The Future of Warcraft

[Rui]

You know what a master's coupe they could pull out with these patches? Improve World Editor to have a few extra tabs from SC2: weapons and actors, for example. That would diminish the learning curve between WC3 and SC2.

 

[terrio]

i hope they will do atleast 30% things from list.

 

[Kam]

i hope they will do atleast 30% things from list.

Over the next few years most of it should be touched.

 

[IloveRoC]

So battle.net 2.0...

That should take care of the delay atleast...

How about spam bots?

They are making bnet pretty.. much a ghost town ( in roc atleast )

Well, the delay is my biggest concern..


any news when the patch is released?

I heard smth about June.

 

[Kyrbi0]

Over the next few years most of it should be touched.

Blizzard... Playin' the long con.

 

[Kam]

Blizzard... Playin' the long con.

If this is all a con then Purge and myself will be quite sad.

 

[NearbyHermit]

Admit, which of you is working for Blizzard?

 

[Kyrbi0]

admit, which of you is working for blizzard?

IT WAS ME ALL ALONG.











a

 

[Tleno]

I got it that you're under NDA, but did they mention any enhancements or additions to the editor? I would love to see some extra functionality.

 

[bear_369]

I know a 150+ MB map would have a better quality, making it look like a little realistic compare to SC3.

But would a player with a poor PC would have a problem playing some of the "High-Quailty" map because of lag while the basic maps(Ex: Melee, No Imports) wouldn't?

 

[Meatmuffin]

I know a 150+ MB map would have a better quality, making it look like a little realistic compare to SC3.

But would a player with a poor PC would have a problem playing some of the "High-Quailty" map because of lag while the basic maps(Ex: Melee, No Imports) wouldn't?

Loading time would be poor, but afaik it wouldn't affect the game itself if it is properly done (leak removal, optimisation).

 

[Rheiko]

Loading time would be poor, but afaik it wouldn't affect the game itself if it is properly done (leak removal, optimisation).

No matter how good the optimization is, high quality maps will have lags on poor PC. Even HQ maps with size below than 8 mb or nearly 8 mb can cause a huge lag if you play it on poor PC. This is a minor problem though, because PC nowadays won't have such problem.

 

[RED BARON]

No matter how good the optimization is, high quality maps will have lags on poor PC. Even HQ maps with size below than 8 mb or nearly 8 mb can cause a huge lag if you play it on poor PC. This is a minor problem though, because PC nowadays won't have such problem.

Although say you put a fair amount of custom modeled units into a newer engine like Starcraft 2 and you will feel quite a lag spike

 

[Emm-A-]

thank you for gathering and sharing all this information!

 

[Meatmuffin]

No matter how good the optimization is, high quality maps will have lags on poor PC. Even HQ maps with size below than 8 mb or nearly 8 mb can cause a huge lag if you play it on poor PC. This is a minor problem though, because PC nowadays won't have such problem.

Bleh, I still play on a very poor laptop and I play some custom games of wc3 and it becomes unplayable if lots of actions take place XD

 

[Rheiko]

Although say you put a fair amount of custom modeled units into a newer engine like Starcraft 2 and you will feel quite a lag spike

Well, I didn't know that.

Bleh, I still play on a very poor laptop and I play some custom games of wc3 and it becomes unplayable if lots of actions take place XD

I used to experience that a lot. xD

 

[Zwiebelchen]

No matter how good the optimization is, high quality maps will have lags on poor PC. Even HQ maps with size below than 8 mb or nearly 8 mb can cause a huge lag if you play it on poor PC. This is a minor problem though, because PC nowadays won't have such problem.

Bullshit. Large maps with good coding will not perform worse than small maps with horrible coding.

Optimization matters. If you know shit, you will produce shit. But if you know your stuff, you produce good stuff. This is universally true and WC3 is no exception.

 

[Emm-A-]

Bullshit. Large maps with good coding will not perform worse than small maps with horrible coding.

Optimization matters. If you know shit, you will produce shit. But if you know your stuff, you produce good stuff. This is universally true and WC3 is no exception.

