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I personally find the beta to be quite disappointing. If I had to describe the game to a person in one word it would be stiff. I find placing buildings, moving units, etc to be clunky. Part of what I like about Starcraft is the smooth controls, but you don't get that with SC2. IDK whether it's the switch to 3D or what, but I don't get the same feeling with Warcraft III, so I think it's simply the way the game is. The graphics are nice, crisp and colorful, but I find the gameplay to be overall boring.
It's not that I don't see the strategic element, there definitely is that. The nexus for example has an ability which will speed up the progress of an upgrade or unit being researched or made respectively at a building. Dicking around with that was fun for a bit, my PvZ build involves making zealots and using that ability to mass produce zealots and quickly upgrade the charge ability, sort've like the SC2 version of the +1 zealot rush.
It's hard to place my finger on exactly what the problem is, but after playing for a while I just feel bored and I have to 'force' myself to play, maybe because I just really want to like it. My friend made this exact comment to me before I got to play, and I didn't believe him, I thought he was simply expecting SC1 with 3D graphics, but I can honestly say I agree with his comments 100%. I know others have the entirely opposite opinion, but I think many of those people just want to like the game and are being too forgiving IMO.
Anyway, for those who didn't get the beta or are unable to play, I wouldn't worry about it, it's not that good IMO.
 
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United States24600 Posts
Through which method did you get in?
I think it's too early to say btw... I'm sure you could make a lot of equally significant complaints about the sc beta 12 years ago, so obviously it could still prove to be much better than you expected.
Still I think there's a good chance it won't compare to bw anyway.
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im sure the finished product will be much more of what were all used to than what we're seeing in the beta.
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I wonder if people will remember this blog post in 12 years, when Starcraft 2 is still being incredibly popular despite its choppy graphics and clunky gameplay, because it is the most damn well-balanced game ever made.
Okay I'm assuming here, but I figure most of what Blizzard did during development was balance, balance, balance. I always thought that's what kept SC alive while so many other fun RTSs died.
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On February 19 2010 05:46 micronesia wrote:
Through which method did you get in?
I think it's too early to say btw... I'm sure you could make a lot of equally significant complaints about the sc beta 12 years ago, so obviously it could still prove to be much better than you expected.
Still I think there's a good chance it won't compare to bw anyway.
My friend got in and I played on his account, I felt relieved in a way after playing for a while because I wasn't that interested afterward. Regardless, I have access to the game whenever I wish.
Sure, I'm not condemning the entire game, I am simply saying at this point I don't find myself wanting to play and I only played as much as I did because I wanted to give it a fair shot. These are obviously first impressions, but becoming bored already at this stage isn't a good sign IMO.
EDIT: To be clear, I'm not saying the actual strategy or anything like that is bad, for all I know the game is completely balanced right now, it's that the actual gameplay isn't fun. The game could be perfectly balanced ATM but that wouldn't make me any more inclined to play because I find it clunky and stiff.
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Well..is broodwar all that fun if you don't know what the hell you're doing? Not saying its the same just..throwing that out there.
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It's unfortunate you feel that way man. I hope you can still enjoy it some. It's kind of refreshing to hear some other opinions, and of course I respect yours which is why I worry a bit about the game.
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Give it more then 1 day :S
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On February 19 2010 05:52 Bebop07 wrote:
Well..is broodwar all that fun if you don't know what the hell you're doing? Not saying its the same just..throwing that out there.
Like I said, it has nothing to do with balance or strategy. To illustrate; I still love Starcraft: Brood War and I still play, but if BW played like SC2 does right now, I wouldn't play it anymore. I would still have all the same knowledge, all the same balance would be there, but it would be stiff and clunky.
On February 19 2010 05:57 LordWeird wrote:
It's unfortunate you feel that way man. I hope you can still enjoy it some. It's kind of refreshing to hear some other opinions, and of course I respect yours which is why I worry a bit about the game.
I can take the key off your hands if you want, I know it's not the best option but I think it might do some good.
It is unfortunate, that is why I played more before making this blog, but I have to be real and say I really don't enjoy the game. If it stayed like I would buy it for the campaign and story, but IDK how much online I would play besides with friends just for fun, even bad games are fun to play w/ friends.
I would let you play LW, but it's my friends account and I just happen to be able to have access to it.
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I agree.
I've played the beta today for quite a bit now, and the first impression is 'decent'.
Like it's hard to keep track of what is happening, there seems to be a pretty minimal amount of micromanagement especially because all your units stack up so much.
