Meta Data Tutorial
By Warbringer87
Needed Tools:
· World Editor
·
MPQDraft
· WinMPQ
Introduction:
Whenever you use the Object Editor, you are creating Meta Data Files in
the map. Meta Data is all the edited data your map has. If you modify a Footman
to cost 5000 gold, only that one field is recorded into the meta data. The World
Editor uses this format because it makes the maps' filesizes smaller.
Instead of having all edited and unedited info in a map, it only saves the
edited information. In the Object Editor, you can export and import 8 different
Meta Data formats. Here is a list.
- Full Object Data (*.w3o): This type of Meta Data contains the edited data of ALL edited objects* in your map.
- Unit Data (*.w3u): Contains the edited data of all modified units and structures.
- Item Data (*.w3t): Contains the edited data of all modified items.
- Destructible Data (*.w3b): Contains the edited data of all modified destructible doodads.
- Doodad Data (*.w3d): Contains the edited data of all modified doodads.
- Ability Data (*.w3a): Contains the edited data of all modified abilities.
- Buff & Effect Data (*.w3h): Contains the edited data of all modified buffs and effects.
- Upgrade Data (*.w3q): Contains the edited data of all modified upgrades.
The Import and Export section is found in the Object Editor, under "File."
The Usefulness of Meta Data:
There are 10 "*.slk" and 41 "*.txt" files related to units in the
Warcraft III MPQ. A lot of people sift through all of these files in order to
edit a single unit. It is also much more tedious to create new
units/abilities/upgrades/etc using the SLK and TXT method. The information for a
single unit is spread across multiple files, and it is quite tedious to edit
units this way. The Object Editor however organizes all this data and makes it
much easier to add new objects to the game. Therefore, it is clearly obvious
that for mods involving maps, it is a wise decision to use the Object Editor.
However, "Total Conversions" are meant to change the game itself, and usually
would be better if they can be played on any map. Most TCs therefore use the SLK
and TXT method. Meta Data, can make it significantly easier to create TCs, and
to update them regularly.
How it works:
Before starting this, read the "Known Limitations" section at the bottom. Do all
your editing in the Object Editor. When you are done, export the Meta Data for
any section you edited objects in. Save all the files with the name "war3map,"
but don't change the file extensions. Using WinMPQ, create a new MPQ archive.
Import all your Meta Data files into the MPQ. When it prompts you for the
"Folder Name" leave the field blank, and click ok. When you are done, load the
MPQ and run WC3 using MPQDraft. You can now play your mod on any map and it will
work just fine.
Known Limitations:
Currently, the only known limitation is that you cannot use the Full Object
Data, the *.w3o file. It just isn't one of the file types used by maps. You can
export in that form, but the map itself doesn't use w3os.
Miscellaneous:
At the time of writing, there is only one Total Conversion mod that uses the
Meta Data method. And that is my own, Divine
Right. Hopefully, this tutorial will spur other people to use Meta Data.
This whole thing was a fluke, I accidentally stumbled upon a much
more....barbaric method of it. I then asked KnightKing from
www.smempire.org to make a w3o -> SLK and
TXT converter. However, a few days before writing this, i found out the method
explained above. The former method had tons of string errors, and did not
support custom items.