No doubt on that, but how about a lot of animated objects on the map? At least on computers I used, there was a clear correlation of animated objects to experienced lags, and on a large map, I assume, there is automatically more of them compared to a little map. It is not always possible to dynamically show/hide them etc. pp. ...

Of course, everybody should agree to keeping the filesize as low as possible. But I think, a large but poorly done map won't be played very long if not at all anyway, even if the sizelimit will be 150 mb ...

 

[Kam]

The map size limit change is part of an expansive goal to allow creators as much freedom as possible. As with any game modders can cause low performance through poor optimization. There are thousands of Morrowind mods that have adverse side effects due to someone not thinking their decisions through. There are also many that add incredible content that is of a professional quality and would not have been possible with preset limits. This applies to any game genre.

There will be garbage maps filled with unnecessary imports. People won't play those.

 

[Abelhawk]

Awesome! I'm just glad WarCraft 3 gets any exposure at all! Also, I'm happy that my brother (a Mac user) and I can happily play multiplayer finally. I personally can't think of anything I would change as far as gameplay goes, since I don't play competitively and mostly just like to use the map editor. Obviously, any bugfixes would be great, and AI improvements. Can't wait to see what happens as time goes on!

 

[SLICED]

Whoa..... great news ! I guess the trip was AWESOME !

 

[Kacpa2]

Fix crashing(and post 3 hours lag outs on MMH as of now on bigger maps) you caused with Mac compatibility pseudo patch, make compatibile Replay system with features like in starcraft, and fix native Host feature in custom games, increase stability and again fix random crashes in late game that started to appear after 27!

 

[Kam]

Fix crashing(and post 3 hours lag outs on MMH as of now on bigger maps) you caused with Mac compatibility pseudo patch, make compatibile Replay system with features like in starcraft, and fix native Host feature in custom games, increase stability and again fix random crashes in late game that started to appear after 27!

Would you provide more speicifcs? Crash logs would be best.

 

[Kacpa2]

Would you provide more speicifcs? Crash logs would be best.

Random Win10 crash that created this weird crash log, other ones that people experienced on no matter what maps, happen randomly game doesnt struggle with loading anything, memory dump is full of random stuff that did load and then crashes. For several clan mates of mine Win10 happens alot, for no reason, same with bnet kickin people out from games hosted via makemehost often after 1.27 or causes lag outs for that service around 3-4 hour mark in big maps that before could be played for well pretty much unlimited time really.

 

[deepstrasz]

Hey guys, don't know if these were mentioned or not so I'll just go ahead anyways.

#Issue 1:
-Human has the Spell Breaker (immune to magic) and two mechanical units (the Siege Engine and the Flying Machine; magic resistance/partial magic immunity) plus the summoned Phoenix and its egg (magic immunity). The Mountain King can also temporarily become immune to magic in his Avatar form. The Paladin becomes temporarily invulnerable through Divine Shield. The Blood Mage has Banish that can physically protect allied and owned units for a short period

-Orc has one mechanical unit (the Demolisher) and the magic vulnerable but physical immune Spirit Walker (only in Ethereal Form; the creature also possesses Resistant Skin which renders it partially immune to magic). The only magic immune units capable of attacking the Orc has are the summoned Serpent Ward. The Statis Trap is out of context since it doesn't directly attack and it has low health even though invisible if not destroyed right before placed or after it has been detected. The Healing Ward and the Sentry Ward are also out of the picture. Bladestorm renders the Blademaster immune to magic for a very short time and the Shadow Hunter's Big Bad Voodoo turns allied and owned units invulnerable for some time

-Undead has the mechanical Meat Wagon, the Stone Form Gargoyle (magic immunity), the Banshee (with its Anti-magic Shell; magic damage absorbing effect) and the mechanical Obsidian Statue with its upgrade, the Destroyer (spell immunity). The Death Knight's (temporary) animated dead units are invulnerable. The Dreadlord's Inferno (timed unit) is immune to magic