Like salv said, it is clunky and it is stiff. It's hard to follow in general.
I agree that there's a lot of strategy in it, thats what it feels like anyway. It's just that it's not the same kind of fun as a NEW GAME should be. Every time you get a new game you're excited for the most simple things, no matter what it is. I loved starcraft, I loved a ton of RPG's, I even liked playing warcraft 3. The first impression 'really fun' wasn't even to wc3 level, and im a devoted starcraft player.
It was fun to play for a few games, but after I had played this new game I was as hyped for as I simply COULD be against pubbies, I lost most of my interest. And it's not because I raped/got raped, both happened. That's a feeling the should only happen once you've played a game for a long time. I had barely played 4 games.
It only became really fun once I played a friend of mine and we had a bit of friendly shittalking etc, I actually felt much more compelled to try new strategies and put more effort into it.
like the OP, I can't quite put my finger into what it is with this game, but something about it feels wrong. It's not game balance, it's something with the core of the game I think.
I have hope that it will become better, and I do realize that its only a day after its release. the final product might be very much different.
Right now, however, it's not something that I'm absolutely hyped for anymore. It's something that I'll keep playing and something that I'll find fun etc, but at the moment I'm not shitting my pants.
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Well just don't freak out if you are finding flaws with the game. SC was pretty much the same way even for a while after the game was released. I don't expect SC2 to be completely ready even after initial release. Get a few patches, the other 2 expansions and we will see where it leads to.
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On February 19 2010 05:59 Salv wrote:Show nested quote +On February 19 2010 05:52 Bebop07 wrote:
Well..is broodwar all that fun if you don't know what the hell you're doing? Not saying its the same just..throwing that out there. Like I said, it has nothing to do with balance or strategy. To illustrate; I still love Starcraft: Brood War and I still play, but if BW played like SC2 does right now, I wouldn't play it anymore. I would still have all the same knowledge, all the same balance would be there, but it would be stiff and clunky. Show nested quote +On February 19 2010 05:57 LordWeird wrote:
It's unfortunate you feel that way man. I hope you can still enjoy it some. It's kind of refreshing to hear some other opinions, and of course I respect yours which is why I worry a bit about the game.
I can take the key off your hands if you want, I know it's not the best option but I think it might do some good. It is unfortunate, that is why I played more before making this blog, but I have to be real and say I really don't enjoy the game. If it stayed like I would buy it for the campaign and story, but IDK how much online I would play besides with friends just for fun, even bad games are fun to play w/ friends. I would let you play LW, but it's my friends account and I just happen to be able to have access to it.
Yeah I read your response earlier. I started typing out the response way early and then I got distracted by a stream and didn't finish until after you said that the first time. 
You always have BW and many many other games
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Remember, there is supposed to be 2 expansions before this game basically equals a "broodwar" status.
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The only disappointing thing about the beta is that I don't have a key -.-
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On February 19 2010 06:09 FortuneSyn wrote:
Remember, there is supposed to be 2 expansions before this game basically equals a "broodwar" status.
Both expantion are only for solo campaign
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Well this is a relief, thank goodness I didn't get into beta.
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original SC vanilla will never be as good as broodwar, maybe it will be the same with starcraft 2, maybe the original SC2 wont be as good as the expansions of SC2, im sure the balancing element and new units will really spice the game up. Just a guess though
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8748 Posts
the game is supposed to take skill to play well. you probably have a high expectation for your abilities to play and it makes you think you can be at ease with 1 session of gaming. you should put at least as much time into familiarizing yourself with sc2 as you did with bw before you make comparisons on how good it feels.
also, the very first patch of beta is bound to have some problems. i can already tell that they will have to tweak AI a bit to change the way micro works. and some commands are just buggy. you may have been experiencing some bugs without noticing due to the fast pace of the game
and another thing: if you signed up for beta, you should have done so with the intent of helping to fix whatever problems there are with the game. it seems like a ton of people feel that by getting in the beta they are getting some sneak-peak and want to write a review of the game as if it's anywhere near done. it's really shitty to play the beta and not like it and then publicly denounce it and not do anything to improve the game. utterly useless
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its probably the starcraft 1 mentality in a starcraft 2 environment. obviously its gonna lack some polish. thats where you the beta players come in
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I agree
There is something wrong with this game that is hard to describe, it feels like a downgrade from both War3 and SC:BW in many regards.
Everything just feels like it's sliding, units don't seem responsive enough, mineral saturation seems to be optimal way to quickly.
