Starcraft had a long and exciting history of being developed. It has been delayed MANY times and could have came out in 1996. What took StarCraft soo long to develop into a final product??

As Blizzard finished warcraft2, it became a remarkable  success. Afterwards blizzard has dedicated itself to be a GOOD company.  They have rushed to make a Starcraft  their new game.  It would be basically an improved warcraft2 2. It would have 3 races and they would be totally different, as opposing to warcraft2 2 with its mirror images.  But as they almost finished their StarCraft game, they released it to E3 show. After that it was criticized soo much, since it looked too much like warcraft2.
From then, THEY TOTALLY CHANGED the game engine

PIC1: How the FIRST STARCRAFT looked in 1996:
 
 
 
 
 
 

As you see, StarCraft looked quite a bit like warcraft2 2.
StarCraft under warcraft2 engine was the first public shown version.  It was very different from this version.
The zerg which were playable in it I think were called 'Nightmare invaders" .  Notice those red guardians in front of overlords. Later the nightmarish invaders were renamed to ZURG and the ZERG
(to avoid legal action since ZURG sounds like a guy from toy story).

Look at more screen shots!! Look the units looked soo different back then!!!! I can only recognize a drone, mutalisk, and maybe a guardian and overlord.
 

Look at list of old Zerg units. Notice that you cannot recognize most of them!! I only recognize larva (first one) Drone (below it)
Overlord, which looks like a guardian. I recognize mutalisk and the scourge above. I like how the scourge looked like. Notice
its high level of detail! I like that it had like a circular mouth full of claws.

Look at other early picture of 1996 StarCraft.
This is a nice zerg mining colony!! I liked the idea of asteroids floating and you collecting resources from them! No wonder early resource gatherers could fly in beta! Too bad this feature was removed. But in the introductory film to StarCraft it showed
a terran ship gathering minerals  off some asteroids! That is actually what was in the beta. But why was this awesome feature removed from Starcraft??? Because it would imbalance or ruin game?? If gatherers could fly it would make a new definition to
"peon rushing" .

Look at a cool ancient battle between Nightmarish invaders and few protoss interceptors
Awesome battle!!! It show's overlords shooting at the enemy!!!!
 

Also with a game engine changes the game started to be more balanced. Like, Zerg overlords no longer could attack!!
That is a good thing!!! Look how MUCH  imbalance that would cause!!!!! Even though 4 damage is VERY weak, it still was too much. Talking about a overlord rush on defenseless protoss....

I still like the version, even though it was very buggy... I mean drones could fly!! They could fly in outer space and get minerals!!
That was soo good!! Also I like the way carriers looked like!!! And guardians!!! But as you can see, the graphics was messed up... I wish I played this version!!!
 

So the Blizzard made Version 2
It now has a new engine and it is the early/middle/ end of '97.  This is  unreleased version has still many changes... The terran is still awkward looking.  The game interface is no longer warcraft2 2 ish. BUT its different from normal SC!!!  I mean  there
were MK1 MK2 and soo on.. From now on the Blizzard focused more on the hardest thing, the game balancing...
In this version dropships could bomb and archons mind control. The dragoon was "templar".   This version was the best Starcraft version, as i think. I mean goliaths could use machine gun and flame-thrower and missiles on ground target!!! I also liked that  transports landed to pick up units. Units no longer just disappeared and appeared when coming in and out of transport.

Also there was a secret unit which awfully looks like a flying resource craft. Mmm... i wonder why did  Blizzard take it out?
it would be soo cool to have..   Picture here

Transports are much bigger and awesome looking. But they are as big as carriers!!! Take a look here
Also there was a valkyer type craft... I don't know its purpose. Also terrans could pick up minerals from dead enemy  units
"like in the Starcraft intro" .  I also guess that marines instead of stimpack could throw grenades, just like in the BW INTRO movie. Terrans have a un identified unit which could be a flying resource gatherer.
 look here for awesome space battle with scouts which use some strange "homing mine" or something. That looks soo cool!!
A homing mine!!!   Note that wraiths were called "phoenix" and that arbiter doesn't cloak units!!! picture here

I like the goliaths in the sc beta. take a look.
Notice they shoot missiles at  templars (the name of dragoons in sc beta) I wished that goliaths were like in beta, even with
the upgrade. Too bad...  I think that giving it 70 health points would balance things out.

Look at cool assault at terran base. Look and see.
Again the scouts are launching a unit which looks like a probe!!! It does!!! I wish I knew more about it. Is it a special ability?
Like yamato cannon which didn't survive into the version we currently have??

Also I would buy this beta version of StarCraft, look at new awesome tank!! Notice that dragoons are shooting a strange laser particles while goliaths are using a laser.  Anyone knows why it was changed???

