[TheGentleman]

Global Play Update 22/12/2012

Directly quoted from source: http://us.battle.net/sc2/en/blog/782..._II-12_21_2012

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We have updated the Global Play FAQ with some of the top questions posed by the community over the last two months. Definitely take a look at it if you have lingering concerns over how this new feature will affect your experience of StarCraft II.

Global Play will give you access to StarCraft II game servers in regions outside your own, expanding the possibilities for eSports, exposing you to maps and games that aren’t yet published everywhere, and making it easy to play with your friends in other parts of the world. Each region will have separate profile data, meaning that characters, profiles, ladder rankings, progress, and friends lists will not carry over from region to region. With Global Play, you’ll have other regions to choose from as you create new characters, take on different ladder opponents, and perhaps try maps that you’ve never seen before.

More about Global Play:

• Players will be able to freely switch between regions via the StarCraft II login screen.
• When your region’s game servers are undergoing maintenance, you may be able to play in a different region that is not down for maintenance.
• Your game language and user interface will not change when you change regions.
• Players using Global Play will be subject to the in-game policies of their selected play region.

For more info, please take a look at the Global Play FAQ located on our support site.

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In the interest of redundancy I have copy and pasted the FAQ (updated on the 20th of December 2012) here:

Frequently Asked Questions
Source: https://us.battle.net/support/en/art...lobal-play-faq

With Battle.net®’s Global Play functionality, you’ll have access to StarCraft II game servers in regions outside your own, making it easy to play with your friends in other parts of the world.

The game regions in StarCraft II are:

• The Americas for players in North America and Latin America
• Europe for players in the European Union, Eastern Europe, Russia, Africa, and Middle Eastern countries such as Israel and the United Arab Emirates
• Korea and Taiwan for players in South Korea and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau
• Southeast Asia for players in Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asian countries such as Singapore, Indonesia, and the Philippines

Note: StarCraft II Global Play is not available to players in mainland China.

Players can freely switch between regions via the StarCraft II login screen. Each region will have separate profile data, meaning that progress and friends lists will not carry over from region to region. Players using Global Play will be subject to the in-game policies in their selected play region.

How is my home game region decided?
Your “home” game region is determined by the home address (specifically, the country of residence) registered to your Battle.net account. The first time you log in to StarCraft II, your game region will be set to your “home” region.

How do I play in another game region?
You can select a game region on the StarCraft II login screen. Once you have selected a new region, you just need to log into the game for the change to take effect. If you do not select a new game region before logging in, your client will automatically default to whichever region you logged in to last.

Note: To use Global Play, you must agree to the legal terms and conditions for the country in which you reside.

Will my profile and ladder ranking be available if I switch regions?
No, characters, profiles, and ladder rankings will not transfer between regions. When you switch to a new region for the first time, you will be prompted to create a new profile for that region. None of your existing progress in another region will transfer.

Will my interface or game language change if I switch regions?
Your game language and interface will remain the same when you change regions. If you purchased the full-language version of StarCraft II, you will be able to play in all available languages in all regions.

Do my Real ID and BattleTag™ friends carry over to other game regions?
Real ID and BattleTag friendships are region-specific, so friends from one region will not appear in another. In addition, players can only communicate with each other and see each other’s status when they are playing in the same game region.

Will I need to create a new BattleTag when I switch my region?
No, your BattleTag is the same in every game region. Your StarCraft II character name may be different from region to region, though, as your profile does not transfer across game regions.

How will server maintenance affect my ability to play in other regions?
You may be able to access game servers in another region when your home region’s servers are undergoing maintenance, provided the other region’s servers are not also undergoing maintenance at that time.

The time that your StarCraft II client patches is determined by the region of the installer you used. For example, players who installed StarCraft II using the Americas' installer will update according to the Americas' schedule. If your client patches ahead of other regions, you will be locked out of playing in unpatched regions until their patch goes live. This could mean that players in Europe who installed using the Americas’ installer may be locked out from playing in Europe if that region updates after the Americas. This applies for all regions.

Note: If you haven't previously logged into another region using your current login credentials, your ability to connect might be affected while your home region is in maintenance.

Are there any restrictions on who can use Global Play?
Korean players who log in to the game at an IGR (and are not playing using a full StarCraft II license they purchased themselves) will only be able to play in the Korea and Taiwan game region.

How will Global Play affect my forum access?
You will be able to post on the StarCraft II forums in any region where you have created a character profile.

If I want to use Global Play, do I have to upgrade all my regional copies of Wings of Liberty?
You only need to upgrade one copy of Wings of Liberty to Heart of the Swarm to use Global Play. The Heart of the Swarm upgrade applies to all regional versions of Wings of Liberty on your Battle.net account.

Can I upload my custom maps to all regions?
You can upload your custom maps to any region that supports Global Play. Your available space for custom maps is independent from region to region.