Warcraft: Orcs & Humans Complete Guide (15 Sections) | AntMag

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Master the legendary real-time strategy title, Warcraft: Orcs & Humans, where you command either the Orcs or Humans in a brutal war for Azeroth. This extensive guide offers 48 sections, covering everything from getting started and the main walkthrough to detailed boss strategies and tips for dominating multiplayer. Find advice on unit builds, item usage, and overcoming challenging enemy factions to secure your victory.

Part 1

Walkthrough

1
Welcome to the Warcraft: Orcs & Humans Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and Strategy Guide.
2
The aim of this FAQ is to provide as much information as possible about Warcraft: Orcs & Humans.
3
This includes details on various releases, available add-ons, and cheat codes.

Tips

The FAQ was last updated on August 28, 1995.
The authors of the FAQ are Jeff Kang and Chris Asher.

Part 2

This FAQ is written and edited by Chris Asher and Jeff Kang. Most material in it has been written and/or compiled by us. Any information that we have not written is by one of the people listed in section 1-5 : (acknowledgements).

Revision History: v0.5 April 7, 1995; v0.6 April 21, 1995; v1.0 August 27, 1995

Getting the FAQ: Available at Kevin Lo's Homepage, Jeff Kang's Ultimax GamePage, GamesDomain, and via FTP at ftp.wustl.edu in the \pub\MSDOS_UPLOADS\warcraft\ directory.

Submissions to the FAQ: Send information to gkang@jupiter.sun.csd.unb.ca (Jeff). Text sent becomes property to change and edit. Full credit will be given. Archived and UUENCODED programs can be sent to Jeff via email.

Acknowledgements: Thanks to Blizzard Entertainment, Tony Evans, Mike Adshead, Roger Wong, and Teri Tokamoto. Contact us if anyone was left out.

Chapter Two (About WarCraft/Blizzard)

What is WarCraft?

WarCraft: Orcs and Humans is a point-and-click strategy game of 24 levels, written by Blizzard Entertainment and published by Interplay. The objective is to build a town that can create an army strong enough to beat your opponent. It can be played against the computer or a human player via serial link, network, or modem. It is incredibly addictive!

Is WarCraft available on any other platforms?

WarCraft is available for the Macintosh.

Who are Blizzard Entertainment?

Blizzard Entertainment is an independent subsidiary of Davidson and Associates. They have produced many console games, including Rock & Roll Racing, The Lost Vikings, and Blackthorne. They were formerly known as Chaos Studios and Silicon & Synapse. Their BBS is 714-556-4602.

Blizzard Entertainment, formerly known as Chaos Studios, is a premiere publisher of next-generation entertainment software. The company has developed more than 30 titles for computer and cartridge systems since its founding in 1990. As a third party developer, Blizzard has developed entertainment software for a variety of platforms including Sega, Nintendo, SNES, and IBM PC in CD-ROM and floppy disk formats. Some of their best known titles include Rock 'n Roll Racing, The Lost Vikings, Blackthorne, and The Death and Return of Superman. The first multimedia computer title offered solely under the Blizzard title is Warcraft: Orcs & Humans, a real-time fantasy strategy game released nationwide in November 1994. Blizzard combines solid gameplay, vivid graphics, exciting soundtracks, explosive sound effects, and extensive character interaction. Blizzard's titles have won three consecutive "Best of the Show" awards at the Consumer Electronics Show, Video Games Magazine named the company "Best Software Developer of 1993," and the company recently won a "Technical Innovations Award" from the Consumer Electronics Show sponsors, the Electronics Industries Association. Blizzard's products are developed at its headquarters in Costa Mesa, Ca., using complete programming facilities. The staff comprises 25 designers, producers, programmers, artists, and sound engineers. Blizzard also maintains a technical support staff. Blizzard Entertainment was founded in 1990 as Silicon & Synapse by president Allen Adham and Vice President Michael Morhaime. In February 1994, Blizzard became an independent division of Davidson & Associates, Inc.

Has Blizzard Entertainment written any other games?

Blizzard has mainly produced console games, including DC Fighters, Rock & Roll Racing, and Justice League. Their only other PC games are Lost Vikings and Blackthorne.

Does Blizzard have an official FTP site or webpage?

They plan to have one by the end of September 95.

How can I contact Blizzard?

Blizzard Entertainment
P.O. Box 18077
Irvine CA 92713

Tel: 800-953-SNOW (Sales), 714-556-5740 (tech support), 714-556-5571

Fax: 714-556-5572

Email: blizzrdent@aol.com, tloving@blizzard.com (Tymothi Loving)

BBS: 714-556-4602

Messages posted to alt.games.warcraft and comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.strategic are read and responded to by Blizzard personnel.

Chapter Three (The different WarCraft releases)

How many different releases of WarCraft have there been?

The different versions publicly released are: 1.21, 1.20, 1.16, 1.15, 1.14, 1.13, 1.12 (original version).

What are the differences between them?

1.21 - Full install copy protection removed in CD version. WarEdit included.
1.20 - Unknown.
1.16 - Added command line option for enhanced connectivity. Copy protection enhancement.
1.15 - Enhanced direct link and modem connectivity.

