StarCraft II is Released!

Posted by Adrian on 27/07/10

Finally the wait is over! Starcraft 2 was officially released today along with the new battle.net system. If you still haven't got yourself a copy you can get direct delivery straight to your door by purchasing the game now at the Starcraft 2 Australia Online Store.

StarCraft II Release Date - 27th July 2010

Posted by Adrian on 24/05/10

The official release date for Starcraft 2 has been announced as 27th July 2010. For direct delivery straight to your door you can pre-order the game now at the Starcraft 2 Australia Online Store.

StarCraft II Limited Edition Collectors Set Announced

Posted by Adrian on 10/04/10

StarCraft II Video Contest

Posted by Adrian on 09/04/10

f you've waited in anticipation for the opportunity to show the world a never-before-seen vision of the StarCraft universe, you’ve come to the right place. The StarCraft II Video Contest will give you a chance to explore your creativity and share your work with legions of like-minded StarCraft II players.

As if that wasn't enough, you may just net yourself a new Samsung LCD 1080p HDTV, Alienware Monitor OptX 3D LCD with NVIDIA 3D Vision Kit, Razer Mamba gaming mouse, and Razer Sphex gaming-grade desktop skin in the process.

The rules are simple: Create a video, in any genre, with StarCraft II as the central theme. Whether it’s machinima, your own Battle Report-style highlights video, a live-action music or skit, or something else entirely. What could be easier? For full rules and disclosures on how to submit your work, take a look at the legal page.

Just make sure you follow these 4 important steps to win:
- Your video cannot exceed 5 minutes in length and 150mb in size.
- The video must be encoded as AVI, Quicktime, DivX, Xvid or Windows Media Video (WMV)
- The resolution must be 1280 x 720.
- A 120 word summary of your submission must be provided.

We're looking forward to seeing the StarCraft community's creativity unleashed. Don't delay in sending us your submissions, because you only have until May 7 to participate!

http://us.blizzard.com/en-us/community/contests/scvideo/index.html?rhtml=y

StarCraft II Beta: Azz Replay Pack

Posted by deL on 29/03/10

:

Good news everybody! I have here a replay pack from one of the best Australian Protoss players, Azz, who has reached #1 rank in his platinum division!

The replay pack includes all of his ladder games since the patch - wins and losses - and showcases his climb up to the #1 rank in the platinum division.

http://starcraft2.com.au/forum/index.php?topic=753

StarCraft II Beta: Leagues and Ladder FAQ

Posted by Adrian on 19/03/10

1v1:

Q. How do your placement matches calculate which league you will be joining?
A. During your placement matches we match you against players from a wide variety of players and skill levels and we watch the results; whether you win or lose. From this, we are able to determine your ability and place you in a league that we believe to be appropriate for your level of play.

Q. How do we move up in rank in your division? For example, from rank 51 to rank 44.
A. Simply by competing with other players and winning. However, it is important to remember that the individual matches themselves can vary in points awarded based on the rated difficulty of your opponent.

Example: Player A may have a win-loss ratio of 19-17 and be ranked in the Silver League at 35; while player B may have a win-loss ratio of 18-19, but because of the difficulty of some of those matches (say playing against Gold League players) he either received more points for a win or lost less for a loss.

Q. How do players move down in rank on the ladder? For example, from rank 44 to rank 51.
A. This is done simply by losing matches. You are ranked relative to everyone in your division within your league. The amount of points you lose per match is comparable to how points are calculated when you win. If you lose to someone who is rated higher than you, you should lose less points then if you were to lose to someone who was rated lower than you.

Q. What is the relevance of the Favored indicator and how does that effect the points distributed from winning or losing a match?
A. The Favored indicator helps give you an idea of whether the contender you’re pitted against is considered to be even with you, challenging to you, extremely challenging to you or not a challenge.

Currently there is a known bug where the score screen will display a level of you or your opponent being favored that's incorrect. The loading screen however shows the correct level of 'favoritism'.

You can use the level of 'favoritism' to gauge the number of points you are likely to gain or lose after the match depending on the result.

Q. What are the league ranks?
A. Copper, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum. In that order. There is also the practice league for player's starting out and there may be other special leagues created in the future, such as an invite-only pro league.

