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[Aaron]

Results went as expected, looking forward to tonight. I still hate how tournaments have those massive breaks. Like i decide to watch some games but nope here is a 90 minute break. What the hell are you supposed to do with a break like that? If i go off to do something for that long i'm probably not coming back.

I pretty much missed most games because they'd go on break, and by the time I checked the stream again they were on another break. Bleh.

 

[Vaporak]

From FXOBoss

Cella informed me that Puzzle has the same condition as sC

;_; get well soon puzzle.

 

[Holden]

Welp, i dunno if ppl have been looking at reddit/tl.net huge debate going on right now is the f2p model for multiplayer.

I have no clue how it could work, carmac said it was sorta needed in esports, dustin browder said they are thinking about it.

Is paid for change name enough? They could try the UMS market idea they had a while ago.
I really don't wanna see skin/model changing =-/

edit: In-Game tournament, like poker system?

 

[Aaron]

They've got to do something to get more people playing and becoming fans of the game. F2P gives LOL and Dota2 a huge advantage.

 

[(._.)]

Will give me a reason to skip on paying for the single player. Wish we could freakin uninstall the damn campaign.

 

[Holden]

Will give me a reason to skip on paying for the single player. Wish we could freakin uninstall the damn campaign.

qftw

 

[Haunted]

Blizzard going with F2P and microtransactions reads like a disaster waiting to happen. They're not Valve, they don't know how to do it right.


DH Valencia: How is Moon in the Ro16 again? He hasn't had a bad run in a European tournament yet. How does he do it? >_>

Vortix with another good run into the Ro8, good matches ahead with him against TheSTC and Stephano vs Forgg.

 

[Holden]

Blizzard going with F2P and microtransactions reads like a disaster waiting to happen. They're not Valve, they don't know how to do it right.


DH Valencia: How is Moon in the Ro16 again? He hasn't had a bad run in a European tournament yet. How does he do it? >_>

Vortix with another good run into the Ro8, good matches ahead with him against TheSTC and Stephano vs Forgg.

i think blizzard knows how to make money.

 

[Won]

$1 per Stim should be enough to make F2P work.

 

[Haunted]

i think blizzard knows how to make money.

I wasn't speaking from the company's perspective. Making money and dong it right can be two entirely separate things.

*looks at Diablo auction house*

$1 per Stim should be enough to make F2P work.

$1 per stim
$1 per Fungal
$1 per Forcefield

 

[HolyCheck]

guys

what was that dancing beer

 

[Pandaman]

Blizzard going with F2P and microtransactions reads like a disaster waiting to happen. They're not Valve, they don't know how to do it right.

ive been thinking about it a lot lately and i no longer believe in the long term viability of an esport that isn't f2p.

 

[Holden]

f2p could be a way to unlock the technology of LAN.

 

[Pandaman]

f2p could be a way to unlock the technology of LAN.

how can you pirate that which has no value?

 

[Haunted]

Sase defeats Moon 2-1

The four games in the Ro8 are a Korean vs a non-Korean each, how perfect. What a dangerous constellation.

 

[Deadman]

I don't see how f2p sc2 could work. What can you charge for?

Maps? How would ladder work?
Units? How would the game work?
Custom games? Nobody plays them.
Cosmetic items? Can you really customise a marine or a zergling in a way people would value?

 

[Haunted]

I don't see how f2p sc2 could work. What can you charge for?

Maps? How would ladder work?
Units? How would the game work?
Custom games? Nobody plays them.
Cosmetic items? Can you really customise a marine or a zergling in a way people would value?

It's tough to imagine how they'd switch now. People don't care about cosmetic items because cosmetic items haven't been a focus with the current model. You can't change the focus of an already established game that's working and expect the community to adapt.

Age of Empires tried microtransactions with consumables, units and races and it didn't work.

Unless it's built from the ground up to support microtransactions like Dota2, it's hard to make a successful switch.

Honest question because I don't follow the game - how does LoL handle this? I know you can buy new heroes, are they allowed in competitive play? Are they necessary, encouraged, shunned?


Blizzard would probably do something stupid like limit your playtime per day, or make unranked matches F2P so everyone can start playing while ranked matches/ladder cost a subscription fee. Or something.

edit: wait, the starter edition is already pretty similar to that >_>

 

[Pandaman]

I don't see how f2p sc2 could work. What can you charge for?

Maps? How would ladder work?
Units? How would the game work?
Custom games? Nobody plays them.
Cosmetic items? Can you really customise a marine or a zergling in a way people would value?

colours, avatars, decals and custom unit models [see preorder thor vs basic thor].

you can also still monetize single player gameplay.

 

[Haunted]

colours, avatars, decals and custom unit models.

you can also still monetize single player gameplay.

Would that work, though? Do enough SC2 players care about this stuff to pay money for something that used to be free? And more importantly - is Blizzard willing to gamble on that?

I wish they would but I think they won't - they'll continue to bank on their brand power to sell a sufficient amount of copies at a premium to create a strong enough competitive scene.

 

[Pandaman]

Would that work, though? Do enough SC2 players care about this stuff to pay money for something that used to be free? And more importantly - is Blizzard willing to gamble on that?

I wish they would but I think they won't - they'll continue to bank on their brand power to sell a sufficient amount of copies at a premium to create a strong enough competitive scene.

i'd pay $5 to play yellow on the ladder. >_>

as for decals, look at peepmode, people grind dozens and dozens of games to buy decals and avatars with that maps currency.

 

[HolyCheck]

A WIN FOR AUSTRALIA!!!!!!!!

