Barcraft: March Hot(S)ness

Are you interested in joining other eSports enthusiasts to watch a live stream of professional StarCraft II action? If you happen to be in Paris, France, head over to Meltdown any day of the week. Otherwise, check out the following list to see if there's an event being organized in your area.

We know more and more BarCrafts are happening, and we'd love to add them to this list. If you know of a StarCraft viewing event that isn't listed here, please email the following information to tourneyinfo@blizzard.com:
Event Date
Event Page (Reddit, Facebook, etc.)
Location (City, State, Country)
Venue Name
Stream
Time

An event page is required for us to list a BarCraft here. Multiple-day events will be listed as one BarCraft, see event pages for details. Event pages will always be more accurate than this list, so be sure to check them for updates and more details.

BarCrafts
Date	Venue	City	Country/State	Stream	Time
March 5	Meltdown	Paris	France	IEM World Championship	5:00 p.m. CET
March 9	Oliver Twist Pub	Zurich	Switzerland	GSL Code S Final	9:00 a.m. CET
March 9	Le Bourg	Lausanne	Switzerland	GSL Code S Final	10:00 a.m. CET
March 9	Varsity Bar	Perth	Australia	GSL Code S Final	4:00 p.m. AWST
March 9	Ichikawa Building	Tokyo	Japan	GSL Code S Final	5:00 p.m. JST
March 9	The Exchange Hotel	Melbourne	Australia	GSL Code S Final	6:00 p.m. AEST
March 9	The Paragon Hotel	Sydney	Australia	GSL Code S Final	6:00 p.m. AEST
March 9	Hotel Metropolitan	Adelaide	Australia	GSL Code S Final	6:30 p.m.  ACST
March 9	Outzone Gaming Centre	Tasmania	Australia	GSL Code S Final	7:00 p.m. AEST
March 9	Meltdown	Berlin	Germany	IEM World Championship	12:00 p.m. CET
March 9	Spazio Polaresco	Bergamo	Italy	IEM World Championship	2:00 p.m. CET
March 9	Interface	Berlin	Germany	IEM World Championship	7:00 p.m. CET
March 11	Clutch	Arvada	Colorado	HotS Launch Event	3:00 p.m. MDT
March 11	Hospoda Selská	Brno	Czech Republic	HotS Launch Event	5:00 p.m. UTC
March 11	Assembly House	London	United Kingdom	HotS Launch Event	5:00 p.m. UTC
March 11	Meltdown	Berlin	Germany	HotS Launch Event	6:00 p.m. CET
March 11	Kyoto Lounge	Manchester	United Kingdom	HotS Launch Event	6:00 p.m. UTC
March 11	Overklocked Gaming and Computers	Edmonton, Alberta	Canada	HotS Launch Event	6:00 p.m. MDT
March 11	KV77	Prague	Czech Republic	HotS Launch Event	6:30 p.m. UTC
March 11	Café and Bar Zuhause	Aachen	Germany	HotS Launch Event	7:00 p.m. CET
March 11	Coellner Bar	Cologne	Germany	HotS Launch Event	7:00 p.m. CET
March 11	Kö - Cafe Könnteman	Leipzig	Germany	HotS Launch Event	7:00 p.m. CET
March 11	La Maison Hantée	Marseille	France	HotS Launch Event	7:00 p.m. CET
March 11	Bar Sehnsucht	Munich	Germany	HotS Launch Event	7:00 p.m. CET
March 11	Windsor Lounge Bar	Geneva	Switzerland	HotS Launch Event	7:00 p.m. CET
March 11	The Scotsman	Oslo	Norway	HotS Launch Event	7:00 p.m. CET
March 11	Restaurang Vasastan	Vasastan	Sweden	HotS Launch Event	7:00 p.m. CET
March 11	KSET	Zagreb	Croatia	HotS Launch Event	7:00 p.m. CET
March 11	Marca Sports Bar	Madrid	Spain	HotS Launch Event	7:30 p.m. CET
March 11	Fire Club	Bucharest	Romania	HotS Launch Event	7:30 p.m. EET
March 11	Dizzengof Center	Tel Aviv	Israel	HotS Launch Event	10:00 p.m. CET
March 12	Hooters	San Jose	Costa Rica	HotS Launch Event	7:00 p.m. CDT
March 15	Buffalo Wild Wings – ONOG	Lake Forest	California	MLG Winter Championship	2:00 p.m. PDT
March 16	Manhattan Proper – ONOG	New York	New York	MLG Winter Championship	2:00 p.m. EDT
March 16	Public Bar – ONOG	Tenleytown	Washington D.C.	MLG Winter Championship	2:00 p.m. EDT
March 16	Patrick’s Restaurant and Sports Bar	St. Louis	Missouri	MLG Winter Championship	7:00 p.m. CDT
March 17	Buffalo Wild Wings	Lake Forest	California	MLG Winter Championship	12:00 p.m. PDT
March 17	Randy Jones All American Sports Grill	San Diego	California	MLG Winter Championship	12:00 p.m. PDT
March 17	New Hope Cinema Grill – ONOG	New Hope	Minnesota	MLG Winter Championship	1:00 p.m. CDT
March 17	Buffalo Wild Wings	Lincoln	Nebraska	MLG Winter Championship	4:00 p.m.
March 17	B1 Bar Stream	Montreal	Canada	MLG Winter Championship	5:00 p.m. EDT
March 17	Loki Lounge	Toronto, Ontario	Canada	MLG Winter Championship	1:00 p.m. EDT
March 17	Trotters Bar	Colchester, Essex	United Kingdom	MLG Winter Championship	4:00 p.m. UTC
March 17	Pinokio Club	Szczecin	Poland	MLG Winter Championship	4:00 p.m. CET
March 17	Deez Bar	Derby	United Kingdom	MLG Winter Championship	5:00 p.m. UTC
March 17	HAL16	Utrecht	Netherlands	MLG Winter Championship	6:00 p.m. CET

