The Rebirth & Starcraft 2

For over eleven years, Starcraft: Brood War has stood its own and remained popular and sharp despite of opposing developments within the strategy game-genre and computer games in general. Soon, probably before the end of 2009, The Sequel is coming out, and everything will change. Maybe.

This post will tell You why and how Starcraft 2 will breathe new life into strategy games as eSports, in the sense that it will bring millions of new players into the scene. It will also show some of the concerns that the community has about differences between the two games, and how this according to some might cause a rift through the scene. Lastly, a comprenhesive list of the best Starcraft 2-resources on the web will be provided.

Starcraft 2 will be modern, making use of next-generation computer hardware in order to create jaw dropping graphics along with fantastically detailed 3D-cutscenes. It will look good, very good. Also, if the promises turn out to be true, Blizzard Entertainment will completely re-invent the Internet-platform used to play Starcraft online, creating a new chapter in multiplayer gaming with Battle.net 2.0.

This service, which will be entirely free, will not only enable players to always find good and suitable partners to play with and against, but will offer so much more. Insane amounts of statistics, the ability to download relevant material instantly, extensive social profiles and – most excitingly – the ability for large amount of observers to view games live via Battle.net.

Furthermore, it is rumoured that there will be a built-in function to record and upload videos of games straight onto Youtube, in the manner that fans currently do via home-made backdoor-solutions. Basically, Blizzard has listened to the community and is aiming to provide fans with the tools they have always been craving in order to create the best eSport ever. If all goes well, Starcraft 2 will do what Half-Life and Counter-Strike along with Valve’s Steam engine did for computer gaming – a complete revitilisation of the phenomenon.

Along with the massive marketing campaign (You will see ads for SC2 on TV towards the end of the year) that will accompany the release of Starcraft 2, it is safe to say that it will be a very attractive game which will draw in many, many players – new as well as old ones.

But will it be a good game for eSports, and can it be better than Brood War? That’s a tough quesstion. In this series of posts, I have already argued for that it is the balance of the original Starcraft that makes it the most competitive eSport in the world, and that it’s the old school graphics which give the necessary clarity needed for super-quick gameplay.

Will Starcraft 2 be as balanced? From the start – no, it took years for Brood War to achieve its sharp state of balance, and it will take time before The Sequel can reach the same level. Still, it is a game built for eSports (unlike The Original, which happened to become so by chance), and it will eventually become a very balanced game. This is not a worrying issue in the long term.

In terms of beautiful graphics that may or may not come in the way of clearity, I have some concerns but am not overly worried. Judging by the already released screenshots and videos, we can safely say that it will not be Warcraft 3, and most probably it will be possible to adjust the graphics settings so that function will come before form. Until the Beta is released (”this summer, probably”), these issues are merely speculations.

One real issue that has caused massive debate and which may cause that rift within the community comes down to what I would like to call the battle between Old School & New School. On the forums it is often referred to as the question of MBS (Multiple Building Selection) and Automining. These are functions that are not built into Starcraft: Brood War, but will be implemented into The Sequel. What it means is that certain, more mundane tasks that the player has to perform in-game will be significantly simplified in Starcraft 2 than when compared to The Original.

In Brood War, when a player wants to produce units out of several buildings, he or she has to select (using the mouse or hotkeys) each building and give the production-command for each one. Also, when a worker unit (drone, probe or SCV) is completed, it will not automatically start mining resources – it has to be given a direct order to do so.

In the heat of battle, when a player has to command his or her armies with precision, it is difficult to have the multitasking-ability to simutaneously go back to the base and perform these tasks. However, if one can master it, one is likely to win. The beauty of Starcraft: Brood War at the professional level is how demanding it is by requiring players to juggle so many different balls at once in order to seize the advantage.

Many SC-purists believe that Starcraft 2 will be a weaker game than The Original because of how it does away with these essential elements, as has been the recent trend within the whole real time strategy-genre.

But will this really be the case? Again, that’s hard to tell since Starcraft 2 is still under intense development. The way that micro-management (how a player moves individual units and their abilities for maximum advantage) and macro-management (how a player manages his or her economy and production) will be very different from Brood War, but not necessarily less demanding.

The best Korean progamers today perform an average of 400 effective actions per minute (combined mouse clicks and key strokes, and yes – that’s one hell of a lot) in a game of Starcraft, and that is the key to why this game is so tough yet satisfying to master

If Starcraft 2 comes with new ways to effectively use such speed, then this argument is countered, and Blizzard has clearly stated that they wish to do so in various creative ways. If they are successful, we will see when beta comes. This is however a core question for whether or not Starcraft 2 can be as good if not better as an eSport than Brood War.

Personally, I’m against simplification of gameplay since I belive that it should be a sharp learning curve in any professional sport. Having said that, I do agree with those who say that the dynamics within Starcraft: Brood War can do with an update in these modern times. As long as the pros can utilise their insane speed, the essence of the game remains, and I have faith that so will be the case in Starcraft 2.

The Rebirth is coing with The Sequel, and it will open the gates for hordes of new gamers to the fantastic universe of strategy and Starcraft. Indeed, that is what this blog is all about, referring to both of the games. I believe that this franchise along with its deep community foundations and the South Korean professional scene are the very model for what eSports can and should be – and that is really cool.

Digital competition, or, if you will - ”cyber athletics” - will become a thoroughly recognised and very popular movement in the future, reaching mainstream audiences with a bang, In my opinion, now is a very exciting time to get involved with eSports, and the Starcraft community is perhaps the best place to learn to love what it’s all about. I hope You feel hungy, because I do.

Now, click below to watch what we know about Starcraft 2 so far. Pretty cool, I say: