There are still many people who want to play Warcraft 2 BNE; however, we would like some help from Blizzard to allow us to return to our favorite game from our childhood (Warcraft 2). First, we are wondering if Blizzard is planning on remastering Warcraft 2 as it did with Broodwar? We really could use an updated version of this classic game (especially when even C&C has a remastered version now, which is older than War2). Currently the only official place to play War2 is using GoG War2 version on Global BNE server. But most of the people actually play War2 on private servers because Global BNE server lacks basic functions that modern online gaming requires. Our group compiled a list of issues that we would like Blizzard to update on Global BNE War2 server. We would like:
- One common landing channel that is the same for everyone connecting to the game no matter their language (so no one arrives in an empty channel).
- /r command to reply to the last whisper received
- /games command to see games being currently hosted and played with the name of the games the number of players in them and the status of the game (full / open / started)
- /users command to see how many users are connected and how many are playing.
- /watch command to track movements of a given player when he gets into games.
- A status page where people can see externally on a web page who is connected on the server and what channels or games they are on.
- Some lobby tracking system for streamers to display on their stream who they are playing with their country flags and how the teams are set. (very useful for casting tournaments and big events).
- APM display.
- A spectator mode and a way to save and load replays from the game.
- A program to allow players to change their hotkeys in game.
- An optional patch for color-blind people to change player colors that are difficult to see on screen.
- An ELO based ladder system and page that can be checked out and that takes into account the most common ways of playing multiplayer which is at “even faster” speed on top vs bottom 2v2 or 1v1. Also, would be nice to have 1v1 matching akin to how it is currently done for Remastered Broodwar.
- A latency fix to allow players to get the best latency possible while starting games.
- An antihack.
- A better ddraw.dll library that supports glsl shaders and window mode and never crashes for the game (there even is open source versions just google cnc-ddraw.dll).
-Add check box to allow hosting of maps with random starting position in TVB but using custom units and upgrades values. basically a “use default unit and upgrade values” checkbox. (right now players have to select fixed order to activate custom values) and you cannot activate them in all teams configurations.
-Allow players to also change values of spells and effects in map editor could be a great addition too.
Hopefully at least some of these could be addressed 
We hope Blizzard will not forget one of its original masterpieces, and will take steps to revive War2 just like it did with Broodwar.
12 Likes
It is extremely unlikely that Blizzard will ever update Warcraft II again.
They made a business deal with GOG for GOG to maintain and electronically distribute Diablo, Warcraft: Orcs and Humans, and Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition. Blizzard is done with these three titles directly, and have repeatedly stated that the classic games they were going to update and maintain were Starcraft, Warcraft III, and Diablo II. With Diablo II: Resurrected on the horizon, Blizzard has stated that they are done remastering their classic games.
1999’s Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition was, in a sense, Blizzard’s first remaster. They updated both 1995’s Tides of Darkness and 1996’s Beyond the Dark Portal Expansion Set to work in Windows 95, added full Battle.net support, and added many new exclusive BNE multiplayer maps, including releasing a handful of additional free downloadable maps in the months after. Battle.net Edition was released as a standalone boxed product, as a Warcraft II Battle Chest (with strategy guide included) and as a pack in bonus title with the Warcraft III Exclusive Gift Set. The updated version, similar to Starcraft: Remastered, included the full campaigns for both the original game and the expansion set, and lots of other improvements to the original versions–for a value price.
Blizzard has done quite a lot for Warcraft II over the years since the original 1995 release, and GOG is continuing to make it available and playable today, with full Battle.net support. The requests you ask for are certainly good ones–but I don’t think we’ll ever see them.
2 Likes
I still hope they could add something, like the spectator mode.
We have to sacrifice 1+ player spots for this and often people forget to ally and give vision.
8 Likes
Most of these things also could be considered bugs since they used to work and are broken. It would be really nice to have Blizzard attend to these issues for real.
I am also quite sure it wouldn’t be hard to get in touch with fans from other places where they addressed most of these bugs or issues. I am sure they would gladly help.
We were told to be more vocal about our problems by Mr Logan from Blizzard support, so make sure to reply/upvote and give your own side of things here because apparently if the game is bugged for one of us it is not worth doing anything about it. At least that is what they said.
6 Likes
Yeah spectator mode would be really helpfull for streaming and casting multiplayer games on twitch!!!
6 Likes
Other problems to fix (even if pro players like exploiting these at this point):
- the current unit exit point method often favors top-right spawning players vs bottom-left, when closing up. It would be good if it were customizable.
