Preview: "Wacraft 3", d. 14 Marts 2002

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Warcraft 3 Preview

As they say in the world of horror movies, the 3^rd one is always the best, and hopefully it will be just the same with the Warcraft trilogy. But to tell you all about this soon-to-come game, we must start from the very beginning, and we will do that by introducing you to a world very different from the one you know…We welcome you in the world of Warcraft 3!!

To get you in the in the right Warcraft-mood, try to close your eyes and dream yourself into a medieval world (alright, don’t close your eyes… It’s more of a mental note then a physical thing really). In this world, magic flows, and dragons live among men. Mighty nations are ruled by Heroes, fantastic creatures roam the lands and hideous beasts lurk in the darkness of the pitch-black night. In this world, you are but a humble Knight, fighting to defend your homeland from many threats.

Now, imagine yourself walking in a huge forrest all alone, when you suddenly hear a strange growling and mumbling behind some large bushes in front of you. What kind of a creature is that? Curious as you are, you step a bit closer, and take a small peek in the bush. Right there, in front of you, stands a green reptile-like creature. Oh yes, it’s an Orc, and a big one too. By playing the two previous Warcraft games, you have learned that Orcs are Mans worst enemy, but there is something different about this Orc. This Orc doesn’t hurt you, it just stares terrified at something behind you, and as you turn around to see what it is, the Orc yells something you don’t understand, and starts to run away as fast as it can.

But you can’t quite figure out what the Orc is running from, but then you see a fire moving closer to you, and it moves really fast. You start to run the same direction as the Orc, but the fire is still moving closer to you. As you run, you look back and see that the fire has a man-like shape, only four times bigger than you. You start to wonder, what is that thing? Then you hear a deafening roar, and all of a sudden you feel paralyzed and are unable to move, all you can do is to stand completely still and watch this huge monster approaching you. You have never been so scared in your entire life, never have you seen such a badass creature, and you have even been in the worlds of Warcraft 1 and 2 fighting some pretty darn tough Orcs!

The creature is now standing right in front of you, and all you can think of doing right now is asking it: “Who or what are you?!”.

The creature looks down on you and says: “You will never know, will you?”, and then it it crushes you with one frightfull hand, shrugging it’s shoulders as it wanders farther into your proud homeland…

If you know about Warcraft 3 before, then you can probably figure out what this horrific creature was, but if you haven’t, we can tell you that it was an Infernal, one of the units from the “Burning Legion”. Furhtermore, you yourself were a trained Knight of the “Alliance”, and you were fighting an Orc Grunt from the fanatical “Horde”. These names, races and descriptions might all be alien and unknown to you, but in the following weeks we will try to enlighten and tutor you about the different races and heroes in this world. We hope to be able to take you on a trip to the land of Azeroth, and if we suceed in guiding you, you may never want to return to the real world again….

Real-Time Strategy at its best:

Warcraft III will be a real time strategy game with heavy tactical elements. That being said, it is also a game with a great deal of focus on combat and eradicating enemy units.

The Real-Time Strategy (RTS) phenomenon has existed for almost a decade, starting with the science-fiction game Dune 2 and in it's early stages it evolved nicely with new titles such as "Warcraft: Orcs and Humans" and "Command & Conquer". Though recently, the genre seems to have shifted into more action-oriented gaming, as originality and innovation has created games such as Sacrifice, Giants and to a lesser extent, Ground Control. Blizzard too, tried to turn the genre by pronouncing that Warcraft III would be a "Role-Playing strategy game", mixing heavy roleplaying elements into the common gameplay of the RTS-games.

But Blizzard soon found out that what the genre really needed, was not another innovative action-roleplaying-spacefighting-mythical-FPS-inspired strategy game... No, the genre needed to return to it's roots, and that's why Warcraft III will run along the lines of it's wonderful predecessors instead of trying to expand the genre in more obscure directions.

Sure, there are still Role-Playing elements in the game, like small quests and magic items, but they only serve to enhance the experience, rather then turn it into a different kind of game. So now that we have pin-pointed just exactly what Warcraft III is, we'll get into the fray of things and take a closer look at the races, how ressources are collected and what new features we can expect that advances the traditional RTS-genre to a new and improved level.