Notice dragoons were called templars and see their statistics
 

Also I LOVED the tanks in this version!!! They looked totally awesome and different from current version!! I would pay money to play Starcraft using these tanks!!!!!!!!

Look how transports were big and how they unloaded their cargo!! Dropships actually landed!!
look here  I wonder, why was it taken out??

Also look at some old terrain with dragoons walking.   pic3   and
Look here for a list of some terran structures and units!! Take notice how big machine shop was! Its as big as barracks!!
Also look the marines were called "marauders" . Also engineering bay was called "weapons plant"  And supply depots were power stations!!!
Also wraith were different. They could shoot missiles at the ground!! That was awesome! Notice in this screen shot
that drones fly and Science Vessel has legs!!

Look here for screwed up protoss picture of some units/buildings.  Look, the star gate was called Nexus!!!!
Oh goody goody.  Look here for zerg buildings/units      Notice that queens nest was called "Hive" and Evolution chamber was "Spore Colony"

However this version was still terribly imbalance.  Hydralisks had 120!!!! Health points!!!
Wraith only 70!!!!!  But if Hydralisks used melee weapon at the ground, that would balance them.

Notice in this middle Starcraft picture that HYDRALISKS were slashing with their claws!! (No wonder they have such big and long arms when you select campaigns in regular StarCraft)  link here
Notice that ultralisks look like SH** (they do. They look dirty)

Also see that early Zurg (spelled  how it was at that time period) did not have  any creep!!! Why is that??? Notice 6 larvae crawling around single hatchery!!! How is that possible??? That would imbalance!!!  proof

Also see wraiths shooting missiles at the ground!!! And look how ugly terran buildings looked like!

Also see how protoss buildings looked cool. They looked pretty good. I wonder why it was changed!! look at pylons, gateway.
Tell me, are they cool or ugly???

Look at another air war between terrans and protoss. Look at miniature nuclear explosions probes make!!! Again a protoss resource gatherer unit is like a missile !!! Was that a early version of its missiles??? Look the valkyer are in BETA!!! Conspiracy!!! Why did blizzard took them out???

 
StarCraft had soo much original ideas which was taken out.   I mean in the early version of the game, resource managmand
was different. DO you know that there were RAW materials  and refined materials?? Do you know that resources were stockpiled outside the FACTORY??  You know in very early StarCraft beta's you could actually "steal" resources!!!
 

SO the blizzard changed the graphic a bit even again. This time it was their last change... Now it was starting of beta season
and final preparations...
 
Blizzard are strange!! Look in StarCraft beta marines could shoot grenades (as in this screen shot) Also firebats were actually useful, look they could burn forests!! That was soo cool!!! Imagine burning trees and spaceships and making traps for enemy units using such cool abilities. But nooo... It was taken out!!! Why???/

Goliaths could sue rockets at Hydralisks, defilers could fly, Scouts still have the strange bomb like creature kills hydras pretty well.  Take a look HERE
Want to see an awesome battle between carriers and wraiths?? look here
Also want to see how campaign game screen looked like???  See here
The battle net testing has begun. Look how Battle net looked back then
Also naming of units changed.

Marine - Marauder
Carrier - Dreadnought
Wraith - Phoenix
Scourge - Avenger ( They came out of overlords and  guardians when they were destroyed. They AVENGED THEIR DEATHS)
Reaver - Trilobyte
Scarab - Reaver
Observer - Witness (I guess it 'WITNESSED' the battlefield)
Templar - Dragoon
Mutalid - Mutalisk
Lurker - Sunken
Hive - Queens nest
Evolution chamber - Spore colony (that looked weird)
Armory - Chemical plant
bugguy - infested terran

It was another coolest SC period... For instance, look at your SC box cover. It has a pictures of Starcraft with many errors, same does your manual. USing that these are some of beta things which got changed
 
Also I spoke to one beta tester who was good enough to tell us some of beat info
The game
was different in respect to costs and bugs and stuff.... here are some
random beta facts.. BTW Starcraft beta was online only, there was no single
player, hence, it is just a memory today... i know of no way to play the old
beta version.

Battle cruisers cost 400/800 at one point, did 25 explosive damage and only
had 200 hit points. Wraiths were 200/400 i think.... all air was much more
expensive... the original cost for the arbiter was 0/600

Spider mines could be shot from the vulture and could detonate instantly..
they were basically 3 shot siege cannons at one point. They could also
target buildings... The vulture rush was unstoppable by protoss... mines
vaporized goons and zealots.

Mutalisks were waaaaaaaay to powerful, they had a different attack, sort of
an acid spray thing.. it did 15 damage and fired pretty fast. The queen had
the glaive wurm attack that the Mutalisks have now... the defiler could spit
acid and templars could also attack... blizzard took out those attacks for
balance reasons (sort of a purity of purpose thing) Blizzard knew they were
removing the queens attack, but they thought the attack was so cool they
gave it to the mutalisk instead of scrapping it.

