WC3 TTW 4/6 Player version and AI

by BHX 2018-02-19, 16:03

Hello,

Short version:

I'm coming straight to the point.
Is it somehow possible to acquire an unprotected/editable version of the Warcraft 3 map?
(And the permission to modify the map for private/internal use)

I would really like to create a solo version for 4 or 6 players.
In addition I think trying to implement an AI would be quite interesting.

Long version:
Lately I have been playing quite a lot of TTW together with 2 of my friends (using a LAN).
Since, however, we are usually 3 people, it's always slightly unbalanced (2 vs 1).

Also there seem to be builders, which just can not survive when playing solo.
(Bright paladin, Dranai builder,...)

So I/We would like to create a solo version of the map, with different game modes (for example timed game, where instead of lifes, every player has a leak counter, and after a predetermined time (15min / 20 min / 30 min), the person with the least leaks wins. Probably in order to keep it balanced, every leak should reduce current income of the leaking player by 1% or something like that).

Just for fun, I/We would also like to implement a simple AI for the game.
As simple approach I would try using a heuristic based on:
* Assigning every tower a general dmg value
* Assigning every creep a general thread value

And then:
* Money the opponent(s) currently have (and the associated possible wave they can send)
* Towers needed to probably stop the creeps

(Obviously if the AI proves to be too weak, it would always be a possibility to just provide extra income/extra gold to the AI, but I generally think this "cheaty" approach to be quite boring, taking the challenge out of programming an actually potent AI).

Or if this proves to be too difficult or ineffective, at least a send-only AI,
that sends and consumes/Defends against creeps in a predetermined manner.

Implementing an AI would clearly be a tremendous amount of work.
On the other hand it would be quite interesting.

Since all 3 of us are programmers, it would be even more interesting,
to each implement an AI and then let the AIs play against each other, and see which one will win. (We have done this with several more trivial games already)