Map Submission Rules - Preview

The Hive Workshop

Map Submission Rules

What will be accepted:

• Virtually any and all maps, regardless of talent. Every Warcraft modder must start somewhere. Low-quality maps therefore, will not be ignored providing that obvious effort was put into creating them.
  
  
• Original content maps. All maps should be original in design and content: this means no edits of other people's work without the author's permission. This includes Blizzard's maps. One exception to this may be if a map was willingly passed on from one owner to the next, not simply edited from an open source map. If a map is based upon or contains a large percentage of another map's ideas or components, full credit is expected to be given. Resource moderators will decide on a case-by-case basis which maps are "original" enough to be approved.
  
  
• Protected maps. Maps created using third party software or altered by the use of map protection tools may be accepted. The author's description of such maps must clearly state that the map has been protected. Protected maps that lack these warnings in their descriptions will be ignored.
  
  
• Campaigns. Multiple map (usually single player) campaigns will be submitted to THW's forthcoming campaign resource section.
  
  
• Spells and Systems. These special types of maps must be submitted to THW's Spell resource section.

What will not be accepted:

• Maps that violate any of THW's general or specific site rules as detailed in the FAQ
  
  
• Maps that do not use standard keyboard characters: A, B, C, etc.
  
  
• Maps that are written in languages other than English. Mapmakers must perform a complete, accurate English translation including all cinematic components, dialogs, preview screens, quests, tooltips, and all other elements that will be accessible or visible during game play.
  
  
• Blank maps with no name or titled "Just another Warcraft III map." Maps with no credited author and/or description. Non-working maps. Maps with offensive map previews or profanity in the name or description. Duplicate maps. Maps that serve no real gaming function (i.e. special effects/trigger test maps). No demo maps. Beta maps are acceptable, but they must be late beta stage (essentially complete) maps.
  
  
• Incomplete Maps. All maps must be complete upon submission. Saying "this map is not done" and throwing out it to the rest of the community is not very professional. Beta/test maps are one thing, but to submit a map that is blatantly unfinished is only a source of aggravation for players as well as a waste of time and space. Please finish your maps!
  
  
• Unusual maps. Any map may be ignored by resource moderators at their discretion for any valid reason at any time.
  
  
  • Resource moderators must always clearly indicate exactly why any map resource has been ignored.

Map Categories and Labels:

To help keep maps in the correct category, map submitters should carefully examine the category descriptions listed below before submitting their maps. Upon submission, the proper label should be applied to the map. Custom labels may also be created upon submission. NOTE: Custom tags require administrative approval. New custom tags may be deleted or merged with existing labels without notice! Custom label creators should periodically check to ensure that their map is properly tagged. Doing so will help keep everything in clean order and make everyone's map browsing easier and more enjoyable.

• Altered Melee: Melee maps edited to either add more races, modify the already existent races or add a variety of new elements to the normal game. This category does not apply to merely altered melee terrains.
  
  
• Aeon of Strife / AoS: AoS means Aeon of Strife: Defense of the Ancients (DotA) type maps. In these popular maps, players must choose a hero and enter the endless strife between opposing teams. Units are regularly spawned at each team's base. Kill enemy troops to earn gold, buy powerful items and eliminate your enemies' hero and minions. Towers usually guard access to each team's base. Players must also protect their own base to gain time and earn bounty.
  
  
• Arena: Hero vs. Hero or small force vs. small force that does not involve building up armies. Fights are inside centralized arenas with guidelines. Players choose one of the many existing heroes and battle other heroes or creeps on the field of battle. Also includes arena-oriented third person shooter maps.
  
  
• Capture the Flag / CTF: The objective in these games is to capture enemy flags and bring them to a player's home base, possibly having to hold it for a while. Likewise, a player's own flag cannot be captured else they risk defeat.
  
  
• Cinematic: Unplayable Maps made for the sole purpose of watching a cinematic scene or movie, often in support of developing projects. Cinematic maps require little or no player participation: control is usually disabled. There's no telling how many stories one might find in these kind of maps. One thing can be certain: JASS grants multiple ways of creating amazing fighting scenes in cinematic maps.
  
