That was entirely different gameplay, with more RPG and less strategy. I remember how I read about it in some magazine and was greatly excited. When it came out, I liked it even more than I expected, that was one kick-ass game.
And then I found World Editor. Needless to say, I was stunned, I spent all my free time playing with JASS (wc3 scripting language), and that was very probably a deciding factor in me becoming a programmer. Hell, even now, I think I could make a decent map if paired with a good landscape designer/storymaker. I haven't finished many maps and projects in my time but the process of creation/programming was so incredibly enjoyable, that end result didn't even matter.
I wonder if there are any other world editors on HN.
[1] http://www.scrollsoflore.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=...
[2] http://www.scrollsoflore.com/gallery/albums/war3_prerelease/... also click arrows on the page, there is more.