- Joined
- May 22, 2013
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- 6
Hey, all. So, I had this idea for a campaign for what might've happened if Arthas never picked up Frostmourne. I'm actually a few missions into designing it, myself, but have pretty much no free time to finish it. I've got trouble remembering a lot of lore, so I may have made a mistake or two (or more) with the concept, but the missions I've got so far are pretty challenging for me and fun. If I did make any mistakes with the existing concept (like where someone breaks character or where something simply wouldn't happen lore-wise), I'd appreciate it if you let me know how I could fix it, or at leasst that it's wrong. I'll go through the ones I've got designed already here:
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Mission One: Champion of the Lich King
Description: Upon Arthas' arrival at Mal'Ganis' primary base camp, he and Muradin search for Frostmourne. When Arthas doesn't take the blade, he begins to learn his own price.
Now, I was wondering if Mal'Ganis truly was a divine being and could not be killed without Frostmourne, or if that was simply part of the mission's mechanics. If him being divine was the case, why was he divine in Northrend and defeatable at Stratholme? Or, would he simply be defeatable in Northrend without Frostmourne, but not killable? As long as he's defeatable without Frostmourne, it's fine, because the first mission in this campaign involves retreating to the shore.
I realize that Arthas was headstrong and prideful in Northrend, which is why Muradin couldn't get him to step away from the blade during the original campaign. Thus, in order to get him to refrain from picking up the blade in this campaign, part of the intro cutscene at the beginning of the level involves not only Muradin advising strongly against the use of the blade, but also managing to convince Arthas that he could defeat Mal'Ganis with his existing powers, without even touching the blade.
"One way or another, I will have my revenge."
"Then some other way it is, lad."
They return to their base where the captain asks where Frostmourne is (as opposed to asking where Muradin was) and tells them that several things have happened while they were gone looking for Frostmourne:
- An unfathomably large lot of undead from all over Northrend has moved in behind Mal'Ganis' base and begun to construct bases of their own.
- The undead have set up on the path behind their own base, so they will be unable to receive reinforcements until their shoreline base breaks the blockade.
- In response to the undead going omgwtfpwn mode, he has ordered the towers around the base perimeter to be shored up bigtime.
- A couple of potential strategies for the mission.
To elaborate game-wise on the above:
- In a short while, the undead will begin receiving reinforcements from their other bases.
- After a while, a countdown timer will initiate, and once that ends, the player will begin receiving reinforcements. The timer will refresh at 6:00 as opposed to 15:00, and will cycle between three different groups of units.
- The towers that the player starts with (not the ones the player can build) are beefed up significantly. Units around them will receive certain benefits, like increased attack speed, armor shielding, and/or magic dispel support, all on auto-cast, since the towers belong to the player's "ally," not the player themself.
- The captain mentions that the player should have enough time to strike Mal'Ganis' central citadel before he begins to receive reinforcements, or that it may be preferrable to sit back and build defenses until another path becomes apparent. This is indeed true, for having tested both, I've been able to take out the citadel in the center of the map in time to not get pwned by the other three bases. Just as well, there are some not-so-direct strategies that work just fine.
Once the cutscenes end, the player will notice that some research had been happening during it, but since Arthas is back from Frostmourne, no more upgrades will commence without the player's order. The player also begins with a bunch of units, among them being:
- Three WoW-style siege tanks (with a rocket barrage that can be turned on ground or air units or structures, can hold up to four other units, and have additional stats) that each begin with a priest, two footmen, and a peasant for crew.
- A fleet of elite Gyrocopters with improved attack values, hit points, and moderate self-repair capabilities.
- Two wizards with Mana Burn, Mana Shield, and Siphon Mana (and their water elementals with Crushing Wave, Water Bolt, Frost Nova, and spell immune, who are on a timed life timer but can be used in the first few minutes of the map if the player is going to make a move for the central citadel).
- Numerous, varied troops sitting around the towers at the front of the base.
Very early on, a rescuable ally of the player will attack a Drakkari village in close proximity to a gold mine. Once the group's zeppelin drops off a bunch of ground units at the gold mine, it will fly south to the player's base. This is the only gold mine not occupied by the undead.