Q. How does a player move laterally from one division to an adjacent division in the same metallic league? (For Example, From Division 5 Silver League to Division 4 Silver League.)
A. In theory, they shouldn't. There have been some select cases where this has happened, but this is a known issue in the current beta build and is being looked into.

Q. Do the different numbered divisions indicate various levels of skill; is 4 a slightly tougher division than 5?
A. No. The divisions are sectioned off so that we have the appropriate amount of people in each.

Q. How does a player move from one league to another? (For Example: from Silver league to Gold.)
A. After you’ve finished your initial placement, the system continues to review your performance and determines what league you should be placed in based on those reviews. The time and frequency of these reviews is kept hidden.

Q. Are matches ever made between different leagues? (For Example: A Gold league player playing against a Silver league player in a rated match.)
A. Yes, you may be matched up against players from different leagues to test your skill. So be on your guard and play your best in every match.

Q. What is the bonus pool and how are bonus points acquired?
A. The Bonus Pool (incorrectly called "Rested Points" in some parts of the UI) is an accumulation of points that every player receives whether they're online and playing or not. They're essentially used as a means to help give a player a catch-up boost if they haven't played in a while. The pool does have a cap but it increases slowly until the end of a season.

Q. How is the bonus pool used in competitive play?
A. When you achieve victory against another player, you are awarded a certain number of points. The Bonus Pool points will match the number of points you received for winning.

For example: If you were to have a Bonus Pool of 30 and you win a match that would normally give you 10 points, points will then be pulled from your Bonus Pool to match those 10 points and you'll be awarded 20 points for winning that game. Your bonus pool will then sit at 20. (We're aware of an issue your bonus pool not displaying properly in some parts of the UI).

2v2:

Q. Are the gains and losses in the 2v2 game type higher than that in 1v1?
A. No, the gains and losses are the same as 1v1.

Q. Are 2v2 ranks counted individually or in pairs? For example: If Player A plays with Player B and their team is ranked 2, is there another ranking for when Player A plays with Player C?
A. Yes. Every pair is ranked individually. Of course, only after finishing the 10 placement matches.

Q. How are ratings calculated for 2v2? Is it an average of the two players or cumulative?
A. Each pairing of players for arranged 2v2 matches carries its own rating. If you participate in 2v2 random, you would have your own individual ranking. Matches that include 2v2 random players average the rating of the two players and compare it to their opponents rating.

Starcraft Broodwar Tournament Finals

Posted by Adrian on 04/03/10

Live Starcraft 2 Beta Streams

Posted by Adrian on 28/02/10

Check out the following link for live streams of people playing the Starcraft 2 Beta. Look for the user streams section. http://www.teamliquid.net/sc2/

Attention All Beta Key Holders

Posted by Adrian on 19/02/10

So I just managed to download and install the Starcraft 2 Beta and create a profile for myself, my name.identifier is "adrian.aus" so hit me up if your online.

Also go check out the Who Has Beta thread in our forums and post your name.identifier so we can all pwn some n00bs together!

Starcraft 2 Beta is LIVE !

Posted by Adrian on 18/02/10

The Koprulu sector rings once more with the sounds of battle, for the public beta test of StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty has officially begun! Invitations to participate in the beta test are now being delivered. As with previous Blizzard Entertainment titles, the beta-test process for StarCraft II will occur in phases. In each phase, we will be selecting players who meet specific criteria and who have opted in via their Battle.net accounts.

Players who have been invited to participate in the beta test will need to have a Battle.net account. For more information on the StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty beta test, please read the FAQ http://forums.battle.net/thread.html?topicId=23094049320&sid=5000 and our recent media alert.

If you didn't receive a beta test invite, don't worry -- it's possible that you'll be added in a later phase. Keep an eye on the email address associated with your Battle.net account, and stay tuned to www.StarCraft2.com for further updates.

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
- 1024x768 minimum display resolution
- 4 GB free hard space (Beta)
- Broadband connection

I will be preparing some screenshots and plenty of gameplay videos in the coming days!!

Starcraft 2 Beta Q&A

Posted by Adrian on 12/02/10

Post 1: (Shows appreciation) Will Beta be released in phases still or is it a global release?

Zhydaris: God forbid, I am here on purpose. Then, the objective now is to release the beta "globally" , Then simultaneously in all regions. Qualorao this is not possible due to unforeseen problems, the Beta for Europe and Italy arrived in each case a very short distance (even a few days, not talking about weeks). But again, our plan is currently in Beta release simultaneously in all regions by the end of the month.

