Topic: Starcraft 2 is a trilogy

[gpw11]

Yeah, what Pyro said...dumb move on my part.  Went to reply, reread the post in the quoted reply box and saw everything.

[MysterD]

Destructoid -> SC2 is $39.99 at KMart.
CAG -> More details on this Kmart deal - and other deals.

[idolminds]

I came across this on another forum. It appears Blizzard has changed how their offline mode works. The old method:

You need to log on at least once on your Battle.net account on that computer on a working connection before Offline Mode can be enabled. It only works for 30 days before you need to reauthorize it.

It worked for laptops and such.

Now it seems your session will expire just by shutting down and rebooting your computer. Which happens all the time on laptops. Source

Hello,

Thank you for your inquiry regarding StarCraft II.

At this time, StarCraft II requires an active internet connection to play. This is stated in the System Requirements on the retail box, as well as our online System Requirements. Without an active internet connection, you will not be able to log in to Battle.net to authenticate your copy of StarCraft II.

The 'offline mode' currently only lasts until the computer is turned off, and then requires a fresh authentication. There are plans to review this, but there is no ETA on that.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to let us know.

Thank you for your time,

Patrick C.
Customer Services
Blizzard Entertainment

Which is a shitty move since people have already bought it expecting the old method, and now it has changed. And you can't just install it from disc and continue to use the old method...because you have to log in to authorize, and logging in triggers auto-patching. So the only thing for people to do now is download a crack.

[Cobra951]

I wouldn't buy it under either method, so I can't be duped.  My condolences to those who were; but honestly, anyone who buys products they can't use without online permission is asking for heartbreak.

[idolminds]

heh, I agree. Its just changing it like this after people have purchased it is kinda sleazy. And I'm pretty sure all this shit is going to be rolled into Diablo 3 (a game I actually cared about) so...blah.

[scottws]

I wonder what prompted them to do this.  Probably some exploit of the 30-day grace period somehow.

[iPPi]

Meh.  The change kind of sucks, but to be honest, since launch, I've played the game offline once.  And that one time was specifically to try out what offline mode was like.

Aside from that, the game's implementation of Battle.net and its features are very much so that one would actually want to be online to play Starcraft 2, even if you're playing single player.

[idolminds]

Apparently its a bug.

[gpw11]

Aside from that, the game's implementation of Battle.net and its features are very much so that one would actually want to be online to play Starcraft 2, even if you're playing single player.

 
I disagree.  I can't see any benefit at all to actually being online while playing single player.  I've done both quite a bit and the only difference I can really tell is the achievements are recorded.   

[iPPi]

ACHIEVEMENTS. 

It's good to remain connected so you can get games going with your real ID friends as well when you're playing the campaign.  Again, it all depends on what you're looking for.  If you're only interested in single player and have absolutely no interest in the multiplayer game at all then may, just maybe, you don't want to play online.

[iPPi]

I had an epic 2v2 game yesterday.  I'm Protoss with a Terran ally and it's versus the same combo... so essentially a mirror match.

We get attacked 8-9 minutes into the game and at this point in time I'm warping in Stalkers.  The Protoss has more stalker than I do, and my ally's marine army was just wiped out for some reason and just leaves the game.  Luckily, the two players decide to go into and wipe out the rest of the Terran base and leave me alone for about 2 minutes.  In those two minutes I warp in Dark Templars and wipe out the attacking army, and with the additional minerals given to me by the Terran player who left, I built a whole bunch of cannons blocking my ramp entrance.

The opposing Terran player's second army is a large group of Siege Tanks which start wiping out my cannons.  I use DTs to wipe the tanks out, the Terran scan, but a 12 second scan isn't enough to stop 6-8 DTs attacking his tanks.  At this point the opposing Protoss player lags out.

Now it's on -- 1v1.  I use my DTs and attack the Terran.  He has no detectors and I wipe out his base.  He takes control of the Protoss player's units and has amassed Void Rays.  Using the DTs I wiped out the Protoss mining operation as well, so all he's got is an army of Void Rays and a whole bunch of cannons built.  My small army of Stalkers and DTs aren't a good match against void rays.

