Proto:Warcraft: Orcs & Humans

This page details one or more prototype versions of Warcraft: Orcs & Humans.

A demo was released for Warcraft I. Many things are missing from the demo version, including:

• Opening Video.
• Endings for both races.
• All support for multi-player and Vs AI games (Demo 1.12 you can start up a multiplayer game and even connect systems together, but everything for making the game playable was disabled and the game crashes when you attempt to start it).
• Most of the campaign missions (Limited to three or seven per race, depending on the build).
• Dungeon tiles and monsters.
• Support for advanced units and advanced buildings.
• Most of the upgrades and research.
• Most of the music. Only two tracks are used in the early demos: Orc campaign #2 and Human campaign #3.
• Most of the sprite sheets that are not directly used by the demo. Trying to include a unit/spell/effect/etc. that is not normally found within regular gameplay will cause the game to crash.

Unique things included with the demo are:

• A campaign mission you cannot win.
• Ordering info on the menu.
• A post-game blurb about how contributing to the battle ahead will give you access to more in-game features. If by some chance you manage to win during the final mission, the blurb will be skipped and the player will be taken straight to the main menu.

Comparison Notes

Several demos of various game versions appear to have been released:

Version	Release Date
1.00	October 4th, 1994
1.01	October 6th, 1994
1.01 Interplay	October 6th, 1994
1.12, Final Demo	November 23rd, 1994 Another version (After) April 19th, 1995
1.21, Final Demo	(After) February 22nd, 1997
1.21, Final Demo, 6-level variant	(After) December 12th, 1994
1.22h Final Demo	(After) December 31st, 1999

Demo versions 1.00, 1.01 and 1.01 Interplay all use a different timing method that is far more sensitive to faster computers, even DOS emulators. It may be necessary to fix the cycle setting on whatever program you use to run these older demos. This was fixed by Demo version 1.12.

Demo version 1.12 was released after the final version of Warcraft (Version 1.12) was and is the most common version found on the net. Final version 1.12 was released November 3rd, 1994.

Demo version 1.00 would produce a memory error upon exiting the game. This was fixed in all subsequent versions.

General Game Mechanics Changes

	Demo 1.00 & 1.01	Demo 1.12 & Final
Unit cancellation	Units cannot be cancelled once training commences.	Units can be cancelled anytime during the training process.
Levels of building damage	A building starts burning when it takes 25%+ damage. There is only one burning animation.	A building starts burning when it takes 25%+ damage. It appears as a small flame when the damage is under 50% and a large flame when 50%+.
Player AI targeting	Player AI has a difficult time acquiring a player's proper target; the units have a tendency to go for whatever is closest to them, rather than a specific target.	This appears to have been fixed for the final version.
Corpses	All corpses appear as Orc bodies during the 2nd frame of decomposition.	Race-specific corpses are properly used during the 2nd frame of decomposition.
Messages	Messages cannot be entered after hitting ENTER.	Messages can be entered after hitting ENTER, including the use of cheat codes.
MP recharge	50 frames for 1 MP	40 frames for 1 MP
Starting directions	All units face up when the mission starts, then start to rotate around while standing still.	All units face with a random starting direction, then start to rotate around while standing still.
Peasants/Peons collecting resources	Any amount of gold collected from a mine is rounded up to 100. For instance, the closest mine in the first mission (both races) has 3072 gold inside. The Peasants/Peons will collect 3100 gold. Peasants/Peons require 20 strikes to chop down a tree.	All gold mines are rounded to the nearest 100, making this a non-issue. Peasants/Peons require 50 strikes to chop down a tree.

Opening Screen / Menu Changes

	Demo 1.00 & 1.01	Demo 1.12+
Save Slots	Eight slots are available.	Seven slots are available.
In-game Menu Options	Game Speed, Mouse Scroll and Key Scroll all loop around when selecting these. Speed has five settings.	In the final version, you cannot loop from Slowest to Fastest and back. To reach either end, you must go through the different speeds. Speed has seven settings.
Volume Control Issues	Music level adjusts after you exit the menu and may not play at the selected level, especially when going between Off and a volume level.	Music is automatically adjusted when you change the volume.

Unit / Building Changes

All melee units are given a range of 0 in 1.00 and 1 by 1.22h.

