| Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Blizzard Entertainment |
| Publisher(s) |
|
| Producer(s) | |
| Designer(s) | Ron Millar |
| Programmer(s) |
|
| Writer(s) | Chris Metzen |
| Composer(s) | Glenn Stafford |
| Series | Warcraft |
| Platform(s) | MS-DOS,Classic Mac OS,Saturn,PlayStation,Windows |
| Release | MS-DOS, Mac OS Saturn, PlayStation |
| Genre(s) | Real-time strategy |
| Mode(s) | Single-player,multiplayer |
Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness is a fantasyreal-time strategy computer game developed byBlizzard Entertainment and released forMS-DOS andMicrosoft Windows in 1995 andMac OS in 1996 by Blizzard's parent,Davidson & Associates. A sequel toWarcraft: Orcs & Humans, the game was met with positive reviews and won most of the major PC gaming awards in 1996. In 1996, Blizzard released anexpansion pack,Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal, for DOS and Mac OS, and a compilation,Warcraft II: The Dark Saga, for thePlayStation andSega Saturn. TheBattle.net edition, released in 1999, includedWarcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal, provided Blizzard's online gaming service, and replaced the MS-DOS version with aWindows one.
InWarcraft II, as in many real-time strategy (RTS) games, players collectresources to produce buildings and units to defeat an opponent in combat. Players gain access to more advanced units upon construction oftech buildings and research. The majority of the display screen shows the part of the territory on which the player is currently operating, and, using the smallminimap, the player can select another location to view and operate on. Thefog of war completely hides all territory (appears black) which the player has not explored: terrain that has been explored is always visible in gray tones, but enemy units remain visible only so long as they stay within a friendly unit's visual radius. Buildings remain displayed as the player last saw them, and do not register unobserved changes such as being built, damaged, or repaired, etc.
Warcraft II was a commercial hit, with global sales above 3 million units by 2001; roughly two-thirds were sold in the United States. The game strongly influenced the company's next successful RTS, the futuristicStarCraft (1998) ingameplay, and in attention to personality and storyline. In 1996, Blizzard announcedWarcraft Adventures: Lord of the Clans, anadventure game in theWarcraft universe, but canceled the project in 1998.Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, released in 2002, used parts ofWarcraft Adventures' characters and storyline, but extended the gameplay used inWarcraft II.
Warcraft II is areal-time strategy game.[2] InWarcraft II one side represents the human inhabitants of Lordaeron and allied races, and the other controls the invadingorcs and their allied races.[3][4] Each side tries to destroy the other by collecting resources and creating an army.[5] The game is played in a medieval setting with fantasy elements, where both sides have melee, ranged, naval and aerial units, andspellcasters.[2][6][7]
Warcraft II allows players to playAI opponents in separate Human and Orc campaigns, and in stand-alone scenarios.[6] Most of the campaign missions follow the pattern "collect resources, build buildings and units, destroy opponents". However, some have other objectives, such as rescuing troops or forts, or escorting important characters through enemy territory.[8]
The game'smap editor allows players to develop scenarios for use in multiplayer contests and against AI opponents. The editor runs under the Mac and also under eitherWindows 95 or, if theWinG library was installed, underWindows 3.0.[6][9]
The scenarios can be played against the AI or inmultiplayer games with up to eight players participating. The DOS version initially providedmultiplayer games bynull modem cable,modem orIPX, and Mac players could also play viaTCP/IP orAppleTalk.[10] Blizzard quickly released a facility to connect withKali, which allows programs to access the Web by means of IPX.[2]
Warcraft II requires players to collect resources, and to produce buildings and units to defeat an opponent in combat. The Human Town Hall and Orc Great Hall produce basicworkers that dig gold from mines and chop wood from forests and then deliver them to their Halls.[4] Both buildings can be upgraded twice, each increasing usable resources per load from the workers.[11] Players can also construct Shipyards, which can produce both combat ships and Oil Tankers. These tankers build construction offshore Oil Platforms and then deliver the oil to buildings on the shoreline. As all three resources are non-renewable, players must use them efficiently.[11][12] This can lead to creative thinking regarding forests as both a source of lumber and a means of forcing the enemy to go around it.[13]
Workers can also construct Farms, each of which provides food for up to four units, and additional units cannot be produced until enough Farms are built.[11] Farms, being very tough for their cost, are also employed as defensive walls.[13]
