Map Protectors

[brad.dude03]

This has been discussed before I think, but I have a different take on it. There is always the arguement between those who feel that all maps should be protected and those that think that map protectors are shunting the mapping community by not making their content available. Obviously there are pros and cons to either side, so i'm in the middle. What I feel is needed is a system of partial protection. I do think that maps should be protected enough that people can't just crack it open, rig it, fill it with bugs and put their name on it, but I also feel that maps should have a certain amount of content viewable by the user. Most ligit people who want to unprotect maps are those that want to look at the triggering, or like me, want to access some of the resources that the mapmaker uses. Not always is the contact information available to ask for those resources, so mappers have to go to further lengths or do without. The middle mark: allows mappers to open the map in WE, but does not allow the map to be saved. This would allow resources to be exported, and the map and triggers to be viewed, but not for the map to be ripped off or reused. It would allow people to base their ideas off existing content, but they would learn a lot more and become better mappers by making it from scratch.

Just an idea :lol:

 

[Ralle]

well your idea is great!

hmm.. I think map protection is OK.. You can always contact the author... Else just RIP it open and read the jass triggers..
The only thing that makes a map protected is the removal of the GUI triggers and there have been damaged a mpq library.. but it can always be opened and you can recreate the map but just with jass triggers instead..

 

[brad.dude03]

well, as I said it has its pro's and con's, and sometimes you can contact the author, but other times you can't. I haven't endeared myself to learn jass yet, so i'm pretty helpless that way, but just for the purpose of taking a map and learning from it, thats all people need. Iv you can accomplish that and still keep your map protected, then you have an awesome system.

 

[Shados]

WE Unlimited protects maps in such a way that the Author's name and a few other things can't be changed, allowing people to look at your handiwork but not steal it without copying everything one by one.

 

[Bob27]

WE Unlimited protects maps in such a way that the Author's name and a few other things can't be changed, allowing people to look at your handiwork but not steal it without copying everything one by one.

But that then opens up the arguement that some people do not like and use the WEU.

As for me the only reason why I protect my maps is so that the file size is taken down.

 

[Shados]

But that then opens up the arguement that some people do not like and use the WEU.

So? You can make your map entirely in the normal WE and then just use WEU's protection function, you don't have to use any other WEU-only functions.

 

[brad.dude03]

I dunno, but thats the way the WE should have been from the start to begin with. thankfully, WinMPQ allows me to extract the resources that I needed from the map file and i'm good now for the LOTR skins,however I do agree, I only use map protection for reduced size as well.