Warcraft II

George took out the CD of "Warcraft: Tides of Darkness" from the CD case and inserted it into the CD slot of his computer.

He was a real fan of the video game. In fact, there were several posters of "Warcraft" in his room, along with posters of "Doom" and "Mortal Kombat." Additionally, there were KES and SKES video game characters' action figures displayed on the shelves.

Calmly and skillfully, George installed the video game "Warcraft" into the computer after selecting the file directory.

After a while, "Warcraft: Tides of Darkness" was successfully installed in MS-DOS.

With great excitement, George immediately opened the video game. He selected the single-player option and Human Campaign option first. Then, the text of the timeline after the war of humans and orcs appeared, followed by the game intro animation.

The animation depicted ships sailing in the sea in 3D. The ships sliced through waves shimmering with light. A Gnomish Flying Machine, a mechanical beetle buzzing with gears and rivets, dipped overhead, casting a shadow that felt almost tangible. The narrator's voice, rich and booming, echoed tales of fallen kings and rising darkness, painting a grim yet thrilling picture of a world teetering on the brink.

After the video game's introductory animation story, George started playing. After a short while, he was pleasantly surprised by how different "Warcraft" had become compared to its first video game.

Not only does the new "Warcraft" video game feature deeper character development, but the gameplay is also quite impressive. It introduces more units and abilities, along with an Isometric Perspective. While retaining the charm of the first video game's 2D view, the isometric perspective of "Warcraft: Tides of Darkness" offers better visual clarity and unit positioning.

Additionally, the zoomable terrain allows George to zoom in and out slightly on the battlefield, providing him with a better overview of strategic options and highlighting environmental details.

Moreover, there are more detailed animation sequences for unit attacks, spell effects, and hero abilities, adding visual flourish and feedback.

Enemy units have become much more challenging and now exhibit basic strategies. This is a significant improvement compared to "Warcraft: Orcs & Humans," where enemy units lacked strategies but presented difficulty due to the player's disadvantage.

Despite realizing it was time to sleep, George couldn't bring himself to do so. The engaging gameplay, impressive graphics, and captivating story kept him awake.

The story of "Warcraft" progresses after the humans' war with orcs. As the humans rebuild their territory, darkness emerges. Terenas' son, Arthas, succumbs to the corrupting influence of the fallen paladin Uther Lightbringer. Descending into madness, Arthas becomes a pawn of the Lich King, the leader of the undead Scourge. Arthas murders his king, plunging Azeroth into a new era of chaos.

The Human campaign follows Jaina Proudmoore, a powerful sorceress and close friend of Arthas, as she grapples with understanding and confronting her former friend's descent into darkness. Jaina teams up with Thrall and the newly emerged Tauren to combat the Scourge and Arthas' growing power.

After a while, George finally fell asleep. He eagerly anticipates the rapid spread of "Warcraft: Tides of Darkness" in the UK, looking forward to playing multiplayer online with other players using the KP Software.

---

Shin has developed the Warcraft series differently in this world. With ample resources and funds, he significantly improved the PC video game.

The first "Warcraft: Orcs & Humans" by KiShin closely resembled the original game in Shin's previous life. However, equipped with superior software, an extensive game developers department, and advanced video game development tools, Shin and the KiShin game developers were able to produce "Warcraft: Tides of Darkness" much better than the original in Shin's previous life.

The vast difference between Warcraft I and Warcraft II was readily apparent even to the fans who had played the early versions of the PC video game Warcraft II.

Notably, there were improvements in graphics, gameplay, and the development of more solid and complex storylines.

Furthermore, the video game introduced moral ambiguity by incorporating more nuanced choices and consequences, blurring the lines between good and evil. Players now faced morally difficult decisions, questioning their allegiances and contemplating the true cost of victory.

Shin implemented better branching narratives in Warcraft II, offering more than just campaign paths based on choosing a faction. The game allowed players' actions in missions to have lasting consequences, shaping the narrative and leading to different endings.

Shin also expanded beyond the existing unit types by including specialized units with unique skills and tactical benefits. This expansion considered siege weapons, airship units, or hero-specific abilities to add strategic depth to the gameplay.

Introduce neutral creatures on the map that players can engage with for resources or strategic advantages, similar to mechanics in future Warcraft titles.

Enhance the AI of enemy units and bosses to heighten the challenge and adaptability to player strategies.

Additionally, improve animation sequences...

This is why gamers who were able to play the PC video game Warcraft II were captivated by the gameplay. Even those who weren't particularly impressed with Warcraft I felt the significant improvements and innovations that KiShin brought to Warcraft II.

Despite potential lag on older computers, KiShin implemented a graphics setting. As long as players set it to low graphics, the game runs smoothly even on less powerful computers.

KiShin's commitment to providing graphics settings in their PC video games, not just Warcraft II, truly deserves commendation. However, many gamers at that time, lacking technical knowledge, took for granted the effort required to input graphics settings in 1995.

Why was it challenging to add graphics settings during this period?

If it weren't for KiShin, other video game entertainment companies would struggle to implement it similarly. The development tools for graphics engines (excluding KiShin's software game engine) at this time were less mature and lacked functionalities for dynamic scaling or multiple settings. Implementing separate graphic options often demanded extensive coding and adjustments.

In the 90s, developers had to consider compatibility with a broader range of hardware, making it difficult to create graphics settings that wouldn't cause problems on slower or weaker systems.

KiShin's advanced software and Shin's ultimate control over KiShin companies made it possible. He could invest his money in video game production at any time, as he owned the company, and the company's budget was Shin's budget.