warcraft Free helpful Tip

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1. McInerney says

   So I mark Warcraft III as the point where the franchise stopped being WARcraft, and became MAGEcraft, or Magiccraft, or some stupid snippy pun regarding a favor towards magic rather than war.

   And don’t worry, this negative review isn’t all just about the visceral hatred of high fantasy involving lots of magic. The game itself has plenty of bad flaws.

   I used to love Warcraft. But I hate Warcraft since they made it “Blizzard presents: Magic: The Gathering”.

   My favorite thing about Warcraft was exactly what they took out in III and World of: a sense of grittiness and uniqueness in a world of fantasy. There were no “Thyalawynd” or “Darkheart”s or “Ebonheart”s or “Gyilwind”s magic fantasy crap with gravity-defying robes and swords made of silver and no shields or any semblence of tactics or strategy or even blood.

   There was no “We ah the Knoights of Lothar the Guilywind, son of Gunther the Loinhearted, son of Baxter the Baxton, son of Aragorn of Aragorn, and we foight fo peeeeeace” versus “Graarrgh we are demon spawns from hell who want to crush the world and kill everything that moves”.

   Warcraft wasn’t like that at all—Warcraft had the Orcs coming into Azeroth because their own world was destroyed by civil war, and rather than accomodate, the Humans responded with war. And it blew up in their faces as the Orcs destroyed Stormwind Keep and forced the humans into Lothleroin, with the Orcs following. I don’t remember what happened after that, but I think eventually the Orcs were beaten back by the Alliance of Humans and Elves.

   Then I completely do not remember a single thing about Warcraft III other than Taurens supporting the Orcs for absolutely no reason, and the Undead randomly appearing out of nowhere for no reason, and Night Elves appearing out of nowhere for no reason, and lots of pixie dust sprinkle winds magic and demons and wizards and keys and powerups and upgrades and magical fire pansy moves of doom for make benefit glorious magician of kingdom of Godwynn EverNeverwind P. Dark-Ebonheart.

   Warcraft and Warcraft II were to me, the modern Medieval-fantasy equivalent of Conan the Barbarian, in that yes, magic was there, and magic was used, but only the magicians practiced magic, and the magicians could not stand up to an army of a billion Orc Grunts and Troll Axethrowers. Sure, then there came Ogre-Mages, Death Knights, Paladins, and the like, but even those were but a small asset in an army made to fight with steel and wood and flesh, not just magic.

   Instead in Warcraft III, and extending into World of Warcraft, magic becomes the centerpoint of virtually any army. You can still use the backbone of infantry and cavalry and the like, but their effectiveness against magical heroes and magical elves and pixies is reduced by the sudden jump in population everything costs and the stupid upkeep.

   But while magic would become the more central point beyond Warcraft III, War3’s focus instead came upon HEROES!

   The entire RTS aspect of this game is not fully broken, but rather fractured by not just the inclusion, but the heavy reliance upon individual heroes, who have dozens of hero-only chests to pick up for upgrades and equipment that can make them MORE powerful, and they have the ability to LEVEL UP and research MORE abilities and powers.

   At least half the missions in the campaign I was apart of either involved playing ONLY as heroes, or playing in such a mission that only heroes could determine the outcome of battles.

   Then, UPKEEP.

   The idea of upkeep in this game is in no way relevant to how upkeep really works in games like Total War or in real life. Upkeep is the cost of maintaining an army. Upkeep does not exist in traditional RTS games.

   In this game, upkeep means “you no longer mine as many resources” when you have too many units. And “too many” ranges from 50-75 population points taken up.

   And then comes the fact that full-army battles are rendered impossible when the average Orc Grunt starts costing THREE population points, and the maximum population is no longer the Blizzard standard of 200, but somewhere near 125-175 or so.

   Controlling the first level of upkeep means your peasants now gather 7 of a resource rather than ten. Medium upkeep reduces it to 5. High upkeep reduces it to 3. And an army under high upkeep can consist of a handful of heavy units not fit to take out a militia force twice their size.

   This is only balanced by the fact that it affects all player on a map. But another problem involving this is that because the basic units take up so much population and are so ineffective, the player is basically forced into an arm’s race with their opponents, to build up their base technologies, upgrade all they can, then build the most powerful units available while ignoring the 90% of other units available to train, just to meet an evenly matched opponent who has done the same thing.

   And then again, the RTS idea is fractured and shattered by the powerful emphasis on building superunits and superweapons as quickly as possible, and to hell with all other available units.

   This is not how a good RTS works. Starcraft comes to mind: an army of 30 basic Terran Marines can slaughter an enemy army of Hydralisks or Ultralisks. An army of 30 Battlecruisers seems unstoppable, and yet can easily be torn asunder by a few Corsairs or Valkyries, or a flood of Scourges. Or they can be broken up from all-out attack from an Arbiter’s stasis, or a Ghost’s lockdown. They can suffer huge splash damage from Psionic Storms from High Templar or Infested Kerrigan.

