However, Blizzard has historically frowned upon altering core game files, as it can trigger anti-cheat flags. This leaves the average player in a limbo—wanting the high-quality visuals but resenting the "loading tax" required to render them.
The difference is measurable. A standard user on an HDD sees 45–90 seconds of "Preparing." An optimized user on an SSD sees 8–12 seconds. A power user with a RAMDisk and registry tweaks sees —literally the time it takes to flash the text on screen. starcraft 2 preparing game data extra quality