WarCraft Legends v1.0.5a

[AMarkov]

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Good luck, heroes!

There's already a poll on discord right now asking who's next - Sally Whitemane or Grommash Hellscream

 

[MogulKahn]

Will try and come back with a feedback!

 

[Wazzz]

Having playtested this briefly with my friend, we found some areas to provide feedback on:

Pros:

• Creeping options make the game feel more in line with the Warcraft 3 motif, and give you something to do while waiting for objectives to arise
• The map layout looks really well crafted, lending itself to being a nice atmosphere to enjoy
• The visuals used for the map feel nice, with a lot of it being ingame assets mixed with some distinct alterations that provide a sense of familiarity with something new

Cons:

• Having played Arthas and Uther, we found the faction design felt very bare bones and often times weak, with many of the units being ingame equivalents with less abilities for Arthas (barring adding on Runes) and the units for Uther not covering certain elements well (this is also partially true for co-op commanders in Starcraft 2, where some options for dealing with certain things are limited, but are often compensated by overwhelming abilities in other areas)
• The Rune mechanic for Arthas seems confusing, as it seems to indicate my units will get personal vampirism when enhanced by the runes but they didn't seem to
• Many abilities for the heroes Uther and Arthas are just ingame hero abilities, which I guess is okay but there's not really any expansion on these concepts
• The faction designs leave you feeling weak against the waves, and while you end up being able to fight off the waves, you end up feeling the factions themselves are holding you back - the lack of item shops is also really felt here, since you can't get healing items for your heroes and in some situations they do end up dying quite easily, nor can you get other Warcraft 3 staples such as Scroll of Town Portal
• The pacing of the game ends up feeling like there's a lot of time where you don't really do anything and so it feels like it takes longer than it needs to; we started out on Hard difficulty and ended up finishing the map with little to no trouble (although for some reason the AI kept attacking my friend's base, but never mine?), but it took a while to get there and afterwards it felt like it had a lot of time spent not doing a whole lot

Overall, this feels like a jewel in the rough. There's quite a bit of thought that has gone into the layout, and the overarching design for the gameplay's style feels promising - it just feels like it takes longer than it needs to at the moment. Faction design in the two that were played feel a bit underwhelming, and the heroes themselves feel a bit underwhelming, too. In some respects I would like to see some of these themes expanded upon further - such as in co-op commanders for Starcraft 2, where levelling up Commanders unlocks new upgrades and ways to interact with abilities. But one thing this does right is it does paint a clear distinction between what Starcraft 2 Co-op Commanders looks like, and what something similar in concept for Warcraft 3 could look like.

 

[AMarkov]

Dear Wazzz,

I'm thrilled that you tested my map and left such a detailed review!

Pros:

• Creeping options make the game feel more in line with the Warcraft 3 motif, and give you something to do while waiting for objectives to arise
• The map layout looks really well crafted, lending itself to being a nice atmosphere to enjoy
• The visuals used for the map feel nice, with a lot of it being ingame assets mixed with some distinct alterations that provide a sense of familiarity with something new

Regarding the positives, I understand and will strive to maintain this concept going forward.

Having played Arthas and Uther, we found the faction design felt very bare bones and often times weak, with many of the units being ingame equivalents with less abilities for Arthas (barring adding on Runes) and the units for Uther not covering certain elements well (this is also partially true for co-op commanders in Starcraft 2, where some options for dealing with certain things are limited, but are often compensated by overwhelming abilities in other areas)

The decision to emphasize strong and weak aspects in the design of each race was intentional, inspired by SC2 Co-op. Moving forward, I’ll focus on adding more depth to each individual character.

The Rune mechanic for Arthas seems confusing, as it seems to indicate my units will get personal vampirism when enhanced by the runes but they didn't seem to

As for the rune mechanic, I’ll work to make it easier to understand. It seems there’s a bug with unit self-vampirism, which I’ll fix.

Many abilities for the heroes Uther and Arthas are just ingame hero abilities, which I guess is okay but there's not really any expansion on these concepts

You’ve hit the nail on the head regarding hero abilities. My plan is indeed not to change the standard abilities, but to add depth to them and create more interaction with unique mechanics.

The faction designs leave you feeling weak against the waves, and while you end up being able to fight off the waves, you end up feeling the factions themselves are holding you back

The feeling of weakness in some areas is concerning. I’ll likely need to revisit some abilities and unit stats.

the lack of item shops is also really felt here, since you can't get healing items for your heroes and in some situations they do end up dying quite easily, nor can you get other Warcraft 3 staples such as Scroll of Town Portal

About the shops, removing racial item shops and instead placing neutral item shops with consumables on the map was intentional. Permanent items will be dropped from neutral-hostile camps.

The pacing of the game ends up feeling like there's a lot of time where you don't really do anything and so it feels like it takes longer than it needs to; we started out on Hard difficulty and ended up finishing the map with little to no trouble (although for some reason the AI kept attacking my friend's base, but never mine?), but it took a while to get there and afterwards it felt like it had a lot of time spent not doing a whole lot

It would be fantastic to see you play, as that would provide even more data for analysis. The AI's attack point is set in a way that places it roughly in the middle between players, so it likely targeted the first building it encountered, which in this case happened to be your ally’s.

Overall, this feels like a jewel in the rough. There's quite a bit of thought that has gone into the layout, and the overarching design for the gameplay's style feels promising - it just feels like it takes longer than it needs to at the moment. Faction design in the two that were played feel a bit underwhelming, and the heroes themselves feel a bit underwhelming, too. In some respects I would like to see some of these themes expanded upon further - such as in co-op commanders for Starcraft 2, where levelling up Commanders unlocks new upgrades and ways to interact with abilities. But one thing this does right is it does paint a clear distinction between what Starcraft 2 Co-op Commanders looks like, and what something similar in concept for Warcraft 3 could look like.

