That contradicts the hints they’ve been dropping at Blizz Con. Sounds like some of the Activision higher ups had them break the product cycle of games they’ve been working on for safer hits. War3 was shit because they tried to totally remove econ as factor. If they wanted greater emphasis on uc they could make slower build times for peons but it drastically limits your options when you can’t get Huge or p stop rush. Blizzard could’ve easily capitalize on Dota 2 and League of Legends type projects if they weren’t so fucking lazy and out of touch.
What makes war2 great is the intensity and ever shifting priorities. The spells are powerful enough where even a lesser play can come back if he hits u unlusted or lands a haste bomb, saps critical buildings, hops. Most of the units and spells are required vs an evenly matched player depending on the situation. At different stages you essentially win by focusing on econ, units or tech.
Tweaks i’d like to see would be healing with a 3x2 proximity spell like runes with better mana to heal ratio and casting with multiple units selected and cheaper exorcism and better polymorph and slow range. Skeletons should be more useful.
Additions: I’d like to see a 3rd race such as demons, Zergs or Minitars. 1 race has the slight advantage at hall, the other at keep , the other at Fort. There needs to be sufficient parity unlike sc3 where Zergs suck for most games or only certain units and tech builds are used rendering the others irrelevant in many ways. In addition to picking your race at the start a list of hereos depending on the race as well. It can add an extra dimension of strategy without sacrificing the RTS aspect. Like they should cost oil at the fort stage and you can only build so many, makes protecting your fort and smith much more impoprtant unless oil is added to a map, n u can lose a couple heroes with out being fucked. Medium range proximity spells that take 500-800 mana so you must protect them before they’re ready and your primary focus is on setting the board before the proper time to strike, like in chess. Your initial choice would cost about 500 gold at fort with only a second choice allowed and no more it will cost about 2,000.
Heroes:
Harmabe- Proximity shield _ ghost Harambe projects his spirit to shield a peon line to incur only 1/4 damage from a DK or a lust attack
400-500 Mana
MR Anderson- like a spy if he’s able to make it tap certain buildings he can steal their technology and can build from other races technology tree but double the mana requirements
So Healing Paladins that can lust for 100 mana pre Lust. Makes fliers more essential.
300 Mana
Gandalf the Gay - YOU SHALL NOT PASS - 2 lines that last 8 seconds that take 1/2 your HP each time,
600 Mana
Jagga- Can clone and project ogers to appear that are actually just hollograms to get your enemy out of position for the real attack.
500 Mana
LOTR River Demon- Flood path into buildings 1/3-1/2 damage incurred, peons in the path stop working and have to be manually told to start working again.
500 Mana
Liono- Thunder cat }{o Sniper spell^ and enhanced scouting line of site with 4x1 kill shot area from afar all game
500 Mana
Dumbeldore- Phoenix fire proximity spell 1/3 damage
700 mana
Monstar- Opposing team loses magic for 8 seconds^^ and you get full mana
1200 mana
Not that any of this will ever happen but its cool to think about the possibilities and variations. Out of curiosity how much you think it would be to reverse engineer parts of war2? And recreate the rest. Khb did mention the pathing engine and other goodies he walked away with from Blizzard. It would be cool if there was a collaboration one day. People crowd fund all sorts of absurd shit, if people were motivated enough they could make a derivation of warcraft 4 that was fun and profitable!!! There are tons of people that play AOE still, the market is definitely there. Blizzard lost its way when it got sold multiple times =O… How feasible would it be to make with out Blizzard?