5 Freeware Apps to Enrich Your Starcraft 2 Experience!
5 Freeware Apps to Enrich Your Starcraft 2 Experience!
Posted 07/29/2010 at 5:00pm
| by David Murphy
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I’m amazed you’re even reading this. Not because the quality of the prose is lacking in this week’s roundup of open-source and freeware applications, mind you. Rather, if you haven’t noticed by the coverage (and advertising) permeating just about every known tech site in the universe right now, Starcraft 2 just came out. It’s a miracle I’ve been able to tear myself away from defending humanity to write this but, well, my heart for free software is just too strong.
While it would be awesome to give you some kind of “Top 5 ways to get Starcraft 2 for free” article or something like that, it’s just not happening. And no, before you ask, there really aren’t any launchers or applications specifically designed for the game that can give you some kind of competitive edge or awesome third-party tie-in just yet. Wishful, if not silly thinking, no?
However, that’s not to say that applications don’t exist that could otherwise enhance your Starcraft 2 gaming experience in some capacity. Like I said, nothing’s been written specifically for the title, but there are a number of useful, free apps that you can use to otherwise bolster your gaming-life-that-just-so-happens-to-be-Blizzard’s-latest-title. I apologize for the tongue-twistedness of it all; simply put, you can use the following 5 apps to make Starcraft 2—or any game—rock just a little bit more.
Auto Mute
This one used to happen to me in middle school computer class all the time. You finish your work early and think that you’re going to outsmart everyone by firing up some Duke Nukem for the remaining 30 minutes of class—you’re in the back row so nobody will notice, right? You double-tap the executable and… blammo. Duke Nukem’s theme song is blaring from the PC speakers and you’ve just earned yourself a one-way ticket to some time after school.
Auto Mute is a program that’s designed to prevent such a situation from occurring (and foster stealthy game playing) by automatically muting your speakers whenever your system starts up. It’s as simple as that—a somewhat small utility in its execution but one that’s nevertheless a real lifesaver when you don’t want others to hear what you’re up to (if the incessant clicking doesn’t give it away, that is).
Download it here!
Start My Day
This one’s just fun. Suppose you, like me, are extraordinarily lazy and would much prefer to come home to all the lights in your apartment already on, the dinner cooking, the tv playing your favorite show, and your favorite beverage of choice simmering on the coffee table. Well, Start My Day is the digital equivalent of being able to have Starcraft 2—or any app or game—up-and-running the moment you walk in the door.
Simply put, use this app to schedule when you want the various programs on your system to run. You can set them to auto-start with Windows (boring) or at a specific time all alarm-clock style (awesome). Because nothing says “I’m home from work” like a fresh batch of Zerg killing.
Download it here!
Volmouse
Let nothing stand between one’s game and one’s system settings. In this case, I’m referring to configuration options like the various volume levels you can set for individual programs in Windows 7, your screen’s brightness, and other various settings you can toggle in the OS. Volmouse is a simple application that allows you to assign hotkey and mouse wheel combinations to such settings. In effect, this gives you a way to alter Windows properties like sound, brightness, and transparency just by holding a predetermined key and flicking your finger.
Download it here!
Taksi
Recording videos from the various games you play (for Youtube-based bragging rights) is a real pain in the Protoss. And while the open-source app Taksi makes it a lot easier to get these movies from most titles on your system, it’s not and end-all solution for all titles. I haven’t gotten a chance to try this myself with ol’ Starcraft 2, but some users have reported that it doesn’t work very well with Blizzard’s latest creation. Suffice, it’s completely free and allows you to specify the custom codec by which your movies will eventually, er, be saved. Take that, Fraps?
Download it here!
GameProtector
As always, I’ve saved the big one for last. Let nobody touch your multitude of saved games, achievements, and general Starcraft 2 record awesomeness, for it would be a real shame if a friend, roommate, or loved one got on your account and started losing game, after game, after game. Get the point?
