EPT
Battle.net has been a key element in Blizzard's past success by keeping a loyal captive market. A free service and a healthy competition environment have been the ideal tools to foster the use and popularity of Battle.net. The two current alternatives have not managed to replace their original ladder. The number of Battle.net users has not grown despite the addition of new games, even if we include South Korea (the largest group of battle.net users) as it should have. The current service of their servers dedicated to StarCraft gives the appearance of lack of care and sloppiness.
When it comes to Blizzard, die fan hard and all, I always tried to stay on the Zen path and let them have it when they merited it but I failed most of the time since I have being at heart a passionate fan of their products and company. I have been for the most part biased even when I delude myself that I am criticizing them. Nevertheless I have been relatively benign for quite a while, so it is time now to stir up the rabble again, and recover the middle path.
So what is up with Battle.net for us StarCraft users? Exactly why do some games made, seem to never disappear for months? Is it a server bug? Or is it a new form of pointless abuse? Why the increasing numbers of "too many server requests" or "latency too high" notices when our numbers have not essentially changed? Why do I get a straight " Go to Jail " trip every time I press the current Battle.net ladder option? Why still no ladder still? Who is in charge of up-keeping Battle.net? Is it a one man team? They are against private servers in general, particularly if they are commercial, and yet every single successful private server has been because it had a successful ladder. They have three choices: to offer a decent ladder at Battle.net with a more aggressive anti-piracy/anti-abuse/cheating stance, or openly allow private servers to run commercially run ladders, and last but not least, perpetuate their current state of stagnation. With the first two they retain their loyal captive market, with the last option they lose it gradually as they have been doing.
How hard can it be to provide us with a decent ladder? We did it and almost on no resources and minimal man power. Why delegate the task to multiple partners all of which have no community support and have failed? The WCG Zone should have worked, but it was launched before it was ready. The initially bugs and initial difficulties turned almost everyone away. It was simply too complicated for many. They are backed by ICM/Smasung, offer decent prize money but somehow they missed the formula. I asked Fifo editor-in-chief why has WCG Zone not become successful in South Korea, his answer was a phlegamitc "no comment."
And what about WGTour, the other promise for a ladder alternative in Battle.net? Most know already my opinion on the matter. Why on earth would Blizzard delegate their ladder to amateurs that will invariably run it to the ground, "if" it ever manages to occur? They have a track record of endless staff abuse of their own system and their solution to any problem is almost invariably a site ban with years of clan-mentality harassment by their staff of who ever is foolish enough to complain. Bottom line their achievements were running an almost all manner vision ladder in their early years followed by a failed ladder almost as long as Blizzard's own. Sometimes I believe it was the ultimate Blizzard joke on us. They gave us our own chocolate.
Most of us have been patient waiting for Blizzard, and in the meanwhile buying most of their games. We complain every now and then but very few actually ever complain in a sensible matter even though if the occasional good points are raised. Check for example this latest rant by PepsiVsCoke, at Battle.net forums. The classic battle.boy angst outburst? Or calculated rude rant in hopes for reaction. No doubt we have been spoiled in that past and a culture of endowment has grown but even after 6 years of asking for a no cheating environment, or something close to it, and a decent ladder, nothing much as changed. I guess we should be content with what we have but it is aspiring for more, that makes us all better. It just kills me to see old games like CS keep growing and growing, that have no private server restrictions, dominating e-Sports outside South Korea. I love Blizzard, there I said it, but I want more, so sue me.
Battle.net is holy ground for Blizzard or at least it should be. It is the main reason, after making top quality games, of their massive success every time the publish a new title. The have a golden captive market that has remained loyal. Who? Battle.net users. The total numbers of Battle.net users, despite the addition of new games, has not grown as it should have. StarCraft specifically in the West has shrunk to a mere 17% (or less) of total StarCraft users (who are generally about a shrinking third of total Battle.net users). It is a free service after all and all its games are enjoyable. Why then the lack of growth?
Battle.net should always be running smoothly and it should be always with a limited and contained amount of abuse. Why? To keep their captive market happy and growing, to keep their games succesful and of course to keep selling their products. At least from a historical perspective but then, then came WoW. WoW has its own servers. Now they have a new captive market, far greater than all its previous games combined. Are we doomed? From a business perspective, and of course as a customer too, I still think it is well worth their money to continue up-keeping and servicing their old games with the same quality they run their newest products.
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Post dedicated to angst battle.boy, PepsiVsCoke.
From an article for StarCraft blog site: http://star-fire.ca/category/backfire/
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