were hoping, because of how advanced the game looks, that we’d have it out by Christmas, but that’s definitely not happening."

Yep, unfortunately, it's going to be awhile before we get a chance to play this highly anticipated sequel. He also made it very clear that, despite rumors floating around the net, there will definitely be no fourth race; just Zerg, Protoss, and Terran as before.

Starcraft 2 - Preview

2007-05-31T07:00:00.000-07:00

With the fanfare dying down and the celebration turned to anticipation, the question has to be posed: just how much do we know about the coming title, Starcraft 2? For the casual observer and late-comer to Blizzard's announcement, I will recap everything that has been revealed to date.

From our first glimpses, we can tell that Starcraft 2 is a game inspired by its predecessor. One might be inclined to expect that this time around we'd be seeing a greater scale between huge Battlecruisers and small Marines. Rather, the game appears to be preserving its original flavor, and you can expect that Battlecruisers are no bigger in comparison to the Marine than they were in the original game. One should expect the pace of the game to feel the same, as well.

That's not that things won't be changing. Quite to the contrary, we've seen a host of amazing new units and gameplay features. Blizzard isn't going to recycle the original Starcraft, they are going to remake it from scratch, to the same flavor, but with different features and strategic considerations. What kinds of changes should we expect? We were introduced to one of the fundamental shifts in Protoss gameplay; the ability to build an army any time in any location within the influence of their Pylons. It's a potent ability that can make a forward Protoss base no less dangerous than the main Protoss base.

We've yet to see any indication of a new race added into the mix. There is some circumstantial evidence that suggests that Blizzard may surprise us with one at a later point in time, but lacking any explicit indication that they intend to do so, we can only speculate at this point. With that said, the existing races will see a return of many old favorites, and the addition of many new ones.

New Units
We've seen seven new Protoss units so far, the Phoenix, Colossus, Phase Prism, Warp Ray, Mothership, Immortal, and Stalker. We've also seen the Zealot returning for action - with a new ability, no less. The Zealot remains the ideal front-line fighter, but this time it comes equipped with the ability to quickly close the distance between an enemy by charging. This charging proved exceptionally useful in the gameplay videos for allowing the rear of a force of Zealots to get around the front line blocking its way to the melee. This ability has not been shown in a pursuit context, so it is unknown if it can be used repeatedly.

The Colossus is a massive walker that is highly reminiscent of the Monkeylord of Supreme Commander. It has the ability to step up and down cliffs with its long legs, and its main attack is a sweeping laser that is very effective against smaller enemies. However, it does not appear to have an anti-air attack, which makes it highly vulnerable in that regard.

The Phase Prism appears to be an auxiliary unit that bares a close resemblance to the Arbiter, which is as yet an unconfirmed unit. It only known ability at this time is to deploy itself to become a temporary pylon, an excellent way to establish or re-power a forward base. Seeing as it fills an auxiliary role, it will likely have several special abilities, but this is just speculation.

The Warp Ray is one of the new flying units in the Protoss arsenal. The longer it fires on a single target, the more powerful its attack becomes. This makes it a natural weapon against big units like the Battlecruiser and structures. It appeared to be worthless against Marines, which took about half as long to go down (individually!) as a Battlecruiser against the Warp Ray's attack.
The other new light flyer we've seen is the Phoenix. It is almost certainly replacing the Scout. Just as the Warp Ray focuses on dealing with large individual targets, the Phoenix is adept at destroying many smaller targets. The synergy between these two units is very obvious. Whether the Phoenix is capable of attacking ground is unknown; the ability to do so has not yet been demonstrated. However, it proved to be a competent anti-air attacker against light air units. Moreover, when it deployed it had the ability to attack all nearby units simultaneously for several volleys, but after doing so it was shut down for several seconds. The Phoenix proved ineffective with either of its weapons against Battlecruisers, but it remains to be seen whether this was just because it was not in sufficient numbers in the gameplay trailer, or because it really can't deal effective amounts of damage to them.