The handy utility GameProtector allows you to password-lock any game on your system such that nobody will be able to log on as you (or merely fire up the game) and affect your hard-earned accolades in any fashion. Your saved games will be safe; your perfect multiplayer record will stay pristine; and you will probably be hated by anyone you share a living quarters with. But, hey, they’re your games! Nobody else’s!
Download it here!
David Murphy (@ Acererak) is a technology journalist and former Maximum PC editor. He writes weekly columns about the wide world of open-source as well as weekly roundups of awesome, freebie software. He probably needs to go spawn some more overlords now, however.
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Gentou
January 21, 2012 at 7:29pm
@Lhot
Your argument doesn't make sense to me at all...
First of all, your grammar sucks. If you want to make a convincing argument, try it with proper English. Also, if you don't know the real origins of chess, just don't even talk about it. Your source states that Chess's origins are obscure, so from what I read, no one really knows where Chess came from. Chess obviously takes more than 5 seconds to learn. If you really play Chess, you should know that (I don't even play Chess and I know that it has a bunch of rules that you need to learn). Your point about people having purchased over 10 billion sets of Chess doesn't make sense at all. Before medical technology was advanced, the average lifespan of a person was really low. I'm not gonna go into serious details since that'd be a waste of my time. Only after the mid 20th century did our lifespans become considerably longer. No, there couldn't have been 10 billion people who have bought Chess. How old are you again? If you've ever been in a history class, you would know that for most of the world's history, about 95% of the people in this world have worked until their backs have broken in order to satisfy the needs of the wealthy. That includes royalty, and just rich people in general. Especially when we didn't have machines to manufacture Chess pieces, do you really think the common people had the money to purchase actual Chess sets? A point I would like to make about Starcraft is that you can micro-manage in the game. In Chess, you have individual pieces that account for a bunch of things. I'm saying that in Starcraft, how you control your armies can turn the tide of the game and win you a game, but in Chess, your strategy is all you need. In Starcraft, you can use your own skills to supplement your strategy. It can be compared to a few elite soldiers that may do the work of many soldiers. In Starcraft, if you can manipulate a couple of units well enough, you can do enough damage to reduce the opponent's army size by a considerable amount or completely destroy it. I'm sure the original game, chaturanga, was more complex, but Chess these days isn't. I completely agree that it takes more brains to play Chess than it does to play Starcraft, though. Anyways, I think your argument is invalid in my opinion.
I should have just said you're a dumbass, plain and simple, but it was fun writing all this. Also, you do sound like an 8 year old on Mountain Dew. lulululz
Lhot
July 31, 2010 at 12:09pm
...no it was the chinese, the orginal board was 64x64 squares and breifly used to plan military campaigns, until I guess...boredom set in one night and they started playing it "just for fun".
http://ask.yahoo.com/20010322.html
True the less informed theory was 600 A.D. India, but 50 years ago and now again, that idea is being hotly debated.
@bergy berg
1st many millions (more than a mere 11 mill) play chess.
2nd I don't hate video games...I hate cheap *ss junk video games.
3rd I do hate Windows 7 it has an inferior GUI, if nothing else....I love XP....Its just as fast, the GUI is 1000 times better and all the security "improvements" added to WIN 7, are both a royal pain, and don't work any better lol
4th When YOUR finished with YOUR Mt. Dew you might 'carefully' re-read what I posted, and not just scan over something and sceam troll. I apologize for being unable to express my self in 3 lines....maybe I should buy a can of ADD to help me in this regard :/
DOOMHAMMA
July 30, 2010 at 7:35pm
I go out of my way to fire up Tie Fighter at least every two years. That game is pure badass.
Lhot
July 30, 2010 at 9:23am
You are NOT alone....RTS games SUXXORZ, plain and simple.....the absolute best RTS ever made was....CHESS and no modern day game dev is EVER gonna beat that game. In modern day lingo, Chess would be marketed like this:
Best GUI ever invented, touch capabilities, take it with you anywhere, tactile feedback, 5 seconds to learn, 100 years to master.
