Map Editor Wishlist

im making this topic to address peoples wishes for the SC2 map editor.
ill start off with my own ideas.

A built in program, that utilizies the Voices of the actors/actresses of SC2, to make any kind of dialogue using thier voice. (ex: using the marines voice patterns to create a quote such as "sir, well be sitting ducks if we stay here any longer!") could make custom games and campaigns much more accessible to the core story line of SC2.

As said before SC1 units will be in the map editor, but that is something im really hoping for.

A built in "Map Editor For Dumies" help and step by step program for noobs like me.

A unit avatar editing system, allow the creation of new unit avatars or the editing of old ones (such as changing the scv's hat color, or making the zealot have pink eyes instead of blue.)

different size tile creators like in WC2, i didnt like how the tile maker was one size in SC1 or in WC3, i hope it has different sizes (tiny, small, midium, large, giant. allowing for better scenery details)

all i could think of for now, will add more in the future.

 

i would like to have custom unit animations and weapon animations, imagine a battlecruiser firing a single powerful purple lasers with cooldown of 5 seconds and a volley of small red lasers with a cooldown of 6 seconds. because the cooldown are different for the 2 types of lasers, the 2 attack animations would be out of sync for 5x6=30 seconds during which time it would appear to be "randomly" firing big and small lasers, which would totally look awesome. after 30 seconds the lasers becomes in sync again and the whole cycle would repeats itself

 

Assuming that the Starcraft Editor is going to be the Warcraft 3 editor with improvements, One thing I would like to see is the ability to choose a units portrait, that would be an invaluable tool because that way you would be able to choose the race of a the driver of a vehicle, or as many people like to have a unit picking up a weapon represented by a model change, you would be able to keep the same portrait. I know theres more that I cant even think of, I think this would be one of the most invaluable tools. The other would be to just simplify the triggers that should be easy. They should choose what triggers are considered basic, and make them easier to use by maybe combining a few actions so that there is only one action necessary instead of having to make 4..

So thats my wish list

• Custom Portraits
• Simplify Basic Triggers

 

Wish list:

Arrow key functions which does not lag






Make it happen, Blizzard.

 

I liked the WC3 editor very much so make it like that but add the option to allow us to package custom avatars unit models and portraits into the file without having to manually edit the file.  Perhaps and voice recording and unit modeling/skinning to a professional style editor (seperate as download, basic will still come with the game)

 

All that stuff we had to extract and make ourselves? (Namely avvys, skins, and brand-new customized units from the cores) include it in. Full customizable units like WoW customization for every unit and unique units. For at least make a separate program for it so we don't have to go look for extractors and texture ourselves T.T

 

I agree with everyone above - customizable portraits, voices, unit stats, etc.

I also would like to see more advanced AI Script editing, for instance being able to make a computer Nuke a player at a certain time or place.

 

I'm sorry for resurrecting this thread (since people for some to me unexplainable reason seem to not like that) (especially as my first message upon returning here after a long while), but for what I wanted to say otherwise I would've had to start a new thread that basically had the same topic (because what I wanted to say specifically would've been too minor/specific for a thread of its own in my humble opinion (and sorry about all the parentheses)), so I thought this would probably be the lesser of two evils in that regard.

Does anybody remember the Age of Empires I map editor? I used to make very simple maps in these when I was quite little, making just basically a huge maze of trees of corridors and open fields in-between the trees... the player would have like 2 Priests, I think they were called, or 3 or whatever, and the enemy would have huge armies massed up in some of the open fields. Since the game had a kind of default AI the computer used, where they would spread their armies around, this kind of map setup would cause all the units to start spreading throughout the map, slowly "conquering" all the different corridors and open fields between the trees and pushing forward towards the player. To survive/win, the player had to move out and convert units by use of their Priests against the upcoming foes, which really created quite a cool effect.
I would love to have the ability to do something similar in the SC2 map editor. I know it's very specific, but it's also very simple, yet I haven't seen a similar option in any other game's map editor. Of course, I wouldn't like it if units would do this on default, the whole spreading around thing, but it would be kind of cool as an AI script you could have a computer player use, maybe with some specific settings to alter such as how thin they would spread and such. I would make a similar map, if possible - maybe if there was a "converting" unit in SC2 as well, or if I could make one.

Besides that, I just thought of something else... I would like there to be an easier way to make a condition in a trigger in the map editor that focuses on "any" unit from a certain unit group. I think with some workarounds it was possible to do this in the WC3 editor, but there was no simple way that I knew of that would allow you to say something like, "if ANY unit from SomeUnitGroup enters SomeRegion...". You could select a random unit from a group to do a certain action, but I don't think you could do it like I said very easily. Or maybe I was just noobish with the WC3 editor!

 

a trigger that allows you lock your mouse movement to screen scrolling and movement. Why? 2 reasons.

Create our own FPS with Starcraft units. I've made arcade shooter type (such as police training or time crisis) maps for WC3. It would be awesome to combine arrow keys with full on mouse screen movement.

 

This may be included already, but I doubt it. How about alternate race slots, what I mean is, people could create a new race with the scrapped/old/new units, and they could be downloaded into a folder so that they could be chosen in different maps.

Like when you choose a race to play: terran, zerg, protoss, custom#1(could be name coded)

People could download this new sets and have the option of choosing them when the opponents have them also.

It would be good, if you wanted to play SC 3D, someone makes the three races from original SC, then we download it, and we could use it on the maps, it would be easier than making maps specifically for this.

Does it sound plausible?