The Mothership is a massive late game powerhouse, so powerful that the Protoss are restricted to one at a time, and even then its presence is highly costly. We've seen three special abilities from it. The first is a "time bomb" which allows it to warp time temporarily around it. Unfortunately, we only got to see a very specific instance of this; missile turrets were firing at the Mothership, but they slowed down upon entering the time field and came to a stop. When the time field ended, they fell harmlessly to the ground. How this affects units, structures, and non-projectile attacks (ie, a laser) is as yet unknown. The next special ability of the Mothership is called the "planet-cracker". Essentially, it fires down several beams underneath it that slaughters everything that it passes over. Normally this would expose you to counter-fire from enemy anti-air, but if the enemy only has lighter units such as Marines, this special ability can be used with utter impunity. It proved excellent for razing bases. The final Mothership special ability appears to be a hard counter to a massive fleet of stacked air units. The black hole sucks every air unit around it in. The threat of a black hole alone should be enough to permanently end any strategy involving a tightly packed swarm of Battlecruisers.

The Immortal and Stalker will be replacing the Dragoon, which was cut. They are similar enough to the Dragoon, but each displays unique special abilities. The Immortal has heavy firepower and a special variety of shield. It appears to reduce all damage down to a minimal level (the trailer described it as a shield that blocks only heavy attacks); against slow firing units like siege tanks it takes almost no beating. Against fast-firing units or those that come in swarms like Marines, it goes down quickly enough. While the Immortal appears to be a front line unit, the Stalker is something that will prove useful in less direct battles. Its primary ability (it was implied it will have more) is to teleport short distances. This ability proves excellent for hit and run operations, chasing down penemies, or just getting to high ground. The Stalker, unfortunately, appears rather fragile, and may well end up being the Protoss equivalent of the Vulture in Starcraft 2.
We also saw some old favorites from the Terran and Zerg faction, and one new hint of what is to come from each. We saw a Terran base; it still has the ability to move most of its types of buildings into position (it also appeared to be moving somewhat faster than they did in Starcraft), and every structures was very recognizable. The Marines now hold a shield. Whether they have a new special ability using that shield or if they still have Stimpacks is unknown; neither was demonstrated.

We did not see Firebats (leading to some speculation that they were cut), but we did see the new reaper unit. It's a jetpack infantry that can hop over cliffs and proves excellent for speedy pursuits and harassments. It was, however, outclassed by the Stalker, which proved to be the superior pursuit unit, chasing down and destroying the reapers.

The Siege Tank is also in. It has a very new look to it, but its effect in battle is highly reminiscent of the original game. If it has any new abilities, we have yet to see it (we haven't even seen its un-deployed attack - something that probably wouldn't be missed anyways - leading to some speculation that it now only operates when deployed). Battlecruisers, Dropships and Ghosts were also observed. We've seen the Yamato Cannon, Stealth, and Nukes. It is doubtful that lockdown has been cut, so these units appear more or less to have kept their original purposes intact. Whether there will be a new ability for any of them is unknown.

We also had the opportunity to see the Zergling and Mutalisk in action, as well as two new units for the Zerg faction. The Zergling appears to have wings now, but whether these have some special ability associated with them was not displayed. The Mutalisk appeared to be no different than its previous incarnation, a swarming flying unit with a bouncing attack. No new special abilities were demonstrated.

The two new Zerg units we saw were the Banelings and the Nydus Worm. The Nydus Worm appears to fulfill the role of the Nydus Canal, except it doesn't need creep where it emerges to let loose its units. There does appear to be a moment of warning before troops can come through it. The Baneling is a mutation available for the Zergling, similar to how the Hydralisk turned into a lurker. In the transformation, the Zergling becomes a suicidal time bomb. It appeared to move much slower, however, as even a colossus was able to get away (but just barely...). While morphing, they appeared to be very resistant to attacks. Even a moderately large force of Zealots and Colossus were unable to destroy more than a few before the rest completed the metamorphosis.

