One curious omission from Starcraft II at launch was the ability to jump in an in-game chat room with friends. But don't sweat. It's a feature that's on its way.

"Chat channels are something that will be added in a patch sometime after the initial release", writes a Blizzard community manager on the game's forums. "The system will be based around groups, where you will be able to join public channels that are based around your interests. Also the system will include private chat channels (in plans for release in the first few months after the release), where you will be able to connect with your friends."

So full-featured chat rooms may be a few months off, but they are coming. Wonder why they didn't make it in time for launch?

There are a lot of maps in StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, but you might not realize it if you only player Ladder games or games of a certain type -- 1v1, 2v2, and so on. There are, in fact, 52 maps available from Blizzard with the shipping version of SCII.
Of course, not all of these are used on the various Ladders (1v1, 2v2, 3v3, 4v4, and FFA). Blizzard will add and remove maps to the ladder throughout the life of the game, but they currently utilize the following map selection pools (note: the number of players refers to the number of possible starting positions).

    * 1 versus 1 Blistering Sands - 2 players
    * Desert Oasis - 2 players
    * Scrap Station - 2 players
    * Steppes of War - 2 players
    * Xel'Naga Caverns - 2 players
    * Kulas Ravine - 4 players
    * Lost Temple - 4 players
    * Metalopolis - 4 players
    * Delta Quadrant - 4 players

    * 2 versus 2 Arid Wastes - 4 players
    * Discord IV - 4 players
    * Monlyth Ridge - 4 players
    * Scorched Haven - 4 players
    * Twilight Fortress - 4 players
    * Tarsonis Assault - 4 players
    * Tempest - 8 players
    * High Orbit - 4 players
    * War Zone - 4 players

    * 3 versus 3 Arakan Citadel - 6 players
    * Colony 426 - 6 players
    * Dig Site - 6 players
    * Frontier - 6 players
    * Monsoon - 6 players
    * Quicksand - 6 players
    * The Bio Lab - 6 players
    * Ulaan Deeps - 6 players
    * Typhon - 6 players

    * 4 versus 4 Extinction - 8 players
    * High Ground - 8 players
    * Lava Flow - 8 players
    * Megaton - 8 players
    * Outpost - 8 players
    * Sand Canyon - 8 players
    * Toxic Slums - 8 players

    * Free-For-All Kulas Ravine - 4 players
    * Lost Temple - 4 players
    * Metalopolis - 4 players
    * Tectonic Rift - 6 players
    * Quicksand - 6 players
    * Abyss - 8 players

We have plans to allow for Oceanic players to choose which region they want to play in. This is something coming in the future. You'll have two separate licenses and can choose between North America and Southeast Asia. This still means you will be unable to communicate with players on Southeast Asian servers if you're connected to North American servers. It will be one or the other at any given time, but we at least want to give Oceanic players the option.

Cross-region gameplay and communication is something we'd absolutely love to do, but the technology isn't quite there and our infrastructure is not set up to communicate that way. That kind of set up would require a huge undertaking and likely result in unacceptable latency in this day and age. That said, we look forward to the day when we can create an even more interconnected global community.

As far as chat room, chat channels, and clans go, it's important to bear in mind that we recently redesigned Battle.net from the ground up to create a new social framework. Much of this effort has been to offer updated, improved, and expanded features to the StarCraft II community. With that said, the game has been out for three days. We will continue to iterate upon Battle.net in the weeks and months ahead. It shouldn't be assumed that because a feature feels missing now, it means we don't have plans to add it later.
                               
Country Manager Zarhym

Kotakuite Harejordna was exploring the Zero Hour level in StarCraft II when he stumbled across a decidedly different sort of Space Marine. Find out how to spot this elusive creature before his portable toilet blasts off. Spoilers ahead!

If you'd rather find all of StarCraft II's easter eggs on your own, now would be a great time to stop reading this post. Go play StarCraft II or, collate those reports you've been meaning to collate.