^^ Now that all of that is out of the way, here are the actual mechanics of the map:
TRENCH WARFARE:
- The whole map is covered in trenches and laced with spirit / nerubian towers.
- The undead will be pouring through these trenches, some of them on attack-move, and some of them on move. All undead units in close proximity to the player's base will attack-move towards the rear of the base.
- Spirit or nerubian towers that fire upon the player's units will be permanently revealed.
ATTACKING THE ENEMY:
- Once the undead start building in force, it's not going to be easy to attack anything by ground (unless a certain number of citadels have been destroyed). Besides defending the base, the player will need to push through the trenches with balanced teams of units (and Arthas / Muradin are a fantastic combination for doing just that) toward the citadels, keeping the mortar teams safe from enemy units while they keep the group safe from towers along the cliff walls.
- Enemy production structures are indestructible. Production structures in a specific undead base will be destroyed if the corresponding black citadel is destroyed.
- Acolytes drop gold, and certain ghouls drop lumber. Haunted mines are also indestructible, and can be destroyed by destroying the corresponding black citadel.
- Black citadels drop an assortment of items when destroyed, like destroying the Cult of the Damned citadel will provide the player with some cult-related items, like a staff that can summon skeletons, a necromantic spellbook, and a tome of sacrifice that lets the hero cast Death Pact.
Throughout the mission, Arthas will realize that this was a trap (not that Frostmourne was a trap, but the amount of undead all over the place), and that he cannot compete with the amount of undead being thrown at his forces. He will also, being faced with this dire situation, realize somewhat that he's been quite the jerk, and notes that his forces should retreat to the shore.
"I will atone for my mistakes, Muradin, but not now. We've got to escape Northrend!"
Some personal likes / dislikes about this map:
All in all, enemy troop movements are somewhat predictable, but with each citadel destroyed, a new spawn point opens for gargoyles to fly in at intervals and attack the player's offense. The gargoyles are much less predictable, and sometimes there's so much that goes on at once that the player might not be able to predict enemy movements very well, but ultimately, they're pretty predictable. That's one of the things I really dislike about the way I designed this map.
One of the things I do like about the way I designed this map is the balance. As soon as something good happens for the player, something bad happens, too. Destroying a citadel to destroy its corresponding production structures, for example, begins to spawn gargoyles instead that, rather than fly mindlessly towards the player's base, patrol around the undead base to make it harder for the player's offense. Clearing the trees along the southern trench to open the back path into the Cult of the Damned base will cause a percentage of Cult forces to take that path to the player's base, testing the southern defenses and making it harder for the offense team.
That seems to be it for this map... so I'll move on to the second one I designed.
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Mission Two: The Maw
Description: Arthas and Muradin set out for their rear outpost up the road. Leaving the captain in charge of defense, the two heroes hope to clear a path to the shore and repair the ships before he's overwhelmed once again. The undead, now frenzied unlike anything they've seen before have engaged the Drakkari and forced them to relocate to their outer villages. Caught between them and the pressing Scourge, there's only so much time left to make any form of escape.
Remember the last level of Halo: Combat Evolved when you had to blow up the ship and escape while derping around between three different alien factions, all of which were out to kill you and each-other? I suppose that level - The Maw - was the inspiration for me to name this level after it.
This level begins with Arthas and Muradin running down a road, reaching their rear outpost, and Arthas addressing the men. The player gets five footmen, two riflemen, two mortar teams, one priest, and five peasants (aside from Arthas and Muradin) to start, and there are absolutely no reinforcements in any way, shape, or form for the entirety of the level. However, there are certain things the player can do during the level to improve his or her chances of success:
- The priest can be upgraded immensely by finding a Drakkari book of prophecy.
- An additional orb of fire can be found to enable both heroes to attack air targets.
- Each necropolis on the map drops an assortment of tomes. Thus, each one destroyed benefits the player's heroes.
- Being sneaky so enemies engage other enemies before they engage the player makes a huge difference.
Basically, here's how this map works: The player needs to escort at least one peasant down to the ships at the shore, fending off powerful Drakkari and/or numerous undead, before the undead can over-run the captain's defenses in thirty-five minutes.
