<s>
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
is	O
a	O
military	O
science	O
fiction	O
video	O
game	O
created	O
by	O
Blizzard	O
Entertainment	O
as	O
a	O
sequel	O
to	O
the	O
successful	O
StarCraft	B-Application
video	O
game	O
released	O
in	O
1998	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Set	O
in	O
a	O
fictional	O
future	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
centers	O
on	O
a	O
galactic	O
struggle	O
for	O
dominance	O
among	O
the	O
various	O
fictional	O
races	O
of	O
StarCraft	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
single-player	O
campaign	O
is	O
split	O
into	O
three	O
installments	O
,	O
each	O
of	O
which	O
focuses	O
on	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
three	O
races	O
:	O
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
Wings	I-Application
of	I-Application
Liberty	I-Application
(	O
released	O
2010	O
)	O
,	O
Heart	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Swarm	I-Application
(	O
2013	O
)	O
and	O
Legacy	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Void	I-Application
(	O
2015	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
final	O
campaign	O
pack	O
called	O
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
Nova	I-Application
Covert	I-Application
Ops	I-Application
was	O
released	O
in	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
multi-player	O
gameplay	O
spawned	O
a	O
separate	O
e-sports	O
competition	O
that	O
later	O
drew	O
interest	O
from	O
companies	O
other	O
than	O
Blizzard	O
,	O
and	O
attracted	O
attention	O
in	O
South	O
Korea	O
and	O
elsewhere	O
,	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
original	O
StarCraft	B-Application
e-sports	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
2017	O
,	O
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
multi-player	O
mode	O
,	O
co-op	O
mode	O
and	O
the	O
first	O
single-player	O
campaign	O
have	O
been	O
free-to-play	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
story	O
of	O
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
continues	O
on	O
the	O
story	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
StarCraft	B-Application
releases	O
,	O
dealing	O
with	O
the	O
races	O
of	O
StarCraft	B-Application
and	O
characters	O
of	O
StarCraft	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Wings	B-Application
of	I-Application
Liberty	I-Application
is	O
set	O
four	O
years	O
after	O
the	O
events	O
of	O
StarCraft	B-Application
:	I-Application
Brood	I-Application
War	I-Application
,	O
and	O
focuses	O
on	O
the	O
conflict	O
between	O
Jim	O
Raynor	O
's	O
rebel	O
faction	O
and	O
the	O
Terran	O
Dominion	O
regime	O
led	O
by	O
its	O
emperor	O
,	O
Arcturus	O
Mengsk	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Heart	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Swarm	I-Application
,	O
the	O
Dominion	O
attacks	O
Raynor	O
and	O
Kerrigan	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
story	O
mainly	O
follows	O
Kerrigan	O
's	O
exploits	O
against	O
Mengsk	O
's	O
forces	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
newly	O
emerged	O
Protoss-Zerg	O
hybrids	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Legacy	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Void	I-Application
,	O
the	O
Protoss	O
are	O
the	O
protagonists	O
,	O
led	O
by	O
Zeratul	O
and	O
Artanis	O
,	O
fighting	O
against	O
the	O
architect	O
of	O
the	O
Protoss-Zerg	O
hybrids	O
,	O
the	O
malevolent	O
being	O
known	O
as	O
Amon	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
short	O
epilogue	O
after	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
Legacy	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Void	I-Application
,	O
all	O
three	O
factions	O
join	O
to	O
confront	O
Amon	O
inside	O
the	O
Void	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nova	B-Application
Covert	I-Application
Ops	I-Application
takes	O
place	O
sometime	O
after	O
Amon	O
's	O
final	O
defeat	O
,	O
and	O
follows	O
the	O
ghost	O
operative	O
Nova	O
as	O
she	O
uncovers	O
a	O
conspiracy	O
that	O
threatens	O
the	O
reformed	O
Terran	O
Dominion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
Wings	I-Application
of	I-Application
Liberty	I-Application
was	O
released	O
in	O
2010	O
,	O
taking	O
place	O
four	O
years	O
after	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
StarCraft	B-Application
:	I-Application
Brood	I-Application
War	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Two	O
expansions	O
,	O
Heart	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Swarm	I-Application
and	O
Legacy	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Void	I-Application
(	O
both	O
currently	O
stand	O
alone	O
games	O
)	O
,	O
were	O
planned	O
from	O
the	O
beginning	O
;	O
the	O
