Upgrade

Upgrades are improvements for units. They increase things such as damage, armor, attack/sight range, maximum energy, etc. In addition, some upgrades allow units to use abilities (or "spells") that are not enabled by default, such as burrow, lockdown, psionic storm, etc. See Spells (Terran), Spells (Protoss), and Spells (Zerg) for a list of spells.

Each upgrade's default settings and maximum can be changed in the map editor. An upgrade can range from 0 to 255. For armor upgrades, 1 is added to the armor for each upgrade level. For weapon upgrades, the weapon's bonus damage is added for each upgrade level. The weapon bonus can be changed in the unit settings. For spells and abilities, upgrading past level 1 does not have any effect. (For example: Upgrading "U-238 Shells" for Marine attack range from level 1 to level 2 or beyond will not make a marine shoot further.)

The mineral, gas, and time costs of each upgrade can also be set. "Base cost" is simply the cost of the upgrade. The "Upgrade factor" is added to the base cost for each level of the upgrade. Upgrades cannot be reversed once completed. Units given between players do not keep their upgrade levels (Upgrades are player-specific).

Upgrade IDs

• 0 = Terran Infantry Armor
• 1 = Terran Vehicle Plating
• 2 = Terran Ship Plating
• 3 = Zerg Carapace
• 4 = Zerg Flyer Carapace
• 5 = Protoss Armor
• 6 = Protoss Plating
• 7 = Terran Infantry Weapons
• 8 = Terran Vehicle Weapons
• 9 = Terran Ship Weapons
• 10 = Zerg Melee Attacks
• 11 = Zerg Missile Attacks
• 12 = Zerg Flyer Attacks
• 13 = Protoss Ground Weapons
• 14 = Protoss Air Weapons
• 15 = Protoss Plasma Shields
• 16 = U-238 Shells
• 17 = Ion Thrusters
• 18 = Burst Lasers
• 19 = Titan Reactor
• 20 = Ocular Implants
• 21 = Moebius Reactor
• 22 = Apollo Reactor
• 23 = Colossus Reactor
• 24 = Ventral Sacs
• 25 = Antennae
• 26 = Pneumatized Carapace
• 27 = Metabolic Boost
• 28 = Adrenal Glands
• 29 = Muscular Augments
• 30 = Grooved Spines
• 31 = Gamete Meiosis
• 32 = Metasynaptic Node
• 33 = Singularity Charge
• 34 = Leg Enhancements
• 35 = Scarab Damage
• 36 = Reaver Capacity
• 37 = Gravitic Drive
• 38 = Sensor Array
• 39 = Gravitic Boosters
• 40 = Khaydarin Amulet
• 41 = Apial Sensors
• 42 = Gravitic Thrusters
• 43 = Carrier Capacity
• 44 = Khaydarin Core
• 45 = Unused 45
• 46 = Unused 46
• 47 = Argus Jewel
• 48 = Unused 48
• 49 = Argus Talisman
• 50 = Unused 50
• 51 = Caduceus Reactor
• 52 = Chitinous Plating
• 53 = Anabolic Synthesis
• 54 = Charon Booster
• 55 = Unused 55
• 56 = Unused 56
• 57 = Unused 57
• 58 = Unused 58
• 59 = Unused 59
• 60 = Upgrade 60 (Misc)

"Unused" upgrades

SCMDraft2 and StarForge give you access to a small set of "Unused" upgrades. These upgrades do nothing - exept for the last one, which does quite a lot. The costs of this upgrade are not important as there is no way of buying it during a game. Its use is limited to setting its default values in the map editor.

This upgrade affects the following things. Upgrades marked with an asterisk essentially do nothing. Bonus armor for invincible units and unused units is not useful. Bonus damage for unused weapons is not useful. Also, most spells do not gain any improvements. (A notable exception is the Psionic Storm spell, which gains a damage bonus).

