BlizzCon 2015 is just around the corner, and I’m really, really hoping for a surprise announcement. At last year’s conference for example, Blizzard unveiled Overwatch – a shooter that popped up out of nowhere. This year, Legacy of the Void, the last part of the StarCraft II story is due. What RTS project will Blizzard take up next once that game is out of the way though? Is it too far fetched an idea to expect, no, pray for a surprise Warcraft IV announcement at this year’s event?
A part of me knows it will likely never happen, ever, but a guy can dream, can’t he? Surely Blizzard have considered giving World of Warcraft a break, and taking the game back to its RTS roots? I’d like to think so, because the thought of Warcraft IV being an actual project makes me incredibly happy.
With all this in mind, I thought it would be nice to head back to the very beginning, back to when Blizzard began their successful RTS journey. I was going to go with the very original Warcraft: Orcs & Humans for today’s Work Avoidance, but heck, it’s just too old and cumbersome to really be enjoyable by modern day standards.
I’ve decided to go with its sequel, Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness instead – it’s a lot more playable. It was one of the first RTS titles I ever experienced (along with the likes of Command and Conquer and Dune), and also served as my first encounter with those green chaps – Orcs.
They were big, scary, and out to destroy the humans. They pursued them to Lordaeron with full intend of taking over. Thankfully, the human race are not useless. By the end of the game, spoiler, They manage to push back the invaders.
After dabbling with the game a little more now myself, it’s fascinating to see just how much Warcraft has stuck to its origins over the years. In Warcraft III, released way back in 2002, ideas from its predecessor were taken and improved on greatly, and in the very same way, World of Warcraft took the story and flung it forward (and backwards) over countless MMO expansions.
Seriously, I want, no, need Warcraft IV. It has to be a thing one, it just has to. In the meantime, I’ll stick to playing number 2. Heaven help me if I ever dig up my copy of the Frozen Throne. I will not only get stuck into the campaign, but also, the countless awesome mods that game spawned.
Last Updated: November 4, 2015
Grand Admiral Chief SpaceNinja
November 4, 2015 at 14:02
You have been avoiding your work by NOT writing regular WAW’s
hairyknees
November 4, 2015 at 14:28
This is true! 😛
Grand Admiral Chief SpaceNinja
November 4, 2015 at 14:46
Such a nasty Figgle
Stosta
November 4, 2015 at 14:08
Gem TD <3
Ottokie
November 4, 2015 at 14:09
Work Work!
Bob of the Khundelar
November 4, 2015 at 14:16
Job’s done. Or maybe in this case, job’s gone.
Brady miaau
November 4, 2015 at 14:43
totally.
Write, write, write, write.
One day, I want a program that writes documents for me, according to verbal ideas and bantering, based on past projects and idea. Yeah. I think I will need something close to an AI
Hammersteyn
November 4, 2015 at 14:12
*Work Avoidance Week
Brady miaau
November 4, 2015 at 14:42
It was awesome, back in the day. I still remember it fondly.
But I do not think it is awesome today, not after Starcraft: BroodWars.
WC3, that is ok, but WC2 seemed still a bit blocky, sort of like Hex grids, without the hex grids.
Jonah Cash
November 4, 2015 at 14:43
This and Krush Kill N Destroy took up many hours when I was a wee lad… Ah good memories!!
Johann
November 5, 2015 at 08:24
Not the first RTS that I’ve ever played, the honor goes to Dune 2, but it’s definitely the one that made me fall in love with strategy games. Weekends were spent playing this 1vs1 against friends on my old 386