Hello. I’ve recently heard about the direct strike custom map for WC3 and i’m dying to try it out, however i’ve lost access to the account I have WC3 on (and blizzard’s support being AI, well, f me i guess) and as much as it pains me to give money to these peops for the sole reason that they essentially have no support, i’m too hyped and considering buying the game again just to play direct strike.
so here is where i’m getting at : would you consider it worth it, considering i don’t have much money for games and could buy something else ? what i’m mainly worried about is that it’s not a standalone game but a custom map on (don’t take it the wrong way) an old game that has a small player base, meaning it’s unlikely to draw in new players just for direct strike, so i’d hate to buy it for 30 bucks just to see direct strike servers empty in a few months.
what’s your take ? do you think direct strike engagement will last ? are there some other custom maps that stayed popular throughout their existence ? thanks 
I mean there’s a whole bunch of people who play nothing but custom games. If that’s worthwhile to you then go right ahead. I don’t know if you’re really only interested in playing that one map but if you want to explore the custom community then yeah, it’s worth it.
thanks for the reply !
to be honest i don’t know about other custom maps, but i imagine i wouldn’t be too interested in other, more classic RTS stuff.
do popular custom maps, such as direct strike, usually keep a healthy playerbase over the years ?
I don’t know if any one specific map, other than DOTA, has singlehandedly maintained the community, but there are so many out there that there’s always something you could play.
alright thank you very much for your insight ! in this case i think i’ll hold off for now, will definitely get it if wc3 goes on a good sale and direct strike still has a decent amount of players by that time !
hf !
It happens pretty often, the game used to not be put on sale with everything else but now it usually is.
good to know, thanks ! i’ll try to remind myself to check for sales from time to time !
thanks for your help ! hf out there !
broken and unbalanced as hell. Unable to counterpush, over 20 mins of dominating and taking enemys tower. They just annihilate your base =(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((
fake map. Direct strike ORDR. legion TD oze.this tree map use w3c bot(fake player). 
Direct Strike has been popular for a long time and it will probably stay around as long as people keep hosting it. Warcraft 3 custom games tend to survive through small but loyal communities rather than huge player numbers.
There are actually several custom maps that have lasted many years because they offer good replay value. Some classic ones like Legion TD, various RPG maps, and newer experimental ones still get regular games. Even smaller maps can build a stable player base over time if the gameplay loop is strong.
For example, some newer autobattler style maps and strategy maps have slowly been growing their own communities. Poker Strike is a recent one that mixes poker mechanics with an autobattler system, and it shows that new ideas can still gain players even in an older game.
So if you enjoy custom games in general, Warcraft 3 is still worth it. Direct Strike will likely remain playable, and there are always other maps to try if you want variety.