This is not an uncut gem (though it's nice to hear it described that way); it's more like a lump of coal. There’s still a lot of work to be done to turn it into something truly valuable.
Progression... From a SC2 game design perspective, progression is a way for players to gradually explore their commander. I currently have all the tools to implement progression. The commander progression will be reflected in the player’s experience with the character. Most likely, there won’t be strict limitations on progression, and all tools will be available right from the start. I might revive the old Talent System, where heroes can choose situational upgrades at certain levels within a single mission (though this isn’t a top priority at the moment).

Overall, a MASSIVE thank you for the feedback! I've taken some key lessons from it. In return, I can only suggest that you and your friend try out other commanders and the difficulty level with Mythic+ mutators, designed specifically for players with strong team coordination and high skill levels.

Best regards!

 

[deepstrasz]

Holy Aura says it increases movement by 0%.
The Monument of Light's selection circle is not visible (too small perhaps).
Factions could be even more less Warcraft III based ones.
Champion spell descriptions are the same without the details of what they do.
Light Tower's description is that of the Arcane Tower.
Cannon Tower has two Magic Sentry abilities.
Too many Heal abilities in Uther's faction. Literally the same spell.
Exorcism is literally Arcane Tower's Feedback, same description even mentioning "this tower".
Not sure if the orange undead is supposed to have a working AI at some point or not.

Overall a nice concept which could be randomized in terms of gameplay as you're pretty much doing the same thing albeit with other heroes/factions.

Approved.

---

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If you're not satisfied with the review and wish another opinion, contact the other reviewers or use the staff contact:
https://www.hiveworkshop.com/forums/staff-contact.692/

 

[AMarkov]

Holy Aura says it increases movement by 0%.
The Monument of Light's selection circle is not visible (too small perhaps).
Factions could be even more less Warcraft III based ones.
Champion spell descriptions are the same without the details of what they do.
Light Tower's description is that of the Arcane Tower.
Cannon Tower has two Magic Sentry abilities.
Too many Heal abilities in Uther's faction. Literally the same spell.
Exorcism is literally Arcane Tower's Feedback, same description even mentioning "this tower".
Not sure if the orange undead is supposed to have a working AI at some point or not.

Overall a nice concept which could be randomized in terms of gameplay as you're pretty much doing the same thing albeit with other heroes/factions.

Approved.

Thank you for the exceptionally high praise—it's far beyond my expectations! All identified issues have been acknowledged and are currently being addressed. Improvements regarding the idea that 'Factions could be even less Warcraft III-based' will continue to be refined gradually, with deeper enhancements to the mechanics as well.

 

[Achille]

A very interesting take on a fan favorite concept from Warcraft III! I played this alone so take all of my praise and criticism with a grain of salt as this is clearly meant to be enjoyed with a friend.

The gameplay felt fairly nice with a gracious gameplay 'gimmick' that felt pretty fun to engage with. I played as Arthas and I found the rune system to be absolutely amazing albeit clunky. The idea of transforming units into stronger alternatives felt incredibly fun, not only that but the UI element displaying my picked rune? Nothing short of amazing! The only issue I ran into was some clunkiness regarding the walls of text for the benefits of each rune corresponding to an upgrade corresponding to a unit corresponding to tier of upgrade. Reading tooltips felt like it was a russian doll effect of referring to other tooltips. Despite this once I grasped these concepts they were surprisingly simple and manifested in a fresh take on an undead (i played as arthas) playstyle which felt wholly original and very replayable.

I think this is where I can see earlier criticisms posted where the factions have this insane replayability and there is alot to explore per-faction, but the map is sort of basic in comparison. I think in understanding that the scope of the project will likely take it to other scenarios beyond this one map such as King of the Hill or Tug of War really makes me appreciate it more.

Overall I had a ton of fun in co-op Starcraft with friends and I cannot wait to enjoy this take on the concept with a friend as it receives a few tune ups. Also incredible job as this is something wholly special and looking through the trigger editor you clearly spent some good time working on it!

For little specific things that I think could receive some granular love that I thought of while I played:

-Frostmourne's Hunger's tooltip could use a little bit more specificity even to the point of patronizing the player. The tooltip 'Increases Soul movement speed by x' is short and succinct but I would rather the Learn - Extended tooltip read something like "Increases the movement speed of incoming souls. Souls are dropped by slain units and once collected by Arthas can be used to transform units." to reiterate that Souls are this 'pickupable' resource and that this ability interacts with that particular aspect of the faction.

-Item Variety: Items can really defined a multiplayer experience for me, the catharsis of the "No you take it, its better for you" line to or from a friend is a key part of this, while it was cool to see a tome of power drop I think it would be even neater to see something more original. Try making one super fun custom item, it can be strong or wonky or even a meme. I think it might give you something fun to design and people will probably love it!

 

[AMarkov]

A very interesting take on a fan favorite concept from Warcraft III! I played this alone so take all of my praise and criticism with a grain of salt as this is clearly meant to be enjoyed with a friend.

The gameplay felt fairly nice with a gracious gameplay 'gimmick' that felt pretty fun to engage with. I played as Arthas and I found the rune system to be absolutely amazing albeit clunky. The idea of transforming units into stronger alternatives felt incredibly fun, not only that but the UI element displaying my picked rune? Nothing short of amazing! The only issue I ran into was some clunkiness regarding the walls of text for the benefits of each rune corresponding to an upgrade corresponding to a unit corresponding to tier of upgrade. Reading tooltips felt like it was a russian doll effect of referring to other tooltips. Despite this once I grasped these concepts they were surprisingly simple and manifested in a fresh take on an undead (i played as arthas) playstyle which felt wholly original and very replayable.

