[A] HotS Custom - Page 82

On August 31 2012 17:46 XenoX101 wrote:
Hey everyone, got a bit of sad news about the mod. Blizzard emailed me today about some concerns they have of the mod becoming too similar to the Closed Beta, the potential for confusion and conflict between the custom and beta versions of Heart of the Swarm, and how in being so similar my map technically will allow people to bypass the Closed aspect of the Beta. As such, the maps will be taken down from all servers as of Monday, 3rd of September 2012. I say this now so that people can make the most of the limited time left on the maps before it goes down.

So I guess this will be it for the mod, I will say though that it's been a good run, and much of where the mod is today is thanks to all the feedback you guys were able to provide. I hope that everyone made the most of the opportunity they had, and looks forward to doing the same thing in the real Heart of the Swarm some time in the near future. I am glad that I was able to work on such a project and provide people this great opportunity to experience Heart of the Swarm.

As far as my map-making ventures are concerned. I have an entirely unrelated project called Micro Match that I still need to finish, which hopefully will be out sometime in the not too distant future, but no deadlines yet.

So thanks again for all your support, and I hope you make the most of these last moments before the maps go down.

On September 02 2012 03:18 P7GAB wrote:
im suprised xenox didn't get a job out of this, i mean he basically made hots

On September 02 2012 03:46 Existor wrote:
What about compromisse?

- Rename map to any random name like "PurpleCraft" or "StarCraft: Swarm Wars"

- rename all new units to other. Like "Mothership Core" to "Nexus Ship", or "Widow Mine" to "Detonation Drone", or "Swarm Host" to "Lurker Host" or "Brood Host", replace tempest with Carrier model and remove Interceptors (remmeber Carrier boss from Viking arcade from WoL campaign? It can fire at long distances too) and rename it from "Tempest" to "Plasma Ship" or something similar

- do any other stuff to remove all similarity to HotS at design terms. Rename map, change main color from Purple to Orange or Green

Just try it. There was a RTS-parody to starcraft on iPad, with totally other races and other story, but same design, like zerg/toss/terran, but other names, units, characters in campaign, etc etc

On September 02 2012 03:14 wrj wrote:
i wish balizard will die for taking down this map. xenox you should be so happy cuz you made balizard so much afraid because it was so good mod. il try somehow save try save this map and changes its name too: balizard is company of kids who are afraid to loss one dollar because of this map

On September 02 2012 04:18 XenoX101 wrote:


It is the functionality that they are most worried about, the units functioning the same way as in Heart of the Swarm, and if I changed that then the mod loses its purpose and any semblence of balance. Though it is upsetting, I think it makes perfect sense that they don't want WoL players to be able to play HOTS without either being in the Closed Beta or buying HOTS, because it gives players less incentive to buy HOTS and infringes on their intellectual property of the expansion.

The main point is that I am taking something they ultimately designed and balanced (I did not think up any of the HOTS units or stats), and providing it for free. Even if you argue that I hold some rights to the map, I do not hold rights to the HOTS units, so it is in a sense stealing for me to use them without their permission, like copying any other design from someone with a patent to it. It is only fair that because they came up with the ideas behind HOTS, they reserve the right to sell them within an expansion.

On September 01 2012 10:48 Natespank wrote:
This is amusing.

1- That you could just make a mod that is basically the entire multiplayer component of their upcoming expansion shows that their expansion, in terms of multiplayer, is nothing but them toying with some models and the unit editor features of their maps.
2- Your mod was so similar to the planned expansion they made you take it down- apparently, you do their job as well or better than they do.

What are we paying them for? Let's get the Starbow guys some funding so they can get full time testers and designers, apparently there's no difference between blizzard and them/him.

Honestly, depending on the execution of it, starbow looks a lot more promising than hots anyway... actually, might go play a game now...

On September 02 2012 11:39 NewSunshine wrote:

I feel I should dispel this common misconception.

1- Of course that's all you need to do to make the new units. As powerful as the editor is, what did you think was really needed?

2- It's similar for a reason, he's copied it number for number. Of course it's going to be completed faster than when Blizzard did it, because Xenox wasn't designing the new units and coming up with the numbers from scratch. Blizzard has done literally all of the hard work, analyzing the roles that races need filled, and coming up with units that fill those roles without excessive role-based overlap. I've seen lots of people bashing Blizzard for this, when it's a frankly idiotic complaint. You go design LotV then, if it's so easy.

edit: I don't mean to degrade the work you've done at all, Xenox, just the opposite. The thing is, Blizzard has given the word to take it down, as is their absolute right, and people are brooding it more than is necessary, and hating where it isn't necessary.