Remember LAN parties? They aren't really necessary anymore because we have powerful internet connections anywhere in the world but there was a time when this was really the only way you could possibly have a gaming party.
Back in the mid to late 90's I recall having Starcraft 1 LAN parties once a month or so and since laptop's were impossibly expensive and underpowered for the most part back then this incorporated putting a LOT of gear into your car, especially the 200 pound monitors that existed at the time.
Yesterday's experience was just fantastic and was also a real eye opener for me as far as my abilities are concerned.
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At one point there were 8 of us playing and we had a full-spectrum of ability levels including one person who had never even played Starcraft 1 before. We had his team color be pink and a great deal of leniency was shown to him.
I was at a bit of a disadvantage myself because I haven't played any Starcraft games in the past couple of years. You think it is going to be like riding a bike but that is definitely not the case. If you have to stop and read any of the requirements for building or unit creation you are falling behind. There was one guy in our group that was so incredibly skilled that I don't think he EVER uses the mouse for building purchases. This guy was insanely quick.
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Another guy played only as the Terrans and his objective was the same every time: Acquire a massive group of battlecruisers and if he was able to achieve this objective - forget it, you are gonna lose.
I tend to play as Zerg and if you know anything about this game it is absolutely crucial to "rush attack" right at the start and disrupt your opponent's resource production. If this method fails, you are going to have a very tough game ahead of you.
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Last night was a real eye-opener for me for a couple of reasons: It is amazing how quickly time can pass when you are doing something you enjoy because 6pm turned into 1am so fast. Also, i realized that I am NOT good at this game. There were 8 people there and i was 3rd from the bottom in ability and when you consider that 1 of the guys had NEVER played the game at all before, this doesn't say much about me.
I will say this though, the group was really helpful after battles and there was no animosity there. I learned a lot with the pressure and by the end of this session I was actually much better than when we first began. It was a lot of fun in the end and I think I will continue to use the Starcraft online interface to play henceforth.
I was delighted to find out that online play is free - the full game is free! You can download it here... the only limitation is that you can't do any campaign after the Terran one unless you shell out real money for it. In my mind the online multiplayer is far more interesting anyway, especially if you play with people you already know.
Normally on a Friday night I would go out to a bar and spend loads of money and end up with a fantastic hangover for Saturday. For now, I am hoping that this LAN party happens every week because even though we did drink a bit, you can't really drink very much when your coordinated moves to advance your HIVE requires both hands and your undivided attention.
Do you Starcraft? I'd love to talk to you about it if you do!