Maps and Mods

Map Making Tutorials

Publishing

The new Battle.net publishing system allows you to publish your maps and mods directly to the Battle.net service, where they are permanently stored online and made available for others to play within the game. If you want to play your map online with other players, or if you want others to be able to use your mod in their maps, it must first be published to Battle.net.
Publishing Your Map or Mod

Publishing is done through the editor. First, open the map or mod you want to publish, and use the File > Publish command from any module window. This will open a dialog for configuring the publishing details, as follows:

Log In - Click the Log In button in the left panel to log in to Battle.net using your Battle.net account and StarCraft II character.

Published Name - The published name of your map or mod is what uniquely identifies it on Battle.net, and this name must not already be in use by any existing map or mod that has already been published by another user. By default, this will be the name defined through Map > Map Info or in the Document Info component within the Overview Manager.

If this name is already in use, or if you want to publish using a different name, click the Change Name button to enter a new name. You may also specify a different name for each language the game supports, but this is not required. Note that the name in each language must be unique across all languages.

Revision - Each published file has a version number associated with it. When you re-publish a map or mod that you have already published (that is, using the same published name), this version number will be incremented automatically. You can choose to increment it as a Minor revision, which generally means only small tweaks or fixes have been made, or as a Major revision, which means significant changes have been made.

Release (Maps only) - When you choose a Private release, the map will not be available to other players within the game, and only you will be able to create games using this map, after which you may invite other players into the game. This is a good way to test your map with friends online before releasing it to everyone. When you choose a Public release, the map will be available to the entire StarCraft II community, and anyone can create a game using your map.

Author - The author name will automatically display as your StarCraft II character, or you may optionally choose Show Real Name to have your real name shown instead.

Locked For Editing (Maps only) - Before publishing a map for the first time, you are required to choose whether it will be Locked or Unlocked.

NOTE: Once published, a Locked map cannot be opened in the editor by anyone, including yourself. Choose this option if you want to prevent others from viewing or copying your map using the editor. However, make sure to retain a local copy of your map for future modification in the editor.

NOTE: An Unlocked map can be opened by other users within the editor. Choose this option if you would like share your map with other map makers. This is a good way to contribute to the map making community, but keep in mind that others will be able to copy and publish the map as their own.

Locked (Owner Use Only) (Mods only) - Similar to maps, mods must also be either Locked or Unlocked.

A Locked mod will not be available to other users, and only you will be able to include it in the maps you make.

An Unlocked mod can be used by others in their maps, and sharing your mods with other map makers can benefit the map making community significantly. But as with maps, remember that an unlocked mod may also be copied by others.

Storage Requirements - Battle.net has the following limits for published files per user: up to ten individual maps or mods (represented as "slots" in the dialog), with no more than 50 MB total size, and no more than 10 MB used for any single map or mod.

If there are any additional requirements for publishing the map or mod, they will be listed on the left. Once everything has been configured, you can accept the dialog, and your file will be uploaded to Battle.net. Upload progress can be seen in the File Transfers window which will automatically be shown. When the upload is complete, you can hop in the game and play your map!

Managing Your Published Files

Once you've published one or more files to Battle.net, you can use the File > Manage Published command from any editor module to open a window for viewing all of your currently published files. You can log in to Battle.net from this window, and must do so in order to see your files.

Storage Used - Shows you how many publishing slots and how much storage space is currently being used by your account.

File List - Lists all maps and mods published to your account, with basic details about the status of the files. Selecting a file will show additional information and a preview image on the right.

Remove From Account - This button will remove the selected map or mod from your account and free up a storage slot. This means it will no longer be available for play or use through the Battle.net service. Note that for mods, any existing published maps that include the mod will still be able to access the old mod data, but newly created maps will no longer be able to use it.

Open In Editor - This button will open the map or mod in the editor, where it can be modified and saved to a new local file. This can only be done for Unlocked maps or mods.

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Comments (42)

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Tacoos #607
Tacoos
4/30/2012
Is there a thread for publishing errors or anything along those lines? I've looked for a wiki or guide but they all seem about as cryptic as the map editor it self.
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TheBomber #585
TheBomber
4/7/2012
Hey everyone I have done every thing but I cant seem to find my published map and play it, any help?
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TheDestor #747
TheDestor
4/9/2012
@TheBomber: That's easy, just go to "Create Game" in multiplayer, go up to the top, change the first filter from "Blizzard" to "My Published"
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TheDestor #747
TheDestor
3/30/2012
I'm sorry if this sounds dumb, but I'm still relatively new at this map making
I'm really happy with the map I made, but apparently it's too large. How do I make it smaller without taking anything important out? If it helps, I have custom data/units/upgrades and custom triggers. Oh, and a custom sound track.
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codebuster #775
codebuster
3/20/2012
dont got to be mean about it
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GamingJake #422
GamingJake
3/5/2012
Wow KiTTyCat!
Okay you log into the game create a game. Pick your map from my published or search for your map within the popularity system.
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KiTTyCaT #616
KiTTyCaT
2/2/2012
How do you play your own map?
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spartan #1350
spartan
1/11/2012
how go into place to create map??????????????? requesting feedback!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!????????????????????
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TheHim #168
TheHim
3/6/2012
@spartan: I had this problem too! The "Map Editor" comes with Starcraft II. It should install automatically in addition to the game when you install off a disk, or (I think) you can download it off the internet in the same way as you download the game. If you used a disk, it should be somewhere in your "all programs" folder.
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Dubgee #114
Dubgee
12/18/2011
for what????
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Adovid #349
Adovid
9/10/2011
Thanks for this.
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Hakutsuru #960
Hakutsuru
8/25/2011
I wanna play this map
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TacoManStan #456
TacoManStan
7/23/2011
This is outdated, it still has the old file size and map limit requirements listed.
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TheBigMike #844
TheBigMike
8/6/2011
@TacoManStan: Whatever, important stuff is still shown.
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JoeTim #936
JoeTim
7/5/2011
how do you get the editor?
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Psipop #340
Psipop
8/3/2011
@JoeTim: If windows, hit start, all programs, starcraft 2, starcraft 2 map editor. very simple. if mac, give up
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Globus #241
Globus
8/5/2011
@JoeTim: If mac, DON'T "give up," instead go to finder->applications->Starcraft 2->Starcraft 2 Editor
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TheBigMike #844
TheBigMike
8/6/2011
@JoeTim: If you cracked the game, you won'T have it! Die die die!!
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Love #157
Love
6/2/2011
Dear Blizzard,