Over the course of the map, aside from dealing with camps and ambushes, the player will also need to fight off groups of gargoyles that increase in number over time and will often go specifically for the peasants. Enemies can coincidentally or purposefully come in any direction. To compensate, Muradin has a taunt ability, and peasants will alert the player if they are under attack.
One of the things I really like about this mission is the interaction between surviving members of the team. The riflemen and footmen will chat passive-aggressively or competitively with one-another as the player fights his or her way to the shore. There are some comedic moments, too, which was actually pretty great relief for me when I played through this map and panicked about the timer ticking down. I suppose it can be somewhat distracting, but I'm proud of that aspect of this map's design.
Here's the longest (by far) conversation on the map, which kinda reminds me of something out of Monty Python, and occurs if the player approaches the Drakkari book of prophecy:
Priest - These Drakkari priests are so powerful... Prince Arthas, if we locate the source of their power, I may be able to harness it.
Rifleman - More magic is like more guns, I guess. I like guns.
Priest - Not exactly, dwarf. Magic is more versatile; it is an instrument of mending or a mighty weapon against foes. It can enlighten a mind or twist one's soul... magic is truly an enigma.
Footman - So it's like a sword, except you hurl it at people with your hands or that big staff you carry around?
Footman - I guess that makes sense. But the sword would have to have a little first-aid kit or something dangling from its hilt.
Footman - And you'd need to throw it. And it would have a book on it... y'know, for the whole 'enlightenment' part.
Footman - Yeah.
Footman - We're not paladins. And, carrying a book and a first-aid kit around, especially on the hilt of a sword, would be a complete nuisance.
Footman - But how could that sword twist souls? Can't just leave it at the bandages and the book.
Rifleman - Because it would be a magic sword!
Footman - It can't be a magic sword, that would be like putting a word you're trying to define in its own definition. It ruins the metaphor.
Rifleman - Maybe the soul in question twists itself at the mere sight of the uber sword.
Priest - All of you have lost me...
Muradin - All of ye, shut it! Ye're givin' me a headache.
This map has to be the most challenging one of the three I've designed thus far, for several reasons, among them being how versatile the player needs to keep their group so they don't suffer casualties, and the nature of the enemies they're fighting. All of the Drakkari trolls, or almost all of them, have bash and critical strike... then the undead are numberless. Challenging, but not absurdly so! Thus, I found it fun when I was playing through. It's also much, much more seamless than the first map. Enemy movements are not nearly as predictable, and the triggers aren't mechanically or practically clunky.
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The third map I designed was a cutscene. I did design another mission, but I figured I'd mention the cutscene anyway.
Basically, Arthas and Muradin come home, and many, many gargoyles / frosy wyrms / sky barges full of ghouls or something are following close behind him or hounding his ships. A huge battle ensues with Uther and his forces on the docks, and fades to black as gargoyles cover the sky.
When it fades back in, we get to see Uther res twelve units one at a time in rapid succession by standing still and holding his hammer up in the air, which I thought looked pretty cool.
Now, I've got some better ideas about the way this cutscene could have happened, like Arthas being put on trial or something (can the prince be put on trial?), but as it stands, he and Uther talk it over. And, considering how disgusted Uther was with Arthas, among other things, that seems like some pretty lame resolution.
As if that were the resolution though, Uther mentions that Jaina went to Kalimdor, and I thought it'd be cool if Arthas had more than one change of heart, and decided to pursue Jaina. They're still into each-other, right? But the Scourge invasion got in the way? Well, say the Scourge haven't yet arrived at Lordaeron in force, and Arthas had no idea they were going to do so. It wouldn't change the fact that he, as a prince, is kinda bound to Lordaeron and those duties would get in the way this time, but he did go to Northrend to hunt Mal'Ganis, so maybe he'd go to Kalimdor to hunt Jaina if he felt strongly enough.
Please do correct me if I'm wrong, I designed these missions a long time ago, and if there are errors with the lore or characters, I'd greatly appreciate a heads-up or some help with fixing it or finding alternatives.
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The third mission I designed involves Arthas' journey to Kalimdor. It begins with a cutscene on several ships over the sea, and reveals a new character: Voilane An'owyn, a high-elven sharpshooter hero, who's tagging along in Muradin's absence.
The high elves were still allied with Lordaeron at this time, right?