During this time I secretly made an expansion and had amassed a fair amount of minerals so I built 9 warp gates nearby and warped in about 15 zealots while the Void Rays were slowly destroying my base.  I use my zealots and take out the pylon powering the cannons and wipe out the rest of the base and win the match.

That was probably the most interesting 2v2 match that I've had.  When players disconnect and leave, their mining operation and whatever minerals and units they have can be controlled by the remaining players (on the same team), so it can lead to interesting situations.

[MysterD]

Voodoo Extreme -> StarCraft 2 - Patch 1.1 is planned to be coming on next Tuesday (Sept. 21st).

[iPPi]

I'm wondering if the slowing of the Zealot build time will make Protoss more vulnerable to being rushed. 

Though they're trying to stem off proxy gateway rushes, especially against Zerg, it doesn't really stop the photon cannon rush.

[iPPi]

Played a couple of matches this weekend.  Protoss is definitely more vulnerable to a Zerg rush but it is generally manageable.  I haven't noticed any changes playing as Terran or Zerg though.

I don't think anyone here cares though since I don't see anyone on this board online playing it.

[PyroMenace]

For zerg I think ultralisks got nerfed and for terran reapers take longer to build... at least thats what Ive gathered from talking to my brother. But yea, I'm interested in reading about the changes and I also read your updates. Starcraft play really fascinates me even though I dont participate myself, I watched some of the GSL open, specifically the last match TheLittleOne played, that first game was epic.

[iPPi]

In the 150+ league games I have played, I have not seen a single Zerg player make an Ultralisk.  I suppose at the pro level, it could be useful, but they're pretty far down the tech tree.

Reapers are definitely taking a lot longer to make.  Their effectiveness at crippling a mining operation early in the game has definitely been limited a lot more.

[PyroMenace]

Yea they rarely get used. Has the patch made zerg anymore effective? I mean no one even plays them much at pro level.

[MysterD]

PC Gamer -> Blizzard talks about their plans for Patch 1.2.

[iPPi]

Yea they rarely get used. Has the patch made zerg anymore effective? I mean no one even plays them much at pro level.

I've seen some Koreans play Zerg and they can be absolutely devastating.  It's a powerful class that can effectively counter almost everything if done properly.  They can't stand toe to toe against a mass group of Battlecruisers for example, but if you use Infestors to mind control a couple and Corrupters to make them vulnerable to air attacks, mutalisks can take them down.  It's a tougher class to play than Terran or Protoss though because they must rely on mass numbers in order to win so aggressive expansion is almost a must in order to ensure your resource collection rate is high enough.  There's an element of micromanagement that is necessary with Zerg in order to play them effectively.

[MysterD]

Joystiq -> Battle.net Chief says Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm is at least some 18 months away.

[sirean_syan]

I never mentioned but I was able to work through the campaign over the course of September. I'm thinking they're going to try and turn the Zerg into good guys with Heart of the Swarm, which just sorta sucks. It seems like a lot of games are just unwilling to really let you play a bad guy outside of contextless multiplayer, and Blizzard is especially guilty of this. Outside of Tie Fighter and few RTSes, you're almost never allowed to work for the bad guys in a meaningful way. More often than not, it ends up in some sort of guilty switch to the good guys  (X-Wing Alliance) or the bad campaign is just there in practice, but the real story only carries over the good campaign (Command and Conquer).

I think it bugs me so much because it stems from the idea that something needs something needs to be humanized in order for a player to care enough to want to play with it. I hate the idea that I'm only supposed to care about something recognizable in some way. Make something interesting and I'll care. That's how the Zerg were before: scary, bizarre, a force of nature, and interesting. I cared about them and frankly, trying to make them more human only dumbs them down.

[PyroMenace]

I totally agree with you Sirean, but there is one game in which they took it in that direction and that was God of War... and it was totally awesome, at least for me. However people complained he was too big of an asshole and were hoping for some sort of redemption, I say fuck them, let the world plunge into chaos sometimes.

[sirean_syan]

I agree to a point with GoW, but even Kratos went through a sort of redemption by the end. Although I don't feel like the redemption dumbed Kratos down and it was really just one bright spot in a mountain full of crap that he pulled by the end.

[MysterD]

DEMO released...

[Pugnate]

Yea I am one of those people who has problems playing an evil character. I just can't do it. I love GoW but I hate Kratos.