  
• Defense / Survival: A map where players must defend something specific through orthodox or unorthodox means. One side (whether human or AI) must focus on destroying something specific while the other side (usually the player) must focus solely on defending it. Also includes click-defense maps.
  
  
• Escape / Maze: Be ready for a lot of action: in these maps players must be fast to escape confinement. Face dangerous traps, interesting challenges or the most wicked things one could ever imagine. Similar to maze maps although here strict time limits may be in force.
  
  
• Footmen Wars / Footmen Frenzy: A map with a completely isometric layout where players start with a main structure that consistently spawns units that players must utilize to defeat other players' spawned units. Often heroes are selectable and get into the fray. Spawned units can be upgraded with a variety of upgrades. The object of the game is to destroy all the enemy structures. Most Footman Wars maps are 3vs3vs3vs3.
  
  
• Hero Arena: Similar to Arena Maps, Hero Arenas usually include significant alterations.
  
  
• Life of a Peasant / LOAP: Maps usually meant to simulate Real Life in Warcraft III. Get a job, purchase goods, and undertake quests.
  
  
• Melee: Melee maps are normal maps without modification, or only slight modification. They are traditional maps where players build up their bases and armies. Players must then destroy the enemy base (or bases) while also managing an economy.
  
  
• Mini-Game: A collection of mini-games or a game that is a mini-game itself. It may or may not include AI but is usually designed for multi player games.
  
  
• Miscellaneous / Other: This label is reserved for maps that do not fit closely into any other existing category.
  
  
• Offense: Maps where players have something to defend, but must focus on constant offense and secure an objective while opponents must do the same, usually within a time limit. These maps are often hack & slash or arcade style games.
  
  
• Role Playing Game / RPG: In RPG maps players control heroes or small forces to complete mission objectives in a single map in a campaign-style format. This includes single player and open RPGs. Some RPGs may have a save/load system allowing players to save and load a hero whenever they play the map.
  
  
• Shooting / FPS : First Person Shooter maps are meant to simulate the FPS game genre in Warcraft III. Weapons and ammunition are chosen or acquired. Players must pick up the best gun and shoot their way to victory.
  
  
• Strategy / Risk: This broad category of maps includes a variety of unusual strategies and historical simulations. These maps may specifically simulate Risk games in Warcraft III. Players must dominate the entire map. Each set period of time players will get a certain amount of money to build armies, depending on the territories they control. Every region has different units available, and important territories may grant superior resources per period than others.
  
  
• Template / Terrain: Unplayable maps created as templates to be used for instructional examples or in the development of other projects.
  
  
• Tower (Defense / TD / Maul / Wars): A map where players build a variety towers along specific routes through which spawned enemies approach. The object of the game is to prevent spawned enemy units from reaching a certain target while running through a gauntlet of player-placed towers.

Resource Comments and Ratings:

• All users are allowed and encouraged to comment upon and rate submitted resources.
  
  
• We owe it to the mapmakers that put time and effort into their maps and to our community itself to be as helpful and supportive as possible.
  
  
• Please leave CONSTRUCTIVE feedback only, especially if the user is new and needs it.
  
  
• Flaming, hostile feedback or down rating may be punished.

This document is subject to future revision and/or amendment.

The above document has been closely derived from VGsatomi's original map rules that formerly long served another Warcraft III site with great honor and utility. With the assistance of other resource moderators I have thoroughly edited and updated these guidelines to meet our Hive's requirements: this is OUR site and we need our own current, viable rules.

This public preview unveils these new standards for public consideration and discussion. Each and every user's (reasonable, valid) opinion is important and welcome. As noted: "This document is subject to future revision and/or amendment." That means this is everyone's chance to help develop a policy that should be very much in the interests of our many users and map authors.

Before this discussion proceeds, I'll remind everyone that it's a VERY IMPORTANT topic in our Site Discussion forum. Flaming and off topic spam have no place here and will dealt with most severely.

