Blizzard Releases Patch 1.18 For ‘StarCraft’ Ahead Of Full Remastered Version

Blizzard released on Tuesday Patch 1.18 for “Starcraft” to make the almost two-decade-old “StarCraft easier to play on modern gadgets. The new Patch 1.18, the first for the PC strategy game in eight years, would improve its compatibility for machines running on Windows 7, 8.1, and 10. It would also make the game playable on Mac Beta 10.11 and more modern Apple machines.

Patch 1.18 released on Tuesday added a borderless windowed mode, tweaked some back-end code, corrected some bugs that have been long-standing, and improved compatibility with Windows 10, according to PC World. The game developer included an observer mode and added UPnP support. The patch notes for “StarCraft” remind players to use the “Run as Admin” option. It is a requirement during the first client run to migrate saves and avoid issues from Windows system admin changes.

The Verge reoports that in summer, Blizzard would release a full remastered version of “StarCraft.” The upcoming version would have full 4K graphics. But ahead of the remastered version, the game developer released for free the original game and its expansion, “Brood War,” on Blizzard’s website. When the remastered version of “StarCraft” comes out in summer, players could use that version to play against gamers using the original version of the game.

Blizzard made the original “StarCraft” free so players could get some practice playing again the 19-year-old game before the developer releases in summer the remastered version of the game, MacRumors notes. To download the original game on Mac or Windows machines, visit the StarCraft website.

“StarCraft,” upon its launch in 1998, became a national sport in South Korea when the game became available on Internet cafes. Professional teams were formed, tournaments were held, and TV channels were opened with the game as its focus.