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Bill Roper of Blizzard Entertainment recently sat down and talked with Blizzard Insider about the upcoming expansion to their hit Real-Time Strategy game, Warcraft III. Entitled The Frozen Throne, the expansion features many new units and gameplay elements, including new heroes and player controlled shops. Roper goes into these elements in the interview, including how the player-controlled shops will work.

Here's a sample of the interview:

Insider: The StarCraft: Brood War expansion set really altered the way the game played. How does The Frozen Throne affect the way Warcraft III is played?

Bill: With new Heroes and units for each side, there are hundreds of new, intricate strategies available to players regardless of their level of expertise. The Frozen Throne will be introducing numerous items, player controlled merchants, neutral Heroes and even interface enhancements - such as queued building commands - all of which are focused on increasing and extending the playability of the game. We are also fine-tuning the play balance of the current units as well as the computer AI to make Warcraft III a fresh experience, even for players who have mastered all four races. Just as StarCraft became a new game in many regards with the addition of the Brood War expansion set, we expect The Frozen Throne to invigorate and excite players of Warcraft III.

Insider: How will neutral heroes benefit players?

Bill: As with mercenary units, each type of Neutral Hero can be hired to fight for any race. Each of these Heroes has unique spells and abilities that the player's Heroes do not possess, making them a fantastic addition to any army.

WC3X Q&A

Blizzard Entertainment

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