Warcraft: Orcs & Humans
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For the game world as a whole, see Warcraft Universe.
| Warcraft : Orcs & Humans | |
|---|---|
 The original box art for Warcraft: Orcs & Humans |
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| Developer(s) | Blizzard Entertainment |
| Publisher(s) |  Blizzard Entertainment Interplay Entertainment |
| Designer(s) | Blizzard Entertainment |
| Engine | Custom |
| Latest version | 1.21 |
| Release date(s) | January 15, 1994 1995 |
| Genre(s) | Real-time strategy |
| Mode(s) | Single player, Multiplayer |
| Platform(s) | DOS, Macintosh |
| System requirements | Intel 80386 CPU, 4MB RAM, VGA graphic card, CD-ROM |
| Input | Keyboard and mouse |
Warcraft: Orcs & Humans is a real-time strategy computer game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment [1] in 1994. Originally developed for DOS, the game was subsequently ported to version 7 of Mac OS making it fully playable on the Macintoshes of the era. The real-time strategy genre had been pioneered by Dune 2, among other games, but Warcraft (along with Westwood Studios' Command & Conquer) is widely credited for the genre's rise in popularity. Warcraft and its sequels went on to become one of the most successful franchises in computer gaming history.
The game is set in the Kingdom of Azeroth, part of the fictional Warcraft Universe. The events that take place in this game are known in Warcraft lore as the First War or the Great War.
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[edit] Units and structures
As with real-time strategy computer games at the time, Warcraft featured two opposing factions, the noble Humans and the savage Orcs. Again, as in other games of this genre, each faction’s units and buildings have a counterpart within the other faction. With the exception of some spells, each unit is almost exactly the same as its counterpart. For example, orc spearmen do slightly more damage than human archers while having a slightly reduced range.
[edit] Movie
Just before E3 2006, an official press release from Blizzard announced that a live action motion picture based on the Warcraft world was being planned. Legendary Pictures has acquired the movie rights for the game universe, and both companies are now focused on translating the Warcraft experience to the big screen. No further details have been released [1].
[edit] Related products
There are several games and products related to Warcraft:
- Four sequels:
- The MMORPG World of Warcraft
- A set of three books (simply titled Warcraft), related only by their placement in the Warcraft Universe
- Warcraft: Day of the Dragon, Richard Knaak
- Warcraft: Lord of the Clans, Christie Golden (adapted from the storyline of the cancelled Warcraft Adventures)
- Warcraft: The Last Guardian, Jeff Grubb
- A trilogy of novels, Warcraft: War of the Ancients, Richard Knaak
- 1)The Well of Eternity
- 2)The Demon Soul
- 3)The Sundering
- A new upcoming trilogy of novels, Warcraft: The Sunwell Trilogy, Richard Knaak (with illustrations by manhwa artist Jae Hwan Kim)
- Several lines of action figures
- A Warcraft tabletop role-playing game (Warcraft the Roleplaying Game)
- A Warcraft strategy board game
- A World of Warcraft adventure board game
- A World of Warcraft Trading Card Game
- Blizzard has also announced a Warcraft movie [2]
- Various other merchandise
[edit] Trivia
- Bill Roper provided all the voices for the game.
- Individual characters in the game give amusing responses when clicked repeatedly. Blizzard Entertainment has maintained this feature in all of its strategy games, and many other companies have copied it.
- Both factions (Orcs and Humans) are composed only of their respective races. In the first sequel, both factions form an alliance including other races as well. Humans with Elves, Dwarves and Gnomes, and Orcs with Trolls, Ogres and Goblins. Even later on, in the MMORPG World of Warcraft, when the Goblins, and Ogres become neutral factions again, the Orcs (the Horde) gain Jungle Trolls, Tauren and Undead while the Humans (the Alliance) gain Night Elves, Dwarves and Gnomes (note that High Elves are not a playable race but are included in the game as part of the Alliance; in 2.0 Draenei and Blood Elves will be added to the Alliance and Horde, respectively).
[edit] References
1. Blizzard Entertainment: Warcraft: Orcs & Humans Retrieved November 12, 2006.
[edit] External links
[edit] Lore
- Official Lore: The Dark Portal and the Fall of Stormwind.
- Game Manual History on Warcraft's game box
| Games by Blizzard Entertainment | |
|---|---|
| StarCraft | StarCraft • Brood War • SC: Ghost |
| Warcraft | Warcraft: Orcs & Humans • WC2: Tides of Darkness • Beyond the Dark Portal • WC Adventures: Lord of the Clans • WC3: Reign of Chaos • The Frozen Throne • World of Warcraft • The Burning Crusade |
| Diablo | Diablo • Diablo II • Lord of Destruction |
| Miscellaneous | Blackthorne • The Lost Vikings • Rock N' Roll Racing • The Death and Return of Superman |
