Custom Races

[Apostle O]

I am looking for some tutorials on implementing custom races in your map, but nothing popped up. If anyone has any information, that would be great.

In an effort to make this post more interesting, and a tad longer, I am going to post the races I am thinking of adding.

Shadowborn
The Shadowborn will be a race like the elves, in that they are humanoid and creatures of the night, but that is about where the similiarities end. Almost every creature in the Shadowborn race will have the hide ability at night time, and this will be default (as in you don't need to research.) Some will be able to get a constant invisibility that ends when the unit attacks. Finally, a small number of units will get a constant invisibility. Each building can be upgraded to become invisible as well. In their constant hiding and subtlety, the Shadowborn are a relatively weak race when it comes to direct conflict, both in power and numbers, but their tactics can be devastating. The Shadowborn will have to use hit-and-run tactics, as well as ambushes to be effective.

Formica
The Formica emphasize the good of the whole. Being a hivemind, the Formica utilize numbers and self-sacrifice to win their battles. They will be a lot like ants, or the Zerg, in terms of general similarities. They usually swarm with weak units to distract from their heavier hitters. The drones can throw themselves onto enemy units, exploding, and hindering the enemy effectiveness while the warriors take advantage. They will have the ability to burrow, and create tunnels to get around the map.

The Enclave
A religious cult, the Enclave is a sect of humans. They are not very different from the humans until later teirs of development. At this point, the Enclave focuses on summoning of Demons, Angels, and other outsiders to do their bidding. The Enclave will have a large number of different types of casters, and will be able to summon a very small number of powerful outsiders at any one time.

Amugabi
Amugabi isn't so much a race as a demi-god. To play as Amugabi, you play one creature. He begins slowly, and evolves through absorbing resources and killing creatures. You will start with Amugabi, and Amugabi's Shrine. If the Shrine is destroyed, Amugabi will begin to lose health until he is able to construct another. Amugabi will start out with roughly the power of a basic hero. At max level, he should be able to hold his own against the basic army with the right player at the controls. His weakness is his dependence on that defenseless shrine. His strength is his centralized power. The shrine will have various upgrades for him, and he will have his own hero abilities to learn through leveling, as well.

Of course I will still include the original races, and I may come up with some more. I plan on adding these to a custom melee map I am making so that my friends will actually play it; they hate the original WC3, so if I do some changes, they may actually play.

-Apostle O

 

[LilSniper]

Unfortunately, I do not have what you are looking for, but I just wanted to make a comment.

Your plans are giving me some ideas, so I thank you for that. I am primarily a play-tester, but as a hobby I also like to experiment and create maps. I have made/released maps in the past but all were with the help of a more-experienced friend. Maybe just for fun I can do something along the same lines as you.

Thanks again,
LilSniper

 

[Apostle O]

That is fine by me. The internet is big enough for eight-trillion DotA maps, and fourteen-trillion defense maps, so I think it can handle two of what I just suggested.

-Apostle O

 

[swb90]

sounds lyk fun....bt aren't u gg to nid a ton of models for these various new races? tts gg to take alot of wrk unless u alrdy have sum1 in mind who can help you modelling...

im not of much help but the various races you suggested are really nice...i might wan to try making a few of them when my exams are over =)...don't worry thou...it is for my own enjoyment...so if i ever do wan to release the map, i'll giv u credits for the ideas =)

 

[Quauhtli]

Hmm... I am nto sure that you can make more then four races in the following, "best look if you ask me" way

Go to gameplay interfave (advanced - game interface)
here search for Game Text General - Human and change al the human stuff to the name of the new race , do this for all four Normal races (if you want)

now, go to object editor, and change all the normal races to the custom races... (You CAN make custom units, but... if you want to keep some space, you might want to just change the normal units)

final, now if you test the game, the New races are to be chosen in the loading place (where you pick your color and your team etc)!!!!


well there are many other ways also, but... if you want to make the new race names come in the loading place, this is how you do it.
+ names come in loading place
+ saves space
- only four races allowed


Quauhtli

 

[Apostle O]

Yeah, I just played a map that did this. Instead of changing the base races, he added a bunch of new races, and then at the start of the map, you could pick your race from a menu popup. It then informed everyone else which race you had chosen. It was actually well done. If the map isn't protected, perhaps I will take a look at how he did it, and try to do something similar.

-Apostle O

 

[ROTS19]

ill bet the guy who had more than 4 races made a dialoge box in hte game, not more in the lsit before the game starts.

you cant make new ones in the screen before the game starts, but you can rename them so they appear diffrent

EDIT: ah, woops, didnt see yuor post,Quauhtli

here's what you do for that:

Step 1: open the WE
step 2: open the map that you want to have custom races
step 3: way to the right of the "file" tab should show "advanced". click on that tab.
Step 4: under "advanced", go "Gameplay Interface"
step 5: check the "use custom interface" box
step 6: Go down in the G.I. and you should find things like Text - General - Human or, Text - General - Orc, etc (even Random is there) and you can change their names just by double-clicking. also, you can change the ones that are labled Text - General - Human: (which also helps)

you'll find that there are other cool things you can change that way!

hope that helps!

