Q about map distribution

[ByteBandit]

This is how, I feel on the subject. When I get a map and the grammar and spelling is bad, I feel that if it's in my possession, I can correct that. I cannot stand to play a truly good map with bad spelling! (I speak English and I know some of my fellow HoMM players do not. Thus the bad English. And it's not a fault, btw.) I will correct it in that manner, nothing more than that, and perhaps play it a couple of months later when I've forgotten what I've corrected..
Also, contacting the author is not always possible. Some mapmakers find other games of interest to play or simply drop out of HoMM altogether.
As a general rule, on the Archives anyway, the maps that are up on these sites are there for all to possess and showcase what mapmakers can do. If a mapmaker wishes not to have his/her map up on these sites, we remove them. Although this has not happened, we will be more than happy to oblige the mapmaker.
So, to summarize, contacting is not always possible and the maps are visible for authors to decide what should be done with their product.

AND...I despise people who wish to profit from somebody elses maps, scripts and files! But that's another subject.

[alavris]

I think that if somebody wants to publish not his map, then he should contact the author at first.

Also, contacting the author is not always possible. Some mapmakers find other games of interest to play or simply drop out of HoMM altogether.

If it's not possible to contact him, then the admin of site from which this map was downloaded should be asked for permission.

If a mapmaker wishes not to have his/her map up on these sites, we remove them.

Most of mapmakers don't spy all HoMM-sites to find out if someboy has published their maps without asking them.

Anyway, ByteBandit, I can agree with you, there should be place like Archives, where every single fan-made map is stored. But only ONE, and maybe officialy approved by creators of the Heroes series... All other sites should ask authors before posting maps. This is my proposition, unfortunately impossible to carry out.

[Lady Farquad]

I think that if I submit my map to a public map-sharing forum, I'm automatically giving away any "rights". I agree with Qarl about honor system.

[addicted]

I have made several maps in the earlier versions of homm but I doubt I will be able to make anynew maps with the H-V editor version since it seems to be too complicated for me and I for sure don't have any desire to learn programing which this version seems to require. Yes, I personally feel the map maker should be contacted but I totally agee with Qarl and most post here. We have no choice but to rely on the 'honor' system, not much else one can really do about it.

[Shuyssar]

Where can I find the maps???

[Robenhagen]

There aren't any yet - the editor was just released two days ago.

Patience young padawan

[ByteBandit]

And to continue with how I feel about this topic, once a map is up on a site, the map is just up there, period. And once a map is downloaded, it is now in the possession of the person whose downloaded it. And so this is where the Honor system comes into play. And hopefully it will continue in the tradition it has been going.
I must admit that most of the maps on the HoMM3 Archives have been grammatically corrected by me or by others. We have had no complaints from members or mapmakers for having done this, so it's hard to say if one's crossed the line of anti-publishing or not. I like to think of it as "Corrective Surgery" and nothing more.
But if someone does'nt want their map corrected, we oblige their wishes and leave it be. Generally, grammatically corrected maps by the Archives are by non-English speaking mapmakers, who seem to like the corrections made. Giving the map a more fluid gameplay much like the maps that come with the CD.

Also, there have been some accounts where someone has taken another persons' map, done a few changes, retitled it, and given themselves credit for making the map! I also ABHOR this type of anti-publishing. We, at the Archives, take no credit for the spelling changes we do and never will. We honor the mapmaker for their efforts for just making the map. We do not put our names on any of the maps where the changes have been made either. That would be just wrong. We don't want the credit. We just want you to enjoy the map when you play it.

[Thelonious]

I must admit that most of the maps on the HoMM3 Archives have been grammatically corrected by me or by others. We have had no complaints from members or mapmakers for having done this, so it's hard to say if one's crossed the line of anti-publishing or not. I like to think of it as "Corrective Surgery" and nothing more.
But if someone does'nt want their map corrected, we oblige their wishes and leave it be. Generally, grammatically corrected maps by the Archives are by non-English speaking mapmakers, who seem to like the corrections made. Giving the map a more fluid gameplay much like the maps that come with the CD.

Well, that's only a good thing to do. To be able to publish your map with correct spelling and grammar makes the map have that little extra something. A map with lots of grammar faults can have a great story and gameplay and still not be a great map.

Also, there have been some accounts where someone has taken another persons' map, done a few changes, retitled it, and given themselves credit for making the map!

And that's why I think that a mapmaker should be contacted if her/his map is published, on some archives this happens all to often. I for one would not want my map there...

[ByteBandit]

And that's why I think that a mapmaker should be contacted if her/his map is published, on some archives this happens all to often. I for one would not want my map there...

Yes, I agree with that too. On our Archives, we don't publish maps that have been reduplicated this way.