	Demo 1.00 & 1.01	Demo 1.12 & Final
Footman / Grunt	Cost: 450G Move Speed: 6	Cost: 400G Move Speed: 7
Peasant / Peon	Random Damage: 5 Move Speed: 7, 6(w/ resources)	Random Damage: 0 Move Speed: 8, 7(w/ resources)
Archer	Attack Range: 6 (if selecting a target) or 5 Move Speed: 7 Attack Cooldown: 60 Sword upgrades boost damage.	Attack Range: 5 Move Speed: 7 Attack Cooldown: 61 Arrow Upgrades boost damage.
Spearman	Attack Range: 5 (if selecting a target) or 4 Move Speed: 7 Axe upgrades boost damage.	Attack Range: 4 Move Speed: 8 Spear upgrades boost damage.
Cleric	Attack Range: 2 (if selecting a target) or 1 Speed: 5 Healing cost: 1 MP per HP	Attack Range: 1 Speed: 6 Healing cost: 3 MP per HP
Necrolyte	Attack Range: 3 (if selecting a target) or 2 Speed: 5 Attack Speed: 60 (Same as Archer's) Can cast Raise Dead on enemy corpses that have long since sunk into the ground (and player unit corpses that are still visible). Raise Dead costs 40 MP.	Attack Range: 2 Speed: 6 Attack Speed: 50 (1.25x a Grunt's) Can only cast Raise Dead on a corpse that is still visible on the battlefield. Raise Dead costs 70 MP
Skeleton	HP: 12 Damage: Minimum - 1, Random - Version 1.00 - 9 Version 1.01 - 3 Attack Speed: 60 (Same as Archer's) Has Orc unit speech. Has no attack sound. Has an animation for rising from the dead. No time limit (Decay Rate as a concept was not included).	HP: 40 Damage: Minimum - 1, Random - 4 Attack Speed: 80 (2.0x a Footman's) Has no unit speech. Has an attack sound. Has no animation for appearing. Has a time limit before dying.
Wall	Available after Mission #2 Cost: 400G Build Time: 470 HP: Two sets of 160, attacks do 8x the usual damage. Units must first walk up to a wall to attack it, regardless of what their range normally is.	Available after Mission #7 Cost: 100G Build Time: 210 HP: Two sets of 160, every unit has a specific value for damaging walls. Units can attack a wall within their normal range. (Unavailable in Demo 1.12)

Notes

• In the demo version, the attack range of all range units (range fighters and spell casters) is increased by one when you select a target to attack. Otherwise, a range unit will use their regular attack range when an enemy target appears within it. This appears to be far easier to accomplish against structures, compared to enemy units. The AI does not use this range advantage when attacking.

Upgrade/Research Changes

	Demo 1.00 & 1.01	Demo 1.12 & Final
Church/Temple spells	The spells are laid out like upgrades; the first spell must be purchased before the 2nd spell, etc.	The spells are laid out and can be upgraded without any prerequisites.
Church/Temple spell cost	Cost for the first two Church / Temple spells are: 1000G and 2000G and are labeled as RESEARCH NEW SPELL. Only the first spell may be purchased. If a player attempts to research the second upgrade, the message PURCHASE RELEASE VERSION OF WARCRAFT will appear.	Cost for the first two Church / Temple spells are: 750G and 1500G and are identified by name. For Demo 1.12, the first two spells may be researched.
Healing spell.	Has no spell animation on the target and plays no sound effect when cast.	Animates the traditional 'magic' animation on the target and the generic magic sound effect is played when cast.
Arrow/Spear Upgrades	Only the first upgrade may be researched. If a player attempts to research the second upgrade, the message PURCHASE RELEASE VERSION OF WARCRAFT will appear.	Both upgrades are available as early as you can access the Mill for both races. For Demo 1.12, it's the same as the other demos.
Arrow/Spear Bonus damage	No bonus damage, making the upgrade pointless to research. This is a glitch; Archers and Spearmen check for sword upgrades, rather than arrow upgrades.	Increases the minimum damage of Archers/Spearmen by 2 points, each (per upgrade).