Well, anyway, the ships are intercepted by the Scourge and quillboar-people (the Scourge had occupied Razorfen Downs by this time, right?) and Arthas is abducted. Voilane manages to escape and swim to shore, which wasn't too far away.
Once there, she has to fight her way through some murlocs, then through some Scourge, and then she needs to find Jaina, because she notes she can't take on the entirety of Razorfen Downs herself. Once she finds one of Jaina's outposts, she needs to help them fight their way through some more Scourge, and then some Horde, where the level ends.
I think I'm most proud of the mechanics of this map. Take a look:
http://postimg.org/image/tym46e5w5/
Actually, there's one ability that isn't on that list... Voilane can feign death every few minutes, and it will trigger once she dies, and automatically put her back at 33%. Unless enough projectiles are flying that she's dealt 33% of her health, she'll get back up again and have five seconds to run away or do some surprise damage before the enemy realizes she's not dead.
Also, there are several CDs not mentioned there: Ensnare has a 35 second CD, Act on Instinct has a 90 second CD, Shock Trap has a 20 second CD, Explosive Trap has a 30 second CD, and everything else has a 0.25 second CD.
Voilane is locked at 945 health (unless Act on Instinct is active) and 100 mana (focus, like hunters in Cataclysm) that regenerates quickly. The enemies she fights on this map are crafty, and pretty much everything can stun or crit her for extra damage. There are lots of enemies with unique skills, and certain targets must be prioritized for damage, while others must be prioritized for CC. Thus, the player must use her skills to the best of their ability to survive! Thankfully, her abilities' hotkeys are conveniently arranged.
She begins at level 1, and can go up to level 4 (barely) before her exp is locked. At the end part of the level, she goes up to level 10 no matter what.
I'm not sure I have any major criticisms for this level. It has to be some of my best work, so I'm very happy with it. Enemies are neutral until they get in a certain range or take damage, to prevent Voilane from pulling sixty things, and everything flows quite nicely. One of my major problems with it, though, is that I failed to design an AI for the last part of the mission, resulting in some pretty bland enemies for that part.
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That's it for the levels I designed thus far, the way I designed them. Here are my ideas for the next couple of missions:
Mission 4: A giant defend-the-stuff map, set in Tirisfal. The Scarlet Crusade would be there to help Uther with defending towns all over the zone, while undead forces either arrive by air, sea, teleport in, or are raised from graveyards around the zone. Scarlet patrols would be set around the forests of the map, letting the player more easily pick out where the undead are sneaking in, while the player fortifies and defends walled-off towns all over the zone.
I'm not exactly sure how travel would work on this map, since it'd be pretty large, and Uther could only be in one place at once, but this is only a concept.
At some point during the battle, convoys from Dalaran will arrive, because the undead will have over-run Dalaran by this point and forced the wizards north. So, that'd be something else to defend.
I was hoping to put actual sites from WoW on this map, like the Scarlet cathedral, or Deathknell. I'm pretty sure Deathknell wasn't called Deathknell at the time, though, and I have no idea what its former name was, so that's another rut in the road.
Mission 5: Arthas in Razorfen Downs, being channeled into by some liches or something. Maybe they're trying to take his soul, since that was supposed to happen but didn't, so he can become a DK. Then, say, Jaina ports in or something and saves him, and they fight out together.
I was thinking that Arthas would change spec to Ret for the rest of the campaign. Just 'cause.
At some point, I was thinking that Medivh appears someplace and tells everyone one of two things: Either that this was not supposed to happen this way, and that Arthas was supposed to take the blade, or maybe... something else. I forget what I was thinking.
I'm not exactly sure about all of the campaign, but I was thinking that there must always be a Lich King, and someone would have to end up on the Frozen Throne regardless of how much undead butt has been kicked. Maybe one of the next missions involves stopping Archimonde from being summoned, or maybe the Legion is sending forces to control their pet through the Dark Portal, or maybe something with the night elves, but I did have one idea for the last mission:
An island raid! The map opens with a bunch of gyrocopters flying from an off-shore ship, and bombing an undead encampment on the shore. After this happens, Voilane would teleport in (because she can't just appear on one level, right?) with some other forces and begins to search for a gold mine. Then, it's pushing to the heart of Icecrown to do something with the Frozen Throne.