Post 2: When will you reply to those who opted in through Battle.net? (Or have they already been sent?) What can you actually test in the beta? When looking at graphics and features, is beta be in a form that's "release ready" or a specific partial version that was created for the beta? When you can create a Battle.net 2.0 beta account? Will I create the real name ID? How will we register the account? Will those who registered in beta have their information retained in later phases? How does highly common "read-id" names work such as "John". In beta, can I immediately use it to get in touch with my old WoW friends?

Zhydaris: The calls will start probably a couple of days before the actual launch of the Beta. The beta is multiplayer only, with some features of Battle.Net 2.0 already in the client (friends list, party system, etc..). Nothing campaign. The game version will be updated very often and will often be subject to change, but this does not mean that the graphics will not be complete or whatever.

The exception will be made localized versions, which may have missing sounds (to reduce the size of the client) or placeholder for some translations. Nothing to worry about anyway.

The cross-game functionality will not be present. No chatting with friends on WoW for now :)

Upon first login will be asked to enter a new nickname in the form Nickname.nick (Zhydaris.Blizz, MarioZerg.Clan, etc..). Currently the first part of the nickname is not "unique", so more people can choose MarioZerg, but only one person has the combination MarioZerg.Clan.

Post 3: Will the ranking features be active during the beta? Is there a "recycling" of the keys? (eg if a tester might not concerned too much about the game play and reports fairly, then the key is removed and given to another) (I sincerely hope you do;)) Will we be testing "ums" maps also or just traditional map? There will be some sort of reward or incentive for the players more active and / or more collaborative in terms of suggestions and bugs reports?

Zhydaris: The matchmaking system will certainly be active, the rankings are a different matter, but I'm sure it comes time to test those too:) The keys will be distributed and collected in different circumstances and needs, sà . Currently there are several maps to be tested, then we will see what to add / remove. We're looking at possible incentives for the most active.

Post 4: You have already spoken of localized versions in different languages (I had assumed that the beta was only in English), I'd like to know if any beta-testers will automatically set the language to their country or if there is a choice of language to use.

Zhydaris: In fact, our goal is to make available localized versions for the various test them properly. The automatic language settings ... we are evaluating the options to be honest, will tell you when it becomes official.

Post 5: Will the beta be available for Mac OS X? Or only for Windows? Since I have a Mac I wanted to know if I could I also have some hope of receiving it.

Zhydaris: No Mac version at the launch of Beta, will most likely be released later.

Post 6: Just in case any of us want to create some videos for YouTube ... may we share any replays?

Zhydaris: There will be no NDA.

Post 7: I am very happy with the announcement and I hope to receive mail from Blizzard. How can I qualify for it... something inside of my account battle net?

Zhydaris: Yes, in the main page of your account you should see a small icon "SC2 Beta" written in green and a "Beta Profile Settings". There you will find the option to give your availability for the Beta.

Post 8: Regarding clan names, are you limiting the format of how we write our names? Typical formats are nomeclan.nick (For example, I am SoL.ChoBo) or [nomeclan] nick (would be [SoL] Chobe) and so on ... It looks like Blizzard has decided to make this format is required (at least in Beta) in the format Nick.Clan (I would be ChoBo.SoL). It is not clear what one should do if they are not part of a clan, I think they should be able to write what they please. If this is true, it could cause problems as anyone can reserve a clan name without approval for being in that clan. I'm just speculating but can you clarify?

Zhydaris: No no, it has nothing to do with clan name, which will appear in another way:) It is simply two levels of recognition. The first is the generic nickname, which can be a duplicate. The second is an additional identifier.

Let me give an example: You choose ChObO.qualcosa. Guy chooses ChObO.qualcosaltro. The name will be displayed normally Chobo in both cases (loading screens of games, chat games, etc..), The second nickname comes into play only on statistics, chat outside the game, etc.etc. Another totally random example:"Do you know Mario?" "I know several" "Mario, who live on Mar Sara" "Ahhh FAR Mario, yes, I know!"

I know it sounds complicated, but it's easier than it seems:)

Post 9: Have you decided whether to include the editor in the beta or not? Will the system requirements be issued before or simultaneously to the beta? Will there be all game type? (1vs1, 3vs3 and so on)

Zhydaris: From 1vs1 up it will all be available, no exception. The requirements will come in due course, yes. No editor, at least in the very first released version.

