StarCraft II Q&A Batch 52 : Map Maker Series

1. Does it still use the JASS language, or perhaps an upgraded version of JASS?
StarCraft II uses an entirely new scripting language, which we’ve called Galaxy. This language is very similar to C, and anyone familiar with programming in C will have no trouble picking it up.

2. Is the language event-driven or object-oriented?
The language itself is not object-oriented, although most of the native functionality is based around operating on game objects.

3. In comparison to the Warcraft III Editor, how much more, if any, can the GUI of the game be edited (it was extremely limited in Warcraft III)?
The in-game UI layout is externalized in data files to a large extent, however there is no editor support for working with these files. So it will be possible to customize the game UI, it just won't be a user-friendly process.

4. Are there new noteworthy functionalities in the Starcraft II Editor, or will the new editor just have general improvements?
I can’t think of a single editor feature from WarCraft III, large or small, which has not been improved in at least some way for StarCraft II.

5. Will the ability to communicate among triggers, for instance via actions or conditions, be improved in the new language?
One significant new feature of the Trigger Editor is support for custom function definitions, including actions and conditions. This means you can create your own actions that are built up from other actions (or custom script code), then use those in triggers just as you would any other action.

6. How does "Hero" support differ from the Warcraft III Editor? Or is it practically identical?
We’ve been working hard to create a hero system that is even more flexible than WarCraft III’s. For example, map makers will have the ability to define any number of custom attributes that modify a hero based on its level.

7. Will there be a public API for the programming language?
As with WarCraft III, there is a large set of “native” functions representing game functionality that can be accessed through scripts. If this is what you mean by “public API”, then yes.

8. Will there be improvements on the "Garbage Collector" for the new language? For example, in JASS all local variables need to be set to null at the end of their use, and certain data-types need to be removed from the game (such as Locations) at the end of their use to avoid memory leaks.
Galaxy features a robust garbage collection system for all native types, which is a huge improvement over WarCraft III (which technically did not have a garbage collection system at all). The script memory leak issues from WarCraft III will be a thing of the past.

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Armageddon Onslaught is a proof of concept and a technical demonstration. Pitting 7 Terran and Protoss players against a single computer-controlled Armageddon race, the battle for survival begins! AO 3.0 introduces a wide variety of stunning new effects and mechanics over the old release and should provide a far greater challenge. Included is a test map placing control of Armageddon's units in the hands of the player to see them in action in a controlled environment.

It is with my greatest regret to inform you that I was forced to release the mod with the unknown end-game crash still unsolved. Schizophrenia has crippled my ability to work on this mod and a lot of things didn't get added or finished that I wanted done. I had several testers including Baja put significant effort into trying to find the cause of the crash. I am very sorry. This will most likely mean that a full game cannot actually be played as it will almost always end in a crash.

Note that attempting to use any of the abilities on Armageddon's units in the test map WILL crash and are unrelated, since the AI doesn't use them.

Armageddon Onslaught was planned to have a variety of things that never made it in. A 500x500 unit, the Tiamat, remains in testing stages without a weapon or a proper graphic. Several individuals had said they'd make me some better maps, and they did not. Shadowflare said she could fix the playlist plugin that was goofing up with Firegraft, but did not, so there is no custom soundtrack save the odd bits that preatormike made and the odd other track for defeat/victory. I was going to make a CGI intro, but my hardware limited me too much. poiuy_qwert was working on an iscript expander, but hit a wall in the final stages of completion. I was going to have p_q make victory conditions for defeating TGD, but the crash made me decide it's not worth troubling him over it. A lot of polish didn't make it in. My battle with schizophrenia has not gone well, and AO suffers most because of it.

I thank all of you who put time into this project. Included in the package is a detailed credits list and more information about the mod and the concept. I've included both my test map and my gameplay test map. I had originally planned to include difficulties but later deemed it redundant as the AI doesn't really adhere to the timings as it is.

I hope you can find the time to enjoy AO for what it is. A lot of work went into this project and despite its shortcomings I believe it puts to rest my modding days with something worthy of being remembered. I've included my entire directory of iscript code to help budding modders understand how AO's units work. May I create a better incarnation in Starcraft 2 that will do everything I had dreamed of doing and more.

Strike the earth!

http://www.doack.campaigncreations.org/AO3.0.7z

What happens now?

With AO's release I will fade away from the spotlight. My role as a point of drama and excitement in the community is to draw to an end. Although I will still hang around, I don't plan to be as flamboyant or public about my activities. I think the biggest lesson of the past ten years was the lesson that addiction to hype and publicity is a drug and it's lethal when you get addicted to it. Almost all of my mods have succumb to broken promises and weakness as an individual.

AO is my last major mod for a long time. I plan to make the real thing in Starcraft 2, but who knows how long it will take for me to get my hands on that game. For the time being I'm going to take a very long needed break and sit back to smell the roses. I think I've earned a bit of respite. Maybe I'll work a bit on the Captain Planet RPG or even Project Loli, both projects I backburned when AO was resurrected.

I am going to be withdrawing from most of the forums and communities I once visited, although I've done most of that already. With the battle against Schizophrenia becoming more and more difficult, I feel that I have stretched myself too thin to prepare myself for a future with Starcraft 2.

But I will always be here in heart, in soul, and in flames of the forge of creation.

Complexity
Was your mod easy to create? was It hard? It will be taken into consideration.
This will be worth: 15 Points

Content
What exactly did you do? Did you just edit a few units? Was It a TC? If you just modded a zergling you will be judged with that zergling. oh.. just imagine...
This will be worth: 20 Points

Glitchness
How well does your mod run? Does it have Glitches?
This will be worth: 10 points


Originality
Is your mod a copy of another mod? This will be highly evaluated.
This will be worth: 30 points

Fun & Balance
Is Your mod fun? boring? another important thing highly evaluated. Note that balance is an important part of fun.
This will be worth: 15 points

Custom
Here, will be considered if you just modded in game content or if you stopped and took some time to edit bins menus, other graphical stuff and so on. Basically all the things that no one never bothers modding like AI, Terrain...
This will be worth: 10 points