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Difference between revisions of "Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos"

From PCGamingWiki, the wiki about fixing PC games
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{{mm}} [https://maps.w3reforged.com/ maps.w3reforged.com] - Warcraft III & Warcraft III: Reforged Map Database
 
{{mm}} [https://maps.w3reforged.com/ maps.w3reforged.com] - Warcraft III & Warcraft III: Reforged Map Database
 
{{mm}} [https://www.epicwar.com/maps/ Epicwar] - Large Warcraft III Map Database
 
{{mm}} [https://www.epicwar.com/maps/ Epicwar] - Large Warcraft III Map Database
{{mm}} [https://www.hiveworkshop.com/ HIVE] - A Warcraft III Community Site (With a focus on modding, and a map database.)
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{{mm}} [https://www.hiveworkshop.com/ HIVE] - A Warcraft III community site with a focus on modding, and a map database.
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{{mm}} [https://liquipedia.net/warcraft/Main_Page WarCraft III section on Liquipedia]
  
 
==Availability==
 
==Availability==

Revision as of 16:46, 10 December 2022

This page is for the original game client up to and including the v1.31.1 patch. For the v1.32.0 patch and above, see the 2020 reimagining Warcraft III: Reforged.

Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos
Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos cover
Developers
Blizzard Entertainment
Publishers
Blizzard Entertainment
Europe Vivendi Universal
Japan Capcom
Release dates
Windows July 3, 2002
Mac OS (Classic) July 3, 2002
macOS (OS X) July 3, 2002
Reception
Metacritic 92
IGDB 93
Taxonomy
Monetization One-time game purchase, Expansion pack
Modes Singleplayer, Multiplayer
Pacing Real-time
Perspectives Bird's-eye view
Controls Multiple select, Point and select
Genres RTS
Themes Fantasy
Series Warcraft
Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos on HowLongToBeat
Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos on IGDB
Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos guide on StrategyWiki
Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos on MobyGames
Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos on Wikipedia
Warcraft
Warcraft: Orcs & Humans 1994
Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness 1995
Warcraft Adventures: Lord of the Clans Cancelled
Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition 1999
Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos 2002
World of Warcraft 2004
Hearthstone 2014
Warcraft III: Reforged 2020

Key points

With the release of Warcraft III: Reforged, Reign of Chaos and The Frozen Throne were updated to the classic mode of Reforged, with a merged Battle.net online multiplayer.

General information

Official Blizzard Store Page For Warcraft III
Official Battle.net "Classic" Games Support
Mojo StormStout's Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne Strategy Guide - Strategy and Game Guide by Blizzard
maps.w3reforged.com - Warcraft III & Warcraft III: Reforged Map Database
Epicwar - Large Warcraft III Map Database
HIVE - A Warcraft III community site with a focus on modding, and a map database.
WarCraft III section on Liquipedia

Availability

Source DRM Notes Keys OS
Retail
Disc check (requires the CD/DVD in the drive to play)
CD key
SecuROM 4 DRM on Windows; removed as of patch 1.21b, retaining only serial key requirement.
Most copies pre-2007 install on all three operating systems.
Icon overlay.png
Windows
Mac OS
macOS (OS X)
The original version is no longer sold digitally as of November 2018 in favor of the remaster.
If a retail copy is already owned, access to the classic version of Warcraft III: Reforged (which allows access to the original Reign of Chaos and The Frozen Throne campaign content as well as Reforged multiplayer) can be gained for free by entering the serial key here on Battle.net and then downloading the installer from here.
With patch 1.21b, the game no longer requires the CD to play.
A free demo version is available from GameFront: Windows, OS X. While its missions were added in the full version of The Frozen Throne expansion, the voiceovers were not migrated.

Monetization

Type Notes
Expansion pack The expansion pack includes new campaigns, maps, units, and mechanics.
One-time game purchase The game requires an upfront purchase to access.

DLC and expansion packs

Name Notes
The Frozen Throne Product key needed for install.
Windows
macOS (OS X)

Essential improvements

Patches

List of 1.27b patches

Version 1.27b is the most up-to-date standalone installer version for the retail release, as well as the the Czech release.[citation needed].
Official support for Windows 7, 8.1, and 10 as well as Mac 10.10 and 10.11 was added with version 1.27a, though Mac 10.9 remains unsupported.
The 1.27b patches for a specific language can be downloaded from Blizzard's FTP server using the links below, or from the PCGW download mirrors (Windows, Mac).
Install the Reign of Chaos patch only if The Frozen Throne is not installed.
Patch Language Reign of Chaos The Frozen Throne
Spanish Windows, Mac Windows, Mac
Czech Windows, Mac Windows, Mac
Chinese - Simplified Windows, Mac Windows, Mac
Chinese - Traditional Windows, Mac Windows, Mac
German Windows, Mac Windows, Mac
English Windows, Mac Windows, Mac
French Windows, Mac Windows, Mac
Italian Windows, Mac Windows, Mac
Japanese Windows, Mac Windows, Mac
Korean Windows, Mac Windows, Mac
Polish Windows, Mac Windows, Mac
Russian Windows, Mac Windows, Mac

Conversion to Reforged build

Updating to the latest version requires the use of the "Warcraft III Launcher" program. Clicking on "Battle.net" in the main menu will automatically attempt to patch the game to the latest version, and will download and run the "Warcraft III Launcher."

