According to the information released today, Battle.net 2.0 will immensely improve community features. It will create a better competitive environment that players can enjoy and also will make changes to ladder and league.

Also, Blizzard is currently setting the new battle.net release date to around April and here are the scheduled contents:

• Achievements
• Community related contents
• Player’s detailed connection info
• Player’s detailed game history
• Friend’s friend invite contents

It’ll be surprising to see features like Achievements go live during the beta, mainly because of the huge sign that states “Disabled for Beta” on that part of Battle.net’s interface. More detailed game histories and the ability to see information about your opponents and allies will also be welcomed features.

The most controversial decision reported about in the Q&A is the confirmation of the lack of chat channels – the heart and soul of Battle.net. This is how many gamers have met their allies and rivals on the gaming service throughout the years, starting new friendships and gaining arch-enemies. It’s the way the team behind this blog originally met 12 years ago! Unsurprisingly, many have already expressed their disappointment with this change and are urging Blizzard to reconsider.

Instead of the normal chat features, Blizzard will implement something more akin to the popular social sites flooding the Internet nowadays:

Especially about friend’s friend related contents, blizzard will implement in battle.net 2.0 as the main community system. According to blizzard, the new battle.net 2.0 system with friend’s friend invite will enable users to be more active in the community.

This is similar to facebook and twitter with micro-blogs and blizzard is also following this trend. Blizzard also states that since battle.net 2.0 does not have open chat channels, they will have to shoot for an even better community system as the ultimate goal.

Gamers are not Twitter social-media type simpletons. Most do not need another Facebook to interact with the people they already know. Chats and Forums are the natural habitats of gamers, and Blizzard is taking away the ability to randomly meet people to chat, play and discuss the game with. Despite the fact that this is in line with most recent gaming platforms, we, among many others, would love to see Blizzard reconsider the removal of chat channels.

The update, which is due in April, will not include the following:

Single Player Contents

• There are contents that will be locked at the beginning and will only be unlocked as you clear specific objectives. When you unlock these contents, you will be given some awards.
• Unlocking achievements will give players decals(distinct patterns) or portrait pictures.

Result screen revamp

• Currently, when you finish a match, you only see scores but the revampt will include all the details.

The more anticipated contents such as professional leagues and use-map marketplace will be included in future updates after release and will include watching replays of the players in professional league. Also, the players in pro-league will be able to advertise his career history and others.

The Q&A session spans 7 questions in total:

Q : There are currently hacks out there for single player and multiplayer is in danger too. Are you guys working on more security measures?

A : Hacking is something that we did not want to see. It is very unfortunate. The current hacked clients may contain virus and we would like to encourage our users to avoid downloading them. In the case of multiplayer, we will be working to make sure that it is not hacked but since you will be able to play any multiplayer without battle.net, I think the system is pretty secure from hacking.

Q : Will the April content release include 3v3 or 4v4?

A : 3v3 and 4v4 team plays will not be released in April but will be in the official release.

Q : Is there plans to release public chat channels? Also, if you do release it, how will you fight against spams and profanity?
A : Battle.net 2.0 will not support open chat channels. We will take actions to the reported spams, profanity and rude behaviors with the new Report Player functionality.

Q : Then, how will clan system work? If there is no open chat channel, then wouldn’t that impede clan system?

A : We will be announcing clan system at (after?) release so we cannot discuss that right now.

Apparently, there is a distinct, separate clan system planned, which will not depend on open chat channels and is not limited to the social features that have been implemented or announced up until now.

Q : Unlike Warcraft 3 battle.net, will you be able to see your rankings and match history in the website?

A : Of course. Just like WoW armory, you will be able to see those in the new battle.net community site. You can expect some great things since it will be a whole new innovative web service.

Q : Even if you divide realm servers by continents, if you look at Asia, there are many different spoken languages. Will you provide real-time translation system?

A : We have no plans to support realtime translation system right now but we are looking into it and considering it.

Q : The currentl battle.net supported games include Starcraft 1, Diablo, Warcraft 3. Will you keep supporting this? Are you concerned about merging them with battle.net 2.0?

A : The current battle.net will continue being supported. I would like to see it being supported continuously and we are discussing how we will go about. The merging details have not been completely decided in terms of technical aspect so it is hard to answer that. We will be discussing that later.

In case you have forgotten (it’s been a while!), Battle.net was launched with the release of Diablo in 1997, 13 years ago. It is a live platform that serves Diablo, Diablo 2, StarCraft, WarCraft 2, WarCraft 3, and all the expansions of the aforementioned games. Adjusting the platform across so many games would require a huge amount of patching, and it’s not suprising Blizzard has not declared its official stance on the issue.

A significantly more lengthy interview was given by Dustin Browder to VG247, going into the gory details of the expectations and numbers emerging from StarCraft 2’s beta testing. Many of the things Dustin mentions, like the possibility of adding and removing units, have been talked about extensively in the latest Blizzcast, but there’s certainly some meat in this one.

Here are some interesting excerpts from the interview:

Dustin Browder: So far, the beta numbers we’ve been looking at have been very, very positive. We’re close to a 50 percent win ratio for almost every race. What we’re really doing right now is waiting to see, as the community learns more, to see if something changes in the meta-game that causes this not to be the case. And, of course, we’re still dealing with issues of unit diversity, particularly on the Zerg side.

What level of concurrency to you want to get to before the end of the beta?

Dustin Browder: I think we want to maintain about 10,000. It’s sort of our goal, and we’ve just about hit that at this point. I can see we’re at 9,000-something right now, and 10,000 is the goal.

The number of online players has certainly been growing steadily as Blizzard sends out more and more keys.

