Players were excited to hear about the first major patch for Starcraft II some weeks ago. But the official notes, released today, have left some fans underwhelmed. The list of changes is long, but the specific balance changes are actually few. The balance list can be seen below:

PROTOSS
Zealot build time increased from 33 to 38.
Zealot Warp Gate cooldown increased from 23 to 28.

TERRAN
Battlecruiser Ground damage decreased from 10 to 8.
Bunker build time increased from 30 to 35.
Reaper build time increased from 40 to 45.
Siege Tank siege mode damage changed from 50 to 35 (+15 armored).
Siege TankUpgrade damage changed from +5 to +3 (+2 armored).

ZERG
Ultralisk ram ability removed. Ultralisk will now use normal attack against buildings.
Ultralisk damage decreased from 15 (+25 armored) to 15 (+20 armored).

Most of the other changes are mostly to peripheries such as the map editor as well as some useful fixes to the custom map system. However, competitive players have already expressed dismay at the lack of balance changes. To see the full list, head over to the Blizzard site.

Probably the most important change for competitive play, however, is the inclusion of a 'game clock.' "Players can now instantly see how long they've been in their current mission or match," say the patch notes. "This feature can be turned on or off in the Gameplay Options menu." Whether this will be enabled in tournaments is questionable right now, but it will definitely affect ladder games.

The patch is due to go live around 5AM tomorrow morning.