MPQDraft Tutorial by Iskatu Mesk
Source : http://forum.samods.org/index.php?topic=6817.0
Warning : Source tutorial contains offensive text and images.
This tutorial version was edited by Ricky_Honejasi to remove the most offensive text.
MPQDraft is a modding tool by Quantam (Justin Olbrantz) for Starcraft and Warcraft 3.
It can be downloaded there : http://www.campaigncreations.org/starcraft/programs/
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Only use mpqdraft to distribute large campaign data or total conversion stuff when you want a self-executable to effortlessly and painlessly patch data for your project's maps or gameplay.
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Mpqdraft executables do not permanently modify data, can be run from anywhere, and come with coffee machines.
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Mpqdraft executables are an easy and fun way to keep your map sizes small, and using a global distribution of data for them to draw upon. No more 50 meg maps! Load it all into a single 50 meg exe and watch the loading times fade out of existence!
LET'S GET STARTED ON YOUR FIRST SELF-EXECUTING EM PEE QUEUE!
This assumes you've already got an mpq and a game in mind to make an exe for. If you don't, I suggest rotating on a large metal shaft until your head explodes.
This is a really horribly cropped image of Mpqdraft. Clearly, Q wrote the program, and joel did some really cool photoshop hax.
The first is CREATE SELF EXECUTING MPQ.
The second is LOAD MPQ PATCH.
Create the self executing mpq is what we're going to do. After we have completed the extremely difficult and challenging task, we will have an exe that autopatches ours or someone else's installation of a game. The exe will carry with it all data in the mpq, and any plugins you've included.
Load mpq patch loads up the game with the specified mpq and plugins. Useful for testing stuff.
So! Let's get started!
This is the screen you are treated to when you click the creation button, minus my professional labelling scheme, which costs extra.
The Custom Name section, or the part that says "CUSTOM NAME" in clearity so clear even a blind man couldn't miss it, is where you put your custom name. I don't know if this actually DOES anything, as it doesn't seem to, but may as well put INANITY there anyway.
The input mpq filename is the input mpq you'll be using. This is your mod data. Since you already have an mpq all nicely prepared (you can edit the exe with winmpq later on should you need to), go ahead and find/select it.
The output exe name is what your exe will be compiled to, including location. I have named this something I couldn't hope to miss.
Next up is where people get a lot of things wrong.
This is the most challenging, most formidable screen you will encounter in your epic quest. You might be driven to run away screaming at the very sight, but you must gather courage from your soul, and step forward into the light.
This is where you determine what game your exe will use, and some other weird stuff I never play with. Since I am making a exe for wc3 TFT, I select the wc3 icon, and click TFT. Note the "programs" TFT icon doesn't actually do anything, but those for other games will.
The following is the plugin page. I won't detail too heavily on this because you won't need it for wc3. You pretty much browse for plugins, such as thundergraft, and add them, and they compiled with the rest of the stuff. Since no plugins exist for wc3, we'll jump to the Final Boss.
Click the FINISH button on the bottom.
Within mere moments Mpqdraft will rapidly do a variety of tasks, from brewing coffee to creating an exe with the name and file path you specified.
CONGRATS MAN U DID IT! PAT URSELF ON THE BAK!
Ricky_Honejasi's personnal added notes :
If you manually moved Warcraft 3 away from its installed path, a mod exe made by MPQDraft won't work.
WinMPQ is a modding program made by Shadowflare which is used to extract data from MPQ files and to manipulate them. You can download it there : http://shadowflare.samods.org/dwnload.html . If you are interrested in it, I recommand making a backup of your MPQ files before using it.
Thundergraft is a MPQDraft plugin for Starcraft (not Warcraft 3) to play MP3 and MIDI files renamed as WAVs.