StarCraft 2

[Reckoner]

Originally Posted by Proto

What do you mean with they are horrid? I mean, I haven't taken a look at them but as long as there's an input window and a text window along with different channels I don't really see what can go wrong.

Here is what the chat channels look like.



Compare this to the style of WC3 chat channel lobby system.



BNET 2.0 doesn't have private channels (Clans), are smaller, and are designed worse.

There's no feeling of a player's "hub."

[SoldierOfDarkness]

I wonder if it has something to do with Blizzard trying to push players to be more "open" and not so isolated.

I mean we don't even have "invisible" or "offline" modes like Skype, Facebook, etc.

How hard can it be to add those things in?

[Archon_Wing]

Apparently we were hoping for an interface that was equal to a 9 year old one. But let's not even get to the visual part. The problem is that I can't even type 2 lines without being blocked with your msg rate is too high.

And before someone says "it's still in testing", just remember that the battle.net you see right now is almost the same as phase 2 of beta with the same bugs making it into release. I'm not falling for that one again.

I'd really love to praise Blizzard for something but...
1.) I don't praise people for doing something that should be there in the first place
2.) They took 6 months to come up with this?

[Reckoner]

Originally Posted by SoldierOfDarkness

I wonder if it has something to do with Blizzard trying to push players to be more "open" and not so isolated.

I mean we don't even have "invisible" or "offline" modes like Skype, Facebook, etc.

How hard can it be to add those things in?

Well actually... Considering Blizzard didn't think it was a good idea to put chat channels in the first place, I think Blizzard wanted us to be "isolated." What the current lack of a chat channel system does, and this inferior one they're about to implement as well, is in fact isolate the players from the community.

It gives off an almost xbox live style, herp derp the designer of bnet 2.0 was the designer of xbox live, where it pretty much feels dead and you don't feel like you're actually playing with or against other players.

[Archon_Wing]

Ah, setting low standards and managing to meet them. It's actually pretty genius. Many people do not know about the superior multiplayer interface of previous games and thus consider the current incarnation acceptable. And hey, without chat rooms, they wouldn't really have a chance to meet anyone that knew better right?

But yes, by setting these low standards and meeting them, suddenly we can't complain anymore. "OMG BLIZZARD ADDED CHAT ROOMS JUST B HAPPY OUR GREAT GODS BLESSED US WITH THEM. WHAT DID YOU EXPECT"

You: Warcraft 3 did it better?
fanboy: OH NOS STOP BEING SUCH A CRICIZER. *reports for trolling*

[Proto]

Maybe I have really low standards but other than the absence of private rooms I don't really see the problem there. I mean, the only thing they actually changed was changing from a one process interface to a windowed interface. One would normally that is a good thing. :/

[Eater of All]

I guess it's fine for people who are not used to the old b.net's chat channels, but as someone who played WC3 for 7 years... these new SCII channels look more like they're tacked on as an afterthought to me. Putting them in a separate window and not bothering to implement them into the b.net UI makes them seem more so.

But meh, I don't want to sound too much like an old crank yearning for the good old days; I'll probably get used to these channels, in time. Like how I'm used to the popularity system bumping shit (read: literally bugged and unplayable) maps into the top just because they're the new ones in a popularity list that rarely ever changes (sup LotR TD).

[Proto]

I've played starcraft, WC3 and the online version of WC2 (!!) the day they were out. The fact that I got used to something shouldn't imply that I will be inflexible enough to adapt to another thing.

[Reckoner]

It's not about getting used to it IMO. Blizzard is offering you a worst service than a game from 10 years ago. When you pay money for something like that, you should be upset.

[Proto]

Worse is relative. I miss private channels as much as you, but other than that personally I don't really see how the new interface is any worse than the old one.

[Who]

Ohhhh it's time to gripe (jk, hope no one gets offended...); might as well contribute. Only complaint I have about the entire BNet2.0 is the organization of the Custom Maps. I want to be able to see files that I've downloaded because I can't be bothered to remember every single map name outside the ones that are really good. And what Eater of All said.

[Archon_Wing]

It basically looks tacked on, and difficult to scroll around; a conversation in a channel requires more real estate than a individual conversation. I know you can resize it; but the way sc2 does it is so awkward, and nothing saves. I think it'd be better with tabs as tabs are the crazy these days but 6 months... "6 months to come up with THAT."