Finished collating? Fine, here we go!

In the top left corner of the Zero Hour map, after clearing out a particularly nasty Zerg infestation, you'll come across this little guy:

If, like me, you're playing StarCraft II  on a Mac, you've little choice in the hardware on which you'll play it. But if you're in the market for a new PC, you may want to make it a StarCraft-playing beast.

Fortunately for you, TechSpot has put the recently released StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty through its paces, determining which video cards and CPUs handle ultra high quality graphics at ultra high resolutions best. Don't know your GeForce GTX 260s from your GeForce GTX 480s? Brush up!

The good news is that it doesn't appear that you'll need to spend much to get the most out of StarCraft II, which won't tax your octo-core CPU set up as much as you think it might.

If you're cool with your current Windows PC, let us know what your specs are.

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty may have just come out but it's never too soon to think about what's next. There isn't a lot of information on StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm, but we do know some things.
First of all, what is the next StarCraft II game?

The middle chapter of the StarCraft II saga is called Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm. It was announced at BlizzCon 2008 when Blizzard revealed that StarCraft II would be split into three parts.
Is it a new game or an expansion?

Blizzard intends for Heart of the Swarm to be an expansion for Wings of Liberty. Blizzard's Rob Pardo explained in a Q&A last year, "Right now, the plans are to do something along the lines of a full single player campaign and some additional features to the multiplayer side... we're looking at much more of an expansion-like feature set." Blizzard confirmed that to Kotaku today, explaining that Heart of the Swarm can be thought of as expansions, stocked with a campaign that is as substantial as Wings of Liberty's but with new content for multiplayer and a different metagame.
Will Wings of Liberty owners be able to play against Heart of the Swarm players?

One school of thought is that, despite the three games having different campaigns, the multiplayer sections of all three StarCraft II releases would be compatible with each other. That's not the case. A Blizzard representative told us to expect separate multiplayer ladders for Heart of the Swarm, similar to how StarCraft Brood War had a separate multiplayer ladder from the original StarCraft.
Will it require a copy of StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty?

If Blizzard really does treat it like an expansion, then it might require owning Wings of Liberty. But without them saying for sure, it could be a standalone release like Wings of Liberty.
What will it be about?

This installment in the StarCraft II trilogy will pick up at the end of Wings of Liberty and focus on the Zerg and their quest to develop an empire. The campaign will center on the infested Kerrigan's quest for power through mutations. The more power she has, the more Zerg she can control. The single-player is planned to play a bit differently than Wings of Liberty but we're not quite sure how yet. Lead designer Dustin Browder proposed that the player might use the Zerg armies to protect Kerrigan on the battlefield while she gains more power. This would imply it will have more of a RPG twist, similar to Warcraft III.
When will it be out?

No one can be sure yet but it is looking like it could be out in early 2012, based on an estimation of 18 months from the release of Wings of Liberty from lead producer Chris Sigaty. Blizzard won't nail this down, of course. They're not big on promising release dates this far out.
How much will it cost?

There is no definite answer for this but it has been suggested by Blizzard's Rob Pardo that it will be priced as an expansion pack. If we base this off of their World of Warcraft expansion packs then we're looking at around $30 to $40. When can I find out more?

Be on the lookout for any news coming out of this year's BlizzCon, going on October 22-23. Blizzard is likely saving a substantial amount of information about the next episode in their Starcraft II series for their own convention in the fall.

Real-time tactics evolve with StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, Blizzard's long in the making sequel to one of the most beloved, bestselling sci-fi strategy games of all time. Oh, so you've heard of it, then?

