Blizzards announced over and over that there will be only 3 playable races. However I wouldn't be surprised if there weren't several non-playable races like in Warcraft 3.

I wonder what they could add.

I think, if Blizzard can balance out a new race as evenly as the others were, then a new race would be a breath of fresh air. True, Terran, Zerg, and Protoss are the original races that we have come to love, but wouldn't it be something new and exciting to be able to master a new race, with all new units and buildings?
This is just my opinion, but that would add a whole new dimension to the Starcraft that I love. Just as long as the new race fills the massive shoes the original three left behind.

I believe instead of ".... wouldn't it be new and exciting to be able to master a new race, with all new units and buildings?" you meant ".... new and exciting to be able to play a new race, with all new units and buildings?"

Because in my opinion, 99% of SC players out there haven't come close to mastering one race, let alone three. The vast majority of SC players either didn't beat the campaigns themselves or else used cheat codes. Many others play online but play games and maps that the game wasn't really designed for, such as 0clutter maps and UMS games.

So, a new race would be very fun, but the biggest problem would be balancing issues. With the current 3 races, it took about 6-7 years for Blizzard to come out with a decent balancing patch. Remember, it's not just balancing the overall race, but having to balance specific matchups. Terran vs Protoss is pretty even, but many can argue that Protoss vs Zerg is just too difficult for Protoss.

Now adding a fourth race would make this many times more difficult, as it makes the number of matchups greater, which makes balancing infinitely harder...

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Maybe adding a new race, could help balance the other races. What I mean would be maybe it would be the rock papers scissors effect. Zerg beats Protoss, Protoss beats unknown race, unknown race beats zerg, and the Terran can just be evenly matched with all of them, like it was in SC1.
And you are right, I meant "play" races. But also just get GOOD at playing them. I didn't mess around too much with the three races, but I, by no means, had mastered them either.

The paper scissor rock idea would be pointless. The idea of balancing is so that in a given game no matter who has what races both players should have an equal chance at winning. If two players chose random and both were evenly skilled, a large determiner in the outcome would be merely who got which race.

But anyways we know almost for sure there will not be a fourth race so all this doesn't matter. All we can do now is wonder what it might have been like.

...what about the possibilty of a new race in an expansion pack? Seems unlikely but I guess not out of the question.

A new race in an expansion would be cool. It would be hard for the programmers to make it though. Expansions don't usually contain material like that, that takes completely new code and stuff. But I could see blizzard pulling something like that off.

Well, it's possible they could implement it, but not allow it in multiplayer. The hybrid race would be like the ultimate race, so it wouldn't be balanced, but they'll definetely work it in the single player campaign...I hope.

You could probably use that race for several missions, and maybe custom maps if you beat the whole game.

In Warcraft 3 expansion they added the naga as an unnoffical new race. You couldn't play it in Ladder Matches but in a few single player missions you controlled them. I wouldn't be surprised if they did that. But I can't see them adding the hybrids as a regular race.

Protoss can mind control the beast in SC.

i couldn't agree more, especially on the part about how hard it would be to balance it. but think about this carefully, i'am sorry to put the pressure on theor shoulders but millions of people are looking forward to this game, and just by simply changing a lot of units and giving other units special abilities will not surpass the expectation of this people. Blizzard has brought this uppon them selves... i for ones and a lot, or should i say most of my personal, and online friends have agreed that Starcraft "is" the best balanced strategy game taht was ever made. it was such great times and good games, and bad ass memories of how it was made, done, and played. now the fans wants something bigger, than what it was b4. but giving us a mothership, and walk over hill styled terrains will not suffice the hunger and thirst.

if they are just simply going to stick to what sc2 was by 3 balanced out race, with unique stratigical abilities... then they better make it moda fkn bad ass... not good, not great, and not just simply bad ass.

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