Starcraft II - divided into three chapters?

If I understand this correctly, Starcraft II will be released in three chapters, requiring gamers to buy three separate games in order to get the entire experience. I'm not really an RTS or even Starcraft fanboy, but do any of you folks feel like this is a rip-off attempting to market itself as something else? Am I misunderstanding or misinterpreting something, here? Just curious.

If I understand this correctly, Starcraft II will be released in three chapters, requiring gamers to buy three separate games in order to get the entire experience. I'm not really an RTS or even Starcraft fanboy, but do any of you folks feel like this is a rip-off attempting to market itself as something else? Am I misunderstanding or misinterpreting something, here? Just curious.

kraychik

Each chapter is going to be bigger than the entire starcraft game, so I think they are just trying to create an epic experience...and milk some cash too :P

But at least you can skirmish and play online with all the races which is what a lot of buyers will get it for anyway.

From what I know, The new chapters are full campaigns for each race. They will be released after Starcraft 2, but I'm not sure if that is true.

This is old news.

This is old news.

LordAinav

Hey folks, allow me to rephrase my original question slightly: do you think at the highest levels of management there was a question of how to best milk this game and benefit from the loyalty of the franchise which then led to the idea of releasing the game in three chapters? I'm sort of asking a chicken-or-the-egg question here. What came first - the desire to release long campaigns from the developers and then realizing their intentions were to too large for a single game, or the desire to milk this franchise for every dime possible leading to the developers needing to spend more time than was necessary on long missions and possible filler?

I guess this question should be asked AFTER the game's release, I was just interested in the speculation of feelow gamers and amateur business analysts :-)

[QUOTE="LordAinav"]

This is old news.

millerlight89

Aslong as its as epic as the first one then i dont care. If it endup with just 10missions then im going to get annoyed. Also you only need to buy one of them to play all races online.

No misunderstanding, although as Blizzard have said there will likely be as many missions in each of the 'chapters' as there were in all of Starcraft 1. Then again, who really wants to play that many missions for each race? The reason it worked in the first game was that you got to play as all three throughout the campaign. I'd also bet money an Activision-less Blizzard wouldn't have pulled the three game stunt.DJ_Lae

you'd most definitely lose that money. there's no such thing as an "Activision-less Blizzard", because it has been clearly stated from the start the the two will remain seperate entities after the strategic merger. Blizzard maintains its own corporate leadership, and that means.... yea.

but i'm not surprised. Blizzard always gets a free pass for whatever S they pull these days. "ZOMG, Blizzard's fart just revolutionised the industry @$#!$$!"

The initial version, the Terran campaign, will most likely be released as a full game, and the subsequent chapters being sold as expansion packs, and therefore at a lower price. This is the only way I'd be satisfied with the direction the game is taking. Otherwise it's all kinds of bull****.

Yeah Blizzard is scamming us

Aslong as its as epic as the first one then i dont care. If it endup with just 10missions then im going to get annoyed. Also you only need to buy one of them to play all races online.

KalDurenik

Ever heard of "trilogy"?

Ever heard of "trilogy"?

Mograine

[QUOTE="Mograine"]

Ever heard of "trilogy"?

Nibroc420

[QUOTE="Mograine"]

Ever heard of "trilogy"?

Nibroc420

Don't forget the Silmarrilion, the pre-alpha version of LotR.

[QUOTE="Nibroc420"][QUOTE="Mograine"]

Ever heard of "trilogy"?

Mograine

Don't forget the Silmarrilion, the pre-alpha version of LotR.

Initially I was a bit bummed to hear it when they announced it, but I do understand what they say.

If they are indeed right that each campaign will be huge, then I wouldnt mind it, besides, I only ever playied the terran campaign in the first game :P

I think they looked at how Relic was doing thier rts games, and found some parts they thought was usuable.

And as someone said the full MP game is in the first game (and 2,3 if you prefer only to buy one campaign)

There IS however a sense of Acti pulling some strings here... this horrible feeling that some big fatty smurf is looking over Blizzards shoulders now -.-

[QUOTE="Mograine"]

[QUOTE="Nibroc420"] Rip offs. I mean Seriously. What was JRR Tolkien thinking when he released 3 Lord of the Rings books? Making us pay for 3 parts to the same Story. :roll:Nibroc420

Don't forget the Silmarrilion, the pre-alpha version of LotR.

And as you said TC, you are misinterpreting. If you consider 3 games, each with the same amount of content as a complete game, maybe even more, a rip-off then ok. I personally care only about the Protoss, and that'll be the last out of the 3, but I will get them, since I always enjoyed every Blizzard game, and all their sp campaigns for Starcraft and Warcraft + the first game also has a small Protoss campaign :).

@Maddoe: Awesome, too bad that smurf wasn't there when Blizz announced that Starcraft 2 will be a trilogy ;).

[QUOTE="Nibroc420"][QUOTE="Mograine"]

Ever heard of "trilogy"?

Mograine

Don't forget the Silmarrilion, the pre-alpha version of LotR.

Not to mention The Hobbit was a prequel to LotR

[QUOTE="Mograine"]

[QUOTE="Nibroc420"] Rip offs. I mean Seriously. What was JRR Tolkien thinking when he released 3 Lord of the Rings books? Making us pay for 3 parts to the same Story. :roll:AFBrat77

Don't forget the Silmarrilion, the pre-alpha version of LotR.

Not to mention The Hobbit was a prequel to LotR

No misunderstanding, although as Blizzard have said there will likely be as many missions in each of the 'chapters' as there were in all of Starcraft 1. Then again, who really wants to play that many missions for each race? The reason it worked in the first game was that you got to play as all three throughout the campaign. I'd also bet money an Activision-less Blizzard wouldn't have pulled the three game stunt.DJ_Lae

Well this is no different than Mass Effect, The Star Wars Trilogy, or anything that has had more forms of media that continue the story. Could they fit all the story into one game? Yes... Would it take them upwards of 20 years to do so? Yes because if it takes Blizzard this long to make just Starcraft 2 then imagine Stacraft 2 with all the other games too.

I wouldn't call it milking, at least not as of yet because we don't know just how much story will be in each one. If it is around 5 hours for each game that yeah that is bad, but it if is is like 15+ for each one then I don't see much of a problem with that. Also hey have said they plan on the next 2 to be expansions, so in reality it is probably going to be like the Original Starcraft but have 2 expansions instead of one. So no I don't think this is milking the franchise because this isn't nearly close to Guitar Hero or Mario yet.