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21st January 2002, 13:26
Bill Roper Interview Feature Type: Interview Added: 16/01
Author: Corven
Bill Roper, Vice President of Blizzard North, has been kind enough to answer a selection of interview questions regarding Warcraft3, it's units, resource management and editing tools.
1. Will every race still have two fliers or has this been changed? If so which races wont?
We are still working on how many flying units each race will have, but certainly each race will have at least one and most (if not all) will have two.
2. Can you tell us something about the abilities of the Dread Lord?
Dread Lords are incredibly powerful demonic entities that are masters of darkness and mental domination. These cunning, malefic beings were once considered to be the most trusted lieutenants of the Burning Legion. Dread Lords generally appear as dashing human males and are adept at charming and beguiling mortal creatures. They also radiate darkness around them and are fond of traveling within shadows.
3. Currently how many different units has each race available to them?
Currently, each race has three Heroes and ten units. Some of the races also have creatures that can be summoned to bolster their forces. All of the races can also hire mercenaries to strengthen their numbers.
4. How do the Night Elves harvest lumber?
Wisps, the ancient spirits of nature that inhabit the forestlands of Kalimdor, draw the essence of the forest from any tree they encircle. When they have pulled as much from a tree as they can without destroying its physical form, they move on to the next one and begin the process over again. In this way the forest remains undestroyed while the Night Elves gain a necessary resource to create their weapons of war.
5. Will the summoned creature timers vary from unit to unit?
Every summoned creature type has its own duration when summoned. This is a key part of the balancing process for these types of units and will be polished during the beta test.
6. Currently what sizes will WarCraft III maps come in?
Warcraft III maps can have a height and width in 32 cell increments from 64 to 256. The height does not have to match the width and non-square, rectangular maps are allowed.
7. How many terrain textures sets will there be to choose from in the editor?
There are currently nine tilesets in the game, some with numerous variations and all with special pieces of artwork.
8. Will we still be able to mix the terrain from different sets in a single map?
No, each tileset has a unique terrain look and feel and players will not be able to mix these.
9. What is the average poly count of models used, since apparently you can import your own 3d models into the editor?
The average poly count of the game's models is 300. Units are a little below that and Heroes are a little above.
10. Do you have any earth shattering revelations for us about Warcraft3?
We are currently preparing to enter the beta phase of the game and we intend to make a concentrated effort to focus all of our energies into really running the game through its paces. We intend the beta to run for at least 2-3 months so that we can fully test and balance the units while watching and playing hundreds of games with our dedicated beta testers. We have just announced signups for the beta on our website at www.blizzard.com and expect to be playing games with testers within the next 4-6 weeks.
Author: Corven
Bill Roper, Vice President of Blizzard North, has been kind enough to answer a selection of interview questions regarding Warcraft3, it's units, resource management and editing tools.
1. Will every race still have two fliers or has this been changed? If so which races wont?
We are still working on how many flying units each race will have, but certainly each race will have at least one and most (if not all) will have two.
2. Can you tell us something about the abilities of the Dread Lord?
Dread Lords are incredibly powerful demonic entities that are masters of darkness and mental domination. These cunning, malefic beings were once considered to be the most trusted lieutenants of the Burning Legion. Dread Lords generally appear as dashing human males and are adept at charming and beguiling mortal creatures. They also radiate darkness around them and are fond of traveling within shadows.
3. Currently how many different units has each race available to them?
Currently, each race has three Heroes and ten units. Some of the races also have creatures that can be summoned to bolster their forces. All of the races can also hire mercenaries to strengthen their numbers.
4. How do the Night Elves harvest lumber?
Wisps, the ancient spirits of nature that inhabit the forestlands of Kalimdor, draw the essence of the forest from any tree they encircle. When they have pulled as much from a tree as they can without destroying its physical form, they move on to the next one and begin the process over again. In this way the forest remains undestroyed while the Night Elves gain a necessary resource to create their weapons of war.
5. Will the summoned creature timers vary from unit to unit?
Every summoned creature type has its own duration when summoned. This is a key part of the balancing process for these types of units and will be polished during the beta test.
6. Currently what sizes will WarCraft III maps come in?
Warcraft III maps can have a height and width in 32 cell increments from 64 to 256. The height does not have to match the width and non-square, rectangular maps are allowed.
7. How many terrain textures sets will there be to choose from in the editor?
There are currently nine tilesets in the game, some with numerous variations and all with special pieces of artwork.
8. Will we still be able to mix the terrain from different sets in a single map?
No, each tileset has a unique terrain look and feel and players will not be able to mix these.
9. What is the average poly count of models used, since apparently you can import your own 3d models into the editor?
The average poly count of the game's models is 300. Units are a little below that and Heroes are a little above.
10. Do you have any earth shattering revelations for us about Warcraft3?
We are currently preparing to enter the beta phase of the game and we intend to make a concentrated effort to focus all of our energies into really running the game through its paces. We intend the beta to run for at least 2-3 months so that we can fully test and balance the units while watching and playing hundreds of games with our dedicated beta testers. We have just announced signups for the beta on our website at www.blizzard.com and expect to be playing games with testers within the next 4-6 weeks.