Humans and Orcs have sets of buildings with similar functions, but different names and graphics, for producing ground, naval, and air units.[2] All but basic combat units require the assistance of other buildings, or must be produced at buildings that haveprerequisite buildings, or both.[11][14] Many buildings can upgrade combat units.[8] When advanced units appear, the Orcs have a strong advantage in ground combat, while the Humans have the more powerful fleet and spellcasters.[15] The most advanced ground combatants on each side can be upgraded and taught some spells, which are different for the two sides.[16] Some campaign missions feature hero units, which are more powerful than normal units of the same type, have unique pictures and names, and must not die, as that causes the failure of the mission.[17]
The main screen has five areas:[18]
Initially most of the main map and minimap are blacked out, but the visible area expands as the player's units explore the map. Thefog of war completely hides all territory which the player has not explored, and shows only terrain but hides opponents units and buildings if none of the player's units are present.[18]
All functions can be invoked by both the mouse and shortcut keys, including game setup, the menu options and some gameplay functions including scrolling and pausing the game. Units and buildings can be selected by clicking orbandboxing (i.e. using the mouse to draw a box around the units to be selected), and then their actions can be controlled by the mouse or keys.[18]
The First War brought the Fall of Azeroth, following the Orc campaign inWarcraft: Orcs & Humans. The survivors of Azeroth have fled by sea to the Human kingdom of Lordaeron, and the Orcs have decided to conquer Lordaeron, in what is known as the Second War. Both sides have acquired allies and new capabilities, including naval and air units, and more powerful spellcasters.[4]
In the Second War, the Orcs are successful at first, but the Humans and their allies take the initiative,[19] partly thanks to an Orc rebellion initiated by the warlock Gul'dan, who seeks to raise the sunken Tomb of Sargeras.[20] Eventually, the Alliance forces push the Horde to Blackrock Spire, but Anduin Lothar, commander of the Alliance, is slain there.[21] At the final battle around the Dark Portal in Azeroth,[19] the Alliance exterminates one Orc clan and captures the Orc supreme commander and the remnants of his forces. Hoping to avoid further invasions, the Alliance destroys the Dark Portal.[20]
The game's narrative is continued in the expansion packWarcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal.
After seeing the excellentresponse toWarcraft: Orcs & Humans, released in November 1994,Blizzard Entertainment started working onWarcraft II: Tides of Darkness. Development began in February 1995[22] and the game was released in North America and Australia on December 5, 1995,[23] and by Zablac Entertainment in Europe in January 1996 forMS-DOS, with a port forMac OS releasing in August 1996.[24][25][26] Blizzard later explained that the small budgets of the time allowed short development times.[27] The response toWarcraft: Orcs & Humans also allowed Blizzard to recruit additional top-class developers.[28] The company's initial design combined modern and fantasy elements, such as fighter pilots ambushed by a fire-breathing dragon. However, they found that this was unsatisfactory, and that there was plenty of content for a fantasy RTS.[29] The initial release ofWarcraft II: Tides of Darkness ran over alocal area network using IPX but not over the Internetcommunications protocolTCP/IP.Kali, which used the Internet as if it was a local area network, became very popular and Blizzard quickly provided to players a program that made it easy to set upmultiplayer Warcraft II games using Kali.[2]
In 1996 Blizzard publishedWarcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal, anexpansion pack initially contracted out toCyberlore Studios. This contract was cancelled as Blizzard, unhappy after a milestone check-in, moved development in-house.[30] The expansion introduced new Human and Orc campaigns, featuring new and much more powerful heroes.[17] Later that year the company releasedWarcraft II: Battle Chest, a compilation ofTides of Darkness andBeyond the Dark Portal, for DOS and Windows 3.[31]
Several non-canon expansion packs were released; these expansion packs are not a part of the human and orc campaign story. In 1996WizardWorks publishedW!Zone, an expansion pack developed bySunstorm Interactive, Inc. and authorized by Blizzard Entertainment. It was followed byW!Zone II: Retribution, an expansion pack published by WizardWorks and authorized by Blizzard Entertainment.[citation needed] In 1997 Maverick Software publishedThe Next 70 Levels an expansion pack developed by Maverick Software and authorized by Blizzard Entertainment. It was followed byThe Next 350 Levels, an expansion pack published by Maverick Software and authorized by Blizzard Entertainment[citation needed]
Blizzard sold exclusive worldwide rights to develop, publish, and distribute console versions of the game toElectronic Arts.[32] In 1997 Electronic Arts publishedWarcraft II: The Dark Saga for the SonyPlayStation andSega Saturn, which combined the campaigns ofWarcraft II: Tides of Darkness andWarcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal. This port was developed byClimax.The Dark Saga also allowed players to automate upgrade of buildings and production of units, and to select more troops at once, facilities that were not extended to the DOS and Mac versions.[8][33] Early betas ofThe Dark Saga included a working two-player mode which used the consoles' respective link cable peripherals, but Electronic Arts eliminated this feature before the final release.[34]
