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Blizzard Matchmaking and Ladder Improvements
Written by Gradius |
Wednesday, 08 September 2010 20:21
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Blizzard has recently announced some improvements they've made to StarCraft II matchmaking and ladder system, namely in the realm of team games:
Improved Matchmaking for Teams
While the matchmaking system as a whole is looking very strong, one area we identified for improvement was matchmaking for arranged teams that were still in placement matches. We found these first few matches for arranged teams were giving them an unfair advantage against their opponents. Since so many new arranged teams were being created every day, this was resulting in a noticeable amount of imbalanced matches for team games. The corrections we've made should show an improvement for many team players, especially in the sub-Gold leagues.
Improved Placement for Teams
Another related issue we've received feedback on and experienced firsthand is the difficulty of placing in a high league while in an arranged team. We made two changes that should improve the experience. 1) The improved matchmaking mentioned above will help teams find opponents of similar skill sooner and, as a result, help to more quickly place teams in the league in which they belong. 2) We also found we were being too conservative in how teams were being placed in leagues and have made some adjustments to allow teams to be more easily placed in higher leagues. 3v3 random and arranged teams will likely notice this change the most.
Team Matchmaking Improvements
We found conditions where the matchmaking system was forcing certain teams and players to wait longer than needed for team matches. Those conditions have been addressed and the wait times should be reduced without affecting the quality of the matchmaking.
Battle.net matchmaking and ladder is arguably one of the most important things about StarCraft II that requires immediate attention. The long matchmaking process and underplacement of teams is definitely an issue that many players in the SC:L community have experienced, so it's good to know that Blizzard is working to resolve these issues.
Source: Battle.net - Matchmaking and Ladder Improvements
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Current Top 200 StarCraft II Players - 9/7/10
Written by Asfastasican |
Tuesday, 07 September 2010 16:15
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Blizzard has posted the current top 200 StarCraft II players in North America. This update arrived on September 7th, one week after the second update. The following are the top 20 North American players:
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Rank
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Name
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Wins
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Losses
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1
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SeleCT
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354
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150
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2
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Fenix
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196
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86
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3
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HuK
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215
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71
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4
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Cheese
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183
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90
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5
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TTOne
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346
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176
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6
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MurDeR
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179
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78
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7
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qxc
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191
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73
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8
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Blendio
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458
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291
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9
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KawaiiRice
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150
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63
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10
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kOre
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130
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49
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11
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PainUser
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148
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62
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12
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IefNaij
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337
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215
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13
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SUGGY
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170
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76
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14
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Silver
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204
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103
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15
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MasterAsia
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190
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120
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16
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SLush
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321
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180
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17
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Katari
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233
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127
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17
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AlexCMoi
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212
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133
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19
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drewbie
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150
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63
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20
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linko
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214
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148
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Click here to view the full list. If you wish to compare with the previous top 20, you may find it here.
Source: Battle.net - StarCraft II Top 200
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Fights, Flights & Frights Inside the Storm
Written by LordofAscension |
Sunday, 05 September 2010 22:37
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A few of weeks ago we reported that the Museum of Contemporary Art in Taiwan was hosting an exhibit, Fights, Flights & Frights Inside the Storm, of over 700 Blizzard art pieces from the Diablo, StarCraft, and Warcraft series. Recently, a Flickr user, ddsnet uploaded several pictures from the event, including these that may foreshadow some of what is to come in Heart of the Swarm:
Make sure to check out the rest of ddsnet's pictures of the art from all of your favorite franchises. The exhibit runs until October 10th.
Sources:
ddsnet Flickr - Fights, Flights, & Frights Inside the Storm
Museum of Contemporary Art Taiwan Official Exhibition
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StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty - 3 Million Copies Sold
Written by LordofAscension |
Sunday, 05 September 2010 20:24
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Recently, Blizzard announced that StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty's first month of worldwide sales exceeded 3 million copies sold.
Blizzard Entertainment's sci-fi real-time strategy game continues record sales pace
IRVINE, Calif. -- September 1, 2010 -– Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced that StarCraft® II: Wings of Liberty™ has sold over 3 million copies worldwide in the first month of its release, building on the game's momentum as the bestselling PC game of 2010 and the fastest-selling real-time strategy game of all time.
StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty was released simultaneously in North America, Europe, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau on July 27. With day-one sales topping 1 million copies, StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty became the bestselling PC game of 2010 within its first 24 hours of availability. The game went on to sell more than 1.5 million copies in its first 48 hours, setting the record for fastest-selling strategy game of all time, and has won numerous critical accolades, including multiple editor's choice awards from major gaming publications.
"We appreciate all the enthusiasm that players around the world have shown for StarCraft II," said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "It was important to us to deliver an overall gameplay experience that was accessible, balanced, and fun, and it's been gratifying to see how strongly the global community has already embraced the game."
While this will come as no surprise to StarCraft fans, it is nevertheless excellent news. Wings of Liberty has received general critical acclaim and that is encouraging for the future of the franchise. The more people that are ultimately enthralled by the StarCraft mythos or the stellar multiplayer, the better it is for all of us. On behalf of StarCraft Legacy, we would like to congratulate Blizzard and wish StarCraft continued success.
Source:
Blizzard.com Press Release - StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty One-Month Sales Break 3 Million Mark
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Blizzard Says StarCraft Movie Possible
Written by Gradius |
Sunday, 05 September 2010 17:22
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Many StarCraft fans have long fantasized about the possibility of a StarCraft movie - perhaps a high-quality version of First Contact or any of the other StarCraft cinematics. Luckily, Blizzard isn't necessarily mute to the idea themselves. Recently, Rob Pardo, Executive Vice President of Game Design at Blizzard Entertainment, told MTV Multiplayer that Blizzard definitely would be interested in such an endeavor if James Cameron would be at the helm:
We've always had an interest in seeing our stuff on film or TV. It's just tricky to find the right partners. We probably could have made a ['StarCraft'] movie or something on TV years and years ago, but it's really important to us that we find creative people that are really talented but also really excited about our properties. That's always been the challenge for us. I think if Jim Cameron came to us tomorrow and said, 'You want to make a 'StarCraft' movie?' we'd probably sign that.
Pardo continued by claiming that they did find a good movie partner in Legendary Pictures, which teamed up with Blizzard for production of the World of Warcraft movie. Now StarCraft fans simply have to hope that an enterprising indivdual of James Cameron's calibur steps up to the plate!
Source: MTV Multiplayer - Blizzard Would Do A 'StarCraft' Movie If James Cameron Is Interested
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