Blizzard’s pulling of Warcraft I & II tests GOG’s new Preservation Program

Date:

Share:


GOG’s version goes a bit beyond the classic versions that were on sale on Blizzard.net. Beyond the broad promise that “This is the best version of this game you can buy on any PC platform,” GOG has made specific tweaks to the networking code for Warcraft I, and fixed up the DirectX wrapper for Warcraft II to improve its scaling on modern monitor resolutions.

It’s quite a novel commitment, keeping non-revenue-generating games playable for buyers, even after a publisher no longer makes them available for sale. The Warcraft titles certainly won’t be the only games for which publisher enthusiasm lags behind GOG and its classic gamers.

As noted at the Preservation Program’s launch, for some titles, GOG does not have the rights to modify a game’s build, and only its original developers can do so. So if GOG can’t make it work in, say, DOSBox, extraordinary efforts may be required.



Warcraft II: Remastered lets you switch back and forth between classic and remastered graphics and promises to offer better support for widescreen monitors and more units selected at once.

Credit:
Blizzard

Warcraft II: Remastered lets you switch back and forth between classic and remastered graphics and promises to offer better support for widescreen monitors and more units selected at once.


Credit:

Blizzard

Beyond being tied to Blizzard’s Battle.net service in perpetuity, there are other reasons Warcraft fans might want to hold onto the originals. Blizzard’s 2020 release of Warcraft III Reforged was widely panned as uneven, unfinished, and in some ways unfair, as it, too, removed the original Warcraft III from stores. Reforged was still in rough shape a year later, leading Ars’ list of 2020’s most disappointing games. A 2.0 update promised a total reboot, but fans remain torn on the new art styles and are somewhat wary.

Then again, you can now select more units in the first two Warcraft games’ remasters, and you get “numerous visual updates for the UI.”



Source link

━ more like this

Google Maps comes to Garmin smartwatches

If you’ve ever wished that your Garmin could do a better job of helping you find the restaurant you’re late for dinner...

X CEO Linda Yaccarino is stepping down after two years

Linda Yaccarino is stepping down as CEO of X, apparently effective immediately. She posted the news, naturally, on X, saying "I’m immensely grateful...

Dr’s set to strike despite a pay rise and are showing ‘lack of respect’ giving just ‘two weeks notice’ – London Business News |...

Resident doctors formerly known as junior doctors are to strike on 25 July for five days as they are demanding a 29% pay...

IKEA goes all in on Matter with new smart home products

IKEA continues its push into the smart home category a new line of -compatible products, set to launch in January. The ready-to-assemble...

The end of the triple lock pension could be inevitable – London Business News | Londonlovesbusiness.com

The end of the triple lock pension could be inevitable due to the increasing cost of providing it to the UK’s aging population,...
spot_img