poopsiedoodle
Gibe moni plos
I know there are a few people here that have retired from making actual projects and are here to just help in the support board/give tips to mappers, but have any of them considered trying their hands at custom maps with WC3? Their online servers are still alive and kicking after 14 years, and the games themselves just got an update last month. While the map editor is kinda clunky (again, 14 years old), editing itself is pretty easy, and all of the necessary tools (script editing, unit editing, map editing, ability editing, etc.) are all combined into one editor.
Here's a screenshot of the editor, using a project that I've been working on for a little while:
The map editor and trigger editor are where the brunt of the work is done. As you can see, the palette works almost exactly like RME's palette, except it's all icons (except for doodads). The trigger editor (the equivalent of scripting) is super easy to use and understand, and has very good functionality. I'm pretty sure there is a way to view the raw code behind triggers too, but there's no actual need for that. Also, when you need to test new changes to your map, the editor has a button that opens the game and immediately loads your map for real-time testing.
Here's the object editor:
It's pretty much the equivalent of a dat/spr editor, an otb editor, and the items.xml file all rolled into one. It supports custom models/skins, custom units, custom abilities (which can be further customized with triggers), custom items, and even custom sound effects. It's also super easy to use, and it tells you almost everything you need to know about what you're editing.
That being said, there are many different game types that can be made. You can do mobas, tower defense, the generic RTS battlefield, tech wars, rpgs, survival maps, and the list goes on.
The only downsides would be
1. Having to find a working product key. The keys are re-usable to an extent. You can register multiple games with one key, but you can only have one instance using a key for online play at a time.
and
2. Hosting the maps. Normally, people use hosting bots, because they're safer and faster than manual hosting. However, bots may be difficult to set up, so most people use third party hosting (which can be done completely free). The problem with third party hosting is that you have to submit a map to the hosting service and have it approved (can take at least 3 days) before you can host it. However, the chances of it not being approved are pretty low. [EDIT: there is a hosting service that you don't have to get approval for, actually.]
So, is there anyone interested?
Here's a screenshot of the editor, using a project that I've been working on for a little while:
The map editor and trigger editor are where the brunt of the work is done. As you can see, the palette works almost exactly like RME's palette, except it's all icons (except for doodads). The trigger editor (the equivalent of scripting) is super easy to use and understand, and has very good functionality. I'm pretty sure there is a way to view the raw code behind triggers too, but there's no actual need for that. Also, when you need to test new changes to your map, the editor has a button that opens the game and immediately loads your map for real-time testing.
Here's the object editor:
It's pretty much the equivalent of a dat/spr editor, an otb editor, and the items.xml file all rolled into one. It supports custom models/skins, custom units, custom abilities (which can be further customized with triggers), custom items, and even custom sound effects. It's also super easy to use, and it tells you almost everything you need to know about what you're editing.
That being said, there are many different game types that can be made. You can do mobas, tower defense, the generic RTS battlefield, tech wars, rpgs, survival maps, and the list goes on.
The only downsides would be
1. Having to find a working product key. The keys are re-usable to an extent. You can register multiple games with one key, but you can only have one instance using a key for online play at a time.
and
2. Hosting the maps. Normally, people use hosting bots, because they're safer and faster than manual hosting. However, bots may be difficult to set up, so most people use third party hosting (which can be done completely free). The problem with third party hosting is that you have to submit a map to the hosting service and have it approved (can take at least 3 days) before you can host it. However, the chances of it not being approved are pretty low. [EDIT: there is a hosting service that you don't have to get approval for, actually.]
So, is there anyone interested?
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