So... this campaign's concept is rather rough around the edges as it stands, but I thought I'd post it here. Maybe someone has some ideas for the concept, or comments on the existing maps' designs. I'm very interested in feedback, so I'll be watching this thread.
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Mission One: Champion of the Lich King
Description: Upon Arthas' arrival at Mal'Ganis' primary base camp, he and Muradin search for Frostmourne. When Arthas doesn't take the blade, he begins to learn his own price.
Now, I was wondering if Mal'Ganis truly was a divine being and could not be killed without Frostmourne, or if that was simply part of the mission's mechanics. If him being divine was the case, why was he divine in Northrend and defeatable at Stratholme? Or, would he simply be defeatable in Northrend without Frostmourne, but not killable? As long as he's defeatable without Frostmourne, it's fine, because the first mission in this campaign involves retreating to the shore.
I realize that Arthas was headstrong and prideful in Northrend, which is why Muradin couldn't get him to step away from the blade during the original campaign. Thus, in order to get him to refrain from picking up the blade in this campaign, part of the intro cutscene at the beginning of the level involves not only Muradin advising strongly against the use of the blade, but also managing to convince Arthas that he could defeat Mal'Ganis with his existing powers, without even touching the blade.
"One way or another, I will have my revenge."
"Then some other way it is, lad."
They return to their base where the captain asks where Frostmourne is (as opposed to asking where Muradin was) and tells them that several things have happened while they were gone looking for Frostmourne:
- An unfathomably large lot of undead from all over Northrend has moved in behind Mal'Ganis' base and begun to construct bases of their own.
- The undead have set up on the path behind their own base, so they will be unable to receive reinforcements until their shoreline base breaks the blockade.
- In response to the undead going omgwtfpwn mode, he has ordered the towers around the base perimeter to be shored up bigtime.
- A couple of potential strategies for the mission.
To elaborate game-wise on the above:
- In a short while, the undead will begin receiving reinforcements from their other bases.
- After a while, a countdown timer will initiate, and once that ends, the player will begin receiving reinforcements. The timer will refresh at 6:00 as opposed to 15:00, and will cycle between three different groups of units.
- The towers that the player starts with (not the ones the player can build) are beefed up significantly. Units around them will receive certain benefits, like increased attack speed, armor shielding, and/or magic dispel support, all on auto-cast, since the towers belong to the player's "ally," not the player themself.
- The captain mentions that the player should have enough time to strike Mal'Ganis' central citadel before he begins to receive reinforcements, or that it may be preferrable to sit back and build defenses until another path becomes apparent. This is indeed true, for having tested both, I've been able to take out the citadel in the center of the map in time to not get pwned by the other three bases. Just as well, there are some not-so-direct strategies that work just fine.
Once the cutscenes end, the player will notice that some research had been happening during it, but since Arthas is back from Frostmourne, no more upgrades will commence without the player's order. The player also begins with a bunch of units, among them being:
- Three WoW-style siege tanks (with a rocket barrage that can be turned on ground or air units or structures, can hold up to four other units, and have additional stats) that each begin with a priest, two footmen, and a peasant for crew.
- A fleet of elite Gyrocopters with improved attack values, hit points, and moderate self-repair capabilities.
- Two wizards with Mana Burn, Mana Shield, and Siphon Mana (and their water elementals with Crushing Wave, Water Bolt, Frost Nova, and spell immune, who are on a timed life timer but can be used in the first few minutes of the map if the player is going to make a move for the central citadel).
- Numerous, varied troops sitting around the towers at the front of the base.
Very early on, a rescuable ally of the player will attack a Drakkari village in close proximity to a gold mine. Once the group's zeppelin drops off a bunch of ground units at the gold mine, it will fly south to the player's base. This is the only gold mine not occupied by the undead.
^^ Now that all of that is out of the way, here are the actual mechanics of the map:
TRENCH WARFARE:
- The whole map is covered in trenches and laced with spirit / nerubian towers.
- The undead will be pouring through these trenches, some of them on attack-move, and some of them on move. All undead units in close proximity to the player's base will attack-move towards the rear of the base.