 

[AdventureRacing]

Definitely agree with panda here. I think if you want your game to be an esport F2P is the way to go and i think blizzard can do it (using some of the examples listed already). Also remember they don't actually have to get everyone to spend $60 as going F2P would open them up to a larger playing base. There is also the extra money to be made by potentially introducing more people to SC2 as an esport.

Honestly i think if they choose not to do this i think future expansions will hurt the scene. The cost of entry is going to go up and only hurt the playerbase more. If blizzard are serious about SC2 being a massive esport this is the way to go.

Also i'd pay full price to be able to give my zealots chef hats . I think you'd be surprised the things people would be willing to (and actually really want to) pay for.

 

[Striek]

A WIN FOR AUSTRALIA!!!!!!!!

Who in what?

 

[Hazaro]

Dreamhack is on, but baddies are still playing.
Hopefully I get back in time to watch the end of it.

 

[Holden]

Definitely agree with panda here. I think if you want your game to be an esport F2P is the way to go and i think blizzard can do it (using some of the examples listed already). Also remember they don't actually have to get everyone to spend $60 as going F2P would open them up to a larger playing base. There is also the extra money to be made by potentially introducing more people to SC2 as an esport.

Honestly i think if they choose not to do this i think future expansions will hurt the scene. The cost of entry is going to go up and only hurt the playerbase more. If blizzard are serious about SC2 being a massive esport this is the way to go.

Also i'd pay full price to be able to give my zealots chef hats . I think you'd be surprised the things people would be willing to (and actually really want to) pay for.

we are looking at 40$ now instead of 60$ :-/

as much as i want it to happen, i don't see it happening --;

 

[HolyCheck]

Who in what?

tarja got into the round of 8 at dreamhack lol

 

[AdventureRacing]

we are looking at 40$ now instead of 60$ :-/

as much as i want it to happen, i don't see it happening --;

I agree it won't happen but i think it would be the right move.

 

[Pandaman]

we are looking at 40$ now instead of 60$ :-/

as much as i want it to happen, i don't see it happening --;

$40, but will hots require a WoL account like brood war required SC vanilla?

 

[Deadman]

They will probably do "battle chest" editions like they do for wow to catch people up for cheaper than normal

 

[Corran Horn]

Macrotransactions.

 

[Deadman]

Terrans love to be caught unsieged these days

 

[Holden]

Macrotransactions.

 

[calder]

I left mid way through game 2 Vortix/TheSTC to go grab breakfast. Sure looked like STC had that one in the bad, is game three over?

Also, wtf is this, some sort of wry scandinavian electronica take on K-pop videos? :-\

 

[Deadman]

Just skip all this and play stephano vs taeja bo5 plz.

edit: that was retarded, wtf was stephano doing

 

[calder]

Stephano managed to turn that huge early advantage into the quickest loss ever. The only way he could have handled those two banshees worse was to have his queens attack each other.

 

[Deadman]

Well stephano is done. The eg curse gets another victim. A shame.

 

[Holden]

Just skip all this and play stephano vs taeja bo5 plz.

edit: that was retarded, wtf was stephano doing

lol

 

[calder]

ForGG full marks on that win, he broke Stephano with the come from behind in game 2.

Or, as someone on twitter put it: Stephano went full foreigner. You never go full foreigner.

 

[Corran Horn]

eg.curse.rc

 

[Holden]

putting the EG CURSE VIDEO, LOOOOOL

 

[Deadman]

Amazing.

 

[Zzoram]

putting the EG CURSE VIDEO, LOOOOOL

Dreamhack is awesome

That was great timing.

 

[Deadman]

Stream is already down 12k viewers after he got knocked out

 

[calder]

Dreamhack is awesome

That was great timing.

I must be a fussy old man but I find Dreamhack pretty unbearable with it's "funny" attempts at topical humour. Nothing annoys me more that the tool who updates the overlays when he insists on trying to interject himself into the proceedings.

The tournament making a joke about a player seconds after he's eliminated? That's just lame, and not the same sort of easily ignorable lame as Dreamhack insisting that everyone who watches eSports must love the same unfunny SC2 youtube skits from 14 months ago.

 

[Zzoram]

The DH intro video with Terran v Zerg IRL is pretty good though.

 

[syllogism]

I must be a fussy old man but I find Dreamhack pretty unbearable with it's "funny" attempts at topical humour. Nothing annoys me more that the tool who updates the overlays when he insists on trying to interject himself into the proceedings.

The tournament making a joke about a player seconds after he's eliminated? That's just lame, and not the same sort of easily ignorable lame as Dreamhack insisting that everyone who watches eSports must love the same unfunny SC2 youtube skits from 14 months ago.

I agree, especially when they are fueling an inane meme as in this case. At first the eg curse drivel was amusing as it seemed to be just people trolling, but apparently they actually believe in it and think they are funny by spamming it whenever they lose games. Some kind of cognitive dysfunction

 

[Zzoram]

Taeja responded to that weird HT rush perfectly. You can see the crowd enthusiasm sinking as they realize it will be a Korean top 4 barring a miracle from TargA.

 

[profit]

Taeja responded to that weird HT rush perfectly. You can see the crowd enthusiasm sinking as they realize it will be a Korean top 4 barring a miracle from TargA.

I'm glad it didn't work out, I could imagine the next couple of weeks on ladder being nothing but storm rushes if it succeeded.

 

[Yoshichan]

ez.

why not a separate thread btw?

 

[profit]

ez.

why not a separate thread btw?

Well.... because!