StarCraft II patch 1.2 live, adds chat and fixes

battlenet custom game menu

Today, the developers over at Blizzard announce and released patch 1.2 for StarCraft II, marking several improvements, feature add-ons, and exploit fixes.

Among the additions, Blizzard has added Battle.net chat channels, allowing all players on Battlenet to join chat in public and private channels! StarCraft II players can also now send whispers using the “/w” to instantly talk to friends, party members, chat channels, or other players in their current game.

They have also added a ew league created for the highest skilled players called Master League. Here’s hoping the best players stay there!

A few other items among the list standout to hopefully improve game experience online and in heated multiplayer, including the ability to create customizable hotkeys, a new feature called Stalemate Detection (which will end the game in a tie for all remaining players if no players have income, production, or destroyed structures for three consecutive minutes), and a new graphics option called Extreme, allowing players greater control over their game and more efficient online performance.

Another major change and improvement is a fix that prevents players from blocking off ramps with two 2×2 buildings, which will ultimately dissuade people from building two Protoss pylons and a proton cannon at the bottom of an enemy base to hinder their offense.

This change alone will alter online gaming in StarCraft II for the better, as it is pretty much a cheap exploit and lame strategy. Even worker rushing is better than that!

Read the full change log of patch 1.2 for StarCraft II on Battlenet for more information.