The beta will probably end already in early June, then Blizzard will fine-tune all the details to finally get the game ready for release!

However, Browder has been kind enough to shed some light on the challenges that he faces as the lead designer, which include the unavoidable complications that accompany the updating of a decade-old game, while also trying to avoid feature creep.

In terms of deciding what stays and what goes in the StarCraft sequel, Browder has admitted that big debates are a common occurrence among members of the team. Some say that all the units should be cut and that the design process should start from scratch, while others feel that nothing should be touched because everything is perfect as it stands.

Browder stated that the process of elimination is a combination of mechanics and conceptual elements. Things that are vital to the overall experience of the game, like the defining creep element of the Zerg or the Siege tanks of the Terran, will definitely stay. However, Browder did say that the popular vulture and spider mines are not defining elements, and that he could envisage the Terran forces without these things.

While keeping essential elements, Browder and his team still want to give players a fresh experience. He alluded to crazy, new and interesting stuff in the solo play and Battle.net areas.

Asked about the differences between single-player and multiplayer in StarCraft II, Browder admitted that there will be differences in terms of the units available. His team did not want to be limited to the multiplayer units, because a lot of gameplay would be lost in the process. In the end, this allows for a more gripping solo play experience, designed with all of the different units and upgrades, without the design restrictions of the multiplayer set.

To assist new players in making the shift from single-player to multiplayer, Browder said that they’ve got a lot of tools that they intend to use – improved replay screens, an improved score screen, a challenge mode and tutorials.

Dustin Browder comes from a 15 year, strong background of Real-time strategy design before his career at Blizzard. In response to a question about how much he looks at what other developers are doing, Browder said that his team, made up of hardcore PC gamers, is constantly looking to other games for inspiration. They look at what is and isn’t working for other RTSes to see what they can learn from these games.

In particular, Browder has really enjoyed playing Relic’s Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II, and he claims to have learnt a lot of interesting things about RTSes through playing this specific game.

As for the outcry against Blizzard for their decision to integrate single-player and multiplayer experiences and implement online authentication processes, Browder made the same conservative remarks that we’ve heard before – that broadband usage is widespread and that there are not as many people using dial-up as there were during the time when the first Starcraft was released.

Of course, there are many players who wholeheartedly disagree. While it is great that Blizzard has chosen to implement a lot of online functionality, fans of the game are not happy that it’s being forced on them using the pretext that everyone has access to broadband.

As part of his closing remarks, Browder stated that his team is still working on StarCraft II, although they wish that they were already shipping it – that’s our wish too of course.

Source

Following the recent controversy surrounding the World of Warcraft Cataclysm beta scam, other ugly scams are emerging around the soon-to-be released Starcraft 2 beta.

Phishing sites have taken advantage of the anticipation around the game’s release, and have exploited the eagerness of fans that are constantly on the lookout for hints about the upcoming SC2 beta. These phishing perpetrators are using a wide network of sites, including YouTube, MySpace, Twitter and various blogging networks, and offering fake Starcraft 2 beta keys and in some cases even a fake downloadable Starcraft 2 beta.

This Starcraft 2 beta scam has already tricked hoards of Starcraft fans all over the world. All of it is a hoax though; shortly after you visit one of these phishing sites, your computer will become infected with unwanted programs such as keyloggers or trojans.

One of the most popular scams has seen Blizzard supposedly announcing that they are giving away Starcraft 2 beta keys to people using the hash tag “#SC2Fan”, on the social networking site Twitter. This scam was enabled by the Blizzard bosses’ rules that state “All Sweepstakes winners will be notified via Twitter.com’s “direct message” system with instructions for claiming their respective prizes.”

Another widespread Starcraft 2 beta scam involved a spam e-mail that was sent to people at random, that appeared to be from Blizzard Entertainment. It stated that the recipient had been selected for the Starcraft 2 beta, but in fact, the message had been sent by one of the phishing sites. It is actually quite simple for these scammers to make it seem as though these e-mails are really from noreply@blizzard.com. The bad grammar should signal a red flag to recipients about the source of the message. Examples of the different kinds of phishing e-mails are also accessible on the net for Starcraft fans who don’t want to be on the losing end of these Starcraft 2 beta scams.