The new units appeared to have one focus in mind: breaking up the old Starcraft original strategies. It does make sense that the races would have spent their time working on counters to the best strategies of the others. Forget about a huge stack of Battlecruisers being a threat against Protoss; get one Mothership and suck them all into a black hole. Equally, Siege Tanks will need to be balanced with marines (and micro抏d...) if they hope to overcome the new Immortal. Even the faction we've seen very little of, the Zerg, will have a new degree of mobility that will allow it to pick where and when the battle will happen.

Gameplay

At this point, there isn't a lot we can say about gameplay. The gameplay trailer shown by Blizzard was less an actual game and more of a showcase. Even in their 'final battle', we can clearly observe a lack of any semblance of micromanagement or strategy. It was more cinematic than demonstration in that regard.

We do know that there will no longer be a limit on how many units you can select at a time. This has been one of the longest standing complaints about the series. Although the game appears to be making an about-face from the direction headed in Warcraft III, we can certainly expect the wonderful interface in that game to make its way into Starcraft 2. Unfortunately, we didn't get a good look at the interface in action during the gameplay trailer, since only trivial tasks were performed.

At this point, we have not seen any indication of a hero system as in Warcraft III. This has lead most to the conclusion that we will not have heroes in Starcraft 2 skirmishes. There have been several statements from Blizzard to back up these claims (you can read the discussion thread on the forums for more details). However, it remains to be seen what kinds of heroes will be in the campaign. Many expect that the Warcraft III system for heroes will be in the campaign and map editor, but this is not confirmed.

How Far Along is it?

I can't tell you when to expect Starcraft 2. Blizzard will be done when they are done. However, what I can tell you is that the Protoss faction looks like it's nearing completion, while the Terran faction has some skeleton units and structures. We have only seen a handful of Zerg. The engine appears to be working well, but we do not know how many as yet unmentioned features are intended. The game balance and mechanics are likely in their infancy. In other words, don't expect the beta in the next few months, but definitely keep track of this title.

Blizzard Announces StarCraft 2

2007-05-24T08:06:00.000-07:00

Seoul, Korea -- The scene here is an absolute madhouse. I'm parked in the front row of Olympic Stadium in Seoul, Korea, and around me are thousands of screaming fans and press representatives from over 150 news outlets around the world. The setting is the Blizzard WorldWide invitational, and in addition to kicking off a weekend of competitions, Blizzard has just made the announcement fans around the world have waited nearly ten years to hear: Blizzard is resurrecting the revered StarCraft franchise with StarCraft 2.

While addressing the crowd, Blizzard President Mike Morhaim talked about the amazing support Korea has given StarCraft over the years, where the game is practically a national sport and pro players are treated like rock stars. "It was easy for us to decide where (this announcement) should take place," said Morhaime, before showing a short teaser video for StarCraft 2 and then turning over the stage to lead designer Dustin Browder (Command & Conquer and Battle For Middle Earth franchises) to show off game footage.

This announcement is just the beginning of our coverage at the Worldwide Invitational -- check back throughout the weekend, as we'll have more announcements, interviews with Blizzard staff and impressions of the StarCraft footage shown so far.

StarCraft II Gameplay Panel Report (PC)

2007-05-24T05:58:00.000-07:00

Dustin Browder, Andy Chambers and Rob Pardo look tired. That's understandable, of course. It's the second day of Blizzard's World Wide Invitational in Seoul, Korea and the gaming world's been in turmoil thanks to yesterday's announcement that yes, the classic RTS StarCraft is finally getting a sequel. Since then they've had to weather a blizzard (no pun intended) of questions, comments and criticism coming at them from all quarters. Blizzard fan forums are ablaze with discussion, conclusions are rapidly being jumped to.

The three perk up as they take their seats behind the table in the Olympic Stadium theater. This is their turf. Here they get to talk about how the StarCraft franchise has reached this point and what they're doing to move it forward.

