The aim of this map is to bestow a open source version of the currently
famous map Storm of the Imperial Sanctum to every user.
This version is NOT for online play, please do not upload the map onto
Battle.net 2.0 and use the official version for playing instead.
With the above in mind, the immediate purpose of this map is to
demonstrate the process that has been undertaken by the creator(s)
of the original map, and allow everyone to learn from it.
I strongly discourage stealing so, please, use this for educational
purposes ONLY.
The restoration process was done as follows:
- restored component list;
- reconstructed globals in GUI form (except trigger variables);
- established map script in custom script format;
- repaired MPQ using Ladik's MPQEditor;
- imitated the Game Variants and other Attribute data;
It did not involve:
- GUI trigger reconstruction; I am planning to create a tool for this in the future;
- any intentional changes to the normal function of the original map;
- serious reformatting, lack of time has prevented this;
Use this responsibly! I cannot regurgitate this enough: do NOT upload this
map to Battle.net 2.0 unless serious change to the map has occured, ie.
where the map, in no shape or form, represents the original map. Ignoring
my warnings will lead to possible banning by Blizzard, and if such event
were to occur I hold no responsibility for such bans.
Regards,
Peasant
Unlocking a Map
NOTE: Hopefully, creating this guide will ensure Blizzard increases its enthusiasm in updating its lock map feature. It sure is lacking, compared to the WarCraft III 3rd-Party protectors.
1. The first step, is of course, to find the locked map. Locked maps are stored, among other things, in your cache. This is usually located at C:\ProgramData\Blizzard Entertainment\Battle.net\Cache\. There are tools that search your cache for maps, such as SC2 Map Browser or S2MA Cache Manager.
2. Find the map of your choice, copy it, and paste it elsewhere. I suggest an empty folder. Maps in the cache are of ".s2ma" filetype, so change the filetype of the copied map to ".SC2Map", so the Galaxy Editor can find it.
3. Open the map with a MPQ Editor, I suggest Ladik's MPQEditor, as it is stable and the only actively updated MPQ viewer.
4. You will notice that the Trigger and Trigger.version, and ComponentList.SC2Components are missing. Using MPQEditor, import the default ones found in the uploaded .rar "mapfiles" (attached to this post). Attribute and Attribute.version are also missing, but are not needed to successfully unlock a map. (Attribute stores both Variants and Attribute data, which should be easy and logical to replicate.)
5. The map can now be freely opened in the Editor. Note that the Trigger Editor is now blank, so saving the map will overwrite the current mapscript! This can be fixed in a number of ways. The two simple ways are to either: one, copy and paste into custom scripts, event functions should be pasted in the "Initialization Function (Optional)" box; or two, use include trickery.
Many things in this tutorial could be missing. My original method was more complicated and this has been trimmed as I found faster methods. Copy and pasting into custom script takes a VERY long time due to the nature of the editor's syntax highlighting.
Like the original post states, this should be used for educational purposes only. I really suggest you don't even consider map-stealing, because I can guarantee you: Blizzard will ban your account.
I understand your intentions in creating this map, but stuff like this shouldn't be posted without the expressed permission from the creator. (which you didn't ask for) There are so many tutorials on creating everything he has used and you can always log onto the IRC or even create a post asking someone for help and many are willing to help you.
In the end, it isn't right to produce an unprotected version of a map that was formally protected without the permission of the creator and then publicly distribute it. I personally reccommend you remove the file and ask ekcolonvkol before re-uploading the file.
are you with eckolnovkol? I'm aware you can get locked maps through some trickery but I don't know if he'd be happy about this. Whenever he gives me the map for doing cines he's very clear not to spread it...
You brought this back sixen ??? Yeah guide for unlocking maps should be ok, i just cant figure out how to delete that attachment. If you want to view the map, you would have to do it yourself though
And there's no magic. Just find the map in the cache, reconstruct the component list file and it will be loaded nicely
People have known how to unlock maps since the day map publishing was added in beta. It's not exactly rocket science to reconstruct SC2Components.list. Nevertheless I think it would be in bad taste for SC2Mapster to actively publish guides on how to do so, because generally if it's obscure knowledge the people who actually know how to do is are less likely to abuse it, while if it's made easy for anyone to do you're going to see a lot more abuse.
