30 Year Anniversary of WarCraft II: Tides of Darkness

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Nostalgia & Personal Impact

  • Many recall WarCraft II as their first RTS and a formative game: Christmas gifts, demos played hundreds of times, obsessively copying it via floppies, and sneaking late‑night sessions.
  • Several say it nudged them toward software careers or learning hex editing.
  • Mac players remember long waits for the port but also tight IRC communities and manual leaderboards.

Apex of RTS & Esports Debates

  • Strong disagreement over the “apex” of RTS: candidates include WarCraft II, StarCraft: Brood War, StarCraft 2, WarCraft III: TFT, Dawn of War, Total Annihilation, Supreme Commander, and Dawn of War 2.
  • Brood War is praised for deep balance, multiple asymmetric races, difficulty, and its Korean pro scene (team houses, TV channels, salaried players).
  • Others credit Quake, Counter‑Strike, and earlier competitions for starting esports, with consensus that Brood War “started modern esports” at scale.

Game Design, Mechanics & Aesthetics

  • WC2 is described as simpler, “purer,” and still fun, though some find it clunky, visually outdated, and overshadowed by StarCraft/WC3.
  • Distinctive touches admired: unit personality (“zug zug,” sound bites), soundtrack (including Red Book audio), art and manuals, and the “soul” of the game.
  • Mechanics people loved: naval combat and oil, buildings-as-walls, farm moats, exploiting building spawn push to hop terrain.
  • Multiple commenters mourn the loss of naval combat in later RTS titles.
  • Opinions diverge on remasters: some find them tasteful; others dislike cleaner fonts and subtle art changes that feel like AI upscaling.

Multiplayer, Networking & Communities

  • Kali’s IPX-over-TCP bridge and dial‑up modem play are remembered as magical first online experiences, alongside Doom/Descent.
  • AOL’s Engage partnership exposed many to WC2 but generated huge per‑minute bills; cheaper alternatives included MSN Gaming Zone and, later, Battle.net edition.
  • Lockstep deterministic networking (fixed‑point math, int‑based logic) is noted as enabling smooth play over high latency.
  • Clan cultures (AOL clans, Cases Ladder, comp‑stomps on Battle.net) left strong social memories.

Modding, Tools & Legacy Projects

  • The map editor is called revolutionary and easy to use; custom maps and strategies flourished.
  • A rich modding scene (e.g., WarDraft counterparts, PSX source tree) is fondly recalled, inspiring modern archival efforts like Jorsys.
  • Total Annihilation’s lineage survives in FOSS projects like Spring, Recoil, and Beyond All Reason, which some now consider the best active RTS.

RTS Genre & Modern Industry Critique

  • Many lament the decline of mainstream RTS: steep learning curves, low monetization, and publisher disinterest.
  • Attempts to “simplify” RTS for mass appeal (e.g., sequels that chase console/MOBA trends) are widely criticized as ruining otherwise strong series.
  • Some argue MOBAs (Dota, League) are RTS descendants and now dominate; others reject calling them RTS at all.
  • Blizzard’s shift away from RTS, abandonment of SC2, and lack of support for community modding are seen as emblematic of broader industry changes.
  • Commenters contrast WC2’s ~1‑year development cycle and “complete on CD” release with today’s long dev times, heavy focus on cosmetics, early access, and slower, more confusing UX despite better tools.