Interesting to learn that Blizzard had lost most of the old code and assets for StarCraft, so when it decided to create a ‘Remastered’ edition they had to go back to basics and build it all again, but to replicate the original perfectly that also meant incredibly detailed efforts to “eyeball everything.”
Sousa found that making the original game’s art look “faithful” meant preserving serious issues with perspective. “Shadows are in the wrong places, and lighting is different across the board,” he said. “But we wanted to make sure that going into StarCraft Remastered, that [players]recognize everything instantly.” As a result, the HD and 4K modes’ default presentation sometimes looks flat and awkward, which is more exposed without the blurrier, 640×480 pixel resolution of the original.
A very insightful discussion and interview from Ars Technica on just what went into this project and why they decided to do it at all.
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Seamus runs Byteside. You may also have spotted his words at the Australian Financial Review, the ABC, Junkee, Gamespot, The Esports Observer, CNET, Gizmodo and a few other spots over the years. He's very happy that he gets to nerd out for a living.
