Soon, the three had finished reading Alex Parker's concept draft.
The draft outlined the basic shape of the game, including core fun and foundational structures. After reading it, the three had a good understanding of what "Warcraft" would eventually look like.
However, what surprised Alex was that they first criticized the game's name.
"Warcraft? That name sounds strange. Why not call it 'Azeroth Conquest'?" Daniel Cooper scratched his head.
"'Conquest' fits the RTS genre well, but won't this name be too similar to 'Legion Conquest'?" Phoenix commented.
"But what exactly is Warcraft... Azeroth has orcs, undead, but no warcraft..." Daniel was still puzzled about the name.
Amy Johnson expressed her concerns about the game's prospects, "Um, boss, I researched and found that RTS is pretty much dominated by 'Legion Conquest.' Several domestic companies have tried making RTS games, but none were very successful. Can we achieve the same level as 'Legion Conquest'?"
Alex felt exasperated. Their focus was so off!
But on second thought, "Warcraft" in English indeed had little to do with "warcraft" directly. The Chinese translation captured the game's spirit and sounded imposing, making it a classic.
"Trust me, you don't need to doubt my naming ability or my predictions for game development," Alex said.
Amy replied, "Wow, boss, you're so powerful. When do we start?"
"Hold on, let's divide the tasks first," Alex said.
"Daniel, you handle the story. I'll give you a storyline outline focused on Illidan and Arthas. Always keep that in mind."
"Task descriptions, dialogue, unit, and building descriptions—you know what to do."
"From there, we derive the game's races, buildings, and units. We have four races: Humans, Orcs, Night Elves, and Undead. The units and buildings for each race are entirely different. Consider the lore and how it fits the storyline when designing them. Coordinate closely with Phoenix."
"The storyline should be a classic, far surpassing the level of 'Lifeline.' Be prepared for that."
Daniel wiped the sweat off his forehead. "I'll do my best."
Alex continued, "Phoenix, you focus on levels and balance. Balancing units, difficulty progression, hero attributes—coordinate with Daniel on these."
"First, create the numerical models. You know what to do. It's a long-term job; it doesn't need to be perfect right away."
Before Alex could finish, Amy interjected, "Yeah, he'll just tell you: 'Good, but rewrite it.'"
Daniel nodded, "Exactly."
Alex was speechless.
Phoenix: "..."
Alex continued, "Amy, help me create concept art for characters and environments. Also, familiarize yourself with the rules."
Amy nodded, "Got it."
Alex added, "Spend some time exploring the Azeroth universe. There's a lot we can use directly. Also, draw inspiration from other fantasy worlds, like 'Supreme Godring.'"
With tasks assigned, everyone got to work.
Of course, expecting Daniel and Phoenix to perfectly recreate the storyline and settings of "Warcraft" was unrealistic. Alex needed to provide them with a big framework.
Returning to his studio, Alex used the memory replay potion to recall the faded memories.
Time seemed to rewind to those days in internet cafes, playing games for entire afternoons.
First up were the units.
"Warcraft" didn't have too many units, about 12 per race, across four races.
Alex began by drafting tables to plan each unit's attributes, including cost (gold/wood/population), attack speed, attack range, movement speed, attack type, armor type, health, mana, attack/defense (basic, medium, advanced), special abilities, and more.
He then filled in the units, starting with the Night Elves: Wisps, Archers, Huntresses, Glaive Throwers, Hippogryph Riders...
Each unit had to be meticulously detailed according to the list.
For Alex, given his current numerical skills, he could complete the entire framework independently without the memory replay potion. However, to train Phoenix, he decided to provide a large framework and let Phoenix work through the details.
Next were the buildings.
"Warcraft" had a more complex building system compared to "Red Alert," where buildings were merely functional and fragile.
In "Warcraft," buildings typically had fortified armor, with only specific units capable of quickly destroying them. Low-tier units attacking fortified structures were almost useless, and workers could repair buildings easily.
Players could also use building positioning to protect their bases effectively.
By integrating building attributes into the balance system, the random base destruction seen in "Red Alert" was rare.
Additionally, building upgrades, unit production, and other mechanics were excellently executed in "Warcraft." The main base could upgrade from level one to three, offering diverse strategies from tech-rushing for advanced units to early aggressive pushes with basic units. Tech-related decisions significantly expanded players' strategic options.
Furthermore, each building's role—what units it produced, unit tech, and its positioning—required careful planning.
For example, the Night Elves' Ancient of War not only produced Archers and Huntresses but also had high health and attack power and could regenerate health by consuming trees.
This unique feature allowed many professional players to use the Ancient of War for early creep farming, enhancing efficiency, and becoming a standard Night Elf tactic.
Units and buildings were the essence of "Warcraft," deserving significant time and effort for meticulous planning by Alex.