 Grendor United States. November 04 2009 05:33. Posts 35 | Profile |
[Vile Gaming]
6. Map/mod to site communication – Will there be support for map/mod makers to bridge a connection between their map/mod to their site? For example, if a person wanted their map/mod to submit scores/results to the site, and vice-versa the map/mod could pull the highest scores from the site and display it in the game.
It is possible for players to make their own custom score screens but there are no specific plans to bridge map data to web sites via Battle.net.
I was really surprised to see very little commentary on this answer. For me it was the single worst piece of news that I have received about SC2. Let me explain:
"Map data to websites" generally implies that there is no way for a map to communicate externally with data sources, not just websites in particular. This means there's no way to save things in a database or other repository which is necessary for many styles of custom games. Blizzard has been touting the new Battle.Net 2.0 as a way to build community but there are a lot of implications that this is going to make custom mods and games way weaker than Xbox Live. If you download an arcade game on Xbox Live it can have its own leaderboards and rankings. Short of Blizzard opening up space on the Battle.Net servers this really just isn't possible without external communication.
#1.) No Diablo style games
While the capability of creating SmashTV style maps will still be there, the idea of leveling your character over time just can't happen because there's no way to extract the data from the map and save it anywhere. Where would your character data and inventory reside?
#2.) Limited cross-map communication
The idea of carrying information from map to map is now in question too. Obviously you can do it in the campaign with the purchase of upgrades, but where is that data saved? In the profile? Something tells me we wont have that same level of access as the game creators.
#3.) No persistent maps / limited dynamic options
This was the one that I had really hoped to work on. A map that could change itself and how it acted based on data that relied somewhere else. Think of weather effects in a map tied to real weather conditions, stock tickers using the Starcraft 2 Engine, whatever, the options are limitless with this feature.
It's not like Blizzard would be breaking new ground with any of this... Neverwinter Nights has done it for years, and I may be wrong because I don't play play MMOs much, but can't the UI mods communicate externally in WoW? If Blizzard has mentioned any case of external map communication anywhere please point it out to me. Otherwise, I think Blizzard has really misrepresented the extensibility of the game and Battle.Net 2.0. |
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 Marradron Netherlands. November 04 2009 05:44. Posts 94 | Profile |
............. do you have any idea how complicated it is to let the game allow UMS to create a bridge with some website.
Dont even want to think about how dangerous it could be for the users.
with connection to some website it could download all kinds of malware and virusses. Blizzard wouldnt be able to control any of this since users make it. It would just be too easy for someone to alter some popular map and spread it around with a virus downloader in it. |
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| Grendor United States. November 04 2009 05:49. Posts 35 | Profile |
On November 04 2009 05:44 Marradron wrote:
Dont even want to think about how dangerous it could be for the users.
with connection to some website it could download all kinds of malware and virusses. Blizzard wouldnt be able to control any of this since users make it. It would just be too easy for someone to alter some popular map and spread it around with a virus downloader in it.
Actually you're completely wrong. Have you ever gotten a virus from an RSS feed? It's called XML and people have been doing it safely for years. |
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 Tom Phoenix November 04 2009 05:52. Posts 649 | Profile |
Are you sure? Beacuse the response specifically mentions web sites and not all external data source in general.
To be honest, it is not good to assume anything. If I were you, I would ask for clarification on the Battle.net forums. |
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| Grendor United States. November 04 2009 05:56. Posts 35 | Profile |
On November 04 2009 05:52 Tom Phoenix wrote:
Are you sure? Beacuse the response specifically mentions web sites and not all external data source in general.
To be honest, it is not good to assume anything. If I were you, I would ask for clarification on the Battle.net forums.
I asked Karune and Cydra at PAX directly. They're so used to saying no to questions that they didn't really answer, except to say that it's more important to just get the first version out before talking about big features.
I understand that they don't say it directly, and no I'm not sure, but you could update websites easily with ANY external communication. |
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 StarBrift Sweden. November 04 2009 06:07. Posts 556 | Profile |
How is this a problem? You're expecting stuff they never intended to put in the game based solely on the fact that other games and platforms have them?
I really don't care if xbox live has these features or not. Xbox live won't have Starcraft 2. |
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 JeeJee Canada. November 04 2009 06:10. Posts 2522 | Profile Blog |
#1.) No Diablo style games
While the capability of creating SmashTV style maps will still be there, the idea of leveling your character over time just can't happen because there's no way to extract the data from the map and save it anywhere. Where would your character data and inventory reside?
aren't there like billions of war3 ums that have persistent characters/levelling? i know tkok is one, for example :o |
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 stk01001 United States. November 04 2009 06:14. Posts 363 | Profile |
| honestly, I could care less about this.. I don't even fully understand what the problem is.. we won't be able to have SC DoTA? If I want a "diablo style game" I'll go buy diablo =p |
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 redtooth November 04 2009 06:15. Posts 1365 | Profile Blog |
On November 04 2009 06:10 JeeJee wrote:
Show nested quote +#1.) No Diablo style games
While the capability of creating SmashTV style maps will still be there, the idea of leveling your character over time just can't happen because there's no way to extract the data from the map and save it anywhere. Where would your character data and inventory reside?
aren't there like billions of war3 ums that have persistent characters/levelling? i know tkok is one, for example :o
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| Unentschieden Germany. November 04 2009 06:27. Posts 553 | Profile | |
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 GogoKodo Canada. November 04 2009 06:31. Posts 646 | Profile Blog |
On November 04 2009 06:15 redtooth wrote:
Show nested quote +On November 04 2009 06:10 JeeJee wrote:
#1.) No Diablo style games
While the capability of creating SmashTV style maps will still be there, the idea of leveling your character over time just can't happen because there's no way to extract the data from the map and save it anywhere. Where would your character data and inventory reside?
aren't there like billions of war3 ums that have persistent characters/levelling? i know tkok is one, for example :o
i think thats limited to single player campaigns. might be wrong though. been a while since i opened up TFT.
