It was fun while it lasted but the first phase of the SC2 beta has come to an end.
"We previously announced that the first phase of the StarCraft II beta test would be coming to a close in all regions on Monday, May 31. In order to prepare for the final phase of beta testing, we plan to extend the current phase in all regions until Monday, June 7. After this date, the beta test will be unavailable for several weeks while we make some hardware and software configuration changes for the final phase of the beta test and the release of the game. We plan to bring the beta test back online for a couple of weeks prior to the game's launch to complete our testing. We’ll have more details to share about when this final phase will begin at a later date."
Posted by Nebu (May 28th 2010)
The Zerg
I found Terrans a fun but at times a hard to manage race. Mobility was becoming an issue in our team games as it is hard to call off an attack to aid an ally's base. I decided to give Zerg a try and was quite impressed. The units are definitely less durable but not only do they have the numbers advantage, they also make up for it in movement speed.
In a 3v3 or 4v4 situation, I found myself able to come to the aid of an ally being attacked then launching a counter attack shortly after, in addition to increased harassment abilities. Creep (the main Zerg mechanic that allows them to build structures) further increases movement speeds as well as HP regeneration and this deters attackers from trying to out maneuver you on your home turf. The Hatchery mechanic of building units allows for one structure to build all units (given you have the necessary prerequisite structure) which enhances Zerg's ability to counter specific units of the opposing army on a short notice.
Harassment is one of the main experiences that I have enjoyed playing as Zerg. The Mutalisk, a small air unit capable of hitting air and ground, is often dreaded because of its mobility and fast shots. Massing a handful of these is enough to keep the opposing team on the defensive while your allies claim territory and resources. There is no better feeling than to punish those who have poor building placement as this will sometimes cost them the game.
I have been practicing my Mutalisk harassment and starting to get the hang of things. It's a shame that I will have to wait several weeks before I can resume.
It's been a month since the last time I blogged. I am still WoW-free and have kept myself busy with reading books, watching TV / streams and playing Starcraft 2 Beta. I also watched the WoW 3v3 tournament yesterday and I will leave my review for next blog.
Let's get caught up shall we?
Books
I have grew fascinated with Marketing in the past month and went ahead and ordered a whole bunch of books from Amazon. This is the first time I am using the online service and I am thoroughly impressed with the polished interface. Ordering books is a breeze and the site makes sure you are updated on the status of your orders every step of the way: when it's being prepared to ship, the time it leaves the holding area and any stops in between. I experienced no problems so far and will be ordering more in the future.
Here is the book list so far:
Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)
22 Immutable Laws of Marketing (Al Ries, Jack Trout)
22 Immutable Laws of Branding & 11 Laws of Internet Branding (Al Ries, Laura Ries)
Positioning: Battle for the Mind (Al Ries, Jack Trout)
Marketing Warfare (Al Ries, Jack Trout)
Differentiate or Die (Jack Trout, Riven)
Focus (Al Ries, Laura Ries)
Tongue-Fu (Sam Horn)
POP! (Sam Horn)
Tipping Point (Malcolm Gladwell)
"Ogilvy on Advertising" is a classic read and highly recommended to anyone who is serious about pursuing Marketing as a career. David Ogilvy is known as the "Father of Advertising" and helped revolutionize Marketing in the 1950s to 1970s with his ad agency Ogilvy & Mathers. He stresses on the importance of marketing research which is an important factor to gaining a leverage in the positioning your product against competitors. Ogilvy advocates ads that educate and promise benefits over those that are flashy and funny that serve no purpose other than to awe.
The books by Al Ries, Laura Ries, Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin all contain the underlying themes of positioning in the consumer's mind and brand focus. Customer perception is very important as it sets up boundaries of the market share a company can reliably own. To be first in a category is the strongest way to enforce dominance in the consumer's mind and any following brands must respect this fact. Focus is the only way to steal market share from a more established competitor and this involves sub-categorizing and becoming a specialist. I enjoyed reading their books starting from "22 Immutable Laws of Marketing" but as I went through subsequent books, I found they tend to repeat themselves too much. I had great difficulty finishing "Focus" as it contained 80% of the material from previous Ries and Trout works. In the end it was a positive experience but I would recommend reading any 3 or 4 at most of the books listed above from these authors.
Sam Horn's "Tongue-Fu" instructs readers on ways to dealing with difficult people in difficult situations. It contains some interesting tips such as "Using AND instead of BUT" and "AAA method (Agree Apologize Action) for customer representatives". "POP!" on the other hand is more of a marketing book that deals with innovative ways to creating brands and slogans that 'pop'. She encourages the use of alliteration, pentameters and word play to increase memorability. An issue I had with Horn's books is the difficulty I had in staying focused and interested. I find that sometimes she goes into too much detail and then repeats herself at the very end with a summary of the entire chapter no matter how trivial it was. Overall, these two books are a good reference guide and I do not regret buying them.
I have heard of Malcolm Gladwell's "Tipping Point" but it was only recently that I finally decided to try it out. I am thoroughly impressed. His writing style is a refreshing sight after reading through many informal writing formats and his story telling keeps me turning pages. Gladwell writes about the factors (the 'Tipping Point') responsible in creating trends which leads to the success or failure of companies and societies. The three laws in his book are: The Law of the Few, The Stickiness Factor and The Power of Context. Law of the Few states that three types of personalities are responsible for spreading epidemics to others in a society. These three archetypes are Connectors, Mavens and Persuaders. Connectors are socialites who have an immense network of groups of people; they act as the channel of distribution that makes the spread possible. Mavens are information perfectionists who seek to help the masses by educating them on what they know. Mavens are responsible for breaking down barriers that would otherwise alienate people from rising trends. Persuaders are the perfect salesmen, while not knowing as much information as Mavens or people as Connectors, they have a charm to them that helps them convert any doubter much more easily than any of the other two archetypes. The second law is the Stickiness Factor and it deals with how present information to the masses and make it too irresistible to let go. This involves a simple restructuring or presentation of the message that helps create a bigger, long-lasting impact on people. The Power of Context says that people are easily influenced by the environment they live in and it is almost always a catalyst in the success or failure in tipping an epidemic.
That's it on books for this month.
Starcraft II: Terran
I switched to Terran to complement my friends who mostly play Protoss. It definitely requires more micromanagement as units are not designed like battering rams like Zealots or Immortals. Units like Vikings or Siege tanks have dual modes that are crucial in certain situations and failing to transform at the right moment can spell disaster for that battle and consequently cost you the game. SCV worker units are responsible for repairs on mechanical terran units, unlike Protoss shields and Zerg units that regenerate on their own. Marines are fragile and sometimes require a bunker to survive and Ghosts have to be controlled and cloaked when under assault. My favourite has got to be the Ghost and I try to employ its use in most of the team games I play. EMP (takes away shields and mana), snipe (deals 45 damage ignoring armor) and nuke gives Terran a psychological advantage over their opponents.
Terrans were fun but I have now gone onto playing Zerg.