That's even more disappointing than the Angel Beats extras. j/k

The main issue is just that it could have taken a month, how could we expect improvements at that pace when they want us to ship 200 more dollars for later expansions.

[ddwkc]

Originally Posted by Proto

Worse is relative. I miss private channels as much as you, but other than that personally I don't really see how the new interface is any worse than the old one.

For custom games it's way worse and inflexible for instance. Together with the lack of channels, it just killed obsing games without acquaintances. Not being able to make custom games with different modes also is kinda a bummer.

The only thing that may be good is adding people from your list in your custom game, but it's kinda clumsy when adding obs and referees. it could be done better too.

I remember during the beta they didn't have the back page button. It was cumbersome to navigate on that. It's still unnecessarily cumbersome to navigate profile (and the lack of other significant profile stats also a downer).

Even if we assume it's equal or slightly better (it's clearly not), for the amount of development time it had and user feedback they gathered, it should be way way better. Like they evangelized, it would revolutionize social gaming as we know. Their marketing efforts were telling us it's battle.net 2.0, but in the end it is barely the regular battle.net.

The only good thing is the new matchmaking system although some of the stuff in this is very en-cryptic.

Anyway, we are just beating on a dead horse out of frustration and/or disappointment.

[-Sho-]

So i played again SC2 for some games & custom games. Got bored 2h later.

Saw the channel preview... Will play SC2 again when Blizz's custom map will be released for some fun games and then wait until Heart of Swarms...

[-Sho-]

Zomg , they did it again

[paladinenvec]

Originally Posted by -Sho-

Zomg , they did it again

omg i never tought of 2 scv's repairing each other were so gay until now

[Reckoner]

http://www.sc2replayed.com/replays/1...rg-metalopolis

This zerg told me to go kill myself. Is this good advice?

[Archon_Wing]

This zerg told me to go kill myself. Is this good advice?

Contrary to what a huge chunk of anime subforuim posters on AS think; nope.

Unfortunately, my computer did not think the same way. (Power supply blew out >.>. no sc2 until my illiterate ass can figure out what to do. )

[Kaioshin Sama]

Originally Posted by Archon_Wing

Contrary to what a huge chunk of anime subforuim posters on AS think; nope.

Unfortunately, my computer did not think the same way. (Power supply blew out >.>. no sc2 until my illiterate ass can figure out what to do. )

Your going to hate me, but not only have I never had that happen to me, I still somehow have a good 3 or so extra power supplies lying around my house just in case.

Anyway I'm slowly getting back into the campaign side of the game after a long break when I got hooked on FFXI. I just did the level where you fight off Maar and man was that a lot easier than I was expecting. Not only does the guy go down pretty fast, but you can just sneak Dark Templar behind the enemy lines for an easy "Maar'ked For Death" achievement. All you have to do is weaken all of the stasis crystals and then finish them all off at once before Maar has a chance to teleport back and screw you over. Reason being that since it's the destruction of a crystal that triggers him to come back you can maximize damage by not destroying one at a time.

[Archon_Wing]

Originally Posted by Kaioshin Sama

Your going to hate me, but not only have I never had that happen to me, I still somehow have a good 3 or so extra power supplies lying around my house just in case.

Ah, my comp was some cheap old Dell computer I bought a while back; you get what you pay for. :/

We were actually playing an sc2 game when it happened (This time, sc2 isn't the source of all evil), but fortunately Reckoner managed to win. Naturally he was not pleased because he wasn't familiar with zerg. However, he knew of mass roaches = LOL, and it worked perfectly fine.

Anyway I'm slowly getting back into the campaign side of the game after a long break when I got hooked on FFXI. I just did the level where you fight off Maar and man was that a lot easier than I was expecting. Not only does the guy go down pretty fast, but you can just sneak Dark Templar behind the enemy lines for an easy "Maar'ked For Death" achievement. All you have to do is weaken all of the stasis crystals and then finish them all off at once before Maar has a chance to teleport back and screw you over. Reason being that since it's the destruction of a crystal that triggers him to come back you can maximize damage by not destroying one at a time.

For the most part, some immortals will keep Maar occupied indefinitely even if he manages to come back; I find just focus firing the crystals with everything else will work just fine. In fact you can warp cannons in while that happens.

I think the hardest part to beating it was probably dealing with those void rays; once you destroy the stargates it's smooth sailing.