I have returned: StarCraft II

[Minions]

Yay, got a key!

I have a stream up occasionally here: http://www.livestream.com/streamanvidyagames

If you're bored, come watch me suck!

Bastard. No luck with co workers... guess we play the waiting game.... and I suck at that game.

[GRT]

are keys still trickling out? i thought the first wave/batch is done

[Shuvo]

Yeah I guess, not even all the maps have been got yet by the look of it.

Blegh I want a key bad. lol. I would just drop 200 bucks for one on ebay if I knew that the beta would go on for a long time (say 6monthhs) but I fear it may just go for a month or so, and so definitly not worth anything near 200. Bleghblegh

[yayaok]

aw lawd rofl
banelings video was the funniest shit i seen all day lmao wow
ima keep my teeth grindin and wait for full release
i refuse to play unless its at a pc room.... gdi the temptation

[MisterBob]

From what I understand, the SC2 beta will likely be a few months long.

[ClassicRed]

Am want key ._. opted in like 2months ago *sniffles*

[MisterBob]

Am want key ._. opted in like 2months ago *sniffles*

The chances of getting a key from opt-in are stupidly low. There are probably no more than 5-7k people playing (mostly blizzcon keys), and the number of opt ins is probably over 100k.

[Rulke]

Are you sure its that low? There was one claim in a commentairy I watched that said there were over 10k players at this time.

[MisterBob]

At peak hours usually no more than 2500 online

[geno]

Yeah just checked and there are only 2200 on right now.

[Rulke]

Wow, thats sorta weak ><; Well, I guess for only a few days in its not so bad. If indeed this beta lasts a while, the final week should seen good server stress test of size I would hope.

[Kaylia]

I didn't browse around, but what's people first impression of SC2? Does it live up to the hype (or nostalgia)?

[Correction]

It lives up to it much better than warcraft III did.

[Kaylia]

WC3 was much better than WC2 >_>, how did it not live up to the hype? Or maybe you meant starcraft-> wc3, which I agree to some extent.

[Correction]

yeah that's what I meant. Also you'll notice people still play brood war, and nobody plays wc3 except to play DotA

[Kaylia]

Gamers always cling to their first love, it's not that surprising. I don't think WC3 was a letdown for most people though, even if SC was better for competition.

[geno]

There is still a competitive WC3 scene (or there was), the world scene for WC3 was arguably bigger than the world scene for SC even. Korea is obviously a different story entirely, but I wouldn't write WC3 off completely (this is coming from a diehard SC fanatic as you may know).

Anyways, its a little besides the point. My impressions? This game could certainly unite those two communities, and probably every other RTS community out there. It's clearly entertaining to watch, and with the implementation of some seriously advanced observer and referee tools, its going to be ridiculously easy to adopt into spectator friendly competitive scenarios.

And that doesn't just apply to the best of the best either. Already in the beta we are seeing probably one of the best implementations of a comprehensive yet simple ladder system for a game of this type yet. The league breakdowns from Platinum to Copper are not at all difficult to figure out and the further divisions help you to understand where you skill is at currently without being daunted by the many many people that will be playing this game. Maybe the most important part of this all is a seemingly very good ELO system put into place that helps to accurately rank player skill keeping your games from being too one-sided either way.

It carries on the spirit of Starcraft in almost every way from army sizes to unit variation, economic expansion, the importance of multitasking and every other thing that comes to mind when you think of Starcraft. On top of all of this, and probably the most important factor, it is just goddamn fun. The unit skills and attacks are incredibly creative and fun to use without being overly complicated to figure out. Units like the Sentry or the Reaper are amazingly fun to use even in support or small number situations. The so-called 'macro mechanics' for the three different races are incredibly useful without being too demanding or restrictive.

Ultimately it is just so neatly tied together and with plenty of room for the changes and growth that one would expect for the beta of a game of this status.

I'd say more but I'm going to play some more. I made it into Platinum league division 8 after an 8-2 run through my placement matches and I want to see if that was all just a fluke.

[Kaylia]

The beauty with SC was that you could always make a come back if you played correctly. Microing is important to some extent, but before anything, there was a huge mind game between you and your opponent. You had to keep track of your opponent's action and react properly. One tiny slip and the game could turn around completely.

In WC3, I was building my army independently of the context most of the time. Sometime, you could react with a proper strategy, but most game ended after the first fight.

[MisterBob]

I'm really enjoying SC2 so far. It seems very balanced (there are issues out there, like Protoss + Zerg 2v2 with Chronoboost being used on the Zerg Hatchery frequently seems like it might need a nerf), easy to pick up, and a lot of fun.

[Correction]

Chronoboost is pretty sick in 2v2 in general