I rapidly saw this thread today and I'm asking this question : a mod file is not primary used to be a template for the same type of maps? The great advantage of a mod files is that it copies instantly all of your modified data like libraries, but also data, text and imported files. If you open 2 maps and try to copy and paste things like data or text, it could take many hours to do that. I think that the best example about mod is the liberty and HOTS MPQs. They are only templates that Blizzard use to copy all the necessary data and text information for a fraction of the time that a normal copy-paste task would. And If you tried to open a normal map with a MPQ editor, you can see that it returns as a normal MPQ file (like mods).
Correct me if I'm in the error, but if you plan to make 1 map of your map-type, mod are totally useless.
@tatatatate: Go HoTS aready includes Liberty, so there's no actual reason to use them together. Also, it is possible to have use for a mod even for a single map file: if the map gets too big you don't have to upload everything again for each update, and players won't need to download everything again every time you update it.
Think about a huge map with total file size of 120Mb, but let's say 100Mb of it are from assets, and these won't be updated, at least not as often as data. So you place the 100Mb of assets in a mod, publish it, your players download it, and both you and your players only need to care about 20Mb updates.
EDIT: You didn't have to necro that only to bring up that question, the HoTs depednency issue is under discussion in recent threads ;-)
But you kinda got the point of mods. A one huge modification that completely affects the game, in this case, yes, hots can be taken as a mod, a very huge mod that adds to Starcraft 2. Completely modifies its engine, graphics, the way you play melee (even if it's just new units), etc etc.
In SC1 mods were that. Big MPQs that compltely modified the game. And even the way you played melee, introducing new strategical concepts on how you played a single game of starcraft. And the best part of it is that you did not require any maps at all. You'd just load the mod and the changes would apply and affect every single map.
Right now, even if there is the illusion of a mod (which is just a stripped down map, really) there's no way to completely modify starcraft. You're limited to loading a map. Maps use mod files as a complement and the main point of this topic was that it should not be that way. You should not at all require any map to play a mod. You should just be able to grab any melee map and you'd be on the mod.
That's as far as I remember from ...2011???
If anyone wishes to further discuss this, go ahead, otherwise i see no reason to keep this topic alive, do not reply, just let it die, again.
Thanks guy for answering my question. I never really knew what was the advantage of a mod vs a map and SoulFicher perfectly answer it. Mod were always for me a dark part of the editor and I think that I'll pass more time to discover its advantages :).
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@houndofbaskerville: Go
I not only understood your post completely, I also agree completely. Thank you.
I rapidly saw this thread today and I'm asking this question : a mod file is not primary used to be a template for the same type of maps? The great advantage of a mod files is that it copies instantly all of your modified data like libraries, but also data, text and imported files. If you open 2 maps and try to copy and paste things like data or text, it could take many hours to do that. I think that the best example about mod is the liberty and HOTS MPQs. They are only templates that Blizzard use to copy all the necessary data and text information for a fraction of the time that a normal copy-paste task would. And If you tried to open a normal map with a MPQ editor, you can see that it returns as a normal MPQ file (like mods).
Correct me if I'm in the error, but if you plan to make 1 map of your map-type, mod are totally useless.
@tatatatate: Go HoTS aready includes Liberty, so there's no actual reason to use them together. Also, it is possible to have use for a mod even for a single map file: if the map gets too big you don't have to upload everything again for each update, and players won't need to download everything again every time you update it.
Think about a huge map with total file size of 120Mb, but let's say 100Mb of it are from assets, and these won't be updated, at least not as often as data. So you place the 100Mb of assets in a mod, publish it, your players download it, and both you and your players only need to care about 20Mb updates.
EDIT: You didn't have to necro that only to bring up that question, the HoTs depednency issue is under discussion in recent threads ;-)
Wow, I had completely forgot about this thread.
Olympic necro btw.
But you kinda got the point of mods. A one huge modification that completely affects the game, in this case, yes, hots can be taken as a mod, a very huge mod that adds to Starcraft 2. Completely modifies its engine, graphics, the way you play melee (even if it's just new units), etc etc. In SC1 mods were that. Big MPQs that compltely modified the game. And even the way you played melee, introducing new strategical concepts on how you played a single game of starcraft. And the best part of it is that you did not require any maps at all. You'd just load the mod and the changes would apply and affect every single map.
Right now, even if there is the illusion of a mod (which is just a stripped down map, really) there's no way to completely modify starcraft. You're limited to loading a map. Maps use mod files as a complement and the main point of this topic was that it should not be that way. You should not at all require any map to play a mod. You should just be able to grab any melee map and you'd be on the mod.
That's as far as I remember from ...2011???
If anyone wishes to further discuss this, go ahead, otherwise i see no reason to keep this topic alive, do not reply, just let it die, again.
Thanks guy for answering my question. I never really knew what was the advantage of a mod vs a map and SoulFicher perfectly answer it. Mod were always for me a dark part of the editor and I think that I'll pass more time to discover its advantages :).