For those that are playing the beta, just wondering how the skirmish mode (i.e. multiplayer vs. AI) is shaping up compared to the original, and whether its heading towards being a decent warm-up for BNet, and/or a credible alternative for those that just want a bit of casual multi-player action without going online...?

im gonna assume this is for starcraft 2 
 
i heard from a friend its really fun. and that this is the only game he didnt mind playing against AI

The only AI in the beta is "very easy" because they want people playing each other so strategies and balance issues are discovered. Playing against the AI isn't going to help you balance a game.

The AI is basically braindead in the beta. But the AI in the final game will be better. Personally though, I don't think you can learn how to play Starcraft at all playing against an AI. You have to suck it up and take the losses in multiplayer until you can start competing with other players. Else you're just going to be bad at the game forever.

I haven't done a single game with AI yet, I've been watching games since the Beta Started and when I got invited in March, I easily jumped in.  I post and look around Team Liquid so I didn't need the CPU to practice. 

" The AI is basically braindead in the beta. But the AI in the final game will be better. Personally though, I don't think you can learn how to play Starcraft at all playing against an AI. You have to suck it up and take the losses in multiplayer until you can start competing with other players. Else you're just going to be bad at the game forever. "

ummm that just sounds ass backwards, you want a ai that will be brutal and adapt to your build, but you dont want to play online vs peopel who do that? Hell i suck at the game im in copper right now, but it is much more fun and engaging to play vs other people of my same skill lv. i have a 18/16 lose win ratio. And thats after i lost 6 or so times in a row. You know what happen? i learned and got better. The losses help you learn and beat other players.

" @jmrwacko said:

" The AI is basically braindead in the beta. But the AI in the final game will be better. Personally though, I don't think you can learn how to play Starcraft at all playing against an AI. You have to suck it up and take the losses in multiplayer until you can start competing with other players. Else you're just going to be bad at the game forever. "

I know for a fact that most of my friends wont play online, because of the steep difficulty curve. It's like this for most RTS with them, so I am always stuck just plyaing skirmishes against AI with them. Hopefully the AI is going to be rather brutal and adapt to my unit composition/build order. "

Well, now that I've spent some time with the beta, AI has been good for enabling me to practice and build up my hotkey speed in a safe environment. Not actually employing any tactics or anything, just sharpening skills.
 
That said, here's hoping there's a decent skirmish for real bot matches.

" Well, now that I've spent some time with the beta, AI has been good for enabling me to practice and build up my hotkey speed in a safe environment. Not actually employing any tactics or anything, just sharpening skills. That said, here's hoping there's a decent skirmish for real bot matches. "