You can also check iBarcraft and TeamLiquid for even more events. We want to make sure that everyone having an event is featured here, so don’t forget to encourage your local organizer to send their event information totourneyinfo@blizzard.com so they can appear on this list!

Heart of the Swarm Live Server Times

As you know, we’re unleashing StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm upon an unsuspecting world on March 12, and interplanetary warfare will never be the same. One oh-so frequently asked question continues to rise to the top: “When can I start playing HotS?” To answer, we’ve put together this handy grid of approximate launch times for each region and many common time zones.

Region	Time Zone	Approximate Launch Time
Southeast Asia	Indochina Time (Bangkok)	8:01 p.m. March 11
	Philippine Time (Manila)	9:01 p.m. March 11
	Singapore Time	9:01 p.m. March 11
	Australian Western Time (Perth)	9:01 p.m. March 11
	Australian Eastern Time (Sydney)	12:01 a.m. March 12
	New Zealand Standard Time	2:01 a.m. March 12
Korea and Taiwan	China Standard Time (Taiwan)	1:01 a.m. March 12
	Korea Standard Time (Seoul)	2:01 a.m. March 12
EU	Moscow Standard Time	3:01 a.m. March 12
	Eastern European Time (Athens)	2:01 a.m. March 12
	South African Standard Time	1:01 a.m. March 12
	Central European Time (Paris)	12:01 a.m. March 12
	Greenwich Mean Time (London)	11:01 p.m. March 11
Americas	Brazil Standard Time (Sao Paulo)	4:01 a.m. March 12
	Eastern Daylight Saving Time	3:01 a.m. March 12
	Central Daylight Saving Time	2:01 a.m. March 12
	Mountain Daylight Saving Time	1:01 a.m. March 12
	Pacific Daylight Saving Time	12:01 a.m. March 12
	Hawaii Standard Time	9:01 p.m. March 11

The above launch times are estimates and subject to change. Please keep an eye on our official StarCraft and Blizzard Customer Service Twitter feeds  for the latest information.

Don’t forget to close and restart StarCraft II when Heart of the Swarm is launched in your region. This will ensure that your game is fully patched and ready with the latest Heart of the Swarm data.

Looking for a fun way to celebrate this epic occasion? Join us on March 11 as we count down to the launch of Heart of the Swarm at events around the world. 

Arcade Highlight: StarCraft Universe

This week’s feature has been long in the works. StarCraft Universe has been in development for over two years and was driven by the idea of an MMO that takes place in the StarCraft setting. The SCU team has put an amazing amount of effort into their game, including voice-acted quest dialogue, eight character classes, and a robust inventory and crafting system. All of this is layered on top of an engrossing single-player campaign that is slated to become a full-fledged multiplayer experience.

