Starcraft 2 Multiplayer

When I was originally sucked into the world of Starcraft years ago, it was by a tight knit group of friends. They trained me in basic strategies and general gameplay, and we always played together. I spent a lot of time observing the matches I wasn't skilled enough to participate in, and serving as a handicap for the most skilled players. Over the years I played, we must have played hundreds and hundreds of matches, 2v2s, 3v3s, 2v1s and many other permutations.

This time around it's different - I have friends playing, but not a dedicated set group. As a result, I have spent a lot of time playing with random strangers and suffering heavily. I had forgotten just how badly some people play - it's astonishing that people with such poor skills get any enjoyment out of the game whatsoever. I've watched people build 4 or 5 gateways at the start of a match, and then only use one to build units. I've seen people build up defenses without any units whatsoever. And some things never change - some people still know no strategy except for amassing battleships.

One thing is for sure - if I keep playing pick up games I will go completely insane. I'm not a fantastic player, I'm an average one who has been getting stuck with absolutely terrible partners nearly every time. So far I am less than impressed with the game's "skill matching" system. Hopefully some of these players will give up or actually learn how to play, because at present it's just unbearable in the lower casual brackets of gameplay.