Low econ gameplay doesn't bother me, but the game doesn't require enough micro for the low econ gameplay to be exciting. It feels like this game is going to basically eventually come down to build orders and timing, with micro and macro being irrelevant and high level matches will come down to luck.
Hard to convey what's wrong with this game in words, but something is definitely wrong / missing.
Hopefully things can still turn around.
My thoughts are based off: 2 games
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I don't like the sound effects in the current build. The game feels bleak, from watching a little bit of live stream.
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SC1 bias. Nostalgia. There will be people who inherently dislike the game from the onset sub-consciously. That's normal. To those reading, you should play it yourself and make up your own mind about it. We are all different, and all have different subjective values.
Now if you could give concrete suggestions on how to improve that would be useful and constructive. What are your comp specs, and the like.
Anyways, looking forward to new blood, new community, and new challenges. Some people have such high expectations it is impossible to not get let down. I come in with low expectations. It's a half-glass full to half-glass empty outlook.
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This seems like a bit of a misinformed whine post...
it's beta, and it flows just fine for me. the only thing is that they need to make units, at least zerg, more distinguishable. in a ling vs ling fight all I saw was a mash of claws and wings, which while it fits the theme/world nicely, does not do well for gameplay.
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On February 19 2010 06:37 PokePill wrote:
I agree
There is something wrong with this game that is hard to describe, it feels like a downgrade from both War3 and SC:BW in many regards.
Everything just feels like it's sliding, units don't seem responsive enough, mineral saturation seems to be optimal way to quickly.
Low econ gameplay doesn't bother me, but the game doesn't require enough micro for the low econ gameplay to be exciting. It feels like this game is going to basically eventually come down to build orders and timing, with micro and macro being irrelevant and high level matches will come down to luck.
Hard to convey what's wrong with this game in words, but something is definitely wrong / missing.
Hopefully things can still turn around.
My thoughts are based off: 2 games
Oh man it could have been a cool troll but why you had to bold the last sentence ?
Nobody will fall for it 
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my first impression was very similar to yours. But it had 100% to do with hardware. The quality I had running was too high for my computer, everything felt "chunky" and unresponsive. Frankly speaking, it was a terrible experience. Once I lowered everything and gave it another shot, it was just day and night. And now, after 4 or 5 games where I get used to it more, I like it a lot.
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On February 19 2010 07:03 Boblion wrote:Show nested quote +On February 19 2010 06:37 PokePill wrote:
I agree
There is something wrong with this game that is hard to describe, it feels like a downgrade from both War3 and SC:BW in many regards.
Everything just feels like it's sliding, units don't seem responsive enough, mineral saturation seems to be optimal way to quickly.
Low econ gameplay doesn't bother me, but the game doesn't require enough micro for the low econ gameplay to be exciting. It feels like this game is going to basically eventually come down to build orders and timing, with micro and macro being irrelevant and high level matches will come down to luck.
Hard to convey what's wrong with this game in words, but something is definitely wrong / missing.
Hopefully things can still turn around.
My thoughts are based off: 2 games Oh man it could have been a cool troll but why you had to bold the last sentence ? Nobody will fall for it
I'm srs though I was just saying I might change my mind after I play more.
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It is not just the "sc1 bias guys." I have not played yet so I cannot make a personal judgement as absolute, but from watching various streams, such as nony's, some gr noobs, and louders, I'll tell you what is wrong - game looks like it's just going to be all low tiered unit spam like a cnc game =/
build the best unit, and build a lot of it. It is true no one knows wtf they are doing, but so far i'd say the premise of "build the most of the best unit" is gonna be pretty solid for beta.
don't play it like it's SC1, it's not. Play beta to abuse whatever the hell is strongest in the game, play it to make the game look like an utter failure, aka if the most idiotic, boring, tactic is the BEST thing to do, then do it every single game and if there is no counter then there is a problem.
basically copy paste what Nony said, regardless of how good or bad the game seems upon first impressions now, the point of the beta is to give blizzard highly technical feedback on balance as well as bugginess in interface, etc.
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hah. Interesting to read from the perspective of playing other games competitively.
The exact same complaint was made when street fighter IV came out after over a decade without a new SF game. "Clunky, sluggish movement" etc etc. Game also made the switch to 3d graphics from 2d, much like sc.
To reiterate what others have said, give it time. Metagames can only appear once you're comfortable enough with the game itself to get there. The funky seeming controls will vanish almost entirely as well.
