Custom Map Won't Load/Returns to Main Menu

[scubazoo]

Hi, recently installed again because of reforged and wanted to play a map again, but have found that upon selecting it from the list when creating a game, it pauses for a moment, blinks, and then returns to the main menu. Any ideas why this map won't even load to create a lobby? Any help appreciated. Also, wasn't sure if this is the appropriate area for this thread.
Thanks

This is a link to the map:
Albion's Armageddon - Warcraft 3 Maps - Epic War.com

 

[Pyrogasm]

I tried to open it with an editor, which I couldn't do, so it's either corrupted (unlikely) or protected (likely). The map was last updated in 2007, which was before patch 1.24b that removed the H2I return bug for security reasons. Many maps prior to 1.24b relied on this bug as it was the only way to attach data to objects, but they will not load on patch 1.24b+. If you can find a way to open the map, replace the H2I() calls with GetHandleId() calls, and save the map then it might actually be playable... but for now it doesn't appear to be since the map can't be edited.

With an MPQ editor you might be able to edit the war3map.j file to change them but I'm not too familiar with how to recompile the map if you do get that far. It could also just be that the map is corrupted, IDK.

 

[scubazoo]

Thanks for your reply Pyrogasm. It was protected with Vexorian's map optimizer I believe. Is there any way to unprotect it? Else, I think I might have to try to edit it with an MPQ editor or try to find someone who is able.

 

[Pyrogasm]

Is there any way to unprotect it?

No, or it wouldn't have been called "protection" and Vex wouldn't have sold it as such. Optimizer removed a bunch of editor-necessary data after compiling the map .w3x file.

 

[Fang]

There's an app that can unprotect maps. It is somewhere here at Hive (its rejected)

 

[scubazoo]

Fang, what is the unprotecting program called? Do you know where I might find it?

 

[Dr Super Good]

There is no such thing as "unprotecting", or even "protecting" a map.

Vexorian Optimizer removed editor only data in a lossy process. One can reconstruct dummy editor data to allow World Edit to open such a map, however since the optimization process was lossy there is no way to perfectly restore the map.