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Blizzard: You May Sell Your StarCraft 2 Maps On Battle.net, Eventually
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Asbestos_Underwear
08/22/09

In reply to Blizzard: You May Sell Your StarCraft 2 Maps On Battle.net, Eventually
if a map is good enough to be sold and the community has tools to recreate it, then there will be at least five free clones of each map worth a dime.
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Sarcasmancer
08/22/09

@Asbestos_Underwear: Given all the experience Blizzard has garnered with people trying to work their systems (in WoW, D2 and Starcraft) this must have occurred to them. I'm curious about what kind of authentication/patenting system they've developed to protect their mod market, if any. Doesn't seem like their profits will go far without one.
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RockyRan
08/21/09

In reply to Blizzard: You May Sell Your StarCraft 2 Maps On Battle.net, Eventually
Die-hard mapmakers and other modders in game never want any money for their creations. I have a feeling that the creators of the best maps will not be charging for them, given the fact that those people never have in any PC game.

I can guarantee you that Blizzard will want some commission out of each sale, which is extremely sleazy if that is the case. Nothing like making money from someone else's work, eh?
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Johnny
08/21/09

In reply to Blizzard: You May Sell Your StarCraft 2 Maps On Battle.net, Eventually
Guys, guys.
"This is horrible"?
Seriously?

Blizzard gives great modders a chance to produce great content and get some payment out of it... instead of producing great content and getting absolutely nothing which is what happens in most cases.

This has the potential to be an awesome way for modders to earn a little extra cash for all the work and love they put into the game. And OF COURSE blizzard is going to get part of the money, they are providing the game and the service.

If you have a good counter-argument, please reply.
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p.e.r.e.g.r.i.n.e. promoted this comment Edited by Johnny at 08/21/09 8:54 PM Johnny was starred Johnny was unstarred

p.e.r.e.g.r.i.n.e.
08/21/09

@Janxer: Definitely not horrible.

As someone who's pouring an extreme amount of effort into becoming a game developer, and also someone who spent some serious time on my own original SC maps this sounds really cool.

To have the ability to make a bit of cash off of my creations thrills me, but I only worry about just how big of a chunk blizz is going to be taking out.

Yeah it's their game and their service, but there's not much point to charging money for your map if you don't end up getting much.

I'd rather have people enjoying and getting nothing but that satisfaction than say charging them 2 bucks for it so that I make 9 cents.
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Edited by p.e.r.e.g.r.i.n.e. at 08/21/09 9:25 PM p.e.r.e.g.r.i.n.e. was starred

Gouki4u
08/21/09

In reply to Blizzard: You May Sell Your StarCraft 2 Maps On Battle.net, Eventually
On the one hand I want to say, "Is a man not entitled to the sweat of his brow?" On the other hand I'm not going to buy any maps.

Also, Blizzard making money from the community seems shady to me. I know the modders are using Blizzard's tech, and getting money too, but it just rubs me the wrong way.
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-MasterDex- promoted this comment Edited by Gouki4u at 08/21/09 6:41 PM Gouki4u was starred Gouki4u was unstarred

Kougeru
08/21/09

In reply to Blizzard: You May Sell Your StarCraft 2 Maps On Battle.net, Eventually
Sounds like a bad idea to me
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Legion329
08/21/09

In reply to Blizzard: You May Sell Your StarCraft 2 Maps On Battle.net, Eventually
I guess I can't yell about the differences between Blizzard and Vivendi anymore. The Activision merger has corrupted our friends over at Blizzard.

This is definitely not something Blizzard would do. Well, not something the old Blizzard would do.

