Blizzad made their hit game StarCraft and its expansion StarCraft: Brood War available for free. They made this move because the remastered version of the game is set to release sometime this summer.
Blizzard's real time strategy game from 1998, StarCraft, and its expansion: StarCraft: Brood War are now available for free. No it's not a joke and the offer is not about to expire. The mother of modern eSports has been updated and put on offer for zero cash by Blizzard recently, and it's going to stay that way indefinitely.
This move is due to the fact the StarCraft Remastered version is due to launch this summer. While it won't be free, it will boast 4K visuals, widescreen support, improved online functions and remastered audio. The remastered version won't require a Battle.Net account for LAN play. Both StarCraft singleplayer content and the Brood War expansion will be featured in the new version. For more info, check out the announcement trailer above the article.
Blizzard
The original game and its expansion became available for free thanks to the 1.18 patch which, among other things, introduced some general updates like the addition of windowed fullscreen and windowed mode, as well as a new Observer mode and UTF-8 support. The only known issue listed, is that the "profile section is currently unavailable.". This patch is the first update StarCraft received in the last eight years. I will be listing the full patch notes under this article.
Blizzard stated that all owners of the original game and its expansion pack will be able to play online against the players who decide to buy the remastered version this summer. Online play does require a Battle.net account.
Visit the game's to find the links for PC and Mac download.
StarCraft
Full patch note, as promised:
General
- Added windowed fullscreen or windowed mode; use Alt+Enter to switch between.
- Added UTF-8 support.
- Added cursor clamping in-game while windowed; unclamped in menus.
- Added Popular Maps to streamline finding games or game types.
- Added options to display actions per minute.
- Added Observer mode.
- Added opponent information when joining a game lobby.
- Added autosaving for replays.
- Added an option to display the game timer.
- Added UPnP support.
- Updated to a new OpenGL backend.
- Improved gameplay responsiveness during multiplayer by increasing turn rate to match LAN speeds over Battle.net.
- Improved UI layout in Battle.net sections.
- Improved behavior of available lobbies within the ‘Join Game’ section.
- Improved compatibility with Windows 7, 8.1, and 10.
- Improved anticheat capabilities.
- Improved installation and patching performance.
- Mac Beta support now available for 10.11 and up.
Bug Fixes
- Fixed palette issues to correct rainbow water, 80s Kerrigan face in the loading screen, and other graphic glitches.
- Fixed problems with LAN game discovery.
- Fixed IME support and other text artifacts in Battle.net menus.
- LAN and Legacy Battle.net fixes.
Known Issues
- The profile section is currently unavailable.
