Tag: blizzard

StarCraft II goes free-to-play seven years after launch

Enlarge If you’ve been zealously guarding your money since 2010, waiting for the day StarCraft II would finally be cheap enough to try out, you’re in luck. At Blizzcon over the weekend, Blizzard announced the game would be transitioning to a free-to-play model, offering significant portions of the single- and multiplayer content for no charge starting November 14. As explained on the Battle.net blog , players will be able to download StarCraft II ‘s original “Wings of Liberty” single-player campaign for free. Players who previously paid for “Wings of Liberty” will be able to get “Heart of the Swarm” expansion for free instead, and players who purchased an expansion previously will receive an exclusive Ghost skin and three new portraits. Players will also be to earn full, free access to ranked multiplayer play, including units from all three of the game’s expansions. That mode will be locked until players notch a single unranked or AI win on 10 separate days (“our way to preserve the quality and integrity of the ranked experience,” Blizzard explains). Read 4 remaining paragraphs | Comments

See more here:
StarCraft II goes free-to-play seven years after launch

Stealth update to enemy power causes an uproar in World of Warcraft

This patch announcement video fails to mention a massive change to late game enemy power hidden in the latest World of Warcraft update Keeping a massively multiplayer online game fresh and challenging for longtime players while simultaneously staying accessible and fun for lower-powered relative newcomers is always a challenge. In World of Warcraft , a hidden change to the way end-game enemies power up alongside players has unintentionally thrown that balance out of whack, and Blizzard is working on a fix. Shortly after yesterday’s release of Patch 7.2 for the long-running MMO, players quickly began noticing that high-end enemies were scaling up in power depending on the power of the gear the player characters were wearing. The specific power numbers involved seem to make it so that players could perversely make a fight easier by taking off their high-end gear and replacing it with slightly worse weapons and armor, reducing the enemy’s health and power greatly in the process. The change in how enemy scaling works took many players by surprise because it wasn’t explicitly mentioned in the extensive patch notes Blizzard released yesterday. Furthermore,  WoW assistant director Ion Hazzikostas spoke out specifically against this kind of gear-based enemy scaling in a Twitch interview last year . Read 5 remaining paragraphs | Comments

See the original article here:
Stealth update to enemy power causes an uproar in World of Warcraft

StarCraft remaster unveiled, and original SD version becomes free-as-in-beer

Enlarge / It finally exists. (credit: Blizzard Entertainment) A long-rumored StarCraft remaster for computers was finally unveiled on Saturday by Blizzard Entertainment, set for launch in “summer 2017.” No pricing info was announced, but Blizzard has confirmed quite a few other details about the 4K-friendly release. For one, it will be preceded by a patch to the 19-year-old StarCraft: Brood War  client, and this new 1.18a client will reportedly not change the mechanics of the game. To prove that out, this patched version will still be able to connect to players using the existing 1.16 patch (which came out all the way back in 2009). Among other tweaks, like better compatibility with newer versions of Windows, the new patch will include two important updates: the ability to connect to and play against owners of the upcoming remastered version, and the change to a wholly free product. Once the patch goes live, the original StarCraft Anthology  will be free-as-in-beer to download and play in both single- and multiplayer modes. Read 3 remaining paragraphs | Comments

More:
StarCraft remaster unveiled, and original SD version becomes free-as-in-beer

Blizzard’s ‘Overwatch’ hits consoles and PC on May 24

The wait is almost over for Overwatch , Blizzard’s first original game in some time. The shooter will hit PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 on May 24, the company announced today . Additionally, you’ll be able to get your feet wet during an open beta from May 5 through May 9. Those who preorder the game will also be able to get an early start on the beta on May 3. Multiplayer shooters are fairly common these days, but it’ll be interesting to see how Blizzard, a company best known for MMORPGs and strategy games, approaches the genre. Based on what we’ve seen so far, Overwatch ‘ s gameplay is frenetic, giving you control of 21 different heroes with different skills. This isn’t some stroll through Destiny’s Crucible. Blizzard also revealed two new editions of the game today. PC players can snag the base version for $40 — which doesn’t include some of the skins and other “digital goodies” buyers of the $60 “Origins Edition” will get — and the “Collector’s Edition” for all platforms will retail for around $130. The latter will come with a Soldier: 76 statue, art book and soundtrack. Source: Blizzard

More here:
Blizzard’s ‘Overwatch’ hits consoles and PC on May 24

The second ‘StarCraft II’ expansion arrives November 10th

It’s been a long time coming, but the second StarCraft II expansion is nearly here: Blizzard has announced that Legacy of the Void will arrive on November 10th. As with both the original game ( Wings of Liberty ) and Heart of the Swarm , this latest title will focus primarily on one species. In this case, you’re reuniting the mysterious Protoss so that they can confront a dire threat and reclaim their homeworld. You’ll also get new units for all factions, and there are fresh multiplayer modes that include shared bases and objective-based co-op. It’s not really a revolution, then. However, this also represents the end of the StarCraft II story line — if you’re determined to see the conclusion to Blizzard’s five-year sci-fi saga, you’ll want to check this out. Filed under: Gaming Comments Via: Kotaku Source: Battle.net , BusinessWire Tags: activision, blizzard, gaming, legacyofthevoid, starcraft, starcraft2, starcraftii, starcraftiilegacyofthevoid, video

More:
The second ‘StarCraft II’ expansion arrives November 10th

​World of Warcraft’s Impressive First Decade, By the Numbers

The numbers may be shrinking a bit in recent years but, when you look at it, the sheer aggregate of people who’ve made a toon, joined a raid or bought a pet in World of Warcraft is still mind-boggling. Read more…        

Read the article:
​World of Warcraft’s Impressive First Decade, By the Numbers