I think this is where I can see earlier criticisms posted where the factions have this insane replayability and there is alot to explore per-faction, but the map is sort of basic in comparison. I think in understanding that the scope of the project will likely take it to other scenarios beyond this one map such as King of the Hill or Tug of War really makes me appreciate it more.

Overall I had a ton of fun in co-op Starcraft with friends and I cannot wait to enjoy this take on the concept with a friend as it receives a few tune ups. Also incredible job as this is something wholly special and looking through the trigger editor you clearly spent some good time working on it!

For little specific things that I think could receive some granular love that I thought of while I played:

-Frostmourne's Hunger's tooltip could use a little bit more specificity even to the point of patronizing the player. The tooltip 'Increases Soul movement speed by x' is short and succinct but I would rather the Learn - Extended tooltip read something like "Increases the movement speed of incoming souls. Souls are dropped by slain units and once collected by Arthas can be used to transform units." to reiterate that Souls are this 'pickupable' resource and that this ability interacts with that particular aspect of the faction.

-Item Variety: Items can really defined a multiplayer experience for me, the catharsis of the "No you take it, its better for you" line to or from a friend is a key part of this, while it was cool to see a tome of power drop I think it would be even neater to see something more original. Try making one super fun custom item, it can be strong or wonky or even a meme. I think it might give you something fun to design and people will probably love it!

You've inspired me, and I’d love to share some stories and insights into this project! The real work began the moment I first envisioned SC2 Coop. From then on, I was hooked. At first, I naively thought that someone else would take the reins… but as time passed, I came to know every creator who attempted something similar. We even had some productive collaborations! But in the end, it always came down to one person left carrying the burden. With no profits to gain, this is purely a passion project for me.

The idea behind Arthas's soul mechanic actually came to me while wandering through Russian forests, inspired by the atmosphere there. So when someone mentioned the “Russian doll” effect of unfolding tooltips, I couldn’t help but laugh—it’s like everything came full circle, with each part fitting inside the next, just like those Russian matryoshkas.

True, there are some issues with how these mechanics are explained in-game. But I believe I’ve created something that offers that rare novelty effect: something familiar, yet with a fresh, unexpected twist. The more you play, the more layers you uncover. Arthas’s unique interface elements were a late addition, implemented just before release. I loved the idea of tailored UI designs, and thanks to the Tasyen system, I can create quite a few unique setups. The visualization of mechanics? That’s my own addition, drawing inspiration from modern games. Arthas, in a sense, has his own philosophy, pulling from bits of WoW dungeons like those in Wrath of the Lich King. In WoW, he had the “soul forge” idea, but it was never fleshed out, so I wanted to bring that concept to life.

One big influence was Hearthstone, where a Death Knight can’t just grab all the powerful cards but has to choose a specialization. But instead of forcing players down a single path like in WoW, I wanted to maintain that classic freedom: you can pick a hybrid approach, stick to one path, or experiment across disciplines. I’m thrilled that such a complex character with a rich backstory has found new life here, allowing players a deep, immersive experience!

Pro tip: Try experimenting with other characters, too! Each one has simple mechanics that lead to completely different playstyles. Each character’s army feels unique, and I’m sure there are interactions I haven’t fully explored. I bet you’ll discover some surprising synergies!

I’m also considering a single-player challenge mode to showcase the game’s full potential, perhaps with unique mutations.

The Map: Think of it as a training ground. Originally, I envisioned a single, static map. But over time, my programming skills evolved, and now I’ve built a custom engine on top of the editor. This engine will allow seamless transitions between different maps while preserving unique elements and assets for each one. I can even update global variables in JASS, which triggers specific in-map events. The system is still improving, but it’s come a long way. Though I can’t integrate third-party maps just yet, my engine can now package maps efficiently. The challenge? Maintaining high standards, so each map gets an individualized approach.

As I mentioned, I’m now a professional web developer, and that has shifted my approach to triggers. Everything you’ve seen so far is already being reworked for better efficiency and responsiveness. Many triggers are loaded during character initialization to balance load times. Shared triggers (such as for AI) are being built with an API style for easier use. GUI might eventually be a thing of the past for me, but we’ll see (big plans, little time!).

Looking ahead, I’m thinking about both PvP and PvE content. PvE is my priority, as I love the spirit of friendly competition against a shared enemy (like who can take out foes more efficiently). Eventually, I’d love to introduce larger PvE modes with tougher enemies and support for 4+ players. The project’s lore is full of exciting and epic events that would make for amazing PvE experiences.

Everything you’ve played so far is just a concept. I’m relying on feedback and keeping track of the best suggestions. So many people have offered valuable insights, and I’m grateful for every bit of feedback. I’ll keep refining the positive aspects and reworking anything that doesn’t resonate.

As for items, I plan to expand the drop roster in future patches. Previously, racial shops were removed; they’ll probably come back, but as thematic, neutral shops. For now, items are dropped by neutral creatures, making them a central part of early to mid-game gameplay. I’ll be adding more items, ideally with nods to the Warcraft universe (WoW, Hearthstone, Rumble (though I haven’t had time to try it yet!)).

So much work lies ahead, and it’s just me working on this. I’ve been particularly productive over the last month and a half, rushing to release this build to share my excitement. Altered Melee has some gems out there, but balance constraints make this genre challenging. My main focus is fun, not perfect balance. Of course, that doesn’t mean chaotic imbalance, but it’s a lot easier to work with freedom here. If PvP takes off, balancing around 2x2 games will require a different approach. We might end up with a standard meta, or even a Dota-style ban system, but that’s a question for another day.

This map started as a testing ground, but there will be more, each with unique missions, assets, and gameplay twists. Right now, I’m working on Silithus, where I’m recreating the iconic Dead of Night mission from SC2.

