14 DAY TRIAL // I hate over competitive multiplayer experiences. I've played quite a few games of two versus two when the original Starcraft launched and a regular group of players I was part of once long ago met once a week to get some Zerg versus Protoss battles over LAN. When Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty arrived I first jumped into the single player component, eager to find out how Blizzard could shake up the real time strategy experience after ten years of development. I discovered a very nice package but few core improvements, as detailed in the full review available on Softpedia, and then I felt I was ready to get to the multiplayer section and see how well I can use the Terrans against other players.
I ignored the Challenge section, which Blizzard repeatedly talked about as specifically created to make the transition easier, and my first two multiplayer matches proved that I incorrectly evaluated my ability to win without using too many hotkeys and without first studying some effective build orders. Now I understand the wisdom of the developers at Blizzard and heading into the Challenges section of Starcraft II seemed like a better idea.
These stages are not overly difficult in themselves but they forced the rather lazy single player aficionado to exit his comfort zone and do the little things that can ensure victory when the enemy is a living, breathing and more importantly thinking human. There are lessons about how to micro manage essential units, how to think about the overall situation while doing quick incursions around the map, about how to effectively use special powers and how to use hotkeys to increase the amount of orders given in a small time frame. These are all important lessons that only veterans of the first Starcraft and those who played a lot in the beta can afford to ignore. And they make further multiplayer forays much easier.