While some StarCraft 2 Beta testers have been hacking at the world’s fastest RTS for 12 years, a significant portion of the gamers are… noobs that are overwhelmed by StarCraft’s ruthless pace and macro-oriented mechanics.

Dustin Browder: We’re seeing two types of players. We’re seeing the hardcore who’ve been with us for the past 12 years, who are just totally loving it and having a great time. We’re seeing newer players get into the beta and struggling a bit with the speed, with the rushes, with the style of gameplay we’re presenting them with. We’ve seen a lot of feedback from the newer players saying, ‘Oh my God, this is really rough. What the hell are you guys doing?’

Are you seeing clicks-per-minute generally increase as you run the beta over time?

Dustin Browder: I’m sorry, I’m able to see it on a game-by-game basis; I’m not able to see it globally. But that’s a great question, and certainly a stat we’d love to have. We have a ton of stats right now, and we’re having a trouble getting at them a little bit. There’s a large volume of data that our business intelligence guys are working very hard to give us access to. What I have access to now is fairly limited. I have access to maps, I have access to win-loss by race and by skill, I have access to certain unit stats, but no, I don’t have access to action-per-minute on a global scale. I’m not able to see it increasing as we go. I imagine that it would.

Some more interesting quotes:

• Our internal stats show us that Terrans are down in 1v1 versus Protoss and Zerg, and our internal stats also show us that Terran-Terran teams are also taking a hit in almost every match-up. This we believe to be largely because of map design. The Terrans lack some of the mobility to come rescue their allies in the early game…
• We’re going to change the maps a little bit and see if we get different results, but the Terrans being down is something we’ve started to address and we’re going to continue to address in the coming weeks.
• In addition, we view Battle.net this time around a little more as we do WoW. We hope to be doing constant content development going forward…
• There are also going to be some changes to how we do match-making. I know this for sure. But I’m not exactly sure of everything that’s going to happen. We develop these features and some of them will make the content patch, and some of them will not.

Chronozeal

This strategy dominated the early days of the beta and can still be seen quite often. It is simple to execute, fast to achieve and quite devastating – especially before the Chrono Boost nerf, the 10 point reduction in Zealot shields, and the 30% increase in Gateway build time made it a little less quick and easy. This strategy involves quickly getting 3 gates up while building one assimilator for gas. While constantly pumping out Zealots and Chrono Boosting the gates, a large group of them could be amassed rather quickly. The attack is best timed with the completion of Charge research, which greatly enhances the effectiveness of Zealots. Not only does it become impossible to dance around them, they also surround enemies very quickly since the added distance already attacking Zealots add is negated by the superspeed. The toughness and relatively high attack damage of Zealots make this one of the first winning strategies for the Protoss in the StarCraft 2 beta. Evolutions of this strategy involve adding a Sentry or two, helping the Zealots take less damage from ranged attacks or trapping enemies with the Force Field ability.

Counters:

• Well-defended choke points
• Mass Roach
• Marine and Marauder balls with a couple of Hellions for flavor

Quick Colossus

After players began exploring the game some more, many have found the awesome power of the Colossus to be too good to pass up in just about every match. Soon enough, Protoss players understood that the Colossus literally wipes the floor with just about any ground unit, and so, many now rush to get one out as soon as possible. The most common strategy involves getting a Zealot wall to be used as fodder along with a handful of Stalkers and Sentries, with the Colossus laying back and lasering everything in sight with its huge, sweeping beams of scorching death. The upgrade found in the Robotic Bay is a critical one, increasing the Colossus’ range of attack from 6 to 9. Most players seem to understand that despite its cost (200/200), this upgrade is more important than getting a second Colossus out. Indeed, upgraded Colossi are a mainstay unit for the Protoss: not only are they easy to use effectively, but with a little micro, positioning the Colossus so that the the beams inflict maximum damage or dancing with it up and down cliffs is extremely rewarding.

Counters:

• Immortals, Void Rays
• Banshees, Vikings, carefully handled Marauders with EMP support in the early game
• All Zerg air units

Void rush

The Void Ray is a very unique unit with a distinct Protoss feel. Few tier 2 units in the game can inflict so much damage in such little time, and so it did not take long for Protoss players to abuse the potential of this unit. Requiring only the Cybernetic Core as a prerequisite and the Stargate to manufacture, the first 200/150 Void Ray can be brought to the field very quickly – especially with some help from Chrono Boost. Protoss players would quickly block off the entrance to their base, hopefully prohibiting the enemy from knowing what they’re up to, and then send 2-4 Void Rays to attack their unsuspecting enemy right inside their home.

The usual harassment at this point of the game focuses on the mineral line, but Void Ray rushers do not compromise for such petty means and go straight for the Town Hall. Players who lack any sort of anti-air will lose immediately, while others who can defend will spend the next few minutes losing various units and buildings to hit and run attacks while the Protoss player solidifies his economy and expands. Players who wish to use this strategy must make sure they possess the ability to micromanage these attention-requiring units, which are quite slow and not heavily armored, while also taking the time to take care of their economy and production.

Counters:

• Stalkers with Sentry (Sentries are light and, with Guardian Shield, take little damage from Void Rays)
• Mid-sized Marine groups
• Hydralisks

Dark Templar harassment

Still alive for the most part, and as effective as ever, or more so – now that Overlords are not detectors anymore. StarCraft 2’s Warp-in mechanic allows Dark Templars to be summoned directly to expansions, proxy pylons and to the occasional Warp Prism, hitting where detection is lacking and where the dark ones are least expected. Players lacking detection or an observant eye on the battlefield will take heavy damage before stopping the sneaky, hard-hitting Templar.

