Most of the games get boring if there is endless iteration to achieve certain goal. However, Blizzard said the secret behind the success of their games is the endless iteration. On the surface, this seems absurd as you would not want to do the same thing over and over in a game. However, when you look closely at Blizzard games, most of them are repetitive. This holds true for the mega successful World of Warcraft where you do nothing but level up and get new items until new sets of items are released. Also, Diablo 1 and 2 are all about repetition. This can be somewhat true for Starcraft where the missions don’t vary too much and online play is basically same. The lead designer Kevin Martens said in an interview that the iteration is the key to the success.

This will also apply to the upcoming Starcraft 2 as well as Diablo 3. Both games won’t vary too much from their predecessor games. The key to having successful games with iteration design is simple. Make a fun game where you want to do things over and over. It has proven true for all the games released by Blizzard. You don’t mind doing same things over and over when it is fun. Starcraft 2 will certainly have updated graphics and new units. But, the core attraction, the strong game play, will not be changed.

Blizzard has stated that they will be selling premium maps in StarCraft 2. This is after they announced their plan to sell three separate campaigns instead of one game like StarCraft. If you were an avid StarCraft fan, you will most likely have played the custom maps with custom settings on Battlenet. Some of the games include Starship trooper, LOTR, or various other CTF custom maps.

Apparently, Blizzard will make their own maps with different type of games. The game editor will allow you to make FPS, RPG, and overhead arcade type shooter games. Blizzard showcased some of these maps this year’s BlizzCon. Blizzard displayed various playing modes. While RPG element is exciting, the FPS style would really generate a great interest. How would you like to play Ghost in FPS like Blizzard intended with their Ghost FPS game that’s been delayed indefinitely? It would really be something different in RPG game.

While this adds great replay value and longevity, it feels like Blizzard is trying to nickel and dime the gamers. The flexibility is impressive but they should really think about releasing some of these premium maps without charging too much.

In a recent interview with Wired, Paul Sams, Blizzard’s COO, stated StarCraft 2 will be a short session game. While he made the statement comparing the StarCrat 2 to WOW, it’s little troublesome to think that StarCraft 2 will be short. We know that it will arrive in three different phases with the first release, Wings of Liberty. Hopefully, the game will long enough and not too short as hinted by Paul Sams.