former	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
2013	O
and	O
the	O
later	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
2015	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
Wings	I-Application
of	I-Application
Liberty	I-Application
is	O
the	O
official	O
sequel	O
to	O
StarCraft	B-Application
released	O
for	O
Windows	O
and	O
Mac	B-Operating_System
OS	I-Operating_System
X	I-Operating_System
by	O
Blizzard	O
Entertainment	O
on	O
July	O
27	O
,	O
2010	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
incorporates	O
a	O
new	O
3D	O
graphics	O
engine	O
and	O
adds	O
new	O
features	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Havok	B-General_Concept
physics	I-General_Concept
engine	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
also	O
incorporates	O
DirectX	B-Application
10	I-Application
level	O
effects	O
in	O
Windows	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Originally	O
envisioned	O
as	O
a	O
single	O
game	O
,	O
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
was	O
split	O
into	O
three	O
parts	O
during	O
development	O
,	O
one	O
for	O
focusing	O
on	O
each	O
race	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
base	O
game	O
,	O
Wings	B-Application
of	I-Application
Liberty	I-Application
,	O
follows	O
the	O
Terrans	O
,	O
while	O
two	O
expansion	O
packs	O
,	O
Heart	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Swarm	I-Application
and	O
Legacy	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Void	I-Application
,	O
have	O
been	O
released	O
to	O
complement	O
Wings	B-Application
of	I-Application
Liberty	I-Application
and	O
further	O
the	O
story	O
from	O
the	O
views	O
of	O
the	O
Zerg	O
and	O
Protoss	O
,	O
respectively	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
story	O
of	O
Wings	B-Application
of	I-Application
Liberty	I-Application
continues	O
from	O
four	O
years	O
after	O
the	O
conclusion	O
of	O
Brood	B-Application
War	I-Application
and	O
revolves	O
around	O
Jim	O
Raynor	O
's	O
struggles	O
against	O
the	O
Terran	O
Dominion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
Heart	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Swarm	I-Application
is	O
an	O
expansion	O
pack	O
to	O
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
Wings	I-Application
of	I-Application
Liberty	I-Application
and	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
March	O
12	O
,	O
2013	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
part	O
two	O
of	O
the	O
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
trilogy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
expansion	O
includes	O
additional	O
units	O
and	O
multiplayer	O
changes	O
from	O
Wings	B-Application
of	I-Application
Liberty	I-Application
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
a	O
continuing	O
campaign	O
focusing	O
on	O
Kerrigan	O
and	O
the	O
Zerg	O
race	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
saga	O
of	O
StarCraft	B-Application
is	O
ultimately	O
completed	O
with	O
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
Legacy	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Void	I-Application
,	O
which	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
November	O
10	O
,	O
2015	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
Legacy	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Void	I-Application
is	O
a	O
stand-alone	O
game	O
in	O
which	O
new	O
units	O
are	O
added	O
to	O
all	O
three	O
races	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
changing	O
existing	O
units	O
,	O
and	O
also	O
makes	O
groundbreaking	O
changes	O
to	O
the	O
economy-aspect	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
story	O
of	O
StarCraft	B-Application
is	O
concluded	O
by	O
following	O
the	O
Protoss	O
Race	O
in	O
their	O
quest	O
to	O
reclaim	O
their	O
homeworld	O
and	O
for	O
Kerrigan	O
to	O
ultimately	O
slay	O
the	O
greatest	O
threat	O
to	O
the	O
entire	O
universe	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
BlizzCon	O
2015	O
,	O
during	O
the	O
"	O
Future	O
of	O
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
"	O
presentation	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
revealed	O
that	O
Blizzard	O
will	O
release	O
additional	O
mission	O
packs	O
to	O
keep	O
players	O
engaged	O
with	O
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nova	B-Application
Covert	I-Application
Ops	I-Application
mission	O
pack	O
consists	O
of	O
three	O
episodes	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
total	O
of	O
nine	O
new	O
missions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
did	O
not	O
require	O
the	O
purchase	O
of	O
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
and	O
could	O
be	O
played	O
with	O
the	O
Starter	O
Edition	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