Mothership

Before Yo Mommaship got so fat, it was quite the unit to aspire to and get out to the field as soon as possible. Not only did its devastating Vortex ability cost 75 energy units, allowing it to be cast in every battle easily – it was also a fighting beast itself. With 400/400 hp/shields, a powerful, rapid attack that could take down workers (sans SCVs) and Marines in a single shot, a base armor of two, and an insta Town Portal button, the Mothership was often seen patrolling the skies all by itself, looking for prey. What was the risk?

Later in the game, the Mothership carried the entire Protoss army (or just cruised around with an air force) under its cloaking veil, vortexing everything in its path and destroying the remnants. Fortunately for the enemies of the Protoss, the wide range of nerfs to the Mothership have reduced it to something resembling more of a powerful Arbiter than anything else.

Counters:

• Sucked into a Vortex

What is the standard?

If one could point out a “solid” strategy, which does not either over-commit the player to a certain route nor expose him to a hard counter, it would be the standard Gateway/Robotics build.

Zealots, Stalkers and Sentries are all availiable practically from the very beginning, and Immortals coupled with Observers provide the early-mid game Protoss player with enough tools to deal with most normal threats. Healthy scouting and pressure that can be applied via the early attainable army would often counter most cheese tactics and allow the Protoss player to force an end to the game right away or comfortably segue into late-game play.

• The build time for this unit has increased from 120 to 160.
• The food cost of this unit has increased from 6 to 8.
• The number of shots fired by this unit has decreased from 8 to 6.
• The shield of this unit has decreased from 400 to 350.
• The health of this unit has decreased from 400 to 350.
• The acceleration of this unit has decreased from 1.3125 to 0.3125.
• The deceleration of this unit has increased from 0 to 1.

Then, something epic happened.

A “Yo Mommaship” Battle.net thread appeared, and it delivered. Multiple Blizzard employees have made their contributions to the thread, along with tens of other posters. To spare you from sifting through all the pages of the thread, we’ve compiled the best Yo Mommaship jokes in one Massive (Armored, Psionic) list:

1. Yo Mommaship so fat her food cost has increased from 6 to 8.
2. Yo Mommaship’s so trashy she doesn’t attack Roaches.
3. Yo Mommaship’s so fat she made Jim Raynor say “That’s no moon!”
4. Yo Mommaship so lazy that it takes her almost 3 minutes to be instantly teleported.
5. Yo Mommaship so dumb she forgot to fire two of her guns.  (see patch notes!)
6. Yo Mommaship such a floozy, she took 10 marines in her vortex and still had energy left.
7. Yo Mommaship’s so fat when she sits around the base, she sits AROUND the base.
8. Yo Mommaship so dumb when I said “we require more minerals” she took a Centrum.
9. Yo Mommaship so fat that when she uses Mass Recall, your units are still where you left them.
10. Yo Mommaship so fat, you must construct additional pylons. Always.
11. Yo Mommaship so fat she burns all her energy by turning around.
12. Yo Mommaship so fat she tried to cloak herself but it tore.
13. Yo Mammaship so fat, it takes 3 orbital scans to see all of her.
14. Yo Mammaship so ugly, she blinds detectors.
15. Yo Mommaship so dumb she thinks that the Ghost Academy is where Casper lives.
16. Yo Mommaship is so fat, the map can only hold one per player.
17. Yo Mommahip so fat she hit wormhole transit and got stuck on both sides.
18. Yo Mommaship so fat, Blizzard had to nerf her TWICE, just to fit her through the door.
19. Yo Mommaship so fat, she takes up the entire control group.
20. Yo Mommaship so fat she thought feedback was takeout. (Avarius)
21. Yo Mommaship so fat she needs shields just to keep it tucked in.
22. Yo Mommaship so fat her rear-end is considered a high-yield vespene geyser.
23. Yo Mommaship so fat when she delayed the release of beta 3 weeks because they had to upload her.
24. You Mommaship so fat, she takes food from all players in the game.
25. Yo Mommaship so dumb, she takes financial advice from Infestors.

The first patch – of many to come, according to Chris Sigaty – has been released yesterday. Blizzard have been quick to assess the data and feedback gathered from the beta; the patch already introduces some balance changes among various bug fixes. Not only that, but some abilities have been completely removed from the game!

Here are the changes, followed by some clarification on their reasons.

TERRAN

Viking

The armor value for this unit in Fighter Mode has decreased from 1 to 0.
The damage done by this unit in Fighter Mode has changed from 6 (+8 armored) to 10 (+4 armored).

Reaper

The damage done from D-8 Charges has decreased from 40 to 30.
The delay between attacks for D-8 Charges has decreased from 2.5 to 1.8.

Orbital Command

The build time for this upgrade has decreased from 50 to 35.

PROTOSS

Observer

Gravitic Boosters: The cost of this research has decreased from 150 minerals and 150 vespene gas to 100 minerals and 100 vespene gas.

High Templar

Phase Shift: This ability has been removed from the game.
New ability: Feedback – Drains all energy from the target unit and causes damage equal to the amount of energy drained.

Colossus

The building pathing radius for this unit has decreased from .75 to .5625.

Mothership

Vortex: The energy cost of this ability has increased from 75 to 100.
Vortex: The target radius of this ability has decreased from 3.0 to 2.5.
Temporal Rift: This ability has been removed from the game.
Wormhole Transit: This ability has been removed from the game.
New ability: Mass Recall – Teleports all of the player’s units in the target area to the Mothership.

Nexus

Chrono Boost can no longer target allies.

Gateway

The build time of this building has increased from 50 to 65.

