OSMAP - Open Source Mapping

[Aqo]

I was wondering, what's everyone's opinion on this matter?

If you don't know what's this all about, don't bother searching.

[U-238]

Damnit Aqo I was about to post this very thread today! You beat me to it! I thought it'd be a cool idea as long as everyone doesn't fight over changes that were made. (Like one person makes a change and another person doesn't like it then they start fighting over whether the change should stay or not then the whole thing gets out of controll)

But otherwise I thinks it a great idea.

[Aqo]

Can you give out any reason why you think it's a great idea? You actually only gave reason for why it might be a bad idea...

As far as I can see, here are the pros for every side:

Unprotection:
1. Users who can't contact the map creator, or are too lazy than to do so, can edit the map to fit their own needs of having fun.
2. Allows users who for some reason are too lazy than to download Trigger Viewer but not too lazy than to download OSMAP to take a look at how the map is made. Note: Chances are they won't understand how it was done either way, and they better just ask in forums like WB.

Protection:
1. Keeps the map version intact, so that you won't have to download 100s of different versions of the same map; because there's only 1 if it's protected.
2. Furthermore, it keeps the map professional (if it was from the first place) rather than being rigged and bugged (result of some editing someone other than the original creator done to it, in the 100s of other versions).
3. Stops little kids who think they're cool from stealing the credit for making the map and by thus hurting the ego of the mapper who created the map.

I'd consider all of those arguments not valid, other than B2 which is, in my opinion, very important - because when you go to bnet you come there to have fun, and you won't be having fun if you'll have to spend two hours every time just to find a non-rigged game. So, I'm for protection.

However, regardless, it seems like "DrySewage" only made the program to piss people off, and not to support unprotection (well, yes, but that not being the main reason).

[U-238]

Because it can keep the map balanced. The creator and player are entierly different. The creator can see it as a pretty map that looks cool but a player may see differently.(thus why it helps to be a mapper AND a player)

Regular updates can be made.

And as long as the name of the origanal creator was preserved on the map people could change it to do things (Like change the tile set to make it so that it can be played on SC not just BW)

It allows extra added fetures to be added.

[Aqo]

All these features can also be added by the creator himself. Most of them leave a way to contact them... site, email; if you have an idea how to improve the map, you can suggest it to him.

For instance, there used to be a really good WC3 map -> Battleships, made by sked. He was active in a forum, to which he left a link in the map. People gave him advices there, and soon after he released BattleShips2.
He made constant updates later, as well, to get a very tight balancing.

After some time, he said he'll stop working on the map, and released an unprotected version of it. At first, some users started working on Battleships 3, but very quickly the map turned into tons of crappy versions than nor I or others wish to play.

[U-238]

Wait, now you're the one whos trying to make this sound like a bad idea. Whats it going to be eh? I was thinking more along the lines of haveing an open source map amongst us here at WBs that all of use Warboards mappers can edit freely in the hope to make something like a really great super campaign og something.

[Aqo]

Err... what? O.o

Let me make sure we're both talking about the same thing. "OSMAP" = program, an unprotector.

Yup?

[U-238]

Nope, I was talking about a project that we here at WB's would have amognst us that isn't protected that we can all edit and eventually make a huge super campaign out of it...

[Hotshot]

I am for map protection.

For my full point of view go to the 'Modifying a Map (http://www.warboards.org/showthread.php?t=17040)' thread. That pretty much sums up how I feel about the issue, but in conclusion I would say that map protection is the only means of stopping 'outsiders' from changing a mappers original creations, and any errors or bugs in the way the map is played should only be fixable by the creator - this way the creator can fix it to his/her standards or views without fear of unexpected/unorthodox changes. Some parts of maps may seem illogical or wrong but they may turn out to be intentionally that way (often for good reason).
Heck, true mappers should be checking and testing their maps before they distribute them anyway! And in case of any missed bugs, contact info should always be included with/in the maps.
If someone wanted to know how a particular trigger or function in my map(s) worked I would prefer to explain it to them myself. That way, people whouldn't have to go through piles of triggers to find what they are after either.
Thats why all my maps are protected (and thoroughly tested) and come with my contact information.

[frazz]

U-238, you're nice, but you expect other to be nice and they're not.(cynical, but true).
Starship troopers was a great, fun map popular in sc awhile ago. But it was aunprotected and people started editing it. At first it was no big deal, but because the maps all had the same name, the lame ones got circulated. They weren't rigged, and tehy didn't take much credit stolen(usually), but they often had lame music, removed triggers, unbalanced gameplay, and other messed up stuff. After awhile somebody actually made a good version of starship troopers and protected it, that's what I play now. On the other hand, i have at least ten versions most of which are lame.

There you go, a geat map, ruined by unprotection.

[Modred]

I'm against unprotecting maps. While it makes the map "open," I think we've seen enough examples of the detriment to quality good maps take when anyone can edit them. A much better solution would be for map creators who want a map to be open-source to release a protected, playable version of the map and then a text file of the exported triggers (and perhaps a .jpg of the map showing where locations are for reference).

That way everyone can learn from the triggers without having the direct ability to edit everything in the original map. Derivations of the map could be created using the triggers, but the original map would be hopefully be saved from millions of crappy versions.

Of course, that wouldn't be completely "open," but I think it strikes a nice balance.