In 1999 Blizzard published theWarcraft II: Battle.net Edition for Windows and Mac, which combined the original game and the expansion pack, retained the Macintosh facilities and replaced the DOS version with aWindows version that included Blizzard's online service,Battle.net, for multiplayer games.[35] After considering new content, Blizzard preferred to make it easy for new and older fans to play each other.Battle.net Edition included someuser interface enhancements fromStarCraft – ahot key to center on events, assigning numbers to groups of units, and double-clicking to select all units of a type. However, they excluded production queues andwaypoints.[33]
Remastered in 2024.[36][37][38][39][40][41][42]
Warcraft II debuted at No. 2 onPC Data's monthly computer game sales chart for December 1995, behindMyst.[43] It held the spot in January 1996, but dropped to No. 3 in its third month.[44][45] The game stayed in PC Data's top 3 from April through October,[46][47][48][49] securing first place in April, August and September.[46][48][49] After falling to No. 5 in November, it exited the top 10 the following month.[50][51]Warcraft II achieved worldwide sales of 500,000 units within three months of release,[52][53] and of over 1.2 million by November.[54][55] This made it the world's most commercially successful computer game of the year as of November, according to PC Data.[56] In the United States, it was the second-best-selling computer game of 1996, again behindMyst.[57] The game sold 835,680 copies and earned $34.5 million in the region for the year.[58] To capitalize on this success, Blizzard released theWarcraft Battlechest on November 11,[59] which bundledWarcraft: Orcs & Humans withWarcraft II and theBeyond the Dark Portal add-on.[60]
Warcraft II claimed position 13 in PC Data's monthly sales rankings for January 1997, while theWarcraft BattlechestSKU took sixth place.[61] The original game exited the top 20 after a 16th-place finish in February.[61][62] However, theBattlechest consistently continued to chart through May,[61][62][63] peaking at ninth in February.[61] After an absence in June, it returned to the top 10 for two months,[64][65] before falling to No. 16 in September and exiting PC Data's top 20 in October.[65][66] TheWarcraft Battlechest was the United States' 17th-highest computer game seller of the year, with sales of 262,911 units.[67]
By April 1998,Warcraft II's basic SKU had sold 1.02 million units and earned $39.8 million in revenue in the United States. This led PC Data to declare it the country's sixth-best-selling computer game for the period between January 1993 and April 1998.[68]Warcraft II as a whole reached 2 million global sales by July 1998,[69] and passed 2.5 million by year's end.[53] By September 1999, it had sold 1,250,675 units in the United States alone, which led PC Data to declare it the country's sixth-best-selling computer game since January 1993.[70] Sales continued the following month, when theWarcraft II Battle.net Edition SKU finished 20th for October in the country.[71] As of 2001, worldwide sales ofWarcraft II had surpassed 3 million units, with two-thirds derived from the United States.[72]
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| GameRankings | 95%[73] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Computer Gaming World |   [74] |
| GameRevolution | 91%[75] |
| GameSpot | 93%[76] |
| Next Generation | (PC)[77] |
| The Adrenaline Vault | 91[12] |
| Computer Games Magazine | [78] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A[79] |
| Arcane | 8/10[80] |
| Macworld |  [81] |
| MacUser | [82] |
Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness earned enthusiastic reviews, elevating Blizzard to the elite along withWestwood Studios,id Software andLucasArts.[83] The rivalry between Blizzard's series and Westwood Studios'Command & Conquer series fueled the RTS boom of the late 1990s.[29][83]
In 1996GameSpot,Next Generation, andComputer Games Magazine regarded the AI as better than inWarcraft: Orcs & Humans,[76][77] andComputer Games Magazine also said thatWarcraft II "surpasses the original game in almost every way".[78]GameSpot approved how the innovativefog of war forced players to scout continuously,[76] and IGN's retroview agreed.[83]Next Generation said that the new units and resources open up a multitude of strategic possibilities, but that the game's greatest improvement over the originalWarcraft is its intuitive new control system which allows players to select multiple units at once and access command menus by right-clicking.[77]The Adrenaline Vault noted that players must manage their resources, as all resources run out.[12]GameSpot's retrospective review was enthusiastic about the variety of strategies that players with different styles can use,[84] and The Adrenaline Vault noted that maps set in winter often allow ground units to walk on the ice.[12]Macworld's Michael Gowen wrote, "This game set the standard for the genre and still represents one of the best titles available. If you haven't played it, you have missed something."[81]
Andy Butcher reviewedWarcraft 2: Tides of Darkness forArcane magazine, commenting that "Warcraft 2 is a great game. Despite its limitations, it's challenging, fun, easy to get into, and very addictive. The ability to play either side means that there are a vast number of missions on offer, and a level designer gives yet more longevity."[80]
