I get owned at SC2 multiplayer as well and I too keep getting to go to LAN parties where that is being played. I like the Campaign but, I find the multiplayer to be a bit dull. It feels pretty much like the original SC with better graphics to me.
Fortunately, there is a solution and that is why I bothered to respond. Until Elemental has MP if you are forced to play SC2 at your LAN parties try some of the CUSTOM style maps like "Marine Arena" or "Nexus Wars". Those maps play completely different and you might have a chance in them against the really good players at any such parties. At least that has been my finding.
I just bought a copy of Elemental for myself and another for a friends birthday with the plan to do MP. I am disappointed it is not there but, I am also understanding.
I've personally been on teams that have developed some products for Bioware. In fact, I was flown to Edmonton for second interview for "MP Tech Designer on Dragon Age". I did okay in the interview but, as you may or may not know Dragon Age does not have MP. So, when they pulled MP as a feature the position I applied for no longer existed.
Bioware is another of those like Blizzard and Valve that ships high quality products.
I have purchased every Stardock game. I likely will continue to do so as I agree with their philosophy. I have personally experienced CRUNCH times on several occasions where publishers tell your team it has to ship by DAY X or the entire project will be scrapped. I experienced this on a project that we shipped Release Candidate 1. It had a few bugs and the publishers came back and said if they were not fixed in 24 hours the entire project would be scrapped. This was around the time of GENCON and 75% of the team had gone to that convention. It fell to me and one very devoted tester to fix all of that. We did it, but, that type of pressure is immense and when it comes down to DO IT or LOSE IT from publishers it can get scary. Stardock I thought had more control but, perhaps some investors put pressure on them???
I read someone comparing making a game to making a Boeing 747 or something like that and saying "they wouldn't ship an unfinished Boeing 747". Well, that is comparing two very different things. One of which besides the computer code in the Boeing most of what the plane has is visually viewable. In a game, most of what is going on to make that game happen you can and will never want to see. It is in those unwitnessed bowels of the game that most bugs happen. Not all, but, most.
So, let's see what Stardock does. So far I am happy with their track record. As others have stated Demi-God was Gas Powered games being published by Stardock so, it was not completely in their control as to what happened. I like Demi-God, but, it was a bit rough at first and I don't feel as many things as we had hoped were released. The modding tools were also a challenge to work with thus, the community did not release much. If you want long longevity inspired by "modding" then the tools need to be intuitive and accessible. The more this is the case the more people will make new things for it. The more new things being made for it the longer it will last.
Anyway, I digressed a number of times there and do apologize for that. I don't think I'm likely to post again anytime soon so, I really got it all out in a single post.