Blizzard Entertainment is warning fans not to fall for these con artists. Public Relations Manager Bob Colayco has echoed this message, saying that they can confirm that no invites have been sent yet for Starcraft 2 beta, and that they haven’t yet begun sign-ups for the trial version of the game at all

Just to play it safe, we recommend that you sign up for the Starcraft 2 beta directly at Battle.net, and wait for your beta key to be issued. All we wonder is – when will the Starcraft 2 beta FINALLY start?!

Fans are still waiting for Blizzard to announce any new release date news for the most anticipated game in the universe: Starcraft 2. Tensions are running high as fans hit back against the recent (and somewhat predicted) delay of the new Starcraft game.

Comments are littering Starcraft 2 fan sites all over the internet as the news-well has run dry and frustrations reach boiling point. We have been loyal fans for decades now, patiently waiting the arrival of Wings of Liberty, but we are not even treated to a projected date in 2010.

Fans are not happy at this absence of release news. There have been calls to ‘fight back’ against the emotional tyranny that Blizzard holds against us. We sit day after day and still no news comes of anything – not the release date, not the beta release date.

The Starcraft 2 community is becoming disillusioned with the whole situation. We want the game and we want it now – even if it is only the beta version. All that we can do now here at Starcraft2Mania is wait, and hope that one day soon we will hear some good news!

As if Blizzcon wasn’t enough of a tease!

StarCraft 2 was voted “Best of gamescon 2009” this August in Cologne, Germany. It premiered its new single player mode StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty and it proved to be a great success with fans – as if there was any doubt.

The largest European fair for interactive games and entertainment was a bigger sensation than usual this year. From the Thursday the 20th to the Sunday the 23rd of August, 245 000 people from 31 countries visited gamescon. It broke all previous records.

The blizzard booth was packed on all four days as fans enjoyed the StarCraft 2 and Diablo 3 demos. For many people this was their first crack at the games and it gave those following the progress a chance to see how the game had developed. The convention was exciting as predicted and gave thrilled fans numerous chances to win coveted prizes.

American die-hard StarCraft fans that couldn’t make it to Germany for gamescon attended BlizzCon 2009 at the Anaheim Convention Center in California. It was a weekend full of gaming, tournaments, discussion panels, competitions and much more.

Further still, Blizzard enthusiasts who weren’t lucky enough to make it to the sold-out event could also catch the action through live internet stream with the purchase of a Virtual Ticket.

The event was successfully distributed to over 100 countries. BlizzCon 2009 opened of Friday the 21st and concluded on Saturday with none other than the Prince of Darkness himself, Ozzy Osbourne.

Gamescon and BlizzCon 2009 proved to be unforgettable events for all those that attended. For those that didn’t, I don’t need to tell you that you missed out on the gaming community’s highlight of the year.

The recent Blizzcon Gaming Convention in Anaheim, California drew crowds from all over the world, with one of the biggest highlights being the superb array of costumes that fans wore to the event.

The Starcraft gaming fraternity made waves in the costume display, while a number of dedicated fans made it into the preliminary rounds of the grand costume contest. The evening featured a mix of style and playfulness as comedian Jay Mohr hosted the costume, dance, and sound-alike contests.

Costume contestants wandered around all day allowing the crowds to get a glimpse of their over-the-top attire. When the time came for the jam-packed costume contest to begin, the dozens of entries were narrowed down to determine the overall winners.

In the final stages, Sartharion, Kel’Thuzad, and Mistress of Pain imitators took to the stage to parade their theatrical garb. Representing the Starcraft franchise were appearances made by Jim Raynor and a group of Terran marines – all of whom made an impressive effort in the costume department.

Unfortunately it wasn’t enough to claim the top spots, which were ultimately usurped by World of Warcraft and Diablo contenders. The top three finalists included the towering Kel’Thuzad, a human paladin – both from World of Warcraft fame – and an uncanny Mistress of Pain impersonator, whose spidery costume ensemble won her the winning position.

The effort made by all costume contestants is commendable, especially with regards to the heavier costumes that were lugged around for hours on end. It all demonstrates the utter dedication these fans have to their gaming pastime and their favourite virtual characters.

Even though not every costume enthusiast could claim first prize in the contest, the 25 000 convention attendees were still enthralled by the life-size Blizzard Entertainment characters traipsing around.

The event that took place on the 21st and 22nd August 2009 marked the 4th Blizzcon convention of its kind, and the costume contest was generously sponsored by Alienware and Intel. The occasion also served as an enjoyable gathering for Starcraft fans who are anxiously awaiting the imminent release of the game’s sequel, Starcraft 2, later this year.

This years epic mention goes to the WoW dragon:

What a Legend!