Exciting update: If you missed it, according to our recent roadmap poll, Sally Whitemane will be joining the roster as our second female character after Tyrande, defeating Grommash Hellscream in the vote! She’ll offer a unique twist on faith in the Light with an inquisitorial spin: “Long live the crusade against sinners!”

It’s going to be a wild ride! Join our Discord group to stay connected. There’s a long path ahead for me and the project, filled with tons of exciting content!

 

[AMarkov]

Hotfix alert!

With the launch of Reforged 2.0, we discovered a bug that caused the idle worker icon to stretch across the entire screen .

The fix is now live!

Thank you for your patience, and good luck out there, legends!

 

[Rifleman]

Well made alternate melee map that really catch the feeling of playing starcraft coop
i tried playing solo for just looking around the map , i picked arthas as my commander and really like the rune mechanic but there is some weird thing that i notices for example :
the Frostmourne pedestal description is the same as graveyard
The description of Icrecrown plague spread is so vague, like what is plague? is there any description that i didnt read?

Suggestion:
If the map really want to be like starcraft coop i recommend adding some progress system to the map like leveling up the commander and such

 

[AMarkov]

Mini-update

All graphics configurations unlocked (SD, SD+, HD). Recommended SD or SD+ for more immersion

 

[AMarkov]

Well made alternate melee map that really catch the feeling of playing starcraft coop
i tried playing solo for just looking around the map , i picked arthas as my commander and really like the rune mechanic but there is some weird thing that i notices for example :
the Frostmourne pedestal description is the same as graveyard
The description of Icrecrown plague spread is so vague, like what is plague? is there any description that i didnt read?

Suggestion:
If the map really want to be like starcraft coop i recommend adding some progress system to the map like leveling up the commander and such

Locked and loaded!

I apologize for some mistakes and the lack of clarity in the descriptions – my bad!

You’re absolutely right, progression is planned! But it won’t be exactly like in SC2. I want to make sure new players aren’t restricted and can dive right in with full access to all the tools and mechanics.

I’m still brainstorming how the progression system should work, but your suggestion really hits the mark! For now, the focus is on building a solid variety of characters, maps, and mechanics first – and then expanding into progression later!

Thank you so much for your feedback, it means the world to me!

 

[AMarkov]

 

[Sphee]

Could we get AI in the future?

 

[AMarkov]

Could we get AI in the future?

Could you please clarify, did you mean an AI assistant-ally? If yes, that's not currently planned. Instead, I’m more likely to expand the mode to be flexible for a single player with all available features and challenges.

 

[Sphee]

Could you please clarify, did you mean an AI assistant-ally? If yes, that's not currently planned. Instead, I’m more likely to expand the mode to be flexible for a single player with all available features and challenges.

Yes I meant Ally, but a singleplayer instead would probably be just as fun so looking forward to it. Personally tho an AI ally would also be appreciated

 

[AMarkov]

Yes I meant Ally, but a singleplayer instead would probably be just as fun so looking forward to it. Personally tho an AI ally would also be appreciated

Yes, you got me. I've never dealt with AI development. However, from a development perspective, adding AI for an ally would significantly increase the development time for each hero. Additionally, if mechanics, units, or balance needed reworking, it would create further complications.

I would gladly implement a self-learning AI, like the one used in StarCraft 2, but I haven't seen such an approach in action. And here's the question: that AI in SC2 was likely trained on thousands of videos, or, if built from scratch, it must have been run millions of times.

There's also another factor, which might explain why even the SC2 Co-op developers didn't go this route. Each map in the game is unique and has its own objectives. This means that not only would you need to train the AI, but you'd also need to make it work seamlessly in tandem with the player. That would result in an unbearably massive codebase. For this reason, I'll stick to my current plan and avoid introducing an AI ally for now.

Perhaps in the future, I can revisit this idea if the game gains more popularity and I have a larger development team at my disposal. But thanks for the idea!

 

[Eurick]

Just tested this solo and I LOVE this!
I was really wanting something like this to come along. I was even contemplating doing my own version in my free time.
I only tested Arthas and the runes showing on the UI is a very nice touch. A lot more advanced than I was expecting initially.
Very keen to see more of this.

Yes, you got me. I've never dealt with AI development. However, from a development perspective, adding AI for an ally would significantly increase the development time for each hero. Additionally, if mechanics, units, or balance needed reworking, it would create further complications.

I would gladly implement a self-learning AI, like the one used in StarCraft 2, but I haven't seen such an approach in action. And here's the question: that AI in SC2 was likely trained on thousands of videos, or, if built from scratch, it must have been run millions of times.

There's also another factor, which might explain why even the SC2 Co-op developers didn't go this route. Each map in the game is unique and has its own objectives. This means that not only would you need to train the AI, but you'd also need to make it work seamlessly in tandem with the player. That would result in an unbearably massive codebase. For this reason, I'll stick to my current plan and avoid introducing an AI ally for now.

Perhaps in the future, I can revisit this idea if the game gains more popularity and I have a larger development team at my disposal. But thanks for the idea!

I think you're overcomplicating how AI works, especially in something as basic as both Warcraft and Starcraft.
The AI you're talking about is about as advanced as it can get right now and it's a Neural Network AI, if I remember correctly.
Waaay overkill for a game like this. I'm still picking JASS back up but I don't think it's anywhere near as complex as you're making it out to be.
AI of the nature you're describing isn't in any way comparable to what would be perfectly fine in this.

I've done some work making a custom faction and fiddled around with making them an AI before, especially for campaigns.
I might give it a crack in my free time again to catch myself up.
Works out because I was making a custom Undead Cult sub-faction anyway.


