Chapter 102: Unit and Building Planning
Soon, the three of them finished reading the concept draft Chen Mo had written.
The concept draft simply outlined the game's prototype, including its core fun, basic framework, and so on. After reading it, the three had a general understanding of what the final form of *Warcraft* would look like.
However, what surprised Chen Mo was that they first complained about the game's name.
"Warcraft? That's a weird name. Why not call it *Azeroth Conquest*?" Zheng Hongxi scratched his head.
"'Conquest' is a good word, fitting for a real-time strategy game. But doesn't it sound a bit like *Legion Conquest*?" Qian Kun said.
"But what exactly is a 'Warcraft'... Azeroth has orcs and undead, but no 'warcraft'..." Zheng Hongxi was still hung up on this.
Su Jinyu, on the other hand, was worried about the game's prospects. "Um, boss, after looking into it, I found that the RTS field is still dominated by *Legion Conquest*. A few domestic studios have tried to make RTS games, but none have been very successful. Can we really reach that level?"
Chen Mo was speechless. Why were they focusing on such strange things?
That said, the English name *Warcraft* doesn't directly relate to "war" or "craft" in a literal sense. But the translation "Warcraft" perfectly captured the game's genre and sounded imposing, making it a classic translation, with "Warcraft" becoming a proper noun.
"Don't worry. You don't need to doubt my naming skills or my predictions for game development," Chen Mo said.
Su Jinyu exclaimed, "Wow, boss is mighty, boss is generous! Boss, when do we start?"
Chen Mo said, "Hold on, let's divide the work first."
"First, Hongxi, you'll handle the story and setting. I'll give you a plot outline. The main story revolves around Illidan and Arthas—keep that in mind at all times."
"Mission descriptions, dialogue, unit and building descriptions—you know all that, no need for me to emphasize it."
"From this, we derive the in-game racial buildings and unit designs. We have four races: Humans, Orcs, Night Elves, and Undead. The units and buildings for each race are completely different. When designing the aesthetics, you must ensure they align with the story—discuss this with Qian Kun."
"This time, the story needs to be far beyond the level of *Lifeline*. Be prepared. This story is meant to become a classic."
Zheng Hongxi wiped the sweat from his forehead. "I'll do my best."
Chen Mo continued, "Qian Kun, you're mainly responsible for level design and balancing. Unit balance, difficulty progression from easy to hard, hero stat growth—work these out with Hongxi."
"First, build the numerical models. You should know how to do that. It's a long-term task; it doesn't have to be perfect right away."
Before Chen Mo could finish, Su Jinyu added, "Right, anyway, the boss will say: 'Good, but rewrite it.'"
Zheng Hongxi said, "Yeah, exactly."
Chen Mo: "..."
Qian Kun: "..."
Chen Mo went on, "As for the rest, Goldfish, you'll help me with some concept art for characters and scenes. Also, get familiar with the rules-related stuff."
Su Jinyu nodded. "Got it."
Chen Mo said, "Take time to browse the Azeroth universe—there's a lot there you can use directly. Also, some elements from Western fantasy settings can serve as inspiration, like *The Supreme Ring*."
With tasks assigned, everyone got busy.
Of course, expecting Zheng Hongxi and Qian Kun to perfectly recreate the story and setting of *Warcraft* was impossible. Chen Mo still needed to provide a broad framework for guidance.
Back in the studio, Chen Mo used a memory recall potion and began to recall memories that had faded.
It felt like being back many years ago, spending entire afternoons gaming at an internet café.
First, the units.
*Warcraft* didn't have too many units—four races, each with about 12 units.
Chen Mo started making a chart, planning each unit's stats, including cost (gold/wood/population), attack speed, attack range, movement speed, attack type, armor type, health, mana, attack/defense levels (basic, advanced, elite), special abilities, and so on.
Then, Chen Mo filled in each unit one by one, starting with the Night Elves: Wisp, Archer, Huntress, Glaive Thrower, Hippogryph...
For each unit, he planned their attributes according to the list.
In truth, with his current numerical design skills, Chen Mo could have completed the entire numerical framework on his own, even without the memory recall potion.
But to train Qian Kun, Chen Mo decided to provide a broad framework and let Qian Kun figure it out himself.
Next were the buildings.
*Warcraft*'s building system was quite complex. Unlike *Red Alert*, where buildings were just functional modules as fragile as paper, a dozen conscripts with machine guns could easily blow up a barracks—which made no sense.
In *Warcraft*, buildings generally had Fortified Armor, making them resistant to most attacks. Only specific units could tear them down quickly; basic units attacking Fortified Armor was like scratching an itch, and a peasant could repair it back to full in no time.
Additionally, players could use building placement to block paths, making their bases more secure.
By integrating building stats into the overall balance system, the random base-rushing seen in *Red Alert* became much rarer.
Furthermore, *Warcraft* excelled in building upgrades and unit production. The main base could be upgraded from tier 1 to tier 3. Would you rush technology for advanced units, or mass-produce basic units for a quick push or tower rush? The tech tree greatly expanded players' strategic options.
Other factors included which buildings produced which units, what unit upgrades were available, and the role of each building.
For example, the Night Elf's Ancient of War could produce basic units like Archers and Huntresses, but it also had 1000 health and decent attack power, and could even eat trees to restore health.
Because of this, many professional players would use the Ancient of War to help clear neutral camps, improving efficiency—a staple of Night Elf strategy.
The unit and building designs were the essence of *Warcraft*, worth Chen Mo spending plenty of time to plan carefully.