Unit armor bonuses

• Spider Mine
• Nuclear Missile*
• Scanner Sweep*
• Rhynadon
• Bengalaas
• Cargo Ship
• Mercenary Gunship
• Scantid
• Kakaru
• Ragnasaur
• Ursadon
• Map Revealer*
• Disruption Web*
• Command Center
• Comsat Station
• Nuclear Silo
• Supply Depot
• Refinery
• Barracks
• Academy
• Factory
• Starport
• Control Tower
• Science Facility
• Covert Ops
• Physics Lab
• Starbase
• Machine Shop
• Repair Bay
• Engineering Bay
• Armory
• Missile Turret
• Bunker
• Norad II (Crashed)
• Ion Cannon
• Uraj Crystal
• Khalis Crystal
• Infested Command Center
• Hatchery
• Lair
• Hive
• Nydus Canal
• Hydralisk Den
• Defiler Mound
• Greater Spire
• Queen's Nest
• Evolution Chamber
• Ultralisk Cavern
• Spire
• Spawning Pool
• Creep Colony
• Spore Colony
• Unused Zerg Building1*
• Sunken Colony
• Overmind (With Shell)
• Overmind
• Extractor
• Mature Chrysalis
• Cerebrate
• Cerebrate Daggoth
• Unused Zerg Building2*
• Nexus
• Robotics Facility
• Pylon
• Assimilator
• Unused Protoss Building1*
• Observatory
• Gateway
• Unused Protoss Building2*
• Photon Cannon
• Citadel of Adun
• Cybernetics Core
• Templar Archives
• Forge
• Stargate
• Stasis Cell/Prison
• Fleet Beacon
• Arbiter Tribunal
• Robotics Support Bay
• Shield Battery
• Khaydarin Crystal Formation*
• Temple
• Xel'Naga Temple
• Mineral Field (Type 1)*
• Mineral Field (Type 2)*
• Mineral Field (Type 3)*
• Cave*
• Cave-in*
• Cantina*
• Mining Platform*
• Independent Command Center
• Independent Starport*
• Independent Jump Gate*
• Ruins*
• Khaydarin Crystal Formation*
• Vespene Geyser*
• Warp Gate
• Psi Disrupter
• Zerg Marker*
• Terran Marker*
• Protoss Marker*
• Zerg Beacon*
• Terran Beacon*
• Protoss Beacon*
• Zerg Flag Beacon*
• Terran Flag Beacon*
• Protoss Flag Beacon*
• Power Generator
• Overmind Cocoon
• Dark Swarm*
• Floor Missile Trap
• Floor Hatch*
• Left Upper Level Door*
• Right Upper Level Door*
• Left Pit Door*
• Right Pit Door*
• Floor Gun Trap
• Left Wall Missile Trap
• Left Wall Flame Trap
• Right Wall Missile Trap
• Right Wall Flame Trap
• Start Location*
• Flag*
• Young Chrysalis*
• Psi Emitter*
• Data Disc*
• Khaydarin Crystal*
• Mineral Cluster Type 1*
• Mineral Cluster Type 2*
• Protoss Vespene Gas Orb Type 1*
• Protoss Vespene Gas Orb Type 2*
• Zerg Vespene Gas Sac Type 1*
• Zerg Vespene Gas Sac Type 2*
• Terran Vespene Gas Tank Type 1*
• Terran Vespene Gas Tank Type 2*

Weapon bonus

• Spider Mines
• Fusion Cutter
• Fusion Cutter (Harvest)*
• Longbolt Missiles
• Yamato Gun*
• Nuclear Missile*
• Lockdown*
• EMP Shockwave*
• Irradiate*
• Spines
• Spines (Harvest)*
• Seeker Spores
• Subterranean Tentacle
• Suicide (Infested Terran)
• Suicide (Scourge)
• Parasite*
• Spawn Broodlings*
• Ensnare*
• Dark Swarm*
• Plague*
• Consume*
• Particle Beam
• Particle Beam (Harvest)*
• STS Photon Cannon
• STA Photon Cannon
• Stasis Field*
• Psi Storm
• Missiles (Unused)*
• Laser Battery1 (Unused)*
• Tormentor Missiles (Unused)*
• Bombs (Unused)*
• Raider Gun (Unused)*
• Laser Battery2 (Unused)*
• Laser Battery3 (Unused)*
• Dual Photon Blasters (Unused)*
• Flechette Grenade (Unused)*
• Disruption Web*
• Restoration*
• Mind Control*
• Feedback*
• Optical Flare*
• Maelstrom*

Though this upgrade can be useful, it is important to be careful since it has such a broad effect on a player's units. In particular, remember that all of a player's buildings will get a bonus point of armor for each level of this upgrade.