Will the new editor feature a map protection system? Many maps in the past were stolen, edited and re-released by a bunch of untalented creeps who flooded the map pool with their cheap rip-offs. I would gladly welcome an integrated map protector to help us to protect our hard work.
6 Likes
Since WC3 is being connected to your BNet account, I’d imagine there could be a possibility to link your map to your account, so only you can open it (or decided what kind of privileges you want to give other players). At least, I hope there is something of that sort.
5 Likes
i disagre, that is what make a gane evolve like dota, many people create their heroes and make interesting twists in maps.
i think blizz could make something like that or maybe a easy way to follow map creators so you can have an easy access to their maps and updates
3 Likes
Well, DotA is most certainly already protected, so that people can’t steal it. There’s a difference in making an open-source map and making something of your own. If you let people freely edit your map, they are going to ruin the balance and soon the map is not going to look like what the maker wanted it to be. It’s not “evolving”, it’s ruining the original author’s vision.
3 Likes
It’s both, not one or the other.
Tower Defenses would not ‘evolve’ if no one built on the ideas of others. This includes just modifying variables here and there, because that is learning and some people learn better from reverse engineering than following some tutorial.
I apply this to art assets too since there are some people who are really good at making WC3 custom models out of kit-bashing but do not know any modelling at all; you could view that as ‘ruining the original author’s vision’ just as easily but that’s how we have unique looking models in many maps.
DOTA spawned many different versions. DOTA Allstars ended up being the definitive version played here, but there were many other versions that were widely popular in other countries as well.
3 Likes
Sure. I’ve done a lot of learning, too, by looking at others’ work, but that’s different than taking someone else’s and making it your “own”. Map protection is mainly done because map makers don’t want their maps to be stolen. Of course people get ideas and take inspiration from others’ work, but they shouldn’t just copy and paste and then make their own little tweaks, unless it’s just for their own fun. And if they plan to distribute that map, they should at least have the original author’s permission and they should credit him.
I don’t think making an in-game map protection tools would prevent people from creating their own ideas from others’ ideas. I would be happy to make those open-source maps for others to learn from, but I will protect my “real” maps in the future too, since I don’t want them to be stolen. Even if some people could learn from them too.
2 Likes
I agree that map protection is needed. You have a problem with these noobs that like to rig the maps! While maps such as sheep tag have earned great evolution because of no protection; sadly what people have done; is take unprotected owner’s maps and changed it into something great and protected it and labeled it as their own! If Blizzard does come out with map protection; I will continue to use a very good map protection software that kills all the metadata and crashes the world editor when someone views my map because I am not going to tolerate this feature subtraction. I am sure users would appreciate something instead that says “This map is protected.” but oh well I am going to protect my maps unofficially if I have too.
2 Likes
I disagree, protection is crap. It is really simple to open the mpq file and edit the script to add a cheatpack, but it makes it extremely hard for everyone who wants to create better maps.
Instead there should be a way to sign maps. Modifications should be possible, but it would be easy to detect them as such. Map makers should be able to add a signature to the mapfile and upload the public key to the battlenet, so everyone can verify the map was signed by the real creator.
2 Likes
I feel a lot of that would simply be stopped if map uploads were tied to accounts, similar to SC2.
I agree with your assessment on user permissions, credit and all the intentions behind map modifying. I don’t think you can really have it both ways though. Protecting a map limits shared knowledge. Open source isn’t very open if people are keeping their best stuff behind lock and key.
2 Likes
it is really simple to open the mpq file and edit the script to add a cheat pack
And when did this ever happen? This is one of the lamest and oldest excuses against map protection.
but it makes it extremely hard for everyone who wants to create better maps.
Oh really? Making maps IS hard work. You create them by working on your skill and not stealing someone else’s work. There are plenty of tutorials out there that teach you all you need to know about map making. They are in the hundreds! Read them, learn from them! What’s with this unprofessional copy/paste attitude? It’s a shame that Blizzard would tolerate such parasitic behavior in the first place. Mapmakers who put countless working hours in their game have to watch helplessly that some talentless sh*t steals all their work and even gets credit for it? This has to stop!
i think triceron is right, if maps are tied to a user account it would make everything much easy and with some map protection that could solve the stealing ptoblems
You can google for “auto cheat pack wc3”. Finding the script file is simple, because the game has to find that one too and that’s all you need to insert the cheat packs.
I am fine if someone says he wants to optimze the map, just like you minify javascript. But obfuscation is no protection.
It’s not stealing, you learn from it and improve it. And usually if you do modify a map, you give credit to the former creator. What sane person would steal maps and modify only the author name of it? It’s much much more likely, that the person enjoyed the map and played it many times, but saw improvement potential in certain aspects. Ever heard of github? Forking other peoples projects is common in the open source world and no one would call that stealing.
1 Like
What if there was a way to open maps in a “limited” mode for those who just want to learn and stuff?
Like maybe it lets you open it and view the triggers and stuff but you can’t edit them. That allows people to see how some guys did some of the cool things they did.
No edit rights, just viewing rights
2 Likes
Yeah, this was actually my idea too. Letting people see how the map is made, but not let them edit it, would also be a great compromise. (I don’t remember how SC2 system worked exactly, been so long since I made anything with the Galaxy Editor.)
Hello! Is there any chance you can share the way you protect your maps? Mine gets easily open and people change stuff. Can you help?
it invovles corrupting the file in such a way that the game can still read it but the editor can’t.
I won’t tell you how to do it because 1) I don’t know the specifics and 2) I’m generally against the process, people should be able to open up maps in the editor to learn from them and make better maps themselves.
Blizzard has all the legal rights to anything made with the editor anyway, so you can’t claim copyright or anything like that.
(I wouldn’t be against a read only mode but they probably aren’t going to do that)