War Wind
Encyclopedia
War Wind is a 1996 real-time strategy
game in the vein of Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness
. It was developed
by DreamForge Intertainment
and published
by Strategic Simulations, Inc.
. It runs on Microsoft Windows
and used DirectX 2.0. A sequel to War Wind, titled War Wind II: Human Onslaught
, was released by DreamForge and SSI in 1997.
. They have dominated the other races on the globe. In particular, the Tha'Roon have enslaved the tree-like Eaggra, forcing them to act as their builders and engineers. The Tha'Roon accomplish this through their bullying and domination of the Obblinox, slow-moving but extremely strong silicon
lifeforms specialized in cyborgs. Lastly are the reclusive Shama'Li, monk
-like practitioners of magic
, who desire to unify the four races.
play. The player can choose one of four campaigns (one for each race). Each campaign has seven battles, and advances the story through cut-scenes and in-game dialog. Each race has a notably different goal.
Each race also has different units, structures they can build and radically different abilities. While this became standard for the genre after StarCraft
(released two years later), in 1996 this was something of an innovation. Earlier games (such as Dune II
) had different sides with different attributes, but not to the dramatic extent found in War Wind.
are excessively "puzzle-like": in some cases there is one and only one "correct" way to win a level, and the only way to discover it is to experiment and die many times. On the other hand, this does present a type of challenge that is missing from some other real-time strategy games.
There is a "skirmish" mode found under multiplayer; it is called "single player," but the amount of maps that can be used for it is limited.
Real-time strategy
Real-time strategy is a sub-genre of strategy video game which does not progress incrementally in turns. Brett Sperry is credited with coining the term to market Dune II....
game in the vein of Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness
Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness
Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness is a fantasy-themed real-time strategy game published by Blizzard Entertainment and first released for DOS in 1995 and for Mac OS in 1996...
. It was developed
Video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Most developers also...
by DreamForge Intertainment
DreamForge Intertainment
DreamForge Intertainment, Inc. was an American computer game developer. It was founded as Event Horizon Software, Inc. by the computergame developers Thomas Holmes, Christopher Straka, and James Namestka. The company would later change to Dreamforge...
and published
Video game publisher
A video game publisher is a company that publishes video games that they have either developed internally or have had developed by a video game developer....
by Strategic Simulations, Inc.
Strategic Simulations, Inc.
Strategic Simulations, Inc. was a video game developer and publisher with over 100 titles to its credit since its founding in 1979. It was especially noted for its numerous wargames, its official computer game adaptations of Dungeons & Dragons, and for the groundbreaking Panzer General...
. It runs on Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
and used DirectX 2.0. A sequel to War Wind, titled War Wind II: Human Onslaught
War Wind II: Human Onslaught
War Wind II: Human Onslaught is a real-time strategy computer game from developer DreamForge Intertainment that was published by Strategic Simulations, Inc. in 1997...
, was released by DreamForge and SSI in 1997.
Story and background
War Wind takes place on the world of Yavaun, where four races have co-existed for millennia. The Tha'Roon are the thinkers, leaders and overlords of the planetPlanet
A planet is a celestial body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, and has cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals.The term planet is ancient, with ties to history, science,...
. They have dominated the other races on the globe. In particular, the Tha'Roon have enslaved the tree-like Eaggra, forcing them to act as their builders and engineers. The Tha'Roon accomplish this through their bullying and domination of the Obblinox, slow-moving but extremely strong silicon
Silicon
Silicon is a chemical element with the symbol Si and atomic number 14. A tetravalent metalloid, it is less reactive than its chemical analog carbon, the nonmetal directly above it in the periodic table, but more reactive than germanium, the metalloid directly below it in the table...
lifeforms specialized in cyborgs. Lastly are the reclusive Shama'Li, monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
-like practitioners of magic
Magic (gaming)
Some role-playing games or game systems can include a set of rules that are used to portray magic in the paranormal sense. These rules simulate the effects that magic would have within the game context, according to how the game designer intended the magic to be portrayed...
, who desire to unify the four races.
Game modes
War Wind is strongly focused on single playerSingle player
A Single-player video game is a video game where input from only one player is expected throughout the course of the gaming session. "Single-player game" usually implies a game that can only be played by one person, while "single-player mode" usually refers to a game mode for a single player, where...
play. The player can choose one of four campaigns (one for each race). Each campaign has seven battles, and advances the story through cut-scenes and in-game dialog. Each race has a notably different goal.
