Original maps

[hellegennes]

Does anyone know where the original maps that came with the game are located? Are they even in the hard drive?

[Avonu]

IIRC there are in data.orc file(s). You need Orc2zip programm to extract orc files.

EDIT: They are in Data2.orc file. Also later patches (IIRC patches have started with Data8.orc) have these maps too, if something was changed/fixed on them.

[hellegennes]

Thanks, mate!

[Kalah]

Maybe we should host them here - does anybody have the files all wrapped up in a nice .ZIP folder?

[hellegennes]

Wouldn't that be illegal? I mean, yes, even if one had a pirated copy they're useless, since he would already have them, but they're still part of a game which is not freeware.

[Mozared]

Technically, maybe, though I'd doubt even that. Regardless, I don't think Ubisoft is ever going to care about it (as long as people don't use their files to create an entirely new game and sell it for money, which no one ever does anyway). By extracting just the maps you're still miles away from a playable game. It would be like me copying 10 lines of code from a game consisting of 15.000 lines and posting them online. Ubisoft is more likely to gain revenue from someone doing that (because it promotes a community and thus new potential buyers) than to lose any money to someone 'selling' their code in some way.

[hellegennes]

It's not only about losing money. Companies constantly impose their rights even when there's precedent that not doing anything benefits them. And people do sue for publishing lines of code, even if they are meaningless on their own.

[Mozared]

As someone who has been active in modding communities of multiple games, I'm very much aware of this. Going by knowledge from that same position though, I can't recall anyone ever getting reprimanded in any way for such an action.

The point is, maps are just that: maps. Any half-decent modder will be able to extract them from the game files in the case of most games. Simply putting them online so people can actually open the campaigns and such won't attract any ire. Some companies like Blizzard even make their own maps and campaigns accessible in their editors from the start.