The races and the story:

There will be four playable races in the game, and they will all have separate campaigns, just like in previous Warcraft games and the more recent Starcraft. The races are: Orcs, Humans, Night Elves and Undead. There is also a non-playable race of Demons.
All the races have synonymous names, for example the Orcs are known as "The Horde", because there are more then just Orcs that make up the army. In The Horde, you will find Orcs, Minotaurs, Trolls and more savage creatures. We will go into further detail about the different races, their special traits and their heroes and units later on in this preview.

Only very little specific is known about the storyline in the game at this point, but here is a short summary of what goes on in the world just before the gameplay starts, taken from our "World" section:

"The Alliance and the Horde fought a long battle, known as the second war between Humans and Orcs, and in the end, the Alliance managed to enter Azeroth and destroy the dark portal, putting a stop to the Orcs intrusion. The Alliance chased the Orcs, and eventually captured their leader Orgrim Doomhammer. This was the beginning of the end for the Alliance, for the kingdoms of Azeroth and Lordaeron, respectively, had different ideas as to what should happen to the Orcs. Strife arose, and the Alliance was soon no more.

But something unnatural intervened with the Orcs removal from power. Beyond the ruins of the dark portal, the remnants of Medivr existed, where the original portal to the world of Draenor had been. The humans settled the city of Nethergarde to serve as guardian should the rift ever open again.

Then, on the Eve of Summer in the year 606, a freak darkness swept across the Black Morass. All attempts by the mages of Nethergarde to probe into the darkness were futile, but they could sense that the rift was growing once more. Then, as if from a dream, the mages heard the sounds of a marching army. Hundreds strong, the sounds of armor and sword charged through the ruined portal and then as quickly fell silent. he thunderous shrieks of Dragons crying to make the skies passed overhead, and then as suddenlu disappeared into the gloom. Venemous undead whispers , barely audible under the clash of metal plates seemed to echo and repeat one phrase - "We will return..."

When the darkness lifted, the portal was visible once again.It illuminated the ruins as it always had, but the eerie light seemed to play tricks with the shadows. It was only upon closer inspection that the trampled mud that marked the passing of the Bleeding Hollow clan from Azeroth was found to be more than mere illusion.

The clan crossed over into Draenor and rejoined the "old clans" that had never seen the fields of Azeroth. The Orc leader Kilrogg and the shaman Ner'zhul used powerful magics to create rifts into other worlds, and thus, the Orcs once again had access to the continents of Azeroth, Lordaeron and even worlds beyond, and thus, the struggle between Orc and Man continued to this day... When the new enemy came about...

Demons, dropping from the skies, their only purpose in life to devour life itself. Orc and Man must now unite their efforts to battle the common foe, but will the shaky alliance, based on even more unstable foundations last? Only time will tell."

As you can tell from this excerpt, the Horde and the Alliance must work together to battle the Demons (known as the Burning Legion). Now where do the other two races fit into this conflict then?

Well, the Night Elves, a mysterious and good-aligned race, was once a part of a greater elven nation (more on this at a later stage). The protectors of the woods, and the most secretive of all the races, the Night Elves are NOT to be perceived as Drow or evil Dark Elves. In fact, they are a just and honorable race, but with a tarnished past (resembling the Dark Templar in Starcraft).

It was the Night Elves who banished the Demons from the world thousands of years ago, using their unique stealth skills and their mighty Demon Hunter heroes. Now we can only speculate what role the Elves will have in the story, but we bet the Demons are out for revenge, and the Night Elves will somehow be an integral part of getting rid of the Burning Legion (Demons) once and for all!

As for the Undead, well all that is known at this point is that they are an evil lot of rotting corpses with aspirations of world domination, so we see them allying with the Demons as the two truly evil races in the game.

