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Wednesday 5 March, 2008
Gamelog entry #2
Gameplay
I especially liked the storyline that the game possesses. The game possesses a campaign mode, where the player experiences the continuation of the previous storylines of the Warcraft world. The story was rather exciting and engaging, ranging from night elves hunting a demon bent on destroying a large portion of the world to a story of mistrust and betrayal. Being a fan of the Warcraft world’s story, I especially loved the campaign feature that the game offered.
I enjoyed the social interaction that I had while playing this game. I had a small LAN party with two to three other friends, and we basically played melee maps (default setting where you pit against each other or computer allies and enemies) and a number of custom games (games with maps modified by a fan of the game). The social interaction created through us playing with each made the game even more enjoyable.
My experience while playing the game flowed due to the campaign and difficulty structure that the game provides. Initially, the campaign maps are rather easy. However, the difficulties of the maps are constantly on the rise. This allowed me to essentially “adapt” to the campaign’s increasing difficulty. For example, on one of the early maps in the campaign, the player, along with the enemy, is only given access to a number of limited upgrades and units. This ultimately simplifies gameplay as strong tiers of units are not accessible by either the player or the enemy. The storyline of the campaign also flows. One event followed another, and I was able to absorb and understand the storyline that the game possesses as I played through the campaign.
Design
The hero system that the game possesses is quite innovative. Unlike other RTS games out there that I know of, the heroes in the game are not simply stronger versions of a particular unit. They are unique in almost every way. Heroes in the game possess their own unique type of armor and attack, and on top of that, every hero has the ability to level up through experience points that one obtains from defeating enemies from combat. The hero has unique base stat attributes, and when a hero levels up, their stats increases, and the hero will be able to learn a new ability, or make a previously learned ability stronger. There are also items that heroes can purchase, equip, and sell with a number of effects, ranging from boosting the hero’s armor to a staff that allows the hero to use abilities that are ordinarily unavailable to them.
The level designs are extremely varied. The scenario maps often possess unique objectives. One map might tell the player to destroy an enemy base while another map might tell the player to assault and close demonic gates. The only common objective that maps possess is the destruction of enemies. However, even in that sense, the ultimate goal of the maps is almost always varied.
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