Debate: Protecting a map, Do you support it?

[Lwek]

Come on people. Lets bring up some activity in this forum by having a debate.

Is protecting a map a good thing or a bad thing?
You can interpret that question in many ways and that's all right, as long as you answer in all the ways you interpret it.
These days, there are many programs that can protect your maps from being opened in staredit.
And there's a lot of ways to unprotect maps, but nobody in here, including me, will state these ways in this forum as BF's policy does not support map unprotecting.

My opinion:
I can only think of one situation where I would protect my maps. All other situations, I keep my maps unprotected. I'll state why later when more people posts.

[TrongaMonga]

I agree with map protecting only because there's credit stealing in B.Net. That's the only reason. The maps are property of Blizzard in the first place, but they do allow you to give yourself [usually deserved] credit for it.

Now, I also think the maker should leave his contacts, in case someone has an idea, etc.

[Zeroth]

i support it! i don't want to steal someone elses work or have my work stolen or someone elses work stolen!

[Wing Zero]

im suport and dont suppoert it i dotn really care if some one tweeks a map but if its putta hand then they shoulnt have done it

[Neophos]

Some times there is a needed upgrade or fix thats needed...


But yeah, he should leave some kind of contact way, so you can get the original, unprotected one, and work on that one.

Oh well, maps are being stolen and taken credit for 24/7.

[Samsara]

Would you like to take The Mona Lisa and scribble something extra on it and claim responsibility?

[Taligaro]

I don't really know.

Some maps are perfect the first time, these are VERY rare. Then some prick takes it, edits it, makes it rigged, then re-releases it!

Some maps just plain SUCK and need work. These are EVERYWHERE! If a map is edited and made BETTER and unrigged, then I don't see the harm in it.

Some maps are protected to keep their uber cool triggers from falling into enemy hands! This should not be the case! How the **** else are we suppose to learn!?

All the uber cool trigger makers should get together and make a bunch of demo maps that have the triggers used in their uber cool maps!

[Neophos]

Thats actually a good idea...

Like, putting up 5 "Test maps" on Starcraft.org with lots and lots and lots of funny and cool triggers.

Sadly, i suck =/

[Lwek]

Questions:
(Battle.net based)
How often do you see maps getting 'hijacked', being ruined, credits are taken away, or map is getting rigged?
How often do people really care about the maker of a map they play?

[TrongaMonga]

You only need to see the numerous versions of UMS and Melee maps like fastest, zling blood, etc.

And you don't see credits being taken away because, well, they were already taken...

And, map rigged? Gah, countless

[Emperor Pan I]

from my standpoint, I hate map protectors, becasue the knowledge i can obtain from viewing other maps. thefact that I would rather learn from a map then steal it is why. I still dont see 10,000 versions of maps, and if the map is well know, they will know that it has been ripped and stolen.

[Renzokuken]

I agree with Pan, i love opening a map and learning of how they did their triggers.

[Neophos]

Lwek - I don´t really care much if Random guy has taken the map, unless he rigged it really much or so..

But for the maker, I don´t care, except in special cases. Like, anything done by Tuxedo Templar or SoftWareWolf, I can expect very good quality from ^_^

[Taligaro]

I only release my maps to BF players anyway. You people are my testing stock.

That reminds me, I need to fix a few maps and get crackin on some others. Oh yea, I like square terrain in most of my maps. Some maps like RPGs, I'll use normal terrain.

[Laharl]

Yes, yes yes! I have had too many maps stolen by too many people! I think that the idea of stealing somebody else's work is rediculous.

[BFHOS]

Hey "Big-Fat-Homo"....

[Edited for explicit content]Im the original Big-Fat-Homo, i never protected any of my maps except for Despized of the Sword RPG. I never really cared if people modified my work, all it did was make my maps more popular and made people make them better.

[Edited for explicit content]

I suppose you cant modify http://bfhos.homsetead.com... can you? Because i can.



Lwek's Notes: Edited contents containing flaming. Kept post in this thread for part of this post was a contribution to the topic. Warned.

[Lwek]

These days, a lot of maps are protected for the sakes of their credits. The SC community is slowing dying from this protection IMO. It seems these days that the majority of the SC community cannot make a decent map while only the minority of the SC community can.
Part of this to blame for is the map protection people use.
Most will agree when I say that most people learn best through hands on experience and/or images. Not lectures or big long posts.
When people protect their maps, nothing is learned.
If SCUMS making is a popularity contest for you, the best way to become popular is to make a multitude of maps unprotected. Making one map protected isn't going to give you too much fame. People that have a large knowledge in map making will like to think of themselves as the best or one of the best. But people who don't have much knowledge and opens an unprotected map that they love to play will idol you thus more fame to you.
Of couse there are always exceptions to everything I just said.
I also got more to add on this topic, but I think that's enough for one post.

"Debate: Protecting a map, Do you support it?"
It's a debate, lets make it like one.

[Neophos]

Yeah, i dislike a bit not being able to open up maps and see how they did it.

For example..

There was a map named SC Tournament me and my friend played a lot. I wanted to know how they made the triggers, but since it was protected, I couldn't, and thus had no clue how to make a similar/maybe even better map.

But, I am bad at mapmaking as a whole >_< I usually quit before they are ready.

[Bret]

Too many times good games are made and then raped by some newb az' clan, then they put credits in for themselves. They usually mess the game up by unbalancing units or whatever. So yes, everyone protect their maps, and if someone wants to make a better one they'll take the time to contact the person who made the map in the first place, or remake the map in their vision.

[Lwek]

Originally Posted by MrBret

Too many times good games are made and then raped by some newb az' clan, then they put credits in for themselves. They usually mess the game up by unbalancing units or whatever. So yes, everyone protect their maps, and if someone wants to make a better one they'll take the time to contact the person who made the map in the first place, or remake the map in their vision.

And then what if someone wants to learn from that map?
Would you rather have a large group of 'decent' map makers or a large group of 'newbie' map makers in the SC community?