UI Modding, B.net 2.0, and Competitions

I just posted the following article in our Blog section (http://communitystarcraft.com/blog/):

Although this week has been relatively slow on the news front, there have been some interesting developments. Q&A Batch 45 was released, editor and UI questions were answered, GamesIndustry.biz interviewed Frank Pearce, and Karune commented on questions regarding the Radar Tower and Starcraft 2's usability. For me the information about UI modding, B.net 2.0, and Starcraft 2 competitions is most important.

User Interface modifications have been important from day one for the immensely popular World of Warcraft. The basic UI setup for WoW was seen as an inhibiting factor for many serious gamers and thus the UI modding community rapidly grew to create thousands of useful mods. These mods changed the UI in an unlimited number of ways, allowing players to customize their screen for their purposes and desires.

As a former WoW player, I can attest that these easy UI modifications were vitally important to efficient raiding, PvPing, and general communication. Similarly, the addition of UI modding capabilities to Starcraft 2 would open new pathways in team communication, army organization, build order optimization, etc. For example, a mod that makes group mechanics more flexible (and possibly the groups easier to manipulate or visualize) would quickly improve army organization. Or, an efficiency mod could analyze build orders and resource allocation to help improve a player's production techniques. Any number of basic UI modifications can improve a player's gaming experience and accelerate skill development.

The key is that Blizzard needs to attempt to make Starcraft 2 as customizable as possible so that the modding community would be encouraged to spend time developing useful mods for fellow gamers. Karune saying that "editor support for UI modding is something we would still like to implement down the line...no guarantees, but we’ll do our best to get it in for an expansion" is simply unacceptable. Modding could be one of the most important catalysts for a wide-spread competitive Starcraft 2 movement. Allowing average players to focus on their weaknesses and adjust their gaming environment to suit their preferences could break the barriers between the Starcraft professional elite and the average casuals, allowing easier upward mobility and creating an excitingly volatile competitive scene.

In terms of Battle.net 2.0, the confirmation from Frank Pearce that Starcraft 2 will include an "improved friends list, improved functionality for groups (whether that's clans or guilds), better chat functionality, and voice over IP" is great to hear. An improved social network will promote a greater sense of community, one that Warcraft 3 struggled to form due to an archaic clan system and isolationist chat features. This stronger community cannot wait for an expansion, as Pearce hinted: "some of it's going to depend on how ambitious the feature is, whether we can get it in conjunction with StarCraft II or if it has to come out at a later date. We'll see what we can do." Just like UI modding, these improved non-gameplay capabilities need to be in place from day one to promote a competitive and dynamic gaming environment for every player.

Along the lines of improved B.net functionality, the AMM system needs to be reworked and optimized for skill development. A system that allows backstabbing in team games, forced ties, etc is flawed and should not be "given the time of day" in the 21st century gaming market. The AMM has to provide skilled players with easy upward mobility and prevent malicious individuals from ruining others players' gaming experience.

Connecting B.net 2.0 with the competitions is vitally important to Starcraft 2's success. Frank Pearce stated that there would be "Better support for leagues, whether they're Blizzard leagues or third-party leagues, better support for play-by-play commentary, better support for replays" and I think this is the most important development this week - BLIZZARD IS GOING TO ALLOW THIRD PARTY LEAGUE EVENTS. In the past Blizzard's protectionist attitude about their games has ruined third party tournament and league possibilities. I personally know that CEVO.com would probably be involved in more Blizzard games, including WoW, if Blizzard wasn't so hard to deal with in regards to the use of their games in third party competitions. Thus, the news that Starcraft 2 will be spread to third party leagues is a huge development that has been largely overlooked by the gaming community. If this is true, Blizzard is making an important step towards a powerful competitive community that will break the isolationist sphere of upper-tier Starcraft gaming. More external leagues of varying skill levels (think CEVO-A, CEVO-IM, CEVO-M, CEVO-P) will give more individuals and teams the chance to develop and refine their skills. Subsequently the competitive RTS scene will boom to make a much more powerful industry than it is today.

Conclusively, user interface modifications are vitally important to the Starcraft 2 community. Ease of communication, improved organization, and an analyzation of in-game mechanics will foster a dynamic competitive environment. Likewise, a more flexible Battle.net will create a powerful network of gamers battling to improve their skills and show their mettle. This skill development will be carried to third party leagues and large fansites, allowing Starcraft 2 to be the center of the gaming universe for years to come. It is imperative that Blizzard includes UI modding, improves Battle.net in fundamental ways, and allows third party competitions. If not, Starcraft 2 cannot realize its full potential.

 

nice summary.
If all of this turns up to be kinda like they said it would be, this game will last for years and years to come.
I think it's awesome that blizzard's realizing that with a good community like they acchieved on sc1 they can keep a game alive FOREVER