14 DAY TRIAL // With the Monk-class update Diablo III just got, Blizzard decided that it would also be a great opportunity to unveil its progress with Battle.net. In order to accommodate the upcoming StarCraft II game, Blizzard has decided that it's time to make a few changes to the online service as well, an update that has been under works for some time now. And now, the developer has decided to make a list of the things that we'll see in the new Battle.net.
First of all, our Battle.net account will be a universal one, so it will apply to all Blizzard games. We'll be connected to the service and enjoy its benefits even when we're playing a single-player campaign, having direct access to news and game updates, and being in direct contact with our friends. Everything we do, awards won, achievements and unlockables, as well as saved games will be part of our online profile, so that means that we can play at home, log in at work on our account, and continue the StarCraft II campaign from where we left off.
The Battle.net matchmaking service has also received an overhaul, as players' skills will be more accurately calculated. A Battle.net Leagues and Ladders System will be added as well, a side-feature of matchmaking that will automatically make them part of a league and division that best suits their play style. The social side of Battle.net is the one that received the biggest update, with a much heavier support for friends, text and voice chat, whether gamers are in Battle.net alone or playing StarCraft II.
Mods will also play a far more important role in the new Battle.net, so it would be obvious that the online service will extend its support for them. While the custom mode like Defense of the Ancients (DotA) or Tower Defense has been a part of the online experience, Battle.net has only offered limited support for it. One of the main features of the new mod-friendly Bnet will be Map Publishing, a system that will allow players to instantly share their creation with the community, by making it possible for others to download user-made maps directly from the service's interface.
Further down the road, the system, along with the creation tools, will evolve, and give birth to the StarCraft II Marketplace, a place where creations can be viewed, downloaded, but also bought, if the creators of the content believe that their product is valuable enough to be acquired for a fee.