daorc
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Ok, so, when you're making a map, try to complete one section at a time. You do NOT have to complete the whole map's terrain, then it's units, then triggers, then doodads. Doing it all at once calls for crappy maps faster than Michael Jackson calls for 9 year old boys. Anywhoo, one section at a time.
When placing your environment, don't stuff an area full of rocks unless you want to make a dam in a river or something, because otherwise it'll look unnatural.
-Place a few rocks, some cattails, a few river rushes, maybe some flowers along the sides, etc...
-If you are making a river with some rocks, place the rocks along the sides, so they're in sight.
-You could also make small shallow water locations along the sides of the river, but only about three squares of it (smallest terrain placing size).
-When making bridges, try to make sure the land and the bridge are completely intersecting eachother; meaning, move the World Editor camera around to where the bridge touches the land, and make sure there aren't any gaps inbetween the bridge and the ground.
-If there are gaps, it looks odd when your units get on the bridge, because they jump up a few feet once they touch the bridge. Once again, it doesn't look natural.
-If you need to look at any of the items contained so far, just take a look at one of Blizzard's maps. That could help you with a lot of placing issues you may be having.
Now, onto waterfalls:
-When placing waterfalls, make a river like you normally would. Make sure that it has an area that it ends where there's room to lower the terrain and create another waterfall, because the next step is to lower the terrain one level at the edge of where you ended the water.
-Then, in the little area you just made the terrain lowering, start another river.
-Once you're done with that river, go back to where you had lowered the terrain from the first river.
-Go up to Advanced at the top, and go to the bottom of the menu. You should see an option that's checked that says "Enforce Water Height Limits". Uncheck this option.
-Once unchecked, go to the area where the first river and the second river are meeting.
-Go to the Water Tool, and place the water; it's probably best you use a size less than or equal to the size of the rivers you already placed; and place the water where the two rivers connect. It should make a little cliff water area, where the water is going along down the cliff and connecting the two rivers.
-Go back to Advanced, and check "Enforce Water Height Limits" to put the option back on. Make sure there's cliffs along the rivers edges.
-Then, go to the Doodad Palette, go to Water, and choose waterfalls.
-Place one waterfall, then, what I like to do, is copy and paste that same waterfall so it's all the same sizes of waterfalls.
-Then align them all so they all look as if they're under the water, but still going over the side of the cliff. A good example of waterfall placement is the first level of Night Elf on The Frozen Throne. There's a little area where there's a huge area of waterfalls.
Placing units, now:
-When placing buildings, don't make the buildings organized, unless you're making a village of Humans or something. Orc, Undead, and Night Elf, on the otherhand, you shouldn't make organized NO MATTER WHAT!
-For units, all races should have random placements of units. Don't make a group of units all together unless it's the start of the map.
-For critters, just put 10-20 in your map at different locations.
-For creeps, you should organize a little bit. Put the strongest creeps at the back of the group, medium strength creeps in middle, and weakest in front. Make the creeps in the back drop the items. This way, the weaker die first from enemies, and the strongest last longer, allowing the to kill more, and it makes it look as if the weaker protect the stronger.
Terraining Now:
-When terraining, put rock doodads on rock terrains, and go to the Raise tool in the Terrain Palette and raise the rocks higher than the rest of the ground, but not super high.
-For dirt paths, make small scattered areas of rough dirt throughout the trail. Then lower the dirt lower than the rest of the ground, but not super low.
-Once you've done all of that stuff, click on the noise tool, make areas of noise throughout the entire map (best to do one section at a time).
-Then, once all the noise you want is on, go to the Smooth Tool, and smooth it all so it looks like small little bumps in the ground. If you smoothed too much, just go back to the dirt and rocks and lower\raise them again.
When placing your environment, don't stuff an area full of rocks unless you want to make a dam in a river or something, because otherwise it'll look unnatural.
-Place a few rocks, some cattails, a few river rushes, maybe some flowers along the sides, etc...
-If you are making a river with some rocks, place the rocks along the sides, so they're in sight.
-You could also make small shallow water locations along the sides of the river, but only about three squares of it (smallest terrain placing size).
-When making bridges, try to make sure the land and the bridge are completely intersecting eachother; meaning, move the World Editor camera around to where the bridge touches the land, and make sure there aren't any gaps inbetween the bridge and the ground.
-If there are gaps, it looks odd when your units get on the bridge, because they jump up a few feet once they touch the bridge. Once again, it doesn't look natural.
-If you need to look at any of the items contained so far, just take a look at one of Blizzard's maps. That could help you with a lot of placing issues you may be having.
Now, onto waterfalls:
-When placing waterfalls, make a river like you normally would. Make sure that it has an area that it ends where there's room to lower the terrain and create another waterfall, because the next step is to lower the terrain one level at the edge of where you ended the water.
-Then, in the little area you just made the terrain lowering, start another river.
-Once you're done with that river, go back to where you had lowered the terrain from the first river.
-Go up to Advanced at the top, and go to the bottom of the menu. You should see an option that's checked that says "Enforce Water Height Limits". Uncheck this option.
-Once unchecked, go to the area where the first river and the second river are meeting.
-Go to the Water Tool, and place the water; it's probably best you use a size less than or equal to the size of the rivers you already placed; and place the water where the two rivers connect. It should make a little cliff water area, where the water is going along down the cliff and connecting the two rivers.
-Go back to Advanced, and check "Enforce Water Height Limits" to put the option back on. Make sure there's cliffs along the rivers edges.
-Then, go to the Doodad Palette, go to Water, and choose waterfalls.
-Place one waterfall, then, what I like to do, is copy and paste that same waterfall so it's all the same sizes of waterfalls.
-Then align them all so they all look as if they're under the water, but still going over the side of the cliff. A good example of waterfall placement is the first level of Night Elf on The Frozen Throne. There's a little area where there's a huge area of waterfalls.
Placing units, now:
-When placing buildings, don't make the buildings organized, unless you're making a village of Humans or something. Orc, Undead, and Night Elf, on the otherhand, you shouldn't make organized NO MATTER WHAT!
-For units, all races should have random placements of units. Don't make a group of units all together unless it's the start of the map.
-For critters, just put 10-20 in your map at different locations.
-For creeps, you should organize a little bit. Put the strongest creeps at the back of the group, medium strength creeps in middle, and weakest in front. Make the creeps in the back drop the items. This way, the weaker die first from enemies, and the strongest last longer, allowing the to kill more, and it makes it look as if the weaker protect the stronger.
Terraining Now:
-When terraining, put rock doodads on rock terrains, and go to the Raise tool in the Terrain Palette and raise the rocks higher than the rest of the ground, but not super high.
-For dirt paths, make small scattered areas of rough dirt throughout the trail. Then lower the dirt lower than the rest of the ground, but not super low.
-Once you've done all of that stuff, click on the noise tool, make areas of noise throughout the entire map (best to do one section at a time).
-Then, once all the noise you want is on, go to the Smooth Tool, and smooth it all so it looks like small little bumps in the ground. If you smoothed too much, just go back to the dirt and rocks and lower\raise them again.