Scourge had around 40 hit points in beta and they ruled the skies... you
could not stop them from killing your air, they toned them down too.. they
also did 120 damage instead of 110, able to kill wraiths in 1 shot.

Overlords were as fast as they are now with speed upgrade at the start of
the game... zerg definitely ruled beta... you knew where they were before
they could build anything because overlords were so fast. They could also
get away from anything early. So it wasn't risky to scout with them early
like it is now.. you could always run it away if they attacked it with
marines or something.

Transports were all way faster... shuttles ripped across  the board, but
drops were too hard to defend against so they slowed em down and reduced
hit points.

Mind control was removed from the archon because it was too buggy and deemed
too powerful by blizzard.

Psionic storm was stackable and cost 25 mana but did way less damage.
Templars also auto cast it until they were out of mana just like mages in war2.

None of the new units were in beta... no graphics were changed other than
the removal of some attacks, no units were removed... you might be thinking
of the old alpha version... or saw old graphics pics... those were all pre
beta. The version the testers got to play looks exactly like the Starcraft
you play today...(only now sc doesn't crash randomly)
 
 

Here is a cool shot of guardian shooting at  scouts!! This is one of the latest beta periods. I like that this was taken off. I mean
guardians are enough trouble already!!!

• Tanks could attack air!
• Wraith/Scout could shoot missiles at ground!!!
• BC could yamato twice! (yamato may have been costed less)
• Defilers could fly!!!
• So do the drones!!
• vulture could throw mines far away (was too good so it was taken away)
• Guardians could attack air
• Overlords could carry 64!!! Zerglings!!  (not too sure about the number, but anyhow it was HUGE)
• Reavers now fire faster but do less damage (reavers had 200 damage???)
• Also there is a conspiracy with blizzard.  Brood War was part of StarCraft!!! I mean mind control was there, lurkers were there, dark templars, valkier!!!  I have another  proof. Look at brood war introduction movie. It shows marine using grenade launchers and such. Marines had grenade launchers in beta soo, that prooves that movie was done LONG LONG AGO.
• HIDDEN  graphics in StarCraft Beta! (Found in current MPQ!!)
• Do you know that terrans had a power plant which supposed to act like a pylon??  Terran buildings outside of its range would either malfunction or not work at all!!
• There is a hidden "Star Base" which was taken out for some unknown reason. 
• Command center had muliple add-ons!! Imagine having multiple nuke silos per command center!! But I like this change. I mean having  no way of gathering resources when you CC is BELOW the resources.  I like that this was taken out. I mean having  a big slowdown of resources when minerals are up. 
• Do you know that siege tank could turn into siege mode and it could move??? I think it can turn into some tower or something (Like in the manual) 
• Science vessel had legs!!!! Urghh...  Disgusting!!
• Original Raw material
•   
• Originally gas was brought to a refinery to be refined and then it was stacked outside the

           building. Enemies could come along and steal them. Also when you killed and enemy, he
           dropped the resources, they didn't get destroyed when he died.

  This how the old mineral field looked like

This is an ugly face of guy who sits inb those terran buildings. (Confirmed by Blizzard)

  This is a terran PHOENIX  (wraith)
 


1.Valkyrie *
2.Terran Repair Facility *
3.Zerg Crystal Extractor? originally needed by Zerg to mine minerals
4.Valkyrie Afterburners
5.Roar - This was an Ultralisk spell (bloodlust) later taken out.
6.Missile Tower Attack
7.Zerg Critter? Interceptor?
 
 
 


 

Wire frames Left to Right
1.Some kind of drop ship? (See my pic below)
2.Spysat: Terran Spy Satalite *
3.Terran Repair Facility *
4.Valkyrie *
5.Interceptor? Looks like icon#7
6.Early Tank (*?)
7.Terran Phoenix,  later named Wraith
 8.Psi Emitter
 


 

* - confirmed by blizzard
** - Gas and mineral packs carried by the workers are power ups, but are disabled. I guess clutter up was
         the problem

Things that were Cut from StarCraft :

               - Terrans could salvage for resources(was changed to taking over enemy add-ons..)
               - Mind control(considered too powerful in the beta, also caused some crashing)
               - Queen had the glave wurm, dark swarm AND plague (No wonder Queen rushing was such a great
               tatic in the beta.. although the queen lost the DS and PLG before the beta)
               - Goliath had a flame-thrower for melee combat(AND could fire it's missiles at ground targets)
               - Drones originally had the "Infest Command Center" ability
          There's more..but I can't remember them right now.. I guess we can add a Bomber to that charge.....
 

Also look at this picture from Starcraft movie. It show's some unidentified craft!

MAIL ME