- peons’ exit point from hall\mine is very weird (difficult to explain for now).
- there’s a peon hopping glitch that teleports them across obstacles\water quite far.
- transports can pass over terrain with a glitch (maybe its usage is limited tho)
- fire shield on land can harm air??
5 Likes
Oh and I forgot about BloodLust: it should be nerfed.
Players currently use humans mostly as an handicap…
And mage’s invisibility should be countered by something.
Maybe detectable by other mages\DKs?
5 Likes
Invisibility is countered by runes. Counter or not though 200 mana for getting a better odd at landing a well placed blizzard isn’t cheap. Unlike haste it only can be used for that.
Overall though I hope they tackle bugs first and then if they realy want to balance the game tweaking mana costs of heal and lust and other spells would be going a long way already the game is not that terribly balanced in the first place. They could also make heal behave more like exhorcism so it is easier to heal units that really need it.
Also maybe making catapult attack animation match the one of the ballistas or vice versa would be great.
Overall balance is the least of my concern right now but we can dream. 
5 Likes
No chance we are going to give up, pal (this is message to ParadiseLost)!!! We expect with high probability that Blizzard will create a proper remaster of Warcraft 2. What GoG is providing is barely usable and it is lower quality than what we had in 2000s. And please, there was nothing similar to “StarCraft: Remastered” released for Warcraft 2! What about matching ladder system for 1v1s and 2v2s? And this is just basic. I am sorry but I strongly disagree with the message you trying to send here regarding Warcraft 2. There are millions of people who will buy a proper remaster of this game if it is made in the next few years. But if Blizzards waits too long it will miss this golden opportunity. So we expect Blizzard to realize it very soon and give us the remaster we ask for. Truly there is no other option.
5 Likes
Quick game and match making / ranking would be so gold <3
5 Likes
(In response to phaolo post) I disagree here. These are not bugs, but actual game mechanics. Without hopping Warcraft 2 makes no sense. Before implementing anything with regard to in-game process please create specific discussion thread where we can discuss as a group what kind of in-game changes are actually needed for Warcraft 2.
5 Likes
I am glad there are people like me hoping for these changes that don’t require that much effort but it would impact the online scene so much.
Even a remaster would be great, and i agree that for some reason WCII didn’t get the love and attention it deserves anymore compared to SC for example like OP mentioned
regardless, for starters the changes provided by OP would be lovely, as I tend to stream this game from time to time and not having a proper spectator mode is frustrating.
6 Likes
I agree mostly with Niko here, hopping is closely tied to the way the game manages what we call the “grid” which is the board of the game.
Any changes to these mechanics totally should involve discussions with people that really play and understand the game fully.
Rather than removing the Hop I think I would make it more predictable by making sure there is less random cases and it behaves in a more predictable manner. After all playing around hops is a lot of fun once you get the hang of it!
Anyways these discussions are interesting I hope indeed Blizzard product teams can see where there is good will and genuine feedback that can help them achieve great things if put in the right hands. Lets keep it positive and productive everyone! 
4 Likes
Yeah I’m sure the devs really wanted hopping, probably there’s a lore entry about magic peons teleporting after building /s 
3 Likes
IMO a good compromise for old players would be to add an option to enable\disable hopping in the map hosting option.
3 Likes
So, how would it work without hopping? Let say on the chop chop map, what would happen to peons? You really need to think about what you saying here.
4 Likes
Some user maps have been created requiring the usage of the never-patched glitch, so it’s obvious they wouldn’t work without it…
3 Likes
Sorry I did not understand your response. So if hall is blocked, where should peon come out? Hopping is not a glitch!!! You have to have hopping for game to even work properly. Otherwise I would come to your hall and block it from all sides and that is it, game is over 
4 Likes
What I’ve always wanted most from a remaster of this game is some sort of modern ranking system. I wouldn’t want to change much about the game because it is a masterpiece. It is the greatest RTS of all time. But some sort of match-making system with different leagues (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Plat, etc.) would be amazing. A remaster of this game would bring in enough people to justify a match-making system like that. Also this game is so focused on PvP that it could easily become an “e-sport” these days.
4 Likes
You’re speaking a bit here and on Discord, so it’s a mess.
You’re replying to something that isn’t even here…
I’m just saying that hopping shouldn’t be exploitable, for example to teleport peons across water.
The engine should check the chosen exit point better.
3 Likes