Three distinct races, the displaced humans known as Terrans, the ancient, mystical alien Protoss, and the insect-like Zerg horde, are (still) embroiled in an intergalactic war. Billions die as the Zerg swarm reawakens from hibernation four years after the events of 1998's StarCraft: Brood War. In StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, players will largely experience the Terran side of this story under the command of Jim Raynor, hero of the original StarCraft and now enemy of the imperial Dominion forces. Raynor and his faithful crew of Raiders hop from planet to planet searching for artifacts that may end the Zerg's reign of terror and that of its leader, the Queen of Blades.

Of course, that's just a small slice of what StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty has to offer. In addition to the lengthy story-driven campaign mode, there's a deep multiplayer component, a revamped Battle.net matchmaking and social service, plus a robust game mode editor.

Was it all worth waiting more than a decade to play?
Loved

As Good As Sci-fi Space Opera Gets: StarCraft II's single-player campaign story engages and satisfies—even if we only peek at a third of this game's arc in Wings of Liberty. After waiting far too long to revisit the heroic Terran marshal Jim Raynor, the tragic Ghost-turned-Zerg queen Sarah Kerrigan, and their respective conflicts with the sleazy Emperor Arcturus Mengsk, it was StarCraft II's single-player campaign that I anticipated most. It does not disappoint. The story meanders as Blizzard dispenses some missions that serve as tutorials, some as experience-awarding filler, but it never loses sight of its looming climax. Raynor's crew and shipmates always have something interesting to say about their situation, some insight that will flesh out their character. Wings of Liberty's story blends humor, tragedy, mystery and intrigue into something worth playing through, ending on a thrilling note. The expansion StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm cannot come soon enough.

Fine Mission Design: Over the course of Wings of Liberty's 29 campaign missions—I actually wound up playing through 26 of them to reach its end—rarely does a mission feel rehashed. Some worlds are flooded with lava every few minutes, some spawn unstoppable armies of zombie-like Zerg at night, some require stealthy gameplay and demand careful unit management. Almost all are memorable and filled with alluring bonus objectives and challenging, elective achievement-based skill tests. There are no duds.

Decisions, Decisions: As Wings of Liberty's story progresses, the player is faced with some hard choices. With whom should Jim Raynor ally himself? Who to trust in this war in which billions of lives may be lost? Blizzard was more than effective in making me second guess each pivotal decision. While the interactive portions of StarCraft II's story may have been conflicting, choosing which research items and troop upgrades best suit my play style was much easier. While collecting relics and earning cash by taking jobs, Raynor will be given the chance to evolve his troops, buildings, vehicles and ships in compelling new ways. The impact of these decision making moments makes Wings of Liberty playing through more than once (or at least saving your game frequently).

Adventure Lite: I'd hesitate to label the in-between moments spent on the Battlecruiser Hyperion an adventure game or a role-playing game. It's not that deep, But clicking around Raynor's spaceship environment was a treat. Speaking with non-player characters and surveying the ship's armory, lab and cantina was infinitely better than the alternative from the original StarCraft. Instead of watching talking heads explain why Planet X needed to be infiltrated, rich characters engaged in conversation, exposing aspects of their personality that made them memorable.

The Campaign Remix: There are creative unit and ability additions in the single-player campaign that can't be experienced elsewhere. Familiar units from the original StarCraft that were left on the cutting room floor, like the Terran Medic and Firebat, are alive and well here. The addition of Mercenary troops that players can hire and call upon aid in lending StarCraft II's story-driven side a feeling of looking at the director's cut of the game. It can be a little unsettling to play through Wings of Liberty's campaign and then dive into multiplayer, where your tech tree and tactics will need to be relearned, but the wild variety here is an enlightening look at the chances Blizzard was willing to make.

Old Units, New Tactics: Some StarCraft standbys appear virtually unchanged in the sequel, like the gruff Terran Marine and the Zerg Hydralisk, essential to any army. But small changes to these units and bigger alterations for new or evolved ones open up exciting new tactical opportunities. Chokepoint strategies are rendered less useful by the Terran Reaper and Protoss Colossus, which essentially ignore terrain. The Zerg Infestor, which can possess enemy units, and the tactic of moving Zerg units that remain cloaked underground wildly changes how old units must be employed. Tried and true tactics, like Zerg rushes and micro-managed Terrans Siege Tanks, can still work, but players will be required to think differently about how they're employed. StarCraft II may not go far enough in shaking up the formula, but its less obvious changes can have substantial impact.

