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On March 11 2012 22:23 Seiniyta wrote:you forgot a few Battle.net wise, they pretty much fired everyone from battle.net and are searching for new ones: + Show Spoiler +Battle.net
Reliability Manager
Web Front End Engineer
Reliability Engineer
Software Engineer, Platform Technologies
Director of Business Operations, Battle.net
Lead Designer
Lead Software Engineer
Lead Software Engineer, Platform
Mobile Web Front End Engineer
Producer, Web & Mobile
Senior Designer
Senior Software Engineer
Senior Software Engineer, Mobile
Senior Software Engineer, Platform
Senior Software Engineer, Web
Software Engineer, Mobile
Software Engineer, Web
Systems Engineer
Technical Writer
Web Editor, Brazilian Portuguese
Web Editor, Latin American Spanish
Please note that we don't know if they are extending the bnet team or replacing employees who left (or both). And if it is the latter we don't know why they left.
Also 11 positions of 21 that they seek to fill are marked as "a particularly critical position": http://us.blizzard.com/en-us/company/careers/directory.html#region=Global
I wish somebody would log what kind of bnet related positions they seek to fill over longer time frame (what kind of changes are there in their needs). At least they are not seeking to fill the UI related position that was open some time ago anymore (possibly got filled).
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and now think for a while: maybe they will improve ui in hots? like atm they delay it, hire new designer, it would be good way to increase sells.
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On March 11 2012 22:58 korona wrote:Show nested quote +On March 11 2012 22:23 Seiniyta wrote:you forgot a few Battle.net wise, they pretty much fired everyone from battle.net and are searching for new ones: + Show Spoiler +Battle.net
Reliability Manager
Web Front End Engineer
Reliability Engineer
Software Engineer, Platform Technologies
Director of Business Operations, Battle.net
Lead Designer
Lead Software Engineer
Lead Software Engineer, Platform
Mobile Web Front End Engineer
Producer, Web & Mobile
Senior Designer
Senior Software Engineer
Senior Software Engineer, Mobile
Senior Software Engineer, Platform
Senior Software Engineer, Web
Software Engineer, Mobile
Software Engineer, Web
Systems Engineer
Technical Writer
Web Editor, Brazilian Portuguese
Web Editor, Latin American Spanish Please note that we don't know if they are extending the bnet team or replacing employees who left (or both). And if it is the latter we don't know why they left. Also 11 positions of 21 that they seek to fill are marked as "a particularly critical position": http://us.blizzard.com/en-us/company/careers/directory.html#region=GlobalI wish somebody would log what kind of bnet related positions they seek to fill over longer time frame (what kind of changes are there in their needs). At least they are not seeking to fill the UI related position that was open some time ago anymore (possibly got filled).
Interestingly, the lead battle.net designer positions suggests they're doing a fairly significant overhaul. Right, you could argue they're just replacing the previous lead designer of battlenet, but this suggests the previous lead designer isn't working with them anymore, and you've got to wonder if this is a consequence of the recent let-go of staff, and further wonder if this is a response to the community outcry over battlenet.
(https://blizzard.taleo.net/careersection/2/jobdetail.ftl?lang=en&job=24760&src=JB-202)
Lead Designer
Team
: Battle.net
Blizzard Entertainment is currently looking for a lead designer for Battle.net, Blizzard Entertainment's online game service powering its current and future game catalog. The lead Battle.net designer will work with other leaders within Blizzard Entertainment to set a vision for the future evolution of Battle.net and in turn work with a team of engineers, artists, and designers to execute that vision. The lead Battle.net designer should be very comfortable working within the contexts of online social systems, multiplayer gaming, and digital distribution to conceptualize and realize a compelling set of service-level features that will enhance the gaming experience for our community of players.
Responsibilities
Work with Blizzard Entertainment leadership to create short / mid-term goals and a long-term vision for Battle.net.
Design and realize epic online game service features, systems, and experiences which map back to product goals and visions.
Lead a team of designers and work collaboratively within a team of developers to create the world's best online game service.
Requirements
A minimum of 5 years experience working in the social networking or online game service space
Excellent written and verbal communications skills
Strong critical thinking and problem solving ability
Strong understanding of user interface (UI) and usability principals
Absolute passion for gaming, game services, and online communities
Experience managing and / or mentoring others
Pluses
Non-design development experience (artist, programmer, etc.)