Pardo gets up first and a PowerPoint slide flashes on the screen. "We'd like to start this by talking about how StarCraft 2 got to this point," he says. He takes us back to the success of Warcraft II. According to Pardo, as the game became more popular online, they noticed an early version of the modern gaming scene begin to emerge via ladders, clans and tournaments. When they decided to do a follow-up to the game, their first inclination was to do an "Orcs in space" game based on the Warcraft II engine. As the space game that became StarCraft developed, though, the definitive StarCraft style began to emerge. The development team emphasized the fast-paced nature of the gameplay along with the asymmetrical sides and the focus on multiplayer and competitive gaming.

"Warcraft III went in a completely different direction," he continued. Rather than emulate StarCraft, the team wanted to include more RPG elements in the game. That entailed slowing the gameplay down considerably, giving more units special player-controlled powers and adding new hero units. It worked, but it also meant that future entries in the Warcraft franchise, whether RTS or the MMO would be blazing a different path than the StarCraft franchise. "...and that brings us to today and StarCraft II," Pardo concludes. Apparently one of the key design and business goals with the new StarCraft was to continue to differentiate the two franchises. The result was a sequel that's a much more direct descendent from its predecessor than Warcraft III was to Warcraft II.

The team is also looking to improve the terrain use and positional gameplay of the original. That means that many units will once again be restricted to ramps, particular slopes and deliberately designed choke points. They are, however, including units that break some of the old rules. Units on high ground will now remain hidden behind the fog of war when attacking unless their target has some method of establishing a sight-line (apparently scouting takes on an enhanced role in StarCraft II. According to Pardo, this change alone has dramatically changed the use of Terran siege tanks during their internal testing. He also gave two specific examples. One was the Protoss Colossus, a huge tripod-like unit that can just step over cliffs and certain gaps in the terrain and the other was the Terran Reaver that uses jump jets to quickly get to inaccessible portions of the terrain.

One of the most surprising revelations in the team's presentation was that StarCraft II will have the same number of units as the original game. That means that for every new unit added to a sides' army, one had to come out. Apparently the team did this for both gameplay and design reasons. Limiting the number of units forced the team to focus on exactly what each unit was expected to do and why it should be there. There were some iconic units like the Zealots, Marines and Zerglings that no one could imagine the game without, but there were other calls that were apparently quite painful to make. Pardo seems to feel that forcing the team to make these painful choices will result in a better game by avoiding extraneous units that never get used.

Pardo concluded his portion of the demonstration by introducing the lead producer on the title, Dustin Browder. Browder fired up a few more PowerPoint slides that promised to give us specific examples of what he calls "differentiation by skill." The first was a group of Stalkers being attacked by a group of Zealots. The Stalkers were using their short-range "Blink" ability to pop away from the Zealots while staying close enough to continue peppering the with weapons fire. According to Browder the technique we were watching was one that it would take a skilled player to master and represented the kinds of alternate thinking for unit abilities that the team hopes will fuel multiplayer strategies once the game is released.

The next two examples were also presented as the kinds of novel tactics that might only used by advanced players. First eight Protoss Phoenix fighters took on an enemy group of four other Phoenixes. Outnumbered, the second player tried to run away only to have the first player fire his overload power too far away. Suddenly helpless, the second player turned his own ships around. Rather that attacking them directly, though, he instead split his force of aircraft in two and sent them to opposite sides of the cluster of disabled aircraft. The first group fired their own "overload" ability and the combined fields managed to cover the area in which the eight enemy planes were still recovering. The result was the destruction of eight ships with minimal damage to counterattacking craft.

The final example was of some advanced tactics using the Protoss new warping ability. According to Browder, the idea was to offer the Protoss player more mobility, allowing him or her to even set up forward bases that could be used as staging areas for never-ending reinforcements. What they found in testing, however, was that in the hands of a skilled player it became evn more formidable defensively. On screen a group of Protoss buildings had been constructed to form a natural choke point. When a horde of Zerglings attacked, the Protoss player popped in a group of Zealots in just the right position to act as a meat shield stopping up the gap. The zerglings naturally attacked but couldn't wipe out the Zealots fast enough to avoid being popped by the squad of ranged Stalkers that had appeared behind them. For the player who can master it, the Protoss' teleportation offer lots of new strategic options by allowing the player to place an army right where they want it.

