Starcraft II closed beta launches this month

[CajoleJuice]

I need to brainstorm possible GIFs. I'm already running out of good material and I might have to wait a while.

[brawndolicious]

I need to brainstorm possible GIFs. I'm already running out of good material and I might have to wait a while.

the pairs figure-skating finals are tomorrow.

[CajoleJuice]

[Phoenix Dark]

I believe one of the features highlighted when they released some details of the new Battle.net way back when was that players will be limited to one SC2 account per Battle.net account. I actually think I remember crying about that on here

it's like pokemon blue all over again 

[CajoleJuice]

[The Fake Shemp]

Damn. One is the loneliest number.

[OptimoPeach]

Me after seeing Cajole's post:

 ________________
|Gmail - Inbox              |
|blahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblah|
|blahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblah|
|blahblahBETA INVITEblahblah|
|blahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblah|
|blahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblah|


 
And then I saw that it was just another shitty beta invite for shitty Heroes of Newerth and killed myself

[Howard Alan Treesong]

And then I saw that it was just another shitty beta invite for shitty Heroes of Newerth and killed myself

Ghost poster

[pilonv1]

I haven't got shit, fuck you Blizzard. I'm glad I haven't played WoW since 2006.

[Akala]

[CajoleJuice]

I WON A MATCH OMG WOOOOO

[Cindi Mayweather]

HOW DID YOU GET IN

[CajoleJuice]

YOU DONT EVEN CARE ABOUT MP SO FUCK YOU

[Cindi Mayweather]

I'D STILL LIKE TO PLAY YOU FUCKING CUNT

[CajoleJuice]

SO YOU CAN BACK HERE AND CRY LIKE A BITCH

[CajoleJuice]

But really, I opted-in immediately and have a few games registered. Got lucky? They needed to test it on mediocre specs?

[Phoenix Dark]

CajoleJuice/PhoenixDark: always ugly, never boring

My record with Cajole on my team is like 5-4, but when I'm teamed with out people I fail miserably.

[BlueTsunami]

The fucking group think makes me want to buy a legit Blizzard game just so I can get into the Beta

[CajoleJuice]

CajoleJuice/PhoenixDark: always ugly, never boring

My record with Cajole on my team is like 5-4, but when I'm teamed with out people I fail miserably.

Maybe because I'm 3-0 in 1v1 games.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

*loses 10 straight 1v1*

[close]

[Cindi Mayweather]

All this talk of Blizz just makes me wanna pick up WoW again

[Phoenix Dark]

Me and Cajole just completed the most epic win of our careers 

[OptimoPeach]

Can you save replays yet?

[CajoleJuice]

Yeah. And that shit *was* epic.

[Fragamemnon]

9-0 in 1v1 as terran today (would have played more but got 5 TvTs and I play macro games, each one was like 30m each because the opponent didn't know just how badly he was losing).

Protoss is as gay as ever, tried a proxy pylon (countered), mothership rush (countered easily with valks), and two hidden expos on a 4 player map.

Zerg just rolled over to my +1 weapons/marine shield 3 rax pump.

Also LOLZ at the war3 players who don't expand.

[CajoleJuice]

You are a machine.

Also, I meant to ask -- when I look at your profile, all that shows up is "Practice League." What's up with that?

[Fragamemnon]

You are a machine.

Also, I meant to ask -- when I look at your profile, all that shows up is "Practice League." What's up with that?

I had been doing custom games trying stuff out last couple of nights with someone from a TL livestream ( I didn't get the beta going until Tuesday). Only started doing automatch late last night.

[Fragamemnon]

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/401269/2010-02-26%2003-17-25.SC2Replay

A TvZ from tonight-that build I'm using (fast +1 weapons and pushing right as his lair tech is about to come out) off three barracks has been complete BOSS.

[Phoenix Dark]

How do I download that?

When I first got the game I'd try going hydras super fast, but kept getting owned either early, or towards the middle of the game when I still didn't have many units; that strategy burns resources too fast for beginning of game. Now I go with zerglings fast, and rush if I find protoss; rushing terran rarely works unless they're just dumb (like not fortifying ramp). Massing roaches and quickly getting their damage upgraded works better, then once I expand I go with hydras.

Still weak on air defenses though. It's like I get into a passive stasis and my unit output suffers; I need to get off my ass and mass mass mass.

[Fragamemnon]

Just a note-another wave of account activations went out this evening. Check your bnet accounts if you are looking to get in!

I'm doing meh-OK on the ladders, mainly because I'm trying hard to do fast expand builds and the maps really aren't that great for them (but it's clear that's the way that the game is best played, if the maps were more conductive to that FE play would rule the roost).

New patch up buffs Terran upgrades, the changes would actually help out mech quite a bit if it wasn't already a complete gas hog.

[Phoenix Dark]

2v2 is starting to make me want to pull my hair out. So tired of being double teamed or slowly beat down. I've been successful in the few 1v1s I've tried.

[Cindi Mayweather]

So if I get into the beta how will I know? Battle.net or my actual email?