-Night Elf has Elune's Grace (an upgrade for Archers that gives them 80% magic damage reduction), the Dryad (spell immunity), the mechanical Glaive Thrower, the Mountain Giant (resistant skin) and the magically immune Faerie Dragon. The Warden's temporary Avatar of Vengeance is also magically immune and its spawn, the Spirits of Vengeance are invulnerable (yet short lived). The Owl Scout is also invulnerable to magic even though it does not attack (out of context). Moreover there's the Anti-magic Potion (that functions nothing like the Banshee's spell; this one gives temporary magic immunity)


#Issue 2:
-Human has the Staff of Sanctuary (teleports a unit to the highest ranked main building, stuns it until it fully regenerates)
-Night Elf has the Staff of Preservation (teleports a unit to the highest ranked main building)

Now, what's the reason of such originality? I guess it's because Night Elf has Moon Wells...
There are common items like the Scroll of Town Portal and the Potion of Healing and the one for Mana. Only the Night Elf, Human & Orc have the Lesser Clarity Potion. Only the Undead and Night Elf can buy the Dust of Appearance (funny, since the Undead have the Shade and the Night Elf, the nighttime Shadowmeld/Hide).
Orc has the Scroll of Speed. Needless to remind that they also have Endurance Aura and Bloodlust.


At last, I've got it out of my mind, especially the fact that Orc has lesser magic protection (no trainable magic immune units) than any of the other races.

 

[Kyrbi0]

That's a nice analysis, but what's the issue? That there's too much? Or too little? Or not enough cross-faction representation? Etc.

 

[Kam]

That's a nice analysis, but what's the issue? That there's too much? Or too little? Or not enough cross-faction representation? Etc.

My guess for #1 is that Human has too many ways to avoid magic damage.

#2 is possibly saying that the racial items provide too much imbalance.

 

[neo_sluf]

Bullshit. Large maps with good coding will not perform worse than small maps with horrible coding.

Optimization matters. If you know shit, you will produce shit. But if you know your stuff, you produce good stuff. This is universally true and WC3 is no exception.

If you play good stuff and you know your computer is shit even a large map map with good coding...

WILL STILL PLAY SHIT.

 

[Eagle XI]

Any sign of life that they are actually working on a patch ?

 

[PurgeandFire]

Any sign of life that they are actually working on a patch ?

Yep, they are working on it!

 

[Tleno]

Yep, they are working on it!

Um, any updates or any news they're willing to share?

 

[Wasabee]

It's too soon to have any new updates but just like fladder said they're working on it.

 

[Dr Super Good]

They are working on it but only at a fraction of the rate they work on HotS patches, at least apparently.

 

[pyf]

We have all been waiting for new patches for *years*.

Now that we know for *sure* they are finally coming, why would we become impatient all of a sudden ?

 

[Leubast]

We have all been waiting for new patches for *years*.

Now that we know for *sure* they are finally coming, why would we become impatient all of a sudden ?

Because we now know we're not waiting for the impossible.

I, for one, am just gonna let them come as they will. I'm happy with the current build. Anymore is great. I just hope they take this and talk about continuing the Warcraft RTS.

 

[DracoL1ch]

We have all been waiting for new patches for *years*.

Now that we know for *sure* they are finally coming, why would we become impatient all of a sudden ?

because we've seen WHAT came with 1.27 and really really disappointed with it. there was nothing to see for WC3 - it's "blizzard's" patch. Player got nothing but troubles because of it.

 

[StoPCampinGn00b]

It's be great if that argument wouldn't be started in this thread for the 40th time
Seriously, let it go.

 

[DracoL1ch]

It's be great if that argument wouldn't be started in this thread for the 40th time
Seriously, let it go.

let wc3 go. thats what you said. enjoy sc2 then.

 

[deepstrasz]

let wc3 go. thats what you said. enjoy sc2 then.

People, please keep your petty frustrations to yourself. If you have something that matters to write regarding the patch(es) please do. Otherwise get busy. I don't want to unsubscribe because of you. Thank you.

 

[Tleno]

let wc3 go. thats what you said. enjoy sc2 then.

Enjoying both, thank you very much. Fact is, pretty few devs support their games for as long as Blizz does it. I understand some updates or changes might be disappointing, but being mad at devs for not keeping a game that's over 10 years old fresh and regularly updated is a pretty ridiculous form of entitlement.