People really need to stop worrying about balance as well. BW isn't still around thanks to its balance, its still around because its fun. I've seen more at stake in one series of Marvel vs Capcom 2, one of the most broken imbalanced (but fun!) fighters ever, than TSL2's entire prize pool. Balance should be 100% a secondary concern.
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On February 19 2010 06:32 Liquid`NonY wrote:
the game is supposed to take skill to play well. you probably have a high expectation for your abilities to play and it makes you think you can be at ease with 1 session of gaming. you should put at least as much time into familiarizing yourself with sc2 as you did with bw before you make comparisons on how good it feels.
also, the very first patch of beta is bound to have some problems. i can already tell that they will have to tweak AI a bit to change the way micro works. and some commands are just buggy. you may have been experiencing some bugs without noticing due to the fast pace of the game
and another thing: if you signed up for beta, you should have done so with the intent of helping to fix whatever problems there are with the game. it seems like a ton of people feel that by getting in the beta they are getting some sneak-peak and want to write a review of the game as if it's anywhere near done. it's really shitty to play the beta and not like it and then publicly denounce it and not do anything to improve the game. utterly useless
CAN WE FRONT PAGE THIS FUCKING POST
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You know, if you don't like it you can always send me your account :D My brother's got 9gigs of RAM I'm itching to put to the test, and I can't stand watching noobs on the streams be bad at SC2 
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On February 19 2010 09:31 Chef wrote:You know, if you don't like it you can always send me your account :D My brother's got 9gigs of RAM I'm itching to put to the test, and I can't stand watching noobs on the streams be bad at SC2
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Mystlord
United States10264 Posts
On February 19 2010 09:07 shindigs wrote:Show nested quote +On February 19 2010 06:32 Liquid`NonY wrote:
the game is supposed to take skill to play well. you probably have a high expectation for your abilities to play and it makes you think you can be at ease with 1 session of gaming. you should put at least as much time into familiarizing yourself with sc2 as you did with bw before you make comparisons on how good it feels.
also, the very first patch of beta is bound to have some problems. i can already tell that they will have to tweak AI a bit to change the way micro works. and some commands are just buggy. you may have been experiencing some bugs without noticing due to the fast pace of the game
and another thing: if you signed up for beta, you should have done so with the intent of helping to fix whatever problems there are with the game. it seems like a ton of people feel that by getting in the beta they are getting some sneak-peak and want to write a review of the game as if it's anywhere near done. it's really shitty to play the beta and not like it and then publicly denounce it and not do anything to improve the game. utterly useless CAN WE FRONT PAGE THIS FUCKING POST
I agree. The voice of reason. It's a beta people, not the game itself. People are losing sight of that really fast.
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On February 19 2010 09:51 Mystlord wrote:Show nested quote +On February 19 2010 09:07 shindigs wrote:On February 19 2010 06:32 Liquid`NonY wrote:
the game is supposed to take skill to play well. you probably have a high expectation for your abilities to play and it makes you think you can be at ease with 1 session of gaming. you should put at least as much time into familiarizing yourself with sc2 as you did with bw before you make comparisons on how good it feels.
also, the very first patch of beta is bound to have some problems. i can already tell that they will have to tweak AI a bit to change the way micro works. and some commands are just buggy. you may have been experiencing some bugs without noticing due to the fast pace of the game
and another thing: if you signed up for beta, you should have done so with the intent of helping to fix whatever problems there are with the game. it seems like a ton of people feel that by getting in the beta they are getting some sneak-peak and want to write a review of the game as if it's anywhere near done. it's really shitty to play the beta and not like it and then publicly denounce it and not do anything to improve the game. utterly useless CAN WE FRONT PAGE THIS FUCKING POST I agree. The voice of reason. It's a beta people, not the game itself. People are losing sight of that really fast.
Voice of reason? I can't make a blog about my first impressions of the game? Give me a fucking break. I'm not losing sight of anything, I tried the beta and my first impression was bad, I didn't like the way it played. I never said you shouldn't bother playing, or that I would never play it again, so chill.
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On February 19 2010 05:41 Salv wrote:
Anyway, for those who didn't get the beta or are unable to play, I wouldn't worry about it, it's not that good IMO.
I'm still worrying about it. Please give me your beta key.