 

[Apostle O]

Like I said, I don't need to make it included in the drop-down race selection. I am perfectly fine with doing an in-game dialog box. I still need to know how to make these new race, though. And, beyond that, how to make the dialog box. In any case, I was just wondering if there was a tutorial around here. It appears that there isn't.

-Apostle O

 

[Zeromatter]

It's pretty much grind work to make a new race.

Just start making buildings, units, etc. For example, base your races "town hall" off of......wait for it.......the Town Hall!

Just change the model, sounds, attacks, whatever to make it unique to your race.

You'd also, assumably, have to make custom abilities for each unit too.

For example, supose I wanted to make a race where everyone is colored blue. (Call them the smurfs)

I'd take the Town Hall, copy/paste it, then rename it to "Smurf Hall" Change the model's vertex coloring so it's blue, and instead of training "Peasants", make them train "Smurf Workers." These Smurf Workers, instead of building Town Halls and Barracks, would build Smurf Halls, and Smurf Barracks.

These "Smurf Workers" would be based off of peasants, just vertex colored to be blue, and made a bit smaller. (Cuz smurfs are small and blue.)

Now I'd take the Barracks, copy/paste it, then rename it to "Smurf Barracks." Instead of training Footmen, they'd train "Smurf Fighters" And instead of costing 2 food, they'd cost 1 food. (Because there's a lot of smurfs running around, so you should be able to spam them) Since smurfs are small, they aren't that good fighters, so i'd lower their attack/hp.

Smurf Fighters would be based off of footmen, simply vertexed colored blue, and made smaller.

That's just a start. From there I could add custom abilities to the Smurf Fighters, making them able to "blend in" with the night (based off of shadow meld), or make them able to run fast and become invisible for a short time (based off of wind walk)

In conclusion, the easiest way to make a new race is simply just copy/paste all of the Human Buildings, rename/revamp them to fit your race and then give them custom abilities. You don't have to get that fancy, just let your imagination, apparently alive and kicking (Props to you for those race ideas, they sound cool), work.

Btw, if you need help w/ some of those abilities for your race, just post here and I'll be glad to help.

The real problem w/ custom races is balancing. Blizzard has only 4 races, and they still have some balancing issues. Good luck w/ trying to balance 8 or so races. XD

 

[chovynz]

you cant make new ones in the screen before the game starts, but you can rename them so they appear diffrent...

Correction: You can.
Website: Return of the High Elves

You can also do it the way most everyone else does.

 

[Apostle O]

Correction: You can.
Website: Return of the High Elves

You can also do it the way most everyone else does.

Awesome, thank you. This is what I was asking for. I will certainly be adding rep for that.

-Apostle O

 

[swb90]

Correction: You can.
Website: Return of the High Elves

You can also do it the way most everyone else does.

Don't understand. Can explain in more detail? or can the trigger be copied here? I cant seem to find it in the site you've given above. *RotHE*

 

[chovynz]

Don't understand. Can explain in more detail? or can the trigger be copied here? I cant seem to find it in the site you've given above. *RotHE*

You should talk to Daelin. He's the one behind it all.

 

[chovynz]

...
Amugabi
Amugabi isn't so much a race as a demi-god. To play as Amugabi, you play one creature. He begins slowly, and evolves through absorbing resources and killing creatures. You will start with Amugabi, and Amugabi's Shrine. If the Shrine is destroyed, Amugabi will begin to lose health until he is able to construct another. Amugabi will start out with roughly the power of a basic hero. At max level, he should be able to hold his own against the basic army with the right player at the controls. His weakness is his dependence on that defenseless shrine. His strength is his centralized power. The shrine will have various upgrades for him, and he will have his own hero abilities to learn through leveling, as well.

-Apostle O

That sounds a bit like Giants. But for Warcraft3? Very Very cool.

 

[Apostle O]

That sounds a bit like Giants. But for Warcraft3? Very Very cool.

I have never heard of Giants...

*google search*

No luck in the first three hits, and it is 1:45 AM, so I am too lazy to continue. Could you direct me to what you are talking about?

-Apostle O

 

[chovynz]

lol

1
2
3

In order will give you the most information. You can leave the last 2 if you like - I just included them as interest.

 

[Apostle O]

Hmmm, what an odd little game. I have never played it, so I can't really compare it to my idea.