 

[DracoL1ch]

Enjoying both, thank you very much. Fact is, pretty few devs support their games for as long as Blizz does it. I understand some updates or changes might be disappointing, but being mad at devs for not keeping a game that's over 10 years old fresh and regularly updated is a pretty ridiculous form of entitlement.

oh im not mad here for devs. for marketing team - for sure. they told about "something great", wc3 reviving. and came with only that compat fixes, which broke almost as much as fixed.

 

[pyf]

@DracoL1ch :

I can not believe I am reading this !

...
Okay. My try

Facts, ideas, guesses and (hopefully) common sense. Sorry for the mess :

Do not open : it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing

- Blizzard released a new WC3 patch this year
After how many years of nothing official, including new downloadable official maps ?
I believe no other gaming company has ever provided support for their retail game(s) over such a long period of time

- We know for sure at least one more patch is on its way
Has already officially been advertised as being mainly a balance patch. But they will of course never fix the already known issues they themselves listed, isn't it ?
Also, "Some tasks have extended production schedules", to quote the OP. Some things are already carefully planned for the next years imho

- An increased map limit size is on its way
OP says *perhaps* 150 MB. Why is nobody puzzled by this tentative 150 MB value ? 16 - 32 - 64 - 128 - 256... OK... but 150 does not "fit" imho. Sure, 150 comes close to 32+128. Does that lead us to something ?

- game now uses D3D9
Please document yourself on D3D9 features. Also, why was it a *silent* upgrade from D3D8 ?

- game now uses VC++ 2013
Please document yourself on anything related to VC++ 2013, how it interacts positively with modern CPUs / OSes, and other things

- planned integration with Bnet 2.0
Because all these efforts are of course one-time efforts

- Blizzard is currently updating his classic games
Yep, they decided that one morning, for they had nothing better to do that day. Tip : think *global* strategy here
atm there are 2 patches for DII, 1 for WC3, SC still pending. Again, how does that compare to other game companies ?
https://us.battle.net/support/en/article/classic-game-patches

- There are more than a dozen employees working on the Classic titles
Of course, they will fire them right after a one-time patching session ? Formation and training is so overrated these days, especially when related to costs... [/sarcasm]

- I understand Robert Bridenbecker and Pete Stilwell are onboard
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1064836/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/pete-stilwell-40557418

- Clásico is paying much attention to the posts from Blizzard's gamers community
http://us.battle.net/en/search?f=post&a=Clásico&sort=time

- Clásico officially stated they would like to take care of bots for the long-term, and emphasized their fondness for the games
http://us.battle.net/en/forum/topic/20743074310#2
(there are other posts like this from them)
Now of course fighting bots (and hacking) a an international level, is done by a one-time quick fix at the snap of fingers

- Code is being reviewed, some ASM has already been removed
Where to start with that one ? Sanitization, less dead code, less surface attack for exploits, more documented code, more portability on other game platforms, more modern programing fit for today's computers. All done with the objective of "not breaking shit". Again, just snapping fingers and yay ?

Plus, it is a new team which has to understand code done by other programers in the last century. First development of the game began in 1998, and it was first envisioned as a different kind of game. There was a change in directions in 2000 (which explains some of the mess modders are facing nowadays imho). Quoting OP, "Sorting through the code sounded a bit like archaeology"

- There were some issues related to maps in the last patch
And nobody wondered *why* ? Hint : think SC patch 1.12

- Blizzard released last year some redone WC3 assets
http://eu.battle.net//arcade/en/blog/17796669
Which of course will remain for SC2 only ? Absolutely unrelated to the *silent* switch to D3D9, of course...

- There is some demand, from the standard casual gamer, for so-called "HD". Meaning in fact something visually a bit more appealing, and a bit more on par with modern times
Please see above

- Blizzard has changed ; it is not the Blizzard from the 90's/2000's
Blizzard became more mod-friendly last year with SC2 (starter edition allows to play some mods afaik)

- Blizzard only met Kam and PurgeandFire since then ?
use a search engine

- Blizzard is very attentive to the feedback from fan communities
" Blizzard is reading the Hive and other fan sites, and are interested in a continued feedback loop. ". Think constructive synergy for mutual benefit here. How about the other game companies ?