   In short, in Starcraft, every unit is effective if utilized properly. You can win one game by playing a megalomaniac and massing dozens of super units, and win another game in the same amount of time with a ragtag militia and some special tricks of infiltration and the like.

   Warcraft III has none of it. Every unit that is not a superunit or a hero is simply cannon fodder and/or base defense until that superunit or hero is available for building.

   And so what was once “WARcraft” and I so deridingly called “Magecraft” could more accurately be called “Herocraft”, because heroes are so ridiculously overpowered that they become the center point of every game, EVEN the skirmishes, as you cannot start unless you pick a hero for your side. AND you can get MORE THAN ONE hero on a map, one for heavy combat, one for support, and one for magic.

   October 15, 2009, 6:10 am
2. Ibsen says

   Game arrived the next day and was almost half what I would have paid at the local mall.

   October 15, 2009, 6:35 pm
3. Cobb says

   I loved this game when it first came out! I lost it though and haven’t been able to find it for years! It was definitely worth buying all over again!

   October 16, 2009, 5:59 am
4. Conti says

   good game, great for LAN parties, because operating requirements are small and once you install disk and open battle net. you can run without CD. so all my friends at college can play for free. cheap price, cant find at most gaming stores.

   October 16, 2009, 6:20 pm
5. Nez says

   i used to have this game when i was in high school and i loved it, so i bought it. shipping was quick, the product was brand new and cheap. would buy from again

   October 17, 2009, 6:08 am
6. Quishenbery says

   What can I say? This game is perfect if you have no girlfriend/boyfriend, job, social life, or basically any form of physical or social activity that differs you from that of a rusted lawn chair. This game does nothing but steal time away from you. If you have time to waste good, you’ll be spending hours here. If you don’t leave the World of Warcraft and never come back you obviously don’t belong there. This game does nothing but replace real life goals and accomplishments met through realife hardwork with digital goals that are met with the same amount of time applied. The difference being the accomplishments you wasted your time on in the game mean absolutely and I mean absolutely nothing! They have no value whatsover accept to other people like yourself trapped in the game.

   I got so tired of people talking about what they do in this game like it’s an actual accomplishment. You played since it’s release? who cares? You have Tier whatever gear who cares? You have some magic mount no one else in the game has who cares? You have tons of fake game gold who cares? None of this stuff matters to people that live in the real world. Do you think anyone cares that I killed King Bowser back in 1989? Or that I upgraded my standard blaster to a missle blaster in Metroid in 1988? Or how about the time I found the secret ring in Sonic the Hedge Hog when I got my first Sega? NO ONE CARES A BOUT WHAT YOU ACCOMPLISHED IN A GAME! IT’S MEANINGLESS! IT HAS NO REAL WORLD VALUE!

   Every inch of this game is festered with morons that simply can’t understand that. At first I thought it was mostly just ignorant kids…but these are adults! Yes, grown adults! Acting like they are children. Some I even know of to have neglected their own children just to play the game. I brought The WoW the first game because it was new and I enjoyed it…but it was short lived with all the drama. I brought the Burning Crusade because my guild annoyed me until I did (I was the guild master). I had to always have the best armor and weapons to keep up with and lead these morons. It was a real pain in the behind. The game felt so much like a job.

   All the expansion does is add more hours for you to waste getting better armor and more dungeons to drag yourself through for 10 exciting levels of doing the same quest over and over again. If you like living your life on par with that of a coat hanger… or maybe a lawnmower in the dead of winter. Than this game is perfect for you. However if you enjoy games that are fun and challenging and really exciting look away from this and never come back.

   October 17, 2009, 6:07 pm
7. Neadle says

   Ever since I got my new laptop, I’ve now surrounded myself with PC games and their expansions and whether or not something’s worth the purchase since I’ve gone years dealing entirely with the console market. Naturally one of the first I got was World of Warcraft, one of the world’s top MMO’s available and seeing as how level caps and new races get added for the expansions, getting Burning Crusade offers some content to warrant a purchase for those looking to get the most of the game. And unlike Wrath of the Lich King’s, the content here can be accessed right from the get-go and seeing as how there’s been a couple of improvements, Burning Crusade is worth a purchase for these reasons though the main game by itself has enough content for everyone too.

   Added to the World of Warcraft character choices are 2 new races: the draenei, who start off on Azuremyst Isle with the previously inaccessible ability to be a shaman while the other race, the blood elves, start on Sunstrider Isle near Silvermoon City with the ability to become a paladin. Both starting areas are quite beautiful in their art direction as the blood elves area can best be described as “autumnal” with lots of orange and forest areas giving a great Fall season feel whereas the draenei as a more sci-fi element with glowing crystals and bizarre places such as rivers that are entirely in red. Thanks to a higher polygon count, the characters models as well look a bit more attractive (especially the ladies) and some trade cities such as the Exodar are quite stunning visually.