ZERG

Infestor

Fungal Growth: The damage done by this ability has decreased from 48 to 36.
Fungal Growth: This ability now prevents affected units from burrowing.
Neural Parasite: Functionality changed – The Infestor now channels this spell, which lasts 10 seconds or until the Infestor is destroyed. You can now target all units with this ability.

Terran Infestation: The ability’s energy cost has reduced from 50 to 25 and Infested Terrans now spawn 1 at a time.

BUG FIXES

Addressed an issue causing people to receive an “Internal Battle.net Error” message with their game client.

Muting your microphone will no longer cause your microphone to be turned off in the operating system once the program has exited.

Please note that the voice chat functionality has only partially been implemented. There are many known issues with voice chat that we expect to address in a future patch.

The “Medium” graphical settings were reconfigured to work better on appropriate machines. The video settings “auto-detect” functionality has been reset as a result.

Added a frame rate limiter to the game menus to prevent some graphics cards from running at higher frame rates than necessary.

The main change to the Terran has been the tweaking of the Reaper’s attack, making it less effective in hit and run attacks against buildings. A common tactic with the Reapers is to quickly move around an enemy base, switching between harassing (and sometimes completely decimating) worker lines and taking down the occasional Pylon or Supply Depot. With the decrease in damage per attack, and despite the overall increase in damage per time, the Reapers will now have to stop and dedicate their attack to a building in order to efficiently destroy it.

The Viking’s damage has been changed to allow the Terran to have a flying answer to the constant threat of the Zerg Mutalisk . Since they are light units, Mutalisks will now take 66% more damage from Vikings.

The only change to the Zerg was to the Infestor, the Zerg’s most advanced spell caster, and, unfortunately, quite an underwhelming unit according to feedback from all over the community. The new Fungal Growth ability might prove useful in Zerg mirror matches with its effect on burrowing, but the improved Neural Parasite spell will definitely come into use. Previously, this ability was limited to biological units, leaving out many of the potential threats to the Zerg unaffected. Now, and as seen in the third battle report, Neural Parasite will once more be able to take control of the super-dangerous, anti-swarm Colossus.

The most disappointing and “safest” item on the patch notes list is the Protoss Mothership. This end-game unit, which turned out to be both fun and highly effective to use in competitive gameplay, has been hit with the nerf-hammer, and might as well be renamed “Motherbiter“. Having its “Town Portal” ability removed means the Mothership is quite vulnerable considering its extremely slow speed (think Overlord), and its most deadly spell, the black-hole generating “Vortex”, has had its effect dialed down and its cost increased. Granted, the old Mothership was quite the powerhouse, perhaps indeed an overpowered one – but it’s a shame to see it stripped down of its distinctive abilities and tuned to the exact same characteristics of the Arbiter: Cloaking field, Recall, and Vortex, which is essentially Stasis Field with a cooler effect.

We, among many others, have been testing the voice system integrated into Battle.net 2.0 and the game, but without great success. Communications have been choppy and unclear compared to modern stand-alone solutions, and it was clear that this is an unfinished feature. While it’s obvious that Blizzard will eventually get it right, this is perhaps the most immature aspect of the recently launched gaming platform.

One of the most important patch-related questions has finally been answered conclusively. Will replays from previous game versions remain viewable? Answer:

As has been mentioned before, different display aspect ratios provide slightly different gaming experiences, giving (and denying) a certain edge depending on one’s system setup. Check out this animated gif to get a clear idea about how StarCraft’s field of view adjusts to the gamers’ monitors.

While Blizzard has claimed that the difference will be minor, the above illustration makes it clear that it is not. If you have a 4:3 or 5:4 aspect ratio monitor and you intend to play StarCraft competitively, it’s probably time to move on.

Moving on, the thirteenth Blizzcast has been released, and it’s beta all the way. Very interesting comments from the senior people in charge of StarCraft 2, Dustin Browder and Chris Sigaty, which we will highlight here.

• Blizzard hopes to release a patch at least once a week, promising to react as much as on a daily basis.
• How radical can changes get? Dustin Browder: “As much as necessary”.
• Is it possible that units will be introduced or removed from the game? Dustin Browder: “Absolutely”.
• The planned period for the beta was 3-5 months, but Blizzard is currently targeting 3 months.
• The Galaxy editor will be release late in the beta with a “major content patch”. No information on what else this may include.
• The developers believe that the beta and feedback they get from the community is critical to the game’s success.

Some select quotes:

So community, you guys, will be doing a lot of interfacing directly and sort of bubbling up the big points to us.

… if we discover something that is a fundamental mistake, absolutely we will add or cut as necessary to make this game as good as we possibly can by the time it ships.

There’s definitely areas where we’ll be watching, areas where we’re nervous, we’re pretty convinced that we may have made a terrible mistake but we’re going to keep watching and see what happens. So far, things that I am convinced must be broken have not yet proven to be so. This is largely I think because other units are overshadowing them and preventing them from being that powerful, right. As the community plays, we’ll see what they find to be truly powerful and then we’ll see what really shakes out of it.

What we’re really trying to do is get players to have some additional strategy and choices when it comes to their base building and their economy, right. We really want to push that part of the game. We want players to be able to choose which type of player do they want to be. Do I want to be a player who can maximize my economy but maybe is not quite as good at commanding my forces on the battlefield or am I a player who is really good at commanding my troops out on the front line but maybe I don’t focus as much on my economy or do I want to try to balance both together.

… for sure the main central focus of the beta is balance for us.

As we continue to cover the beta, up to date news items, interesting tidbits, replays and videos will be posted on our Official Facebook page. Do come visit us there or check out the feed at the upper right corner of this page.

