No Lan in Starcraft 2? WTF?

The No-LAN Controversy - A Closer Look

by Schizotypy
July 27, 2009

Last month's news of StarCraft 2's retail release without LAN mode has brought quite a bit of controversy and mixed reactions - mostly negative (86,000+) - among the Blizzard community. I will take a closer look why LAN will not be included with release, some of BNet 2.0's new features, and piracy. The original StarCraft's popularity, especially in the Asian market, was made possible mostly via LAN in small leagues/tournaments/cafes/LAN parties. Blizzard say the features Battle.net 2.0 will counter-balance the lack of LAN but the details of these features are yet to be released. The question is, will it be enough?


Why no LAN?

Blizzard's plan to not implement local area network (LAN) with StarCraft 2's release was announced last week into the eyes and ears of unwelcoming fans. Why use Battle.net as the only form of multiplayer game mode? Well, a day later after this news, Blizzard responded with two reasons to both disappointed and confused fans why LAN will not be included:

* To help curb piracy.
* Force players to fully utilize the new Battle.net.



Since a player does not need a valid CD-key to play single-player or LAN, the game can be easily downloaded and "cracked" to start up LAN/multi-player games. Also, according to Karune, Blizzard wants more people on the Battle.net servers so more resources can be devoted into the new online platform. They want everyone, casuals and e-Sports professionals alike, to play on a single network.

From Blizzard's PR, Bob Colayco:

Blizzard Quote: (Source)
"We don't currently plan to support LAN play with StarCraft II, as we are building Battle.net to be the ideal destination for multiplayer gaming with StarCraft II and future Blizzard Entertainment games. While this was a difficult decision for us, we felt that moving away from LAN play and directing players to our upgraded Battle.net service was the best option to ensure a quality multi-player experience with StarCraft II and safeguard against piracy.

Several Battle.net features like advanced communication options, achievements, stat-tracking, and more, require players to be connected to the service, so we're encouraging everyone to use Battle.net as much as possible to get the most out of StarCraft II. We're looking forward to sharing more details about Battle.net and online functionality for StarCraft II in the near future."

There is one rumour amidst (not yet confirmed or finalized) is that LAN will be playable via authentication with BNet 2.0. But this defeats the purpose of LAN where people are in areas with no internet (yes, these places DO exist and some are in the United States and other developed countries). But Blizzard's counter-argument is that internet is now widely available.

"If you want the one-line description, try this. It's like StarCraft, but with a "II" at the end. Those expecting a radical reinvention of the real-time strategy genre should look away now. Those expecting a radical reinvention of StarCraft should look away, too.

The basics are identical. The three races must all gather blue vespene gas, and convert them into a trickle, then a steady stream, and eventually a flood of units. Success in the multiplayer game is about expansion- leaving your starting zone and claiming new mineral nodes, then efficiently placing new units on the field. Outside of your base, the other skill to be tested is your micromanagement: isolating the enemy targets by boxing them in or blocking their path with your own units, or dancing your own troops around an enemy's lumbering turning circle. In StarCraft II, there are units that seem designed specifically to cause chaos like this: Zerglings, for example, swarm around the larger units, trapping them in place... What has changed is the single-player campaign. The big news is difficult to swallow: There are some surprising aspects of the new StarCraft - one of them being that much of it will be so much the same. I guess they liked the idea of appealing to the nostalgia of the old die-hard StarCraft 1 fans? Here's what I was reading in a magazine a few weeks ago:

"If you want the one-line description, try this. It's like StarCraft, but with a "II" at the end. Those expecting a radical reinvention of the real-time strategy genre should look away now. Those expecting a radical reinvention of StarCraft should look away, too.

The basics are identical. The three races must all gather blue vespene gas, and convert them into a trickle, then a steady stream, and eventually a flood of units. Success in the multiplayer game is about expansion- leaving your starting zone and claiming new mineral nodes, then efficiently placing new units on the field. Outside of your base, the other skill to be tested is your micromanagement: isolating the enemy targets by boxing them in or blocking their path with your own units, or dancing your own troops around an enemy's lumbering turning circle. In StarCraft II, there are units that seem designed specifically to cause chaos like this: Zerglings, for example, swarm around the larger units, trapping them in place...

What has changed is the single-player campaign. The big news is difficult to swallow: StarCraft II will have just a single campaign, for the terrans, subtitled Wings of Liberty. Campaigns for the Zerg and Protoss will follow in standalone expansion packs (working titles: Heart of the Swarm and []iLegacy of the Void[/i])… But don’t think that StarCraft II’s single-player is lacking: it will come with 26-30 missions, and you might find it more branching and open than you would expect.

As Browder explains it, you’ll be able to choose your missions and route through the story, dependent on the rewards… Each mission completed will reward you with either a new unit or an upgrade to an existing unit. The idea, Browder explains, is that “your single-player army will look nothing like your multiplayer army.”