   The other addition is adding jewelcrafting as a profession which allows you craft trinkets such as rings and jewellery that can be added to weaponry for bonuses. It’s a cool addition though with many other professions it’s really up to you which one you want to put your time on. Skinning has become a huge moneymaker for my travels while my Mage has been benefitting from Tailoring so even though there’s jewelcrafting, it’s another choice for your character though with enough time and cash into levelling up jewelcrafting, you can create some pretty nifty stuff. The level bump for the professions as well as been bumped up so let’s you become way more proficient than was previously allowed.

   But arguably the biggest addition to the land itself outside of the 2 races starting areas is the continent of Outland with new zones for you to explore and level up in which is helpful considering the level cap has been moved to 70 instead of just the 60 level cap the original cap had. With some new PvP additions, it would seem that the Burning Crusade would be truly exceptional however a couple of minor things drag it down. Having played through both quest zones for draenei and blood elves, it’s kind of hard not to see some parallels from a mission where you fly back and forth from a hippogryph but that’s kind of the nature of the races anyway and you can’t do anything from either the “kill 10 of these/collect 8 of these/talk to him or her” quests but I quite liked the storylines for both though.

   Strange thing actually is thanks to the massive patch download I had to do to play the original game, I guess Burning Crusade went with it since mine came on a DVD-ROM and it barely installed anything, I just upgraded my account to Burning Crusade on the launcher, inputted the product key and kaboom, I’m ready to play which was quite cool though it partially made me feel like I spent 40$ for the product key rather than the game content on the disc but oh well.

   While one can say Burning Crusade is more for the hardcore since you don’t necessarily need this game unless you want the new races and level cap but for those wanting to invest more time in World of Warcraft, Burning Crusade makes an excellent addition…and considering how great the main game is anyway, you’ll probably feel like buying it on principle.

   October 18, 2009, 6:18 am
8. Peel says

   So i bought this game about 2 weeks after I bought the original. I have to say that I really don’t care for this expansion. Just like many others have said you spend most of your time going from A to B and it takes you hours to finish quests unless you have someone helping you. I really don’t have the time to devote 2 hours let alone the 6-8 or even more some people spend playing this game. If you want a game thats pretty much a big time waster than this is the one for you. I wish I could take the game back and get the $60 I spent on it and the original. Although blizzard seems to have a decent concept I still think that it lacks in allot of places.

   October 18, 2009, 6:13 pm
9. Aldridge says

   The graphics are well-done and the quests are fun. Blizzard did a good job on this game.
   In spite of this I must give it a low rating.
   If you are a person who loves to complete things, please do not begin playing this game. Thre is literally no end. The only people who can accomplish a lot and get the best stuff are those who play 12+ hours a day. I am not exaggerating here. I am a recovering addict of World of Warcraft. I got to a place where I was bored but compelled to play, neglecting everything that was important in life.
   [...] It’s a great community of people.

   October 19, 2009, 5:56 am
10. Failing says

    i checked every MMO in the industry and none has been as good to me as World of Warcraft has been. Cant find a game with a more solid story line, the new stuff we see every few months and the way blizzard interacts with us, the players, on how to better up the overall expirience of the game.

    October 19, 2009, 6:05 pm
11. English says

    This highly addictive intense magical experience just keeps paying perpetual social interaction through its awesome graphics and imaginative characters, you will find yourself immersed in a whole new world for many many hours to come.
    Enjoy this classic gone large.

    October 20, 2009, 6:26 am
12. Kinney says

    Got a copy of WoW from my girlfriend and actually bought this copy for my roommate. So much fun.

    October 20, 2009, 6:15 pm
13. Edgely says

    In case you are at all confused about what the essence or form of eudemonia is…just install this game.

    October 21, 2009, 6:28 am
14. Lung says

    I would like to thank all the little programers who have made me the satisfied entertained glued to the chair gamer, at BLIZZARD. Second, I am just happy. That is all.

    October 21, 2009, 6:33 pm
15. Abril says

    Well, since I purchased this for my grandson and had it shipped here (to our house) before he went home. I would have to say that it arrived as planned (we did have to get it two day – since he couldn’t wait to play).

    He did like the game and he’s been playing with his father who does not live with him. At least they are able to participate in something together.

    Amazon is great in getting things to you when you really need them.

    October 22, 2009, 6:04 am
16. Orue says

    I admit, the game is very old, and Blizzard has not only put out two sequels to this, as well as Starcraft, but I still find myself playing this game, for nostalgia’s sake.

    The thing is.. this game still hasn’t gotten old for me. It’s not hard to change the compatability, and by now the game is selling for so cheap that it can be worth the 10 bucks to explore the origins of Warcraft III and Starcraft. The game is pretty simplistic, in terms of gameplay and graphics, but it’s still one of the most fun games you can get in my opinion.

    October 22, 2009, 6:12 pm