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Gaming StarCraft 2 Beta First Impressions

Discussion in 'Article Discussion' started by Sifter3000, 9 Mar 2010.

  1. Mennethitus

    Mennethitus What's a Dremel?

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    Its an impression not a preview. I have seen plenty of first impressions overestimate a game and come review-time or even preview-time those games get scored lower than predicted.

    But really are you going to buy something based on a first impression? A first Impression is that: an impression its not a carefully thought out opinion: its more along the lines of I sat down I tried this, hey I even talked to a few people about it, and here is what I thought...

    Criticize if you want< I agree there plenty of faults, but don't criticize it because a first impression didn't deliver what a preview should.
     
  2. Faulk_Wulf

    Faulk_Wulf Internet Addict

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    What's the point of a deep tech-tree when you never get to use them? What about the Turtles? Turtling was my favorite thing in CnC. Build an epic base, build and army, mop the map. I played SC-1 for all of 30 seconds. I set a match against the AI, started building, and was over run by a literal FLOOD of Terran infantry in 5 minutes.

    This isn't an RTS game, as presented. Its a joke. The fact that the sequel hasn't addressed this is sad.

    PS - I don't know why everyone is so cranky. The article was very fair, very balanced-- observing on each part of the game. I would -rather- have someone who's never heard of the series review the game then someone who has a raging hard-on for it. It allows for new-comers to see the real game and not the rose-tinted summary.

    Also: BETA. And this was a FIRST IMPRESSIONS. ffs.
     
  3. thehippoz

    thehippoz What's a Dremel?

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    what was cool about starcraft is, if you were really good you could take on 2v1- there was something elite about how quickly the games went and how one event could change the whole game..

    the last game played.. me and a friend got beat by this asian guy who used to be in our clan- we still to this day say he cheated cause he had certain units way earlier than normal XD but who knows

    I really enjoyed warcraft 3 myself.. orc tower rush and have the funniest racist responses from guys who found it was over before it even started XD

    starcraft 2 has been taking it's sweet time.. I dunno if it'll get people dressing up like zerg in korea again
     
  4. sheninat0r

    sheninat0r What's a Dremel?

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    Your camera seems really messed up... on my installation, I can zoom out much much farther - in fact, the zoom level in the screenshots is about equal to the MAXIMUM I can zoom in.
     
  5. Mennethitus

    Mennethitus What's a Dremel?

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    ... So because you failed at defending from a rush on your first try tells you that the game fails? Turtling (not entirely: its more of a turtle, expand, turtle/push I suppose) is a viable strategy both in sc1 and sc2. Also what you described for CnC bunker down build, huge army, and roll over everything is why i didn't like CnC there is for me in that game no strategy. And while I have no problem with smn giving an impression of a game your statement that smn not familiar with it should review it is completely erroneous imo. TO understand all the complexities of the game and be able to explain them in an informative to everyone way, requires that you yourself are familiar with them. Joe is not which is why as he said he will not be reviewing this game.


    Furthermore everyone is not cranky, as i mentioned in a previous post: stop focusing on the people raging, trolls will be trolls and raging trolls are still trolls (both those for and against).


    on an unrelated note despite firefox crashing the text was still saved :D
     
  6. somidiot

    somidiot Minimodder

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    For me I think Joe wrote a good article showing how he viewed the BETA version of SC2, some of the things he said in the article could be viewed as not being completely accurate, but I think this is because it could take up a lot of the valuable space he has to make his article. The "command unit" thing made sense to me and I put in a lot of hours in StarCraft, you're just being overly anal. Why would he spend more time on describing how the number of units is predicated on specific buildings and/or units that increase the number of units you can control/produce? (I'm basing this off of StarCraft since I haven't played the beta and this is the first preview I've read) It's easier to show this than explain it, and I thought it was fairly accurate being described from a viewpoint that has it's roots from other RTS games.

    I was actually glad to hear that it's pretty close to the original. StarCraft is one of those games where this is exactly what I want, the same gameplay with updated graphics and some tweaks for new units, etc. I look forward to playing SC2 at some point, although I am highly disappointed about the lack of LAN support, the weasels.

    I just think that some posters on this comment section just wanted to pull out their @$$hat from the closet and dump on someone. I think Joe's a pretty good writer and has nothing to apologize for with this article.
     
  7. ZERO <ibis>

    ZERO <ibis> Minimodder

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    I played SC when it first came out but never got into the multipayer. A few years ago a friend of mine who was in the WCG was over and showed me some sc VODs from Gom. At after watching a season I got a new appreciation for the game and realized how it is actually played. I actually used to think at one time that it really was a game of lets memorize the build order but that is not the be all end all. I used to get zerg rushed but then I saw how the pros deal with it. I realized that there really was a strategy to this game and it was not one based off econ and build order alone. What I realized what that the strategy was just so advanced that I could not even imagine it from a background in C&C.

    You want to say there is no strat in the actual combat yet I have seen games made and lost by the exact placement of only one dragoon. I have seen hour long games with minded out maps come down to 4 units. I have seen someone pull off a great ealy rush and still lose to the underdog. But most of all I have seen what really is the most advanced and dynamic rts ever made.
     
  8. RotoSequence

    RotoSequence Lazy Lurker

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    While there's a lot of whining and whinging happening as a result of the views of the author, I think it's fair to say the criticisms of the preview are not completely without merit. There is a real depth to Starcraft's strategy elements, and it is fair from being a game of simple economics, and the unit differences between races are far from cosmetic.
     
  9. 2bdetermine

    2bdetermine What's a Dremel?

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    That's sure look like an 8-bit graphic engine.

    People spending an arm and a leg for there latest hardwares (eg. 4, 6, 8 cores cpu, SLI, crossfire etc.) and this is the best Blizzard can come up with...
     