Considering how long StarCraft fans had waited for the game, the basic presentation the team had offered the day before had raised as many questions as it answered. Judging just by the visuals, StarCraft II simply didn't look that different than the original game. Listening to the team discuss their vision for the game reassured me. This is, after all a company that's never pushed the envelope in terms of graphic wonders or "big idea" innovations. Blizzard's genius has always been in execution -- the way it gets all the small things just right. Based on the team's presentation at the World Wide Invitationals in Korea, their focus seems to be on just that. The success or failure of StarCraft II will be in the details and so far the details look pretty cool.

StarCraft II Art Panel Report (PC)

2007-05-24T05:00:00.000-07:00

Senior members of the StarCraft II art team talk about how they create the "Blizzard look."

Five men walk out from behind the stage in the theater set up at Olympic Stadium in Seoul. They look like typical gamers, kind of scruffy, long hair, beards, colorful button-down shirts. Then as one, they line up stiffly behind the table with their hands at their side and the big bear of a man on the right hand side barks out a short phrase in Korean and the five bow as one.

The crowd in the theater goes crazy, shouting and cheering as though someone just announced that the sequel to a much-beloved video game. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised at their colorful entrance, though. These five men are senior members of Blizzard's art department and they know something about using an image to make an impression.

The man who uttered the Korean phrase introduces himself. "I'm Samwise Didier," he says, and then introduces the rest of the art team who occupy the table. Together they have more than 50 years of experience at the company and the majority of them are the same guys who did the original StarCraft back in 1998. Didier goes on to say that they've come there that afternoon to discuss the art design of StarCraft II and talk a little about Blizzard's art philosophy and how it
ties in to the way it designs games.

"First you need to understand that art isn't finished until the game ships," Didier continues. Apparently Blizzard goes through hundreds and sometimes thousands of artwork iterations before the design team is satisfied with it. Not only do they continually tweak the graphics to improve the artistic quality but they also work closely with the developers to make sure that the artwork always enhances and supports the gameplay rather than acts as a distraction. The result is the cartoony (though Blizzard artists chafe at the word) art style often associated with the company's games.

In many ways this relentless focus on usability explains much of the commonly recognized features of Blizzard's artwork. "Nothing is subtle," Didier says of the way Blizzard artists create artwork. "Everything needs to be beautiful or battle-scarred." Indeed a quick perusal over Blizzard's gaming history shows some commonalities: strong, bright colors with specific shade groupings used to identify allegiance (Zergs, for example, are purple and, to a lesser extent, pink).

Every unit or character in a game needs to have a strong, immediately identifiable silhouette that allows the player to spot them right away in a battlefield that may be teeming with hundreds of characters. StarCraft II for example, will regularly field individual armies consisting of 300 units as opposed to the 60 unit limit in Warcraft III. The team also consciously mutes things like lasers and explosions to be complementary to the action, not distracting. They used the example of the Protoss Mothership's Planet Cracker ability which was initially a solid beam and then changed into separate rays that allowed the player to see and select units underneath the Mothership.

The team also discussed the special challenges and requirements that made creating artwork for StarCraft II different from their last project, World of Warcraft. Didier threw an early concept drawing of a new Protoss Immortal unit on the screen. It's an impressive quadrapedal behemoth designed as a heavy assault vehicle. While rather vulnerable to small, quick units, the Immortal sports some amazingly big guns it uses to render enemies like Siege Tanks into scrap metal.

The slide changed and it showed a few iterations of the Immortal. Some of the changes made to the 3D graphic model in the game included removing the larger guns from the unit's arms and substituting two smaller guns that would be easier to see and give the player a nice visual cue about how they were supposed to be used. The head was also angled back to allow more space for team colors and to let the player see the Protoss embedded inside. Not only is this cool to see, it gives the player more of a sense that The Immortal is their unit -- a sentient being worthy of being used wisely, not thrown away as cannon fodder.