What says The Hive?

While these guidelines are a solid start, they do not really state anything indivudel didn't know before (barring new people) I think the "grey" areas of map submission needed to be finally and properly addressed.

Specifically, wether maps containg data/models/sound from other games are going to be allowed or not. (modified or simpy exported/imported)

This also includes inspiration for maps.

For example: If a filter existed to support the importing of models from "battle for middle earth" and someone did for use in a LOTR map, would this be accepted?

You cannot have different stances for different games. Just because WoW is huge dosnt make its TOS (terms of service) anymore important than any other game/franchise. Thier still legal documents.

We all know mdoels/sound etc from other games is copyrighted by those games developers. But also be aware the IDEAS are copyrighted also.

Therefore if you disallow the lotr model example above, you must also disallow all "lord of teh rings" based maps flat out. Same with warhammer.

(This would also mean my map is no longer valid and would have to be pulled)

If this is so, it'd make it very difficult to come up with truely orginal maps.
I d not agree with say, banning WoW models, but allowing music rips/data rips from other games/products as that simply dosnt make sense.

I believ this area needs to be clarified once and for all.

Personally, i dont see the problem with using data from otehr sources IF its fully credited, and used for a different purpose than the devlopers intended (for example, the map has a different story elements from the source data and isnt simply a total rip in wc3 format)

Peace.

Originally Posted by Steelb_l_ade

... the "grey" areas of map submission needed to be finally and properly addressed.

Specifically, wether maps containg data/models/sound from other games are going to be allowed or not. (modified or simpy exported/imported)

These issues have (to this point) deliberately been left rather vague. One must carefully "read between the lines" to discern the answer: "Unusual maps. Any map may be ignored by resource moderators at their discretion for any valid reason at any time."

This is because, as a general rule, The Hive Workshop does not encourage, support, or discuss the use of models from games other than Warcraft III. The bottom line? While directly exported (or shallow edited) models from other games may not be acceptable in the model resource section, map authors may submit maps containing such imported resources at their own risk. Resource moderators may possibly ignore them (if they wish) but for my own part, I would not do so if the map were otherwise of acceptable quality. Is this a double standard? No. Map and model rules are entirely separate: maps submissions are far more liberal in this regard.

As this discussion proceeds, the recommendation for further clarification will be most strongly considered.

I should also add that no maps that have been submitted prior to this date are necessiarily subject to these strictures: there will be no ex post facto.

That's what i figured, as not allowing them in the models resource section would make sense as it'd fill up with material that pple coudl simply pull off thier own discs if they wanted too.

Essentially, it cuts down on tehse kind of maps as the author would have to know hwo to rip and convert them in the first place, and that reduces the number of pple doing it significantly.

So, essentially, using copyrighted ideas is alright (warhammer TD, lotr maps) whitch follows else virtually everything would be rejcted, and heavy imports form otehr sources is due to moderator discretion.

Now, what about maps that contain resources from other peoples maps without consent, banned?

Originally Posted by Steelb_l_ade

Now, what about maps that contain resources from other peoples maps without consent, banned?

This is, in my opinon the most difficult decision with which all resource moderators are faced: no one person (or group of moderators for that matter) could possibly be familiar with every single map ever created (and their contents).

That's why it's so critically important that each and every member of the community examine and comment upon as many maps as they possibly can. Honest resource creators must support one another and watch out for the few unscrupulous hacks that will rip off anything, from anyone, at any time.

Thanks for the reputation there, I'm glad I helped. By the way, in the Lord of the Rings category, please remove "These maps usually involve periodic spawns, and players must often take over strategic points.", there are more maps of LotR being made with different styles. Maybe you should also make reference to the movies by Peter Jackson and the New Line Cinema.

I looked at the map types that will be accepted, and noticed an entire map type missing: Territories.
What I mean by that is map types that are largely based on controlling areas over an extended period of time for resources in many forms (additional/special units, gold/wood, food, etc.). While the previous may only be parts of certain maps, there are also maps in which the only/main/easiest way to win is by controlling key areas for a certain amount of cumulative time.