Honestly I don't think it would be a problem IF Blizzard wasn't in the habit of reseting the popularity every couple of weeks. If someone unlocks your map and bumps it after a popularity reset suddenly you no longer have control of the "main" version of your map. That's just not cool.
People have known how to unlock maps since the day map publishing was added in beta. It's not exactly rocket science to reconstruct SC2Components.list. Nevertheless I think it would be in bad taste for SC2Mapster to actively publish guides on how to do so, because generally if it's obscure knowledge the people who actually know how to do is are less likely to abuse it, while if it's made easy for anyone to do you're going to see a lot more abuse.
Honestly I don't think it would be a problem IF Blizzard wasn't in the habit of reseting the popularity every couple of weeks. If someone unlocks your map and bumps it after a popularity reset suddenly you no longer have control of the "main" version of your map. That's just not cool.
Obviously the intent of SC2Mapster isn't to go around thieving maps. It's to encourage users to learn from previous maps and discover a real way to lock maps. If someone wanted to steal your map, there's nothing stopping them really.
There's a layer of ambiguity stopping them, however trivial it may be to the likes of SC2Mapster administration.
True that. I dont support this one bit though. As a fellow map maker, I know how hard it is creating good maps, and then have dumb asses leech resources or data from it or republish it as their own. It actually sickens me. People learn through tutorials or working it out on their own. NOBODY learns through just opening a map. How do you learn from that?. You cant. There is no explanation or anything.
Educational purposes? pfft. Yeah right.
And no Blizz wont ban you for publishing someone else`s map. No proof of authorship.
So yeah OP. Riveting tale chap. Too bad Blizzard ALREADY knows about this. Too bad the chances of them actually changing it is slim. Too bad you are further destroying map makers by making this knowledge EVEN more common.
Everyone has their own learning style. For me, opening a map and seeing tangible data far outweighs any gains from reading a tutorial (even though I don't usually read tutorials).
No proof of authorship? The attributes file in the archive has time stamps and the MD5 of the archive. You can't upload a map with the same name as some other persons map. Therefore the one with the original title, and the accurate attributes file is the original author...
All your talk is based on your own opinion, everyone has their own perspective. However, you insist that your perspective is the only correct perspective with your hostile nature.
@EternalWraith: Go
All your talk is based on your own opinion, everyone has their own perspective. However, you insist that your perspective is the only correct perspective with your hostile nature.
Im on the side of "map makers". I defend them and their works. How you see my nature is irrelevant.
Yes there are two sides. So there will always be two perspectives here. The map makers, and the people wanting to open maps for whatever reason. I for one am just not the latter.
Ive made my point. So I wont add anything further to this thread.
You have absolutely no right to open a map without the creators permission. At the end of the day, However you want to see it, Sorry but Its wrong.
I don't think this is appriopriate at all and it in no way a matter of opinion. The creator of this map obviously does not desire it to be viewed or it would not be locked in the first place. As much as I like the idea of sharing material to help educate other mappers there are undoubtedly little secrets certain mappers are going to want to keep to themselves and, here of all places, that choice should be respected. I would be very upset if someone came on this forum and released an unlocked version of a map I had been working on and I'm surprised this is being allowed, nevermind encouraged.
ban this thread.. If a method is found how to unlock maps, it should be sent to blizzard so they can do something about it . Making a guide for everybody to unlock a map and then facing the problems that rileystated [popularity resets] is very real. Some map makers are already known, like echko? or crayon, or rodriguo , but how about the mappers that are unknown and have to face this?
Theres nothing stopping somebody from editing something he doesnt like, republishing with his name. And then boosting it when a reset happen. 1/2 the time the playing public dont give a rats ass who the author is. Once they see map name on the list . It will be played. Imaging down the line you do 6 months of work in your map, a reset happens.. Some guy changes something to be "a little bit more fun".. then all of a sudden your version means Moot and the thief now has a free map and is continuing it in a different direction with all of your hard work.