Each race also has different units, structures they can build and radically different abilities. While this became standard for the genre after StarCraft
StarCraft
StarCraft is a military science fiction real-time strategy video game developed by Blizzard Entertainment. The first game of the StarCraft series was released for Microsoft Windows on 31 March 1998. With more than 11 million copies sold worldwide as of February 2009, it is one of the best-selling...
(released two years later), in 1996 this was something of an innovation. Earlier games (such as Dune II
Dune II
Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty is a Dune computer game released in 1992 by Westwood Studios...
) had different sides with different attributes, but not to the dramatic extent found in War Wind.
Units for each race
- Tha'Roon: Minister (clan Leader), Servant, Architect, Rover, Executioner, Jump Troop, Rogue, Assassin, Destroyer, Psychic, Psionic
- Obblinox: War general (clan leader), Worker, Engineer, Biker, Veteran, Captain, Colossus, Sorcerer, Warlock, Agent, Spy
- Eaggra: Prime Maker (clan leader), Scrub, Artisan, Squire, Knight, Grenadier, Weed, Scout, Ranger, Druid, Arch Druid
- Shama'Li: Shadow Dancer (clan leader), Initiate, Designer, Cavalier, Disciple, Grand Master, Guru, Elemental, Mage, Shaman, Defender, Templar
Monsters
War Wind has unique monsters (sometimes referred to as "critters") that have no affiliation with any of the four selectable races. Generally, monsters will only attack when they are attacked first or they are "touched" by an adjacent unit controlled by the computer or the player.- Bonca: perhaps the most seen monster in the game. Boncas are rhino-like, bright-peach colored, plump, six legged monsters with a stubby horn. They only attack when they are hurt. Shama' Li mercenaries are seen wielding spears riding on Boncas.
- Fledgling: Bonca fledglings are mischievous creatures that may deliberately attack your structures. They have low hit points, but if they are hit, they start squeling and calling for adult boncas in the vicinity to protect them. Upon their call, nearby Boncas will charge at the offending armies.
- Dire Vermin: This hidden monster resembles a furry wolf. Vermins occasionally come to a race's main structure to steal resources. They flee with the loot.
- Rubble Fiend: Disguised as a yellow rock, the Fiend stays stationary until a unit adjacently passes it. In a few seconds it will transform into a hulk of limping, animated rubble. Rubble fiends' speed is slow.
- Snipethorn: A small, white, anteater like creature with long range firing capabilities. The Snipethorn may approach you, and attack unprovoked using his long, snout. However, the Snipethorn will flee when you attack it, but will resume attacking when you stop.
- Slink Weed: A dark green, slimy lizard like monster. The Slink Weed uses its three tongues, and a fat tail for attack. They usually attack unprovoked. It can easy be mistaken for a tree. The 'Weed' unit, of the Eaggra race is seen riding these. The Weed units are hired as Mercenaries from the Watering Hole (Inn).
- Ionic Brakus: A small, bipedal creature that is able to disable mechanical vehicles and buildings with its ion pulse. More of a hindrance than anything. They have a remarkably durable carapace and are therefore tough to kill.
- Foul Fess: A tentacled, shapeless monstrosity created by pollution. Highly dangerous, as they are able to siphon the lifeforce of units that they kill. Only appear in highly industrialized areas.
- Mondra'Heath: A colossal dragon-like creature with six limbs and many horns and tusks adorning its head. They only make their lairs around sites of great spiritual importance (such as those revered by the Shama'Li).
- The Countenance: More of a natural disaster than an actual living creature, the Countenance is an enormous face that randomly forms and rises from the planet causing obstruction or, worse, destruction to anything that happened to be standing on it or near it. Effectively indestructible, though purportedly there are ways of getting rid of it.
Commentary
One common criticism of War Wind is that the levelsLevel (computer and video games)
A level, map, area, or world in a video game is the total space available to the player during the course of completing a discrete objective...
are excessively "puzzle-like": in some cases there is one and only one "correct" way to win a level, and the only way to discover it is to experiment and die many times. On the other hand, this does present a type of challenge that is missing from some other real-time strategy games.
There is a "skirmish" mode found under multiplayer; it is called "single player," but the amount of maps that can be used for it is limited.
External links
- War Wind at the Home of the UnderdogsHome of the UnderdogsHome of the Underdogs was an abandonware archive founded by Thai Sarinee Achavanuntakul , aka: Underdogs or Fringer on her own blog, in September 1998, and grew to be one of the most significant abandonware websites on the Internet, despite losing its domains to cybersquatters and then briefly...
.