All this can be done in the Warcraft 3 map editor. What a yawner of examples. Out of the three examples, the only one that seemed to have some significant work in it is the last one with the shmup. But due to the RTS engine, it just isn’t precise enough for something like a shmup or any other action heavy game. Starcraft 2′s engine was designed for a RTS, not a precision based shooter.
I loved that guy during the second example who shouted, “Is this Starcraft Ghost!???” hahahahahah
An example of what Warcraft 3 modders were capable of doing.
I have much experience with both the Warcraft 3 and Starcraft editors. Warcraft 3 editor was a complete mess. The absolute biggest issue with the Warcraft 3 editor is what is called ‘memory issues’. This killed more maps than you can possibly believe.
This is what the ‘memory issue’ of the Warcraft 3 editor was about and why it was such sloppy work by Blizzard. Let us say you do the following in the Warcraft 3 editor:
-When X happens, create a S unit at R location.
In Starcraft, you could make something like that and have no problem. In Warcraft 3, such a command would work but it would create a huge memory leak. Warcraft 3 does not know where to place the unit in the location. So it creates a temporary location in it which slows down the game.
In order to stop the memory leak, you must do this:
-Create temporary point T in Location R.
-When X happens, create a S unit at temporary point T.
-Remove temporary point T.
This means you must write much more triggers and code than you normally would have because someone at Blizzard was sloppy. The memory leak issue involved far more in just creating units. You had to apply it to any new spells you made, to movement, anything that involved a location.
There were many more problems with the Warcraft 3 editor. Maps would just implode for no reason. The rate for implosion increased greatly if you were doing anything with JASS. There were people who lost maps that took months to build but would just ‘implode’ for reasons no one, not even the most experienced modders, could understand.
Warcraft 3 maps were also limited to 4 mb over Bnet. This proved to be extremely limiting especially if you were using new models. And with that limit, you can forget about putting any new music in.
If the SC 2 editor is so good, I wondered if people would just hack or recreate the Zerg and Protoss single player campaigns and put those up for free to everyone else. But since everything has to go through Bnet now, SC2 maps likely have a mb limit and cannot include all the necessary new models and data that the “expansion” has.
BTW, I checked with the modders I know and none of them were thrilled at the notion of paying for maps (which is interesting because they are the ones who make the maps). Their questions were similiar and their big concern was the same as mine: piracy. If you sell a map, what is to stop someone from pirating it? Blizzard likely won’t give a damn in enforcing it. Going after such people is too much ‘small potatoes’ for Blizzard.
Since there are no legal copyrights for user generated content, all enforcement is going to be up to Blizzard’s discretion. And Blizzard likely won’t care. It would take more money to enforce anti-map piracy than to ignore it completely. It isn’t like WoW where one cheater or foul player ruins the experience for everyone (plus WoW brings in so much more money).
Blizzard doesn’t seem to have any details on the issue at all. This tells me they haven’t thought it out too much. They are just looking at buying maps as a ‘magic bullet’ way to fund their “ambitious” Bnet 2.0.
Is it just me, or do these guys come across as obnoxious?
I like this trip down memory lane, back when Blizzard was *Blizzard*. So the main investor behind Blizzard was Grandma? Oh, the things you learn.
