Warlords Battlecry III: United Rebels mod

This game aims to get features from The Protectors and move the gameplay towards the vanilla experience. It's all for the nostalgic vibe while keeping some good implementations. In short, trying to make the game feel as it was around 0.8.8 where it felt like Warlords Battlecry IV, indeed.

United Rebeles is a mod that removes some of the new features and brings back some old ones. For instance, to name a few, as in vanilla:

- mines don't give double resource types (except for wood elf crystal mines and some dwarven gold mines);

- Towers do not consume army limit;

- Armor and resistance is tight to the unit's identity.

Main Menus

The main menus were redone using AI art

Single Player Menus

The experience remains the same. You have a tutorial, for those who actually need it, and is story driven. Then there is a small mini campaign around Sea Creatures. WBC1 campaign was just balanced and some interactions were improved while keeping the story as it was. WBC2 campaign saw difficulty dropped and corrected or replaced scenarios. Wbc3 was mostly balanced out and fixed some bugs- Ai generated narration was added to all campaigns.

Some options are now available to emulate the vanilla experience such as:

- optional global abilities;

- Bigger standard army limit (can go to 350 for most races, some can go up to 400 after several researches);

- Better income from mines;

- Upkeep and other options off by default.

Hero Creation

So, for heroes, the core of the game. United Rebels uses the WBC1-WBC2 vibe were you could only chose classes thematic to the races. As a result, you end up with fewer option to chose from. At same time, necromancers now have access to dark arts, a new spell tree, some spell trees were reworked and new spells are available through new items (diminishing the amount of curses on them, fixing description and bugs. WBC3 items for campaign were also imported). New portraits AI generated and some new avatars were also added.

List of Changes

An article for the racial changes is for another day, displaying what the themes are for them. For now, have this list with the changes done since January 1st 2024 to the current date (May 2024). Release will be somewhere in July 2024, after all the testing is finished.