If this werent a problem. I would be all for unlocked maps. But sadly it isnt like this.
There's really no reason to go through the whole, "open source vs closed source" debate. This went on years ago during SC1 and it's silly. If you don't want people to see your map, then you shouldn't release your map to the public. Once you release your map to the public, anyone can access it. It's really that simple.
With that in mind, someone find a real way to lock maps. This is the current situation we are in. Maps that are locked, are clearly not obviously locked and there's not much that can be done about it at this point.
I would have never learned to make program, years ago, if I didn't open up some source code of another app and see how they did certain things. If someone wants to steal a map, there's nothing stopping them. That is not what I am talking about though. The point here is to learn from others.
With that in mind, someone find a real way to lock maps. This is the
current situation we are in. Maps that are locked, are clearly not
obviously locked and there's not much that can be done about it at this
point.
The hard part is finding ways that are unlockable, :p. As I understood it, triggers and Galaxy were supposed to be obfuscated in locked maps. Is this not the case anymore?
There's really no reason to go through the whole, "open source vs closed source" debate. This went on years ago during SC1 and it's silly. If you don't want people to see your map, then you shouldn't release your map to the public. Once you release your map to the public, anyone can access it. It's really that simple.
With that in mind, someone find a real way to lock maps. This is the current situation we are in. Maps that are locked, are clearly not obviously locked and there's not much that can be done about it at this point.
I would have never learned to make program, years ago, if I didn't open up some source code of another app and see how they did certain things. If someone wants to steal a map, there's nothing stopping them. That is not what I am talking about though. The point here is to learn from others.
This is rediculous... It's not about open source vs closed source. The person who made this map does not want people to see how he put it together and that should be respected amongst this community. Just because someone can use a few hacky techniques to unlock a map doesn't mean that anyone releasing a map to the public must accept that they no longer have a right to deny access to their work.
Just because Blizzard's current method of locking is inadequate shouldn't give this forum the right to open up other peoples work. As I said before, I have nothing against sharing work in order to benefit the community. If someone wants to keep a lid on a certain technique they are using inside their map we shouldn't be pasting it all over the forum.
Sure, there is nothing we can do about locked maps but that is no reason to encourage it by allowing this thread to sit on the forum. What would you do if the creator came on here and requested that he wants this post removed? Would you say no? The creator has already told us that he does not want his work to be public by locking his map.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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Original Thread
The aim of this map is to bestow a open source version of the currently
famous map Storm of the Imperial Sanctum to every user.
This version is NOT for online play, please do not upload the map onto
Battle.net 2.0 and use the official version for playing instead.
With the above in mind, the immediate purpose of this map is to
demonstrate the process that has been undertaken by the creator(s)
of the original map, and allow everyone to learn from it.
I strongly discourage stealing so, please, use this for educational
purposes ONLY.
The restoration process was done as follows:
- restored component list;
- reconstructed globals in GUI form (except trigger variables);
- established map script in custom script format;
- repaired MPQ using Ladik's MPQEditor;
- imitated the Game Variants and other Attribute data;
It did not involve:
- GUI trigger reconstruction; I am planning to create a tool for this in the future;
- any intentional changes to the normal function of the original map;
- serious reformatting, lack of time has prevented this;
Use this responsibly! I cannot regurgitate this enough: do NOT upload this
map to Battle.net 2.0 unless serious change to the map has occured, ie.
where the map, in no shape or form, represents the original map. Ignoring
my warnings will lead to possible banning by Blizzard, and if such event
were to occur I hold no responsibility for such bans.
Regards,
Peasant
Unlocking a Map
NOTE: Hopefully, creating this guide will ensure Blizzard increases its enthusiasm in updating its lock map feature. It sure is lacking, compared to the WarCraft III 3rd-Party protectors.
1. The first step, is of course, to find the locked map. Locked maps are stored, among other things, in your cache. This is usually located at C:\ProgramData\Blizzard Entertainment\Battle.net\Cache\. There are tools that search your cache for maps, such as SC2 Map Browser or S2MA Cache Manager.