Bachelor's degree, or equivalent experience
Job Status
: Full-time Permanent
Primary Location
: United States-CA-Irvine
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The fact that they are apparently without a lead designer on Battle.Net right now is not a great sign. Anyone UI gurus here want to apply and start making things awesome?
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On March 11 2012 19:33 Zanazuah wrote:Show nested quote +On March 11 2012 10:24 BenBuford wrote:
I haven't played any Dota/PixieBattle/LoL/HoN-variants, and have no former RTS experience, so I may not know what I'm missing out on. But I don't miss any functionality in the current SC2 UI. I think it's just fine. People like you are the reason blizzard are fucking us up and not caring because ''I GOT ALL I NEED. ITS FINE''. Go check Huskys video regarding this huge problem, where he compares Wc3 UI to Sc2 UI. Listen constructievly to him and come back and say we dont need a change???.
On March 11 2012 20:36 Shockk wrote:
If you can spare the time, please take a look at Husky's comparison video regarding WarCraft 3's interface, and the various concept art pieces by Goblinoid, all of which can be found in the OP. It's great if SC2 works for you, but it could be so much better.
I now watched Husky's vids, and the UI-concept work by Goblinoid.
I can see how the social part of the gaming experience was easier accessible in the old WC3 UI.
I also understand how some of you old schoolers might miss those features, as you're probably very familiar with them and used to them. For me personally though, I don't feel I'm missing out. I like that the UI is so clean, and I am used to do all my community socializing, tournament coverage, stat-farming, strategy discussion, news coverage etc. outside the game.
I'm not sure if I like the "1-hub-to-rule-them-all" approach, as I like to shuffle through all sorts of channels to complement my gaming experience/news coverage. Be it TL, local SC2 gaming sites, social media like twitter/facebook, etc.
A blizzard monopolized gaming hub for SC2 wouldn't cater to my preference for a varied mix of coverage channels.
I totally understand your point though. And I guess it wouldn't hurt me if all those features were included. I probably just wouldn't be using too many of them. GL with your endeavours. 
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i'd really like to see a digital interface specialist such as Allan Cooper weigh in on this UI issue...
has any one heard a real expert's opinion on this ?
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Russian Federation3329 Posts
Wow I'm a BW fan, but I play SC2 for the campaign and to play with some of my friends here that don't play SC1. I agree the matchmaking system was breathtaking. I could get into custom games (albeit they were the only the ones on the first page) and start a game without people leaving in a matter of minutes and sometimes even seconds. But yeah, I agree with a lot of things here... I especially would feel let down when I found out I couldn't share and watch replays with my friend who was wondering where he went wrong and stuff. : / The graphics are beautiful, but I was confused at the chat when I couldn't join a channel where the chat was public and after a couple of minutes, I had like 3-7 tabs in the bottom where I was switching madly in among them. And I don't get how the party chat works... Like if a party is disbanded, why is the chat room still open? Even Facebook (although they don't get much right) closes the group chat if I get off the group page unless I'm talking in it... :D
Basically I'm just giving my input on what was written. I don't know much to offer much criticism.. But one think I do know was that I was hoping for games like FPS's that I saw on Youtube when I first saw people messing around with the map maker... 
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Just becouse they hire a new lead designer, it dosen't make wipp wopp things get awsome, it will take time till they find a decent man for the job + the time he actually starts doing anything.
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It boggles my mind the Battle.net features are so completely sub par. I suspect now they will hold back any major revisions for Diablo 3. Since it's probably all operating on the same back end and they don't want to tip their hand and show too much. But we should be more vocal about it.
Flooding the twitterverse and the blizzard online forums with demands to fix the issues would be a good start.
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I cant wait for blizzard to improve chat rooms..really needs to happen soon and will improve the experience so much!
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On March 12 2012 04:22 JackDT wrote:
The fact that they are apparently without a lead designer on Battle.Net right now is not a great sign. Anyone UI gurus here want to apply and start making things awesome?
What are you talking about?
That's the most positive sign on Battle.net in the past 2 years.
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Sitting here and lol'ing about Blizzard's mission statements.
Commit To Quality
“Blizzard polish” doesn’t just refer to our gameplay experiences, but to every aspect of our jobs. We approach each task carefully and seriously. We seek honest feedback and use it to improve the quality of our work. At the end of the day, most players won’t remember whether the game was late -- only whether it was great.
