WarCraft II: Tides of Darkness
Description official descriptions
WarCraft II: Tides of Darkness is a fantasy themed real-time strategy game and sequel to WarCraft: Orcs & Humans set on the world of Azeroth. With the conquest of the kingdom of Azeroth in the first war, the orcs are now preparing for an invasion of Lordaeron and conquer the remaining human, dwarven and elvisch realms. In an effort to counter this invasion the humans, elves and dwarves formed an alliance in the hope to avert the same fate the kingdom of Azeroth met.
The game comes with many new features such as fighting not only over land but also over sea and air, SVGA 640x480 resolution graphics with many newly-rendered buildings and units, multiplayer-support with up to eight players, as well as a Red Book audio soundtrack, and a scenario editor that allows players to design and create their own scenarios. The editor requires Windows 3.1 or greater, even though WarCraft II is a DOS-based game.
Groups +
- Fantasy creatures: Dragons
- Fantasy creatures: Dwarves
- Fantasy creatures: Elves
- Fantasy creatures: Gnomes
- Fantasy creatures: Goblins
- Fantasy creatures: Orcs
- Fantasy creatures: Trolls
- Game feature: In-game screenshot capture
- Gameplay feature: Fog of war
- Games that include map/level editor
- Middleware: Smacker Video
- Sound engine: AIL/Miles Sound System
- WarCraft universe
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Credits (DOS version)
143 People (68 developers, 75 thanks) · View all
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Executive Producer | |
Lead Design | |
Design | |
Story | |
Scenario Design | |
Scenario Layout | |
Programming | |
Scenario Editor Programming | |
Installer Programming | |
Autoplay Programming | |
3D Artwork | |
[ full credits ] |
Reviews
Critics
Average score: 90% (based on 32 ratings)
Players
Average score: 3.9 out of 5 (based on 179 ratings with 11 reviews)
The Good
What can i say that hasn't been said yet about this splendorous game?
When i first saw the majestic demo i never expected what i was going to face, the RTS game i have spent most hours with.
The story is grand, epic, very heroic and with a bit of tolkienesque modified feel.
There are a lot of inclusions that make the game a great advance from Warcraft 1, new engine that made possible the battle by air and water, and a difficulty level more adjusted to common players not familiarized with that kind of games.
The Bad
As said by everyone, the AI sucked, you always knew the next step the enemy was going to take, your units sometimes are a bit dumb too, you could have a lone footman being attacked to death just at few steps from a bunch of soldiers of yours and they stay in their places as if nothing was happening until you order them to do so.
Also the map editor was limited, you couldn't give the map any special victory conditions rather than defeating all the enemies on the map.
The Bottom Line
Great game to begin with real-time strategy genre. And a classic nowadays!
DOS · by Depth Lord (934) · 2004
So charming, youâll overlook all of its flaws.
The Good
First of all, the chrome is as shiny and brilliant as can be. The graphics were souped up nicely from the original Warcraftâs somewhat blocky sprites to a smooth and spiffy SVGA. The colors are bright and full of contrast. Buildings and units are a joy to look atâŚand also to listen to. WC 2 set the standard for injecting personality into an RTS, with convincing sound effects (swords clash, bombs boom, etc.), charismatic vocal responses, and a sweeping musical soundtrack. The intro cinematic is also very well done.
The basics of the first WC are expanded upon just enough to make for a great sequel. There are more units and buildings, but not too many. There is one new resource to collect, oil, but no more. Itâs just enough new stuff to add naval and air dimensions to the combat. Zeppelins, Flying Machines, Oil Tankers, Subs, Battleships, and more enhance what was already a pretty cool arsenal of fantasy toys.
There are two full campaigns, one for each side (Human-centered Alliance vs. Orc-centered Horde). There is also multiplayer. More on those below.
The manual and box art are wonderful. I donât even like this kind of fantasy-themed stuff that much, but WC2 certainly got my attention with its loads of style and gameplay.
Finally, I give Blizzard high marks for not following Westwoodâs lead in making a buggy, clunky, cheesy, wildly overrated mess like Command & Conquer. The RTS genre is not my favorite even as it stands now. How bad would real-time games generally be if we didnât have Blizzard around?
The Bad
Like most RTS games (at least 1990s ones), WC2 puts a heavy emphasis on speed over strategy. There are no build queues or unit formations. Shortcut keys and fast mouse-clicking can cover up a multitude of tactical sins and just plain not thinking. Itâs not a big problem in this kind of light, mainstream game, but it still seems a little bit like cheating to the more hardcore strategy/wargame player. Also, the pace makes WC2 exciting, but also a bit stressful. If you just want to relax and unwind at your computer for a while, WC2 is not that good of a choice. Then again, itâs less intense than Doom, so maybe itâs a happy medium.
The enemy AI is merely passable. Which is not a problem, unless you happen to be like me. I generally donât like to play campaigns or online/multiplayer, so Iâm stuck with the skirmish mode. I tried hard to get through the campaigns, but I kept losing interest and quitting before I got very far into them. Would it have been that hard for Blizzard to have included a random map generator?
Itâs not the most rewarding game in the world. Itâs quite fun and passes the time, but I donât feel like Iâve accomplished that much when Iâm done playing it.
The Bottom Line
Clearly the product of much love and affection, I love WC2 against all my better judgment. A guilty pleasure, yes, but a pleasure nonetheless. Unlike Command & Conquer, WC is a genuine classic.
DOS · by PCGamer77 (3158) · 2008
The Good
Warcraft II is a classic in its own right. Relying on the yet unrealized potential of the real-time strategy genre, Warcraft II set the rules of the game with an amazing game which superceeded it's predecessor in every way.