Oh my bad.....CIV is better....wrong....in what world are people as tall as buildings, and walk around with neon green circles around their feet? Wanna talk numbers? Chess was invented by the Chinese in like 400 or 800 B.C. and is STILL around.....lets see WoW or SC II touch that! Then we can include sales numbers....lets see...how many people in the past 2500 years have purchased, or bartered for Chess sets? 4-5 billion? 10 billion?
Best two comp games ever writen....Diablo II and Planescape Torment. Now I admit, that as a consumer with a brain, my preferences MIGHT not be so wide spread....lol
Oh plzzz, plzzz, plzzz I want that game where you fight with plants...for gawds sake, cut me a break. If I were to break the law and illegally market Biowares Planescape Torment...today.....it'd put all other games to shame!
Dear Dave:
I applaud your 5 free apps articles, as I am well aware of the work involved in finding 5 useful apps per week. However, maybe your herculean effort would be better spent finding 5 free apps that protect users identities and secure their devices. You must admit that these are the two biggest problems today. No offense, I DO truly understand the difficulty this would involve.
Dear MaxPC:
Please decease with your fan boy worship of Win 7...it's just "not all that!" 74% of the business world can't ALL be wrong!
Otherwise...great mag and great site...keep up the good work :)
bergie berg
July 30, 2010 at 11:00am
This is probably the funniest/most schizophrenic troll post I've ever seen outside of 4chan. Minus mentioning two games that are way old, it seems like you're an 8 year old who's had too much Mountain Dew.
As much as I don't wanna feed the troll, chess clearly beats Civ in realism with it's moving castles and disembodied horse heads. Chess might be older, but certainly more people play WoW on a daily basis now (probably not a good thing).
What the hell are you doing reading a magazine about PCs when you hate video games and Win7?
TheMurph
July 30, 2010 at 9:56am
Wow.
I was about to label you a crazy until you correctly identified two of the greatest games ever created: Diablo II and Placescape Torment. I love the latter so much, it's almost unhealthy. I'm going to let you finish, however, I would submit that TIE Fighter is, in fact, the greatest game of all time. Of all time.
Anyway, I spend a lot of time every week identifying applications that cover a wide range of issues -- security being one of them. Sometimes, my themes diverge from, "Install TrueCrypt!" This article is one such case. Search the archives, however, and ye shall find:
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/freeware_files_5_apps_locking_down_your_system_hardcore
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/freeware_files_five_apps_locking_down_your_pcs_security
Just two off the top o' me head that will help you out. Whee.
highsidednb
August 02, 2010 at 10:32am
This was an awesome article Murph. I won't be buying SC2 but all these apps will be very useful for me.
Planescape: Torment is the best game ever created by humans in this universe and in any other possible universes (or planes.) Despite playing through every possible ending I'm still trying to find a widescreen work-around for win7 64. The game plays fine in compatability mode but is stretched wide. Still enjoyable even if The Nameless One is a little chubby.
aviaggio
July 30, 2010 at 3:19pm
Mmmm... Planescape Torment. Good shit. I really miss those old games. Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale. All good stuff. And don't forget System Shock 2. Easily one of the best games EVAH.
Silencer
July 30, 2010 at 3:06am
All of them are good to know about.
A couple of people that I know, have asked for something like 'Game Protector'. Thanks!
keithfreitag
July 29, 2010 at 10:53pm
same here. no interest to play it. Never play WoW either. I must be the only one who hasn't.
aviaggio
July 29, 2010 at 9:39pm
How about a utility that makes Starcraft 2 into a game I actually have an interest in playing? I guess I'm the only one on the planet that can't be bothered with RTSs.
TheMurph
July 30, 2010 at 7:53am
Suit yourself!
http://www.break.com/game-trailers/game/starcraft-2/starcraft-2-as-a-first-person-shooter
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