Hi,
I have been an active member of both the ladder and the custom games community since 2004, and have also participated in tournaments/leagues back in 2008.
This is my feedback on Warcraft 3: Reforged. The main reason for this post is to provide an additional point of view to Blizzard, as they have asked, as well as to spark a discussion. Here it goes:
Graphics
I think the Classic Games Team has nailed the graphics style. The more realistic approach statistically appeals to a wider audience, which is a good thing not only from sales perspective, but also for the games longevity and activity levels. From gameplay point of view, it is easier to tell what is going on in bigger fights. I think a more cartoon-orientated graphics approach would not fare as well nowadays as it did 15 years ago. What about 15 years from now? Gaming is generally shifting to a more realistic graphics model on all platforms (maybe except for mobile). I think for most people itâs nostalgia speaking, but we need to think what is best for the game and the longevity of the community in the long run. Additionally, we will have the ability to shift between legacy and remastered, so it is not like the old style that we are all used to will be gone.
I think the Classic Team have done an outstanding work on this matter.
Models
I think the darker/gothic style works well for Warcraft 3. I like the models shown during Blizzcon and also love the concept art that was shown. My only concern here is that the models need to be not only of the same relative proportions as the original game (hero to unit, for example), but also the same size as in the original game. Logic dictates that this should be the case in order to achieve compatibility, and I might be wrong to assume this is not the situation as I donât have hands-on experience with the game yet.
I have seen people voice concerns about the ghoul and the skeleton models. I think the skeleton model fits the new atmosphere perfectly. Regarding the ghoul, I am inclined to agree with the general opinion that it feels a bit out of place. I think it should look more crazed and rabid with more impulsive movements/animations. I am not sure what to suggest about the art style.
Icons
It is clear that the icons are a work in progress. I think that the skill/spell icons should to be a bit more simplistic, though this might be down to personal preference. By this, I donât mean Starcraft-simplistic but maybe less cluttered? I like the gothic approach of the item icons, but some just seem unexciting, the pendant or the town portal scroll for example. I think an item should appear more special and less like a common object, if that makes sense. That said, I think the end-state would be better than what we have seen so far.
UI
The UI is also a work in progress. Not much to say here other than personal preference. I am used to a bordered hero/unit portrait but I think borderless can work too if done correctly.
I donât like the new spell/item icon positions and prefer the old grid style. This is something proprietary for Blizzard RTS games and I think it should continue to be the way forward. The showcased style resembles the one of Dota 2. I am used to playing with both and I think the new one is significantly inferior.
Gameplay
People have been suggesting new races or heroes. I think the game should not have drastic gameplay changes on day one after the release. After we have reached balance stability, new items or tavern heroes can be introduced (not affecting balance as much as they are available to all races and also easier to tweak). I think new race heroes, units, buildings and abilities can be introduced with expansions. A new race could be viable further down the line, but I think it should be designed to be weaker (stats-wise) at first, and then gradually buffed in order to not risk breaking the balance and to avoid touching other races too much. New heroes or items should not be overcomplicated as they are in Dota for example.
Mechanics
All mechanics should remain the absolutely the same. Otherwise the game is changed fundamentally. Everything from surrounding, blocking to control group size, food limit and upkeep should remain exactly like-for-like and not be changed in the slightest. At least for ladder.
Ladder Maps
I think new maps should be introduced and rotated out seasonally. Blizzard took the right approach a while back, and then the community complained and some old maps were brought back. I understand the nostalgia element, and no matter how good or balanced some old maps are, change is the way to go so that the game can grow.
Matchmaking
I am not sure about whether the League system that is implemented in Starcraft is better than the legacy one, but it is superior to the MMR implementation in Dota 2, in my opinion. MMR-based systems are not anymore accurate than League-based ones, however they introduce more toxicity.
Regarding search times versus opponent skill difference, I think it is better to have longer search times and more even games than the other way around.
Also, it is paramount that the matchmaking is global. As Blizzard has said, WC3 should have only one community. That said, I think leaderboards should be region-based. The system could look for opponents in the same region and if the waiting time passes a certain threshold, it could look in other regions depending on geolocation/time of activity or some other parameter in conjunction with skill level, the latter having more weight.
I have seen people suggesting having a split between ranked and unranked mode. I think this is not a good idea as it would divide the community. Custom games can act as a substitute for unranked play.
Balance
Human - Militia duration should be reverted to the old value. I think this has crippled Human more than anything else. Maybe it is worth checking the state of the race again after bringing this back.
Orc - I think reinforced defences applying to towers at tier 2 is way too strong. It encourages a style of play that requires the opponent to have significantly better understanding of the game in order to win. Towering strategies are a lot easier to execute than to play against.
Additionally, I think Wyverns should deal less damage, but have 1 more armour or some more health points. This would make them viable outside Orc vs UD and will also balance the aforementioned match-up a bit.
Bat rider suicide direct damage should be toned down a bit.