The first thing you notice in Warcraft II is the amazing graphics, starting with the great menu interface, which is extremely well-drawn and well-thought out. Then there's the credits, with probably the smoothest SVGA scroller seen to date on an Intel machine (I had a 486 DX2/66 at the time) and the amazingly smooth game engine: Great graphics, along with smooth screen scrolling and sprites, everything in Warcraft II screams speed and beauty. Then there's the music, in which Warcraft II certainly does not lack: some of the best music in any game, let alone RTS, to date and fits the gameplay perfectly. The MIDI soundtrack is simply mind-boggling and rarely gets the appreciation it genuinely deserves. Warcraft II certainly does not lack in gameplay either.
On top of it all, Warcraft II offers network play! Here's a concept! Even though same year's Command & Conquer did offer network support, Warcraft II came out earlier and beat C&C in that too as it featured very smooth network/modem gameplay. Even I, though not being a big RTS fan, found Warcraft II's network support to be greatly underappreciated.
The Bad
For one, I could never be bothered to complete it; for some reason, the built-in scenarios get just plain boring after a while. Another complaint is the ridiculously stupid computer AI - the computer is not being smart, he just cheats with the ability to control units much faster than a human player. Unless you're very well-trained, this leads to very short lived human-computer mĂŠlees. Shame.
The Bottom Line
A classic game which brought RTS to the spotlight again. Until Warcraft II saw the light of day, there hasn't been a single game other than the magnificent Dune 2 to play.
DOS · by Tomer Gabel (4538) · 2000
Discussion
Subject | By | Date |
---|---|---|
Still up ? | GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) | Jul 31, 2008 |
Permission ? | GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) | Feb 26, 2008 |
Trivia
1001 Video Games
Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.
Book
In the mission objectives screen, the text written in the book on the background is actually English with letters substituted with similar sounding (or, in some cases, not) Cyrillic ones. For example, "ĐžŃŃиŃŃ ŃĐžŃĐ´ĐľŃ" is definitely "orcish hordes".
Credits
At the end of the credits section of the game there is a note:
No pixels were harmed during the making of this game.
Cheats
You can type in "gilttering prizes" instead of the cheat "glittering prizes" and still have it work. Joke? Glitch? Coincidence? We will never know...
Development
- Blizzard originally wanted to include more than two races with the game. However, memory constrictions forced them to stay with two. As a compromise, they included Elves, Dwarves, Trolls, Ogres, Goblins, and Gnomes as part of the two official races, Orcs and Humans.
- At one point in development, Blizzard planed to have Catapults and Balistas manned. This means that you would need a unit to move and fire the catapult. If this unit was killed, the enemy could then capture your catapult. For whatever reason, this idea was taken out of the final version, however evidence of its existence can still be seen in the cutscene of a footman stealing an Orcish Catapult.
Gags
- If you repetitively click on any of the critters in the game, they'll eventually explode.
- As is typical of all of Blizzard's RTS games, repeatedly clicking on any unit will trigger humorous dialogue.
Graphics
All of the buildings and units for Warcraft II were originally created from 3d models. Then, after the frames of animation were set, these were given to artists to draw over, giving the game an animated look rather than a 3-D look.
Lumber bug
In games that began with only one peon (no townhall), you could click on a tree and then build your townhall. This would result in 100 extra lumber even though the tree was never completely chopped down. This was known as the "lumber bug" and came in very handy in low resource multiplayer games. However, this only worked in the DOS version of the game and was fixed in the BattleNet version.
Reception
- A common nickname for Warcraft II is "Warcrack", a reference to how addictive -- like crack cocaine -- this game can be.
- Rumor has it that Civilization designer Sid Meier remained skeptical of multiplayer gaming until he saw how much fun his daughter had beating him at Warcraft II.
References
If you select a sheep four times (keep clicking it with the left mouse button), the sheep will say: bo-ram-u (that's what it sounds like). This is the sheep password from the 1995 movie Babe.
Awards
- Computer Gaming World
- June 1996 (Issue #143) â Game of the Year (Readers' Vote)
- November 1996 (15th anniversary issue) - #28 in the â150 Best Games of All Timeâ list
- June 1998 (Issue #278) - Introduced into the Hall of Fame
- GameSpy
- 2001 â #3 Top Game of All Time
- GameStar (Germany)
- Issue 12/1999 - #9 in the "100 Most Important PC Games of the Nineties" ranking
- PC Gamer
- April 2000 - #4 in the "All-Time Top 50 Games" poll
- April 2005 - #5 in the "50 Best Games of All Time" list
- Power Play
- Issue 02/1997 â Best Game in 1996
Information also contributed by Adam Baratz, Chentzilla, KSlayer, Maw, PCGamer77, Roedie, Toadstool; Trixter and Warlock
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Related Sites +
-
Ccrew's Warcraft II Page
Has been online since May 1996. Contains a collection of custom maps available for download, a section on gameplay tactics, and some cheats. -
Chris's Warcraft Resource Page
An interesting site with some puds made by the creator, basic strategies and other things. Created Dec 1997. -
Hints for Warcraft II
The hints on the Universal Hint System will help you complete the game. -
WarCraft: Scrolls of Lore
Information on all WarCraft games, including information on the storylines and characters in them. -
Warcraft 2 Preservation Page
A site dedicated to War2 nostalgia. -
Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness
official game page from 1996, preserved by the Wayback Machine -
Warcraft Town Hall
Warcraft News and Information
Identifiers +
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Contributors to this Entry
Game added by Accatone.
Macintosh added by Terok Nor.
Additional contributors: Warlock, Andrew Hartnett, Jeanne, Maw, Patrick Bregger, MrFlibble, FatherJack, Flapco, GenesisBR.
Game added April 13, 2000. Last modified April 20, 2024.