2. Find the map of your choice, copy it, and paste it elsewhere. I suggest an empty folder. Maps in the cache are of ".s2ma" filetype, so change the filetype of the copied map to ".SC2Map", so the Galaxy Editor can find it.
3. Open the map with a MPQ Editor, I suggest Ladik's MPQEditor, as it is stable and the only actively updated MPQ viewer.
4. You will notice that the Trigger and Trigger.version, and ComponentList.SC2Components are missing. Using MPQEditor, import the default ones found in the uploaded .rar "mapfiles" (attached to this post). Attribute and Attribute.version are also missing, but are not needed to successfully unlock a map. (Attribute stores both Variants and Attribute data, which should be easy and logical to replicate.)
5. The map can now be freely opened in the Editor. Note that the Trigger Editor is now blank, so saving the map will overwrite the current mapscript! This can be fixed in a number of ways. The two simple ways are to either: one, copy and paste into custom scripts, event functions should be pasted in the "Initialization Function (Optional)" box; or two, use include trickery.
Many things in this tutorial could be missing. My original method was more complicated and this has been trimmed as I found faster methods. Copy and pasting into custom script takes a VERY long time due to the nature of the editor's syntax highlighting.
Like the original post states, this should be used for educational purposes only. I really suggest you don't even consider map-stealing, because I can guarantee you: Blizzard will ban your account.
@PeasantOpenSource: Go
I understand your intentions in creating this map, but stuff like this shouldn't be posted without the expressed permission from the creator. (which you didn't ask for) There are so many tutorials on creating everything he has used and you can always log onto the IRC or even create a post asking someone for help and many are willing to help you.
In the end, it isn't right to produce an unprotected version of a map that was formally protected without the permission of the creator and then publicly distribute it. I personally reccommend you remove the file and ask ekcolonvkol before re-uploading the file.
@PeasantOpenSource: Go
are you with eckolnovkol? I'm aware you can get locked maps through some trickery but I don't know if he'd be happy about this. Whenever he gives me the map for doing cines he's very clear not to spread it...
Does it really matter? Looks like we've (by we've, I mean the SC2Mapster community... in particular, Peasant) has figured out how to unlock maps.
Nicely done. Can you write up a step-by-step tutorial on exactly how you went about unlocking the map? That's definitely something newsworthy.
If I do that with NWW, in the next day there will be a "Dyke" on the top ranking. :(
@Sixen: Go
You brought this back sixen ??? Yeah guide for unlocking maps should be ok, i just cant figure out how to delete that attachment. If you want to view the map, you would have to do it yourself though
And there's no magic. Just find the map in the cache, reconstruct the component list file and it will be loaded nicely
Yes, I did.
People have known how to unlock maps since the day map publishing was added in beta. It's not exactly rocket science to reconstruct SC2Components.list. Nevertheless I think it would be in bad taste for SC2Mapster to actively publish guides on how to do so, because generally if it's obscure knowledge the people who actually know how to do is are less likely to abuse it, while if it's made easy for anyone to do you're going to see a lot more abuse.
Honestly I don't think it would be a problem IF Blizzard wasn't in the habit of reseting the popularity every couple of weeks. If someone unlocks your map and bumps it after a popularity reset suddenly you no longer have control of the "main" version of your map. That's just not cool.
Obviously the intent of SC2Mapster isn't to go around thieving maps. It's to encourage users to learn from previous maps and discover a real way to lock maps. If someone wanted to steal your map, there's nothing stopping them really.
There's a layer of ambiguity stopping them, however trivial it may be to the likes of SC2Mapster administration.
Even though your car can be hotwired it's still a good idea to lock the doors.
True that. I dont support this one bit though. As a fellow map maker, I know how hard it is creating good maps, and then have dumb asses leech resources or data from it or republish it as their own. It actually sickens me. People learn through tutorials or working it out on their own. NOBODY learns through just opening a map. How do you learn from that?. You cant. There is no explanation or anything.
Educational purposes? pfft. Yeah right.