:(
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-MasterDex-
08/21/09

@Legion329: Yeah, it's not as if the old Blizzard charged for a simple server move....oh wait.
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Legion329
08/21/09

@-MasterDex-: Talking pre-Vivendi. WoW is a cash cow, and that's how the parent company treats it.
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Cheroro
08/21/09

In reply to Blizzard: You May Sell Your StarCraft 2 Maps On Battle.net, Eventually
More choices for players?! Less choices more like it! I'm not paying for a map..........
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Releaser31
08/21/09

In reply to Blizzard: You May Sell Your StarCraft 2 Maps On Battle.net, Eventually
sure you can buy the maps, but someone can easily imitate it and make it better for free.
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TaylorEatWorld
08/21/09

In reply to Blizzard: You May Sell Your StarCraft 2 Maps On Battle.net, Eventually
Well I won't buy them *shrugs*

Easy as that. There is the flaw in their plan, I don't think a lot of people are going to want to pay-to-play games like DOTA. I for one would have never even tried (and therefor never experienced) DOTA if it costed money.
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Jon-Claw
08/21/09

In reply to Blizzard: You May Sell Your StarCraft 2 Maps On Battle.net, Eventually
I wouldn't be surprised if Blizzard hits us with a pay-to-play battle.net fee...
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supo
08/21/09

@Jon-Claw: Shhhhhhhhhhhh! They might hear you!
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thesircuddles
08/21/09

In reply to Blizzard: You May Sell Your StarCraft 2 Maps On Battle.net, Eventually
Surely one of those details being ironed out is 'Do we select what's normal and what's premium?'. On one hand they'd have to monitor everything and risk offending those who don't get chosen, etc. On the other hand I can easily see no mappers making things as 'premium' content, thereby eliminating the whole point of the service.

All in all it seems like a horrible, horrible thing to do.
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magnakaiser
08/21/09

In reply to Blizzard: You May Sell Your StarCraft 2 Maps On Battle.net, Eventually
Icefrog would be rich.
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Joshua Bell
08/21/09

In reply to Blizzard: You May Sell Your StarCraft 2 Maps On Battle.net, Eventually
Man, Activision is really starting to show through Blizzard now.

RIP Blizzard 1991-2009
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JessMeNU
08/21/09

@Joshua Bell: Agreed,
-No lan
-Selling user content

in warcraft 3, some of the best maps are user base.
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TaylorEatWorld
08/21/09

@JessMeNU: Pretty much this.

I love capitalism and the best way to protest this kind of business is to just not buy it.

The maps, I mean, I'm buying SC2 regardless.
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Witzbold
08/21/09

In reply to Blizzard: You May Sell Your StarCraft 2 Maps On Battle.net, Eventually
Im all for the idea.

Shit folks in the end its all about the money remember that.
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-MasterDex-
08/21/09

@Witzbold: But selling user created maps? On the PC?

It just feels dirty.
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Colin Fogle
08/21/09

@-MasterDex-: I don't get why everyone is getting their panties in a bunch over this.

It will be up to the map modders to charge or make their content free. This just makes it so instead of having to go out and make a clone like Heroes of Newerth/League of Legends they can make a separate premium mod and have it listed.

I don't think I read anywhere that map editors will be forced to make users pay for their content in the future.
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-MasterDex- promoted this comment Colin Fogle was starred Colin Fogle was unstarred

-MasterDex-
08/21/09

@Colin Fogle: But how many great modders who just happen to be greedy are going to charge for their maps? When modders are thinking "Well, I spent my own good time doing this 'map I wanted to spend my time creating'! I should get paid for it!" then there's a problem and the only solution to that would be for Blizzard to control whats worth paying for, in other words, choosing what's free and what's not and that there is just as bad if not worse.
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ninjajazza
08/21/09

@-MasterDex-: if they're truly great modders, then presumably the maps will be worth paying for. and i don't see how you made the link between it being the modder's choice to charge and blizzard controlling all paid content with an iron fist.
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qwerty
08/21/09

@-MasterDex-:
More likely as soon as any mod becomes paid content everyone just won't use it unless its very, very good. In which case it gets a free imitation version created by someone else.
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Prosper
08/21/09

In reply to Blizzard: You May Sell Your StarCraft 2 Maps On Battle.net, Eventually
This will also force Blizzard to start moderating map submissions. After all, how else are they to stop me from downloading or watching a video of a premium map, then me taking that and making cosmetic changes and releasing it on my own for free?

Also, I have no doubt this will be linked to some new Battle.net security measures that ties into your Battle.net account. For example, my account is authorized to play this map because I have transaction history showing I paid for it, thus making it impossible for me to give the map to my friends and letting them use it for free.

Notice how this also plays into the "No LAN" policy?
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