3v3, No Waiting: Getting into a multiplayer game of StarCraft II is smooth, streamlined and speedy. It's also fair, thanks to matchmaking rankings that have resulted in closely contested matches more often than blowouts. StarCraft II's interface for finding, creating and joining a versus game is easy for those who just want to hop into a skirmish, but also customizable enough that playing on the map of your choosing with the Battle.net friends of your choosing is a snap. Browsing custom games and player-created maps is straightforward, making it simple to get in, get out, a deliver your opponent a "GG."

Play It Again, Jim: A far more helpful tool for improving one's StarCraft II's game than its tutorials and player guide are post-match stats and replays. After a win or defeat, players can save replays of matches to review another player's build order or understand how they built their tech tree. This is a great tactical equalizer and should be explored by new players thoroughly.

The Lure of Achievements: I love achievements as a learning tool—the game regularly encourages you to play it on harder difficulties—and StarCraft II's virtual rewards do an expert job of making playing smarter more rewarding. The campaign and challenges become more appealing to revisit thanks to numerous achievements across game types and dozens of unlockable avatars and decals.
Hated

The 12 Year Half-Step: For all of its polish, its technical accomplishments and its masterfully told sci-fi story, there's an inescapable feeling of StarCraft II being stuck in time. While still thrilling, the gameplay side of StarCraft II feels less innovative than it does derivative. That's more of a product of the original StarCraft's ingenuity, which was dazzling for its remarkable balance between three distinct races and its massive, species spanning story. Wings of Liberty is also a harsh reminder that the majority of StarCraft II's story is yet to be told, an even more painfully long wait to see this chapter unfold.

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty comes with its share of nits, including its lack of true local area network play, its demands for an internet connection to play and its comparatively tame progression in terms of real-time strategy gameplay. The rest of what Wings of Liberty brings to the table far outweighs those pesky complaints. It's stuffed with a great story, nearly limitless gameplay opportunities and a finely balanced, competitive playing field.

The greatest thrills, after the impact of Wings of Liberty's powerful story has sunk in, remain online. Other players are crafting unique maps and experiences with StarCraft II's Galaxy Map Editor, pumping out mods that turn the strategy game into a shooter, a platformer, a kart racer and more. Other players are simply waiting for a competitive or cooperative challenge, ready to surprise you with new attacks and counterattacks, frustrating and impressing you with their ingenuity.

StarCraft II is still a game of micromanagement, build speed and base management, playing with and against forces you're mostly familiar with in a theater of war that certainly feels less fresh than it did in 1998. But Blizzard has polished that classic real-time strategy gameplay to a brilliant shine, offering a single and multiplayer experience that is unmatched. The long wait was worth it, if only to kick off another long wait to see how StarCraft II ultimately ends.

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty was developed by Blizzard and published by Activision Blizzard for the PC and Mac on July 27. Retails for $59.99 USD. A copy of the game was given to us by the publisher for reviewing purposes. Played single-player campaign to completion on Normal difficulty, played half of the game's Challenges and played dozens of multiplayer matches in the multiplayer beta and final versions of the game.

Before Jim Raynor was the leader of his own paramilitary organization, blazing across the galaxy righting wrongs and fighting the good fight, he was the son of dirt farmers on a Confederate fringe world.

This is where William C. Dietz's StarCraft II: Heaven's Devils begins. 18-year-old Raynor is plucked from his world by a recruiter and thrust into the middle of the Guild Wars, with only his uncanny grasp of military strategy and a group of the most highly-skilled soldiers the Confederacy has ever seen keeping him alive. As you can imagine, there isn't much in the way of tension here. We know Jim survives. We know his newfound friend Tychus Findlay makes it as well.

