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Learning curve. It's why this game is so beautiful at the highest level, the best spectator eSport there is and simultaneously, the albatross around the games neck that is slowly strangling it of oxygen. With the addition of more units, a faster start and more micro, LOTV looks set to push that even further. It's a potential disaster for the games playerbase, as SC2 is one of the most stressful and difficult games to play and even harder to get into now with each passing day. Except...
Archon mode. I played today and it blew my mind. It literally made SC2 twice as easy to play yet without sacrificing any of the complexity. It made the game less stressful and more fun. It added in the enjoyment of playing with a friend, a social element but without the additional stress of handling your own base and economy like 2v2. You share the mental load, you work together to defeat the opponents who can also do the same thing. There's more harass. I was playing with CranK today and I was harassing the main with warp prism immortal drops while he harassed multiple expansions simultaneously with Upgraded Adepts. This is nigh on impossible for one player to control themselves, even at the highest level, but we were able to do it and stay on top of our macro and we had a blast in the process.
The potential of Archon is huge. Think about the scenarios where it could be used.
1) Coaching. Archon mode makes coaching completely viable, you can bring a friend in and let them control a small number of units or gradually instruct them in a build order while handling scout, harass and early defense yourself.
2) Bringing an old player back up to speed. It's a great opportunity to bring an ex-SC2 player back into the fold and ease them in without the stress of having to handle everything themselves.
3) Just a great way for friends to play together. Less stressful than 2v2, yet just as complex as 1v1.
Archon mode has made a believer out of me. I don't want to play SC2 outside of this mode anymore. This lets me enjoy high level SC2 without the countless hours required to get to that level. It lets me learn at my own pace and focus on what I find enjoyable in the game while the other player handles the rest. It might very well be the magic bullet the game is looking for to make it accessible without sacrificing its complexity.
In short, try Archon mode when you get into the beta.
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Canada16217 Posts
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archon mode for coaching is really good. In wc3 I used archon mode a lot. For example when the player thinks the game is over and there is nothing they can do, you have them stop controlling everything and then show them how to win from that point in the game.
It is also good for the points you mentioned. 1v2 can be fun as well.
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Has this convinced you to showcase Archon mode in some future Shoutcraft clan wars?
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United States252 Posts
Sc2 needed something like this, I can't wait to try it out when I get into the beta.
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Groovy.
I have to say LotV is looking really good so far.
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"when you get into beta"
.....
Don't make me cry 
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I want the beta so bad! ;_;
Archon mode is going to be great with my friends! I'm seriously stoked about it!
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Was watching JP and djWheat play it, looked so fun. Can't wait to try it. Really think it will help the game.
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I'm really looking forward to introduce my friends to the game with this.
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Very insightful. I thought of archon mode as just another fun mode, but it could definitely be much more than that.
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United States1225 Posts
Archon mode is going to be brilliant. Before, you could always use shared control of units to help someone out in 2v2s, but it still put massive pressure on them. With Archon, you can give them one or two tasks to focus on each game. It's very much like in Dota when you do a tri lane with friends. Focus on last hits, denies, warding, etc. etc. This really lets you keep an eye on your pal but also forces them to work.
Super excited to introduce friends to the game with this. Paired with it being standalone, I think it'll cause a massive spike in player numbers.
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I still can't quite grasp how this is now introduced as the greatest invention of all times when the same feature was available in BW 15 years ago.
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On April 01 2015 15:54 opisska wrote:
I still can't quite grasp how this is now introduced as the greatest invention of all times when the same feature was available in BW 15 years ago.
Imagine how much these people would freak out over the introduction of the ability to play with other people via local area networks!
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On April 01 2015 15:54 opisska wrote:
I still can't quite grasp how this is now introduced as the greatest invention of all times when the same feature was available in BW 15 years ago.
It's a fun mode, and bringing it out to be supported by the official matchmaking service is pretty nice. Any cool mode like this that can be brought out of the mediocre Arcade interface and exposed next to the other modes with matchmaking will get nice attention. A lot of other fun modes buried in the Arcade, like Peep Mode Maps, would probably get good attention if Blizzard gave them similar official support.
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On April 01 2015 16:08 eviltomahawk wrote:Show nested quote +On April 01 2015 15:54 opisska wrote:
I still can't quite grasp how this is now introduced as the greatest invention of all times when the same feature was available in BW 15 years ago. It's a fun mode, and bringing it out to be supported by the official matchmaking service is pretty nice. Any cool mode like this that can be brought out of the mediocre Arcade interface and exposed next to the other modes with matchmaking will get nice attention. A lot of other fun modes buried in the Arcade, like Peep Mode Maps, would probably get good attention if Blizzard gave them similar official support.
I am not arguing otherwise and I AM looking forward to playing it. Only I would expect that people would give Blizzard some shit for not having it released already in WoL. But the list of such obvious features that are still missing is probably too long for that 
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I want this mode in proleague :D
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i frequent a lan center for my gaming, one that is open until 3 am at that. i am the lone starcraft player. everyone else plays LoL and DotA, and now heroes of the storm as well. starcraft's learning curve is the biggest wall for new players.
i really hope to magically get access on two accounts somehow. i want to share this with everyone there, and im sure i could make at least 3 people into regular players with this simple game mode. i wish i had more people irl to share this amazing game with...
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I've missed this mode, used to play team melee with some friends in BW, was always great fun :D
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On April 01 2015 16:11 opisska wrote:Show nested quote +On April 01 2015 16:08 eviltomahawk wrote:On April 01 2015 15:54 opisska wrote:
I still can't quite grasp how this is now introduced as the greatest invention of all times when the same feature was available in BW 15 years ago. It's a fun mode, and bringing it out to be supported by the official matchmaking service is pretty nice. Any cool mode like this that can be brought out of the mediocre Arcade interface and exposed next to the other modes with matchmaking will get nice attention. A lot of other fun modes buried in the Arcade, like Peep Mode Maps, would probably get good attention if Blizzard gave them similar official support. I am not arguing otherwise and I AM looking forward to playing it. Only I would expect that people would give Blizzard some shit for not having it released already in WoL. But the list of such obvious features that are still missing is probably too long for that
SC2 has some features that BW didn't have and missing some features that BW had so it's not like it's a crime for them to not have all of the features. It's good they are adding more and more features.
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EPT