Mission-Specific Changes

	Demo 1.00 & 1.01	Demo 1.12 (Changes)	Final (Changes)
1st Mission, Human	Human Campaign #3 music plays. Gold Mine Content Upper-left: 10240 Middle-right: 3072 Lower-right: 10240 Centre: 10240	Gold Mine Content Upper-left: 10200 Middle-right: 3000 Lower-right: 10200 Centre: 10200	Human Campaign #1 music plays.
2nd Mission, Human	Orc Campaign #2 music plays. Temple of the Damned (and connecting road) is missing in the upper right corner of the enemy base. Enemy does not have any Necrolytes. Enemy starts with 2 Peons. Changes to the forest along the upper-middle of the map. Player Unit Count: Peasant x2, Footman x2 and Archer x2 (Arranged differently) Gold Mine Content Upper-centre: 17920 (17900) Centre: 17920 (17900) Bottom-right: 20480 (20400) Lower-centre: 17920 (17900) Middle-left: 20480 (20400)	(Orc Campaign #2 for demo) Temple of the Damned (and connecting road) is included in this mission. Enemy has and uses Necrolytes with Raise Dead. Enemy starts with no Peons. Player Unit Count: Peasant x2, Footman x3 and Archer x2 Gold Mine Content Upper-centre: 17900 Centre: 17900 Bottom-right: 20400 Lower-centre: 17900 Middle-left: 20400	Human Campaign #3 music plays. Is Human Campaign Mission #3.
3rd Mission, Human	Human Campaign #3 music plays. Uses the same map as mission #1, but with a different starting point. Player starts with a Town Hall, 2 Farms, 2 Peasants and 4 Footmen. The mission starts with the base surrounded by 33 Grunts and one Town Hall that will train Peons to chop lumber. It's a one-sided slaughter in favour of the computer.	Uses the 2nd Human campaign map found in the final campaign with the full starting base: A Town Hall, a Farm, a Peasant, 2 Footmen and an Archer. The mission starts with the base surrounded by 33 Grunts and Spearmen. Again, it's a one-sided slaughter for the computer.	Does not exist.
1st Mission, Orc	Human Campaign #3 music plays. Gold Mine Content Top-centre: 7,680 Upper-right: 3,072 Lower-centre: 7,680 Middle-left: 7,680	Gold Mine Content Top-centre: 7,600 Upper-right: 3,000 Lower-centre: 7,600 Middle-left: 7,600	Orc Campaign #1 music plays.
2nd Mission, Orc	Human Campaign #3 music plays. Church is missing in the upper right corner of the enemy base. Enemy does not have any Clerics. Units around town have been rearranged. Enemy starts with 2 Peasants. Minor changes to most of the tree patches. Player Unit Count: Peon x2, Grunt x2 and Spearman x2 Gold Mine Content Lower-left: 26880 Upper-left: 20480 Top-centre: 26880 Lower-right: 20480	Church is included in this mission. Enemy has and uses Clerics with Healing. Enemy starts with no Peasants. Player Unit Count: Peon x2, Grunt x3 and Spearman x2 Gold Mine Content Lower-left: 20400 Upper-left: 10200 Top-centre: 20400 Lower-right: 26800	Is Orc Campaign Mission #3. Orc Campaign #3 music plays.
3rd Mission, Orc	Orc Campaign #2 music plays. Uses the same map as mission #1, but with a different starting point. Player starts with a Town Hall, 2 Farms, 2 Peons and 4 Grunts. The campaign starts with being surrounded by 33 Footmen. It's a one-sided slaughter for the computer.	Uses the 2nd Orc campaign map found in the final campaign with the full starting base: A Town Hall, a Farm, a Peon, 2 Grunts and a Spearman. The mission starts with the base surrounded by 33 Footmen and Archers. Again, it's a one-sided slaughter for the computer.	Does not exist.

Mission Briefing Changes

1st campaign mission: Same briefing as the final version.
2nd campaign mission: Uses the briefing from the final version's 3rd campaign.
3rd campaign mission:

• Human

A small village near the Borderlands is
being attacked by an Orcish invasion force.
You must take what few troops remain
available to the King and defend the town
for as long as possible.  If the King can
raise funds, reinforcements may be on the
way...

• Orc

Your outpost in the Borderlands is being
attacked by the Human armies.  Blackhand
wants you and the last soldiers in his
cadre to defend the site... to the death.
Should the War Chief raise enough gold to
recruit reinforcements, he will dispatch
them as soon as possible...

Post-game briefing (to encourage players to 'contribute' to the cause):

• Human

King Llane has desperate need of your
continued leadership in the battle against
the Orc invasion of Azeroth.  The coffers
of the Kingdom are being bled dry by the
war, however, so your contribution is
required to raise money for more armies.
You will be able to augment your forces
with brave, mounted knights and powerful
conjurers that can summon creatures to
fight for your cause.  There are also great
dangers that await you, as there are mines
to be explored, monsters to be vanquished,
and the evil forces of the Orc War Chief
Blackhand to be conquered.  The fate of
Azeroth awaits!

