Warcraft 3 Retrospective

Warcraft 3 Retrospective
By: Michael Splechta

Before there was a World of
Warcraft, there was just Warcraft

Nowadays when someone talks about
Warcraft, they are most likely referring to World of Warcraft, the most
successful MMORPG to date. But WoW wouldn’t be a world without Warcraft, or more
importantly Warcraft 3. It’s a story about friendship and alliances, but more
importantly about deception and the unfortunate downfall of man.

What were its cultural impact
and/or importance?

Warcraft 3 was a hugely
revolutionary game. Not only was it highly anticipated due to its previous two
games being hugely successful, but it had so much story crammed into it that
could fill up pages upon pages of books. Real time strategy games before it,
such as Command & Conquer and Age of Empires had certain story elements, and
though C&C did use live action cutscenes to tell its story, it was nowhere near
as meticulously crafted as Warcraft’s story. The developers really took their
time when crafting Warcraft’s lore, and made it one of the most memorable
stories ever, especially in the RTS genre. Warcraft 3 also let the player
experience the story not only from the Orcs and Humans, but from the Night Elves
and the Undead as well. This really let the player experience the story from all
the angles, and gave reason to each races motivations.


This is Tiny Tim. You don’t mess with Tiny Tim

What areas of gaming did it
advance?

Nowadays RTS games have a full 360
degree camera. Though W3 didn’t feature a full 360 degree camera, it did make a
jump from 2D to 3D, which is what fans were truly excited for. The first two
games were from a static point of view, and it was wonderful to be able to see
everything in detail. The ability to zoom down on the action was also a welcome
addition, it makes the battlefield more personal, rather than seeing everything
from a high birds eye view. Warcraft 3 also introduced Hero units. Those units
differed from the regular units by being able to gain experience points, level
up, and gain powerful skills. This also let the player feel more connected with
each character. While normal units were expendable, hero units were able to take
a lot more damage, heal, and use other helpful and devastating skills.

The game was broken up to 4
campaigns, and several chapters. Instead of having one set goal each chapter, it
instead dynamically updated the player with quests and did it through in-game
cutscenes. This was a great addition, because the story felt more organic,
instead of just reading an objective and then doing the mission. The in-game
cutscenes themselves were also very new to this genre of games. During a game,
the camera would swoop down close to the characters, and they would act out the
story. Coupled with great voice acting, it really made the overall story feel
more authentic.

One huge, notable component was the
map editor. What was purely meant to design maps for multiplayer use, exploded
into players creating entirely new game modes. Players made tower defense maps,
role playing maps, and one of the most played multiplayer, team based arena
games, Defense of the Ancients. If there was ever player made content that made
it big, it was DotA thanks to Warcraft 3.


Aldos Firestar, the Devourer of Mana and his court welcomes you

Does it stand the test of time?

If there is one thing for certain,
it is that Warcraft 3 is still being played and enjoyed today. Whether it’s
World of Warcraft players who want to know more about the back story, or
competitive players enjoying some of the many different user created maps, or
just fans swept by the story 8 years ago, wanting to relive it all over again,
it is certain that Blizzard crafted an incredibly detailed world in a game that
has a ton of replay value.