What is Proton Charge?
Proton Charge is a new “macro mechanic” implemented for the Protoss race in Blizzard Entertainment’s upcoming video game, StarCraft II. A macro mechanic is a mechanic of the game focused on letting the player maximize the efficiency of the players’ base and economy through strategic actions. Proton Charge is a mirror to the Zerg faction’s mechanic, Spawn Larva, and the Terran faction’s mechanic, Calldown MULE. In the game, the Protoss use workers known as Probes to mine mineral resources that are then used to construct all of the Protoss’ units and buildings so they can fight. Proton Charge causes all Probes caught within its area of effect to mine more minerals than usual. The focus of this editorial is to provide evidence that Proton Charge is imbalanced by its nature, either underpowered or overpowered at any given time, and that it negatively impacts StarCraft II for multiple reasons. It is not to state that Proton Charge is the overall most powerful of the three mechanics. Why is