,	O
Blizzard	O
has	O
announced	O
that	O
new	O
commanders	O
are	O
planned	O
to	O
be	O
added	O
to	O
the	O
Co-Op	O
mode	O
in	O
Legacy	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Void	I-Application
as	O
a	O
DLC	O
,	O
with	O
Karax	O
to	O
be	O
the	O
first	O
addition	O
given	O
for	O
free	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
was	O
announced	O
on	O
May	O
19	O
,	O
2007	O
,	O
nearly	O
a	O
decade	O
after	O
the	O
original	O
,	O
at	O
the	O
Blizzard	O
Worldwide	O
Invitational	O
in	O
Seoul	O
,	O
South	O
Korea	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
was	O
being	O
developed	O
,	O
under	O
the	O
codename	O
Medusa	O
,	O
for	O
concurrent	O
release	O
on	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
,	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
and	O
Mac	B-Operating_System
OS	I-Operating_System
X	I-Operating_System
.	O
Blizzard	O
announced	O
a	O
release	O
date	O
for	O
July	O
27	O
,	O
2010	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Development	O
on	O
the	O
game	O
began	O
in	O
2003	O
,	O
shortly	O
after	O
Warcraft	B-Application
III	I-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Frozen	I-Application
Throne	I-Application
was	O
released	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
soundtrack	O
for	O
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
was	O
provided	O
by	O
Derek	O
Duke	O
,	O
Glenn	O
Stafford	O
,	O
Neal	O
Acree	O
,	O
and	O
Russell	O
Brower	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Brower	O
,	O
Blizzard	O
's	O
Director	O
of	O
Audio	O
,	O
has	O
suggested	O
that	O
the	O
music	O
of	O
StarCraft	B-Application
serves	O
two	O
functions	O
:	O
the	O
music	O
heard	O
during	O
gameplay	O
is	O
designed	O
to	O
be	O
unobtrusive	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
allow	O
the	O
player	O
to	O
focus	O
,	O
with	O
only	O
the	O
music	O
that	O
attaches	O
to	O
the	O
cinematic	O
interludes	O
permitted	O
to	O
become	O
more	O
distinctive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Brower	O
has	O
also	O
pointed	O
out	O
that	O
certain	O
musical	O
themes	O
in	O
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
become	O
associated	O
with	O
certain	O
characters	O
,	O
a	O
technique	O
borrowed	O
from	O
composers	O
such	O
as	O
John	O
Williams	O
and	O
Richard	O
Wagner	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
original	O
material	O
for	O
the	O
Wings	B-Application
of	I-Application
Liberty	I-Application
soundtrack	O
spans	O
approximately	O
four	O
hours	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Brower	O
has	O
said	O
in	O
interviews	O
that	O
his	O
team	O
was	O
consciously	O
seeking	O
a	O
film-score	O
feel	O
for	O
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
short	O
commentary	O
provided	O
for	O
Blizzard	O
,	O
he	O
recounted	O
that	O
the	O
orchestral	O
music	O
for	O
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
Wings	I-Application
of	I-Application
Liberty	I-Application
was	O
performed	O
by	O
78	O
members	O
of	O
the	O
San	O
Francisco	O
Symphony	O
and	O
Opera	O
and	O
recorded	O
at	O
the	O
Skywalker	O
stage	O
at	O
the	O
Lucasfilm	O
Ranch	O
in	O
Marin	O
County	O
,	O
California	O
,	O
under	O
the	O
name	O
'	O
Skywalker	O
Symphony	O
Orchestra	O
 '	O
,	O
conducted	O
by	O
Eímear	O
Noone	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
orchestral	O
music	O
for	O
Heart	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Swarm	I-Application
was	O
likewise	O
recorded	O
in	O
Marin	O
County	O
,	O
again	O
with	O
the	O
services	O
of	O
Kurlander	O
and	O
Noone	O
,	O
with	O
80	O
performers	O
from	O
the	O
Skywalker	O
Symphony	O
Orchestra	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Brower	O
stated	O
in	O
an	O
interview	O
in	O
2013	O
that	O
he	O
intended	O
to	O
continue	O
the	O
process	O
of	O
associative	O
musical	O
themes	O
in	O
Legacy	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Void	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
release	O
of	O
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
Wings	I-Application
of	I-Application
Liberty	I-Application
performed	O
very	O
well	O
commercially	O
and	O
critically	O
,	O
selling	O
1.8	O
million	O
copies	O
within	O
the	O
first	O
forty	O
eight	O
hours	O
of	O
release	O
,	O
which	O
breaks	O
the	O
record	O
of	O
best	O
selling	O
strategy	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
history	O
of	O
the	O
gaming	O
industry	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
2012	O
,	O
Wings	B-Application
of	I-Application
Liberty	I-Application
had	O
sold	O
more	O
than	O
6	O
million	O
copies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
success	O
continued	O
with	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
expansion	O
pack	O
,	O