EDIT: Started going through some JASS campaign AI scripts and I think if you use those as a base, it shouldn't be anything crazy.
The only challenge I think would be implementing the mechanics you've developed for the different Legends.
Even then, I'm sure it's very doable, just maybe time consuming.
At this point though, I'm having fun trying to both implement a basic working AI and create a custom Legend for Grom, though insanely basic just for the AI.

 

[AMarkov]

Just tested this solo and I LOVE this!
I was really wanting something like this to come along. I was even contemplating doing my own version in my free time.
I only tested Arthas and the runes showing on the UI is a very nice touch. A lot more advanced than I was expecting initially.
Very keen to see more of this.


I think you're overcomplicating how AI works, especially in something as basic as both Warcraft and Starcraft.
The AI you're talking about is about as advanced as it can get right now and it's a Neural Network AI, if I remember correctly.
Waaay overkill for a game like this. I'm still picking JASS back up but I don't think it's anywhere near as complex as you're making it out to be.
AI of the nature you're describing isn't in any way comparable to what would be perfectly fine in this.

I've done some work making a custom faction and fiddled around with making them an AI before, especially for campaigns.
I might give it a crack in my free time again to catch myself up.
Works out because I was making a custom Undead Cult sub-faction anyway.


EDIT: Started going through some JASS campaign AI scripts and I think if you use those as a base, it shouldn't be anything crazy.
The only challenge I think would be implementing the mechanics you've developed for the different Legends.
Even then, I'm sure it's very doable, just maybe time consuming.
At this point though, I'm having fun trying to both implement a basic working AI and create a custom Legend for Grom, though insanely basic just for the AI.

Hello!

I'm really happy that you enjoyed it—that was exactly my goal during development: a game made for fun!

I’m also excited to share that my web development skills allowed me to create a powerful engine to support and expand the project—WarCraft Data Sync (link to post forum WarCraft Data Sync).

What’s next?
According to the roadmap, Sally Whitemane is nearly complete. As for the undisputed champion—Arthas—he’s getting a small update featuring a sleek soul UI display.


A little gameplay tip:
I highly recommend experimenting with different Arthas builds—each one feels unique. Right now, he holds the record for the longest development time and is essentially a 3-in-1 hero with flexible combinations.
But the other characters are just as exciting:

Uther – an ultra-tank on steroids
Tyrande – a master of nighttime combat
Thrall – a shamanic powerhouse affecting the entire map (+ custom UI)
Varian – a true warrior and commander of Stormwind; his XP system might seem simple at first glance, but it turns out to be much deeper than expected

Upcoming update:
If you're keeping an eye on the project, expect Patch 1.0 soon (with a slight 2-3 month delay… oops ) along with Sally Whitemane’s release.

About the AI system…
I had some ideas, but they’re on hold for now. I never intended to develop full AI, just a set of scripts analyzing player performance on maps. But for now, there are simply too many tasks to dive into that level of complexity.

Current priorities:

• Designing new heroes
• Finally adding new maps to the project!

Join the community!
Hop into the Discord, browse the mini-wiki (which will eventually auto-parse in-game data)
And of course—play the game!
Bring your friends!

Since the project is still growing, I’ve been considering a solo mode where the balance is adjusted for single-player, with mutators independent of the chosen mode. That said, the game truly shines in co-op—there are unique team mechanics, like Varian’s bank, which lets teammates boost their economy, and plenty of other cool interactions.

We're growing every day—no days without commits! This project is not just a hobby—it's my only project, and I’m pouring everything I’ve got into it.

See you in the game!

 

[Eurick]

No that's so awesome!

Sounds like an incredibly complex AI system you had planned, one I'd love to see in the future for sure!
That all being said, if I make headway with this AI I'm experimenting with, I'd be more than happy to send it over to you to implement with whatever adjustments you want to make.
I'd just be happy to help with such an awesome project. ^.^

It definitely shines in co-op with friends, and this is definitely something I plan to abuse with bringing friends back into Warcraft, since some of them liked Starcraft 2's co-op mode but won't make the plunge into Warcraft 3.

Regardless, you've made something truly special here and I don't want that to get lost in the criticism about AI.
With or without it, right now, it's amazing and I'm sure this will go places as you progress in development.

 

[AMarkov]

No that's so awesome!

Sounds like an incredibly complex AI system you had planned, one I'd love to see in the future for sure!
That all being said, if I make headway with this AI I'm experimenting with, I'd be more than happy to send it over to you to implement with whatever adjustments you want to make.
I'd just be happy to help with such an awesome project. ^.^

It definitely shines in co-op with friends, and this is definitely something I plan to abuse with bringing friends back into Warcraft, since some of them liked Starcraft 2's co-op mode but won't make the plunge into Warcraft 3.

Regardless, you've made something truly special here and I don't want that to get lost in the criticism about AI.
With or without it, right now, it's amazing and I'm sure this will go places as you progress in development.

Thank you for your kind words! They give me a boost of motivation. While any criticism is valuable, I’ve already gathered the first feedback and identified the project’s critical points at this stage (nothing fatal, but I’m thinking about further development). This includes increasing the max level, adding more abilities for heroes (since I have one hero against three in standard melee), making the item drop pool more meaningful and visually appealing, as well as implementing a global progression system and a single-player mode, which I’ve mentioned before.

I don’t take on everything at once—I focus on small tasks to avoid development hell. Before the planned release at the end of 2024, I spent about five years in that hell, going through three complete project overhauls from scratch… That’s why, as a true developer, I’m making sure to release the project in chunks as development progresses, respond to feedback in a timely manner, and adjust the roadmap accordingly.

 

[AMarkov]

Sally Whitemane

Race: Human
Subrace: Scarlet Crusade

History:
A devoted priestess of the Light, Sally Whitemane's hatred for undeath was forged in tragedy when she was forced to slay her own family after they transformed into mindless undead.

