The pity with discussions is that the populous focus far too often on narrow and often irrelevant areas of the topic; as the politican gets questioned on a personal issue and as the anarchist faces the it-won't-work argument. Similarly, the StarCraft II comments focus on one or two points that are generally irrelevant to the big picture.
The tone of the apocalyptic comments regarding StarCraft II coming out of the Brood War community is almost as dramatic as a Shakespearian soliloquy.
Neither 'tis the nobler race to suffer;
If only Zerglings mix with Protoss fortunes.
Time and time again it is about if it will be 3d and, occasionally, the same new race being speculated over. After two or three months of the hype being increased exponentially, I was disappointed to find these topics are still the main focus of the community.
We have all seen the spoilers on Blizzard's homepage with all their hit titles. Each of the games brought something new and special to gaming world. Why the community has not set out from the premise that Blizzard knows what they are doing is beyond me.
It is in 3d - but life still goes on. Source: StarCraft2.com
The engine is 3d and we now know there are no new races. I also agree with the assertion that the races are as equally balanced as the StarCraft ones and that the strategic and skill potential is just as vibrant; by reading the information on Starcraft2.com it is apparent that this is what Blizzard have focused on. If it is not perfect at first, the patches will fix this soon enough. There are more important issues to discuss.
Here is a relatively brief outline of how StarCraft II will affect competition and advertising. Important issues that seem to have been forgotten.
StarCraft II is StarCraft revisited...
Many current Brood War players may stay loyal to StarCraft but the millions who have had their StarCraft CDs covered in dust for years now will readily dabble within the StarCraft universe again. I have asked some people who have not touched StarCraft in over five years and all were excited about the possibility of StarCraft being revisited.
The more who buy - the more who play. The more who play - the more who compete. The more who compete - the higher the prize money. The higher the prize money - the more competitive the game gets.
“ maintaining the fine balance that helped make StarCraft such a classic [...] StarCraft II will offer a next-generation StarCraft experience.” - Blizzard Entertainment
The newest popular game obviously receives more prize money. Take DreamHack as an example. 1st prize in StarCraft is around €1400; Warcraft €2150; and DotA, the latest game, €3210. StarCraft II will leapfrog the two other titles in regards to prize money. This creates more competition for the StarCraft community, which can only be a positive scenario for the community as it subsequently leads to better replays, more creative strategies and more tournaments.
And the Korean market...
Regarding the Korean market. The presence of both classic StarCraft and StarCraft II creates more competitions; some may see a conflict emerging but business has a tendency to evolve, solve and unite any tensions between markets. It will be a clean slate, allowing new stars and teams to emerge; This will then lead to new strategies, build orders and memorable games.
The Korean stars of past, present and future are sure to make StarCraft II just as tactically apt as Brood War. Source: fighterforums.com
With the 3d engine I can imagine certain Korean stars showboating on camera. Spinning and zooming in while executing their final plans; while this potential action will be seen as entertaining feature for the crowds and recordings, it also has a less shallow advantage: it will give insight to the mentality and confidence of the player, which is impossible with the current 2d engine. This however may not happen at all.
Money money money...
As popularity increases, the advertisement investment in the community will increase. More players means more exposure. This will lead to an increase in advertising deals for players, tournaments and community websites, from both current advertisers in the StarCraft community and new ones that will enter.
“ When I was young I thought that money was the most important thing in life; now that I am old I know that it is.” - Oscar Wilde
This will for example lead to community websites that cover both games - such as the one you are currently visiting - being able to upgrade certain aspects of their communities: regarding both technical and feature aspects. Those sites that still cover StarCraft: Brood War will thus benefit from its older brother. Over 9 years old Brood War can not be harmed with a bit of money injected into it.
So have faith...
Hopefully those who fear the new will have first been calmed slightly by the details released by Blizzard regarding StarCraft II and maybe even this article has helped give a new perspective regarding certain issues.
StarCraft II means greater competition. It means new tactics, new plays, new matches and new memorable moments. It means increased advertising which means more money where some will inevitably trickle down into the Brood War community as well, as it seems many gamers are not ready to part with their decade old game yet.
The Brood War community has the possibility of benefiting from StarCraft II pending that the loyalists do not give it up. My advice is to unite and embrace all the new that is coming and never forget these words: life does not end with things being in 3d.