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
Heart	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Swarm	I-Application
,	O
which	O
had	O
a	O
GameRankings	O
aggregate	O
score	O
of	O
86%	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
Legacy	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Void	I-Application
,	O
the	O
third	O
expansion	O
pack	O
,	O
was	O
similarly	O
well	O
received	O
,	O
having	O
a	O
GameRankings	O
aggregate	O
score	O
of	O
88%	O
while	O
selling	O
more	O
than	O
1	O
million	O
copies	O
worldwide	O
within	O
the	O
first	O
day	O
of	O
its	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
StarCraft	B-Application
and	O
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
series	O
had	O
sold	O
over	O
17.6	O
million	O
copies	O
of	O
games	O
and	O
expansions	O
by	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
2015	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
2017	O
,	O
Blizzard	O
had	O
listed	O
the	O
combined	O
StarCraft	B-Application
franchise	O
among	O
their	O
brands	O
that	O
have	O
lifetime	O
revenue	O
totaled	O
over	O
$1	O
billion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Aside	O
from	O
the	O
single	O
player	O
campaigns	O
corresponding	O
to	O
the	O
four	O
expansions	O
,	O
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
features	O
several	O
multiplayer	O
game	O
modes	O
,	O
the	O
most	O
common	O
of	O
which	O
are	O
the	O
"	O
versus	O
"	O
modes	O
and	O
the	O
"	O
co-op	O
"	O
mode	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
using	O
special	O
hero	O
characters	O
,	O
and	O
where	O
collecting	O
XP	B-Application
leads	O
to	O
leveling	O
up	O
that	O
in	O
turn	O
affects	O
future	O
gameplay	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
its	O
release	O
,	O
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
was	O
played	O
professionally	O
throughout	O
the	O
world	O
,	O
though	O
much	O
like	O
its	O
predecessor	O
StarCraft	B-Application
:	I-Application
Brood	I-Application
War	I-Application
's	O
professional	O
competition	O
,	O
the	O
highest	O
level	O
of	O
play	O
has	O
historically	O
been	O
centered	O
in	O
South	O
Korea	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
,	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
tournaments	O
have	O
been	O
hosted	O
in	O
Korea	O
and	O
elsewhere	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Global	O
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
League	O
(	O
GSL	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2012	O
,	O
Blizzard	O
started	O
the	O
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
World	O
Championship	O
Series	O
(	O
WCS	O
)	O
as	O
the	O
primary	O
sanctioned	O
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
tournament	O
circuit	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
2013	O
,	O
both	O
Korean	O
individual	O
leagues	O
like	O
the	O
Global	O
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
League	O
(	O
GSL	O
)	O
and	O
non-Korean	O
events	O
such	O
as	O
Intel	O
Extreme	O
Masters	O
(	O
IEM	O
)	O
and	O
Dreamhack	O
had	O
been	O
included	O
in	O
the	O
WCS	O
system	O
,	O
distributing	O
points	O
and	O
guaranteeing	O
spots	O
that	O
qualify	O
players	O
for	O
the	O
Global	O
Finals	O
,	O
held	O
annually	O
at	O
BlizzCon	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
2016	O
Alphabet	O
's	O
DeepMind	B-Application
branch	O
announced	O
a	O
collaboration	O
with	O
Blizzard	O
to	O
create	O
"	O
a	O
useful	O
testing	O
platform	O
for	O
the	O
wider	O
AI	O
research	O
community.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
has	O
been	O
used	O
in	O
the	O
field	O
of	O
multi-agent	B-Algorithm
reinforcement	I-Algorithm
learning	I-Algorithm
for	O
a	O
dual	O
purpose	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2018	O
,	O
DeepMind	B-Application
's	O
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
bot	O
,	O
called	O
AlphaStar	B-Application
,	O
defeated	O
professional	O
Starcraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
players	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
for	O
the	O
first	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
beat	O
the	O
player	O
MaNA	B-Application
5	O
–	O
0	O
,	O
albeit	O
under	O
conditions	O
some	O
deemed	O
to	O
be	O
unfair	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
fairer	O
version	O
of	O
AlphaStar	B-Application
attained	O
Grandmaster	O
status	O
in	O
August	O
2019	O
,	O
an	O
accomplishment	O
called	O
a	O
"	O
landmark	O
achievement	O
"	O
for	O
the	O
field	O
of	O
artificial	O
intelligence	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
benchmark	O
to	O
measure	O
and	O
improve	O
the	O
performance	O
of	O
reinforcement	O
learning	O
algorithms	O
that	O
are	O
used	O
for	O
environments	O
other	O
than	O
StarCraft	B-Application
.	O
</s>
