The Lamer Gamer

Yeah, I’ve been playing SC2, a lot. Probably too much, as I’ve given up on my job and just play at work all day. It’s amazing that no one notices.

So here are my thoughts.

• Graphically, not the most awesome thing I’ve ever seen, but gameplay experience has been vastly improved.
• MP balance is pretty good, but I’m disappointed that so many of the units in single player were left out.
• Love 2v2!
• Good matchmaking.  Would be nice if it included some way to rank your coop partner.
• Void Rays, again, seriously.  Try something more original.
• I wish the random game types I mentioned before were still in there.
• Cannon rushes are lame, and rather satisfying to beat.

Well, at least the boss isn’t here.  Which leaves me to do dumb things like watch replays.

This has to be one of the most ridiculous all-in’s I’ve ever seen. Also the voice over nearly brought me to tears.

Trying to decide if it’s worth picking up StarCraft II if the only PC I have that’s capable of running it is the one on my desk at work.  My work environment is kind of a joke, so it’s unlikely I’d be caught, but still, I like to devote a lot of time to a new purchase and I’m wondering if I could really just close my office door and ignore the world for a few weeks.

Already, I’m just spending my time catching up on music I haven’t listened to in 15 years, but that’s basically accepted practice at any job isn’t it.  Somehow just found out that my phone can receive FM radio, so that’s been awesome, as I never bothered to load music onto it.

Ran 2.5 miles this morning. I wonder if there’s a 5K I can register for any time soon.  Probably.

I’ve been messing around with StarCraft multiplayer a bit recently and although I only play normal “Melee” type games, I often wondered what the other ones were.  So after some research…

• Top vs Bottom – Players are automatically teamed and share vision.
• Melee – Basic game type.  Eliminate other players.  Teams allowed.
• Free for All – Eliminate other players.  No teams allowed
• One on One – 2 Player FFA
• Use Map Settings – Uses the settings in the map itself.  This is typically used for the more scripted maps, those that have triggers and follow some sort of story.
• Capture The Flag – Flag Beacons are placed on the map.  After 10 minutes a flag is placed on one, and you must retrieve it.
• Greed - First player to reach a set number of resources wins
• Slaughter – Player with the most kills in a set amount of time wins
• Sudden Death – Players are eliminated upon losing any of their Command Center/Nexus/Hatchery buildings
• Team Melee – 2 players share a single base.  These 2 players may team up with other teams of 2.  Interestingly, you start with harvester units of each race.  Your starting race determines your starting building.
• Team Free for All - 2 players share single base against up to 3 other teams (4 total).   No teams.
• Team Capture The Flag – 2 players share base in Capture the Flag

It’s watching someone else play all day.

I didn’t bother to pre-order StarCraft II and get the beta code since I don’t have a PC of good enough specs to play it at present.  I’ll probably end up getting SC II at some point, think it release at the end of the month and that gives me at least a few weeks to scrounge a half decent gaming PC from part laying around at work.

Anyway, work sucks.  I guess that’s a given.  So I’ve taken to watching replays of StarCraft II games on YouTube, which is an astoundingly effective way to waste time at work.

Several months back, a friend introduced me to the fact that there is a Korean Pro Circuit for StarCraft.  Huh?  Yeah, people play it professionally, as in they make money doing it.  Since it’s so popular over there, they have TV stations which carry the games and have commentators going nuts over these games like a guy on UniVision giving the play-by-play on Mexico vs Brazil in the World Cup final.  That, my friends, is comedy.

The pro leagues haven’t picked up SC II yet, so right now it’s a bunch of young amateur replay broadcasters pumping out commentary on SC II video replays on YouTube.  I figure I’m watching at least an hour or two of replays each day at my desk, and theoretically picking up some decent strategy for when I get to play it myself.  Listening to these commentators trying to make like Howard Cosell is pretty funny.  No way I could take any of this as seriously as they do.  Worse, they tend to cast games by the same guys over and over again, and they seem to get a lot of the games from replay packs that the contenders post themselves, so it isn’t exactly a mystery as to who is going to win.  Top that off with the wit an average 23 year old can bring to the table, listening to their bad puns gets kind of painful.

There are at least 4 guys that I’ve been following.  At least decent.

http://www.youtube.com/HDstarcraft#g/u

http://www.youtube.com/HuskyStarcraft#g/u

http://www.youtube.com/StarCraftLegacy

http://www.youtube.com/BlizShouter

Command and Conquer: Generals was released released 6 years ago last month and as an anniversary surprise a new (old) map was released.

This particular mission involves the GLA murdalizing a bunch of pro-western civilians with toxin tractors.  Sounds fun.  One might ask as to why the subject matter was too brutal and fraught with racial overtones to make it into the game at the time, yet now that it’s the year 2009, the world is somehow ready for more extreme terrorists.  

Looks like it’s time to bust out the old, cheap Ranger/Rocket Launcher rush tactics.  Nah, I’m not that much of a dick.  Well, I am, but I won’t go back to doing that.  Probably.

Download at http://commandandconquer.com