Semms well thought out and written.

Im glad to see you guys are going very easy on submissions, giving alot of the noobs/beginners a chance to upload their maps.

You still have both Defense and Hero Defense at 2 different categories as well as Arena and Hero Arena. You should just group these two categories under Defense and Arena since it's rather silly to have 2 categories that are basically the same thing.

Originally Posted by wyrmlord

You still have both Defense and Hero Defense at 2 different categories as well as Arena and Hero Arena. You should just group these two categories under Defense and Arena since it's rather silly to have 2 categories that are basically the same thing.

actually arenas and footman wars could probably be considered the same thing, but hero arenas usually ONLY involve heroes.

not to mention that in ANY game, the presence/lack of a hero completely changes the balance and game mechanics.

I hope that users will continue to comment on these guidelines and provide more input.

Originally Posted by Rui

...please remove "[i]These maps usually involve periodic spawns, and players must often take over strategic points.

I have removed those references.

Originally Posted by Teh_Ephy

...noticed an entire map type missing: Territories. What I mean by that is map types that are largely based on controlling areas over an extended period of time...

I believe that such maps should be categorized as either Risk-like or Strategy. It's very important that our map resource section not include a great many categories that may contain only a single (or very few) maps. Authors are encouraged to choose the most fitting available label instead of creating new ones.

Some of the recent label submissions that are unlikely to be approved include:

Battleships
Offense/Shooting/Space Combat
QUESTIONS
Star Wars /Hero Maul/ Tower Defense / TD / Maul
Star Wars Hero Maul
Star Wars Maul
StarWars
The settlers 3.8X
This is a map where are two teams: The Spiders and

Moderators have discussed similar labels in the past and condensed the current list down to its present form.

A Miscellaneous / Other label may soon be added.

Originally Posted by Wolverabid

I believe that such maps should be categorized as either Risk-like or Strategy.

Ah, I feel silly for not paying enough attention to notice that.

Originally Posted by Wolverabid

It's very important that our map resource section not include a great many categories that may contain only a single (or very few) maps. Authors are encouraged to choose the most fitting available label instead of creating new ones.

Situations like that can be rather strange on label-based image hosting sites.

Originally Posted by Wolverabid

Some of the recent label submissions that are unlikely to be approved include:

Battleships
Offense/Shooting/Space Combat
QUESTIONS
Star Wars /Hero Maul/ Tower Defense / TD / Maul
Star Wars Hero Maul
Star Wars Maul
StarWars
The settlers 3.8X
This is a map where are two teams: The Spiders and

Wow, some of those are pretty bad. The only one that doesn't fit under a preexisting category is QUESTIONS, which sounds better as "Trivia" anyways. I doubt that THW receives enough trivia map submissions to create a label for them, though.

Originally Posted by Wolverabid

A Miscellaneous / Other label may soon be added.

Sounds like a great idea. Since there doesn't seem to be enough RP maps on THW to merit a RP label (I feel silly for not remembering that, I RP a lot) they could go under that. In fact, any sort of map type that THW gets in small numbers could be umbrellaed under Other, not to mention the oddities that could only be classified as Miscellaneous.

1. Several unacceptable map labels have been deleted.
   
   
2. Two new labels have been accepted and approved:
   • Miscellaneous / Other
   • Star Wars

Map authors are encouraged to choose an existing category rather than creating new labels.

The Hive Workshop's map submission rules have been officially approved and included in our FAQ

On behalf of the entire community I would like to thank VGsatomi for authoring the original document on which these guidelines were based. I'd also like to thank all the moderators and users who assisted in the revision of them.

Further revision of these rules are sure to be made, especially in regards to the category labels. The Chieftain has a new system in mind where the main map TYPE (AoS, Defense, etc) would then be further sub-divided into specific genres (Halo, Lord of the Rings, etc).

Further development and improvement of these important rules may continue to be discussed by the community in this thread.