In general, the beta seems to be going very smoothly. Many players already populate the various leagues, the interface is smooth and quite intuitive, and is, amazingly, integrated into every part of the game in a very unobtrusive and efficient way. Some complaints about unused space have been made, but where it matters – inside the game – it functions beautifully.

Ten Blizzard maps have been made available, all in either 1v1 or 2v2 sizes, on a variety of tilesets:

• Blistering Sands
• Desert Oasis
• Scrap Station
• Steppes of War
• Kulas Ravine
• Lost Temple
• Metropolis
• Twilight Fortress
• Shakruras Plateau

Some maps come in two flavors – novice and normal. Novice type maps have a slightly modified topography and provide players with conditions conducive to less eventful early games.

Battle.net’s post-match screen includes a very informative tab that provides a clear summary of each players’ build orders, directly compared to each other. This second-by-second view provides a great insight into the first crucial minutes of the game and will help players understand where exactly they might have gone wrong without taking the time to go over the replay.

Next on today’s agenda, we’ve compiled a short list of changes to the game we haven’t heard about before the beta began:

• When a Protoss player has one or more Warpgates, hitting “W” will select all of them, making warping units to the field a button-click away at all times.
• Lurkers are no longer a part of the game. The unit is completely gone.
• The Protoss macro mechanic has been replaced. Instead of the periodic Probe mining bonus, the Nexus now has “Chrono Boost“, a 25-energy ability that the Nexus can use on ANY building, including those of allies, to increase the speed of unit production and research. Extremely useful in all situations, from the beginning of the game (build Probes faster) to the end (Build Mothership faster).
• Speaking of the Mothership, its “Black Hole” ability now functions as a souped-up Stasis Field, sucking up all units around the area of effect and keeping them trapped in another dimension for a short period before spitting them all out when it dissipates. Use with a well-timed Nuke for bonus points.
• Mentioned just a couple of days before the beta, Banelings can now again be used as underground mines, detonating while burrowed. However, the favorite strategy with Banelings is currently “get a lot of them and roll into the enemy base”.
• There is NO chat on battle.net besides that with your friends and the “parties” you form with them. No regional or global channels like in StarCraft 1, and no chat gem either.
• The Battlecruiser no longer has different abilities to choose from. Instead, only the Yamato Cannon is available after being researched at the Fusion Core.

• When a player losses all his main structures (Command Center, Hatchery, Nexus), all his units and structures are revealed to the enemy. This measure was implemented to prevent players from abusing the players who just beat them by playing Pylon hide-and-seek. However, it is already raising some concern about end-case situations (stalemates, players still having enough money, etc). The SC2Blog recommends turning this feature off in tournaments and other high-level competitions.

If you’re having a hard time letting go of your recently acquired StarCraft 2 Beta, you can now enjoy its theme music even when doing what you should have been doing instead of playing:
Terran theme: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcghLSIpZlM
Zerg theme: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ivYHY8V-XA
Protoss theme: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuh96ogWoAc
Menu theme: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVNyU-BF9wg

For players who are not in the beta and are eager for some action, here are some new high-definition gameplay videos. If you’re looking for more, stay tuned and keep an eye over our Facebook page – it will periodically be updated with noteworthy live streams, as they occur.

No more rumors, no more waiting. The StarCraft 2 beta is here, and we’re all downloading it like mad. In a few hours from now, the net will be flooded with all the information, screenshots, and videos we’ve all been waiting for – and a few lucky thousands will be providing them.

Just a couple of hours before the beta was unleashed on the suspecting but unknowing public, the official system requirements page went up on Blizzard’s support page. Only the minimal requirements are up at the moment, and they’re indeed quite minimal. If you’ve purchased a computer with a standard graphics card in the last 5 years, you’ll be just fine.

PC Minimum Requirements:

• Windows XP SP3/Vista SP1/Windows 7
• 2.2 Ghz Pentium IV or equivalent AMD Athlon processor
• 1 GB system RAM/1.5 GB for Vista and Windows 7
• 128 MB NVidia GeForce 6600 GT/ATI Radeon 9800 PRO video card
• 1024×768 minimum display resolution
• 4 GB free hard space (Beta)
• Broadband connection

An attached note informs that these are not final. Also, it mentions that the Mac beta version is not ready yet, but will be available during the beta.

Important note: we’ve been getting reports of many people who have not received any email notification, but have just logged into their Battle.net account and found the following. If you’ve opted-in, don’t wait for a notification!

First of all, the login page for the beta forum is up. It requires a StarCraft 2 beta key to be accessed, so there’s nothing much to see there just yet – but for those lucky souls who got into the beta, it will soon unlock the ability to post on one of the most interesting forums on the Internet.

Of equal importance, the official beta FAQ has been posted by Avarius. The FAQ in PDF format can be found here.

Beta Access

How do I sign up for the StarCraft II beta test?

In order to sign up for the StarCraft II beta test or future Blizzard Entertainment beta tests, you first need to create a Battle.net account. You can then opt in to the beta for StarCraft II, as well as betas for future Blizzard Entertainment games, through the beta opt-in process. To get started, simply click Beta Profile Settings in Battle.net Account Management. Please note that opting in to a beta test through this method does not guarantee that you will be selected.

If I opted in to the StarCraft II beta, how will I know if I’ve been selected to participate?

If you are selected, you will receive an email from Blizzard instructing you to log in to your Battle.net account at www.battle.net. You will be able to download the client directly from within Battle.net Account Management. We plan on inviting players in waves, so if you do not receive an invitation in the beginning of the testing period, there’s a chance you might receive one in a later wave.