The publishing system has had an annoying bug that makes it hard to publish maps with customized team and player settings. The publisher crashes at 100% with the error message of "Default attribute values could not be validated."

I would really appreciate a run down of how to fix this. I've spent hours trying to debug my map as it runs fine in test mode.

Anyway,
Thanks for making such an awesome editor.
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Doriath #822
Doriath
6/9/2011
@Love: I ran into this error as well.... I have no Idea of how to fix it.
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Psipop #340
Psipop
8/3/2011
@Love: send them an email
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Fenryial #484
Fenryial
5/21/2011
How do you know what level of AI the computer is using in map creator? When you play Starcraft2 you can select from Easy to Insane but when you test a map in the editor it just starts with the teams you selected. Under AI the ONLY option you have is DEAFAULT and COMUTER!

THANKS
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FlipStarr #452
FlipStarr
5/21/2011
i have pub 15 maps
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Hydra #173
Hydra
4/26/2011
I think I need to make a map after i read these map making tutorials am a noob at making maps :/
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steve #1179
steve
4/18/2011
how do i access my map once it has been published?
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Electrico #594
Electrico
4/26/2011
@steve: you go in multiplayer and make a custom game, after there's filters at the top left of the map list. Select my published.
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Vanquish #117
Vanquish
4/14/2011
I've got an idea, why don't we just have a directory (let's say, C:Programs/SC2/MAPS) where maps are stored and then you can play them instantly upon completing them. That would be a cool addition for the new and improved SC2, and a great way to surpass the archaic and more convenient means of map making/playing in SC1.
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Herodotus #663
Herodotus
4/14/2011
Don't worry mac users, the map editor will crash before you get to this point.
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Psipop #340
Psipop
8/3/2011
@Herodotus: hell yea!!!!!!!!
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MrRAD #770
MrRAD
3/24/2011
no it is not
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TheBigMike #844
TheBigMike
3/24/2011
:D
Easier than I though.
What's a mod? Is it a kind of dependency? Something used for campaign purpose?
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Davidlook #872
Davidlook
3/30/2011
@TheBigMike: A map is one specific scenario, with specific rules for that individual map. A mod is something you can create that is basically a set of rules for the game. Mods can be applied to any map.
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iiequalseipi #740
iiequalseipi
3/24/2011
"Once published, a Locked map cannot be opened in the editor by anyone, including yourself."

Ahahaha. Lol, nearly fell of my chair reading that.
No, locking a map provides barely any protection and there are tools that allow players to easily unlock other people's locked maps. There are even tutorial threads about it on SC2 mapster and team liquid.

It's a bit sad. I really hope blizzard makes the locking system better so people don't have their work stolen. Some map makers have had their work stolen and some people have published other people's maps without permission.

The main advantage for locking one's map is that it nocks off 2 mb off of your map's size.
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Rodrigo #881
Rodrigo
3/24/2011
I would also alert map makers about the GATEWAY_DOWN. :)
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MrRAD #770
MrRAD
3/23/2011
how do it on a mac
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Sixen #935
Sixen
3/23/2011
@MrRAD: Should be the same process.
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Kerboga #866
Kerboga
5/1/2011
@MrRAD: dont even worry you won't get this far if your using a mac =P
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MavercK #648
MavercK
3/23/2011
you should also mention people with slower upload speeds are screwed by your 2 minute timeout when publishing
like me.
like how im screwed.
because i can't publish a map bigger than 4.6mb.
because i get cut off after 2 minutes. for no reason.
got it? good.
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Phoenix #2650
Phoenix
3/23/2011
At the top of this page there should be an option that says, "Publishing for PC or Mac" where the user can select and can be taught based on which OS they use.
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Progammer #432
Progammer
3/23/2011
"Storage Requirements - Battle.net has the following limits for published files per user: up to five individual maps or mods (represented as "slots" in the dialog), with no more than 20 MB total size, and no more than 10 MB used for any single map or mod."

Why is it still outdated ? It is now 10 documents of total 50MB storage.

Also, first.