PC Gamer US namedWarcraft II the best game of 1995. The editors called it an "easy" choice, and wrote that "Warcraft II stand[s] out — way out — as the most impressive, most entertaining, game of 1995". The magazine also presentedWarcraft II with the award for 1995's "Best Multi-Player Game".[85] The editors ofMacworld gave the game their 1996 "Best Strategy Game" award.[86] It also wonComputer Game Review's 1995 "Military Sim of the Year" award, tied withSteel Panthers.[87] The same year,Next Generation listed it as number 10 on their "Top 100 Games of All Time", explaining that "The strategy is complex, the classy SVGA graphics keep the player in touch with everything that's going on, andWarCraft II features the best use of sampled speech we've ever experienced."[88]Warcraft II was a runner-up forComputer Gaming World's 1995 "Strategy Game of the Year" award, which ultimately went toCommand & Conquer andHeroes of Might and Magic (tie). The editors wrote thatWarcraft II "will keep you glued to the computer for hours on end", and noted that it "could have won had the competition not been so strong."[89]MacUser declaredWarcraft II one of 1996's top 50 CD-ROMs.[82] In 1996,Computer Gaming World declaredWarcraft II the 28th-best computer game ever released.[90] In 1996,GamesMaster ranked the game 38th on their "Top 100 Games of All Time."[91]
The IGN review consideredWarCraft II in general a well-balanced game,[83] butGameSpot's retrospective review regarded Ogre-Mages with the Bloodlust spell as too powerful.[16][84] IGN found that searching for the survivors of a defeated opponent could be tedious, and that the first few missions were very easy, although the final ones were challenging.[83]
In 1996GameSpot,Computer Games Magazine andEntertainment Weekly praised the SVGA graphics.[78][79][76] The retrospective reviews by IGN andGameSpot enjoyed smaller details, such as the increasingly humorous responses when a player's units were repeatedly clicked,[83][84] the "critters" that wandered around, and the detonating of Sappers/Bombers.[83]WarCraft II won most of the major PC gaming awards in 1996, and sold millions of copies. Players were still playing in 2002, on DOS or using the Battle.net edition.[83]
In 1998,PC Gamer declared it the 9th-best computer game ever released, and the editors called it "a sequel that isn't just more of the same; it's bigger and better in every way".[92]
Retrospective reviews by IGN andGameSpot emphasized the ability to join multiplayer games on local networks or usingKali, and the simple but effective map editor, with which some users published maps on the Web.[83][84] AnotherGameSpot review in 1996 commented that the campaigns are rather short, but the scenario builder and multiplayer options were ample compensation.[76]
In 2006,Warcraft II was inducted intoGameSpot's list of the greatest games of all time.[93]
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 8.5/10 (SAT)[94] |
| GameSpot | 7/10 (PS1, SAT)[95][96] |
| Sega Saturn Magazine | 91% (SAT)[97] |
GameSpot described theports of theconsolesSony PlayStation andSega Saturn, combiningWarcraft II: Tides of Darkness andWarcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal, as practically identical to the PC version.[95]Electronic Gaming Monthly andGamePro, however, asserted that the graphics are significantly downgraded,[94][98][99] and the interface, though somewhat simplified with the additions of auto-upgrading, auto-building, and the ability to select more than nine units at once, is still more cumbersome and difficult to learn than the PC version's.[94][98][99]Absolute PlayStation, in contrast, regarded the graphics as impressive and the console buttons as easy to use.[100]
Absolute PlayStation,Sega Saturn Magazine,Electronic Gaming Monthly, andGamePro commented that the console versions have no multiplayer capability, but were impressed with the number of campaign and skirmish maps.[100][94][97][98] Most reviews of the Saturn version criticized the lack of support for theSega NetLink peripheral, which could have enabled online multiplayer.[94][97][98] The twoGameSpot reviews noted that, while most campaign missions follow the "resource, build, destroy" pattern, some have other objectives.[95][96]
Most reviews for the PlayStation and Saturn versions suggested that players with PCs should not buy the console versions, but recommended the game to those who use only consoles.[94][95][96][98][99]Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the Saturn version their "Game of the Month" award[94] and later named both console versions a runner-up for "Strategy Game of the Year".[101]Absolute PlayStation omitted comparisons with the PC and praised the console versions.[100]Sega Saturn Magazine called it "a highly enjoyable and compelling strategy warfare game" and praised the Saturn version as superior to the PC original.[97]
GameSpot thought the AI was predictable but very efficient and the multiplayer facilities, while four years old, made it more enjoyable than at least half the newRTS games released in 1999. TheBattle.net service was already reliable after being refined through experience onDiablo andStarCraft, and the fact that it was free would be attractive both to new users and those of earlier editions. While the production values were those of 1995, the cartoonish graphics and excellent sound effects and musical score were still enjoyable in 1999.[33]
Warcraft II//$89.95
Warcraft 2 (Zablac, £39.99), which appeared in January, is in my view the best example yet, mainly for its delightful graphics and fantastic creatures.
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