She rose to become the ruthless High Inquisitor of the Scarlet Crusade, overseeing the Scarlet Monastery. Though driven by a noble cause, her zeal turned to fanaticism, seeing all outsiders as tainted. Gifted with the power to resurrect fallen crusaders, she ruled the Monastery with fear and unwavering conviction, making her one of the most formidable leaders of the Scarlet Crusade.

Mechanics:
Scarlet March – A special mode in which units gradually lose health but gain increased movement speed and attack rate. The effect intensifies the longer the Scarlet Crusade remains active.

Features:
High Attack and Movement Speed
Accelerated Construction
Powerful Spellcasters
Requires High Micro-Management
Some Abilities and Effects Rely on Mechanics
Reduced Health for Units and Structures

As always, a complete disaster in terms of recording quality! Many abilities couldn't be showcased due to the bugs that popped up. We'll fix them by release! What we got was more of a demo where Sally Whitemane’s core powers were put to the test. Overall, the sense of speed and intensity is off the charts! My hands even hurt (I'm a pretty weak gamer, so even this snail-paced style made me sweat). I need to check where the wagon disappeared at the start of the match—it just vanished!?

The release of the new hero and the Day 1 patch is just around the corner!

 

[Eurick]

Scarlet Crusade is such a cool faction!
Keen to try them out!

 

[AMarkov]

Update! v 1.0.5

Arise, My Champion! Sally is back in action!

A few important updates are ahead, focusing on heroes and items.

Then, prepare yourselves for the journey to the new map, Voices of the Sands — a Starship Troopers-style take on Dead of Night from SC2, featuring the creepy aesthetics of the Zerg! Time to take action!

Leave your opinion on who deserves to be the new implemented Legend! (Discord->voting channel)

 

[Blasterixx]

~SUP~
Gave this map a shot and I loved it, I played it on Deforged, latest version.

Spoiler: ~REVIEW~

This map is seriously impressive! I’m loving it—it's super well-designed! The concept is pretty straightforward, but you nailed the execution. The whole RPG/defense vibe is awesome; I love how you can pick different factions, each with their own heroes and units, plus some cool spells. Yeah, some units feel a bit basic and recall the melee War3 stuff, but it all just works.

- The extra difficulty levels are great, though those harder modes are no joke! Out of every bonus that 50% life steal for enemies is by far the hardest, might need to be nerfed a bit in my eyes, since all the other bonuses are just super weak in comparison.

- I dig the mix of melee gameplay with the defense elements and those incoming attack waves.

- I went through each hero in random order just for fun—picked Sally first because...reasons...
I started on normal with her, then moved to Varian on hard, and kept it going. All the heroes are fun to play, really enjoyed them.

- I thought the higher difficulty levels would offer more of a challenge, but it seems like all they do is give the enemies extra bonuses, maxing out at four. I like the idea, but it still feels a little lacking.

- For the races, I think Stormwind with Varian or Sisterhood of Elune with Tyrande is the best. The extra move speed is a game-changer, and their units just feel better to use. I was a fan of the Scarlet Crusade too, but their normal troops are just alright while the casters? Not so much. And those air units? What happened there? They deal less damage than a priest! Sure, they hit fast, but that’s pointless if they can't pack a punch.

A tip for War3: a unit with high damage and a slow attack is always better than a low-damage, fast hitter. So, yeah, maybe give those Gryphons Lancers a bit of a buff — 4 to 10 magic damage? Come on, that’s a joke!