StarCraft Universe is the first chapter in a story set in an alternate reality, where the ending of Wings of Liberty has a grim conclusion for Kerrigan. Without the Queen of Blade to stop the hybrid’s assault, the protoss are overwhelmed and defeated. In this reality, what would the survivors of these shattered worlds do? StarCraft Universe tells this story. We asked game creator Ryan “Kreation” Winzen some questions about the development process. Check out our interview and the awesome trailer the team put together. Then delve into the world ofStarCraft Universe.

Traysent: How did you get started in game design?

Ryan: Final Fantasy one. Final Fantasy inspired me to start developing turn-based pen and paper RPGs when I was in first grade at the age of six. In my first game, friends could play one of three classes; a balloon, a fireball, or an umbrella to fight off hordes of imps.

T: What was the inspiration for StarCraft Universe?

R: StarCraft and EverQuest were my favorite games in middle and high school. I always thought it would be awesome to combine the two and I think a lot of others shared that fantasy.

T: How many people worked on this game and what roles did they have?

R: About 11 people worked directly on aspects of the game in varying degrees. You can see the credits in this link: http://upheavalarts.com/starcraftuniverse/the-team/

T: Do you have any funny stories about the design process for your game?

R: I thought it would be funny to give the Medic a Predator pet with a self-destruct sequence that plays the nyan-cat theme as a detonation warning. It’ll stay in the game until the complaints roll in.

T: How does the game work? What’s in store for a first time player?

R: Players start the game by creating their character in the class selection menus. From there, they will be introduced to the StarCraft Universe storyline and taught how to play through a series of voice-acted tutorials and event-driven content.

The game plays much like any MMO out there. Anyone who has played World of Warcraft, for example, should pick this game right up.

T: What do you feel makes your game compelling?

R: We believe that Starcraft Universe offers a unique experience within the Arcade. We have a complete custom made third person RPG engine that gives StarCraft gamers a fresh experience.
Additionally, the game offers tons of customizable class options, full voice overs, an original soundtrack, intense combat, and much more!

T: Are there any updates coming to StarCraft Universe that the community can look forward to?

R: Yes! We’re currently hard at work on a multiplayer gauntlet of challenges we plan on releasing in the near future.

T: What advice would you give to someone who was interested in using the SCII Editor to make their own game? Where is a good place for them to start the learning process?

R: Start with a small project. The most important thing is to finish whatever project you have started and that you enjoy what you are doing. Once you managed to finish your first project it might give you additional motivation to go further!

T: How did you get people to notice your game once it was released?

R: In general we always start off with some sort of trailer that we share; additionally, we try to provide updates via Facebook and Twitter to keep people interested.

We think that PR is very important in order to make a project successful. No matter how good your game is, you always need a decent player base to get it started. The more people know about the game, the higher the chance that it will get popular. In addition, you’ll receive more feedback that you can use to improve the map.

T: Do you have any plans for other games or future goals as a game designer?

R: If we can get the funding, we’d love to continue producing StarCraft Universe so long as players continue to log into StarCraft II.
My long term goal is to create my own IP outside of StarCraft to share with the world.

T: What’s the best way people can follow you and your work (Twitter, Facebook, website, etc.)?

R: There are several ways to follow our project:

Official website: http://upheavalarts.com/starcraftuniverse/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/StarcraftUniverse/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/Starcraft2SCU/

T: Do you have any favorite games on the StarCraft II Arcade?

R: Star Battle and Desert Strike!

Call to Action: Heart of the Swarm Beta Leveling

Now that those of you with Heart of the Swarm beta access have had some time to sink your teeth into the new features that arrived with Beta Patch 2.0.3, we kindly request your assistance in testing the leveling system.

To honor your hard work and achievements during this time, we decided to create a few new rewards that you can earn through the leveling system. For each faction you manage to raise to level 30, you'll receive an exclusive character portrait specific to that race. If you'd like to unlock all three new portraits, you'll face the daunting task of reaching the maximum level with each race, for a total character level of 90.

Here’s a look at what's up for grabs:

Though some of these units are no longer with us, we felt each was representative of the beta experience in its own right, and that these portraits could be a fun way to show off your dedication as a Heart of the Swarm Beta tester.

Once you’ve met the experience requirements detailed above, the level-30 portraits you’ve earned and a Feat of Strength achievement will transfer over to your permanent account when Heart of the Swarm is released on March 12, 2013. So get logged in, start up a game, and earn those rewards!

Thank you for thoroughly testing the leveling system during this phase of the beta, and continuing to provide your constructive feedback for Heart of the Swarm. If you'd like to participate in the beta, you can gain access by pre-purchasing the game digitally on Battle.net.