Developer Blog with Production Director Chris Sigaty
In our last blog post, we outlined several upcoming online features we’re working on, including clans and groups, global play, resume from replay, multiplayer replay viewing, unranked matchmaking, and language packs. Since then, we've seen some speculation on whether the features would be exclusive to Heart of the Swarm or available to Wings of Liberty players. We want to clarify that all of these features will be available to BOTH Wings of Liberty and Heart of the Swarm owners. You will not be required to purchase Heart of the Swarm to get the benefits of these features.
Our hope of course, is that you'll want to join us in Heart of the Swarm to continue the epic campaign, and use the newest units coming in the expansion. We got lots of great feedback from the multiplayer sneak peek at the Major League Gaming Spring Championship a few weeks ago and look forward to starting the beta test to collect even more of your thoughts.
Over the next couple of weeks, we will also have updated information on how to run an SC2 tournament. We realize that the process of running a successful tournament is not very intuitive at the moment. We are working on making the information easier to understand, more discoverable, and with better supporting materials and documentation.
Speaking of tournaments, StarCraft II eSports continues to thrive. TeamLiquid StarLeague 4 qualifiers have begun, and Dreamhack Summer 2012 was full of exciting upsets -- can you believe there were no Koreans in the semi finals and only one Korean made it to the quarterfinals? Our own World Championship Series is continuing to build momentum as we identify more national champions and move closer to continental events. And of course, the Global StarCraft II League continues to lead the eSports world with another thrilling season well underway.
But there's one personal story I'd like to share from the MLG Spring Championship. Before I go into that, I want to quickly commend Sundance, Lee, and the entire MLG team, including the casters and participants, on an amazing tournament. Everyone really outdid themselves at this event as the quality of the matches, the streams, the KeSPA exhibition matches, and overall production values were stellar. You could feel the electricity across the whole event with a special reverence for the legendary Brood War players' exhibition matches on Saturday night. Amazing stuff!
The particularly cool part of the story for me was that my twin boys, who are currently four and a half years old, started watching StarCraft II at this event. All day Saturday, I carried around my iPad and watched the MLG Red and Blue stream broadcasts, which worked flawlessly. The boys watched intermittently, asking me questions about a player’s name or the race, but mostly only paid a bit of attention. However, on Saturday night we sat together watching the MarineKing vs. Stephano series. The matches were phenomenal with some of the best fungals and surrounds I've ever seen during game two, and a back and forth in game three that had me so tense that the kids could feel it. By this point they were very engaged and interested. They went off to bed asking all sorts of questions.
The best part was the next morning when the boys woke up. They played in the family room, madly clicking their fingers on pretend keyboards and mice proclaiming, “I’m Marine King Prime and I’m totally destroying your units” and, “I’m Stephano.” Despite the fact that they did not really understand the game, they felt the excitement all the same and found new sports heroes – eSports heroes. The whole thing was totally amazing and fascinating to me because it's hard to imagine this scene happening outside of Korea ten years ago, five years ago, or even two years ago. Here I was, witnessing the growth of eSports’ impact and accessibility first-hand.
It also got me thinking that everyone has a story behind how they were first exposed to StarCraft eSports, and their first memorable moment or match. How did you get into StarCraft eSports? Was it at a BarCraft in the last year or so, or was it many years ago with Brood War? Share your story in the comments section below!
See you online!
I mean, I've been playing strategy games since long before sc1, and I've been a gamer for almost 25 years... but it wasn't until that moment that I understood how much fun it could be to watch.
Thanks for the mems Blizz!
When we first saw it on the Nintendo 64 (we didn't know Stacraft was a PC game at that time), I just took an open mind to it with my friends, since we never saw a Command and Conquer game in our life. We only saw those other N64 games like Need for Speed, racing games, Mario, Zelda, or Golden Eye 64.
My sister's boy friend was like "I can't play this because its' been a while" but I think he REALLY meant "this was originally for computer and it's hard to play Stacraft on an Nintendo 64 controller.
So... it probably took 2 years before we finally got it for computer. IT WAS ALLWAYS HELLLLLLL waiting for a NEW comptuer part or fixing a problem with the computer. !@#$ING MICROSOFT PROBABLY HAD WITS FOR MAKING MORE MONEY, BY %^-*ING PEOPLE'S COMPUTER IN WITTY WAYS. IT'S STILL A DREAM TO HAVE A GOOD COMPUTER WITHOUT BEING GREEDY.
Well, so the years went by playing Starcraft and Starcraft Brood War, and from time to time: Beating the entire two games again, and creating Use Map Setttings maps I will never finish nor release (ideas that were better than the successful ones who were released).
Well! That's it! Me and my OLDER (not ltitle brother) who were really into Starcraft heard about SC2 so we got excited, but I also was a bit depressed/oppressed by their tyranny. So when my brother finally got Starcraft 2, it took me almost 2 years to finally paly it. I was also a little upset becaus I wanted to get back into Starcraft Brood War to utilize new ideas I had for battle. Soon, my older brother hated that I played SC2 too much...
Well, I ended up 2 years and two weeks ago, or 3-4 weeks ago telling him "SC2 is all I can do!" Emotionally and psychologically: All I can do is play SC2 because my family is !@#$ing retarded and could never listen to me properly. They always accused me one way or another of ending up like my schizophrenic biological mother.