It's multiplayer as well. They use a save key/code style.
Keys are generated based on your characters level/gold/quests etc. and you write them down or take a screenshot of them and use them to load up next time you play the same map.
It's a little bit cumbersome but there's prebuilt systems that people have created that you can use in your own maps. |
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| DefMatrixUltra Canada. November 04 2009 06:41. Posts 86 | Profile Blog |
If you're really so concerned with this issue, you should probably look at the Blizzcon videos. During the Q&A session, they state explicitly that you can do these exact things with the editor.
"no specific plans to bridge map data to web sites via Battle.net"
Sounds to me like he's saying there is no specific built-in implementation to do something like that. You seem to read it as "doing this is impossible." |
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| Grendor United States. November 04 2009 07:09. Posts 35 | Profile |
On November 04 2009 06:41 DefMatrixUltra wrote:
If you're really so concerned with this issue, you should probably look at the Blizzcon videos. During the Q&A session, they state explicitly that you can do these exact things with the editor.
I have seen the videos, can you tell me which part of the video says that any sort of external communication is possible? |
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| Grendor United States. November 04 2009 07:30. Posts 35 | Profile |
On November 04 2009 06:27 Unentschieden wrote:
Just look at that. Hundreds of maps use systems like or similar to this. While maps aren´t allowed to interact with the "outside" like writing/reading files (for good reasons)
It's nice to know that the key generating system exists--I find it extremely limiting. To interact with the outside you don't need to write anything to the local system. I'm just talking about simple XML calls. |
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 Orphan Australia. November 04 2009 20:49. Posts 39 | Profile |
On November 04 2009 06:14 stk01001 wrote:
honestly, I could care less about this.. I don't even fully understand what the problem is.. we won't be able to have SC DoTA? If I want a "diablo style game" I'll go buy diablo =p
So you do care, or you don't care?
On November 04 2009 06:15 redtooth wrote:
Show nested quote +On November 04 2009 06:10 JeeJee wrote:
#1.) No Diablo style games
While the capability of creating SmashTV style maps will still be there, the idea of leveling your character over time just can't happen because there's no way to extract the data from the map and save it anywhere. Where would your character data and inventory reside?
aren't there like billions of war3 ums that have persistent characters/levelling? i know tkok is one, for example :o
i think thats limited to single player campaigns. might be wrong though. been a while since i opened up TFT.
You're probably right. I won't claim to be an expert on these things but it does sound abit "open" if a battle.net game was requesting information from a server or something. It probably isn't a big deal if it's just a custom map or something though.
Personally, I'm not really interested in the multiplayer side of that sort of stuff so I can't really comment, but I do love the a good solid single player custom RPG style map. If these have some sort of persistent leveling/equipment things than all the better but I guess that's out of the scope of this topic. |
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 konadora  Singapore. November 04 2009 21:02. Posts 17582 | Profile Blog |
On November 04 2009 06:15 redtooth wrote:
Show nested quote +On November 04 2009 06:10 JeeJee wrote:
#1.) No Diablo style games
While the capability of creating SmashTV style maps will still be there, the idea of leveling your character over time just can't happen because there's no way to extract the data from the map and save it anywhere. Where would your character data and inventory reside?
aren't there like billions of war3 ums that have persistent characters/levelling? i know tkok is one, for example :o
i think thats limited to single player campaigns. might be wrong though. been a while since i opened up TFT.
nope, you can save a string of codes and re-enter them to 'replicate' the data of your character
these are two different things though.. so... |
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| SWPIGWANG Canada. November 04 2009 21:24. Posts 307 | Profile |
Ah, looks like it is back to the days of the hash function.....
annoying, but still works. unless you want real time updating, of course. |
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| CROrens Croatia. November 04 2009 22:14. Posts 47 | Profile |
On November 04 2009 06:14 stk01001 wrote:
honestly, I could care less about this.. I don't even fully understand what the problem is.. we won't be able to have SC DoTA? If I want a "diablo style game" I'll go buy diablo =p
if blizz thought the same way you do, war3 would be pretty much dead now without custom games |
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| Railxp Hong Kong. November 04 2009 22:37. Posts 675 | Profile Blog |
wc3 custom games were pioneered by the players and not by blizzard. It was just an awesome organic byproduct created through player innovation. Blizzard sold wc3 with wc3 campaign/ladder in mind, and custom games would be nice but never in their dreams would they have imagined DOTA or NOTD:Aftermath or any of the other hugely successful games that people would buy WC3 for.
Those things were nice surprises, but it wasn't what Blizzard was marketing/selling. Just because I could mod Half-Life into a RTS game doesn't mean the next installment of Half-Life should be a RTS. Blizzard is selling a competitive and balanced RTS game, with the capabilities for mod-crazy-fan-cult, NOT a mod-crazy-fan-cult game with Esports capabilities.
If you thought blizzard mis-represented itself here, you are sorely mistaken. |
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| swat Australia. November 04 2009 23:59. Posts 113 | Profile Blog |
On November 04 2009 05:49 Grendor wrote:
Show nested quote +On November 04 2009 05:44 Marradron wrote:
Dont even want to think about how dangerous it could be for the users.
with connection to some website it could download all kinds of malware and virusses. Blizzard wouldnt be able to control any of this since users make it. It would just be too easy for someone to alter some popular map and spread it around with a virus downloader in it.
Actually you're completely wrong. Have you ever gotten a virus from an RSS feed? It's called XML and people have been doing it safely for years.
urgh... xml.. so much overhead for so little information  |
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