In conclusion, we predict the game will end up featuring two good races, two evil races and a neutral race... The good races are the Alliance and the Night Elves. The evil races are the Undead and the Demons. And the neutral race, well it just has to be the Orcs, because their savage and chaotic ways, combined with their eternal hatred of Humans, just won't be able to stay out of trouble when the promise of destruction on humanity comes about.

We will, of course, go into greater detail about all the races, their histories and speculations about their roles in the game in later stages of this preview, but until then, this should have given you a basic overview of things to come from Warcraft III.

The Alliance

Their story:

The Alliance, consisting of Humans, Elves and Dwarves, have been a standing-stone ever since Warcraft 1. They have always been the noble and good, fending off evil Orcs, Demons and Dragons in their eternal quest to defend their homeland. They are the stereotypical "good-guys", with all the classic Tolkien-races within their ranks. Until now...

Immidiately following "Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal" the story of the Alliance goes something like this, as taken from our Alliance section in the Barracks:

"The Alliance has seen a fall from grace in this, the third installment. Competition and jealousy has divided the peoples of Azeroth, and now corruption, deception and conflicts are spread throughout the lands. Humans battle humans, and the ancient elven and dwarven populations are loosing faith in the humans, not knowing if they can still be trusted, and if they will eventually lose the long war with the Orcs due to this inner turmoil. Still, the Humans have one of the most varied and longstanding rosters, consisting of three races, many spellcasters and lots of modern technologies such as gunpowder and steam-driven machinery. If the Humans can learn to cooperate and take control like they could at one time, they would surely stand a good chance at defeating their foes, but divided as they are now, the future of Azeroth is grim indeed."

Their troops:

As with all the races in Warcraft III, the roster is divided into two main parts: Heroes and Units. We know for a fact that the following heroes are included in the Alliance army:

Furthermore, there will presumably also be a Crusader hero in the Alliance, but this remains to be confirmed.

Alliance units are the following:

Dwarven Mortar Team
Dwarven Rifleman
Elven Priestess
Elven Sorceress
Footman
Knight

There will probably be at least two more units, but again, Blizzard hasn't confirmed any more then these at the time of writing.

You can read much, much more about the Alliance, their units, spells and building in their section of the Barracks.

Their role in Warcraft III:

We expect the Alliance to get into gear, and stop fighting amongst themselves to once again save Azeroth from destruction. But this time, it won't primarily be against the Orcs, but rather the Burning Legion. We also think that the Alliance will be more direct and less noble then before, and that they might abandon their newly-found allies (the Orcs) when the time is right to stab them in the back! There will probably also be some in-fighting between the Night Elves and the Elves of the Alliance, since they have a shaky past and a mysterious relationship.

In conclusion, don't expect the Alliance to be as honorable and goody-good as they have been in the previous games, because they have matured, and they know it is a tactical advantage to be able to deceive and betray at any given moment. With this being said, nothing is known for sure about the story, but when the game is released, all will be revealed...

The Horde

A mans worst enemy aka "Their Story":

Ever since the first Warcraft game was released, the Orcs have always hated and fought against Humans. Exactly why the Orcs hate Humans so much is not yet known, maybe they just don't like those who are not like themselves and fight for that reason.
The Horde lives in a very brutal society where they are brought up with only one rule: only the strongest survive. Maybe that is why the Orcs act the way they do and fight as much as they do. Humans are a worthy opponent to the Horde and that might be the reason why they can fight each other during Warcraft 1, 2 and now 3. But in Warcraft 3 the Orcs have got other opponents besides the Humans: The Undead and the Demons. Now the Orcs are really in trouble and they have to think very carefully before they act. Here's a bit of history about the new-found beliefs of the Orcs and about the alliance between Man and Orc, taken from our Orc-section:

"The Orcs, originating from the red world of Draenor, have been a constant thorn in the eye of the nations of Azeroth and Lordaeron. Living only to kill, plunder and destroy, the Orcs are a savage and brutal race. Though that trend is on the change. The orcish hero, Thrall, is gathering the Orcs in a new society, a whole new life. Going back to their original, spiritual ways, the Orcs are now closer to the gods and their powers then ever before, and bringing a wide array of new allies into their grasp, like minotaurs and wyverns, their odds in defeating their enemies have improved greatly. But will the Orcs newfound unity and return to primal ways be enough to conquer the threat coming from another world in the form of the Burning Legion? And will they be able to settle the differences they have with the Humans of Azeroth to battle the common foe? Time will tell, but one thing is for certain: The Orcs are stronger then ever, and their roster is varied and vast, potentially the best in all of Azeroth"

The roster:

As was said, the Horde definitely has the strongest roster of melee fighting-units, and they also have some very powerful heroes among them.