All their discipline and parenting ended up turning into my fast typing speed and confidence in trying hard to GET BETTER at video games. I still got issues with them... AND I ALSO GOT BIG %^-*ING ISSUES with crappy computers and internet.
WHO EVER IS GOING TO TELL THE TRUTH? Is weed REALLY illegal ( I don't smoke weed so give me a good !@#$ing computer!) because it will ruin business all around the country? Is it true there are MORE SUFFICIENT AND CHEAPER WAYS FOR INTERNET that Japan invented??? PEOPLE SAY "SC2 IS OLD AND UR COMPUTER IS TRASH" BUT IT STILL RUNS SLOW! HOW IMPOSSIBLE IS IT FOR SC2 DEVELOPERS TO ALLOW PEOPEL TO RUN SC2 ON "ULTRA LOW GRAPHICS" WHERE THE GRAPHICS LOOK LIKE COMIC BOOK CHARACTERS?
I MEAN MICROSOFT, OR WHOEVER THE %^-* ALWAYS HAS TO HAVE US UPDATE OUR COMPUTERS AND ALWAYS HAVE TO SPEND !@#$ING MONEY!
I WONDER OFTEN: HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE THERE WITH COMPUTERS AND HARDWARE THAT IS JUST SITTING THEIR ON THEIR %^-*ING DRESSERS, OR IN A BOX IN THEIR CLOSETS??? GIVE THAT !@#$ TO MEEEEEEE! GOD DAMN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HOLY %^-* HOW SOME PEOPLE NEED NEW COMPUTERS! YET THEIR PARENTS OR THEIR FAMILY IS SO !@#$ED UP, IT'S WAR, OR ANXIETY AND APPREHENSION OF A COLD WAR JUST TO GET BY WITHOUT ASKING! I'M %^-*ING TIRED! I LOVE STARCRAFT, BUT I CAN'T GET ANYWHERE IN THIS SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST SOCIETY AND !@#$ED UP CHUMPS WHO CAN'T LEAVE ME IN PEACE TO MAKE MY OWN CHOICES! I FEEL LIKE MATILDA OR EMINEM IN 8 MILE!
SOMETIMES, I CAN SEE those SC2 pros aren't ALL THAT... I can see some thing sTHEY COULD DO by just fitting in more actions per minute, but they don't... and I am watching them make silly mistakes even if they are fast and whoop most people's asses.
BTW, the muiltiplayer can still get better. I miss being able to backstab people. It's not about me being an %^-*!@#, it's just like a parent: Being able to say "no", like saying "no" to giving up. Sometimes, winning SUCKS. I MISS BEING ABLE TO BACKSTAB TEAMMATES, CUZ WE WIN ANYWAYS... OR THEY WIN AFTER KILLING ME. It's fun as $%^-! And BEING backstabbed encouragedm e to play better!
It just sucks, man... you guys... all of you people who also like Starcraft. If let's say SC2 was just an expansion, using the same graphics from over 10 years ago-Starcraft, WE COULD BE PLAYING 5V5 OR 10V10!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, but just cuz NEW GAMES GOTTA BE HOT AND SEXY WITH EXPENSIVE *!@#ING GRAPHICS, we still end up BARELY getting by in 4v4!
Some of us don't give a $%^-. WE WANT 5v5! It sucks how ONE GAME can't allow people to use "alternate graphics" so that it runs SO MUCH BETTER. For some reason, I can see how it is possible. I MEAN: THE REAL importance in online gaming is what's fair and makes things fun, NOT SO MUCH AS THE GRAPHICS.
If SC2 had diverse graphi
I'm just kidding he sounds like a badass dad that I wish i had :(
Turns out, it was the best game they ever made, and not really science fiction-y. WarCraft 3 I played, but my friends and I were out of the multiplayer scene by then. I gave WoW a shot, but didn't like it at all. Not a fan of those types of games -- I think they should have continued to make WarCraft RTS games so you give people a few options to choose from (instead of, you know, going to another company).
Anyway, SC2 I again heard about from the same group of people after I had spent around 10 years off from games (through college, getting married and a job, didn't play any except occasionally Wii or XBox at friends' dorms or apartments). I've never gotten deep into any game like I did with SC2. The thing about it is, tons of people sit with the game open and in channels they love (and develop reputations in) because not only is it the ONLY game we play, it's how we spend all of our free time. I don't think there's anything wrong with that, as long as you have an outside life as well.
The more I learned about the community and the pro circuit the more I enjoy all that is sc2. I seem to watch the tournaments then I play even payed for a couple of the MLG's (would have attended if it was at all possible).
Nice to see that there are other players out there my age.
However, as some may remember that game was rated M (newer versions rated T), so my parents would not let me get it until I was 13. So I waited and watched videos although I don't recall real e-sports videos until I got the game. Then once I finally got it, I started to watch the pro scene as soon as it began to get big, although most of the videos I found were commentated in Korean, I still kept the sound on, just for the excitement in their voices. I have watched and played Starcraft and then Starcraft 2 ever since
p.s: RIP Reavers
p.s. it was SlayerSBoxeR that got me hooked <3
Well, in fact I'm still bad at competitive multiplayer (now on Starcraft 2), but don't really care: I LOVE IT. Playing and watching. At least when I have time.