- Spirit or nerubian towers that fire upon the player's units will be permanently revealed.
ATTACKING THE ENEMY:
- Once the undead start building in force, it's not going to be easy to attack anything by ground (unless a certain number of citadels have been destroyed). Besides defending the base, the player will need to push through the trenches with balanced teams of units (and Arthas / Muradin are a fantastic combination for doing just that) toward the citadels, keeping the mortar teams safe from enemy units while they keep the group safe from towers along the cliff walls.
- Enemy production structures are indestructible. Production structures in a specific undead base will be destroyed if the corresponding black citadel is destroyed.
- Acolytes drop gold, and certain ghouls drop lumber. Haunted mines are also indestructible, and can be destroyed by destroying the corresponding black citadel.
- Black citadels drop an assortment of items when destroyed, like destroying the Cult of the Damned citadel will provide the player with some cult-related items, like a staff that can summon skeletons, a necromantic spellbook, and a tome of sacrifice that lets the hero cast Death Pact.
Throughout the mission, Arthas will realize that this was a trap (not that Frostmourne was a trap, but the amount of undead all over the place), and that he cannot compete with the amount of undead being thrown at his forces. He will also, being faced with this dire situation, realize somewhat that he's been quite the jerk, and notes that his forces should retreat to the shore.
"I will atone for my mistakes, Muradin, but not now. We've got to escape Northrend!"
Some personal likes / dislikes about this map:
All in all, enemy troop movements are somewhat predictable, but with each citadel destroyed, a new spawn point opens for gargoyles to fly in at intervals and attack the player's offense. The gargoyles are much less predictable, and sometimes there's so much that goes on at once that the player might not be able to predict enemy movements very well, but ultimately, they're pretty predictable. That's one of the things I really dislike about the way I designed this map.
One of the things I do like about the way I designed this map is the balance. As soon as something good happens for the player, something bad happens, too. Destroying a citadel to destroy its corresponding production structures, for example, begins to spawn gargoyles instead that, rather than fly mindlessly towards the player's base, patrol around the undead base to make it harder for the player's offense. Clearing the trees along the southern trench to open the back path into the Cult of the Damned base will cause a percentage of Cult forces to take that path to the player's base, testing the southern defenses and making it harder for the offense team.
That seems to be it for this map... so I'll move on to the second one I designed.
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Mission Two: The Maw
Description: Arthas and Muradin set out for their rear outpost up the road. Leaving the captain in charge of defense, the two heroes hope to clear a path to the shore and repair the ships before he's overwhelmed once again. The undead, now frenzied unlike anything they've seen before have engaged the Drakkari and forced them to relocate to their outer villages. Caught between them and the pressing Scourge, there's only so much time left to make any form of escape.
Remember the last level of Halo: Combat Evolved when you had to blow up the ship and escape while derping around between three different alien factions, all of which were out to kill you and each-other? I suppose that level - The Maw - was the inspiration for me to name this level after it.
This level begins with Arthas and Muradin running down a road, reaching their rear outpost, and Arthas addressing the men. The player gets five footmen, two riflemen, two mortar teams, one priest, and five peasants (aside from Arthas and Muradin) to start, and there are absolutely no reinforcements in any way, shape, or form for the entirety of the level. However, there are certain things the player can do during the level to improve his or her chances of success:
- The priest can be upgraded immensely by finding a Drakkari book of prophecy.
- An additional orb of fire can be found to enable both heroes to attack air targets.
- Each necropolis on the map drops an assortment of tomes. Thus, each one destroyed benefits the player's heroes.
- Being sneaky so enemies engage other enemies before they engage the player makes a huge difference.
Basically, here's how this map works: The player needs to escort at least one peasant down to the ships at the shore, fending off powerful Drakkari and/or numerous undead, before the undead can over-run the captain's defenses in thirty-five minutes.
Over the course of the map, aside from dealing with camps and ambushes, the player will also need to fight off groups of gargoyles that increase in number over time and will often go specifically for the peasants. Enemies can coincidentally or purposefully come in any direction. To compensate, Muradin has a taunt ability, and peasants will alert the player if they are under attack.