• Orc

Blackhand demands your service to
eradicate the human scum from this land.
Resources are limited, however, so a
contribution to summon forth more soldiers
is required.  You will then have command
over the wolfriding Raiders, and be able
yo use the dark magiks of the Waklocks to
control the powers of the underworld.
There are mysterious dungeons to search,
temples to desecrate, and the armies of
King Llane to crush under your heel.  Who
will eventually control Azeroth is in your
power to decide!

Human Voice Changes

	Demo	Final
What	What?	Your bidding?
Pissed	N/A	Why do you keep touching me?!
Move	Yes, my lord. Yes, sire!	Yes, my lord. Yes!
Unit Created	Your bidding?	Your command?
Work Done	Work complete!	Work completed!

Notes:

• The demo version only had 2 levels of Pissed audio clips. The final version adds a 3rd clip.
• The casual 'What?' was probably replaced since it comes off as rude, rather than subservient, like most of the other ones used in getting a unit's attention. Also, there is another 'What?!' in the Pissed category.
• Some of the clips in the demo appear to use a different voice actor.

Graphics Changes

Demo	Final

The Human Barracks was adjusted for the final version. The construction phases leading up to the final building remain unaltered.

Demo	Final

The arrows underwent a minor palette change.

Demo	Final

Swamp lands have a post-tree tile (with debris) in the final version. In the demo, the tree tile is replaced with a clear tile after being cut down.

Demo	Final
	N/A

One of the swamp tiles in the demo resembles a small tree. This was likely removed since it could lead to players wasting their time trying to harvest something that was not a resource.

Scene Changes

Opening Menu

Demo 1.00 & 1.01	Demo 1.12	Final

The title screen is darker, copyright info was included and "Ordering Info" was replaced with "Ordering info" as of 1.12.
Order info was replaced with re-watching the intro movie in the final version.

Demo 1.00 & 1.01	Demo 1.12 & Final

When selecting a New Game, all the features are upfront in the Demo version (though only the Campaign Game Mode and Race are selectable options). In the final version (and Demo 1.12), the Game Mode is subdivided on the screen, making players select their mode first, then the other options.

Mission Briefings

Demo 1.00, 1.01 & 1.12	Final

A roaring fire appears in the background of the final version of the Orc Mission Briefing screen.

	Demo 1.00 & 1.01	Final (Human)	Final (Orc)
Mission #1
Mission #2
Mission #3

In the demo version, both races use the same progression map (during the Mission Briefing). In the final version, the Humans and Orcs both use their own separate progression path. In addition, the final version removed the table and blue background and uses different palettes, depending on the current mission. Notes:

• The rips for the final Human and Orc maps are taken from the proceeding missions for a better visual comparison.
• It may not be possible to see the progress maps in the final version if you do not have a full install of the game.
• Demo Version 1.12 does not include a progression map.

Unused Unit Changes

Warcraft 1.00 carries a full lineup of units and buildings. Given given the lack of sprites for any of the unused units, plus some values being absurd, like unusually high armor for dungeon units, it is likely that much of the data is a placeholder.