Every Voice Matters
Great ideas can come from anywhere. Blizzard Entertainment is what it is today because of the voices of our players and of each member of the company. Every employee is encouraged to speak up, listen, be respectful of other opinions, and embrace criticism as just another avenue for great ideas
From: http://us.blizzard.com/en-us/company/about/mission.html
On the lead designer position, it is a good sign but there's another side to it, WoW is also in the Battle.net 2.0 mess, although not nearly as much but the core platform is still shared
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I'm just imagining the old lead b.net designer being summoned to an office, high up in a office tower somewhere. big long desk, glass of water next to where he's going to sit. He sits down. a bigger exec is standing in a corner, cooly looking out the window, holding a folder... turns around slowly, walks over to where the soon-to-be-fired lead designer is sitting. Throws the folder in front of him. It's filled with pages upon pages of documented complaints about b.net 0.2, graphs and figures showing declining user base/participation.
The exec asks if he can make it better, but he knows he can't, he just wants to see him squirm... he's just toying with him before firing...
*shrugs* I know, probably not, but its a nice compelling image...
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On March 12 2012 15:34 caradoc wrote:
I'm just imagining the old lead b.net designer being summoned to an office, high up in a office tower somewhere. big long desk, glass of water next to where he's going to sit. He sits down. a bigger exec is standing in a corner, cooly looking out the window, holding a folder... turns around slowly, walks over to where the soon-to-be-fired lead designer is sitting. Throws the folder in front of him. It's filled with pages upon pages of documented complaints about b.net 0.2, graphs and figures showing declining user base/participation.
The exec asks if he can make it better, but he knows he can't, he just wants to see him squirm... he's just toying with him before firing...
*shrugs* I know, probably not, but its a nice compelling image...
Greg Canessa may have disappointed all of us (ex-) hardcore Blizzard fans, but in the new scheme of things, he's done exactly what was asked from him. We may loathe his final product, sub-par and paling next to previous iterations of Battle.Net, but millions of people lack this comparison and are content with that they got. For the business, that's all that counts. And as SC2 isn't a game with a constant stream of revenue expect for expansions which will likely go strong on reputation alone, noone on the executive level will actually bother or go so far as to redirect funds and personnel to resolving issues and complaints voiced by a very small minority of the userbase.
As for the job postings:
Do you see more than one designer on that list, or QA people? Nope. There's engineers, web editors and a director of business operations. That's not a team revolutionizing B.Net's gameplay experience. Don't let those postings fool you. They're not there to improve B.Net they way we'd like it. They're there to turn B.Net into a platform fit for exploiting upcoming games, ensuring revenue from the Diablo 3 RMAH, WoW fluff sales and of course their next MMO, Titan. Battle.Net will become a Blizzard clone of Steam and Origin, another means to bind customers and make money.
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Shockk rocks!
Yeah well, I fully agree with your last post and your endeavour. I didn't play wc3 or broodwar online, only d2, but still.
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IIRC Wasn't the Lead Bnet designer working with Xbox Live in the past? It has console feeling in it :/
But I still believe they get things right... eventually
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i totally agree with this thread. bnet 2.0 is by far the worst thing about sc2. campaign? awesome! competitive play? awesome! mod/funmap scene? horrible! and thats cause of the afore mentioned ghost town effect plus the popularity system. its about fucking time blizzard changes this. i hope theyll have a complete overhaul with hots!
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Loved the thread, Might also remove some of the Ghost effect!
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Guys reading the job description for their new lead designer of bnet, seems like there is light at the end of the tunnel 
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I don't know if it has been discussed before, but I want to add about statistics.
Is that hard to make data available after game? Don't you think, after a game, that you don't get enough information? This is very important for people willing to improve as they need to know where they weak points are.
For example, today, if I want to know if my scv production was constant, I need to go through ALL the replay and watch the activity of all my CCs. This is very time consuming and impractical. The information is there, show it to us!
Just as we have a bunch of panels with data in the replay (production, spending, unit counts, etc), don't you think it would be great if the summary page after a game, showed the information/graphs about: (with a timeline just like it is now)
-worker production, army production
-unspent minerals/gas
-supply
-upgrades
-xelnaga towers posession
-apm
-expansions (a dot when you build a base)
-gas (a dot when you build a refinery/assimilator/extractor)
The 2 values offered in the current graphs (army value, incoming money) are not enough, IMO.
Just my 2 cents
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EPT
