[Campaign] Armorer (MOD + Campaigns blueprint)

[Terhonator]

UPDATE: I have created 2/10 missions with old WC3 map editor. WC3 Reforged is now released but playing custom campaigns is not possible at the moment so this project is on hold at the moment. I have moved back to sc2mapter.com for my Starcraft II project. (24.5.2020)

This thread is blueprint for my campaign project. Things will change many times while I am working my project.

==

27.8.2019: Hi. This is my first post on this forum.

I am Terhonator and I have been active with modding on sc2mapster.com.

My Starcraft2 projects on sc2mapster:
1) Hand of Humanity (Campaign project)
2) Resource Curse (Campaign project)
3) Custom Campaign Initiative

Warcraft3 Reforged will be released this year (2019) and I have already started to plan my WC3 project. I'll just post my list of ideas to this thread now and I will update things later.

==

Game: Warcraft 3 Reforged
Project name: Armorer
MOD name: Armorer MOD
Campaign name: Civil War of Alterac Mountains
Example of project naming: Warcraft 3 Reforged - Armorer - Civil War of Alterac Mountains - Mission 1
Created by: Terhonator

MOD - General:

- All custom data and gameplay variants are included in one campaign file (Armorer Launcher.w3n)
- Same campaign file for all Chapters
- No coding (such as Lua or Jass)
- Units are balanced with formula that is familiar from card games (Power, Toughness, Keywords)
- Remove as many damage and armor types as possible
- Customized races and tech trees
- Remove upkeep mechanic that reduces gathered resources per worker trip
- 10 gold per worker per trip
- Food limit 300
- Farms required
- Human / Orc style resource gathering
- Human / Orc style construction
- No lumber gathering
- All units and structures cost only gold and time
- Focus on single player

MAPS - General

- Keep it simple!
- All maps use same campaign file (Armorer Launcher.w3n)
- No map specific data changes
- 1 race per Chapter as playable race
- 10 missions per Chapter
- Focus on gameplay mechanics, not story
- Focus on basic build & destroy missions
- No air or water units
- No hero units
- Square shaped maps
- Player's starting base is located in middle of map unless there is some good reason to keep enemies in middle
- Minimal story: All story is written in loading screens and mission objectives
- Map naming system: C01M01, C01M02... C02M05
- No day-night cycle. Each map is day or night map.

 

[Terhonator]

Post about maps

Chapter1: Civil War of Alterac Mountains

- Humans vs Humans
- Focus on Human units (MOD)
- Enemy uses Human units
- Theme: Betrayal and destruction of Alterac
- Location: Alterac Mountains => Alterac City
- Tileset: Snow
- Maps / Spinoff: Warcraft 2: Tides of Darkness, Human campaign, Missions 8 - 11
- Player: Kingdom of Lordaeron, Color: White
- Enemy: Kingdom of Alterac, Color: Orange

== Peasant uprising

Peasant uprising on borderlands between Kingdom of Lordaeron and Kingdom of Alterac has turned into civil war. Both sides blame each other for the conflict and borders of these two kingdoms become questionable.

Mission 1
- Main objectives: Townhall must survive, Destroy enemy Barracks (Tutorial mission)
- Map idea: Start with base, destroy specific building
- Location: Borderlands between Kingdom of Lordaeron and Kingdom of Alterac
- New units: Peasant, Militia, Footman

Mission 2
- Main objectives: Destroy all enemy structures
- Map idea: Start with base, destroy enemies
- Location: Borderlands between Kingdom of Lordaeron and Kingdom of Alterac
- New units: Archer, Guard Tower

== Attack

On aftermath of peasant uprising a full scale war erupts between Kingdom of Lordaeron and Kingdom of Alterac. Kingdom of Lordaeron begins to invade Alterac Mountains.

Mission 3
- Main objectives: Rescue peasants, Destroy all enemy structures
- Map idea: Start with units, rescue workers, destroy all enemies
- Location: Alterac Mountains
- New units: Priest

Mission 4
- Main objectives: Destroy all enemy structures
- Map idea: Start with units, no base building, destroy all enemies (Micro)
- Location: Alterac Mountains
- New units: Mortar Team

== Defense

Kingdom of Alterac begins heavy counter-attack against Kingdom of Lordaeron. Lordaeron must recruit more soldiers.

Mission 5
- Main objectives: Survive 30 minutes
- Map idea: Start with base, defend until time runs out
- Location: Alterac Mountains
- New units: Knight

Mission 6
- Main objectives: Build units (20 / 110 supply)
- Map idea: Start with units, rescue base with almost depleted gold mine, build units
- Location: Alterac Mountains
- New units: Rifleman

== Attack to Alterac City

Kingdom of Lordaeron begins an attack towards Alterac City.

Mission 7
- Main objectives: Destroy all enemy structures
- Map idea: Start with base, destroy all enemies
- Location: Alterac Mountains
- New units: Sorceress

Mission 8
- Main objectives: Destroy all enemy structures
- Map idea: Start with units, destroy all enemies
- Location: Alterac Mountains
- New units:

Mission 9
- Main objectives: Destroy main gate
- Map idea: Start with base, destroy specific building
Location: Outside walls of Alterac City
- New units:

Mission 10
- Main objectives: Destroy all enemy structures
- Map idea: Start with units, destroy all enemies
- Location: Inside walls of Alterac City
- New units:

- On timeline events are between years 3 and 5: Timeline (Ultimate Visual Guide)

- Alliance of Lordaeron is not formed yet: Alliance of Lordaeron

- Lore for WC2 missions can be found from here: Tides of Darkness missions

- Player will play as Kingdom of Lordaeron: Lordaeron (kingdom)

- I will try to implement most iconic parts of history of Alterac to my campaign: Alterac (kingdom)

- Peasant uprising began from Tyr's Hand which is located in Lordaeron but I will use borderlands area between Kingdom of Lordaeron and Kingdom of Alterac: Tyr's Hand

- I believe I am going to include high elves of Quel'Thalas and dwarves of Khaz Modan to "Human" race so forming "The Alliance of Lordaeron" can be part of the story and used to explain why some new units join to battlefield.

