Starcraft II - New Battlenet

[Spartan97]

What do you think of it? I really like it, and this explains a lot of what they've done so far, including the whole "no LAN play" thing.

http://www.starcraft2.com/features/misc/battlenet.xml

[IceFire]

I think it's brilliant and a great idea. By centralizing all these features which have so far been offered at various places, they are making it far easier for the users, and gives Blizzard more control over the features as well.

I love the fact that they're going to let users upload maps to be published - it will make finding good maps that much easier, as well as further encouraging map developers to make great games. I still find it amazing that because of such a relatively simple and cheap addition of a map editor, Blizzard has been able to extend the shelf life of their games for a huge period of time in the gaming world - 12 years for Starcraft, and 7 years for Warcraft 3.

I also like how they're trying to make their own social networking community. It really is a brilliant idea - people spend IMMENSE amounts of time playing video games - why not integrate the social networking features into what they already do?

Concerning the "no LAN play" thing, the only reason I'm slightly annoyed is because it sounds like if you don't have internet for whatever reason, you won't be able to play multiplayer at all, which is extremely annoying. However, it seems like a smart idea for Blizzard, since they are able to justify it with all of the features mentioned above and in the article, while also helping to crack down on piracy and other 3rd party services providing features which Blizzard is now able to capitalize on.

I can't wait to make a map for Starcraft 2! So far I'm thinking Conquest...

[Spartan97]

Yeah I agree it looks great. I like the improve UI also and the fact that all blizzard games are interconnectd.

I might try some mapmaking too, especially since you can sell the maps if you want (and if they're good enough). I can imagine that if someone makes something as popular as DotA it'll cost some money.

[IceFire]

I actually read or heard somewhere (I'm pretty certain it was a Blizzard article) that the current incarnation of DoTA would not be high enough quality to sell, or something to that effect. I'm not entirely certain who WILL be able to sell games, then, since DoTA seems to update far more frequently than many commercial games...

[Spartan97]

Maybe they meant that it was made with the old map-maker and the new one will allow for higher-quality maps?

[IceFire]

Maybe. I'm somewhat doubtful, though, because while the new map-maker is vastly improved, and makes doing everything easier, and greatly expands what you can do using the default editor, I believe (not certain) that much of what the new map maker lets you do is possible in the old one, as they use a scripting language for DoTA, not the default interface.