anyone else get an email invite from blizzard for the sc2 arcade beta? it's confirmed to be real on bnet forums.

Greetings!

We’re pleased to invite you to join a special preview alpha phase of the upcoming StarCraft II Arcade Beta. There are numerous improvements in the Arcade beta, including significant changes to the custom game interface, many new ways to describe and uniquely identify your games, as well as substantial editor improvements. You can read the specifics in a separate email.

Because you’ve contributed to the StarCraft II community in the past we feel that you’re uniquely positioned to give us valuable feedback on the coming changes, so we’re offering you early alpha-phase access to the coming Arcade beta! You can expect to see additional polish as we move into the beta phase and beyond (and your feedback will help!)

The alpha is open and available now.

1. Uninstall the StarCraft II Beta, if you’ve installed it previously on your system

2. Delete the “Battle.net” folder from C:\ProgramData, if present

3. Download and run the appropriate Setup file from the link below. Note only the PC StarCraft II Editor is available during the alpha:

· PC: http://us.media.battle.net.edgesuite.net/downloads/sc2-beta-installers/build1-96937bdf/StarCraft-II-Beta-enUS-Setup.exe

4. Hit the “Play” button once it becomes enabled

5. Log into B.net using your retail SC2 credentials

After you’ve had a chance to check out the new features, we encourage you to provide your feedback via email at arcadefeedback@blizzard.com. Again, please keep in mind that, as this is an alpha build, the patch is a work in progress and that there are likely to be unfinished elements and some bugs as well. We appreciate your patience during the alpha phase of the Arcade beta test and ask that you please keep your feedback constructive.

Welcome to patch 1.5.0!

The StarCraft II Development Team

Teton

France1656 Posts

May 16 2012 04:40 GMT

#303

I got the email, but it sounds like a huge scam..

Jackbo

Korea (South)102 Posts

May 16 2012 10:04 GMT

#304

After the mod makers have a chance to tool around in there, the wider community will get a chance to experiment with the new interface, play those games, and see what the Arcade is all about in the relatively near future. In reference to the videos and screenshots that are getting passed around, I also want to take this opportunity to remind everyone that we’re looking at an alpha build of this project. So, it’s unfinished and should be viewed in that light.

Haha, wow, that's even better than SoonTM! Can't wait for all of this stuff to be implemented, but it's only really going to change things if they do put an open lobbies section in, like they said in the developer update.

Pocky52

United States463 Posts

May 17 2012 04:13 GMT

#305

Is it just me, or does it really bug you guys that it goes from 4v4 --> 1v1?
Other than that it looks nice...

KhAmun

United States1005 Posts

May 17 2012 04:15 GMT

#306

On May 16 2012 13:40 Teton wrote:
I got the email, but it sounds like a huge scam..

A scam for what, blizzard to find out your info?

Teton

France1656 Posts

May 17 2012 06:59 GMT

#307

On May 17 2012 13:15 KhAmun wrote:

Show nested quote +

A scam for what, blizzard to find out your info?

The email was just so badly presented l0l.
But ye it's real

Existor

Russian Federation4295 Posts

May 17 2012 09:58 GMT

#308

I want that creep in SC2 now!

Xapti

Canada2473 Posts

May 18 2012 01:37 GMT

#309

On May 14 2012 23:18 ZeitgeisT wrote:

Show nested quote +

I don't think I would use those health bars, kinda got used to green.
Will help for observer mode though, especially in ling/bling wars.

I would want health-dependent bar colors with player colored borders, or a played colored blob/square/circle on one or both sides of the bar. That way you get the best of both worlds (without the player color on the bar being particularly intrusive)

Team-colored health bars fixes one issue, but just introduces another (not easily being able to pick out individual low health units when in large clustered-up groups), so it doesn't really help in the long run.

Xapti

Canada2473 Posts

May 18 2012 01:43 GMT

#310

On May 14 2012 23:46 Laserist wrote:
Another re-spin of console style UI without any advancement.
Just fire those UI guys and hire some real designers with real PC game experience. We play with keyboards and mouse, not those darn game pads.
Or just obtain a Dota 2 beta key and look at the UI, even in beta, still by far more better that SC2 UI. Just copy/paste it.

Give some option to people to watch games when not playing, track proper statistics and a real working custom game system just like a real PC RTS game. I don't care Shattered Temple 1v1 fast that appear as one of the most popular maps. It is not as popular as you think. Just it creates its own fame by just standing there.

yeah but that kind of hope seems foregone and lost at this point — at least for me. But that said, that isn't what 1.5 is about. It's about introducing new features to the game, not fixing a problem that they've had for ages which would cost many truckloads of work (money) to completely rectify.

Finally what the hack is this Arcade button? Is it a preparation of Starcraft Dota? Otherwise it doesn't deserve to be there.

Arcade is the new term for the marketplace. They just changed the word because marketplace implied buying stuff, when really much of (most of) the content would be free. I don't know what the exact goals are for arcade, but regardless, I don't like the name either. Some of the features includes things like the fun-or-not system, custom game ladder, etc. I guess it's like a better way to distinguish custom melee games from custom use map settings games, and that is actually something that I'd really appreciate.

Torticoli

15 Posts

May 19 2012 11:44 GMT

#311

Why do developers seem to think that "requiring more clicks" is somehow a UI improvement ?

Karawasa

United States58 Posts

May 20 2012 08:09 GMT

#312

If they don't get the Arcade right then you guys here at TL will have BNET all to yourself.

Usagi

Spain1647 Posts

May 20 2012 08:15 GMT

#313

On May 13 2012 06:52 coolguy7676 wrote:

· StarCraft II is now a streaming game.

o It will only be necessary to download a fraction of game data to get into the action. We expect to bring even more players into StarCraft II worldwide by making access to the game both easy and fast.

They made this with Diablo, and that's the reason it doesnt work for me

DarKcS

Australia1237 Posts

May 20 2012 10:30 GMT

#314

On May 17 2012 15:59 Teton wrote:

Show nested quote +

The email was just so badly presented l0l.
But ye it's real

zomg please no one click on that link.
mail.blizzard.com would NOT be blizzard.com, it's a fake domain derp.

imanoobcs

184 Posts

May 21 2012 06:16 GMT

#315

The new pictures look odd to me. I really dont like the top where singe/multi-player used to be and it now says Starcraft/Arcade. I hope blizzard doesnt release it looking like that.

schaf

Germany1326 Posts

May 21 2012 06:33 GMT

#316

the tool changes will bring really cool new mods into SC2, I'm looking forward to it!

dcemuser

United States3248 Posts

May 21 2012 06:37 GMT

#317

On May 20 2012 17:15 Usagi wrote:

Show nested quote +

They made this with Diablo, and that's the reason it doesnt work for me

There are solutions to the Diablo 3 issues with the streaming client. Basically Blizzard fucked up by releasing a new set of data for the streaming client without telling the client that it needed that data, so people who downloaded it before like... May 10th-ish were screwed.

This has worked flawlessly for World of Warcraft for years.

Fencar

United States2694 Posts

May 21 2012 06:56 GMT

#318

Wow. Very, very cool! :D

Karawasa

United States58 Posts

May 30 2012 16:14 GMT

#319

On May 21 2012 15:33 schaf wrote:
the tool changes will bring really cool new mods into SC2, I'm looking forward to it!

Only one problem. There are not many people left to mod!

StreetWise

United States594 Posts

June 01 2012 19:01 GMT

#320

For those who want in the 1.5 beta, check your battle.net account. I didn't get an email, but its in my account and I am going to check it out shortly(as soon as its playable).