- The new horde race feels pretty similar to the original, but honestly, switching from bloodlust to whatever spell the shaman has now isn’t great. I do like the totem placement gimmick, but it should be clearer that they start costing resources after a while so people don’t go overboard spamming them, I was wondering what happened to all my lumber until I got a notification saying I didn't have enough to put down another totem, haha.



~~~Overall, I have a few suggestions and critiques for the gameplay:

- The game ends too suddenly. After taking out the last caravan horse in the 5th wave, it’s over. It would be great to finish off the whole wave or face a boss instead of that abrupt end.

- Five waves just seem short. More waves would definitely be better.

- It would be awesome to add side quests to the map, like taking out mini-bosses, capturing enemy bases, or rescuing villagers from rogue monsters. That would really fill things out.

- While the wave structure with enemy heroes is cool, it could use some boss elements. Throw in mini-bosses and stronger enemies every now and then for variety, maybe with different colors or auras, and have them drop items and tomes.

- If you add side quests, a cooldown timer after each wave would be handy so players know how long they have to explore and do those quests—maybe two minutes would do the trick.

- Speaking of side quests, that lone rifleman in the middle could be the quest giver. He doesn’t really do much now with just that snipe spell, so if he had recipes or other interactions, it would make him worth paying attention to.



As for some other extra negatives and bugs:

- The pushback ability from Sally's crossbowmen can push back buildings, which is bad.

- The AI feels a bit off; it sometimes over-micros, especially heroes using spells—they interrupt themselves right after casting.

- Uther and his Silver Hand paladins are definitely weaker compared to the other races. They’re super slow and have no anti-air options since their riflemen can’t hit air units at all.

- I had a blast with Tyrande Whisperwind and the Sisterhood of Elune, but there’s this annoying sound whenever she moves, kinda like when heroes buy tomes at shops, and it just keeps going, check the video with her.

- The main attack army heads for the player's base and has a rallying point near the center, but after that, they just kind of hang around instead of attacking the rest of the base. It would be way better if they actually went after all the buildings instead of patrolling in the center.

- Then there are those hungry frost wyrms with their devour ability, once they eat a unit, that unit just gets stuck in their belly permanently, which is kinda weird, the unit should be taking dmg, but it doesn't.

- And for the undead race, the whole soul bonus thing can get pretty confusing. It took me a few games to figure out what the deal was with those souls. I thought you only needed one soul to upgrade a unit, but turns out you need at least 20 to 60 just for one! Yeah, it says that in the unit tooltip, but I totally missed it while playing.

- Soul harvesting feels too slow too. You have to kill a ton of units just to grab a few souls for some upgrades, and honestly, the upgrades don’t seem worth it. For example, the poison/green wyrm doesn’t even hit air units, while the hungry/red wyrm at least gets a bit of lifesteal. The Scourge army has promise with those upgrades, but it really needs some tweaks. Enemies should drop more souls or reduce the upgrade costs because, right now, the base units are just better. Plus, Arthas missing his unholy aura is a real bummer. What's up with that passive for gathering souls faster? It’s lame. You should just swap it out for an improved version of unholy aura or add it on top of that soul-gathering passive—two birds, one stone!

- Lastly, the cloak of shadow bonus for enemies feels a bit OP since there's just one shop selling sentry wards, and they have a long cooldown.
In the last game, I got a little lost with the invisibility thing for enemy units especially the horses, since I had no clue about the sentry in the shop, lol.


Honestly, I'm a big fan of the map! It definitely needs a little polishing here and there, but it has so much potential. To me, it's like a love letter to all War3 fans and even some WoW fans. I can't wait to see what new stuff you’ll bring out in future versions. Keep up the awesome work!

My rating for this map is an 𝓢 Tier (Masterpiece) with 95 out of 100 points!

My Playthrough:

 

[AMarkov]

~SUP~
Gave this map a shot and I loved it, I played it on Deforged, latest version.

Spoiler: ~REVIEW~

This map is seriously impressive! I’m loving it—it's super well-designed! The concept is pretty straightforward, but you nailed the execution. The whole RPG/defense vibe is awesome; I love how you can pick different factions, each with their own heroes and units, plus some cool spells. Yeah, some units feel a bit basic and recall the melee War3 stuff, but it all just works.

- The extra difficulty levels are great, though those harder modes are no joke! Out of every bonus that 50% life steal for enemies is by far the hardest, might need to be nerfed a bit in my eyes, since all the other bonuses are just super weak in comparison.

- I dig the mix of melee gameplay with the defense elements and those incoming attack waves.

- I went through each hero in random order just for fun—picked Sally first because...reasons...
I started on normal with her, then moved to Varian on hard, and kept it going. All the heroes are fun to play, really enjoyed them.

- I thought the higher difficulty levels would offer more of a challenge, but it seems like all they do is give the enemies extra bonuses, maxing out at four. I like the idea, but it still feels a little lacking.

- For the races, I think Stormwind with Varian or Sisterhood of Elune with Tyrande is the best. The extra move speed is a game-changer, and their units just feel better to use. I was a fan of the Scarlet Crusade too, but their normal troops are just alright while the casters? Not so much. And those air units? What happened there? They deal less damage than a priest! Sure, they hit fast, but that’s pointless if they can't pack a punch.

A tip for War3: a unit with high damage and a slow attack is always better than a low-damage, fast hitter. So, yeah, maybe give those Gryphons Lancers a bit of a buff — 4 to 10 magic damage? Come on, that’s a joke!

- The new horde race feels pretty similar to the original, but honestly, switching from bloodlust to whatever spell the shaman has now isn’t great. I do like the totem placement gimmick, but it should be clearer that they start costing resources after a while so people don’t go overboard spamming them, I was wondering what happened to all my lumber until I got a notification saying I didn't have enough to put down another totem, haha.



~~~Overall, I have a few suggestions and critiques for the gameplay:

- The game ends too suddenly. After taking out the last caravan horse in the 5th wave, it’s over. It would be great to finish off the whole wave or face a boss instead of that abrupt end.

- Five waves just seem short. More waves would definitely be better.

- It would be awesome to add side quests to the map, like taking out mini-bosses, capturing enemy bases, or rescuing villagers from rogue monsters. That would really fill things out.

- While the wave structure with enemy heroes is cool, it could use some boss elements. Throw in mini-bosses and stronger enemies every now and then for variety, maybe with different colors or auras, and have them drop items and tomes.

- If you add side quests, a cooldown timer after each wave would be handy so players know how long they have to explore and do those quests—maybe two minutes would do the trick.

- Speaking of side quests, that lone rifleman in the middle could be the quest giver. He doesn’t really do much now with just that snipe spell, so if he had recipes or other interactions, it would make him worth paying attention to.



As for some other extra negatives and bugs:

- The pushback ability from Sally's crossbowmen can push back buildings, which is bad.

- The AI feels a bit off; it sometimes over-micros, especially heroes using spells—they interrupt themselves right after casting.

- Uther and his Silver Hand paladins are definitely weaker compared to the other races. They’re super slow and have no anti-air options since their riflemen can’t hit air units at all.

- I had a blast with Tyrande Whisperwind and the Sisterhood of Elune, but there’s this annoying sound whenever she moves, kinda like when heroes buy tomes at shops, and it just keeps going, check the video with her.

- The main attack army heads for the player's base and has a rallying point near the center, but after that, they just kind of hang around instead of attacking the rest of the base. It would be way better if they actually went after all the buildings instead of patrolling in the center.

- Then there are those hungry frost wyrms with their devour ability, once they eat a unit, that unit just gets stuck in their belly permanently, which is kinda weird, the unit should be taking dmg, but it doesn't.

- And for the undead race, the whole soul bonus thing can get pretty confusing. It took me a few games to figure out what the deal was with those souls. I thought you only needed one soul to upgrade a unit, but turns out you need at least 20 to 60 just for one! Yeah, it says that in the unit tooltip, but I totally missed it while playing.