[MysterD]

SC2: Wings Of Liberty -> Patch 1.2.0 released.

[iPPi]

Finally public chat channels.

[Cools!]

I'm back to playing it on a somewhat regular basis: usually Friday and Saturday evening.

[iPPi]

I haven't had a chance to play it in a while.

[gpw11]

I think I got about 50% through the campaign.  I don't imagine I'll ever play again.

[scottws]

Don't bother.  The campaign is stupid.  A complete dud compared to the truly great story of the first game.

[Pugnate]

Are you guys serious? I am considering shelling out the $60 for the game, and it isn't going to be for multiplayer.

[iPPi]

I bought the game primarily for its multiplayer, so my opinion may be somewhat slanted, but regardless...

I've only played approximately 11-12 missions of the campaign (there are 29 total) and the variety in the missions (even though you only play as Terran, and a few missions as Protoss) is great.  Each of the levels present a variety of challenges and the missions end up being quite fun.

Story-wise, I have never followed the Starcraft lore or story much at all.  It's nothing spectacular based on what I've played so far, but I haven't reached the halfway point yet.  I know several people who have completed the campaign though and they said they liked it.

If you're only buying this game for its campaign you may be somewhat disappointed, as it is more of a MP focused game.

[scottws]

Are you guys serious? I am considering shelling out the $60 for the game, and it isn't going to be for multiplayer.

The story is hampered by the fact that Blizzard made the SP somewhat non-linear.  And really we only have 1/3 of the story so far unlike the first game that had the whole thing.  iPPi is right, the variety of the missions is good and the missions are fun.  But my beef is story.

Starcraft is one of my top three favorite games of all time and that is because it had such a powerful tale.  I thought the plot progression was great.  I loved the clash between Tassadar and the Conclave ("Aiur burns at the touch of the Zerg and you travel all this way to arrest me?!") and then the ultimate moment when he sacrificed himself to defeat the Zerg Overmind.  I mean I was truly floored by the story to the point where Tassadar is my favorite videogame character.

Wings of Liberty doesn't come within light years of that quality of story or raw emotion.  In fact, honestly, the story is just fucking stupid.  It sort of wanders around one way, then before you know it you realize that you aren't on the same track you were at the beginning of the game and are going in another direction and then the game ends on the stupidest "WTF?" moment ever.

But this is all of course my opinion.  Your experiences may differ.

[Cools!]

Yeah, the story isn't that "gripping".

I've played about half of the SP thus far and the missions are fun and varied. The story seems way too stretched out and feels somewhat disconnected because of the non-linear order to the missions. Actually, with the exception of the actual gameplay, the game gives me a bit of a Freelancer vibe.

Anyway, like iPPi I got it for MP and thus far it hasn't disappointed.

On another topic: I do wonder if we'll end up with 3 different versions of the game after all the expansions come out. I imagine that Blizzard will add new units in MP to get people to upgrade, so it's not just for the SP. People still play the original SC (and Brood War of course), will SC2 have the same longevity?

[Pugnate]

Fuck you blizzard.

So I am in Pakistan and I can only get decent pings from European servers. Even the SC2 digital purchase from Blizzard asks me to buy the European version. The North American and SEA versions are giving me pings of 450+... so yea European is the one to get.

Well, guess what. The Euro version of SC2 costs 60 Euros i.e. 80USD.

That's for digital.

I'd just get the US and play on Euro servers, but they region locked it. WTF.

[Cools!]

Wow, that totally blows.

[MysterD]

Warning -> YMMV - Your Mileage May Vary

Looks like Target has been marking down Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty - Collector's Edition for $25 or so here and there at some of their stores.

Usually, price-cuts can be found on their Infamous Clearance Racks.
These Clearance Racks are usually found within or somewhere near the electronics, video games and computer section.
The games are normally stickered with WHITE and RED stickers.
If you have a Target nearby, you might wanna take a look around there...

[PyroMenace]

Just watched some GSL, the team with the two best SC players in the world (Nestea and MVP) just lost. In fact both MVP, then Nestea both lost to a underdog Protoss player. It was pretty crazy to watch.

[Cools!]

Must be a glitch in the matrix. Terran domination continues, move along, nothing to see here.


(Notice all the Terran player icons on the board)