[Magistrate]

The newest rendition of the Battle.net online gaming network announced back in March of 2009, deemed "Battle.net 2.0" by many, had many of its newest features outlined today at starcraft2.com. Prospects are high: "Battle.net is about to undergo the greatest update in its long and storied history as one of the world's most successful online gaming services."

What exactly are all the fancy new bells and whistles with Battle.net 2.0, and how close is the call between Diablo III and Starcraft II as far as it is concerned?

The webpage boasts many clean and modern upgrades to the archaic Battle.net system, including a focus on continual connection for news, communication, and content updates through profiles. Intuitive matchmaking technology, previously low-key, arose to prominence in Battle.net 2.0 for Starcraft II:

Official Blizzard Quote:

[...]we are introducing an all-new Battle.net Leagues and Ladders System to the service. After using the auto-matchmaking system a few times, Battle.net will automatically slot you into a league and division that best suits your skill level.

This includes tiering based on a hundred-player margin to ensure players are gauged in competitive fields that their experience fits in, providing ideal challenge levels and more localized ranking on the ladders. Game modes will include the old and a mix of new options, including:

Official Blizzard Quote:

Custom games will of course make their return, but there will also be a slew of new, casual-friendly game modes such as the Practice League, Co-op Versus AI (players versus the computer), Challenges, and more.

Communication has seen a positive overhaul, using more advanced features that have been seen in popular communication mediums like xFire. Playerswill be able to talk to one another with friends lists and other popular social features, as well as use these features to get to know one another before playing a game together. Beyond a particular game, Battle.net 2.0 will allow chatting across many of Blizzard's online games using a new future named Real ID:

Official Blizzard Quote:

With the Real ID feature, you are able to send invites and form friendships on Battle.net with your real-life friends and family. Real ID friends are mutual, which means that both sides need to agree to the friend request. Forming Real ID friends comes with its benefits. You will see your Real ID friends by their real name, along with any character they are logged in as. You will also be able to get rich presence information about what they are doing, send broadcast messages, and communicate cross-game between StarCraft II, Battle.net, and World of Warcraft.

And of course, Real ID is totally optional. By enabling this, you can set up your Blizzard Entertainment social network, communicate and play games, and best of all, carry your network forward to future Blizzard Entertainment titles.

Is your friend mistakenly playing World of Warcraft instead of Diablo III? No problem! Assail your friend in the new instant-messaging-like interface until he or she switches games in the blink of an eye.

Player-made content, like mods, is supported by new Battle.net interfaces. Unfortunately, this will not likely carry over to Diablo III, with Blizzard's official statement of non-support for modding in Diablo III.

It appears that achievements will also play a major role with Battle.net 2.0, hinted at in earlier Blizzard statements even for Diablo III, a great way of getting players to continue playing well after beating the game. Along with the achievements are rewards through Battle.net. As of now, they seem to be something smaller such as profile pictures but they could also be used for other services Diablo fans want, like renaming characters.

There was no official word on microtransactions in the update, however, which will likely vary, or be entirely gone, depending on the game title. You can see an interview with Greg Canessa, Project Director for Battle.net, and more at the official page here!

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[/HR]

Thanks goes to zhuge and shadow123 for some quick PMing skills and eyes, and ScyberDragon for his help nailing this info down!

This post has been edited by Magistrate: 10 February 2010 - 12:25 AM

[DesmondTiny]

That is awesome!! :D

[Shatterer]

It seems this will be quite an intelligent system. But does WoW actually use Battle.Net? If not, then RealID wouldn't work there, now would it?

[kefka666333abc123]

Shatterer said:

It seems this will be quite an intelligent system. But does WoW actually use Battle.Net? If not, then RealID wouldn't work there, now would it?

I think there trying to integrate WoW into bnet 2.0

[Psyxix]

Good job guys, I really enjoyed the article!

[Shatterer]

Sorry that I forgot this, but it's a really cool article. I also like how everything will be displayed via B.Net 2.0.

kefka666333abc123 said:

I think there trying to integrate WoW into bnet 2.0

Ah, ok. That would probably make it all more streamlined.

[Pryda]

Cool article but when I read it I thought - is this new info? We need something earth shattering. They should just release the beta already..

[tritium]

All the content is old news :(
The only new thing is that it appeared on the S2 website...
I'm surprised though that they haven't implemented real ID with WoW yet.

[Dauroth]

That music that plays during the interview at moments sounds like it's something from Diablo!

But anyway, I have a feeling that Cataclysm will hit the shelves before StarCraft II! I mean, it's been what, three years since the announcement, and there's no sign of a beta in a thousand miles!

[Seniri]

Anyone have any idea when B.net 2.0 will be launched? I doubt we'll need to buy Starcraft or get into the beta to get it, I imagine it's very much like Steam (minus the buying games part, unless you're in the store section.)

[CrazyCapnMorgan]

Cool article! I was wondering about the new BNet. More interested on what they're security is going to be like for it. Now for a more personal gut wrenching moment...

Seth said:

It appears that achievements will also play a major role with Battle.net 2.0, hinted at in earlier Blizzard statements even for Diablo III, a great way of getting players to continue playing well after beating the game.

Why is it now that EVERY gaming platform seems to be enthralled in this sort of thing? I guess, for companies at the very least, I can see the reasoning for getting people to play longer, hence more money for them; but, after seeing it once on one gaming platform, it got old. Fast. Now it's quite literally everywhere. From my point of view, it's just another thing for some people on-line, be it either PC or console, to be.....well, choice words and/or phrases I don't wish to accumulate points for voicing. It's a personal gripe, I realize, but for me I've had enough. I may sound like on old-timer (a month and half away from 29 :)) but when can games just go back to being games?