Removed Tower AL (for the AI too)
Mines have more resources and games go up to 2 hours
Changed some menu button names
rebalanced units and powerups stats all around, making units better in combat
units are worse against buildings and this promotes the use of more siege weapons (easier access to them overall)
Undead uses an archer and slayer knights can call them in battle
More racial researches regarding combat, speed, damage and resistance
Classes are simpler and races have more thematic starting skills
removed huge description from items. They are less in quantity and less impactful
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01/24/2024 7:27 PM
added more avatars to daemon and ssrathi heroes
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01/24/2024 8:37 PM
towers and walls have a higher view range (more than the siege weapons)
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01/26/2024 7:34 AM
added more ai generated hero portraits
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01/26/2024 7:46 AM
reduced the presence of "dive"
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01/26/2024 8:30 AM
rearanged editor units and buildings. Corrected minor XCI descriptions going out the box. Removed text from loading menus. Removed help screen
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01/26/2024 12:12 PM
Banshees renamed to crying lady. Can victimize infantry into ghosts after research.
Iron golems can hit fliers. got a auto-repair ability that costs only time
dark dwarves can call weird golems after a mercenary type of research. Mithril Golems require Mithril to be produced
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01/26/2024 1:58 PM
engineers cast dark invocation, that trades living units' hp for a spectral rider (cool down is the life itself)
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01/26/2024 9:12 PM
dark dwarves can upgrade their walls into gunned walls
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01/27/2024 10:42 AM
Verkania faction get free trade
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01/27/2024 3:26 PM
recreated default menu visuals with AI art
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01/27/2024 6:40 PM
recreated new loading screens with AI art
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01/28/2024 11:51 AM
High Elves are a late race, use White Tower Level 6. Added back unicorns. Replaced some researches and reworked dragonkight ability dependencies. Race overall depends more on metal and crystal.
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01/28/2024 1:12 PM
removed advanced and general units from retinue menus
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01/28/2024 7:15 PM
wardogs get bite, rider's net needs no research, removed pack/unpack researches for barbarians as well as building on ice/swamp/shallows
reavers get demolition and since pegasi get +20 damage against building at T5, rams are removed from the barbarian race
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01/28/2024 7:26 PM
reavers get +10 damage at t5
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01/28/2024 7:41 PM
reavers get crushing damage by default
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01/29/2024 9:40 PM
pack/unpack needs no research and applies only to unleveled buildings
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01/29/2024 11:07 PM
barbs get ultimate research: Gather the tribes!
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01/30/2024 10:44 PM
moonguards and manticores get damage v buildings at T6
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01/31/2024 7:55 AM
moved plaguelords' abilities through the units, buildings and factions, also removed some and added rot to plaguepriests
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01/31/2024 1:29 PM
some dragon abilities require researches locked to specific racial profiles
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02/01/2024 9:20 PM
greatly improved income given by the amount of miners in a mine
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02/03/2024 6:59 PM
reduced the effect of ghoulplague and heroes/critters are immune to it
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02/04/2024 11:41 AM
harpies no longer use silence but drain mana
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02/04/2024 1:37 PM
Garden of the death actually produces ghost in the haunted tree, while the revenant plague faction spells that calls ghosts
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02/04/2024 2:33 PM
Gazers can spray disease after a research at T4
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02/04/2024 3:33 PM
plaguelords get a cheap source of wyverns via merging dragonflies with tasters
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02/04/2024 8:44 PM
goblin chief get a call the horde spell
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02/05/2024 5:17 AM
fire giants are a deamon unit. Orcs get their OG general back and basilisks.
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02/06/2024 7:58 AM
better visual effects for many abilities
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02/07/2024 6:29 AM
archons get sirian judgment which hit enemies with a Sirian sword from heaven
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02/07/2024 7:41 AM
knights get a sirian zealot unit
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02/07/2024 2:37 PM
knights get a mage that cures and blesses: Sirian Priest
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02/07/2024 9:10 PM
Knights can reach T6
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02/08/2024 7:37 AM
dancing swords renamed to swords of Sirian. Crystal swords produced instead and can transform into swords of sirian after research
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02/08/2024 8:46 PM
Sirian Priests use a remove corpse spell that summons crystal swords from them, called Sirian Justice
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02/09/2024 7:42 PM
sirian zealots get a spell at T6: sirian touch, that changes infantry and cavalry damage to fire for a short period. It affects the caster
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02/16/2024 6:25 PM
reduced the effect of paper scissor stuff (excellent/good v)
fixed all faction bugs
Minotaurs rage adjusted to 2000 and degeneration to 250
Minotaurs no longer use a spearman
Mino shamen get a spell instead of chaos plague: summon void of chaos
Demons get Fire Giants at T5
removed most abilities and researches for the demons that do nothing except gimmick. They now give range, combat or damage instead
fixed loads of overwritten spell descriptions in the panel
dwarves get tankier earlier
dwarves need researches to unlock their mines
moved cpi's and research pics around
ssrathi get back couatl's wrath
removed most ssrathi abilities because they use them already via researches or they lock spells that should go unlocked from the get go
ssrathi units no longer get invisible under cover or fog
ssrathi no longer uses fog mechanics
ssrathi can no longer walk on water
phoenix no longer convert
wood elves no longer are invisible with cover
wood elven specific researches and units fast and cheap
wood elves avoid battle most of the time, they are homies, around their trees. very defensive and unleash the power later on
dark elves get their evil wisps back
kargothian gate produces imps and skeletons
dark elves no longer use the spying mechanics
darkblade renamed back to assassin
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02/18/2024 8:52 AM
Dark elves use 2 new spiders: Spider mite (replaces the old spider) and tarantulas (projects acid). Spider priestesses death still releases the old spiders
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02/19/2024 10:27 PM
