No LAN Play For Starcraft II


Recommended Posts

Everyone who says they won't buy this, eventually, will.

No LAN is just a poor excuse not to buy the game.

In fact, I don't buy it.

(The excuse, that is.)

I didn't have LAN access when I bought the original Anthology (then called BattleChest); in fact, I wouldn't even have *broadband* for another three years. (In fact, I have *never* played Starcraft over Battle.net at all; I didn't set up my account there until *last month*!)

For the record, I purchased BattleChest in 1997.

Instead, I played Campaign and Skirmish modes (both of which remain in Starcraft II).

I feel let down with them leaving LAN play out, any petitions out there? Still going to be a worthwhile title I think. Bandwidth is not that plentiful in my city 1.5/256; is like 3 ppl max.

Petitions wont help. In fact nothing would unless Blizzard will change their minds.

I feel let down with them leaving LAN play out, any petitions out there? Still going to be a worthwhile title I think. Bandwidth is not that plentiful in my city 1.5/256; is like 3 ppl max.

I think those who are geeky enough to buy starcraft 2 will have internet. My grandma doesn't have internet, but I'm sure she also doesn't have any idea of what starcraft is. I think it would be pretty hard to develop such a want to buy the thing to be upset about this development when you have no internet in the first place. So I think the key statistic here is not the ratio of people with internet to those that don't, but rather the ratio of people who would buy the game who have internet to those that don't, or even simply the ratio of people who know what the hell starcraft is who have internet to those that don't.

The only reason I can see for them doing this is because battle.net will require a legit coppy of SC2 where as playing on a private network (lan) would be much easier to steal the game and just play it with your friends via that method....

I fail to see the issue.. if there's going to be a LAN just connect to the internet and make a private game on battle.net??

I read the Ars Technica article about it and it reminded me that the original had the spawn version for when your friends were playing with you on lan (which I had completely forgotten about). I mean, it was a long time ago and the gaming scene is nothing like what it once was but it's still a distinct change in philosophy - for the worse imho. I'll still buy it but a large lan in Melbourne that happens every few months doesn't have net access at all (for ~500 people).

This isn't a deal-breaker for me and I doubt it'll be one for many people. I have never played a game of StarCraft or StarCraft: Brood War over a LAN. All the games I've played are either offline (campaign mode) or on Battle.net (multiplayer).

I'm really disappointed, once again because of piracy and because of piracy being used as an excuse, the paying end user, like me, get the shaft. I'd want to say that for solo play over the internet with my friends Bnet will work virtually 100 %. However I don't play SC or war3 over Bnet (guess I'm the minority), and for those times that 6 or 8 of us get together (about once to twice a month) to play LAN games, I can foresee it not working at least 5% of the time, or in one friends case (because he has a Cisco Pix 501 with only a 10 cal license) I can see it not working at all, with more then 3 - 4 people. So this game will have some impact on us LAN gamers, I guess Blizzard does not want us socializing face to face. So yeah I'm disappointed, and I haven't decided if I'm going to buy the game for the single player experience.

Blizzard is shooting themselves in the foot because of this, just like the company that made Ghostbusters and didn't include multiplayer or DLC for the PC. Hopefully Blizzard will see the error of their ways an recant and include LAN play.

I feel let down with them leaving LAN play out, any petitions out there? Still going to be a worthwhile title I think. Bandwidth is not that plentiful in my city 1.5/256; is like 3 ppl max.

What does your bandwidth matter? :\ What Blizzard are saying is that you must connect to Battle.Net, and create a game and then the game will detect that you are all on the same lan and only send data via that. (atleast I believe thats what they're saying).

Personally I think its a smart move, all of my friends have a pirated copy of WC3 and only use it for playing on a LAN. A lot of missed out sales. :\ Pretty much every computer at our uni had a copy of WC3 on it (partly our fault :$)