And no Blizz wont ban you for publishing someone else`s map. No proof of authorship.
So yeah OP. Riveting tale chap. Too bad Blizzard ALREADY knows about this. Too bad the chances of them actually changing it is slim. Too bad you are further destroying map makers by making this knowledge EVEN more common.
@EternalWraith: Go
Everyone has their own learning style. For me, opening a map and seeing tangible data far outweighs any gains from reading a tutorial (even though I don't usually read tutorials).
No proof of authorship? The attributes file in the archive has time stamps and the MD5 of the archive. You can't upload a map with the same name as some other persons map. Therefore the one with the original title, and the accurate attributes file is the original author...
All your talk is based on your own opinion, everyone has their own perspective. However, you insist that your perspective is the only correct perspective with your hostile nature.
Im on the side of "map makers". I defend them and their works. How you see my nature is irrelevant.
Yes there are two sides. So there will always be two perspectives here. The map makers, and the people wanting to open maps for whatever reason. I for one am just not the latter.
Ive made my point. So I wont add anything further to this thread.
You have absolutely no right to open a map without the creators permission. At the end of the day, However you want to see it, Sorry but Its wrong.
@PeasantOpenSource: Go
I don't think this is appriopriate at all and it in no way a matter of opinion. The creator of this map obviously does not desire it to be viewed or it would not be locked in the first place. As much as I like the idea of sharing material to help educate other mappers there are undoubtedly little secrets certain mappers are going to want to keep to themselves and, here of all places, that choice should be respected. I would be very upset if someone came on this forum and released an unlocked version of a map I had been working on and I'm surprised this is being allowed, nevermind encouraged.
Why is this thread not deleted?
ban this thread.. If a method is found how to unlock maps, it should be sent to blizzard so they can do something about it . Making a guide for everybody to unlock a map and then facing the problems that rileystated [popularity resets] is very real. Some map makers are already known, like echko? or crayon, or rodriguo , but how about the mappers that are unknown and have to face this?
Theres nothing stopping somebody from editing something he doesnt like, republishing with his name. And then boosting it when a reset happen. 1/2 the time the playing public dont give a rats ass who the author is. Once they see map name on the list . It will be played. Imaging down the line you do 6 months of work in your map, a reset happens.. Some guy changes something to be "a little bit more fun".. then all of a sudden your version means Moot and the thief now has a free map and is continuing it in a different direction with all of your hard work.
If this werent a problem. I would be all for unlocked maps. But sadly it isnt like this.
There are guides for ppl to learn from.
There's really no reason to go through the whole, "open source vs closed source" debate. This went on years ago during SC1 and it's silly. If you don't want people to see your map, then you shouldn't release your map to the public. Once you release your map to the public, anyone can access it. It's really that simple.
With that in mind, someone find a real way to lock maps. This is the current situation we are in. Maps that are locked, are clearly not obviously locked and there's not much that can be done about it at this point.
I would have never learned to make program, years ago, if I didn't open up some source code of another app and see how they did certain things. If someone wants to steal a map, there's nothing stopping them. That is not what I am talking about though. The point here is to learn from others.
Blizzard needs to lock the locked maps. :)
The hard part is finding ways that are unlockable, :p. As I understood it, triggers and Galaxy were supposed to be obfuscated in locked maps. Is this not the case anymore?
This is rediculous... It's not about open source vs closed source. The person who made this map does not want people to see how he put it together and that should be respected amongst this community. Just because someone can use a few hacky techniques to unlock a map doesn't mean that anyone releasing a map to the public must accept that they no longer have a right to deny access to their work.
Just because Blizzard's current method of locking is inadequate shouldn't give this forum the right to open up other peoples work. As I said before, I have nothing against sharing work in order to benefit the community. If someone wants to keep a lid on a certain technique they are using inside their map we shouldn't be pasting it all over the forum.
Sure, there is nothing we can do about locked maps but that is no reason to encourage it by allowing this thread to sit on the forum. What would you do if the creator came on here and requested that he wants this post removed? Would you say no? The creator has already told us that he does not want his work to be public by locking his map.