Post 10: All this has nothing to do with the concept of Real ID, yes?

Zhydaris: In a way, yes: the name that will appear to those not within your "real life" friends. The latter will be able to display your real name, all others do not. But take everything with [an open mind]. Battle.net, Real ID and everything could change between now and launch.

Post 11: How can we test the game? (Ie, shipped via mail or via the famous account b.net key) and after which we will have to download the package on our PC? How Big will it be? It also looks like you avoided the question about beta distributions. Did you "escape" the question or is it that you can not speak on it/still deciding?

Zhydaris: We have not yet released the number of calls that will be sent because it is not yet final. The game will be downloadable from your account Battle.Net and will appear in the list of games owned. The size of the client are currently fairly small, we hope to be under the 3gb, but we'll see how it will be the Beta client on the day of its release :)

Post 12: Thank you Zhyd, we're providing more info than can be found on the internet after after hours and hours of research ... We are all excited about this news.

Zhydaris: Well, that's the convenience of an Italian forum :)

Post 13: Can you make one thing clear, will this be open or closed beta?

Zhydaris: It will not be open to the public, you must have a beta key.

Starcraft 2 Beta Testing Ready To Launch This Month!

Posted by Adrian on 11/02/10

During the Activision Blizzard Investor Conference Call on February 10th, which was streamed over the Internet, Blizzard co-founder and president Mike Morhaime announced that the StarCraft II beta testing process would begin later this month. He also said that the StarCraft II is aimed to be released mid-2010 and that the StarCraft II beta will also serve as a platform for testing the new Battle.net.

Terran Hero: Matt Horner

Posted by Adrian on 07/02/10

The Starcraft 2 website has been updated with a character profile for Matt Horner, Raynor's right hand man.

"The second son of a minor merchant on Tyrador IX, Matt Horner grew up longing for something more interesting than his boring, safe life."

New Unit Model: Infested Terran

Posted by Adrian on 07/02/10

Brand new model for the Infested Terran.

New Unit Model: Sentry

Posted by Adrian on 04/02/10

The Starcraft 2 team has renamed the Disruptor (Nullifier) to Sentry, and have given it a new model.

Starcraft 2 Mothership: Short Story

Posted by Adrian on 18/01/10

A new featured story has been published on the official Starcraft 2 website. This time the story depicts the Protoss Mothership. In the story there is a new video showing off the Motherships new model, its attack, its Vortex and cloaking abilities, and just pure awesomeness. Check it out!

"Juras banked as hard as possible. The enormous mothership was not designed to be maneuverable, and the zerg compensated easily."

Starcraft II Q&A BATCH #56

Posted by Adrian on 17/12/09

1. Are you still developing new units or are you satisfied with the amount of units for each race and, therefore, more concerned about the fine tuning and balancing?
Our philosophy has always been to keep the amount of units for each race to a certain number to keep the gameplay tight, and we are satisfied with what we have right now in terms of that number. Once we head into beta we definitely evaluate the role of each unit and will potentially add or drop units as needed based on feedback.

2. Can you explain the movements of big melee units like the Ultralisk in detail? While running through idle units smaller units tend to move away so the Ultralisk can walk in a straight line. Will that happen only in battles or while moving your whole army as well?
The way movement collision works right now is that a unit has to be idle for it to be pushed to a new location by another unit like an Ultralisk. Generally if you are controlling your forces and they are active, you will not see this behavior.

3. In the campaign of StarCraft II, there are many optional objectives to do so that the player can choose how to play through the campaign. But there are players who want to see every cinematic and play every mission. Are there missions where you have to decide, which way you go (e.g. the Terran campaign in StarCraft I, where you decide to choose nuclear weapons or Battlecruisers), or will the player be able to play the whole campaign in a linear progression? Will there be a menu were you can replay already completed missions? If so, can you also unlock new missions in that menu?
As you play through the campaign, there will be a few cases where you must make a distinct choice that could change the outcome of a certain side plot or the fate of a specific character. These choices will be made very obvious to players, and for those who want to see all the possibilities, you’ll have the ability to go back and choose the other path. We will also have a way for you to replay completed missions or cinematic cut scenes via the story mode interface as well.