empire no longer uses embassies to convert
fey can build 4 elementals
cursed veil boss is revenant
swarm no longer produce devourers. instead, melkor himself is the devourer
spider priestesses can spray lethal poison. Dark Archers get no lethal arrows
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02/21/2024 5:39 AM
DD crossbow gets drunk
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02/21/2024 7:20 AM
mystic tower produces venerable wisps and researches healing waters
runes of ice, fire and death, as well as chaos gate research spells in random maps
caves produce orcs and wolfriders in random maps
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02/22/2024 2:25 PM
Golems no longer tagged as cavalry but infantry
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02/23/2024 1:51 PM
fireships go back to elven galleons with wbc1 spells (self invisibility) and get Whirlwind
boats get no special effectiveness against each other
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02/24/2024 7:40 AM
undead, DD, dwarves and undead can upgrade their keeps to T6
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02/24/2024 2:35 PM
Sylphs can merge into archangel after research. Archangel is a lot weaker too and requires spell unlock
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02/24/2024 8:53 PM
brought back old deathblow effect but a bit more powerful
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02/24/2024 9:47 PM
embassies and wizard colleges use foreign mercenaries
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02/24/2024 11:10 PM
added a pathogenic fungus to the editor that emits disease
Maximum AL goes to 350
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02/25/2024 8:49 AM
titans have at least one ability
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02/25/2024 3:09 PM
swarm can use all sorts of bugs, basic fliers and bats. They use a unique bat that casts screech
most swarm researches are related to pheromones, proliferation and incubate themes
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02/25/2024 7:13 PM
standard max al is 300
initial resources follow vanilla values
level 3 mines go up to 8 slots and rare mines go up to 10
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02/26/2024 2:35 PM
ghost lair has more hp now
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02/26/2024 8:49 PM
Each mine has a separate income (stone, crystal and metal mines no longer give gold)
Mining is more important than holding a mine with no workers inside
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02/26/2024 9:24 PM
fixed loads of spells that had same persistent and cast visual effects, making the spell visually duplicated in different coordinates
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02/26/2024 9:57 PM
Mine shafting no longer gives +6 slots to mines and +5 (yes five) miner count to engineer. Instead, each research gives +1 slot (max +3) and only the late research gives engineers +3 efficiency (as, they count as 3 miners, not 5)
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02/27/2024 8:08 PM
mines no longer get deposits depending on the distance they have from starting side location. This was causing mines to start empty in huge maps, which is no longer the case
all mines with no miners and same level have same income regardless of the resource they carry.
all level mines have same amount of deposits except gold ones that have less. This forces the player to use trade/requisitioning in late game.
—
02/27/2024 9:39 PM
researches and units now have thematic costs
Zet-oh
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02/28/2024 11:10 PM
golems and machines can no longer be poisoned
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02/29/2024 8:06 PM
storm dragons no longer paralyze everybody
titans, mechanical, huge units, monsters, advanced units and dragons are immune to paralyze
petrify is an ability only Gornak uses and no one is immune to it
—
03/01/2024 8:06 AM
Prison now produces convicts and guards
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03/01/2024 4:06 PM
the storm giant is no longer purple but a bit darker from the original model
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03/01/2024 4:37 PM
elemental temples now produce guardian elementalists in random maps
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03/01/2024 5:31 PM
plague tasters can scavenge corpses for resources
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03/01/2024 9:45 PM
elementalists use call fog, elementalism and call lightning spells
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03/02/2024 11:06 AM
dockyard produces fireships (suicidal boats) and pirate ships. Researches pillaging for boats
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03/02/2024 3:25 PM
fixed the op status of the gilden statue
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03/02/2024 9:31 PM
quests reward more and are less expensive in their requests. The nature of the quest remains as it was
recolored Anthrag to redish devil color
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03/03/2024 2:35 PM
reduced the amount of purple with the menus
removed most system voices that used old and outdated Text to speech files
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03/05/2024 11:26 PM
added a titan research to improve their stats: Legendary Manifestation
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03/07/2024 9:58 PM
Augment for dark dwarves now unlocks Golem Evolution
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03/09/2024 10:46 PM
knight lords can use fervor at late game. Sirian priests and inquisitors can use inquisition at late game.
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03/10/2024 2:44 PM
temples now upgrade in random maps and use old and new sea creatures with researches for them. All except elemental temple are used this way
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03/10/2024 7:20 PM
Class system follows wbc1-wbc2 where you had less variety and more specialization. some classes are also locked out for some races, so you can't get combos such as undead paladin
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03/10/2024 7:42 PM
removed quiz from the creation hero menu
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03/12/2024 7:36 AM
gravel ants devolve into colobopsis (suicide ant) upon death, after a research
swarm units no longer release bones when they die
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03/12/2024 2:22 PM
fixed undead heroes that could be named DEALER and NONUT
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03/13/2024 9:22 PM
ssrathi can have links to the sea creatures (produces iguanas and unlocks production of dragoons in the saurus pen)
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03/13/2024 9:32 PM
peasants and thralls now sneeze and cough when idle
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03/15/2024 7:12 AM
added a new quest building: Sacred Grove (planned in the code since 1999)
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03/16/2024 7:48 AM
wood elf mines no longer use thorn sentinel, instead, tree of life and arboreal henge do that
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03/16/2024 8:19 AM
hero name generator no longer uses titles or extra words that look awful because they exceed the size of the menus they are in
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03/16/2024 10:09 AM
most fey units don't hit and run now, they fight to the death like in vanilla
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03/16/2024 10:33 AM
confusion removed from unit and building's abilities (there was no counter, was permanent and anticlimactic since affected heroes that were unusable after becoming confused - well, at least until they died)