Blizzcon is the gaming event of the year, attracting Warcraft, Diablo and Starcraft 2 fans by the thousands. Compared to last year, Blizzard was sufficiently prepared to deal with the surge of fans competing for tickets on their servers. An additional 5 000 tickets were released in comparison to the 15 000 allotted for last year’s event, and a queue was set up to prevent the servers from crashing. The tickets were sold out in less than a minute, reaffirming the enormous popularity of Blizzcon within the gaming community.

True to form, Blizzard’s gaming presentations and the array of interesting costumes worn by fans made for an exciting weekend. Interviews with Blizzard staff stimulated some interesting points of discussion amongst Starcraft 2 fans, especially the comments that addressed Blizzard’s controversial decision not to include offline local area network play in the sequel.

Blizzard’s decision not to include LAN in Starcraft 2 has been the cause of mutinous outcry and numerous petitions within the gaming community. Executive Vice President of game design Rob Pardo addressed questions concerning the lack of LAN. Pardo insists it’s not a big deal, stating that he believes people won’t really notice that the LAN feature is missing when the game comes out.

Battle.net is being presented as the answer to multiplayer concerns. The Blizzard staff members have said that this will prevent piracy and give gamers a better quality multiplayer experience. At Blizzcon, Pardo brushed off the uncertainties of some who claim they won’t have access to the internet, saying that these cases are very rare. He also made mention of the fact that a few legitimate cases for LAN were being considered, like location-based tournaments.

We still believe that the decision to not include LAN in Starcraft 2 is a bad one. It would’ve been great if Blizzard could have found another way to address piracy concerns. Hopefully Battle.net will include features that are able to replicate or emulate the LAN-option.

One great piece of Starcraft 2 news to come out of Blizzcon is the fact that it will let modders create and sell their custom maps. Rob Pardo said that mod-makers will be given the opportunity to sell their maps via an official marketplace which is under active development at Blizzard. This has come after the measurable impact that mods like Defense of the Ancients have had on the game industry.

As yet, there is no indication of when the paid marketplace will come into being. The release date of Starcraft 2 has recently been pushed back again to sometime in 2010, but Pardo said that Blizzard wants to give prospective designers a heads-up so that they can prepare to create some awesome maps.

In addition to the comments made concerning LAN and the prospects for modders, some cool new screenshots were revealed. Blizzcon also saw the Blizzard CEO provide confirmation that the beta will happen sometime this year, giving us some hands on time to look forward to – if we are lucky.

The weekend of August 21st and 22nd is almost upon us, and this means that there will be a lot of happy Starcraft 2 fans filing into Blizzcon 2009 looking for their gaming fix.

After the disappointing delay of Wings of Liberty recently the sneaks peaks, previews and tournaments are a welcome pick me up for any attending fan. For the rest of us, well at least a flood of extra information will be available after the weekend!

Blizzcon this year concentrates on Blizzards new masterpieces: World of Warcraft 3, Diablo 3 and of course Starcraft 2. The days will be packed with gaming discussion, artistic displays, vicious tournament battles and contests.

Starcraft 2 in particular will be discussed in detail, everything from lore, gameplay and battle.net to new cinematic releases. The lucky fans who attend Blizzcon 2009 will get to see Ozzy Osbourne live as well as collect their limited edition goody bags filled with awesome Blizzard merchandise.

See the official Blizzcon website for more details.

Hell it’s STILL about time

It happened as many online gamers predicted – Starcraft 2 Wings of Liberty has been delayed until early 2010 next year. We knew the beta would take months, and that the game wouldn’t be released at all before Blizzard was 100% sure it was ready. Now the hard truth comes to light – it’s old faithful Battle.net that is causing the delay.

Bobby Kotick, CEO of gaming giant Activision has confirmed that Starcraft 2 will be out early next year, but until then fans are just going to have to bite the bullet and prepare for another half a year or so of waiting.

Waiting…waiting…waiting…waiting…

This is a blow to the gaming community who have been calling for the release date since early 2008. The fact that we still don’t have a concrete date is disappointing; if we had one at least then we could look forward to something. Not knowing if we’ll even see the game next year again is maddening!

Considering the fact that the Starcraft 2 beta tests will run for at least 6 months and that Battle.net requires apparent tweaks and fixes in order to effectively run the new game on their servers – we are looking, optimistically, at a release date of April if everything goes to plan. If things go well it could be sooner but not by much.