Undead - hard to say. I think necromancers should be reworked. Undead just does not seem to have a use case for them at present. I believe fiends should have 1 more armour, or if that is too much, maybe allow the defence upgrades to provide more armour. I think this is a good way to give UD survivability without making the race busted by giving it some sort of an early healing mechanism. I think Ghoul Frenzy should have two tiers - one at T2 and one at T3. The T2 upgrade could provide half the speed bonus and cost half as much. The T3 upgrade can remain the same, with the cost toned down a bit. Animate Dead should be reworked. Statues should remain in the Slaughterhouse and their HP nerf should be reverted. I would like to have the old Orb of Corruption armour deduction back but I main UD, so this point might be biased.
Night Elf - KOTG nerf should come in terms of entangle duration on units at tier 1, and hero duration at tiers 2 and 3. Treants should be easier to kill and Thorns Aura should be buffed a bit. I also donât like the repetitive taunt cast buff that mountain giants received. It forces the opponent to be better at micromanaging units - the ability is easy to execute and causes excessive disruption for little effort. Huntress damage buff should be reverted.
Neutral - Alchemist acid bomb needs to be nerfed. I think buffs to other tavern heroes should wait until balance is improved a bit.
Automated Tournaments
Automated Tournaments are an integral part of the WC3 experience. They should exist in Reforged and should be region-based in order to not have to deal with timing issues.
Campaign
I think extending campaigns or adding new ones is a great idea. The cinematic that was shown was great in my opinion.
I think new campaigns should be available for purchase as DLCâs going forward. This would make the game more sustainable.
Custom Games
Controversial topic. I agree with Blizzardâs decision to prohibit host bots. Any service by groups such as ENT that has been provided over the years is appreciated. However there must be only one authority going forward, and that authority needs to be Blizzard. I think their response to enrich the custom games feature shows their dedication to what the community wants. Keep in mind that there are business decisions that the developers cannot override even if they wanted to. In my opinion, host bots improved some aspects of the custom game experience, but made others worse (empty lobbies). Whether removing host bots was good or bad varies per person depending on when they started playing, what their expectations are and what their experience has been. With cross-realm custom game support, I think the custom game community will be revitalised and more active than ever before.
I am not a map maker and cannot comment on the World Editor.
New Features
It would be healthy for the game to introduce new features further down the line. For example, it would interesting to include ships and water-based combat. This can be achieved by having one or two water-based maps in every game typeâs pool which allow every race to build its own harbour building with ships, as well as use neutral ones. Having dedicated maps for this will not disrupt the overall balance of the game, and people can just veto the maps if they donât like that style of play. Further feedback can be used to improve features like this one. I believe making things like this available only on certain maps is a way for the game to grow more aggressively without endangering the overall balance.
Outside of actual gameplay, things like achievements canât hurt anyone if implemented correctly. They may not appeal to some people but they are easy to ignore. However, it is important for achievements that concern team games to have a winning clause - else team games end up being ruined in favour of achievements and that should never happen.
Profiles
Profiles should resemble the ones from the legacy version. There should be more portraits to unlock, but I donât think having a free ones/buy-to-have ones is good. The driver for this should be around achievements and not around purchasing content for other Blizzard games. For example a night elf demon hunter in a Diablo demon hunter outfit is not okay. This applies to both profile icons and in-game skins.
Reports & Penalty
There should be a reporting system in place along with a penalty queue for leavers or people that accumulate excessive reports. Not sure how this feature should be governed but it should absolutely be in place in order to improve a healthy gaming experience.
Chat Channels
This should absolutely remain exactly the same. They are distinctive trait of the game. The communications solution for SC2 is abysmal in comparison and I think we should stay away from such implementations and not take risks in this regard.
People from all realms should see each other in the channels. Maybe add a tag such as â@europeâ in the end of the name. This will allow for a more united community.
People without clans should be placed in the same channel upon login. Blizzard had implemented it at some point earlier this year and it was an amazing experience. Please bring it back.
Clan System
The clan system is the other distinctive feature of Warcraft. It is if paramount importance that this is implemented in Reforged as well. Features such automated clan wars could be good to have in the future.
Accounts
I think only one account should be allowed per battle net user. It would reduce toxicity and make games more balanced in the long run.
Cost
I think the cost of the game is completely justified. $30 is a fair price for the amount of game time Reforge would provide. People should stop asking for free copies or discounts if they have the legacy game already. The $30 goes to the current developer team for their efforts on Reforged.
Skins & Micro-transactions
I think skins are a nice to have feature in the way they were presented at Blizzcon - having a Jaina variation for the Archmage or a female demon hunter is good for the game and provides additional sustainability to the game via micro-transactions. Having a diablo demon hunter skin for the night elf demon hunter or something like janitor Leoric from HOTS would be absolutely horrible.
Any micro-transactions should not affect competitive or custom game play. They should only be related to cosmetic aspects, such as skins, or single player campaigns.