Why I hate Starcraft - Page 6

Starcraft has become more and more frustrating, it has gotten to the point where I really need to write about it. I’m sure I’ll get tons of angry responses.

Starcraft is not as awesome as it used to be. I know people are going to whine I’m wearing thick nostalgia goggles, it’s only natural. Why is Starcraft in a decline? Because the game has become cold and mechanical, and the true idols with heart have faded out.

Flash is absolutely dominating at the moment and it’s really frustrating, both as a Starcraft enthusiast and as a fan of many players that are having a rough time atm.

I really dislike Flash, because he’s so uncharismatic. And he’s not fun to watch. What’s exciting about Starcraft is awesome, daring plays, back and forth action, all that juicy stuff. With Flash though we get nothing, and then "forth" action as he rolls out of his base and kills the other player off for being too greedy in getting bases. Flash also does a few other things like cheesing, well that’s all fine and dandy but it doesn’t really compensate. Flash is, at the end of the day, a macrobot with perfect mechanics, and he doesn’t have heart like the star players of old did. He’s the best but that doesn’t really matter when it’s not entertaining. I’m sure there are a whole fuckton of zealous fanboys here on TL who cream their pants when they watch him, but I think that to the majority of the audience, things like that don’t matter, what matters is entertaining games, stunning stratagems, matches that surprise you and keep you on the edge of your seat, etc. Instead, players like Flash dominate the players who’re actually entertaining. This is what the metagame has led up to, and that points us to a single conclusion: Starcraft rewards the least entertaining type of strategy the most of all.

SDM covered it quite well in his sole article on Gom: http://www.gomtv.net/mumbojumbo/column/1

We get these kids that are stunningly good, but the appeal is limited. And Starcraft as an e-sports is in decline. Entertaining plays take a back seat because of the corporate pressure on the teams to deliver results. Win win win. So many times, TL users fail to grasp these things because all they think is "But he’s winning, that’s all that matters." So typical.

I remember when Tasteless cast GOM and he and SDM were discussing Flash, the guy was as usual doing his defensive opener and you could just tell by the way they spoke that they were trying not to say he was boring. I think they ended up saying something along the lines of "he’s consistent".

It’s not all bad. But I think that Starcraft, at its core, is ephemeral, with a ticking clock that’s running out. It’s not as solid as a ‘real’ sport, because the game’s gotten (or is in the process of getting) figured out. There might be a few more "revolutions" to come but they’ll be minor. Maybe Dark Archons will become a staple of PvZ. Maybe Ghosts will gain a role in TvP. Maybe optical flare and restoration will find a place in certain builds. Or maybe Zerg will simply find new ways of raping even harder. The map rotation has done its part but it can only go so far in keeping it fresh.

Right now I have my hopes set for SC2. Blizzard promised that the game won’t rely on map design to stay balanced, at least not a first. If they can create a game that stays fresh for more than 10 years, I’ll be glad. The two expansion packs should help, bringing more units, map features, etc into the mix. Or maybe they screw up and we’ll get CS: Source all over again.