LADYDRAGON.COM - Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos

Tuesday March 19, 2002

WarcraftIII: Reign of Chaos

Blizzard will be implementing a slew of groundbreaking enhancements to Battle.net for WarcraftIII: Reign of Chaos. The following list highlights many of the new features designed to streamline your Battle.net experience and help you get the most out of Warcraft III.

Anonymous Matchmaking

Blizzard’s dedication to intuitive interface design extends to Battle.net. With the efficient anonymous matchmaking system (AMM), players are now just two clicks away from their next battle.

· Players are anonymously matched based on skill level.

· The AMM randomly selects maps based on the players’ preferences.

· Players can choose which race to play, or they can let the service choose for them.

· Players can also select the game type, which indicates the number of allies and opponents.

· Other game options are preset by the designers, resulting in a higher level of play.

· The top-ranked players from each gateway will be listed on our Web site.

Custom Team

The new custom team option lets players create games that friends and clanmates can see and easily join.

· Players can team up with friends, and team records are tracked.

· Custom team games count toward the ladder.

· Team members are automatically allied and set to allied chat.

New Ladder System

Battle.net’s ladder system has been revamped for Warcraft III. This new system promotes active competition and maintains the ladder’s integrity.

· The AMM prevents win trading and ensures that high-level players face opponents of similar skill.

· Ladder-play prerequisites have been eliminated (everyone who uses the AMM earns a ladder rank).

· Top-ranked players can compete in seasonal tournaments to determine who really is the best of the best.

Custom Games

Players can join or create custom games with nonstandard game settings for added excitement and replayability. These games have a wide variety of play options, and they do not affect your ladder record.

· Play with or against computer players.

· Play on the map of your choice, including user-made custom maps.

· Anyone that you permit can join, so you can play against opponents of your choice.

· Allow/restrict observers, toggle fog of war on/off, adjust game speed, and adjust diplomacy settings.

New Game Filter

The game filter lets players determine which available games appear on the custom games list. This functionality allows them to filter out games that have maps they don’t want to play. Game filters include:

· Map Creator – Choose to view only Blizzard-made or user-made maps

· Game Options – Play standard melee games, or play custom games with various options toggled on/off

· Map Type – Play standard melee maps, or play custom maps with various triggers active/inactive

· Game Speed – Fast/Medium/Slow

· Map Size – Large/Medium/Small

Separate Gateways and Name Space

Warcraft III name space is not shared with previous Blizzard games or even between gateways, so more names will be available for selection. To prevent name copying, nonstandard characters have been disabled.

New Built-in Friends System

To help players keep track of friends, the friends list shows each friend’s location (whether in or about to start a game, or on a chat channel).

· Players can easily join a friend’s channel or a game ready to start.

· Players are notified when a friend enters or leaves Battle.net (this notice even appears in-game).

Advanced Battle.net Icon System

· Play your favorite race often to earn better icons, and earn upgraded icons by gaining more wins.

· Icons reflect the race you play most, your ladder rank, and if applicable, your clan affiliation.