[Phoenix Dark]

you'll get the code in your email yo

[TEEEPO]

i checked my battle.net account today and i noticed that starcraft2 has added itself into my game library, which wasn't there a few days ago, though.... there is no code. blizzard is playing games with me

[Vizzys]

pretty sure you will get one if thats the case

mine doesnt have it

[Fragamemnon]

you'll get the code in your email yo

actually they are directly flagged on bnet accounts, not sending out keys

[TEEEPO]

you'll get the code in your email yo

actually they are directly flagged on bnet accounts, not sending out keys

this is why i presumed i wasn't in the beta. misinformation

[Phoenix Dark]

Played some matches with GAFers, pretty cool. Dunno if his SC name is the same as his name here, but Mint is pretty badass at terran. We went back and forth in 2v2s before going 1 on 1, at which point he crushed me.

[OptimoPeach]

Think someone else asked this in another thread but I never saw it answered: How does it measure up to the original? The buzz on TL seems pretty positive so far, but input from some neutral parties would be nice.

Still haven't got a beta invite and I kinda get the feeling that I'm probably not going to, so I guess I'm stuck with VODs and forum reports

[Phoenix Dark]

SC was one of the few games that utterly dominated my time growing up. I was never amazing at it, but I had a blast doing LAN parties with friends in the neighborhood and trying to play online with my 56k AOL connection. Eventually I moved to other games, and while I always loved SC's gameplay other aspects turned me off. Mainly Battlenet and some annoying cheating.

This beta is a good enough glimpse for me to say the game measures up pretty damn well to the original. Battle Net is fucking awesome, I'm loving the new units and strategies etc. I'd imagine some of my complaints will be solved in the retail version. Mainly with the maps, which are kinda meh. Hopefully they add a couple more in a patch or something.

[TEEEPO]

i'm not really feeling it so far. even though my first game was a 2vs1 match which i won, it wasn't all that exciting for me. i rather play company of heroes

maybe it'll grow on me... hopefully

[CajoleJuice]

i'm not really feeling it so far. even though my first game was a 2vs1 match which i won, it wasn't all that exciting for me. i rather play company of heroes

I can understand the sentiment. I've thought about getting back into CoH since I got the SCII beta.

[TEEEPO]

it's just not really all that exciting of a game / \

[OptimoPeach]

Woo one of my friends got a beta invite and it's the one that doesn't even play Starcraft. Anyone know if Blizzard does IP checks or anything like that for account sharing?

I'd imagine some of my complaints will be solved in the retail version. Mainly with the maps, which are kinda meh. Hopefully they add a couple more in a patch or something.

Not too worried about this when it goes live. A lot of the best maps for SC were user-made, and their map tools look amazing this time around

[Fragamemnon]

Woo one of my friends got a beta invite and it's the one that doesn't even play Starcraft. Anyone know if Blizzard does IP checks or anything like that for account sharing?

only danger with account sharing is that the game ties to a battle.net account, which can cause serious problems if your friend is a dumbass with computer and gets a keylogger or something (and you lose your WoW account).

It'll work fine though on any computer, people on TL sharing accounts openly.

[Phoenix Dark]

I definitely need to work on my ZvT strategy. M&M waves can really fuck me over. Speedlings+roaches work well against them early, but I'm far from confident going into most matches against terran.

Contrast that to going up against toss. I can't help but laugh when I get zealot rushed, even if it's a double team rush in 2v2. Micro'd roaches destroy them in the early game. And hydras+mutas dominate their air units.

[Fragamemnon]

Mix in banelings and hydras against Terran. Roaches just aren't that good if they bring Marauders along, and Roaches get progressively worse as the game progresses.

If the game goes late, get Broodlords of course.

[Phoenix Dark]

I definitely need to use banelings more, not only in battle but burrowed in/around my base as well. I'm watching the ZvP replay recently posted on GAF, and just a few banelings totally destroyed a zealot front line.

I've been pretty successful in 2v2s with heavy roach rushes; if the first or second waves doesn't work, hydras finish the job. I haven't done many 1v1s

[OptimoPeach]

I'm FINALLY in on my own account. I have to play on the lowest settings until I go to Wal-Mart and get a new DVI cord so I can stop running stuff off of my shitty onboard Nvidia 6150, but I wanted to play SOO bad that I did a 2v2 just to check it out.

-Everything looks awesome even on shit settings. Can't say the same about my FPS lol
-The music makes me CUM, even if some of the orchestral bits do sound like Star Wars
-Love the idea of the new matchmaking system
-Skullfucked the opposition with my PROtoss PROwess despite not having played original SC for some time now. Me

Honestly, I'm kinda intimidated by the scope of everything. Just a year ago I was so pumped to dive into competitive play headfirst like I used to with SC, but now I dunno. I've been burnt out on hardcore multiplayer stuff for a while now, and with RTSes my skills tend to rapidly deteriorate if I take a break for even a week or two. But for now I'm having plenty of fun, so whatever

[OptimoPeach]

They've started sending out more beta invites for friends of people currently in the beta, so check your email if you're already in

[OptimoPeach]

Are you guys still playing? If so, are your names the same as on here? I'll be on more often now that I can run the game with the best settings. I prefer 1v1 to 2v2, but I'm up for whatever.