This requires the Battle.net App to be installed.
Versions above 1.28 will automatically update to Warcraft III: Reforged "classic" the next time the game is launched. Versions at or below 1.28 will automatically update the next time Battle.net is chosen from the main menu. "Reforged" visuals will only be available if the user's account has that version of the game purchased.
As of version 1.28, support for the Czech version of the game has been dropped,[citation needed] and new standalone patch installers are no longer provided by Blizzard.

Game data

In-game general settings.
In-game general settings.

Configuration file(s) location

System Location
Windows HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Blizzard Entertainment\Warcraft III\
Mac OS (Classic)
macOS (OS X) $HOME/Library/Preferences/com.blizzard.Warcraft III.plist
$HOME/Library/Preferences/com.blizzard.WarcraftIII.plist

Save game data location

System Location
Windows %USERPROFILE%\Saved Games\Warcraft III\
Mac OS (Classic)
macOS (OS X) $HOME/Library/Application Support/Blizzard/Warcraft III/Save/

Saved games were migrated from <path-to-game>\Save in patch 1.28.[1]

Video

In-game graphics settings.
In-game graphics settings.

Graphics feature State WSGF Notes
Widescreen resolution
Native widescreen support added in patch 1.25b, menus and UI displayed at 4:3 aspect ratio until patch 1.29.
Multi-monitor
Native support added in patch 1.29.
Ultra-widescreen
Native support added in patch 1.29.
4K Ultra HD
Native support added in patch 1.29.
Field of view (FOV)
Defaults to 70 degrees.
Windowed
Toggle with Alt+ Enter or use the -windowed parameter.
Borderless fullscreen windowed
With patch 1.28 enabled by default. Use the -nativefullscr parameter for exclusive fullscreen.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)
See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Anti-aliasing (AA)
See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Vertical sync (Vsync)
Can be enabled by modifying a registry key.

Only works in exclusive full-screen using the -nativefullscr parameter.

See Issues fixed.
60 FPS
Capped near screen refresh rate when in borderless windowed or windowed mode. Capped by 64 fps before patch 1.30.
120+ FPS
Uncapped when running in exclusive full-screen using the -nativefullscr parameter.
High dynamic range display (HDR)
See the glossary page for potential alternatives.

Input

Keyboard and mouse State Notes
Remapping
Details can be found in the CustomKeyInfo.txt file in the installation folder.
Mouse acceleration
Mouse sensitivity
Scroll speed only.
Mouse input in menus
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support
Controller types

Audio

In-game audio settings.
In-game audio settings.

Audio feature State Notes
Separate volume controls
Surround sound
Subtitles
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
EAX support
EAX 2, Support removed with 1.30 update and replaced with software.
Royalty free audio

Localizations

Language UI Audio Sub Notes
English
American English and British English available.
Czech
Retail only up to 1.27b; 1.28 and higher not supported.[citation needed]
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
French
German
Hungarian
Fan-made localization, supports 1.27b; download.
Italian
Japanese
Japanese release.
Korean
Polish
Russian
Spanish
Turkish
Supports the Patch 1.26, 1.27b and 1.29.2. Link to the creator's topic.

Network

Multiplayer types

Type Native Players Notes
Local play
12 Use Nucleus Co-op.
LAN play
12
Online play
24 Retail release users that wish to use Battle.net online multiplayer must update to the classic version of Reforged.

Ports

Protocol Port(s) and/or port range(s)
TCP 6112, 6113-6119
Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) support status is unknown.

VR support

3D modes State Notes
vorpX
G3D
User created game profile, (DGVoodoo2) see requirements in the vorpx forum profile introduction.

Issues fixed

Running the game on Intel-based Macs

Even with the patch, the map editor will not be compatible with Intel Macs

As of Patch v1.27a, the game can now be installed natively on Intel Macs without requiring PowerPC application support.

Windows NT is not supported

Only early builds of Reign of Chaos did not officially support the NT line of Windows operating systems.
The related warning when running the installer from pre-2007 discs can be ignored.
Install the latest patch

Windows Vista, 7, 8.1, and 10 compatibility

Official support for Windows 7, 8.1, and 10 was added in patch v1.27a.
It has not been confirmed if the following issue(s) are still present.