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03/16/2024 12:51 PM
Swarm now spawn eggs over corpses and does not require the unnecessary complicated eggs next to altar of fertility missions. Instead, Melkor summons spider and scarab eggs from corpses; wasps lay their eggs on corpses too and queen spiders no longer do that. removed ant eggs from this mechanic
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03/16/2024 4:01 PM
throphallaxis spell now summons colobopsis ants instead of regular ones
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03/16/2024 5:21 PM
wood elves now can use un-upgraded mines and get resources from them
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03/16/2024 8:35 PM
titan explosions and wrath of couatl spell liberates more fire bombs and has a larger range, so the probability to hit more units/buildings has increased
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03/16/2024 8:54 PM
heroes start better off, with more hp, mana and resistance. Leveling up them is more balanced between warriors and wizards
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03/16/2024 10:01 PM
Demigod Ai renamed to Warlord (it's a warlord battlecry game after all)
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03/17/2024 3:41 PM
In place of a tutorial now plays a sea creature replayable mission
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03/20/2024 7:17 AM
fixed weird, long, useless description in faction racial and class perks
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03/20/2024 8:01 AM
better racial and class perks combos for all heroes. pushed useless, op, overbalanced and un-thematic perks to faction perks. Heroes no longer use faction perks (only 3 from race and 2 for class + 1 slot for default weapon +1 for extra with some classes like the wizard)
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03/22/2024 7:14 AM
illusions can no longer be ghoulified
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03/23/2024 11:48 AM
some buildings also cost crystal, all over the races for thematics
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03/23/2024 6:49 PM
the necromancer now can use dark arts (a new spell tree)
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03/24/2024 10:06 AM
swapped some rsb's to 0.89 and reduced 95 % of their costs. Some RSB's take longer to cast
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03/27/2024 7:23 PM
redone some wbc2 campaign missions and lowered the standard difficulty of the wbc2 campaign, by setting the ai to duke instead of prince, in all scenarios
Wbc1 campaign mission return to 0.89 standards where they were as close as exactly as in vanilla
fixed weird transitions in the 0.9 release build for some wbc2 campaign scenarios
—
03/27/2024 7:45 PM
cloud features are actually transparent as originally intended by Extorias
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03/27/2024 9:33 PM
reduced the overall difficulty of the ai in the Wbc3 campaign to duke level
adapted very easy (baron-count level), easy (count-duke level) and hard (prince-king-emperor level) modes for campaign options
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03/29/2024 8:31 PM
frenzied mechanic reversed to 0.8.9
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04/01/2024 8:49 PM
Armour brought back for armies and buildings (as in vanilla). They now can go from -100% resistance (that's extra 100% damage dealt to them) to 85% (that's +85% damage dealt to them)
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04/05/2024 2:39 PM
Added a specific research for Hero mana regeneration to all races
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04/06/2024 6:48 AM
damage uses raw values (no min-max values) and upgrades relating damage also give raw data and not %
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04/06/2024 5:29 PM
You no longer get mercenary dragons
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04/06/2024 9:44 PM
Global Racial abilities (or RSB as it was previously called) are now optional and are off by default.
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04/12/2024 2:35 PM
added alt+left click to be used when no middle button mouse is available
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04/17/2024 7:10 AM
Added Polish voicelines to be used after the VOICEPOLISH command in a shortcut for the exe (this can be further edited by the user for German, French, Russian, Spanish, Italian, Korean and Japanese - if they use the files for the said languages on their end)
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04/17/2024 8:57 PM
extra cost and time for further bases removed
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04/21/2024 8:05 AM
added wbc1 armour display bars
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04/21/2024 1:13 PM
you can no longer upgrade invisible item stats
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05/01/2024 10:02 AM
unit description now states back passive abilities and removed good v. info
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05/01/2024 5:26 PM
world maps no longer play weather sounds
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05/01/2024 5:36 PM
world map no longer states there is a "month of the unit" while traveling
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05/04/2024 2:23 PM
main campaign is now The War of The Broken Oath, adapted, improved, fixed bugs and added more material to it
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05/05/2024 5:09 PM
Kargothian sacrifices only applies to thralls now (produces a incubus when sacrificing thralls alone)
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05/05/2024 5:39 PM
summoned skeletons and wight no longer start with abilities
Poison sphere no longer summons blackguards and last spell is no longer summon aranea (got cost decrease) but proliferation. Added back poison gate
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05/06/2024 8:05 AM
Spectral Rider, Spectral Archer, Dwarf Convict, Dwarf Guard, Sir Calabar, Devin, Fire Giant, guardian elementalist, Sirian Priest, Sirian Zealot, Ant Warrior, Revenant and Tower Guard now use voices produced by the AI
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05/06/2024 8:35 PM
Main campaign now has some narration (generated by AI) in the world map events for the text scripts
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05/06/2024 9:08 PM
WBC1 starting script is now read by AI
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05/06/2024 9:41 PM
Added a quest/mission in skirmish mode where the Ai reads the script out loud
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05/06/2024 9:58 PM
Some WBC2 missions also state the objectives with AI generated narration
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05/07/2024 7:50 PM
terror totems are renamed chaos totem and emit chaos instead
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05/07/2024 9:07 PM
added some ai generated narration for hero's monologues in WBC3, playing now as a narrator instead
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05/08/2024 7:42 PM
malignus' nightmare no longer has a confusion aura
—
05/08/2024 8:09 PM
sucubbi can turn victims into souls after a research
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05/08/2024 9:29 PM
fixed audio bugs with the gilden statue and ceremonial grounds
sirian justice spell makes sirian voice say "justice!" and sirian judgment spell makes sirian voice say "judgment!"
—
05/08/2024 11:04 PM
sentry renamed to tower guard
Garden of the death are no longer subject to fear, awe, terror or chaos (they still are for hope and despair)
acid spit no longer sounds as a spell occupying all the audio room