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What new features will Warcraft Battle.net Edition offer?
Support for Win95/98/NT and Macintosh
Multi-player support for as many as 8 players via Battle.Net or IPX network
Unique User IDs and a worldwide ranking system for challenge ladders on
Battle.net.
Blizzard's spawning technology that allows up to eight players to compete over
Battle.net by installing multiple copies from the original
CD-ROM.
Over 100 Blizzard signed and approved maps, newly built or redesigned and
balanced for multi-player games.
Automatic map passing over Battle.net
Implementation of Top vs. Bottom multi-player template
Shared Vision in multi-player games
Ability to /Whisper in and out of games
Improved game set-up, game options, dropping of players and inclusion of
Battle.net chat
Setting of game speed before the game starts that cannot be switched back and
forth during game play.
Incorporation of the 3 Pauses per player / per game rule
Assigning and selection of Groups through # keys
Ability to choose Random starting race, resources and tileset.
Ability to set Latency Tolerance within games
Attack Move command will now function correctly
Patrol command now sends units to the selected location rather than stopping
after any contact
Set maps and game parameters for Ladder Games
Scroll Speed fixed on faster computers
Town Hall / Great Hall is required as the first building in your technology tree
Ctrl+click or double-click will select closest 9 units of that type currently on
the screen
Space bar centers the map on last 8 transmissions (sequential)
Current food displayed along with gold/oil/lumber
Maintained compatibility with the DOS version of Warcraft II via local area
network or modem
Unit limit raised from 600 to 1200 for Enhanced games
Added upper limit of 200 food for each player, like Starcraft
Mining out an oil rig completely no longer returns a small amount of lumber and
gold to the player.
Flying Machines, Goblin Zeppelins, Goblin Sappers, Dwarven Demolition Teams now
have a Patrol option.
Canceling Foundries no longer uses all of the oil you spent to build it.
Allies can see friendly invisible units now.
Allies' towers and flying units will now reveal enemy subs.
Partially-built towers can no longer see submarines.
Death Coil will no longer damage allies.
New sounds have been added for Skeletons, Runes, Eye of Killrogg, and for
completed upgrades.
Death & Decay and Death Coil now have the proper icons
First Town Hall / Great Hall now build at the speed of a Farm. All other Town
Halls / Great Halls build at the normal rate.
You can now take 1000 screenshots instead of just 100.
2 new game speeds (slowest and fastest)
Many of the multi-player features listed are available only when playing against
other Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition users.
What are the System Requirements? Will the game still run on my 486?
Since we are updating the game to work with the Windows 95/98 and NT operating
systems as well as Battle.net, we are requiring at least a
Pentium 60 to play. You will still be able to play against your friends who have
the original Warcraft II on their 486.
What is the price of Warcraft II Battle.net Edition?
The game should be available in stores for about $19.95
Does Warcraft Battle.net Edition include the Dark Portal expansion pack?
Yes, all of the single-player missions, new heroes and new tilesets introduced
in the expansion set are included in Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition.
How many CDs are used for Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition?
Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition is on a single CD.
Can we spawn more than 3 games from one CD?
As with Starcraft, when you install Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition on a system,
you will have the option to install a "spawned" copy of the game,
which does not require the CD to join multi-player games. A spawned copy uses
the same CD key as the parent CD, and it can only join games
created by the parent. Spawning works over Battle.net, too!
Are there any upcoming games that are previewed on the CD?
Yes.
Is there map passing as in Starcraft?
Yes. If the other players in the game do not have the map that you've selected,
it will be transferred to them when they enter the chat room. A
number will appear to the left of their name-- this is the % of the map that has
been copied over. You cannot start the game until every player
has the map.
Is there Shared Vision?
Yes, we have added shared vision to multi-player games in the Battle.net
Edition.
Will 'use cheats' remain an option for play over Battle.net?
No.
Are there new units, new heroes, new tile sets, new music, new cinematic
sequences, new AI, new buildings or bigger maps sizes?
No -- Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition is designed to be an upgrade of a classic
game. Our goal is to make sure that people can continue to enjoy it
in the future as much as they have in the past. By making it compatible with
today's advances in operating systems and bringing it onto Battle.net,
we hope that people will remember what it was about the world of Warcraft that
has kept the game so popular to this day.
Have there been any game play changes or play balance changes made?
While we have made a few minor changes, such as the Lumber bug adjustment and
increasing the unit limit per player, we did not make any
wholesale game play or play balance changes to Warcraft II.
What are some of the features from Starcraft that I will NOT see?
