Monday, March 31, 2008

Warcraft III: Frozen Throne Micromanagement Resources


Run Forrest! Run!


One of the things that Frozen Throne owes it success to is its successful implementation and heavy dependence on "microing," ---formally known as micromanagment --- the skill needed to pull out critically wounded troops out of the heat of battle to save resources and deny enemies from gaining experience and scoring a decisive stroke on a player's army.

This alone makes Warcraft an all-time favorite for those who favor microing or an overly complex game for those who don't. I was one of the latter.

Right now I still favor Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War as, because of its implementation of squad-based "units," the game requires less hand dexterity than its Blizzard-made competitor. But still, there's boundless fun to be had in watching your fingers fly as you frantically "staff" (Staff of Teleportation) that bear away from a fight or run your dying Demon Hunter away as your range troops put up a token resistance and kill a few footmen before disengaging to fight another day.

Here are some resources that may improve your microing skills:

Kitae's Micro Wars 1.2e Balanced - This is a small, downloadable, map for Warcraft III: Frozen Throne, which pits your army against the AI's for 24 consecutive matches. There is no base-building, just a series of skirmishes. After each one resolves, you and the AI respawn with a different set of troops that belong to a different race. Handy! I hope there will be another version of this map, one that lets you customize what race you want to control for the entire 24 matches and the option to dictate what race the AI can use for the series of skirmishes.

Please let me know if there's a new version of this map; I tried Googling but found no other source for it except Epic War. (Note: As with any unofficial site, please scan the files with your anti-virus software before using them. Download and use at your own risk.)

Battle.net Article: Sixen's Compilation: "The Ultimate Micro and Macro Guide"

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