Part 3

Walkthrough

1
Patch 1.21: This version includes a unit editor and fixes a speech bug. It also replaces the CD-ROM copy protection with floppy copy protection and updates the DOS 4/GW extender. A previous bug affecting scores over 12,000 was fixed in earlier versions.
2
Latest Patch: The 1.21 patch can be found at ftp.cdrom.com in the \pub\games\dresden\games\patches\warcr121.zip directory.
3
Playable Demo: The Warcraft playable demo can be downloaded from ftp.std.com://vendors/COMPUTER_EXPRESS/warcraft.exe, ftp.pht.com://pub/msdos/games/fighting/warcraft.zip, or ftp.leo.org://pub/comp/platforms/pc/msdos/games/demo/warcraft.zip. It is 1.4 MB in size.
4
Editors: A unit editor is included with the 1.21 patch. A Windows map editor (warcedit.zip) can be found at wuarchive.wustl.edu /pub/MSDOS_UPLOADS/warcraft/ or ftp.cdrom.com /pub/games/new/. A save game editor (wartrn.zip) is available at ftp.uml.edu /pub/msdos/games/editors/ (unconfirmed).
5
Cheat Codes: To use cheat codes, press to open the message box, type the code, and press again. Codes affect both sides in Two-Player games. The Master Code is "Corwin of Amber". Other codes include "ORCxx" or "HUMANxx" to go to a requested level (Campaign Mode only), "YOURS TRULY" to go to the victory sequence (Campaign Mode only), "CRUSHING DEFEAT" to go to the loss sequence (Campaign Mode only), and "IDES OF MARCH" to go to the finale sequence for the current campaign. Codes preceded by ** do not require the Master Code: "POT OF GOLD" adds 10,000 gold and 5,000 lumber, "EYE OF NEWT" upgrades magic users with all spells, "IRON FORGE" upgrades all technologies immediately, "SALLY SHEARS" (or "SALLY") displays the entire map area, "HURRY UP GUYS" (or "HURRY") accelerates building, unit training, and upgrades, and "THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE" (or "THERE") makes your units invulnerable except to catapult hits or the rain of fire spell, inflicting 255 points of damage per hit.
6
Orcs vs. Humans: The primary differences lie in their magic. Humans have healing magic, while Orcs have unholy armour. Both sides are designed for balance, with individual advantages and weaknesses.
7
General Tips: Scout with expendable units like scorpions or skeletons. Use sorcerers to summon elementals for powerful attacks. Support archers/spearmen with foot troops, catapults, and clerics. Attack enemy mages quickly to prevent them from summoning elementals. Keep forces balanced, as the AI will attack your weakest side. Use peasants/peons to maintain your economy; if attacked, have them run away to save at least one. Attack catapults with mounted troops. Keep troops spaced out when facing early catapult attacks.
8
Getting Loads of Gold and Lumber: Save your game, quit to DOS, and use a hex editor (like Norton Disk Edit) to modify the save game file (save?.sav / save?.net). Change offset 00607 to 50, 00608 to c3, 0061b to 50, and 0061c to c3 to get 50,000 coins and tons of lumber.
9
Cheating in Network Play: Save the game in multi-player mode, quit to DOS, and use a hex editor on the save game file (save?.net). Modify offset 0002E to 00. Rename the save game from save?.net to save?.sav, load Warcraft, load the save game, and press .

Tips

Scout early using scorpions or skeletons.
Summon elementals with sorcerers for a powerful attack force.
Protect your archer/spearman lines with foot troops and support them with catapults and clerics.
Prioritize attacking enemy mages to deny them summoning power.
Maintain a balanced army to prevent the AI from exploiting weak points.
Always protect your peasants/peons, as they are crucial for your economy.
Use mounted troops to quickly engage and neutralize enemy catapults.
Space out your units to minimize damage from early catapult attacks.
For infinite resources, use the hex editor method on save game files.
Network play can also be manipulated using a hex editor on save game files.

Part 4

Unholy Armour on a Daemon

This tactic involves casting Unholy Armour on a Daemon, making it incredibly powerful and difficult for opponents to defeat. In one recorded instance, a Daemon with Unholy Armour was able to destroy a defensive line consisting of 8 knights, 15 archers, and 5 catapults, before being reinforced by two more Daemons.

Mass Destruction of Catapults

To effectively destroy a group of enemy catapults, especially when they are clustered together, you can use a diversion tactic. Send a raider (a unit that can draw enemy fire) and a catapult. Instruct your catapult to attack the furthest enemy catapult while still out of range. As your catapult advances, send your raider ahead and keep it moving. The enemy catapults will likely fire at the moving raider, missing due to its movement, while your catapult can then destroy the clustered enemy catapults at its leisure. The key is to keep the raider closer to the enemy than your catapult.

Human Level 1 Objectives

In the first human scenario of Warcraft: Orcs & Humans, your objectives are to BUILD: 6 FARMS and 1 BARRACKS. The starting gold and a nearby gold mine are sufficient to build the required farms and barracks. You can train two additional peasants to speed up construction. Be aware of 8 orcs scattered around the map, but they will not actively seek you out unless you explore or accidentally attract their attention with your peasants. The safest place to harvest wood is to the Northeast.

Tips

Casting Unholy Armour on a Daemon significantly increases its survivability and offensive power.
Using a fast, moving unit as a decoy can draw fire from enemy catapults, allowing your own siege units to attack safely.
In Human Level 1, conserve gold and avoid building unnecessary roads to prevent unnecessary conflict with orcs.
Prioritize building essential structures like farms and barracks early in Human Level 1.