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the first time I ever got onto bnet on sc1 was after I had played through the campaign. all the units and each race had a feel because I knew where they were in the lore. even now, when i play protoss I feel like a commander, when I play zerg I feel like an evil overlord fellow, and when I play terran i feel like I'm just trying to survive. i still have a real feel for the units, like zealots and stuff. when I look at the maps, I kind of subconsciously imagine them as a battleground in the sc universe. the big theme is that everything in the game is well-grounded in the lore, it's all congruent. like tassadar and fenix came outta the protoss, then raynor and mengsk are kind of foils. the zerg is just...the zerg. except for kerrigan, shes a bitch (but raynor can still get through to her!)
I would not feel that way if I had not played the campaign. Right now, in sc2, I know exactly what you mean. I feel it too off of 8 games. when I see the new units and all the new stuff, its just that..new stuff. theres not that magical element that got me initially addicted to sc until I could appreciate the real game going on. sc2 is just missing the campaign, and its a beta. its like a pair of jeans before you've broken them in. for you i would reccomend just playin the computer and doing the shit you hopefully used to do when you first started playing sc (like i would build a battlecruiser squadron and keep them in formation until it was time for battle. they'd each have a dropship of scvs to repair them and no other units were allowed for offense)
one time, me and a friend were doing team melee pvz vs 3 computer teams. we ended up with 4 pylons, 5 scouts a ht and two archons. we holed up at the top of a ramp that had 2 shield batteries and some cannons and defended our outpost for a good hour against all the zerg attacks. it was like aiur, and even though we lost it was hella fun.
i think you're just forgetting to play, in the truest sense of the word.
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United Kingdom12022 Posts
On February 19 2010 06:32 Liquid`NonY wrote:
the game is supposed to take skill to play well. you probably have a high expectation for your abilities to play and it makes you think you can be at ease with 1 session of gaming. you should put at least as much time into familiarizing yourself with sc2 as you did with bw before you make comparisons on how good it feels.
also, the very first patch of beta is bound to have some problems. i can already tell that they will have to tweak AI a bit to change the way micro works. and some commands are just buggy. you may have been experiencing some bugs without noticing due to the fast pace of the game
and another thing: if you signed up for beta, you should have done so with the intent of helping to fix whatever problems there are with the game. it seems like a ton of people feel that by getting in the beta they are getting some sneak-peak and want to write a review of the game as if it's anywhere near done. it's really shitty to play the beta and not like it and then publicly denounce it and not do anything to improve the game. utterly useless
Nony. I think I love you. Best post about the beta I've read in so long. Especially the last paragraph.
Anyone who signed up to the beta seriously should of expected to have a massively buggy mess so they can help fix it. Anyone who was expecting a polished game as a beta would be really wrong. To be honest this is probably the best beta I've ever seen bug wise. Blizzard have done a fantastic job and the OP is incredibly lucky to get to play it. bugs or not. Alot of people would kill to have the chance you have OP. Just give the game some time and look for bugs and get them posted to Blizzard so they can fix them. ^_^
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Korea (South)17174 Posts
oh nony you silly goose stop posting what i would have said minus all the cursing and condescending words
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On February 19 2010 20:53 Qikz wrote:Show nested quote +On February 19 2010 06:32 Liquid`NonY wrote:
the game is supposed to take skill to play well. you probably have a high expectation for your abilities to play and it makes you think you can be at ease with 1 session of gaming. you should put at least as much time into familiarizing yourself with sc2 as you did with bw before you make comparisons on how good it feels.
also, the very first patch of beta is bound to have some problems. i can already tell that they will have to tweak AI a bit to change the way micro works. and some commands are just buggy. you may have been experiencing some bugs without noticing due to the fast pace of the game
and another thing: if you signed up for beta, you should have done so with the intent of helping to fix whatever problems there are with the game. it seems like a ton of people feel that by getting in the beta they are getting some sneak-peak and want to write a review of the game as if it's anywhere near done. it's really shitty to play the beta and not like it and then publicly denounce it and not do anything to improve the game. utterly useless Nony. I think I love you. Best post about the beta I've read in so long. Especially the last paragraph. Anyone who signed up to the beta seriously should of expected to have a massively buggy mess so they can help fix it. Anyone who was expecting a polished game as a beta would be really wrong. To be honest this is probably the best beta I've ever seen bug wise. Blizzard have done a fantastic job and the OP is incredibly lucky to get to play it. bugs or not. Alot of people would kill to have the chance you have OP. Just give the game some time and look for bugs and get them posted to Blizzard so they can fix them. ^_^
I intend to. With all the threads talking about how much people enjoy it etc, I thought I would post my own views as I wasn't feeling the same way.
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