In that we did not want to change features that we considered fundamental to the
game, we did not make changes such as Unit Queuing, the
ability to select more than 9 units or setting waypoints. While we have made a
host of other changes to make the game easier to control, we felt
that these previously mentioned areas would have too great of an impact on the
play that people associate and enjoy with Warcraft II.
Are you able to select the resource level of your game?
Yes. You can set the resource level of a game you are starting and the resource
levels of that game will be displayed in the in-game chat room
interface.
Is there a Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition Ladder?
Yes, we will maintain a competitive, worldwide ranking system and Ladder for
Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition.
Is the same ladder system used over Battle.net for Warcraft II: Battle.net
Edition as is used for Starcraft?
Yes, however you will need a ranking of 1200 to compete in the Ironman ladder.
What resource setting is used for Battle.net ladder games?
There are two ladders in which Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition players can
compete:
LADDER
Players with ten or more wins are eligible to compete in Ladder Games that are
open challenges on special Blizzard approved maps. While you have
the option to select starting resources, the game speed is preset at "FASTER"
and you always start with only one Peon/Peasant.
IRONMAN LADDER
Ladder players who achieve a ranking of 1200 or higher are then eligible to
compete in this special Ladder where the competition gets even tougher
because the maps are random and you always start with low resources!
Will there be Tournaments and Prizes for the Warcraft II Ladder?
We have not determined if we will have a Tournament, but - as we know that
Warcraft II players are a competitive bunch -- this remains a hot
topic of discussion. Should we sponsor a Warcraft II Tournament over Battle.net
we will make an announcement over our Blizzard.com or Battle.net
websites.
What is the Ladder game speed?
The Ladder game speed is fixed at Faster. Also, as in Starcraft, this speed will
not be able to be changed after a game has begun.
Do you still have to destroy all of your opponent's units and buildings for a
victory, or do you only need to destroy his buildings, as in
Starcraft?
Again, we did not want to change the fundamentals of Warcraft II, so yes; you
need to hunt down that last Peon or Peasant to get your
well-deserved victory.
Is Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition compatible with the old DOS version when
playing in multiplayer games?
Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition and the DOS version of Warcraft II are
compatible over Local Area Networks, Modems and through Direct Link
games. In these cases, Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition plays as "Classic
Warcraft II", meaning that the new command and control features
integrated into the Battle.net Edition will not be available. In the case of
play across the Battle.net gaming service, Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition
only plays against other Warcraft II: Battle.net Editions.
What is different when playing with the DOS version as compared to playing with
only people using the Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition?
Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition will play as "Classic Warcraft II", meaning that
the new command and control features integrated into the Battle.net
Edition will not be available to the person who is using the new version of the
game. In the case of people all playing with Warcraft II: Battle.net
Edition, they will all have access to the new features.
Is there a feature that allows players to import old settings and saved games
from the DOS version?
No.
Was any work done to change the map editor?
Although it would be ideal to be able to make the Warcraft II editor as advanced
as the Starcraft Editor, it is simply impossible. We did not make
any real changes to the editor.
Are there any new maps? What is the makeup of this collection?
We have created a mix of classic maps that have been reworked to ensure
equitable start locations and fairness of play as well as some all-new
maps.
Will you have a "map of the week" program for Warcraft II? If you do, how will
this effect the current Starcraft map of the week
releases?
The Starcraft Map of the Week program has been very well received and we would
like to continue that tradition on with a Warcraft II Map of the
Week program. We have not committed to this yet since we will need to be sure
that we have enough mind-share, manpower and continued
creativity to generate high quality maps for fans of the game. Whether we do
engage in a Warcraft II Map of the Week program or not, it will not
be to the detriment of our current web-based game support.
What game types / templates are available in Warcraft II: Battle.net edition?
Free-for-all, Melee, One on One, Top vs. Bottom, Use Map Settings, Ladder, and
Ironman Ladder games.
Was any work done on the sound or music in this new edition?
Yes. The original sounds (in game speech, mission briefings, etc) were
re-sampled to 16 bit, 22k and the music was re-sampled at 16-bit, 44k. This
makes for a much higher quality of sound while eliminating the "crunchiness"
often associated with 8-bit recording.
Is there a sound for the Eye of Killrog spell?
Yes, we have done an all-new sound for this spell. In fact, when we went over
all the original assets for Warcraft II, we were surprised to see that
we had never done one in the first place!
How will Battle.net handle the extra load that Warcraft II and Diablo II will
generate?
