StarCraft 2's UI is getting an overhaul with Patch 3.0, old replays going bye-bye [Update]
StarCraft 2's user interface is getting a make-over in preparation for Legacy of the Void, and part of the update is the loss of old replays.
Update
Over the weekend, Blizzard announced the new UI changes coming with Patch 3.0, and we apparently missed something which may matter to some and not others: the loss of replays.
According to Blizzard, "replays made before this patch will no longer be supported once it goes live," but replays made after the patch will "be supported in future versions of the game."
Replays will be culled due to Blizzard switching from MoPaQ to a new file format called CASC (Content Addressable Storage Container). The developer explained the differences in a blog post pertaining to WoW: Warlords of Draenor which was also switched over.
Via Kotaku.
Original story
Patch 3.0 for Heart of the Swarm is just around the corner and we wanted to remind everyone that replays made before this patch will no longer be supported once it goes live. Replays that are newly created in Patch 3.0 and onwards will be supported in future versions of the game.
The various changes made to the UI will be released with Patch 3.0 and all players of any version of the game will be receiving the update.
Blizzard said the UI will provide a more social experience with a persistent chat window, and the number of players in chat channel has been changes from 100 to 200. A function which automatically removes inactive players from public chat channels has also been added. Every player that logs in will automatically be placed into a general chat.
Players will be able switch between conversations using the dropdown in the chat dialogue, and message notifications will be tagged via a filter dropdown.
Other changes made to the UI to accommodate the new chat function include moving the navigation, sub-navigation, and the party panel to the top of the screen. This allows for more space, which Blizzard used to add 3D scenes into every screen.
Arcade improvements have also been made, and more details on changes to the UI can be found over on Battle.net. There's also a list of hotkeys which players can reference to help navigate the new UI. That images is also posted below.
StarCraft 2:Legacy of the Void releases on November 10.