- The general trend is leaning to nostalgia
See remade classics in widescreen / better resolution, from other games companies. There is money to be made here.

- The standalone PC Desktop is dead
yep. Think tablets, and also new ways of buying and gaming (and sometimes buying while gaming)

- Commercial games are about money
Captain Obvious speaking
If a change in the game can be both benefic and financially beneficial to Blizzard, they will implement it in a later patch (shock ! horror !)

- A Warcraft movie is coming
Will lead to exposure of some of Blizzard's brand of products, towards the general mass-market consumer. The whole games had to be fixed first for compatibility, because of deadlines.
Also, a movie is about buying toys and stuff. Care for a ThrallMobile ?
Also, a commercial success may help Blizzard succeed where Square Pictures failed. Need I say more ?

Now do I have to explain the concept of worldwide global synergy ?

Quoting OP : "As for Blizzard's feedback on the list and what they will accomplish we can't say because of the scope [...] this compatibility patch is just the first step"

 

[DracoL1ch]

none of your points stands for "blizzard wanna make goods for us"
compat patch broke few maps. oh, we used unappropriate tools to compact those maps? Why the hell those tools are still 3rd party then? If you do know your community you definitely know what is mapmaking, why Vexorian & Widgetizer tools still exists. Answer is - they do not know.

Oh, they fixed MAC issues? 3 players will be happy. I guess. If they could get over and update their game via site, since default update doesn't work. Read blizz' forum if you need details. And don't forget to note how many replies there from actually staff managers. Last time I checked it ~2 months ago there was none. Community working? Classical games reborn? U wot m8?

Battle net 2.0? Who cares if you cannot handle maphack in the first place? People don't play bnet for years, ever. There's dozen reasons, main of which stated even here - delay. Incredible delay of .2 seconds per every fucking action, not to speak about default WC3 random delay option.

- Code is being reviewed, some ASM has already been removed
Where to start with that one ? Sanitization, less dead code, less surface attack for exploits, more documented code, more portability on other game platforms, more modern programing fit for today's computers. All done with the objective of "not breaking shit". Again, just snapping fingers and yay ?

waaaat? you think there's ASM parts? It's written on C++/#/idk exactly, it's heavily OOP. No way anything there is ASM, so it's only matter of compilator. So, yay, I guess.

- An increased map limit size is on its way

speculation. not to speak any kind of restriction in 2016 is shitty idea. Look at wonderful dota2 assets with 2gb modes. People like them. but sure, lets stick to the idea "we don't need graphic hell here". Then you shouldn't include note about HD as well or reworking some models to HD. Find out how many people bought wc3 just becuase it got NEW SKINS. I'd say less than per any other routine day at modern MOBA.

You can't revive old game with remodelling, wider hardware support or throwning some loud names. You need something really big. Like unlimited possibilities within editor. Like proper platform for gaming. User-oriented shit. Not "we gonna update it just in case somebody would buy this ever again".

I can't wait for the next patch as well. If Im right, it will trash out all those wishes & hopes of various people here. If Im wrong, there would be something useful. Both ways Im winning.

 

[deepstrasz]

You can't revive old game with remodelling, wider hardware support or throwning some loud names. You need something really big. Like unlimited possibilities within editor. Like proper platform for gaming. User-oriented shit. Not "we gonna update it just in case somebody would buy this ever again".

I just want games to be able to be played on later OSs. Having an old PC just for that is risky, especially when stuff might get broken. It'll get harder to find the necessary components and they'll be expensive too.

 

[PurgeandFire]

Um, any updates or any news they're willing to share?

I'll ask if there is anything I can share. We've definitely had conversations with them multiple times since our visit--it was mostly for consulting, especially for things on our list. As such, we don't have a clear idea on what they have/haven't implemented, but we at least know what they're taking a look at.

Why is nobody puzzled by this tentative 150 MB value ? 16 - 32 - 64 - 128 - 256... OK... but 150 does not "fit" imho. Sure, 150 comes close to 32+128. Does that lead us to something ?