This is a story about getting there, and I've read through it to see if it's worth the trip.
Loved

Reliving History: Fans of the StarCraft games are the key audience here, and they'll get their fair share of fan service over the course of the book's 307 pages. You've got Jim and Tychus, the introduction of some of the specialized powered armor you get to play with in the game, the birth of Raynor's special skull-face suit, and our hero's first disastrous attempt at riding a Vulture, which would later become his signature vehicle. Everything is wrapped up at the end with a multi-page history of the StarCraft universe, with listings of the books and games that cover each entry.

Combat Ready: William Dietz is at his strongest when describing battle scenes, and there are plenty of battle scenes in Heaven's Devils. The author manages to inject realism and a strong sense of tension in these moments, even though we know that Jim and his squad mates are so adept at their various jobs it borders on the supernatural.

Character Interaction: The characters in Heaven's Devils are pretty one-dimensional. Perhaps that's why they mesh together so well. Jim, Tychus, Ryk, Zander, Harnack, and Ward banter with the easy familiarity of brothers bonded by combat, exchanging jibes and insults as easily as they exchange shots with the enemy.
Hated

Same Old Song: There is nothing original about this story. If you've ever seen a movie or read a novel about a rag-tag group of soldiers who happen to be the best at what they do facing overwhelming odds to prove themselves, then you've already read most of Heaven's Devils. Aside from a few side capers and a sub-plot about reconditioning unruly soldiers that is never resolved, the book is formulaic through and through.

Cardboard Cutouts: If you're looking for a deeper understanding of Jim Raynor or Tychus Findlay you won't find it here. For the most part, the characters in Heaven's Devils are presented as-is. You don't get much insight into why they are the way they are or why they do the things they do, they simply are, and do. Why is Jim Raynor such an amazing strategist? He was just born that way. Why is Tychus Findlay such a scoundrel? Maybe his parents were scoundrels. Who knows? With few exceptions, the little glimpses we're given into the personal lives of the characters are trite, only serving to make them more generic.

Tychus Having Sex: This is not something I should have to picture in my head. I will never be clean.

From humble beginnings comes a man who would one day be one of the most important beings in the universe. Before he can ascend to such lofty heights, he must first makes his way through a collage of every military buddy story ever written. This is that story. StarCraft II: Heaven's Devil's has its moments, and it's certainly an easy read, but if you're looking for depth, play StarCraft II instead.

StarCraft II: Heaven's Devils was written by William C. Dietz and published by Pocket on April 6. Retails for $25.00. A copy of the book was given to us by the publisher for reviewing purposes. Read through entire book on easy mode.

Blizzard had a huge challenge to overcome with the release of StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty (WoL). Apart from the expectations for multiplayer from the StarCraft: Brood War community, it had to sell its campaign to the larger audience and then coax those players back into the multiplayer game. The decision was made early on to separate the campaign and multiplayer games and, as such, this is really two games in one.

First and foremost, I agree with Blizzard's decision to split the game into the initial Terran campaign and forthcoming expansions with the Zerg and Protoss campaigns. This campaign is huge and completely worthy being presented as the first offering of the StarCraft II trilogy. I don't know if I would have been able to handle 90 missions all at once, nor would I have wanted 10 missions for each race in the game and each expansion.

The mini-Protoss campaign included in WoL also serves as a great change of pace and offers an awesome bit of narrative alongside the main missions. The main star of the singleplayer campaign, however, is the mission design. Each mission is unique and presents a new mechanic or minigame. Repetitive base-building is minimized and the time spent waiting while you build an army is brief. Bonus objectives are numerous and the achievements add another layer on top encouraging multiple playthroughs.

