StarCraft 2 Battle.net Beta Preview

22 Feb 2010 at 14:25:36 by Gunnar Petzall

We're continuing to explore Blizzard's latest creation StarCraft II by looking at the Battle.net service, which is now an integral part of the game. If you want to know more about the game, gameplay, backstory and such, see our StarCraft II Beta Preview or visit StarCraft: IncGamers. IncGamers' Tomas Hernandez has also made a video of all the Battle.net menus, to have a look around.

Battle.net began back in 1997 and was touted as a near revolutionary multiplayer game lobby for Diablo I, which has since evolved into something a lot more interesting. The WarCraft III version of Battle.net made numerous improvements over the original Diablo version, but with SCII it's a gigantic leap! Both in terms of the web as well as the in-game interface, Battle.net is something completely new.

Instead of being an option in the in-game "multiplayer" menu,  Battle.net is now compulsory even when playing against the AI in the beta. However, it will be possible to play against AI offline when the game is released, just as Single Player mode will be available.

The connectivity is something Blizzard has taken very seriously and it plans are to make the new Battle.net into a super-complex Instant Messenger (IM) system. Players of all (modern) Blizzard games will be able to chat in-game with each other using text or voice, provided they accept each other as "Real ID" friends.

The new Real ID friend status is initiated by adding someone with their registered e-mail rather than screen-name. This has to be confirmed on the receiving end, and then the two friends are free to chat away. You should only do this with close friends, since this will display your real name to them.

Blizzard feels this is such an important feature that the old chat channels of Battle.net are now gone. The IM-like system is meant to replace it. The IM interface even lets you set your status such as "away" and "busy" and there is a greyed out "Social" button in the interface that might indicate more features will arrive in a patch or two.

The main way you communicate with people on Battle.net is through your screen-name, however. Any player can use any nickname, regardless of its popularity as you pick an "identifier" as well. My nickname is "Leord.scwire" for instance. The identifier has no function other than to make your nickname unique, and it can be just about anything you want as long as it doesn't contravene Blizzard's naming policies. You can have a group of friends and use the same identifier, or you can let it be something completely random.

Also displayed are Achievements (although they are currently disabled in the beta) and you'll also find stats for a lot of other things, such as the race you have been most successful with, recent matches and much more.

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