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • First time clicking on a Sayan Sen article after he started making clickbait, vague headlines recently. Didn't read, just came here to say the headline doesn't look like very cheap, vague clickbait this time. Are you okay?
    • Good review, and yeah the benchmark breakdown is pretty clear but also a little messy in a good way. It’s kinda interesting to see where the RX 9070 GRE slides in between the 7800 XT and the 9070 XT , especially when it comes to AI tasks and Blender style workloads. The side by side with Nvidia’s RTX 5070 and 4070 makes it feel obvious just how competitive the mid range GPU scene has gotten lately, and that’s great for creators and gamers too since you can pick based on your priorities rather than only chasing one single thing.
    • That's it. I finally uninstalled Firefox because they often keep pushing buggy updates, only to test them later and make users suffer. No longer is it my alternative browser to Edge. What a waste of energy. Firefox is bad for the environment, just like Chrome (wasting RAM/energy).
    • Microsoft Weekly: new Surface, Windows 11 26H2, and more by Taras Buria This week's news recap is here, with Microsoft announcing Windows 11 version 26H2, launching new Surface devices powered by Snapdragon X2 processors, GTA VI preorder date and cover art, fresh Windows 11 preview builds, a quirky phone-sized e-reader with a physical dial, and more. Quick links: Windows 10 and 11 Windows Insider Program Updates are available Reviews are in Gaming news Great deals to check Windows 11 and Windows 10 Here, we talk about everything happening around Microsoft's latest operating system in the Stable channel and preview builds: new features, removed features, controversies, bugs, interesting findings, and more. And, of course, you may find a word or two about older versions. Windows 11 version 26H2 is now official. Alongside Windows 11's new preview builds released this week, Microsoft confirmed version 26H2, which is coming later this year as an enablement package based on the same platform as versions 24H2 and 25H2. A newly published blog post details what IT admins should do to prepare for the upcoming launch. Next, we have new Windows 11 bugs. Users report that this month's security updates for Windows 11 cause all sorts of issues, including BitLocker bugs, OneDrive issues, black screens of death, and third-party integration in Office apps. Microsoft has not confirmed those yet, but it acknowledged other issues with its operating system. What Microsoft has confirmed is a bug where Recycle Bin delete prompts display internal file names instead of actual ones, and a year-old Windows JScript compatibility bug caused by security-focused engine changes. Moving to more positive news, Microsoft and Adobe are working on improving Windows performance in popular creative apps like Photoshop. Thanks to SPGO optimizations, users can expect up to 20% better performance. Finally, we have a few useful articles that can help you recover your PC or make it perform better. For one, we published a guide detailing what to do if your computer cannot boot after a clean Windows 11 install. There are two important steps you can try to get your system back to working in no time. Additionally, there is a more detailed guide on various CPU performance modes that could notably improve performance. Windows Insider Program Here is what Microsoft released for Windows Insiders this week: Builds Canary Channel Builds 28120.2315 and 29613.1000 These two builds include a new built-in audio driver, improvements to audio Settings, and more. Dev Channel Builds 26300.8697 and 26220.8690 Not much is available here. Some File Explorer improvements, Start menu enhancements, bug fixes, and more. However, build 26300.8697 is now officially marked as version 26H2. Updates are available This section covers software, firmware, and other notable updates (released and coming soon) delivering new features, security fixes, improvements, patches, and more from Microsoft and third parties. This week, Microsoft announced its newest Surface devices powered by Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon X2 processors. There is the 12th-gen Surface Pro and the 8th-gen Surface Laptop. Both devices feature little to no visual differences compared to their predecessors from 2024, and most changes hide inside, including a better processor, faster graphics, enhanced NPUs, and more. The Surface Laptop also received a new haptic trackpad. Mozilla is currently working on a major Firefox redesign, and earlier this week, it published a roadmap of upcoming features and highlights of the upcoming "Project Nova" rework. Files, one of the best file managers for Windows 10 and 11, has been updated in the Preview channel with a long-requested feature. Tree View is finally available in version 4.1.4, allowing you to quickly browse deeply nested folders without leaving the main view. In addition, the update improved the Windows Fonts folder, allowing you to preview each font without opening the default viewer. Rufus, another useful Windows 11 utility, also received a notable update. Version 4.15 arrived as beta with important fixes for silent Windows 11 installation. It also includes patches for ARM-based Windows PCs, OneDrive removal improvements, and more. Here are other updates and releases you may find interesting: Microsoft faces shareholder lawsuit over masking AI costs and slowing Azure growth Microsoft now allows you to tweak Visual Studio to new extremes Microsoft brings Planner Agent to all Microsoft 365 Copilot users Microsoft fixes one of Excel Copilot's most frustrating limitations Microsoft will finally let you sign in to Edge with a Google account Here are the latest drivers and firmware updates released this week: NVIDIA 610.62 with support for Empulse and various fixes. Reviews are in Here is the hardware and software we reviewed this week Earlier this week, we reviewed the DuRoBo Krono, a portable, phone-sized e-reader with some interesting physical controls. This device has an Apple Watch-like dial for page turning, frontlight adjustment, and more. Software is simple and no-nonsense, but it also lacks some useful features and customization. Overall, the device proved interesting, but not flawless. On the gaming side Learn about upcoming game releases, Xbox rumors, new hardware, software updates, freebies, deals, discounts, and more. Forza Horizon 6 received two big updates this week. Alongside the Series 2 content update, developers pushed plenty of bug fixes and balancing tweaks. However, they also had to acknowledge the Eliminator CR-farming exploit and shut down the online mode temporarily. Luckily, only a few days later, another fix arrived, which re-enabled Eliminator and patched the exploit. Microsoft announced new games for Game Pass subscribers. Those include EA Sports FC 26, Junkster, Call of Duty: Vanguard, Abyssus, RV There Yet?, and more. Some existing games are leaving the catalog, so be sure to check out the full list here. New games are also available for GeForce NOW subscribers, and they include Embers of the Uncrowned Demo, Aphelion, Megastore Simulator, OPERATOR, Citizen Sleeper, and more. Rockstart Games had plenty of GTA-related news this week. For one, the company gave GTA V players another free update. Those still playing the game on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 are no longer required to pay $40 to upgrade to the latest-gen version. More importantly, Rockstar Games revealed the GTA VI cover art and announced the preorder date. The Epic Games Store is giving away two games: Citizen Sleeper and Roboeat. These two titles are up for grabs until next Thursday, but if they are not up to your taste, you can always check out the latest Weekend PC Game Deal issue, which is usually full of discounts and specials that let you save a lot of money on new games. Great deals to check Every week, we cover many deals on different hardware and software. The following discounts are still available, so check them out. You might find something you want or need. GEEKOM X16 Pro at GEEKOM - $1,119.67 | 17% off Acer 4K Webcam for PC/Mac with All-Metal Unibody Sculpted - $59.99 | 14% off Samsung 990 PRO SSD 2TB - $369.99 | 42% off Nothing Ear Wireless Earbuds Bluetooth - $73.15 | 51% off PowerColor Reaper AMD Radeon RX 9070 16GB - $579.99 | 17% off This link will take you to other issues of the Microsoft Weekly series. You can also support Neowin by registering for a free member account or subscribing for extra member benefits, along with an ad-free tier option.
  • Recent Achievements

    • Week One Done
      Supreme Spray LV earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Month Later
      Genuinetonerink- Dubai earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      Genuinetonerink- Dubai earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Year In
      hhgygy earned a badge
      One Year In
    • Week One Done
      AMV earned a badge
      Week One Done
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      509
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      168
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      84
    4. 4
      Steven P.
      74
    5. 5
      Michael Scrip
      72
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!