4. In the single player campaign of Warcraft III, even races like the Naga are playable temporarily. Is something like that planned for StarCraft II too?
The single player campaign for StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty will focus on the Terran campaign, but there will also be a short series of missions where players take the role of Zeratul and other Protoss forces.

5. Is the range of the stalker’s blink ability limited to the distance between him and the target area or are cliffs and trees considered; so a stalker could blink farther when he’s blinking down a cliff than if he’s blinking up the cliff?
The distance you blink is the same regardless of blinking up or down a cliff.

6. Will players be able to send resources to their allies? If so, will there be a limit to the amount of resources they are able to send?
Yes, players can send and request resources among teammates but only after a few minutes into the game. The reason for this is to minimize imbalances that could be created by one player getting a massive early economic boost from his or her partner dumping resources at the outset of the game. There currently is no limit to how many resources you can share.

7. Some replays were not compatible with new patches in StarCraft I. Are you working on making replays compatible with new patches for StarCraft II?
Yes, we’re working on allowing replays from previous versions of StarCraft II be compatible with new patches as they are released.

Starcraft 2 Official Website Redesigned With New Content

Posted by Adrian on 23/11/09

The Starcraft 2 official website has been redesigned with some awesome new graphics and content, including a biography of the hero Tichus Findlay, changeling story and a multiplayer preview!

Starcraft II Q&A BATCH #55

Posted by Adrian on 21/11/09

1. Not all potential players of StarCraft II have played the original StarCraft before, thus they might encounter problems with the understanding of the story. Is it possible to play the campaign of StarCraft II without knowing anything? Will you come up with some things that happened in the original StarCraft and Brood War again – just so that people not familiar to the story get more information?
We plan on having story elements that will bring players up to speed on the most recent plot developments and prepare them for the StarCraft II storyline. We also plan on having a plot summary of what transpired in the original StarCraft and Brood War during the installation process. However we feel that regardless of your familiarity with the original story, all players will be able to enjoy the story developments in StarCraft II.

2. You have already announced that you are going to record various stats when playing StarCraft II with the new Battle.net 2.0 – but how detailed will those statistics be? Will one be able to see how many units of a certain kind (for example Marines) one have build or even killed so far?
We will be recording a large amount of stats for StarCraft II, but we are still in discussion as to which stats will ultimately be tracked. We will determine how detailed the stat-tracking will be based on what information we think will benefit our players the most to help improve their game.

3. You have already stated that you will support DirectX 10, but what about DirectX 11?
We currently do not have any plans on supporting DirectX11-specific features, but the game will be compatible with DirectX11.

4. How many stats will a Hero unit be able to take? Three like in Warcraft 3 or is there even a limit?
If you create a user-map with heroes, you can outfit them with a large number of stats. However, currently only three stats will be able to be displayed on the UI due to limited space.

5. In lore Protoss warp in their units and buildings from some far planet. Will there be any mechanic that reflects this such as a "warp out" that could act as a refund?
We do not have any plans to include a “warp out” game mechanic. We have discussed the possibility of this in the past, but it felt too similar to the Terran mechanics of being able to salvage the structures.

6. Will there be a converter to convert our favorite original StarCraft maps to StarCraft II maps? I don’t want to lose all of my favorite maps from the original StarCraft when I get StarCraft II.
There will not be a map converter for StarCraft II. Map-makers will have to manually rebuild any of their maps using the new StarCraft II map editor.

7. I'm just going to assume that you will have some sort of window mode in StarCraft II. But I was wondering if you're going to implement a windowed mode like the one that World of Warcraft has? You know where you can maximize the window, removing the borders and enabling fullscreen mode yet providing easy access to the desktop.
You will be able to select both windowed and full-screen windowed modes from the options menu.

Starcraft 2 Battlereport #4 - Lost Temple

Posted by Adrian on 22/10/09

We’ve got a great game for you today, a Battle Report between Yeon-ho Lee playing as the Blue Protoss versus David Kim playing as the Red Terran. They will be playing on Lost Temple. Yes, it has been re-done for StarCraft II. This is a classic map from the original game that we have done a few changes on for StarCraft II.

Starcraft 2 Tech Trees

Posted by Adrian on 30/06/09

Some new tech trees for Terran, Protoss and Zerg have been released, check them out below.

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