 

yes all of it is plausible, Scarcraft 2 is going to have a map editor that is beyond what Warcraft 3 has, they even said that if we want we could make our own race, or even swap abilities on units, so im sure someone will make a fast air unit, that will have tons of health, a very fast health regeneration, have tons of shield points, have harden shield so only small points of damage is that useful, have all the abilities of the Nomad, Ghost, Mothership, Nullifier, High Templar, Infestor, Queen, Overlord, Overseer, also having abilities that only certain units have link Blink, Overload, ect.

the possibilities are almost endless. all you need is the knowhow, and the time to make what you want.
or wait for someone else to make want you want if you are lazy =P.

 

Can anyone confirm that? It was impossible to create and entire new race in the editor in Warcraft 3, since it was hard-coded into the game, you had to replace a race or use (very lame) trigger/chat commands to choose a fourth race. Having a dummy race that players could fill in for themselves (even if it is only for trying out new units and balance configurations vs the original race) would be a great addition to the editor.

A build in strenght calculator (which unit dies first in a one on one battle) would also be helpfull. We always have to rely on third party programs for that when modding games. A standard tool would be a great addition to the editor.

One last addition for now: a proper limit for the number of customs in a mod/map. In the Warcarft 3 editor you could add as much as you wanted, but some amounts would cause the game to crash/freeze. (I thought that the number was about 100 before you got into serious trouble, DoTA maps are the main "victims" of this.) At least some kind of warning should be added when passing the bounndaries of what most computers can handle. (maybe as an optional fuction so people with crappy computers can turn it on, while others might choose to turn it off)

 

I can. You can mix racial traits as well as create new ones. Pair that with new units (adjust size, model, animation) as well as custom tech trees and you have yourself a new race.

I like your two ideas, Forsaken, especially the third. Community-created mods and levels have a tendency to multiply system requirements (this is true for all types of games), and people without the most up-to-date system shouldn't have to find out this by playing the map and suddenly starting to lag.

 

Three main things.


1) They are spending all of this time designing an interactive campaign map, ala Total War or at least Dawn of War. So, you should spend a little time coding a platform to allow players to create a custom campaign map that players can interface. This will allow players to tie their maps together in a series, or even create completely customized single-player campaigns that are on the same level as the original campaign. (AKA, have a branching storyline and interactive mission dialogues).



2) Facilitate unit remodelling, avatar editing, and other aesthetic plugs like the others have mentioned so that the true pro editors can have an easier time making their next master piece. Also please allow editors to manipulate the proportions of existing units.

Ex.: Have it so that I make my hydralisks tail longer without needing to create a custom skin that does not correctly interface with the game. This will SIGNIFICANTLY assist in realism and playability of all custom created units.


3) Create a data bank with an organized list of every spell or weapon effect, animation, sound effect, and "visual hardpoints" corresponding to a given unit. For example..

Make it so that I can go to a dropdown menu, select the "Protoss Immortal Weapon Effect", and add it to the back end of a battle cruiser so my custom BC can shoot plasma balls out of its ass. Adding in an "arc-of-fire" utility might be too much to ask for, but I would still like to see it (AKA the BC would only shoot its plasma weapon at enemies behind it, and use some other weapon system for whats in front).

That same platform could be used for more dramatic effects, such as creating little maelstrom bubbles of different sizes at varied positions, swirling towards eachother and then becoming one great tall whirlwind of 'Maelstrom Bubble' effects. It could be used for ANYTHING.

 

1) Memory Leak warning; When you save your map, a warning will show areas of possible or actual memory leaking.

2) A wider array of actions, conditions, and events; Even just turning consolidating triggers possible in Warcraft III via a large trigger into a more direct command.

3) Unlimited tileset slots.

4) Editing (Tinting, transparency, size, etc.) of unit missiles and special effects; Example: Increasing the size of a Siege Tank's explosion.

 

Every, and I mean EVARI single unit which was cut during SCII's development. Incluidng older variations of the currently used units.

Blizzard should offer all of SCII's pre-alpha, alpha, beta assets in the map editor. They should at least put it up for download if it takes up too much space in the game's disk.

Every single thing like the older more flashy verisons of the currently used Terran Units.

EVARI TING!

 

A lot of them will probably be included, I'm pretty sure about that.

 

zerodown: It sounds pretty plausible to me, only I think the default for custom/melee games, single- and multiplayer, should be to allow just the three standard races. But maybe the game creation screen could have an option to allow other races too, as long as all players involved have them, as you said. The reason I say this is that I wouldn't want, when I have different races installed, to always have to play with them. But other than that, I think it's a good idea.

 

i would totally go for a "starcraft map editor for dummies" and simplified triggers.

overall i love the starcraft map editor right now. i can actually make maps!

-Zerks

 

You could already do this in the Warcraft 3 editor, and since the StarCraft 2 is nothing more then an enhanced version of that editor, you shouldn't have any trouble archieving such a thing.

That would be nice to see, but those units are unfinished, so they probably won't have all of the needed animations/sounds/stats/sounds/avatars which are needed to properly use then in a custom map. You would have to use the sounds etc. from other units for the units which were cut, and that's pretty lame. Let's hope that they will add those missing pieces later on with patches if this seems to be the case.

The models aren't that large, the pre-rendered movies are responsible for that. However, the new in-game cinematic engine is excellent, so there should be more then enough space on the disk. (especially since the mpq format can compress files very good)

What's the use of custom maps/races if they aren't alowed in custom games? You just raped the whole idea of actually having customs. People create and play customs because they don't want to play with the same units and/or races all the time. Furthermore, when you take part in a match with a map that isn't in your starcraft map folder, b.net automatically tranfers the map data from the match creator to your own computer. It works like that for SC:BW and Warcraft. If you actually play on b.net once in a while, you should have know that.