DISCLAIMER:
Nothing here is of final end-all word of official word of Blizzard. This is our take on what we know from the experience, bar the NDA. Everything here has already has been publicly said in one way or another, but perhaps not compiled in this way.
General:
This is still on the same engine as the original Warcraft III! Reforged is physically built through the current game as a major upgrade, alongside the graphics. How the base game is played and feels remains the same.
Reforged/Classic cross-play; Reforged players can play with classic players simultaneously. This also means both versions
generally get the same patches for at least balance and overlying features since. You can switch between Reforged/Classic versions or graphics, though probably not through the ease of one button in-match like in Starcraft. You can swap between old voices or new voices. Expect a beta in ear-___.
Gameplay:
The core gameplay of what makes WC3 unique is not intended to be noticeably altered, especially for the base game and melee. The pathing and collision size should remain the same. However, outside of competitive play, they have the freedom to look decisions differently. Ideas regarding expanding unit selection limits over 12 and more item slots outside of ladder can be on the table.
Content:
Suggested new content such as the infamous 5th race, new campaign missions, and co-op modes have not had statements or announcements tied to them, but again, the team is looking at everything.
Visuals and Art:
Art style - The original intended art style was to go for a more cartoony look, but the team has instead settled on a grittier look closer the spirit of Warcraft III's lore and story themes as opposed to WoW. There's a lot of work to be done still, so making the style more consistent should help solidify the direction to stand on its own over time.
Models - An abundance of feedback for many reforged models has been communicated constructively. It is clearly understood that while many of the models host extravagant detail,
more clarity is needed for gameplay purposes. They are also looking at feedback in terms of model resemblance to the original looks. To share a specific example, the new Grunt is agreed to be a great standard while the Footmen should be evaluated under scrutiny quite a bit more. Things like ground textures for buildings and particle effects will be seen in time.
Terrain - The
terrain shown at Blizzcon is in a very early state. It's been communicated that it looks flat and lacks volume, and some tiles may lack saturation. They are planning an overhaul of the old terrain tile system to a new one.
UI - The UI shown at Blizzcon was also in a very early state. You will be able to swap between the original UI and new minimalist version, but there could be more changes to that. Modders will be able to fully customize it more than for their custom maps.
Battle.net:
It's been confirmed that Warcraft III will be on the modern Blizzard Battle.net launcher, which would give it much better server infrastructure and also new life from other Blizzard game players. Features like clans, improved hosting and filtering, lobby control, friends, bans/avoid, are all being looked at and the hope is that these are all retained if possible, while also being improved.
Lore:
The story will not be changed, but Blizzard is looking at ways to make the entirety Warcraft lore as a whole more consistent in WC3. The Culling mission already had WoW easter eggs that did not affect much other than there being cool mini-bosses other than Mal'Ganis. And maybe this doesn't only pertain to WoW, as some WC1 and WC2 pieces don't perfectly line up with WC3's. The intention seems to be for WC3's story to remain what it is at heart, while also adding things for consistency and fun that other players in the Warcraft universe can also enjoy. Specifics on the extent of this are still up in the air, but remember that you can always choose to play the classic campaign generally untouched.
Custom Game Compatibility:
Most custom maps should be compatible with reforged. While the aim is for the vast majority of maps to work on reforged Day 1, Blizzard is also looking at ways to maximize the amount of complex or import heavy maps to be transferred over. They are looking at many maps individually and are doing internal testing. Since this is such a momentous task, it would be a collaborative for modders and map makers to continue to find workaround methods with modders and map makers with the developers. Point out the maps that don't work with patches, especially if they haven't seen it yet. Worst comes to worst, few maps will have to be significantly updated or would stay with the classic version, but a revitalized player base and modding tools added for both games still improves the net experience of said custom map.
World Editor and Modding:
It is
not a separate new editor and it is not the SC2 editor in WC3! It is strictly the
current World Editor upgraded, with the base features of editor going to function as it always has. Blizzard's goal is to keep the editor as accessible as possible while providing the needed efficiency while ridiculously insane features are added. Yes, new natives are on the way, but also expect some other crazy shit. The specifics of this are not confirmed, but the the editor will be updated as one alongside both classic and reforge.
For the artistic side,
new modding tools can be used to make Reforged quality models and will be provided by Blizzard for community use.
Other:
Other things like animations, certain voice lines, Chinese censorship/age rating, bots, monetization, and more were discussed, but were were not yet ready to become public information for one reason or another, or were minor points. There's so much more that we can't fit into this article, but if you search around you'll likely see some more.
For more recaps from November, see: Hive's
What We Know So Far Thread, and
Grubby's Reforged Videos,
Back2Warcraft's Reforged Videos