We are constantly working on improving Battle.net, and we certainly have been
putting many hours and resources into the impending launch of
both Diablo II and Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition. We are confident that with
continued hard work we will be able to meet the demand of our fans
over Battle.net.
Do you start with a Town Hall pre-placed as in Starcraft?
No. In Warcraft there are many reasons as to why someone would want to pick
their own Town Hall location. Some of these reasons include
wanting it to face a certain direction, placing the Town Hall closer to Lumber
vs. closer to Gold, and for placing the Town Hall in such a way as to
"wall" in Peasants and Peons mining Gold with other buildings such as farms.
What version of DirectX does Warcraft II: Battle.net edition require?
Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition requires DirectX 2.0 and ships with version 6.0
on the CD.
Are there patches for Starcraft and Diablo to include chat icons for Warcraft
II: Battle.net Edition players?
These are generated on the server side of Battle.net and distributed throughout
the network so no patch will be required to display the new
Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition icons. We may need to patch Starcraft or Diablo
for other compatibility reasons.
Will you be adding patches to disable hacks if they turn up?
We do plan to support the game through patches by correcting any bugs or game
play issues that arise as well as addressing hacks that we can
effectively stop.
Have the existing bugs in Warcraft 2 been fixed?
Yes, we took this opportunity to correct many bugs in Warcraft II.
Have you addressed the Lumber Bug?
The "Lumber bug" was a bug in Warcraft II that allowed players to gain extra
Gold or Lumber when building a town hall by first clicking on either a
Gold mine or wood before building the town hall. The same concept could be
repeated when building Lumber Mills to also give players an extra 125
Lumber.
On the Low Resources setting, this significantly changed the game in that it
allowed players to build a farm before having to chop Lumber. This bug
did not as significantly affect the Medium Resources and High Resource settings.
The exploitation of this bug quickly became a part of game play
and actually improved the game by allowing Low Resources players to get a
quicker start. The Lumber bug has been fixed in Warcraft Battle.net
Edition, but to retain the improvement shown by the use of the Lumber bug, games
starting with Low Resources will have an additional 100 Lumber.
This allows players to build normally without having to remember to "use the
Lumber bug", thus making the game fairer for all players.
Is the problem of the game scrolling too fast on higher end systems fixed?
Yes. It is exactly issues such as this that led us to work on this version.
Support for Win95/98/NT and Macintosh
Multi-player support for as many as 8 players via Battle.Net or IPX network
Unique User IDs and a worldwide ranking system for challenge ladders on
Battle.net.
Blizzard's spawning technology that allows up to eight players to compete over
Battle.net by installing multiple copies from the original
CD-ROM.
Over 100 Blizzard signed and approved maps, newly built or redesigned and
balanced for multi-player games.
Automatic map passing over Battle.net
Implementation of Top vs. Bottom multi-player template
Shared Vision in multi-player games
Ability to /Whisper in and out of games
Improved game set-up, game options, dropping of players and inclusion of
Battle.net chat
Setting of game speed before the game starts that cannot be switched back and
forth during game play.
Incorporation of the 3 Pauses per player / per game rule
Assigning and selection of Groups through # keys
Ability to choose Random starting race, resources and tileset.
Ability to set Latency Tolerance within games
Attack Move command will now function correctly
Patrol command now sends units to the selected location rather than stopping
after any contact
Set maps and game parameters for Ladder Games
Scroll Speed fixed on faster computers
Town Hall / Great Hall is required as the first building in your technology tree
Ctrl+click or double-click will select closest 9 units of that type currently on
the screen
Space bar centers the map on last 8 transmissions (sequential)
Current food displayed along with gold/oil/lumber
Maintained compatibility with the DOS version of Warcraft II via local area
network or modem
Unit limit raised from 600 to 1200 for Enhanced games
Added upper limit of 200 food for each player, like Starcraft
Mining out an oil rig completely no longer returns a small amount of lumber and
gold to the player.
Flying Machines, Goblin Zeppelins, Goblin Sappers, Dwarven Demolition Teams now
have a Patrol option.
Canceling Foundries no longer uses all of the oil you spent to build it.
Allies can see friendly invisible units now.
Allies' towers and flying units will now reveal enemy subs.
Partially-built towers can no longer see submarines.
Death Coil will no longer damage allies.
New sounds have been added for Skeletons, Runes, Eye of Killrogg, and for
completed upgrades.
Death & Decay and Death Coil now have the proper icons
First Town Hall / Great Hall now build at the speed of a Farm. All other Town
Halls / Great Halls build at the normal rate.
