Protecting Warcraft III maps:
Protecting means damaging a Warcraft III map in a way that the World Editor can not, but the game can still read, load and play it. The editor uses a lot of extra files and headers that Warcraft III doesn't need. You can safely delete them and still play the map.
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Map protection might keep newbies from opening your maps in the world editor, but as long as Warcraft III can open your map, it is wide open for an expert user. (3ICE: Like me!)
Vexorian's Map Optimizer:
This is the best available map protecting tool to date.
Download: WC3MapOptimizer5.0 (438kb, zip) (or visit original website for latest.7z version)
Download: WC3MapOptimizer5.0 (438kb, zip) (or visit original website for latest.7z version)
How to use:
- Open your map in the Optimizer
First, open your w3m or w3x map file in the Optimizer by clicking on the Open button and then locating it in the dialog.
- Locate War3Patch.mpq
If this is your first time using the Optimizer, you'll have to locate the War3Patch.mpq file which is required for safely obfuscating your map script.
- Check all checkboxes and Save
All checkboxes need to be checked, even the one that isn't automatically checked by the Check All feature. Proceed by clicking Save, typing in a new filename for your optimized version (I usually append ' -opt' after the map's filename, like 3ICE's Demo Map -opt.w3x) and watching the Optimizer bring down your map's filesize by 20%-80%.
That was it! (This tutorial ends here, unless of course you are interested in how the Optimizer works, what it does, how and why, and what else you can do to prevent others from opening your map.)
Deleting editor-only files:
(The Optimizer does this automatically)
You can delete the following files from your map to make it unopenable. (Their contents are stored in a file called war3map.j too. Only the editor uses these files, the game uses war3map.j)
You can delete the following files from your map to make it unopenable. (Their contents are stored in a file called war3map.j too. Only the editor uses these files, the game uses war3map.j)
- war3map.wtg - triggers (GUI form, not used ingame)
- war3map.w3c - camera
- war3map.w3s - sounds
- war3map.w3r - regions
- (there are more)
The above four files are only used by the editor. A missing or alternated version of them will cause the World Editor to fail loading the map.
To be able to delete/move/modify files in a Warcraft III map, you will need to download an MPQ editor, like WinMPQ.
Modify war3map.wtg:
(Can't be used together with the Optimizer)
This serves as an extra kick in the face for people trying to open your map. Download this war3map.wtg file and import it into your map with an mpq editor, overwriting the original one. Then delete the (Attributes) file from your map to prevent it from crashing.
This serves as an extra kick in the face for people trying to open your map. Download this war3map.wtg file and import it into your map with an mpq editor, overwriting the original one. Then delete the (Attributes) file from your map to prevent it from crashing.
Result: All trigger functionality will disappear the next time your map is saved by someone! This is a perfect protection and a nice effect too. Prevents map rigging and displays a 'This map is protected' message instead of your triggers. (Don't forget to create a copy of your map so you can keep editing it.)
Hiding the war3map.j file:
(The Optimizer does this automatically)
Regular map files contain the war3map.j file in the root directory. But a map still works if the file is moved into a directory called 'Scripts'. Older versions of map unprotector software and most listfiles do not have the 'Scriptswar3map.j' entry.
Regular map files contain the war3map.j file in the root directory. But a map still works if the file is moved into a directory called 'Scripts'. Older versions of map unprotector software and most listfiles do not have the 'Scriptswar3map.j' entry.
Scrambling the war3map.j file
(The Optimizer does this automatically)
Rename all variables and function names with random numbers and letters. This renders the war3map.j file very hard to read by normal people. (Even if they know JASS!)
Rename all variables and function names with random numbers and letters. This renders the war3map.j file very hard to read by normal people. (Even if they know JASS!)
Pros of protecting:
- Keeps newbies from opening and altering your map. Some people have been known to seriously rig the game in their favor, or edit your map and claim it as their own.
- The map becomes smaller. (Trimming down the file size by 30-50% is quite common. My record is 80% compression!)
Cons of protecting:
- Other people cannot learn from your map, thus you are hindering map development.
- Blizzard encourages people to open other maps to learn. Shouldn't prevent that.
- You can accidentally lose the original map. (Can't work on the protected ones!)
- No matter how well you protect a map, there are people who can still open it (3ICE: Like me!). If Warcraft can read the map, anyone can (if they know how).
- As there are map protectors available for download, so are various scripts for unprotecting them.
- Even if you delete the GUI triggers from a map, the JASS format of them are still there (and required by Warcraft III).
![Warcraft Warcraft](/uploads/1/2/4/7/124768305/613956321.jpg)
MPQ editors:
You will need an MPQ editor if you chose not to use Vexorian's Map Optimizer.
- The Number one MPQ editor is WinMPQ.
- Alternate editors: ladik, draft, jlib, kit, extr
Appendix - Deprotecting/Unprotecting protected maps:
People who read tutorials on how to protect maps are not yet ready for unprotecting them. But all it really takes is reversing the effects of map protection or using programs that do it automatically.
There is a very nice, command line based Russian program called xdep. I used it for hacking some rpgs (getting myself a max lvl, 9999 all stats, best items equipped hero's savecode) only for fun. I have hacked TBR, Defi4nc3, COT and pe0 the day they came out. I do not play on my hacked characters, it's only for showing off.
Once you have opened a protected map, you will find a huge wall of text instead of triggers. That is the map code, it's in JASS. All triggers are in there, somewhere. You can not access the GUI triggers in a protected map unless you manage to restore the war3map.wtg file, which is nearly impossible. You may, however, add triggers under, or insert JASS functions directly into the map code. I will deprotect anything for cash.
Note - My stance on map protection and deprotection:
All my released maps are protected, even though I don't feel it's right. But since I like to keep map size down I must delete war3map.wtg and obfuscate war3map.j thus protecting my map. I used to offer unprotected versions for download, but many people rigged them, so I no longer email maps to anyone who asks.
There is nothing I would need to open a map for, but this is not the case with other people. Most map makers don't know everything yet, so it is important for them to be able to open maps in order to learn. I make a lot of tutorial maps to teach proper mapping techniques. All systems developed by me are available for download too.
Deprotecting a protected map is just wrong. If someone wants to hide his triggers then it is his decision and we must respect it. Cracking a map open is unethical behavior. It's even worse if you release such unprotected maps publicly, making it available to riggers. Hacking RPGs to show off is okay with me. I do it too.
Update - Damaging the MPQ headers (For advanced users):
The first four bytes of the map hold the filetype-identifier (usually 'HM3W'). We'll leave that and the next 508 blocks alone. The next four (4th, 5th, 6th and 7th) bytes always hold hex: {0×00 00 00 00}. The following 508 bytes hold the map name, some data with unknown purpose, some more nullbytes and then finally, after byte 512 the MPQ file begins with 'MPQ ' and hex {0×20 00 00 00} Which is actually another (but smaller) header, and we can damage it:
Leave the string 'MPQ ' alone, and change hex {0×20 00 00 00} after it to hex {0×33 49 43 45} (We are at byte 516 now) and MPQ extractors will fail to open the map. Warcraft does not look at this information, so your map will be still playable. This method effectively crashes most deprotector scripts and programs, but any knowledgeable user can reverse the effect within seconds so it'll only help against beginners (People who don't know about this header corruption method).