Why LAN is Excluded from Starcraft 2

It was recently announced that Blizzard will not include the LAN function for the upcoming sequel, Starcraft 2. Many fans are very upset, but Blizzard's community manager, Karune, explains their decision in the BlizzBlues forums.

[updated with more comments]

Many fans got upset when they heard the news on Monday - No LAN in Starcraft 2! The questions started pumping out, how can they remove such a great function? How will we be able to play multiplayer in Starcraft 2 if the internet would break down? Well Karune, Blizzard's own community manager, answered a batch of questions from the users over at the BlizzBlues forums in an attempt to clear things up.

"We would not remove the LAN function if we couldn't offer the players something better."

Karune further explains that the Battle.net 2.0 will improve our experiences online, and that it will solve a lot of problems. Exactly how is not known to this date, but it will be explained when it's time for Blizzard to update us on the new Battle.net 2.0.
Blizzard's view on piracy servers such as ICCUP is also mentioned, and is worth looking into. Karune also reminds the community to "support the causes you believe in (This is applicable to all things, not just gaming). Don’t be a leech to society, innovation, and further awesome creations."


Here are all of the questions and answers from the BlizzBlues forums so far:

User comment: I think the reasons starcraft has lasted so long as a game and community are because: 1) Well designed and fun to play game. 2) Free battle.net - Having a place where gamers can come together and play the game 24/7 helps to foster a bolster and lively community. 3) Continued support for the game even after 11 years, they still patch it when it needs a patch. 4) Pro-Starcraft gaming. This is a big deal to serious starcraft players or to anyone that enjoys competition. These games are fun to watch and makes casual players want to play the game. 5) Lan support. - Lan parties are fun. If you take away LAN support you will still have the 4 other pillars for a strong starcraft community. Plus if LAN support helps rid battle.net of hackers, cheaters and piracy because the network traffic is harder to decipher then all the better. That only strengthens the spirit of fair competition on battle.net. Karune's reply: The first 4 pillars are ALL being made better. 1) Development time for StarCraft II have far exceeded the original StarCraft in both the standard of quality and duration, to ensure the highest in quality RTS experience we can possibly create. 2) Not only is it free to play online for people who purchase the game, Battle.net 2.0 is designed with the new generation of online community and eSports in mind. 3) As long as there are people playing our games, we will continue to support them, and we have continued with this tradition with our legacy titles like the original StarCraft. 4) StarCraft II was created with eSports as a cornerstone in design philosophy. StarCraft evolved into an eSport. 5) Map Editor will be better than any we have ever released. and: 6) ??? - will have to wait and see :) For me personally- I loved LAN parties, but the direction in which Battle.net is headed, I would always choose to play on Battle.net > 99% of the time and even if for whatever reason I did decide to lug my computer to a friend's house in this day of age (<1%), I would still be playing with them on Battle.net against others at their place. User comment: That's his point. Even if you do lug your "beast" around, he is saying that battle.net will clearly have better abilities than regular LAN. I for one have full faith in Blizzard, and though I do disagree with taking LAN out as a whole, I do feel that in the end whatever they provide as an alternative will not only suffice, but make things all the better. Ye of little faith shall perish. Karune's reply: As mentioned by Rob Pardo in interviews, piracy is a serious problem and often times tie in closely with LAN. At the end of the day, we want the best for the community and fans that support our games, and having chunk of the community pirate the game actually hurts the community. 1) Pirated servers splinter the community instead of consolidating all players who love to play the game. Battle.net will bring players together in skirmishes, ladder play, custom games, and allow everyone the opportunity to share a common experience. 2) More people on Battle.net means more even more resources devoted to evolving this online platform to cater to further community building and new ways to enjoy the game online. World of Warcraft is a great example of a game that has evolved beyond anyone's imagination since their Day 1 and will continue to do so to better the player experience for as long as players support the title. The original StarCraft is an even better example of how 11 years later, players still love and play this title, and we will continue to support and evolve it with patches. We would not take out LAN if we did not feel we could offer players something better. If I were to buy StarCraft II or any other title, I know the money I spent would be going to supporting that title. Personally, I would be upset that others were freeloading while others are legitimately supporting a title that has great potential and goals of making this title have 'long legs.' If you like a song a lot, buy it, and that artist will only come out with more awesome songs for you. If you like a game, buy it, and we will promise to constantly work to make the player experience better at every corner we can. Support the causes you believe in (This is applicable to all things, not just gaming). Don't be a leech to society, innovation, and further awesome creations. User comment: A question I feel is really pressing, requiring Internet to play over LAN means one more thing for people to maintain at large gatherings. What happens if the Internet goes out at a SC2 LAN tournament? A Proleague game? Karune's reply: Dreamhack is often referenced as the largest LAN party in the world... but in today's age, that LAN is also connected to the internet. I definitely hear your concern about the internet going out, which would be a huge, huge bummer! But as equally as unlikely, the power could go out... User comment: Karune, what about latency issues involved in online play. ICCUP in Starcraft and LC games in Warcraft 3 are all attempts to reduce Battlenet lag. What is Blizzard doing to combat this lag if they are removing LAN play? Karune's reply: This is definitely a legitimate concern that would be best to be brought up again if needed when we talk about Battle.net 2.0. User comment: Oh, Karune, you know as well as I do that anti-piracy and LAN are not mutually exclusive. Step 1: Connect to Battle.Net Step 2: Authentication Step 3: Access LAN games thereafter There you go. Authenticated LAN play. Low latency. LAN parties. Happy customers. -Clive Karune's reply: I will be sure to forward ideas in regards to LAN as described. I too have many fond memories of LAN parties. Update - Karune answers to more comments: __________________________________________ User comment: Someone said on another forum that the queen can heal. Is this true? How does call-down supplies work currently? What buildings can be salvaged? Is the Banshee's portrait female? Why was the depleted gas mechanic removed? Karune's reply: 1) In the current build, for 100 energy, the Queen can heal a biological unit or building by 200 hit points. 2) For 50 energy, the Terran Orbital Command can increase a supply depot's supply provided by +8 permanently. 3) Terran Add-Ons, Bunkers, Sensor Towers, and Missile Turrets can be salvaged for 100% of its cost. Salvage currently takes 5 seconds to complete. 4) Yes, the Banshee portrait is of a female pilot. 5) Vespene gas can still become depleted from geysers. Most geysers have 2500 gas each. User comment: So what energy abilities does the overseer have now? Karune's reply: In addition to having detection and increased speed from the Overlord they can use these abilities: Spore Cloud (50 energy)- Release a cloud of fog, covering an area and blocks line of sight for a period of time (subject to balance). Units that are above the fog can see into and over the fog. This ability is great at blocking the line of sight of spotter units on cliffs, block line of sight of Marines while your Zerglings run up close to attack range, or even to hide your ranged units like Hydralisks from the enemy while having your own spotter for the Hydras. Changeling (100 energy)- Changes into an enemy unit (Zealot, Zergling, or Marine) depending on the enemy race. This unit acts as an excellent scout. User comment: Bunkers salvage for 100% of cost? Looks like I'll be building a lot more bunkers vs zerg Karune's reply: Dustin did also mention that he felt this could possibly be too strong, but we will probably wait until beta for evidence before making any changes.

Despite a big demonstration petition made by the concerned fans, and with more that 5000 signatures towards Blizzard's new decision, Blizzard obviously does not want to change their minds. So we'll just have to wait and see what the new Battle.net will bring us, hopefully it'll bring us some good replacement functions now that LAN is not an option.

Thanks to our member Mr.Rey for posting the news on the petition in our forums. The sources to the original forum threads can be found in the links below.