War Wind is a real-time strategy game developed by DreamForge Intertainment and published by Strategic Simulations Inc in 1996. The game is set on a distant world of Yauvan, where four different races wage war: reptilian Tha'Roon, warrior race of Obblinox, plant-like Eaggra and shamanistic Shama'Li. Each race has its own reasons and goals. There are no humans in this game. Among contemporary games War Wind is closer to Warcraft II, but is very different from standard RTS. War Wind features a lot of innovations, that are either unique to it or were unprecedented in RTS at that time. Article below gives their description.
Each building has a space inside and can be entered by units. When there are no player units inside the building it's rendered with a roof. When building is occupied by player unit, it's rendered without roof showing interior. Units inside the building can be only attacked from inside. Your units can steal resources if they enter enemy building.
A special commander unit given in the beginning of every mission. Clan Leader death means automatic defeat. This leads to AI controlled enemy faction sending it's spies to attack your Leader.
To acquire new units you have to build an Inn and hire potential recruits that spawn there. Only as much units can be hired as there are present in the Inn. There are 6 slots in one Inn, but several Inns can be built. There are only three types of potential units: workers, mercenaries and rarely -- heroes. The speed of "guests" spawning depends on player Influence Bar. Influence is lost when your units or buildings are destroyed and is spent on researches. Influence can be gained by killing enemy units and destroying enemy buildings or by Clan Leader performing special action at the expense of resources.
While in your standard RTS you buy an upgrade for all units of a certain type, in War Wind units are upgraded individually. Each unit except mercenaries and heroes has several slots that augmetics can be implanted in increasing units characteristics. The augmentation can be only performed in a certain building.
War Wind stealth system is just as different from what you can usually see in RTSs, as many of it's other elements. Stealth units are scouts and spies that are trained from scouts. There are four types of stealth: masked units aren't shown on the mini-map, disguised -- disguise themselves as enemy units, hidden -- are transparent and invisible units are completely unseen.
Despite all forecited innovative elements and original setting game's flaws precluded it from becoming a hit. War Wind flaws include: inconvenient user interface, weak path finding AI, unbalanced AI opponent in skirmishes.