One of the things I really like about this mission is the interaction between surviving members of the team. The riflemen and footmen will chat passive-aggressively or competitively with one-another as the player fights his or her way to the shore. There are some comedic moments, too, which was actually pretty great relief for me when I played through this map and panicked about the timer ticking down. I suppose it can be somewhat distracting, but I'm proud of that aspect of this map's design.
Here's the longest (by far) conversation on the map, which kinda reminds me of something out of Monty Python, and occurs if the player approaches the Drakkari book of prophecy:
Priest - These Drakkari priests are so powerful... Prince Arthas, if we locate the source of their power, I may be able to harness it.
Rifleman - More magic is like more guns, I guess. I like guns.
Priest - Not exactly, dwarf. Magic is more versatile; it is an instrument of mending or a mighty weapon against foes. It can enlighten a mind or twist one's soul... magic is truly an enigma.
Footman - So it's like a sword, except you hurl it at people with your hands or that big staff you carry around?
Footman - I guess that makes sense. But the sword would have to have a little first-aid kit or something dangling from its hilt.
Footman - And you'd need to throw it. And it would have a book on it... y'know, for the whole 'enlightenment' part.
Footman - Yeah.
Footman - We're not paladins. And, carrying a book and a first-aid kit around, especially on the hilt of a sword, would be a complete nuisance.
Footman - But how could that sword twist souls? Can't just leave it at the bandages and the book.
Rifleman - Because it would be a magic sword!
Footman - It can't be a magic sword, that would be like putting a word you're trying to define in its own definition. It ruins the metaphor.
Rifleman - Maybe the soul in question twists itself at the mere sight of the uber sword.
Priest - All of you have lost me...
Muradin - All of ye, shut it! Ye're givin' me a headache.
This map has to be the most challenging one of the three I've designed thus far, for several reasons, among them being how versatile the player needs to keep their group so they don't suffer casualties, and the nature of the enemies they're fighting. All of the Drakkari trolls, or almost all of them, have bash and critical strike... then the undead are numberless. Challenging, but not absurdly so! Thus, I found it fun when I was playing through. It's also much, much more seamless than the first map. Enemy movements are not nearly as predictable, and the triggers aren't mechanically or practically clunky.
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The third map I designed was a cutscene. I did design another mission, but I figured I'd mention the cutscene anyway.
Basically, Arthas and Muradin come home, and many, many gargoyles / frosy wyrms / sky barges full of ghouls or something are following close behind him or hounding his ships. A huge battle ensues with Uther and his forces on the docks, and fades to black as gargoyles cover the sky.
When it fades back in, we get to see Uther res twelve units one at a time in rapid succession by standing still and holding his hammer up in the air, which I thought looked pretty cool.
Now, I've got some better ideas about the way this cutscene could have happened, like Arthas being put on trial or something (can the prince be put on trial?), but as it stands, he and Uther talk it over. And, considering how disgusted Uther was with Arthas, among other things, that seems like some pretty lame resolution.
As if that were the resolution though, Uther mentions that Jaina went to Kalimdor, and I thought it'd be cool if Arthas had more than one change of heart, and decided to pursue Jaina. They're still into each-other, right? But the Scourge invasion got in the way? Well, say the Scourge haven't yet arrived at Lordaeron in force, and Arthas had no idea they were going to do so. It wouldn't change the fact that he, as a prince, is kinda bound to Lordaeron and those duties would get in the way this time, but he did go to Northrend to hunt Mal'Ganis, so maybe he'd go to Kalimdor to hunt Jaina if he felt strongly enough.
Please do correct me if I'm wrong, I designed these missions a long time ago, and if there are errors with the lore or characters, I'd greatly appreciate a heads-up or some help with fixing it or finding alternatives.
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The third mission I designed involves Arthas' journey to Kalimdor. It begins with a cutscene on several ships over the sea, and reveals a new character: Voilane An'owyn, a high-elven sharpshooter hero, who's tagging along in Muradin's absence.
The high elves were still allied with Lordaeron at this time, right?
Well, anyway, the ships are intercepted by the Scourge and quillboar-people (the Scourge had occupied Razorfen Downs by this time, right?) and Arthas is abducted. Voilane manages to escape and swim to shore, which wasn't too far away.
