StarCraft 2

Battle.net and StarCraft 2


Yesterday we woke up in a world where the beta for StarCraft 2 hadn't been released yet, and we went to in a world where about 1,700 people were playing it. Those aren't tremendously good odds for getting into the beta, but we can only hope more players will be added as things move along.
Blizzard was kind enough to give us a few beta keys to try the beta internally, and sadly we found that you can't play with friends across oceans—Peter Bright and I were unable to play a game together due to his location in the UK. Alas. We did stay up all night playing the game though, and almost as impressive as the game was the experience of using the new and improved Battle.net. The service is polished and easy to use, even in the beta. If this is the new home of Blizzard games, we want to move in.
So what are some things to do in the beta? Come with us and take a look at how we spent last night.
Take a look around the new Battle.Net

Release date is to be July,27 2010

This is going to be your home for the next decade or so if you're a Blizzard fan, and the good news is that this thing is slamming. The interface is simple to use, the social aspects tie into the game, and everything feels zippy and smooth.
When you chat with a friend, the window can be moved anywhere on screen; you can check your friend's profiles to see their win-loss record and recent games, and everything is placed exactly where it needs to be. If you're lucky enough to have wrangled a beta invite, spend some time just getting used to the new digs. Blizzard has put together something very special.
Jack your resolution

There is nothing like running a real-time strategy game at 1920 by 1200. Now, upping your resolution simply adds sharpness to the screen, it doesn't look like you'll be able to see more of the map with a big screen at higher resolutions. I'm playing on a 24.5" monitor and at first it was frustrating to see how zoomed in the view was, but we have to be fair for competitive reasons. Still, it looks nice.
You can adjust the texture quality and the reflections, and the unit portraits can be in 3D or 2D. You can adjust the sounds so that the interface noises can't be heard over the ambient sounds or the sound effects. You can set your voice chat to voice-activated or push-to-talk, and your mouse options are completely configurable.
Whether you have a high end or mid-range system, you'll be able to get this game running decently, and the list of adjustments and possible tweaks is impressive. This kind of customization should be standard for PC titles, but sadly, it's not. Seeing a game that's clearly built from the ground up for PC gamers, with all that entails, is refreshing.
Learn from your enemies

Your matches are saved as replays in Battle.net, so you can go back and take notes on exactly what went right and what went wrong. You can watch the game from your perspective or from your enemy's, and you can pause, fast-forward and rewind. It's all very easy to use. The ability to zoom into the fight also allows you to enjoy all the eye-candy without worrying about messing up your game.
After losing, which is happening frequently to me right now, it's great to go back and see exactly what my opponents did. How quickly did they explore? Where did they send scouts? What's their build order? Knowledge is going to be viral in StarCraft 2, with every move you make becoming an open book after each match. This may annoy those who like to keep their strategies secret, but for those of us who aren't as skilled at real-time strategy games, every match is going to be like going to school.
Your replays can be accessed by hitting the camera icon in the upper right portion of the screen, and they're arranged by type of game or just in chronological order. You can save or delete them at will, or organize them into folders. It's simple, and makes learning the game a snap.


right. How does the game play?

For players used to the first StarCraft or other real-time strategy games, the changes and updates are going to be overwhelming. The best thing to do? Just start playing. Take your lumps, learn using your replays, and talk to the community. Players who are much better than me have been gracious in victory and often gave me notes or chatted about the game. We're in closed beta right now, but the players in the game in my limited experience have all been friendly, nice, and geniunely fun to play with. We'll see how long that keeps up.
The graphics won't blow you away instantly—this isn't going to show off your new system—but the little effects here and there, the voice acting, and the animated unit portraits all feature tiny details and humorous touches that give the game a personality that few can match. The Zerg will make your skin crawl. Terran structures are now built by a factory-type machine that pops up from the ground. You'll be faced with new strategic choices: do you add an upgrade to your barracks that allows you to build two soldiers at once, or one that allows you to build the more powerful Marauders and Reapers?
All the changes will take time to get used to, and units will be nerfed and adjusted as the beta moves along for balancing, but the important part remains: this feels like StarCraft. A very pretty StarCraft, a StarCraft that allows you to watch your battles in more detail, but StarCraft nonetheless. In addition to the new Battle.net, it seems like Blizzard's track-record of polish and quality remains. This is going to be a fun beta.
Zoom in and out

In the comments someone asked for an image of a scene zoomed both all the way out, and all the way in. Here you go:
Here's the same scene, zoomed all the way in. This is running at the maximum allowed resolution of 1920 by 1200.