  10. willyolio

    willyolio What's a Dremel?

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    I'm on the side of the critics of the article, but not for Joe's... lack of experience with Starcraft (or the RTS genre in general).

    this is the Starcraft BETA. remind yourself of this. Who's going to be so amazingly excited about the beta version of a game? ok, maybe some newcomers might be vaguely interested in why all those people over there are making so much noise about a game that's not even due for several months, but i think the answer is pretty obvious: Starcraft fans.

    and yet, you did a BETA PREVIEW aimed at newcomers. why? newcomers can't get the beta. it was invite-only. even if they were newcomers, they must have signed up a Battle.net account months in advance, listened to everyone else talk on and on about it, probably watched at least one of the "Battle Reports" released by Blizzard and had at least a rough idea of what to expect. but no, you didn't write the article for them, or from their perspective. you wrote it from the point of view of a person who didn't care about the game.

    why would a person who didn't care about the game want to hear any news about a preview of the game they can't have access to anyways? that perspective might be appropriate after the game comes out- it's expected that many players of SC2 have never experienced SC1. but a first impressions of the BETA? no, this needs to be reviewed for the fans who are RABID for more SC2 information RIGHT NOW.
     
  11. metarinka

    metarinka What's a Dremel?

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    I think this game will be very polarizing. The hardcore RTS folk who like this particular blend of RTS will love it. everyone else will be "I don't get it"

    The single player campaign will be good, but with such a rich deep and nuanced MP experience. I think it will alienate many noobs, who will get trounced time after time on login until they give up. I.E it's not soo much that the learning curve is steep its that as a new player you're entering a world of veterans and there's no help but quick defeat. At least in some games you can slowly learn so you aren't getting pounded every game.

    I like RTS' but I'm absolutely terrible at mp RTS . I'll play the single player campaign but I would probably have the same opinion as Joe, Login get trounced in 3 minutes, repeat, quit.
     
  12. Dreaming

    Dreaming What's a Dremel?

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    wallpost after wallpost after wallpost after wallpost after wallpost

    I lol'd
     
  13. impar

    impar Minimodder

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    Greetings!
    Graphical representation:
    [​IMG]

    As for Starcraft 2, the last RTS I played was Warcraft III, think I just outgrew this type of games.
    Was somewhat excited when the announcement came out, but after seeing the gameplay and reading some reviews I do believe it is an oudated game with updated graphics.
     
  14. r0z|3o0n

    r0z|3o0n What's a Dremel?

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    Eee.... I'm terribly sorry to throw this out there so bluntly, but all this review says to me is Joe is bad at RTS and has no micro to speak of

    There, I said it.

    Every RTS has an early rush tactic. It's a valid strategy and with a little bit of thinking they're simple to counter.

    I suggest looking a little more deeply at the game before writing it off due to your own inability to concoct a useful strategy for it...
     
  15. okenobi

    okenobi What's a Dremel?

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    This is an interesting point. The early rush was always a problem, but at 2v2 and above it becomes more varied. I cut my teeth on the original back in college in '98 and would often team with a zerg player to go on the offensive whilst I rushed for ghosts and nukes. There are plenty of different combos to try. And different maps make all the difference.

    The original was just that, original. This may not be, but it's exciting to fans and as has been already mentioned, it's nice to see a developer giving people what they want. The level of agro in the thread is extremely high, but that's to be expected.

    Personally, I'm excited about the cinematics and single-player, what happens to the "Big Game Hunters" map and just the new graphics. I still play the original.

    All that said, TA was released around the same time and was superior in many ways from a pure multiplayer/skirmish pov and is often neglected. I think people need to remember that a lot of people playing games (or even working at magazines!) just weren't into PC gaming in the mid to late 90s. We are getting on a bit now! If people don't like the mechanic, I can understand that, but it sounds to me like the game is as promised. Which is rare, and to be applauded. Let's see if the new Elite and Deus Ex can pull that off (if they ever arrive).....
     
  16. CardJoe

    CardJoe Freelance Journalist

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    Been writing about Elite a bit lately. Bear in mind that the new one isn't even in full development yet. Frontier won't even start on it until The Outsider is out.
     
  17. Dreaming

    Dreaming What's a Dremel?

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    I've from more than one person in the beta that it is really brutal to newbies and they don't really get a great opportunity to get better. Maybe this is true in this case.
     
  18. Stewb

    Stewb What's a Dremel?

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    I want to make the point again I made earlier. This is the Beta. A test bed, not a demo. Blizzard expect (and probably want) most people playing to be experienced so they can comment on balance of the units. That I believe is the main focus of this (at least judging by the survey they have online).
     
  19. NightrainSrt4

    NightrainSrt4 What's a Dremel?

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    Trashing Joe for reflecting his experience is asinine. If Bit only wrote about things the writer had large amounts of prior experience with then you wouldn't have nearly as many articles, previews, etc. as you do.

    Having not played SC I found the preview informative, and will probably have the same reactions and experiences when/if I try the game on release.
     
  20. Digi

    Digi The not-so-funny Cockney

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    First off, don't listen to the vitriol spouted here Joe, most of it has no base or is just people feeding off others negativity to get that 'high-five' feeling.

    I just wanted to add I thought the article was great from a newcomers perspective, I thought I could get a real ground-level idea of how the game worked but I wasn't stupid enough to take everything straight in the face and think 'what a rubbish' game, this is FIRST IMPRESSIONS and time changes everything, I will wait and see and even try and play a demo before I make my mind up. But now I have some idea of what to expect.

    I was a major C&C man some years ago but never played starcraft and thought most people that did were anal retentive *****, this comments section seems to go a long way to proving that.
     
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