The Frozen Throne installer does not recognize a Reign of Chaos installation

This may occur if the Reign of Chaos installer fails to deploy its uninstaller in C:\Windows, which is the case with the 2007 BestSeller Series re-release, which has an altered setup. The Frozen Throne checks for Reign of Chaos by querying the existence of the uninstaller file and will refuse to proceed until those files are present.

Place dummy files in the Windows directory[2]
  1. Create blank files named War3Uninst.dat and War3Uninst.exe
  2. Place them in C:\Windows
  3. Reattempt installing The Frozen Throne

Black screen with audio for in-game cinematics

Blizzard's video codec does not get properly registered during installation on newer operating systems.

Manually registering the codecs[3]
  1. Run the Command Prompt as administrator.
  2. Type regsvr32 "<path-to-game>\blizzard.ax"
To manually unregister it, run the same command but with the /u parameter before the file path.
Alternative solution: download and install the LAVFilters[4]

Low performance in Wine

Force the game to run with OpenGL rendering[citation needed]
  • See the API table for details.
Run the game in Windowed mode[citation needed]

Notes

This fix has reportedly worked well on older Intel integrated GPUs.[citation needed]

Run the game at screen refresh rate

Fullscreen mode defaults to 60 Hz, even if the screen refresh rate is set higher than that.
Set screen refresh rate in registry[5]
  1. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Blizzard Entertainment\Warcraft III\Video.
  2. Double-click on refreshrate and select Decimal.
  3. Change 60 to the screen refresh rate and click OK.
Set screen refresh rate with Special K[5]
  1. Install Special K by following the Special K Unofficial Guide. Manual local installation may work better.
  2. Start the game once and close it to allow the configuration file of Special K to be created.
  3. Open <path-to-game>\d3d9.ini or %USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Mods\SpecialK\Profiles\Warcraft III.exe\SpecialK.ini depending on the installation method you used.
  4. Change RefreshRate=-1 to RefreshRate=0 under [Render.FrameRate].

Microstutter on modern machines

Use RivaTuner to limit the FPS to 64[6]

Enabling V-sync For exclusive full-screen mode

Change The v-sync registry key
  1. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Blizzard Entertainment\Warcraft III\Video.
  2. Double-click on vsync and select Decimal.
  3. Change the value to 1 and click OK.
  4. Run the game with the -nativefullscr parameter.
As of version 1.29.2, vsync seems to be active by default, also setting vsync=0 doesn't disable vsync, which probably implies the switch has been deprecated altogether.

Other information

API

Technical specs Supported Notes
Direct3D 9, 11
OpenGL 2 Use the -opengl or -graphicsapi OpenGL2 command line argument to force OpenGL rendering in Windows.
Shader Model support 2
ExecutablePPC16-bit 32-bit 64-bit Notes
Windows
Support for later versions of Windows after XP was added in 2007.
macOS (OS X)
Initially PowerPC-only until patch 1.21, which converted the game to a universal binary, but dropped Classic support in the process.

Later on in patch 1.27a, the game's app was made 64-bit to support 10.10+.
Mac OS (Classic)

Middleware

Middleware Notes
Audio FMOD Dolby Surround, Miles Emulated 3D and Creative Labs EAX2before patch 1.30.
Multiplayer Battle.net Classic Retail release users that wish to use Battle.net online multiplayer must update to the classic version of Reforged.

Command line arguments

Command[7] Description
-window Runs the game in windowed mode
-fullscreen Runs the game in borderless windowed mode
-nativefullscr Runs the game in fulscreen mode
-nowfpause Prevents the game from pausing upon losing focus
-d3d Runs the game using Direct3D (obsolete as of 1.29)
-opengl Runs the game using OpenGL (obsolete as of 1.29)
-swtnl Runs the game using Software T&L (obsolete as of 1.29)
-graphicsapi [option] Runs the game using selected graphics API (as of 1.29): OpenGL2, Direct3D9. Using other options is reported to crash the game.
-classic Runs the base game (Reign of Chaos) instead of The Frozen Throne.
-loadfile [filename] Immediately runs the game from the specified save file. When applied to the map editor executable, it applies the same functionality to the specified map file
-datadir [path] Forces the game to load all files from the specified folder (useful for mods)
-crash Intentionally crashes the game to test the crash log output
-locale [locale] Switches the game's language

System requirements

Windows
Minimum Recommended
Operating system (OS) 98
Processor (CPU) Intel Pentium II 400 MHz
System memory (RAM) 128 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 700 MB
Video card (GPU) Nvidia RIVA TNT
3dfx Voodoo 3
Intel i810
ATI Rage 128
8 MB of VRAM
DirectX 8.1 compatible
macOS (OS X)
Minimum Recommended
Operating system (OS) 10.3.9 to 10.6.8
Processor (CPU) PowerPC G3 400 MHz
System memory (RAM) 128 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 700 MB
Video card (GPU) 16 MB of VRAM


References