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How to Make a Working Skirmish Map for 'Starcraft: Brood War'

"StarCraft: Brood War" is an expansion pack made by Blizzard Entertainment and Saffire that adds new maps, units and campaigns to the original "StarCraft" game. This science fiction real-time strategy (RTS) series garnered a large fan community that thrives on competitive play and custom content creation. Creative gamers seeking to unleash their own skirmish maps upon the "StarCraft" community are in luck. Both "StarCraft" and "StarCraft: Brood War" come packaged with an accessible campaign editor that makes it easy to produce a working skirmish map.

Instructions

- 1
  Load "StarCraft: Brood War" and access the campaign editor from the main menu. The editor runs as a separate application from the "StarCraft" game, so don't panic when you're shifted away from the program. Agree to the terms and conditions. You will now be staring at a blank slate "StarCraft" map for you to shape and customize to your content.
- 2
  Start a new skirmish map by clicking "New..." under the "File" menu. Choose the desired dimensions of your new map and select a tile set to add a theme. Note that the updated "StarCraft: Brood War" campaign editor allows players to choose the ice theme that is unique to the expansion. Creating a map with this theme will make it incompatible with all other versions of "StarCraft." When you're satisfied with your terrain, choose "OK" to proceed.
- 3
  Add detail to the map using the "Brush" and "Doodad" palettes. These drop-down menus allow you to add buildings, props, units, resources, etc., to your map. All objects are represented by small images. Once you have found an element that you wish to add, click on it with the left mouse button.
- 4
  Locate a point on your map for placement using the main editor window and left click again to drop the object. The object will appear on your map and will be visible when you play your creation online or in skirmish mode.
- 5
  Place a minimum of two start locations and two faction bases to make your map playable in "StarCraft: Brood War." A map must accommodate a minimum of two players to work properly.
- 6
  Select a player faction in the "Player" menu, locate the starting location marker and an HQ building in the "Brush Palette," and place these on your map in the position of your choice. Repeat the process to incorporate at least one more player and save your work within the maps folder in the "StarCraft" directory on your computer.
- 7
  Test your map in "StarCraft: Brood War" to ensure that it works. Log into the game and select "Single Player." Choose "StarCraft: Brood War" and select or create a personalized user ID. Select "Play Custom" and load your map file. Again, if the map accommodates a minimum of two players, it will work properly and serve as the setting for your next epic space battle.

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