Thread: Battle.net 2.0 More Info!

Battle.net Updates via Diii.net - Source

Battle.net 2.0 - The Next Generation Gaming Network

There has not been much information available on the new Battle.net that will launch with StarCraft II, and will host "great" changes to how we perceive online gaming - as told to us by Blizzard. Battle.net 2.0 will aim to be the next generation gaming network, just as Battle.net has been in the past, and will be adapted to the new Blizzard games that are being released over the next couple of years.

It is apparent that Blizzard are unwilling to disclose anything about Battle.net 2.0, as it will be shown in full force around the beta testing of StarCraft II. As we all have come to know Blizzard, they like to make a big deal out of things, and this is probably a really big deal to warrant such a low profile for a project that isn't 'even' a full new game. I'm not hearing many players complain though; I guess we all like Blizzard's 'big deals'!

For these Battle.net articles (of which you are reading the first piece) we will look a bit closer at what made Battle.net so great to begin with, as well as how it evolved and in what direction it's heading. We will of course also talk about Battle.net 2.0. The best way of doing all this is naturally to look back, and get a good overview of this almost legendary game network. Here is a short summary of the last 11 years of Battle.net:

Battle.net Launch - 1997

• First ever gaming service to be incorporated into a game itself, and FREE!
• Chat with simple IRC-like commands, channels and whispers, even inside games.
• Up to 4 players per game. Join/leave games with anyone in the world, set password.
• (Data stored on hard drive, very easy to hack).
• Website with help, as well as a forum.

Battle.net Revamp with StarCraft - 1998

• Up to 8 players in a StarCraft game, with a number of game types for preference.
• Ladder features and ranking.
• Possible to speak to players of other games.

Battle.net Revamp with Diablo II - 2000

• Move games onto the Battle.net servers. Cheating dropped significantly.
• New avatars showing players as they look ingame.
• Extended ladder support, including "Hardcore" gameplay.

Battle.net Revamp with WarCraft III - 2002

• Still one of the best gaming services available. Still free.
• Friend System
• Automatic/Anonymous Matchmaking. Reduced win-trading.
• Selectable chatroom icons unlocked from player's wins.
• Friends list to keep contact with your friends.
• Clan support.

Battle.net Addition with Frozen Throne - 2003

• Automated Tournaments.

Battle.net Status - 2004

• Active user count: Nearly 12 million
• User hours spent per day: 2.1 million hours
• Average concurrent users: 200,000
• Peak concurrent users: 400,000

While we don't have any figures for Battle.net today, we can probably assume that the numbers are even greater, despite lack of new Battle.net games released since 2003. Talking to Pendragon, the admin of DotA-Allstars, about the immensely popular WarCraft III mod DotA he told us that that mod alone has probably around 10 million active players right now! With the announcement of StarCraft II and Diablo III, sales of StarCraft I and Diablo II have gone up enough to hit the top-10 sales lists around the world. Diablo 1 and Diablo 2 has sold some 18.5 million boxes to date, and StarCraft isn't far behind. Needless to say, Battle.net is big. Another obvious fact is that Battle.net has evolved during the last ten years to be increasingly more useful for the players.

The Strength of Battle.net 1.0

Battle.net is probably one of the best game networks around and was the first game network built into the game itself. This is of course handy for both players and Blizzard; players can be shown millions of ads, and players can easily start a game with the click of a button. The matchmaking might lack some user interface functionality and could be improved, but it's still very good compared to other systems. As usual, Blizzard have taken inspiration from different sources and melded them together to create a more useful and polished (fun and FREE!) system for the fans. Despite all the greatness of the network, what many players like most about Battle.net is that it's free to use.

Most players don't need any more reason than that, and the fact that the network works great enhances the over-all feeling of the game; be it Diablo, StarCraft or WarCraft. You don't think about how the server system works, and you shouldn't have to! You are supposed to play and have a good time with friends, or make new friends and match your gaming skills with others!

Being an official site, the Battle.net forums have also been known to host a relatively bad forum culture, with many "less desirable" specimens of gamers, as well as the odd spam flood. Even with a CD key requirement, some gamers could be awful on the boards. While the WoW boards (US & EU) are a lot better due to the greater number of moderators, some level of "less desirable" specimens of gamers will probably always flock to the official boards, regardless of which game the forums are about.

Improvements Can Be Made
As for the gaming, despite all the praise that the current Battle.net is worth, there are still a lot of things that could be improved upon. Out of fans' wishlists we find the more popular demands are to get sorting functions for WarCraft III "DotA" games (or other custom games), on their own as it's very hard to see other game types easily otherwise. Other, smaller features such as having a "/r" command for quick replying for all games, like in WarCraft 3 or WoW can also be taken up as example. Some fans complain about lag, and others about the lack of proper "black lists", or "personal ban list". Despite Battle.net's brilliance in some areas, there are plenty of small things that could be improved without doing a huge change like upgrading it to the next generation gaming network.

While the "whining" of some players might be misplaced (remember, Battle.net is free), Blizzard are obviously very interested in improving the network further. Their plan is to overwhelm us, and knowing Blizzard, I have no doubt they will.

Blizzard Quote: (Source)Jay Wilson: I can’t really talk about Battle.net but I will say, Battle.net will not be a background. It’ll be huge, the next version will be absolutely Blizzard’s focus. Everyone is going to be thrilled when they see the kind of stuff we have planned! It feeds into our overall focus of providing a really great service for our players.

Despite keeping most of Battle.net 2.0 under wraps, some pieces of information have been seeping out from the great machinery that is Blizzard. Read more on confirmed features of Battle.net 2.0 in the second part of the Battle.net 2.0 Article Series by Diii.net! Definite Battle.net 2.0 Features will be release shortly, so keep an eye out.

awesome