I attended BlizzCon 2008 and received a beta code. Do I have to go through this process?

There is a separate process in place for players who received StarCraft II beta codes from BlizzCon 2008 or have unused beta codes from earlier Blizzard events. To redeem your beta code, visit the beta sign-up page (don’t worry that the page says World of Warcraft), and enter the code from your card, along with a valid email address that you check often.

Once you’ve completed these steps, we will contact you via email at some point during the StarCraft II testing process with further instructions. Please note that in order to participate after your receive the invitation, you will need a Battle.net account (if you don’t have one already).

I received a beta key from a contest, promotion, or event other than BlizzCon. How do I access the beta?

We will be sending out emails with beta keys to winners along with detailed instructions on how to access the beta test. Players who receive a beta key via email will need to create a Battle.net account, click “Add or Upgrade a Game” in Account Management, and enter the key there. The beta client will then be available for download from within Battle.net Account Management.

How long will the beta test last?

We have not determined an exact date for the end of the beta test. We will notify participants when the beta test is nearing completion.

How many players do you plan to invite to the beta test?

The number of players we invite will be based on our testing needs. If during the course of testing we determine we need more players to participate, we’ll invite more.

How are beta test participants selected from the opt-in pool?

Beta testers are chosen according to their system specs and other factors, including luck. Our goal is to have a good variety of system types to best test compatibility.

How to Play

What game modes are available in the StarCraft II beta?

StarCraft II beta testers will be able to play a number of ranked multiplayer modes, include multiplayer ladder quick match, which has 1v1, 2v2, and free-for-all (FFA) modes. In addition, testers will be able to play unranked custom matches. We are not testing the single-player campaign of StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty during the beta period.

How do I play against a computer opponent?

After launching StarCraft II, you will be asked to log in using your Battle.net account information. Once you log in and create or select a character, you will be brought to the main Battle.net screen. To play a match against a computer opponent, click the Multiplayer button in the top-left corner of the screen.

Next, click the Create a Game button in the lower-right side of the Multiplayer screen. Select your map of choice, and then click Create Game in the lower-left corner of the screen. After clicking Create Game, you will enter a new game lobby. You can adjust game settings on the right side of the screen and add AI opponents by clicking the +AI button located in the upper middle of the screen. You can adjust teams by dragging the computer player to the opposing team (or keep a computer player on your own team if you wish to play 2v2 against computer opponents). When you’re ready to begin, click Start Game.

How do I play a multiplayer ladder game against another human player?

To find a human opponent through the beta ladder system, log in to Battle.net, select Multiplayer in the top-left corner of the screen, pick your settings, and click the Find Match button on the lower-left side of the screen. You can also adjust which maps you would like to play on by using the Map Preferences button located to the right of Find Match.

How do I adjust my map preferences for ladder play?

To adjust your map preferences, log in to Battle.net, choose or create your character, and select the Multiplayer button in the top left of the screen. Click the Map Preferences button toward the bottom left of the Quick Match screen, and then click the check boxes next to each map you would like to vote against playing in your ladder matches. When you’re done, click Save Preferences.

There are separate map preferences for 1v1, 2v2, and free-for-all (FFA) modes that are each saved independently of one another. To adjust the map preferences of a different mode, select the bracket you wish to adjust preferences for and click the Map Preferences button. Click the check boxes to vote against the maps you would least like to play and click Save Preferences.

How do I play a multiplayer game using the StarCraft II Party system?

You can create a party in StarCraft II by inviting players who are on your friends list or by their character name on Battle.net. In the top-right panel, click Invite to begin gathering players into your party. Once invited, party members will be able to use voice chat and the party chat room to speak to one another. Clicking a player’s avatar portrait in the upper-right corner of the screen enables quick access to that player’s profile.

Players in the same party can join games together as a group. You can either choose to join a custom game or queue up for rated team ladder games by selecting Quick Match in Multiplayer. Simply invite your teammates from your friends list or by character name, select Multiplayer in the upper-left corner of the screen, and choose your desired match type.

To play a rated team ladder game, press Find Match once you and your teammate(s) have selected which races to play and adjusted map preferences. To join a custom game, select Join a Game, choose an existing game from the lobby, and select Join as Party. Once in the game lobby, you’ll be able to select your race and color preferences. You can also create your own custom game by selecting Create a Game, choosing your map, and then selecting Create as Party. Once the lobby is created, you can adjust your match settings. You can also open your game to the public for others to join by clicking the Open to Public button in the upper middle of the game lobby. Once a game lobby is made public, it cannot be made private again.

How do I add a friend on Battle.net?

There are two types of friends you can add: Real ID friends or StarCraft II friends. To add a friend of either type, first open your friends list by clicking the button directly left of the microphone icon in the lower-right corner of your screen. Next, click the Add Friend button. A window will open prompting you to enter either your real-life friend’s email address (matching their Battle.net account name) or a StarCraft II player’s character name. When you try to add a Real ID friend, a request will be emailed to that person asking if he or she wishes to accept the friend request. The player will not be added to your Real ID friend’s list until he or she accepts.

What is the difference between a Real ID friend and StarCraft II friend?

Real ID friends on Battle.net can see each other’s full profiles, including real-life names, real-life profile information, and all of their characters across all Battle.net games. Both players must mutually agree to become real-life friends before either will appear on the other’s real-life friends list.

To add a StarCraft II friend, simply enter a player’s character name. You will immediately start seeing that character in your friends list, but you will not be able to access real-life names, real-life profile information, or any other characters he or she might play. Other players are not notified if you add their characters to your friends list in this fashion.