Haha. When they brought up the question, they asked us what we thought would be a good extension. They proposed 150 mb as a ballpark suggestion, and we also threw around the ideas of 64 mb and 128 mb (since everything is better in powers of 2!). But the exact number isn't too important. It can always be extended.

- Code is being reviewed, some ASM has already been removed
Where to start with that one ? Sanitization, less dead code, less surface attack for exploits, more documented code, more portability on other game platforms, more modern programing fit for today's computers. All done with the objective of "not breaking shit". Again, just snapping fingers and yay ?

waaaat? you think there's ASM parts? It's written on C++/#/idk exactly, it's heavily OOP. No way anything there is ASM, so it's only matter of compilator. So, yay, I guess.

Wc3 is C++. Diablo had a mixture of assembly and others, though. I don't remember if it was DI or DII.

compat patch broke few maps.

Could someone please post a clear-cut example of this? I'm not saying it didn't break a few maps, but I have only seen one thread that showed any sign of a difference between 1.27 and 1.26, and they didn't provide much information.

There was one thread that popped up recently, but that was just whether the map showed up in the maps list or not.

post

Nah, all your complaints are fine and valid. A lot of people wanted more. If they had just done this patch and left it as it is now, then I'd be upset too.

Even the next patch might not bring all that we want. All those stuff you mentioned have been prioritized on our list, but we all know they aren't things that can be done overnight. And as you said, the compat patch has brought about its own problems. They've probably been working on fixing those too.

I definitely would like big stuff too. Sweeping changes. A complete platform, like NetEase. Loads of new features. But Blizz isn't trying to remarket these games. The classic games are fragile. One small step out of place and you could very well ruin the community. Just take a look at w3arena--they have to stay on 1.26. So it makes sense that they are doing things incrementally to gauge what happens/what factors they'll need to consider. It might be less exciting, but it is safe. It will probably have some ramp up. They said they weren't concerned with *selling* the game. They wanted to get the existing issues out of the way first, so the tipping point of the revival may come later.

 

[pyf]

I just want games to be able to be played on later OSs.

Gamers / artists / mappers / modders / coders / hackers, all may have different interests in a game. Some gamers do not even *know* there in an editor available (nor do they care about it). Imho they are generally interested in visuals, horsepower, and good gameplay over a network. All without a hassle. Nowadays people want their computer stuff to work right away.

I expect new WC3 players when the movie is released.

We've definitely had conversations with them multiple times since our visit--it was mostly for consulting, especially for things on our list. As such, we don't have a clear idea on what they have/haven't implemented, but we at least know what they're taking a look at.

Thanks PurgeandFire. The official Wish-list seems very sensible imho. If Blizzard decides to implement only half of ils suggestions, I would be so very happy. Of course, I fully understand and expect this half would take years (implementation, user feedback, QA...).

Therefore I hope Blizzard stays ahead in the gaming industry. If they get out of business, we *all* lose. Blizzard alone must "win" (and not any single individual ; omg !) so they grow and prosper, and we can all benefit from it equitably, as individuals within a community. The future of Warcraft is tied to the future of Blizzard.

Hope they find all this reading entertaining, too.

Haha. When they brought up the question, they asked us what we thought would be a good extension. They proposed 150 mb as a ballpark suggestion, and we also threw around the ideas of 64 mb and 128 mb

Thanks for the clarification. Some Hive thread already took that weird value for granted. I do not remember reading any clear disambiguation until now.

Wc3 is C++. Diablo had a mixture of assembly and others, though. I don't remember if it was DI or DII.

What lead me to that assertion is here

Keeping assembly code makes little sense nowadays, because of modern CPUs and compilers. Plus it paves the way for the future, with easier portability on other platforms (=> large scale savings). We are not in the 20th century anymore.

I'm not saying it didn't break a few maps, but I have only seen one thread that showed any sign of a difference between 1.27 and 1.26, and they didn't provide much information. There was one thread that popped up recently, but that was just whether the map showed up in the maps list or not.

lol. In fact, I was referring to some info from our bugs and issues page.