	Demo 1.00	Final
Catapult (Both races)	Selection Size: 23x23 Priority: 65 Move Speed: 3	Selection Size: 21x21 Priority: 105 Move Speed: 4
Raider / Knight	HP: 100 Selection Size: 23x23 Minimum Damage: 0 Speed: 7-9-15 (Most likely a glitch)	HP 90 Selection Size: 19x19 Minimum Damage: 1 Speed: 8-9-10
Conjurer	Move Speed: 5 Attack Cooldown: 70	Move Speed: 6 Attack Cooldown: 60
Warlock	Range: 1 Move Speed: 5	Range: 2 Move Speed: 6
Medivh	Original name: Klaron HP: 30 Gold cost: 100 Priority: 60 Random Damage: 0 Minimum Damage: 6 Move Speed: 5 Attack Cooldown: 43	New name: Medivh HP: 150 Gold cost: 2500 Priority: 1 Random Damage: 10 Minimum Damage: 0 Move Speed: 10 Attack Cooldown: 30
Lothar	Command bar missing Gold cost: 100 Armor: 10 Priority: 60 Random Damage: 7 Minimum Damage: 6 Move Speed: 7 Attack Cooldown: 43	Gold cost: 2500 Armor: 5 Priority: 1 Random Damage: 15 Minimum Damage: 1 Move Speed: 8 Attack Cooldown: 40
Wounded	Gold cost: 100 Priority: 60 Move Speed: 6	Gold cost: 2500 Priority: 1 Move Speed: 7
Griselda	Command bar missing Gold cost: 100 Priority: 60 Move Speed: 5 Attack Cooldown: 60	Gold cost: 2500 Priority: 1 Move Speed: 6 Attack Cooldown: N/A
Garona	Command bar missing Gold cost: 100 Priority: 60 Move Speed: 7 Attack Cooldown: 8	Gold cost: 2500 Priority: 1 Move Speed: 6 Attack Cooldown: N/A
Ogre	Gold cost: 100 Selection Size: 23x23 Armor: 6 Random Damage: 7 Minimum Damage: 4 Attack Cooldown: 44	Gold cost: 900 Selection Size: 19x19 Armor: 3 Random Damage: 12 Minimum Damage: 1 Attack Cooldown: 50
Dragon (Unused, 2 samples)	Gold cost: 100 Armor: 12 Random Damage: 10 Minimum Damage: 8 Attack Cooldown: 44	Gold cost: 0 Armor: 0 Random Damage: 0 Minimum Damage: 0 Attack Cooldown: 50
Spider	Gold cost: 100 Selection Size: 15x15 Priority: 35 Random Damage: 1 Minimum Damage: 1 Attack Cooldown: 26	Gold cost: 200 Selection Size: 19x19 Priority: 32 Random Damage: 3 Minimum Damage: 1 Attack Cooldown: 30
Slime	HP: 200 Gold cost: 100 Selection Size: 15x15 Armor: 8 Minimum Damage: 2 Move Speed: 4 Attack Cooldown: 8	HP: 150 Gold cost: 200 Selection Size: 19x19 Armor: 10 Minimum Damage: 1 Move Speed: 7 Attack Cooldown: 80
Elemental (Fire)	HP: 100 Gold cost: 100 Selection Size: 15x15 Armor: 10 Random Damage: 8 Minimum Damage: 6 Move Speed: 10 Attack Cooldown: 44	HP: 200 Gold cost: 1500 Selection Size: 21x21 Armor: 0 Random Damage: 40 Minimum Damage: 0 Move Speed: 7 Attack Cooldown: 64
Scorpion	Uses an Orc command bar Gold cost: 100 Selection Size: 15x15	Uses a Human command bar Gold cost: 200 Selection Size: 19x19
Brigand	Gold cost: 100 Armor: 6 Random Damage: 6 Minimum Damage: 4 Attack Cooldown: 39	Gold cost: 500 Armor: 4 Random Damage: 9 Minimum Damage: 1 Attack Cooldown: 40
Skeleton (Neutral)	Gold cost: 100 Armor: 14 Random Damage: 5 Minimum Damage: 4 Move Speed: 7 Attack Cooldown: 47	Gold cost: 400 Armor: 2 Random Damage: 9 Minimum Damage: 1 Move Speed: 5 Attack Cooldown: 70
Daemon	Gold Cost: 100 Selection Size: 15x15 Random Damage: 40 Move Speed: 6	Gold Cost: 2000 Selection Size: 22x22 Random Damage: 65 Move Speed: 7
Dragon (Unused, 2 samples)	Gold cost: 100 Armor: 12 Random Damage: 10 Minimum Damage: 8 Attack Cooldown: 44	Gold cost: 0 Armor: 0 Random Damage: 0 Minimum Damage: 0 Attack Cooldown: 50
Elemental (Water)	Gold cost: 100 Selection size: 15x15 Attack Sprite: Magic ball Move Speed: 10 Attack Cooldown: 40	Gold cost: 2000 Selection size: 17x17 Attack Sprite: Water Move Speed: 7 Attack Cooldown: 63

In-game Battle Demos

	Demo 1.00	Demo 1.01, 1.12 & Final
Battle Demo #2			Four Farms and all Peons were removed, likely to speed up the battle demo. The screen was shifted up one tile row.
Battle Demo #3			Two Human Archers outside the view were removed. They do not participate in the battle. The screen was shifted five tile rows to the right.
Battle Demo #4			(At least) a couple Orc units were removed from the fight. Given the number of human buildings, it results in a faster battle demo to let the humans win. The screen was shifted three tile rows to the right and two rows down.

Notes:

• There are no visual differences between the demo and final versions of Battle Demo #1.
• In Demo version 1.00, each demo only runs for a few seconds before going back to the menu screen. In all subsequent demos and the final version, the two sides completely finish the fight before returning to the menu.