You can now take 1000 screenshots instead of just 100.
2 new game speeds (slowest and fastest)
Many of the multi-player features listed are available only when playing against
other Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition users.
What are the System Requirements? Will the game still run on my 486?
Since we are updating the game to work with the Windows 95/98 and NT operating
systems as well as Battle.net, we are requiring at least a
Pentium 60 to play. You will still be able to play against your friends who have
the original Warcraft II on their 486.
What is the price of Warcraft II Battle.net Edition?
The game should be available in stores for about $19.95
Does Warcraft Battle.net Edition include the Dark Portal expansion pack?
Yes, all of the single-player missions, new heroes and new tilesets introduced
in the expansion set are included in Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition.
How many CDs are used for Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition?
Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition is on a single CD.
Can we spawn more than 3 games from one CD?
As with Starcraft, when you install Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition on a system,
you will have the option to install a "spawned" copy of the game,
which does not require the CD to join multi-player games. A spawned copy uses
the same CD key as the parent CD, and it can only join games
created by the parent. Spawning works over Battle.net, too!
Are there any upcoming games that are previewed on the CD?
Yes.
Is there map passing as in Starcraft?
Yes. If the other players in the game do not have the map that you've selected,
it will be transferred to them when they enter the chat room. A
number will appear to the left of their name-- this is the % of the map that has
been copied over. You cannot start the game until every player
has the map.
Is there Shared Vision?
Yes, we have added shared vision to multi-player games in the Battle.net
Edition.
Will 'use cheats' remain an option for play over Battle.net?
No.
Are there new units, new heroes, new tile sets, new music, new cinematic
sequences, new AI, new buildings or bigger maps sizes?
No -- Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition is designed to be an upgrade of a classic
game. Our goal is to make sure that people can continue to enjoy it
in the future as much as they have in the past. By making it compatible with
today's advances in operating systems and bringing it onto Battle.net,
we hope that people will remember what it was about the world of Warcraft that
has kept the game so popular to this day.
Have there been any game play changes or play balance changes made?
While we have made a few minor changes, such as the Lumber bug adjustment and
increasing the unit limit per player, we did not make any
wholesale game play or play balance changes to Warcraft II.
What are some of the features from Starcraft that I will NOT see?
In that we did not want to change features that we considered fundamental to the
game, we did not make changes such as Unit Queuing, the
ability to select more than 9 units or setting waypoints. While we have made a
host of other changes to make the game easier to control, we felt
that these previously mentioned areas would have too great of an impact on the
play that people associate and enjoy with Warcraft II.
Are you able to select the resource level of your game?
Yes. You can set the resource level of a game you are starting and the resource
levels of that game will be displayed in the in-game chat room
interface.
Is there a Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition Ladder?
Yes, we will maintain a competitive, worldwide ranking system and Ladder for
Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition.
Is the same ladder system used over Battle.net for Warcraft II: Battle.net
Edition as is used for Starcraft?
Yes, however you will need a ranking of 1200 to compete in the Ironman ladder.
What resource setting is used for Battle.net ladder games?
There are two ladders in which Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition players can
compete:
LADDER
Players with ten or more wins are eligible to compete in Ladder Games that are
open challenges on special Blizzard approved maps. While you have
the option to select starting resources, the game speed is preset at "FASTER"
and you always start with only one Peon/Peasant.
IRONMAN LADDER
Ladder players who achieve a ranking of 1200 or higher are then eligible to
compete in this special Ladder where the competition gets even tougher
because the maps are random and you always start with low resources!
Will there be Tournaments and Prizes for the Warcraft II Ladder?
We have not determined if we will have a Tournament, but - as we know that
Warcraft II players are a competitive bunch -- this remains a hot
topic of discussion. Should we sponsor a Warcraft II Tournament over Battle.net
we will make an announcement over our Blizzard.com or Battle.net
websites.
What is the Ladder game speed?
The Ladder game speed is fixed at Faster. Also, as in Starcraft, this speed will
not be able to be changed after a game has begun.
Do you still have to destroy all of your opponent's units and buildings for a
victory, or do you only need to destroy his buildings, as in
Starcraft?
Again, we did not want to change the fundamentals of Warcraft II, so yes; you
need to hunt down that last Peon or Peasant to get your
well-deserved victory.
Is Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition compatible with the old DOS version when
playing in multiplayer games?
Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition and the DOS version of Warcraft II are
compatible over Local Area Networks, Modems and through Direct Link
games. In these cases, Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition plays as "Classic
Warcraft II", meaning that the new command and control features
integrated into the Battle.net Edition will not be available. In the case of
play across the Battle.net gaming service, Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition
only plays against other Warcraft II: Battle.net Editions.
What is different when playing with the DOS version as compared to playing with
only people using the Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition?
Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition will play as "Classic Warcraft II", meaning that
the new command and control features integrated into the Battle.net
Edition will not be available to the person who is using the new version of the
game. In the case of people all playing with Warcraft II: Battle.net
Edition, they will all have access to the new features.
Is there a feature that allows players to import old settings and saved games
from the DOS version?
No.
Was any work done to change the map editor?
Although it would be ideal to be able to make the Warcraft II editor as advanced
as the Starcraft Editor, it is simply impossible. We did not make
any real changes to the editor.
Are there any new maps? What is the makeup of this collection?
We have created a mix of classic maps that have been reworked to ensure
equitable start locations and fairness of play as well as some all-new
maps.
Will you have a "map of the week" program for Warcraft II? If you do, how will
this effect the current Starcraft map of the week
releases?
The Starcraft Map of the Week program has been very well received and we would
like to continue that tradition on with a Warcraft II Map of the
Week program. We have not committed to this yet since we will need to be sure
that we have enough mind-share, manpower and continued
creativity to generate high quality maps for fans of the game. Whether we do
engage in a Warcraft II Map of the Week program or not, it will not
be to the detriment of our current web-based game support.
What game types / templates are available in Warcraft II: Battle.net edition?
Free-for-all, Melee, One on One, Top vs. Bottom, Use Map Settings, Ladder, and
Ironman Ladder games.
Was any work done on the sound or music in this new edition?
Yes. The original sounds (in game speech, mission briefings, etc) were
re-sampled to 16 bit, 22k and the music was re-sampled at 16-bit, 44k. This
makes for a much higher quality of sound while eliminating the "crunchiness"
often associated with 8-bit recording.
Is there a sound for the Eye of Killrog spell?
Yes, we have done an all-new sound for this spell. In fact, when we went over
all the original assets for Warcraft II, we were surprised to see that
we had never done one in the first place!
How will Battle.net handle the extra load that Warcraft II and Diablo II will
generate?
We are constantly working on improving Battle.net, and we certainly have been
putting many hours and resources into the impending launch of
both Diablo II and Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition. We are confident that with
continued hard work we will be able to meet the demand of our fans
over Battle.net.
Do you start with a Town Hall pre-placed as in Starcraft?
No. In Warcraft there are many reasons as to why someone would want to pick
their own Town Hall location. Some of these reasons include
wanting it to face a certain direction, placing the Town Hall closer to Lumber
vs. closer to Gold, and for placing the Town Hall in such a way as to
"wall" in Peasants and Peons mining Gold with other buildings such as farms.
What version of DirectX does Warcraft II: Battle.net edition require?
Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition requires DirectX 2.0 and ships with version 6.0
on the CD.
Are there patches for Starcraft and Diablo to include chat icons for Warcraft
II: Battle.net Edition players?
These are generated on the server side of Battle.net and distributed throughout
the network so no patch will be required to display the new
Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition icons. We may need to patch Starcraft or Diablo
for other compatibility reasons.
Will you be adding patches to disable hacks if they turn up?
We do plan to support the game through patches by correcting any bugs or game
play issues that arise as well as addressing hacks that we can
effectively stop.
Have the existing bugs in Warcraft 2 been fixed?
Yes, we took this opportunity to correct many bugs in Warcraft II.
Have you addressed the Lumber Bug?
The "Lumber bug" was a bug in Warcraft II that allowed players to gain extra
Gold or Lumber when building a town hall by first clicking on either a
Gold mine or wood before building the town hall. The same concept could be
repeated when building Lumber Mills to also give players an extra 125
Lumber.
On the Low Resources setting, this significantly changed the game in that it
allowed players to build a farm before having to chop Lumber. This bug
did not as significantly affect the Medium Resources and High Resource settings.
The exploitation of this bug quickly became a part of game play
and actually improved the game by allowing Low Resources players to get a
quicker start. The Lumber bug has been fixed in Warcraft Battle.net
Edition, but to retain the improvement shown by the use of the Lumber bug, games
starting with Low Resources will have an additional 100 Lumber.
This allows players to build normally without having to remember to "use the
Lumber bug", thus making the game fairer for all players.
Is the problem of the game scrolling too fast on higher end systems fixed?
Yes. It is exactly issues such as this that led us to work on this version.