Finally they showed off some concept artwork of three of the planets players will be visiting. According to Andy Chambers at an earlier panel, StarCraft II will take place some four years after the events of the original game. The UED presence was completely destroyed by Kerrigan's Zerg though there are still some remnants of that force lurking about. The big bad guys this time around are the Terran Dominion and the single-player campaign player will learn a bit more about the history of the Protoss, the Zerg and the Xel'Naga.

To this end, the team is working on the jungle world of Bel'Shir, a former Protoss spiritual retreat destroyed by the Zerg, now empty and overgrown. They also showed off the Braxis Alpha space platform setting which is where all the gameplay in the announcement footage was shot. Finally they showed some concept drawings of Char, misidentified as the Zerg "homeworld." While it may not be the Zerg's actual home, Char has more than a few Zerg secrets to discover.

StarCraft II OverView

2007-05-22T02:48:00.000-07:00

StarCraft II continues the epic saga of the Protoss, Terran, and Zerg. These three distinct and powerful races will clash once again in the fast-paced real-time strategy sequel to the legendary original, StarCraft. Legions of veteran, upgraded, and brand-new unit types will do battle across the galaxy, as each faction struggles for survival.

Featuring a unique single-player campaign that picks up where StarCraft: Brood War left off, StarCraft II will present a cast of new heroes and familiar faces in an edgy sci-fi story filled with adventure and intrigue. In addition, Blizzard will again offer unparalleled online play through Battle.net, the company's world-renowned gaming service, with several enhancements and new features to make StarCraft II the ultimate competitive real-time strategy game.

Features:

1.Fast-paced, hard-hitting, tightly balanced competitive real-time strategy gameplay that
recaptures and improves on the magic of the original game
2.Three completely distinct races: Protoss, Terran, and Zerg
3.New units and gameplay mechanics further distinguish each race
4.Groundbreaking single-player "story-mode" campaign
5.Vibrant new 3D-graphics engine with support for dazzling visual effects and massive unit and army sizes
6.Full multiplayer support, with new competitive features and matchmaking utilities available through Battle.net
7.Full map-making and scripting tools to give players incredible freedom in customizing and personalizing their gameplay experience

StarCraft II Units-Zealot

2007-05-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

Builds From: Gateway
Armament: Psionic Blades
Role: Assault Warrior

Templar caste of the Protoss have defended their people from threats both internal and external, dedicating their long lives to the pursuit of martial perfection. Zealots are peerless templar warriors who have yet to achieve the uppermost ranks of the Khala. Ever eager for battle, zealots train constantly to attune themselves more closely to the Khala's disciplines and prove themselves worthy of advancement. They exemplify the unbridled ferocity of the protoss at war.

The formidable physique of a zealot is further enhanced by cybernetic implants and their coveted power suit. Yet a zealot is far more than the technology he bears. Each Zealot is trained for decades in hand to hand combat, tactics, pain tolerance and martial discipline. Zealots are taught to hate their enemies with a white hot passion and to hunt them down without mercy.
All protoss have some psionic ability and zealots focus their minds exclusively on the pursuit of war. Focus crystals in their heavy forearm units enable zealots to channel their strength of will into blades of pure psionic energy - their primary melee weapons. Using a limited form of precognition, zealots can even predict enemy movements striking, with deadly accuracy and dodging attacks by inches.

Some Zealots have even developed the ability to turn their body into pure energy for a few microseconds. This allows them to move at lightning fast speeds and strike suddenly against an enemy that thinks they are out of range.

In recent times the zerg invasion of the Protoss homeworld of Aiur forced its evacuation to the distant dark templar world of Shakuras. The Templar caste as a whole, and the zealots in particular, seethe with shame at this dishonor. Many and loud are the voices raised demanding a return to Aiur, cradle of the protoss civilization. The zealots have thrown themselves into an even more rigorous program of training in preparation for the glorious day when their services will be called upon once more.