I just destroyed my opponent! How do I watch my game’s replay?

After logging in to Battle.net, click the small video-camera-shaped button in the top-left corner of the screen. This will allow you to access replays for previous StarCraft II matches, organized by game type.

How do I check on my ladder progress?

To view your match results and current ladder ranking, click on the medal-shaped icon in the top-left corner of the Battle.net user interface.

How do I customize my profile?

Select the far-right button on the top-left panel of the Battle.net user interface. This will give you access to your match statistics, achievements, and match history, as well as the ability to change your portrait.

How do I enable or disable voice chat?

Click the microphone button located on the lower-right corner of the screen (next to the time). When there is a line crossing out the microphone, voice chat is disabled.

How do I change which Battle.net account is logged in?

Click the Menu button in the bottom-left corner of your screen when in the Battle.net lobby. The Log Out button will return you to the login screen to change accounts.

What Battle.net features are you testing during the StarCraft II beta test?

While testers will be able to experience much of the functionality of the new Battle.net, certain features, such as the ability to communicate with World of Warcraft players through the Real ID feature will not be available at the start of the beta. Battle.net features and functionality will be added and enhanced as the beta progresses, right up through the retail launch of StarCraft II and beyond.

How do I exit the StarCraft II beta?

If you are in the main menu of StarCraft II, click the Quit button in the lower-left corner of the screen. When logged in to Battle.net, click the Menu button in the lower-left corner of the screen and select Exit Game.

I heard that I can share resources and control over units in StarCraft II. How do I use these features?

When in a StarCraft II match, click the small icon in the top-right corner of the screen and use the check boxes to enable or disable shared unit control. You will be also able to share resources in this fashion once you are more than five minutes into a match.

How do I adjust my StarCraft II settings?

Click the Options button on the main menu to customize your settings for StarCraft II. You can also change various settings during a StarCraft II match by clicking the Menu button.

Will there be a Mac version of the beta client?

We plan to release a Mac version of the beta client at some point during the beta test period. We’ll have further details to share as the beta test progresses.

Where can I get more information about the status of the beta-test servers?

Please refer to the Tech Support forums http://forums.battle.net/board.html?forumId=25352527&sid=5000 for information on server status or for other technical issues. You can also report issues via webform or email at beta.techsupport@us.battle.net .

I found a bug while playing. Where can I report this to get it squashed?

If you find any bugs, please visit the Bug Report forum http://forums.battle.net/board.html?forumId=25498616&sid=5000 to report the issue.

Is there a forum where I can leave beta feedback, offer suggestions, or discuss the game with fellow beta participants?

We’ve set up several forums specifically for this purpose; you can find them all at the StarCraft II Beta Forums index page http://forums.battle.net/index.html?sid=5000. We encourage you to use these forums to discuss the game with your fellow players, and we definitely want to hear your feedback. While anyone is able to view the content of these forums, only beta participants will be able to post, and all beta forum participants must follow the Forum Guidelines http://forums.battle.net/thread.html?topicId=23140465238&sid=5000.

Since the document is bit large, the SC2Blog has prepared a ninja highlight summary. It boils down to:

• No information about new ways of getting into the beta.
• If you have secured your place in the beta, you will receive an email before the beta with further instructions.
• More waves of invites will be sent out during the beta.
• The beta will last as long as it has to.
• Owners of certain system specs have a higher chance of being selected to participate in the beta.
• Beta testers will be able to play ranked and unranked 1v1, 2v2, FFA , and custom games (against the AI as well).
• No Wings of Liberty single player campaign testing.
• All the social features, including voice chat, are in the beta. For now, no cross-game communication.
• Arranged teams will be possible to form, allowing players to quick match or join games together.
• Viewing replays requires players to login to Battle.net.
• Mac version will become available during the beta.

Beta launch is imminent. The day draws near. Man all battlestations. Brace for impact!

During the much-anticipated conference call, broadcast live to the public, the following slide went up as Mike Morhaime, Blizzard’s president, was talking:

Mike also mentioned a mid-2010 release date for StarCraft 2, in line with previous Blizzard representatives’ estimations of 4-6 months of beta testing.

Indeed, there is no doubt about it. Battle.net 2.0 was likely the reason for the previous delay of the beta, which was promised to begin last year. With the new Battle.net preview page going live yesterday, Blizzard has made it clear that most preparations are complete and that the time for the beta has come.

These are the opening words on the new Battle.net preview page, launched just a couple of hours ago. The preview site has all the information about the new Battle.net features, screenshots of the service, and a short video interview with Greg Canessa, project director for Battle.net.

Since information about the new Battle.net hasn’t been scarce, the page itself doesn’t reveal much that isn’t already known. It serves as an aggregate of information about the service, officially showcasing it to the world. Indeed, the gaming industry should take note of this new service, as it is sure to capture the attention of many gamers who will become more loyal to Blizzard and their games than ever before.

Here’s a rundown of the information presented on the page and in the interview:

The new Battle.net will be completely integrated into the game.

• Saved games will be associated with the player’s Battle.net account and will be stored online.
• Each player will create a StarCraft 2 Battle.net character, which will serve as his persistent identity, keeping records, achievements, unlockable rewards, friends lists, and so on.
• Each player can select his own avatar and customize it to some degree; some of the avatars available and the customizations will only be available after being unlocked.

As mentioned before, the new Battle.net is not just about the games anymore – it provides a fully-featured social experience that stretches beyond the battlefield. Seamlessly integrated friends lists, status updates, messaging options and other social networking features abound. All of Blizzard’s online games will be represented, each with their own characteristic style. As well, a new “Real ID” feature will be implemented, allowing players to form friendships that transcend characters and come into the real world, creating a bond that will follow them through any Blizzard game or player avatar. Real ID will place the emphasis on real names and identities and provide a richer social infrastructure.