Once there, she has to fight her way through some murlocs, then through some Scourge, and then she needs to find Jaina, because she notes she can't take on the entirety of Razorfen Downs herself. Once she finds one of Jaina's outposts, she needs to help them fight their way through some more Scourge, and then some Horde, where the level ends.
I think I'm most proud of the mechanics of this map. Take a look:
http://postimg.org/image/tym46e5w5/
Actually, there's one ability that isn't on that list... Voilane can feign death every few minutes, and it will trigger once she dies, and automatically put her back at 33%. Unless enough projectiles are flying that she's dealt 33% of her health, she'll get back up again and have five seconds to run away or do some surprise damage before the enemy realizes she's not dead.
Also, there are several CDs not mentioned there: Ensnare has a 35 second CD, Act on Instinct has a 90 second CD, Shock Trap has a 20 second CD, Explosive Trap has a 30 second CD, and everything else has a 0.25 second CD.
Voilane is locked at 945 health (unless Act on Instinct is active) and 100 mana (focus, like hunters in Cataclysm) that regenerates quickly. The enemies she fights on this map are crafty, and pretty much everything can stun or crit her for extra damage. There are lots of enemies with unique skills, and certain targets must be prioritized for damage, while others must be prioritized for CC. Thus, the player must use her skills to the best of their ability to survive! Thankfully, her abilities' hotkeys are conveniently arranged.
She begins at level 1, and can go up to level 4 (barely) before her exp is locked. At the end part of the level, she goes up to level 10 no matter what.
I'm not sure I have any major criticisms for this level. It has to be some of my best work, so I'm very happy with it. Enemies are neutral until they get in a certain range or take damage, to prevent Voilane from pulling sixty things, and everything flows quite nicely. One of my major problems with it, though, is that I failed to design an AI for the last part of the mission, resulting in some pretty bland enemies for that part.
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That's it for the levels I designed thus far, the way I designed them. Here are my ideas for the next couple of missions:
Mission 4: A giant defend-the-stuff map, set in Tirisfal. The Scarlet Crusade would be there to help Uther with defending towns all over the zone, while undead forces either arrive by air, sea, teleport in, or are raised from graveyards around the zone. Scarlet patrols would be set around the forests of the map, letting the player more easily pick out where the undead are sneaking in, while the player fortifies and defends walled-off towns all over the zone.
I'm not exactly sure how travel would work on this map, since it'd be pretty large, and Uther could only be in one place at once, but this is only a concept.
At some point during the battle, convoys from Dalaran will arrive, because the undead will have over-run Dalaran by this point and forced the wizards north. So, that'd be something else to defend.
I was hoping to put actual sites from WoW on this map, like the Scarlet cathedral, or Deathknell. I'm pretty sure Deathknell wasn't called Deathknell at the time, though, and I have no idea what its former name was, so that's another rut in the road.
Mission 5: Arthas in Razorfen Downs, being channeled into by some liches or something. Maybe they're trying to take his soul, since that was supposed to happen but didn't, so he can become a DK. Then, say, Jaina ports in or something and saves him, and they fight out together.
I was thinking that Arthas would change spec to Ret for the rest of the campaign. Just 'cause.
At some point, I was thinking that Medivh appears someplace and tells everyone one of two things: Either that this was not supposed to happen this way, and that Arthas was supposed to take the blade, or maybe... something else. I forget what I was thinking.
I'm not exactly sure about all of the campaign, but I was thinking that there must always be a Lich King, and someone would have to end up on the Frozen Throne regardless of how much undead butt has been kicked. Maybe one of the next missions involves stopping Archimonde from being summoned, or maybe the Legion is sending forces to control their pet through the Dark Portal, or maybe something with the night elves, but I did have one idea for the last mission:
An island raid! The map opens with a bunch of gyrocopters flying from an off-shore ship, and bombing an undead encampment on the shore. After this happens, Voilane would teleport in (because she can't just appear on one level, right?) with some other forces and begins to search for a gold mine. Then, it's pushing to the heart of Icecrown to do something with the Frozen Throne.
So... this campaign's concept is rather rough around the edges as it stands, but I thought I'd post it here. Maybe someone has some ideas for the concept, or comments on the existing maps' designs. I'm very interested in feedback, so I'll be watching this thread.