Couple random thoughts after playing a bit more:

-I dunno why, but I'm finding Protoss incredibly boring. Gonna have to play more T and Z to see what I like. Seems as though T is (thankfully) less reliant on clunky mech and tedious hard-pushes than SC1, and Z looks fun as ever

-The unit pathing and AI is SOOO much better, but I guess that also means there's less emphasis on heavy micro. I can see why a lot of people are saying it feels dumbed down, but I'm a scrub anyway so I can't complain. Still, I think it's likely that with time micro will evolve to BW levels as more players dissect the game and new tricks are discovered

-Bring back the advantage of high ground! The game is already macro-heavy enough as it is

[CajoleJuice]

cajolejuice.gafbore

I haven't played in a while, but I think I have the urge tonight.

[OptimoPeach]

Ohh right, the identifier thing. I wouldn't have made mine so distinguished mentally-challenged if I knew you needed that to add friends lol.

OptimoPeach.dabestmayne

Gonna just watch the Lakers game and go to sleep tonight, but after today I'll be on just about every night at some point

[OptimoPeach]

People must be so bad at this game. I (being mediocre at best) and my friend (who never really played SC 1 multiplayer) made it up to platinum in 2v2. Poor macro, no chemistry, and no real strategy other than "pump out MMM and throw it at them until they die" and yet we won every single placement match. Well, we lost a pair the other night but it was 4:30am and we were really drunk so I'm not counting those.

As of now TvZ feels a bit imbalanced 1v1. If they just mass roaches I either have to throw up turrets (or sensor towers, which need a reduction in price) all over the damn place or sacrifice MULEs for scanner sweeps; either way my economy is gonna fall behind. I've yet to beat a Z that is good at roach harass. Other times they just go baneling/crackling which I can counter with early pressure if I scout it, but once it gets to mid-game I'm getting absolutely wrecked using MMM. I try to stim and run away with rines and position the marauders to take hits when I see em coming, but half the time I get auto-surrounded and buttraped. Maybe I should try throwing some hellions into the mix as well? But then if they start pumping out mutalisks for harass I'm typically too low on gas to get enough anti-air. The only other thing I can think of is playing it like TvP in SC1; hard pushes across the map with tanks, hellions, and some marines to soak up the damage. I dunno, this one has me stumped. Maybe I'm just crying cuz I'm bad and being outplayed

Frag, you play Terran, right? Any thoughts on this match-up? I suppose I should take a look at the TL forums as well

[Phoenix Dark]

I have an extra beta key, anyone want it? If so PM me

BUT I'd prefer to give it to someone who's gonna play. Lots of GAFers want it, but I'd rather give it to someone here 

[demi]

PM me PD, thanks.

[Fragamemnon]

Frag, you play Terran, right? Any thoughts on this match-up? I suppose I should take a look at the TL forums as well

I FE in TvZ on most maps-one rax into CC (bunkers if you scout a faster pool/roach warren/one base baneling bust), putting down a second rax before getting gas on both geysers. The idea is that Zerg economy is so strong with queen puking that if you dawdle taking that first expansion  (or harass and fail to do damage), you're going to be screwed. You can actually get a decent number of marines out while fast expanding off of one or two barracks due to the efficiency of mining vs. gas+mules, as well. Once you get gas going you can get a third rax and then go 2 tech lab/1 reactor while still having enough minerals to power SCVs and enough gas on both bases and leftover minerals to aggressively tech and upgrade off two ebays.

This gives you a lot of options from here-you can go with a drop into his main (works great on maps like Scrap Station) or a midgame 1/1 or 2/2 push if he tries to take a third base. If he stays on equal bases you can just tech two port Ravens w/ HSM and flatten his army instantly.

The key through it all is to never let Zerg get bigger than you. Their macro ability is really powerful and if you let them get too far ahead in drone count or especially bases, you'll have a hard time keeping up. Keep in mind that once you commit to a third base you will both need to defend it with a PF upgrade AND be up in Zerg's grill so much that they are too busy to deal with it.

[Fragamemnon]

Also if you are going to watch replays stick with the EU players, most Americans are way behind in understanding the metagame IMO. Morrow, Strelok, BRAT_OK, Demulsim, those are the guys you want to watch.

[OptimoPeach]

Thanks! Gonna go try a few more. I do tend to FE on most map, so it sounds like my biggest problem is just maintaining map control with constant pressure. Bit rusty still, heh. And I actually forgot about HSM's entirely

I do need to start watching more replays. I've been watching one guy's Livestream (Gretorp) every now and then, but I still haven't even bothered to check out any reps. Where are you getting the ones from the players you listed? I checked Team Liquid's replay sticky and didn't see any of em

edit: nevermind, got it

[Phoenix Dark]

Toss are so easy to dominate in early game it's kinda sad.

The teamliquid forum is pretty nice. I've tried a few builds from there, to good results

[CajoleJuice]

I still suck at this game. Taking two weeks off didn't help lol