Horde units are the following:

Catapult
Orc Grunt
Orc Shaman
Orc Wolfraider
Tauren
Troll Hunter
Troll Witchdoctor
Wyvernrider

You can read much, much more about the Orcs, their units, spells and building in their section of the Barracks.

Their role in Warcraft III:

We expect the Horde to play a big part in the campaign, and they will actually follow through on Thrall's promises and make peace with the Humans. They will fight off the common threat of the Burning Legion, but somewhere down the line the chaotic and anarchistic nature of the Orcs will shine through... At some fatal point, during a critical battle, the Orcs will turn on the Humans to fulfill the revenge they swore eons ago! We really expect this plot development to be as follows, but again, this is all speculation:

Humans and Orcs must ally to face the Demons.
Together, they approach victory over the Demons. Combined, the races are stronger then ever.
During the final battle, the Orcs turn on the Humans, thus enabling the Burning Legion to escape and recuperate.
This forces the Alliance to seek contact with the Night Elves, and thus bring them into the fray.
The Alliance, the Night Elves, and a small group of Horde rebels (lead by Thrall) face off against the Burning Legion and their Horde counterparts in an epic battle.
During all this, the Night Elves have fought the Undead in a battle of their own, eliminating that evil presence.

Could you follow that storyboard? Does it sound realistic? We don't know, but we think it might turn out this way, of course accompanied by the traditional Blizzard plot-twists, interwoven storylines and memorable characters. But whatever happens, we expect the Horde to be right in the thick of things, all the way, wether it be in victory or defeat!

The Scourge

"Hey, this Undeath-business aint' that bad after all!":

The only decisively evil (playable) race in the game, are the Undead, otherwise known as "the Scourge". Led by powerful Liches and demented undead beings, the Scourge only exist to create darkness and malice in the world. Their purpose for being is to further dabble in the arts of Necromancy, and to show the other races the correct path to a good life: Undeath...

The Undead create their units and buildings with the help of gold and their slain foes. Operating from their Keep, the Undead are the least building-dependant of all the races, and quite possibly the most mobile and "rush-friendly" of the playable races. Here's their story:

"The Undead Army, The Scourge, or whatever other synonym you wish to use about this unholy horde, consist mainly of sinister, manipulative and fearsome spellcasters. The army has very few thinking individuals, and uses spells and controlling magics rather then sheer warrior experience and prowess. In Warcraft III, the Damned are led by Liches and Death Knights, and have a focus on the dead. They have learned to control the dead, and use corpses of fallen enemies to gain an advantage in battle. Numerous able spellcasters grace the roster of the Undead, and they are the owners of the largest beast in the game, the Bone Dragon, or Dracolich, as some prefer to call it. Not much is known about the race yet, and their role in the battle for Azeroth is as of yet unclear. One thing is certain though, nobody likes the Scourge, for blasphemy and spirit-trapping is not looked upon lightly by the more humane races of the world."

No doubt about it, it's good to be bad, and the Undead looks to be some of the baddest of the bunch, because not only are they very mobile, and not only do they have an easy time rebuilding their ranks (by raising some new Ghouls etc.), but they also have some distinct advantages that make them an even more impressive force. You see, everywhere the Undead create buildings, a mysterious fog known as "blight" appears to corrupt the environment. Within their Blight, undead units have better fighting capabilities and even regenerate! This element really seems to give the Scourge some distinct tactical and defensive advantages. BUT, rumors say that within sunlit areas, the Undead will actually fight worse, so the day/night cyklus will be extremely important for the player who uses the Scourge as his favored race.

