Hi everyone, and welcome to the chat. We are happy to announce that our fist novel published by Pocket Books is due in stores next week! The book is called Day of the Dragon and is set in the Warcraft universe. Written by the New York Times best-selling author Richard A. Knaak, it is an awesome read. Richard A. Knaak is also a popular Dragonlance author and has really captured the essence of Azeroth in the first of three novels set in the world of Warcraft. For more information on the book, please check www.blizzard.com.

Have you decided on a subtitle yet?

Yes! The official title is Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos. If you played the original Warcraft, you may remember the first line, "In the age of chaos, two factions battled for dominance". Well, that battle rages on in Warcraft III!

Has Blizzard set a date when they will start beta testing?

We have not set a date for our closed beta test, but we will definitely be doing one. Beta tests have always been a great way for us stay in touch with our community and test the game. When we have a date set, we will post it on www.blizzaard.com and www.battle.net and will host registration pages on those sites as well.

Do you have plans to include a record feature?

Yes, we are intending to provide support for recording and playing back games. We feel that there is so much to be learned from watching great games and players that a record feature is well worth the effort to include.

Why were the Demons removed as a playable race?

We have been reviewing all the units and races in the game. During that process we felt that using the Demons as an ultra powerful NPC race would be a better option for the game, and allow us to make the other races have cooler, more concentrated spells and abilities

Do you have plans for a Warcraft III forum on Battle.net?

We will be timing our creation of Warcraft III forums to coincide with the launch of the beta.

Can you give examples of some game types?

We are currently working the multiplayer design of the game. We want to include many, many cool templates including: Capture the Flag, King of the Hill, Greed, etc

Will there be a Warcraft III ladder?

Yes, there will be ladders for Warcraft III. In fact, we are working on how to make the ladders even better than in our previous games. There will be several ladders in WarCraft 3 including 1 vs 1, 2 vs 2, 3 vs 3 and a Clan Ladder.

Will there be water units?

There are no current plans for water units in WarCraft 3. There will be deep water as impassable terrain and shallow water that is passable to ground troops.

Will Warcraft III have terrain changing spells other than the Undead's blight?

Yes, we are planning on several spells that deform the terrain. An example of this is the Earthquake spell.

What advantages do players have in allying with one another?

We are going to augment the allies settings in WarCraft 3 quite a bit. We plan on allowing you to trade resources, share vision, play on team ladders, and other features.

Will the Undead be able to collect gold and higher units?

The undead will collect gold like other races, and create many units similar to how other races produce units. There will also be several units that must be created from dead corpses.

Will there be a library for textures, models, etc. in the world-builder?

Within the War3 Editor users will be able to use, place, and modify any of the units, models, etc that we ship with the game.

Bridenbecker: Will lumber be a resource?

Lumber will not be a resource that players collect like in Warcraft 2. However, there will be many terrain features on the map (Trees, Rock formations) that can be cleared with Peon units

Will the Burning Legion be a playable race using the world editor?

No, but they can be used as non-player units for multi-player games or in trigger maps.

Do the NPC races have hero units?

There will some unique heroes that do not belong to player races.

How will weather affect troops?

Currently we are not planning on Weather having game effect. It will be purely a visual feature.

What is the role of Ogre's in Warcraft III?

Ogres will be neutral units and can be hired as mercenaries.

Do the other races have special abilities or counter-abilities concerning the day and night cycle?

We are still discussing what effect Day-Night cycle will play in-game. Some abilities that we have decided upon are the Night Elf ability to shadowmeld at night, the Undead's regeneration and their several spells that are specific to day or night to cast.

What happened to Gnomes?

The gnomes have retreated to their underground stronghold and are awaiting the passing of the dark war that has covered the face of Azeroth. They have vowed to return one day to build a new telecommunications device known as the Carrier Chicken!

Are Hero names randomly generated, or are they constant?

They are randomly selected from a set of names that we have created on a hero by hero basis.

What role will air units have in the game?

Each races will have two or more flying units. Players will also be able to purchase Air Transports from neutral Goblin Zeppliners.

What type of unit is the Frost Wyrm?

The Frost Wyrm has recently been changed to a powerful summoned unit. The Lich, after gaining 5th level will gain the ability to summon him forth into the world.

Will there be any new locations featuring Warcraft III?

We are going to take players to a new continent that is the homeland of the Night Elves. We are looking forward to expanding the world of Warcraft within the campaign.

How does the Shadow Hunter attack and what are its skills?

The Shadowhunter has a boomerang blade device thingy(tm) that he uses in combat. All his spells use "Wards", which are totems he places upon the ground to cause effects within an area.

Any idea on the total number of players per game?

While we have not set the exact number, we do intend to support more than 8 in a game. Balance and testing will determine the final number.

How much will it cost to have a Hero resurrected?

Revival cost will be based upon how much it cost to build the hero and be further modfied by the current level of hero to be revived. For example, a Level 2 Paladin would cost more to revive than a new level 1 Paladin, but a Level 10 Paladin would cost much more.

Can the Peon who pushes the Siege Catapult be killed?

He is so closely connected to the operation of his machine of war that he cannot be seperated from it in any way. If it dies, he dies. In short -- no.

Will the in-game interface change?

Being the perfectionists that we are, I'm sure the User Interface will be changed, polished, modified and re-done from scratch several more time :)

Will the Arch-Druid be able to change forms?

Yes. And now to the development team for details... His Ultimate spell is called "Force of Nature" which transforms him into a gigantic beast that is a hybrid of several woodland creatures.

Will there be multiple resources for each race?

There will be two collectable resources in the game. One, of course, is gold. The other we are still hammering out, but will be mainly a modifier resource used to purchase upgrades, re-charge items buy new heroes How will the Footmen's defend ability work?

When the Footman is in Defend "mode" he will move much slower but become nearly invulnerable to ranged attacks.

Are there going to be different playing speeds?

Yes, they will function in a similar manner to StarCraft.

Are Ents fully transformable back and forth between buildings and Ents?

No, once an Ent evolves into a Treant he may not become an Ent again.

Last question: Will Blizzard support the playing of mods over Battle.net?

Any map you make with the War3 editor will be playable on Battle.net. We are also planning on a user map ladder to show the popularity of user made maps. Thank you all for coming out to the chat! Our next chat will be in 6-8 weeks and will be covering Diablo II: Lord of Destruction. For the Horde!!!