I mean, I could make a harmonica out of my old XBox Elite with a busted internal video componet, but you don't see me sending pictures to Microsoft saying "Where's my achievement points for this and can I wave this around in the face of 400 million other people that won't ever give a crud about it?" No, because I know that there's always someone better than me and someone worse than me. I learn from those that are better (if they're not cheating/modding in the first place) and give my opinions and hints to try and help those who are worse than me. You know, that old "Do Unto Others" thing.

And now, to re-install Diablo 2 and make my Strafe-azon. Again.

[killer0178]

Well one thing is certain, achievements add longevity for most games, but I don't see the point in it for Blizzard games, it's basically a show-off in most cases. Most people call it (pardon the language) the "e-penis". In some games achievements are fun but in others are simply pointless, unless they offer you something in return like they do in WoW.

Blizz is doing a great work on this but I think they're taking more time than they should, my guess is that in the next episode of Jace Hall we'll see the date of the Beta :P

[Clew]

@CrazyCapnMorgan

The achivements system many games uses is nothing more than a way to create

Illusory Superiority, wich if you dont want to read all that stuff, can be benefitial for exemple to avoid depression.

And by other side, its also evolution, somebody did it, and got good acception on market, now everybody uses it... Its evolution, unfortunally we may never again see games beeing only games

[Shatterer]

I like achievements. Not as a way to show off, but just to do stuff you wouldn't normally do.

I still need to get the Little Rocket Man achievement from Half Life 2: Episode 2. :(

[DesmondTiny]

I dont mind achievements. As long as alot of them are not totally extreme. lol. Doing some fun easy things to get achievements is the way to go :P :D

[dirty]

Seniri said:

Anyone have any idea when B.net 2.0 will be launched? I doubt we'll need to buy Starcraft or get into the beta to get it, I imagine it's very much like Steam (minus the buying games part, unless you're in the store section.)

I don't know. He said it was only going to be for Blizzard games.

[Magistrate]

Seniri said:

Anyone have any idea when B.net 2.0 will be launched? I doubt we'll need to buy Starcraft or get into the beta to get it, I imagine it's very much like Steam (minus the buying games part, unless you're in the store section.)

As far as I know, it launches with SCII, although WoW will incorporate it at some point.

Quote

Blizz is doing a great work on this but I think they're taking more time than they should, my guess is that in the next episode of Jace Hall we'll see the date of the Beta

Don't get too excited there :P These first two episodes were the only two with Blizzard in them as far as I know.

[CrazyCapnMorgan]

Clew said:

@CrazyCapnMorgan

The achivements system many games uses is nothing more than a way to create

Illusory Superiority, wich if you dont want to read all that stuff, can be benefitial for exemple to avoid depression.

And by other side, its also evolution, somebody did it, and got good acception on market, now everybody uses it... Its evolution, unfortunally we may never again see games beeing only games

You wanna know my answer to avoiding depression? Not letting stupid crap like "achievements" inflating or damaging your gaming ego in the first place. To me, this is nothing more than guys, of which I am, waving their e-peens around trying to act all super cool. If anyone knows of any woman that does that, please inform me but don't send me any pictures. By the way, about that Illusory Superiority, I learned about that a loooooooong time ago, but it wasn't through any Dictionary and Wikipedia. Look up George Carlin, friend. I learned a great many things from him, starting when I first realized his existence in 1992. As for the evolution bit, while I cannot deny that to be truth, I can argue that some evolutionary bits should be re-examined - nuclear energy, pants being allowed to be worn below the butt crack, WoW's expansions coming before Diablo 3's creation and American Idol are just a few amongst the many many MANY things I can think of.

On an off-topic, if you want something to be depressed about - look up RSD. It's a medical condition that I am afflicted with it to the right side of my body. Fortunately, I'm left-handed so I don't complain too much about it and, should it be deemed that the cause of it was service related, I get to fight with the Military Veterans Affairs about getting my benefits. Fun crap. :(

This post has been edited by CrazyCapnMorgan: 10 February 2010 - 05:20 AM

[Sixen]

Shatterer said:

It seems this will be quite an intelligent system. But does WoW actually use Battle.Net? If not, then RealID wouldn't work there, now would it?

Yup, as Seth said above, WoW will use Bnet2.0.

Dauroth said:

That music that plays during the interview at moments sounds like it's something from Diablo!

But anyway, I have a feeling that Cataclysm will hit the shelves before StarCraft II! I mean, it's been what, three years since the announcement, and there's no sign of a beta in a thousand miles!

There's plenty of signs... Just be patient, it's right around the corner, ;).

Seniri said:

Anyone have any idea when B.net 2.0 will be launched? I doubt we'll need to buy Starcraft or get into the beta to get it, I imagine it's very much like Steam (minus the buying games part, unless you're in the store section.)

As Seth said, it'll be shipped with SC2. Following SC2 will be Cataclysm. I'm hoping after Cataclysm, they'll integrate the legacy games with Bnet2.0, and then ship D3.

Seth said:

Don't get too excited there :P These first two episodes were the only two with Blizzard in them as far as I know.

Next Jace Hall show features a SC2 Meeting, ;).

[Bloodlust_Fox]

Do we get to keep our old battlenet user names? Or do we have to claim them again?