Blizzard Devs Celebrate StarCraft II Beta

[John Funk]

Blizzard Devs Celebrate StarCraft II Beta

StarCraft II [http://www.amazon.com/Starcraft-II-Wings-Liberty-Pc/dp/B000ZKA0J6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1278964580&sr=1-1] beta rumors have heated up after members of the Blizzard development team were supposedly caught on camera at a "Welcome to StarCraft II Beta" celebration.


There are fewer games that are more heavily anticipated than the upcoming StarCraft II (with very good reason), though the notoriously perfectionist Blizzard has refused to nail down a release date beyond "When it's done. Sometime this year. We hope." Consequently, information-starved fans have seized onto every scrap of false hope that they can get that might indicate the beta is just around the corner ... only to face disappointment every time. And yes, I do consider myself part of that number. It should be "fool me once, Blizzard," but nooooo, I just can't learn.

However, it appears that something legitimate-seeming may have just popped up, as caught by JonEagle of messing with Felicia Day [http://www.starcraft2forum.org/index.php?categoryid=9&p2_articleid=197] last time).

The Blizzard clips are just a very small part of the overall trailer as a whole, but there's one (extremely short) clip at 2:16 that may be especially telling: Blizzard employees including StarCraft II Project Lead Dustin Browder are image on the screen [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/images/display/62082] says "Welcome to StarCraft II Beta," so that seems like a pretty big clue to me (if real).

Whoops.

This speculation is buoyed by other rumors, such as an alleged Blizzard email to StarCraft fansite TheWarCenter [http://www.thewarcenter.net/forum/news-125/we-have-starcraft-2-beta-keys!-4654/?PHPSESSID=ac50c533c41b177d9e62c83b6b1cf1f1] offering site staff the opportunity to be included in the upcoming beta - though the authenticity of this email has yet to be proven. Current rumors and wild speculation peg the beta announcement as coming on Wednesday, February 10th in conjunction with the release of Activision-Blizzard's 2009 results calendar, and a special conference call scheduled to be broadcast over the Internet.

Of course, these are all rumors, and StarCraft II being what it is, it might not be the best idea to just believe everything off the bat. The image taken from the Jace Hall Show trailer seems fairly conclusive (and I stress the word seems, knowing Jace Hall), but there's no real way of knowing when the footage was taken - other than a post from Blizzard Community Manager Bashiok that called the Jace Hall visit "recent" [http://forums.battle.net/thread.html?topicId=22748757472&sid=3000]. It could refer to a closed internal beta. It could refer to the playtesting that the Korean StarCraft pros have been doing for months. Or, it could refer to the real deal.

I've been burned on this a few too many times by now - hell, I thought it was coming last May - but the game is shaping up to be fantastic, and it this is the genuine article, then it will be O Happy Day of Days.

Let's keep our fingers crossed.

(StarCraft2Forum [http://www.starcraft2forum.org/index.php?categoryid=9&p2_articleid=197])

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[L33tsauce_Marty]

Well I just put down 53$ on this game at Gamestop so if that's not true I'm about to scream.

 

[Amnestic]

If I only get one game this year, I'd want it to be Starcraft 2. WTB SC2 Beta key, PST.

 

[microhive]

For those who are lazy...

EDIT: I find in interesting that no-one is decrying the lack of LAN support...Did Blizzard actually see the light on that one? Did an internet petition actually work? Or are we all so beaten-down with modern DRM travesties that we just don't care anymore?

People have accepted that the game won't feature a traditional LAN functionality. However this doesn't exclude the possibility of a LAN feature requiring Battle.net Authentication first. No body cares anymore. It's not like the majority of gamers would care anyways only a minority(you included).

 

[wasalp]

john..I think your going nuts.

plz don't start writing "Starcraft 2 beta" all over the office walls and calling it a clue.

 

[Jared]

lol, I can see the fanboys waving banners now...

 

[MonkeyWorldUK]

There's also a clip about Diablo 3's chat gem, and a new secret cow level...

The whole thing is basically a hoax. Jace Hall is the Onion of gaming news.

 

[Amnestic]

EDIT: I find in interesting that no-one is decrying the lack of LAN support...Did Blizzard actually see the light on that one? Did an internet petition actually work? Or are we all so beaten-down with modern DRM travesties that we just don't care anymore?

They've got LAN-which-isn't-LAN. The way I remember it, it's a LAN game which requires authentication with Blizz's BNET service first but then plays over LAN? Might have gotten that mixed up.

It still sucks that it's not full LAN, but I know that the pirate teams will have a fully LAN version/patch/mod set up and torrented within a week of release.

 

[Jaebird]

That Ice-T moment was too good

 

[John Funk]

I still think this is waaaayyyyyy over-rated and I predict a dissapointed fan-base backlash. I'm still pissed that they broke it up into three flippin' games to run each teams single-player campaign!