You'll probably see all of the plot twists a mile away, but Blizzard has done a great job with bringing StarCraft's world into present day with the singleplayer campaign's presentation and non-linear design. Once the campaign is finished, it's time for a quick pit-stop with the game's 9 challenges, all intended to teach multiplayer concepts like unit counters, hotkey usage, rush defense, and multitasking. Everyone should play them as they are not only educational, but challenging and fun.

The multiplayer is basically what was available during phase 2 of the beta test and is a fairly balanced initial offering. It should have something for everyone ranging from 1v1 ladder play all the way to comp stomps and custom games. It remains to be seen if the meta-game will continue to evolve in a major way prior to the expansions, but I'm hopeful that new maps and more players will lead to some interesting builds and strategies in the short-term.

While the game itself is incredibly polished, both on and offline, Battle.net 2.0 is still very much a work-in-progress. There are some issues that remain--lack of chat rooms, custom map publishing limitations--but Blizzard is hopefully working to solve these in due time. Would I have wanted the game delayed until B.net 2.0 exhibited the same maturity as the game itself? Absolutely not! I'll deal with its shortcomings if it means I get to play StarCraft II.

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty isn't perfect, but it's damn close. The campaign is engrossing and varied, while the multiplayer component will be played for years to come. The upcoming expansions will help refresh the game when they are finally released and should bring major changes to the competitive scene. Battle.net 2.0 stands out as the game's low-point, but should only annoy the die-hards. For most players, it functions well enough and allows them to get in and play some games. And as their track record shows, Blizzard tends to support its games for an extremely long time.

It's been awhile since we've posted a good old-fashioned Frankenreview, so we're bringing it back with a game that hasn't seen a sequel in over a decade - StarCraft II.

StarCraft II is the sequel to what many consider the greatest real-time strategy game of all time. It continues the epic tale of interstellar conflict between the Terrans, Protoss, and Zerg, delivering a deep single-player campaign focusing on StarCraft hero Jim Raynor, and expands on the multiplayer experience that's kept us writing about Korea since the turn of the millennium.

Those Korean StarCraft players are tough, but are they as tough as the assembled game critics? We'll see.

CVG
StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty is in many ways is the culmination of the RTS genre to date. It takes the best of what has come before, and tightens it up into a totally accessible, yet deceptively complex pinnacle. Like all great games - be it chess or Counter Strike - its easy to learn, and very difficult to master. It's traditional, slick, accomplished; perfectly balanced gameplay will likely keep it on the competitive gaming scene for many years to come, and with good reason

GameTrailers
If there's anything immediately apparent from Wings of Liberty's story, it's that the series' narrative structure has evolved well beyond the original's sparse between-sortie intermissions. Starcraft II is a world thriving in 3D, replete with fully-acted scenes and even a few crucial decision moments that give you a personal stake in the story's development. The writing may sometimes resort to a few contrived clichés, but the delivery behind each uttered line is uniformly excellent, coming together in an epic and entertainingly told yarn that successfully builds on the series' layered mythology. It's a shame, then, that the seams of separation are a little too easy to spot. Raynor's central conflict against Mengsk goes by largely unanswered, and the altogether abrupt ending seems more fitting to the end to a first act than to that of a standalone game. Of course, the moments leading up to the conclusion are exhilarating, but without any kind of resolution—at the very least, for Raynor or for the Terran side as a whole—Wings of Liberty's tale feels a little less than complete.

PAL Gaming Network
Missions and objectives in Wings of Liberty are ultimately played out like a typical RTS game at the core. However, the story and features are integrated so well into the mission structure that it doesn't just feel like a skirmish, but that you're actually fighting and doing things for a reason. Objectives are consistently dynamic and creative, with an earlier level for example requiring you to collect a special form of minerals from ancient geysers, the while fending Protoss forces off your main base and denying them from closing off many of the other geysers on the level. There's another level which mostly consists of lava, and you have to mine 8000 minerals to complete the mission, while defending yourself from Zerg armies, and moving your workers to high ground when the lava begins to rise. It's fast paced and exhilarating, requiring some very quick manoeuvres and consistent macro and micromanagement.