-Apostle O

 

[chovynz]

In any case, your custom races sounds quite cool. I think you should go ahead and make em. I know I'd be interested in playing a race that has only 1 char / unit . I don't actually think it's been done before, but then I haven't seen all the maps out there either.

I'm assuming you are using this idea on a single map and not a campaign? (based on your melee-map-for-friends-interest comment in post #1)

I have some ideas for the Amugabi. Ignore these if you want to keep the race purely your ideas. Because theres only 1 unit, it has the potential to get boring fairly quickly. Can I suggest you set different optional tasks or quests for that particular race that will give bonuses? For example, setting a timer or a trigger that will come up with a variety of quests like - "kill this many of this unit from this enemy. Amugabi likes the look of their hair and will braid a headband out of his/her enemies locks!" ... or something to that effect. I'd also suggest setting a variety of tasks from easy to hard. Variety is the spice of life they say, and i think thats true of any game. Especially 1 in which you only have 1 unit to play with, whereas your opponents have an army of sorts.

One thing that sprung to mind when I readup on your races was it would be quite cool to do a "Tiny" ability (from DOTA:Allstars). Maybe Amugabi could grow, and you could actually see it? For something like that you might have a trigger that increases Amugabis size every 2nd level or so. At the end of it you could have a VERY large creature roaming around the map. In the hands of a skilled player something to be feared! Best taken out early, but difficult to do so. If left too long Amugabi, could threaten what the other opponents have built up. Once Amugabi is a certain level maybe some vulnrebilities could show up, (weakness to fire?) so that when Amugabi is HUGE and caining, he's not the be all and end all. Balancing the races I guess. Strong, but can be taken out - weak at first, but hard to kill or find or target.

Theres my ideas for Amugabi. Take them or leave them.

Have you thought of how you're going to make Amugabi? would you use 1 premade unit or a doodad / dummy unit monster. Take a look at this and see if it interests you.

 

[swb90]

right~~ XD then we hav a cinematic sized Amugabi roaming the map...VERY COOL!! ^^ the only thing left is that it may cause lag...but no matter...very nice idea =)....may wan to try doing that to my heroes too ^^....it wld help me to learn triggering more stuff too =)

 

[Apostle O]

I don't think I will make him out of doodads, but I like the idea of him getting larger. The balancing thing on Amugabi is his dependence on that altar, so he doesn't need so much of a fire weakness or anything of that sort later on. Really, to kill him, you would have to engage him in battle, while simultaneously attacking his shrine, and hope that your forces could last long enough to actually destroy the building. I think that Amugabi will have spellbooks for his abilities, with one book for the elements, one for death, one for time, and one for space. The elements will have his splash-spells and elemental abilities. Death will have single-target damages. Time will have slow, haste, etc. And space will have blink, mirror image, etc. I will have to insert some custom spells and abilities, of course. Perhaps I will have another spellbook of Power, and make it just passive abilities for him: evasion, critical strike, cleave, etc.

As cool as this guy sounds, I am looking forward to playing the Shadowborn. I want to make them very mobile, and very nomadic. Their bases will be small and numerous, with the ability to hide themselves, and move if needed.

The Formica will have a sort of zerg/undead base with buildings popping up out of the ground from around the hive. The builders will be able to expand the hive (the blight) but the hive itself will build the buildings (a sort of long-range building). So, you start off with your base hive, and about 8 workers. The workers go to draw resources from the mine and the trees, but the hive will do the building. They will be pretty confined to this one base until later when they can get the ability to make another quenn, who will then go to a second location and build a new hive. To balance, the formica will have to get bounty from killing units and buildings (since they can't spread to other resource spots very easily.)

I have some ideas for the Enclave, but I am not sure on their balancing just yet, so I will just remain quiet on that point until a bit later.

As for the terrain, I want the map to be huge, and dynamic, with lots of strategic locations. I have gotten so bored with the basic maps for WC3 and FT. I want the map to be more like that of an RPG, with locations of interest and import. Each start location will be pretty well balanced, but the expansion locations will be the parts which vary. Some are may have a few gold mines relatively close together, but it will be hard to defend, and it won't have many trees nearby. Another spot may be a mountain with great defendability, but it won't have very much space at the top for building up. An island may have some exotic shops. I plan on hiding some very powerful items on this map, and making the mobs a bit more interesting than just 3-4 different types of one creature standing around in a semi-circle. I want to script some mob AI to have some patrol at day/night, and sleep at one spot in the night/day. There will be some places that resemble dungeons, in that you will have to fight your way through a number of creatively-placed mobs to get to the end, fight a sort of "boss," and then get whatever I have placed there. I will add quests from some NPCs, and at the start for each race. So, I guess the first step is to make the terrain, and then start on the races. Last, I will work on scripting.

-Apostle O