Heavily edited map...

[Shadow_Wanderer]

Forgive me if doing this is considered a community faux pas, I don't mean to offend anyone.

Recently, I tried the .hack//sign map made by Eternity_Sheild. The map was listed as version 3.0, and the updates quest trigger showed the map as having gone through at least 15 previous versions. Knowing this, I figured that it was safe to assume the map would be relatively bug-free.

Hooo boy, was I wrong. For starters, since the map creator overused animated doodads, after you explore some of the areas with the animated doodads, the map becomes VERY laggy. It comes to a point the map becomes unplayable due to the lag LONG before you reach the end boss, and the end boss is also surrounded by a massive number of animated doodads.

This was not the only problem with the map, it was only the only obvious one. Other problems with the map included the leaderboard not working correctly, various hero skills being bugged after level 5, and the hero skills in general being too powerful... low level skills being able to wipe out groups of creeps at a time.

Well, scratch playing that map, right? Who wants to play a map that buggy?

.... Well, I do. For the most part, the map was VERY well done. It had an interesting storyline, and the map was generally fun to play... until you started running into some of the bugs.

So, out of sheer boredom, I started editing the map. First thing I did was cull the number of animated doodads down to a more video card-friendly number, and then I started on the triggers. Fixed the leaderboard, fixed the revive timer, and fixed the revive location trigger to revive the heroes at the last town they visited as the trigger text says it should.

Then I started on the hero abilities. Fixed them to work consistently after level 5, and toned down MANY of the abilities that were too powerful at low levels.

Now I've come to the point, I have to take a step back and evaluate... Should I really be doing this? I don't intend to take credit for the map myself, the map belongs to Eternity_Sheild. But with the amount of editing I've done on the units to re-balance them, gameplay has changed considerably. And the units need even more work to really be considered balanced...

Eternity_Sheild has said it was the last version of the map (he? she?) would release, and that (s)he was working on a sequel. So what do I do here? The version I have worked on is probably better than the version Eternity_Sheild has uploaded to this site. I'd like to play it now, but that would mean releasing the map on b.net. I'm not taking credit for the map myself, but... How do I go about this without breaking any netiquette rules?

 

[131ueDragon]

if its not protected, it generally means the author doesn't have a problem with editing. Give proper credit to the original author as well. You might just for safety, ask the original author's permission to edit. If you do those, there shouldn't be any problem with editing an existing map.
-Ble

 

[Minkorok]

totally agreeing with blue here (we seem to be going back and forth today )
i generally keep all of my maps unprotected. and as such if someone edits then they have the right to - as long as they give credit where it is due.
now dont get me wrong... i havent submitted any cause i havent made any since i joined up, and the ones i did make only lasted about 2 weeks to a month b4 they were never seen again.

 

[Telefragged]

Yup, the idea is to ask Eternity.

If he gives you consent, you can name the map as your own (or set as "Edited by blabla").

 

[klovadis]

My opinion:

I hate protecting maps, but I also hate people editing maps. Concerning my maps, I'd want to slice that persons throat who edits my map and puts it under his name online. The reason why I don't protect my maps is for allowing people to look at the map and learn from it, not for editing it!

But of course, if anyone gives explicit permission to edit/remake a map, thats his cup of coffee. Your problem seems he neither giving explicit permission nor denying editing.. well try getting permission, maybe you can convince him.

klovadis

 

[Rui]

In fact you should really give the credit to the original maker of the map, and ask him permision to do it.
And don't worry about newbies editing the map, if some newb claims your map you can simply tell;

:go to www.wc3sear.ch! The first version was made by me! (it also has the submit date, so if he says "ye ye and how we know that you didnt did it after?" you say "Before this version came up, the map was already at www.wc3sear.ch" and that will be GG)

-Rui