The Onion A.V. Club
As stellar as the single-player campaign is, the greatest value from StarCraft II is its multiplayer play. Blizzard's newly launched Battle.net elegantly sets you up cooperatively or competitively with other players or AI on a multitude of game boards, keeping track of skill level and rankings. While the basic principles of play are the same as in Starcraft, many of the game's classic units, like dragoons and guardians, have been scrapped in favor of new models, meaning even veteran players will have a learning curve. Each unit has distinctly good and bad match-ups, so early units never become obsolete. The races are now more balanced, while maintaining distinct flavors. Terrans are highly mobile and adaptable, Zerg burrow and infect, and Protoss favor defensive and deceptive tactics.

Joystiq
Battle.net 2.0 has also moved to a friends-list system similar to Xbox Live and PSN, which is a welcome change from the archaic matchmaking of Battle.net in previous Bilzzard games. The focus on the friends list creates even more jockeying for social status as you can view your friends achievements and ranks. (It seems Blizzard learned more than one trick from World of Warcraft.) If you have a competitive bone in your body, Battle.net 2.0 is designed to keep you playing for as long as there are opponents to defeat and friends to crow over.

Kotaku
StarCraft II is still a game of micromanagement, build speed and base management, playing with and against forces you're mostly familiar with in a theater of war that certainly feels less fresh than it did in 1998. But Blizzard has polished that classic real-time strategy gameplay to a brilliant shine, offering a single and multiplayer experience that is unmatched. The long wait was worth it, if only to kick off another long wait to see how StarCraft II ultimately ends.

Unlike the original StarCraft, Blizzard is reviewing player-made maps for StarCraft II, deleting those they deem inappropriate. When players in the forums ask why, Blizzard responds, "Because we can."

The deletion of the custom StarCraft II map "Ultimate Tank Defence" from Battle.net due to inappropriate content prompted the map's author to question Blizzard's actions in the official forums. After pages of the original poster and other players trying to determine what was inappropriate about the map that led to its deletion and the suspension of his publishing rights, the creator finally came to the conclusion that enemy units appearing at a certain time may have created an offensive image on the game's mini-map.

Meanwhile, Blizzard community manager Lylirra chimed in with an overview of the rules.

    While players are encouraged to share the maps they create through Battle.net, published maps are subject to review to ensure that they promote a fun and safe environment for all players. You can learn more about the StarCraft II content policy here: http://us.blizzard.com/support/article/33752

    If a map is found to contain inappropriate content, it will be removed from Battle.net and the map maker will be contacted via email. Should a player have any questions or concerns regarding a specific action, he or she is welcome to contact our support representatives by using the following web form: http://us.blizzard.com/support/webform.xml?locale=en_US

    If you see a player-made map that contains inappropriate content, simply right click on the map image thumbnail under "Details" and then select the "Report this Content" option.

The response prompted one player to question why the policy was in place for the second game and not the first, where some of the custom map names were extremely colorful. Community manager Bashiok gave the player the following answer.

    Because we can. Literally. We have a support department now of size and ability to enforce these types of things. It simply wasn't possible when our in-game support used to consist of approximately 20 technical support agents. We did, however, actually police Warcraft III maps to a small degree if they were reported. But it was a rather archaic process.

Seems pretty cut and dried to me. Bashiok also responded to the questioner's use of the Benjamin Franklin quote "Those who desire to give up freedom in order to gain security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one," to describe the situation.

    Keeping people from seeing your hate speech and obscene images on our private game service is not the same as relinquishing your constitutional freedoms in the hopes of increased personal/familial security. Ben would tie you to a kite and let go of the string for making such comparisons.

Nicely put, sir.

Map Deleted off B.Net, No Real Reason Given