"Oh, odubya23, you're such a troll and a whiner! Why can't you just be happy that you can play all three teams on multi-player?"

I'll tell you why, asshole, because, back in '98, I was playing videogames to stay the hell away from other people, not share my videogame experience with foul-mouthed, ill-mannered twelve-year-olds! I thought StarCraft told a good story, one I wnted to hear more of. Have fun dancing to the release date hijinks and paying out the nose three times. I know that all three games and their expansions will be released all at once, bundled together, and reasonably priced in a battlechest within months of the third one going live.

EDIT: I find in interesting that no-one is decrying the lack of LAN support...Did Blizzard actually see the light on that one? Did an internet petition actually work? Or are we all so beaten-down with modern DRM travesties that we just don't care anymore?

There will be LAN-esque functionality. As in, you need a cursory internet connection to activate it, but otherwise it's standard <5ms ping.

And when you think about it, the "three games" (aka one game and two expansions) does make a lot of sense. Which alternative would you rather - each campaign being 1/3 the size of what they wanted to do, or the game coming out in 2013?

I had the same doubts as you about SC2 when I played it at PAX '08. And then Keane and I played the crap out of it at last year's BlizzCon - neither of us expected to love it as much as we did. StarCraft II is really, really awesome so far.

 

[Gxas]

Funk. I love you. This year is shaping up to be the best year of my life, and this story just made it better. Thank you for sharing this.

Now, I must go change my pants. I got a bit too excited when I looked at that picture.

 

[John Funk]

There's also a clip about Diablo 3's chat gem, and a new secret cow level...

The whole thing is basically a hoax. Jace Hall is the Onion of gaming news.

As reported, it's just a rumor and I want to emphasize that - that IS a very good comparison for Jace Hall.

But it's more the clip in question combined with other news that has the rumor mill a-stirring.

 

[Eruanno]

Please, please, please, please, please...
...But probably not.

 

[Vigilantis]

ICE-T ... HAHAHA

 

[John Funk]

There will be LAN-esque functionality. As in, you need a cursory internet connection to activate it, but otherwise it's standard <5ms ping.

And when you think about it, the "three games" (aka one game and two expansions) does make a lot of sense. Which alternative would you rather - each campaign being 1/3 the size of what they wanted to do, or the game coming out in 2013?

I had the same doubts as you about SC2 when I played it at PAX '08. And then Keane and I played the crap out of it at last year's BlizzCon - neither of us expected to love it as much as we did. StarCraft II is really, really awesome so far.

Well, I'm sorry, Mr.Funk, but until I see it with my own eyes and taste the bitter crow of being wrong, I'm gonna have to suspect a little schillery. I would wait another three years for a complete game, personally. Hell, I waited this long just to watch Duke Nuke'em Forever go tits up, eh? What's another three years for a title actually being produced?

Try to understand, I'm a little older than you, and can remember when games were finished before they were released. I understand Market pressures, I realize that video games cost more to produce than ever before, I know that the only growing segment of video gamedom is with the Wii. But, dammit, then they should be working even harder to win my money. I got kids, I have an adult life that forces me to spend money on stuff that would preclude me from purchasing the same game three times. Blizzard isn't poor, they can afford to release a AAA-title that's complete. This whole "you have to have it NOW" style of videogame marketing only harms the consumer. Case in point: Steam, I've bought more games from them in their five-dollar bin that were fifty bucks when released, not even two years ago, such as GTA IV.

Did you complain about Brood War? Did you complain about Frozen Throne? Beyond the Dark Portal?

All that's happening is that StarCraft II will have two expansion packs instead of one, only not even because the full multiplayer will be there from day one, and if that's all you care about you only need one game.

Frankly, I think the complaints are absurd. StarCraft II Terran will have just as much content (if not more) than all of Starcraft 1. StarCraft II Zerg will have more content than StarCraft Brood War. StarCraft II Protoss has no comparison.

Unless you were complaining about WC2, SC, WC3, and Diablo being "unfinished" games because they had expansion packs, then you're on pretty shaky ground here.

 

[John Funk]

As a matter of fact, I do ***** and moan about expansion packs. Have you seen this new one for Dragon Age? We're still waiting on DLC that was supposed to be delivered weeks ago and before they fix that, they start hopping up and down and hawking this "Awakening" expansion not three months after the parent game was released! That doesn't sound weird to you? Can I not have enough time to finish the first, before I have to pony up forty fucking dollars for more?!? That's normal? Does Bioware not know that there's an economic recession on? And what if they release them both at the same time next quarter for half price? Where does it end? Where does it fucking end?

Not all expansion packs are created equal, no. But I was asking if you complained about Brood War specifically.

I can pretty much guarantee you that SC2 Zerg and Protoss won't be out three months after SC2 Terran. They're doing some waaaaaay more different things between the SC2 expansions than they did between SC1 and Brood War.