At this point, Real ID is strictly optional, and players will be able to rely completely on their anonymous avatars.

The information about Battle.net’s marketplace and matchmaking services have already been fleshed out before.

Another interesting change further complicates the ladder process by dividing it into separate leagues and divisions.
Seven Leagues will be created:

• Pro
• Platinum
• Gold
• Silver
• Bronze
• Copper
• Practice

In short, matchmaking will be more friendly to newcomers and pro-gamers alike, featuring leagues that players will automatically be assigned to after playing a few games. Blizzard wants to encourage “local competition” by putting you in your “skill neighborhood” in order to facilitate fun and competitive games. As well, the fan-favorite and often neglected (in other RTS games) arranged-team feature will be available, allowing friends to team up and find a match together in the same team.

The new custom game service will include a feature called Map Publishing that will let map designers publish their maps online, distributing their creations immediately. Likewise, players will be able to browse the service and look for specific map and game types. Later, Blizzard will introduce a more advanced version of this service – the StarCraft 2 Marketplace – allowing players to rate, comment on, and even buy mods if their creators choose to put a price tag on them. Blizzard has previously assured us that only mods that they approve and that they deem worthy will be allowed this privilege.

Lastly, check out this picture of the game launch screen, featuring a new 4v4 map – Extinction!

Blizzard’s Korean community representative commented on the topic and summarized Blizzard’s intentions in the following response:

(Credit for translation goes to our friends at IncGamers)

We know that all of you are very curious about the development of the Beta with the release of many Starcraft 2 Beta Testing related news across various news portals.

Unfortunately, the specifics of beta testing have not been finalized yet and I cannot give you a definite answer through this thread.

But we are trying our best to make the necessary preparations ready and introduce Starcraft 2 as fast as we can. I can definitely say that the Beta test will not just involve industry experts and other VIPs but rather will involve all fans of the franchise.

We understand how long and excruciating the wait was, and we also understand what you want the most right now as well.

We will tell you about any specifics that become finalized as soon as we can.

In the meantime, Blizzard has made some standard updates in the form of new features on the official site and new bits of information from the blues, Blizzard’s official RTS community managers.

The StarCraft 2 website has been updated with new fan art, all very inspiring StarCraft works.

Zhydaris took the time to post about the updated Zerg Baneling mechanics on the Battle.net forums in response to a 5-question inquiry by a fan.

1 - The Banelings cannot detonate while burrowed, they have to unburrow first and then explode. I know what you’re thinking. “Hey, probably exploding while burrowed would be a better warfare tactic”. You must understand that exploding in the name of the Zerg is indeed a great satisfaction for a Baneling, thus they prefer to unburrow in order to showcase their enthusiasm for their role by exploding with a smirk on their face. If you zoom close enough you will see a little smile on their little glowing face of theirs. Ah, gotta love the Banelings.

2 – They’ll wait for your command. If you don’t tell them to explode, they’ll just wait while staying burrowed. That’s nice for setting up ambushes.

3 - They always wait for your command.

4 – They’ll not behave like Infested Terrans. The attack-move command is not going to be interpreted as “Go and explode at this location”, but rather as “Move to this location and attack any enemy unit. If you can’t spot an enemy unit, just sit there”.

5 – It’s comparable to a D8 Charge, yes, the explosion covers pretty much the same area.

The above answers clear the air (if not to most Zerg players’ satisfaction) about the Baneling’s most dangerous, coolest and problematic property – the ability to act as a powerful underground mine. Some players will undoubtedly be disappointed that Blizzard took the safer (balance-wise) path of forcing the suicidal Zerg unit to unborrow prior to exploding. Of course, this won’t prevent them from still being very dangerous in this role.

Zerg units were not alone in getting blue attention, as both Terran Reapers and Protoss Nullifiers were mentioned by Blizzard’s community teams. Most importantly, the Nullifier, the superstar of the freakishly awesome 3rd battle report, has been renamed to Sentry and has received an updated unit model.

Kapeselus took the time to clarify how the Reapers’ D-8 charges act once deployed. The D8s have a 2 second delay before exploding, providing some panic dodging time, and are indestructible, at least in the current build.

In the current build you cannot destroy D-8 Charges. By that I mean that you can select them, but they are indestructible (they don’t have HP like other units do, just like units caught by Arbiter’s Stasis Field in SC:BW for example). If you are playing against Reapers though, you can still dodge the charges, as it takes them around 2 seconds to blow up.

He also answers some follow-up questions about the dangerous use of the charges against buildings:

D-8 charges don’t stick to buildings. You can only throw them directly to the ground and if you target a building they will just appear next to it. They also only damage ground units, so they won’t do any damage to your buildings if you manage to lift them off before the charges blow up.
You cannot damage burrowed zerg units if they are not affected by any means of detection. For example if you raid your opponent’s mineral line and he burrows his drones you won’t be able to damage them without a detector, like for example a Scanner Sweep.

D-8 Reaper raids are going to be a major issue for enemies of the Terran to take into account when constructing their bases. Clumped up Supply Depot farms, undefended worker lines, or expensive, high-tier buildings – all will be easy pickings for quick and painful Reaper raids.

Last but not least, Matt Horner – one of StarCraft 2’s key Terran characters – has been awarded with his very own lore page on the official StarCraft 2 website, being added to the respectable list of heroes: Jim Raynor, Zeratul and Tychus Findlay. Read it here.

“…he was young, smart, idealistic, and bored.”