The roster:

Perhaps having assembled the greatest spellcasters of the the races, the Scourge only has interesting and mythical creatures among their ranks. Some of these beasts are the heroes of the race, and every single one of them holds the power to raise different types of undead units. They are as follows:

Scourge units are the following:

Banshee
Cold Wraith
Crypt Fiend
Dredge
Frost Wyrm
Gargoyle
Ghoul
Necromancer

You can read much, much more about the Undead, their units, spells and building in their section of the Barracks.

Their role in Warcraft III:

We figure the Undead battling the Night Elves, in a semi-seperate storyline at the same time the Orcs and Humans battle the Demons. When the Night Elves join in the fight against the Burning Legion, we actually expect the Undead to join forces with the Demons!

Seeing that the Scourge are all about malevolence and decimating their enemies, they fit right in with the Demons similarly destructive line of thinking.

Frankly, we don't know a whole lot about the Undead yet, and much will change with the race before the game is released, but the above could very well be a plausible evolution in the storyline. We shall see...

The Night Elves

Their story:

The Night Elves originated from the same race as the Elves who are in the Alliance.
Eons ago, the Demons of the Burning Legion invaded the lands, and it was the elves, more specifically the Night Elves, who banished them from the world. They did this by using arcane Druidic magic, a practice the High Elves didn't look upon as being a reasonable magical outlet. So the Elves came into a dispute over the use of magic, and they split up in two separate groups, the High Elves (the ones in the Alliance) and the Night Elves. Ever since that time, the Night Elves have lived a secretive and quiet life in the mighty forests of the lush continent Kalimdor. They excell in stealth, and have vast Shapechanging and Druidic powers at their disposal.

The Night Elves are NOT to be confused with the typical D&D stereotype that "all dark elves (or Drow) are evil and manipulative"... Frankly, they are quite the opposite, as the Night Elves are said to be a race living in harmony with nature and a society where virtues like justice, tranquility and honor are amongst the most sought.

Now the Night Elves aren't like the Elves in the Alliance, no sir! First of all, many of the more prominent units are females, and a large number of the different heroes and units have a unique ability to "shadow meld", making the Night Elves almost invisible in the nighttime, provided they don't move. This gives certain huge advantages for Night Elven players, because they will have to use the day/night cyklus for tactical reasons, which adds a very interesting element to the game. Secondly, their Druidic powers allow some of their units and a few of their heroes to "shapechange". This is the ability to alter ones form! For example, the Arch Druid can change into a giant hybrid beast, and other Druids can change themselves to become a bear and so forth. This element gives the Night Elven player another interesting aspect of the game, because bears, birds and wolves are actually neutral critters running around in the game world, and this way the player can conceal his Druids and spy on his enemies without them ever knowing it. Of course, this will lead to mass-murder on sparrows and black bears, but it's still worth a thought or two.

The roster:

Having the forces of nature on their side, the Night Elven army consists of many interesting spellcasters, as well as many stealthy and dexterous units that make for great tactical combat. It is perhaps the most "intelligent" playable race, and the following heroes grace the ranks of the ancient Night Elves:

Night Elf units are the following:

Archer
Assassin
Druid of the Claw
Druid of the Talon
Dryad
Ent
Hippogriff
Sentinel
Treant

You can read much, much more about the Night Elves, their units, spells and building in their section of the Barracks.

Their role in Warcraft III:

The Night Elves will probably be involved in a semi-seperate storyline with the Undead at the same time the Orcs and Humans battle the Demons. We also expect the Night Elves to join forces with their brethren to once again vanquish the threat of the Burning Legion.

Finally, due to the Horde's unstable past, and the Alliance's unstable present, we expect both these parties to become more or less evil at some point on the game. Not necessarily "for real" evil, but somehow; wether it be as traitors, conspirators or for selfish reasons, both the Alliance and the Horde will seem less noble in some way. We think the Night Elves will be the only truly good race, never falling under for the temptations of the dark side... But of course, we could be wrong...

Skrevet af Søren Kristensen

Dette preview er oprindeligt fra World of Warcraft.

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