- Soul harvesting feels too slow too. You have to kill a ton of units just to grab a few souls for some upgrades, and honestly, the upgrades don’t seem worth it. For example, the poison/green wyrm doesn’t even hit air units, while the hungry/red wyrm at least gets a bit of lifesteal. The Scourge army has promise with those upgrades, but it really needs some tweaks. Enemies should drop more souls or reduce the upgrade costs because, right now, the base units are just better. Plus, Arthas missing his unholy aura is a real bummer. What's up with that passive for gathering souls faster? It’s lame. You should just swap it out for an improved version of unholy aura or add it on top of that soul-gathering passive—two birds, one stone!

- Lastly, the cloak of shadow bonus for enemies feels a bit OP since there's just one shop selling sentry wards, and they have a long cooldown.
In the last game, I got a little lost with the invisibility thing for enemy units especially the horses, since I had no clue about the sentry in the shop, lol.


Honestly, I'm a big fan of the map! It definitely needs a little polishing here and there, but it has so much potential. To me, it's like a love letter to all War3 fans and even some WoW fans. I can't wait to see what new stuff you’ll bring out in future versions. Keep up the awesome work!

My rating for this map is an 𝓢 Tier (Masterpiece) with 95 out of 100 points!

My Playthrough:

Huge thanks! I'm already breaking down all the issues piece by piece and studying the gameplay videos.

About Mutations & Difficulty​

As mutations evolve, they’ll become more unique and have a bigger impact on gameplay. Right now, I’m reworking difficulty settings so players can experience them on both easy and hard modes (with appropriate limitations).

Bug Fixes​

Thanks for the bug reports—I’m sorting through them and adding them to my checklist! As for Sally Whitemane’s Gryphon Lancer—man, I’m seriously ashamed. In the heat of development, I completely forgot to balance its DPS, but that’ll be fixed soon! Same goes for the Crossbowman, that was an epic fail.

About the Suggestions​

Alterac’s Justice was originally a testing ground where I refined races and core mechanics. The goal was to keep it simple, with minimal imports and complexity (though caravan pathfinding was a nightmare ). Think of it as a foundation—a prototype map. Right now, I’m looking into expanding the map pool (won’t stop repeating this: I built my own WarCraft Data Sync system in PHP to make managing multiple maps easier).

The second map will be much freer in terms of custom assets, unique units, and mini-bosses (hopefully, I won’t mess it up!). It’ll have a Silithus/Silithid swarm theme—basically, a Starship Troopers-style adaptation of Dead of Night. Alterac won’t get a full rework just yet—once I have multiple maps, I’ll have a better reference point for changes.

About Game Length​

In SC2 Co-op, missions usually last 35-50 minutes (except Dead of Night, which is 25-30 min). I aimed for similar pacing here. Going forward, I might rank maps by difficulty & session length, so some will be longer, some shorter, catering to different player preferences.

I’ve also considered hardcore missions for pro players—where retrying multiple times is expected. And yeah, PvP maps are on my mind too! Not just head-to-head battles, but competitive objectives with modifiers and side tasks (kind of like the unique maps in Heroes of the Storm).

The Future & Upcoming Features​

The Legends aren’t final—I’ll keep refining them, improving mechanics, replacing default units/abilities, and fixing weaker ideas. There’s a ton of exciting stuff ahead:

• New Legends & Maps
• Gameplay improvements across the board
• Item system overhaul: Neutral-hostile camps will drop a chest with three items, letting players pick one (to reduce RNG).
• Hero rework: Likely removing most passive abilities, increasing max hero level, and moving niche abilities (like Thrall’s gaze) into special slots, similar to Tyrande’s Shadow Meld, making them available from the start.

Lots more to come—stay tuned!

If you want to stay up to date with the latest news, freely share ideas, and find teammates to play with—join the project's Discord channel!

 

[AMarkov]

Friends, something is definitely off here...

It seems that the Cult of the Damned has quietly tampered with the votes, shifting the balance of power just a little... But we’re not complaining! Kel'Thuzad has won!



Necromancy? Yes!
Curses? Of course!
Flesh experiments? You bet!

This genius will be the next hero in WarCraft Legends, and we promise—it’s going to be epic, creepy, and a whole lot of fun!

But before that, a small yet powerful update is coming:

Loot system rework – more satisfying drops!
Item updates – new toys for your heroes.
Higher level cap – grow, evolve, dominate!
Ability rework – fewer passives, more active skills.
Personal hero quests – your journey, your story.

And then… a new map: Voices in the Sand!

Defend your base against silithid waves during the sandstorm!
Clear the hives during calm periods!
More unique enemies, more chaos, more pain!
Random enemy spawns remain – who knows what lurks beneath the sand?

Alterac’s Justice and Voices in the Sand will run simultaneously. Get ready!

And right after that—KEL’THUZAD!

Naxxramas! Cult of the Damned! Scholomance! Necromancy!
Curses, darkness, experiments, madness – all in one perfect mix!
An experience you won’t forget!

Coming soon to WarCraft Legends. Stay tuned… while we add you to our necromantic list.

 

[AMarkov]

I'm officially closing down my modding project, WarCraft Legends. It's been an amazing journey, and I'm truly grateful for all the feedback, support, and interest — this experience has been exciting, emotional, and incredibly rewarding.

If anyone is interested in continuing the project, you're more than welcome to take it further. The map code is fully open — feel free to use it as you wish. I’ll also be happy to provide support to anyone who wants to pick it up, and I’m open to helping out with any unclear parts or questions.

As for me, I might be moving on to indie game development in Unity — we’ll see where the road leads.

Thanks again for being part of this chapter. Wishing you all the best — and who knows, maybe our paths will cross again!