If some maps are missing from your mpqs, you can not install the patch. I myself had streamlined my mpqs long ago ; uh-oh. Solution was easy : restore my clean backup copy of war3.mpq and war3x.mpq.

Of course, I had already installed VC++2013 a long time ago. And I am sure everyone has also installed in the process VC++2015, 2012, 2010, 2008, and whatever other runtime, just in case it would be useful for something else, mmh ?

A lot of people wanted more. If they had just done this patch and left it as it is now, then I'd be upset too.

When I read the news about it last year, I was sure it would be a single compatibility patch, and nothing more. Glad I was wrong.

Even the next patch might not bring all that we want. All those stuff you mentioned have been prioritized on our list, but we all know they aren't things that can be done overnight. And as you said, the compat patch has brought about its own problems. They've probably been working on fixing those too.

It is basic customer service. We are all loyal Blizzard customers. Mac users too are loyal Blizzard customers.

I definitely would like big stuff too. Sweeping changes. A complete platform, like NetEase. Loads of new features. But Blizz isn't trying to remarket these games. The classic games are fragile. One small step out of place and you could very well ruin the community. Just take a look at w3arena--they have to stay on 1.26. So it makes sense that they are doing things incrementally to gauge what happens/what factors they'll need to consider. It might be less exciting, but it is safe. It will probably have some ramp up. They said they weren't concerned with *selling* the game. They wanted to get the existing issues out of the way first, so the tipping point of the revival may come later.

The fan base's reactions are paramount imho. We must make constructive criticism, profitable first to Blizzard and then to the Hive, making us a worthwhile community to them.

...meaning no whining on Patch 1.27a for the wrong reasons, and no childish impatience. All good things will come in due time.

 

[deepstrasz]

I expect new WC3 players when the movie is released.

You mean WoW players. WcIII's graphics won't attract much attention. There are few people like me for instance who would play such a game if it would be made nowadays.

 

[Ezekiel12]

But the exact number isn't too important. It can always be extended.

Only now it's guaranteed that people are thinking about it with an actual change upcoming and we even have some influence in it's decision. In 5-10 years when maybe a completely different team of people will work on wc3 (if at all) it will be much harder to get the matter on the table again.

Saying "we can just do it later" should not be upheld as an argument. If there are no arguments against raising the limit to 500mb or 1gb, better do it now.

 

[pyf]

[...] WcIII's graphics won't attract much attention. There are few people like me for instance who would play such a game if it would be made nowadays.

Maybe yes, maybe no...

 

[PurgeandFire]

Only now it's guaranteed that people are thinking about it with an actual change upcoming and we even have some influence in it's decision. In 5-10 years when maybe a completely different team of people will work on wc3 (if at all) it will be much harder to get the matter on the table again.

Saying "we can just do it later" should not be upheld as an argument. If there are no arguments against raising the limit to 500mb or 1gb, better do it now.

That is true. "we can just do it later" is more for comfort than anything else, letting people know that it isn't set-in-stone.

The real argument is that there was some controversy about the limit, mostly within this thread. Some people don't want it too high, and others want the limit to be removed.

64 mb, 128 mb, and 150 mb were sort've thrown around as numbers at the meeting based on existing/past stuff. Here is what I had in mind:

• As far as past discussions go, most people talk about extending it to 16 mb. We were all pretty pessimistic back then, heheh.
• Iceborn, for example, is a map that incorporated every facet of a map: custom sounds, models, textures, voices, music, etc. It is 182 mb without too much compression. Most of his other maps are much less--usually less than 100 mb.
• A full mod like Nirvana takes ~194 mb (version linked) and ~310 mb (latest version). It also is not compressed to its fullest.
• Power of Fire (Barade's mod) is past 400 mb I think (most recent download is 353 mb). It has custom sounds, models, textures, etc. the whole enchilada.
• Almost everything else I've seen has been less.

That info guided my choice, since those were all mods that are known for pushing the map size to an extreme. Under the assumption that we wanted a limit that was higher but not too high, I thought (and I still think) 128 mb will do. But if people want more, definitely voice it here! (or if you don't care for the limit/like having a limit, then voice that too)