- I am going to focus most on peasant uprising and attack towards Alterac city parts. Missions 9 and 10 from WC2 are quite difficult to implement on my campaign because those are naval misisons so I will focus on maps 8 and 11.

- Storywise it could make sense to add some Grunts for example to reinforce the betrayal theme but I am not going to use any orc units in campaign because I want to keep clean Human > vs < Human setting for the campaign. It is also technically much easier to focus on units of one race. Even showing one Grunt will open the floodgate of questions like "Where is rest of the Horde?" and so on.

- The main reasons not to use air or water units is to make map design easier. No need to worry about air or naval attacks. Melee units become more useful. Player is not forced to build specific units as counter for another unit. Air units affect most to map design because cliffs do not block attack routes and ranged units are required. I want that Player can decide what units to build and not force Player for some combination of units. Missions with water require unit transportation between islands.

- The main reason not to use hero units is to keep focus on basic units and basic RTS gameplay. There is also some data related things that make hero balancing a bit more difficult. Focus will be on basic gameplay mechanics so heroes dont add much value for a campaign that focuses less on story.

= =

MAPS - Chapter2:

- Orcs vs Humans (Orcs = Player)
- Focus on Orc units (MOD)
- Enemy uses Human units
- Theme: Orcs assaulting Lordaeron
- Location: Hillsbrad Foothills
- Tileset: Forest (Green)
- Maps / Spinoff: Warcraft 2: Tides of Darkness, Orc campaign, Mission 4
- Player: Warsong Clan, Color: Red
- Enemy: Kingdom of Lordaeron, Color: White

 

[Terhonator]

Post about custom data

- When I started to inspect how all Warcraft3 mechanics work in editor I found too much nonsense mechanics. Streamlining mechanics will be one of the most important goals of this MOD. For example when I played original campaigns over 15 years ago I had no idea that units have different attack and damage types - I barely understood damage and armor mechanics.

- The main reason behind removing lumber as resource is to make map design easier. No need to worry about how trees are removed, how new paths open up, all costs are much more simple to scale, trees can be used as doodads like rocks, easier to set amount of resources on each base.

- I will do all unit balancing with a simple formula but I will try to keep unit stats as close to original ones as possible. This will be single player MOD so I am not going to worry multiplayer balance at all.

= =

14.9.2019: I have created pattern for unit balance for Armorer MOD. I use same kind of logic as many card games like Hearthstone or MTG.

18.9.2019: I am going to use old school damage dice system for units.

Some units for example:

Footman
140 gold (Cost 4)
Power 4 (8 DPS, 3d6)
Toughness 4 (400 HP)
Melee

Grunt
210 gold (Cost 6)
Power 6 (12 DPS, 8d4)
Toughness 6 (600 HP)
Melee

Rifleman
210 gold (Cost 6)
Power 6 (12 DPS, 4d8)
Toughness 5 (500 HP)
Range300

Priest
140 gold (Cost 4)
Power 2 (4 DPS, 3d4)
Toughness 3 (300 HP)
Range600, Caster

Demolisher
280 gold (Cost 8)
Power 8 (16 DPS, 16d8)
Toughness 4 (400 HP)
Siege weapon

Keyword descriptions
1 Gold cost = 35 gold
1 Time cost = 5 seconds build time
1 Power = 2 DPS
1 Toughness = 100 HP
Melee = Melee range (In most cases 0-100)
Range300 = Unit attack range 300
Range600= Unit attack range 600
Caster = 200 Mana, 1-3 spells
Fast = 350 Movement speed
Slow = 190 Movement speed
Supply-: Supply cost rounded up
Supply+: Supply cost rounded down
Worker = 190 Movement speed, Can gather resources, Can build structures
Siege weapon = 190 Movement speed, Unit attack range 900
Structure = 0 Movement speed, different formula used for health and build time calculation

Keyword costs
+1 Power: +0,5
+1 Toughness: +0,5
Melee: 0
Range300: +0,5
Range600: +1,0
Caster: +0,5
Slow: -1
Fast: +1
Supply-: +0,5
Supply+: -0,5
Worker: +0,5
Siege weapon: +2
Structure: -2

- All units and structures have 0 armor

- No damage or armor bonuses that increase or decrease taken damage amounts - only variation comes from dice rolls

- Supply cost is Cost divided by 2 - may lead to unit halves. Supply+ is used to round supply cost up or down. For example unit with cost of 3 costs 105 gold and 1,5 supply. By adding Supply+ attribute supply costs increases to 2. By adding Supply- attribute supply costs decreases to 1.

- Each unit uses d4, d6 or d8 dice for damage rolls depending on units power and attack speed. For example average damage of Footman is 10,8 when attack speed is 1,35. Possible variations for damage amount are 4d4, 3d6 or 2d8 based on my formula.

- Normal movement speed for units is 270.

- All units and structures have 900 / 600 line of sight. (day / night)