Changing the cliffs

There is something concerning overriding the default cliff model I've always wondered to what extent it could work, but never had the tools to test it out...

Anyways, you can overwrite the default models in WC3 right? (The cliffs are probably the only models I find worth overwriting, so I haven't heard much about doing so)
Anyways, if this is possible what would be the maximum amount of changes you could add to the existing cliff model with it still being allowed to be used like the cliffs? (Such as adding extra variations, when those variants would appear, were they would appear, their pathing, and even the faces that describe fly-over height and Z accesses movement when walked over with invisible platforms)

Anyways, my idea is closely tied to doing something like this with the cliff-faces-->
http://www.hiveworkshop.com/forums/s...me-blp-134301/

Would be effing amazing for doodad conservation and creating a plethora of environments for RPG type maps anyways. With the pathing/height of the cliffs it would be interesting to create doors and staircases as side variations as well. Staircases could still be done with the current setup of both, invisible platforms essentially turn a cliff into a smooth ramp as is, would be nice if it could be flattened for other implementations though. If this could be pulled off it would be really epic.

Currently I've found that the way the cliff's tiles are distributed it hardly merits doing more than one variation of the side though. Only three of the 5 random side variations on the man-made cliff ever appear on the sides, one of those only appears in corners/edges facing a certain direction, one appears on straight and corner areas, and the other only on straight edges. Of the other two that are pretty much not used, one appears in an unattractive location when you try to make the walls look something like a castle wall, and the other ONLY appears on top third of the massive city gate destructible. The variations in the natural cliffs are even worse, some only appear facing a specific direction (such as north, were you will never ever see them with the default camera view).

The actual curves of the natural cliffs always correspond to the same tile as well, which I found interesting, and made me wonder about really changing the appearance of each cliff-face based on the tile that wrapped to them

I understand it probably won't work, but it would be nice to know exactly to what extent it could. Basically I'm asking -->

1. Can you overwrite default models/the cliffs?
2. Can you change the way tile variation is chosen with the model? Man made-cliffs and natural cliffs both operate on a different tile system, so would overwriting one with the other change that?
3. Could more tile variations be added?
4. Is pathing information hard-codded in the editor or based on the models, and either way could it be changed?

Cliffs in WC3 are truly quite simple. There are two types of cliffs: natural, and strait. You can only have two types of cliffs in 1 map. The tileset determines the types of the 2 cliffs for your map.

For each basic cliff type, there are models describing all possible arrangements of cliffs, cut in to chunks the size of 1 terrain block. (the middle grid size in the editor is 1 terrain block.) You can only edit the exiting models. You can not add new variations. (You can remove existing variations by overwriting them with the same model, of course.)

To overwrite a model, simply import it in to your map with the same path as the original has in the game's MPQ archives. (This also works with textures, and several other things.)

The actual game-effecting height of cliffs has nothing to do with their models. Turn on the grid in the world editor and hide the terrain, and you will have a pretty good view of the height units will walk over terrain. The only way to change the height a unit will walk at is with the raise/lower terrain tool, or walkable destructables. (or changing a units flying height; however, that is a static offset from the terrain at a units location, with some smoothing done so that units don't fly strait up when they pass over a tall cliff. there are some ways to disable the smoothing. Units can not have negative fly heights.)

Note that the two basic types of cliffs are further diversified by their textures. Also note that each cliff texture set includes both the cliff's side, _and_ the area to fill out the rest of that cliff's terrain block. This means that the texture on a cliff determines the terrain texture that must go on the top an bottom ends of the cliff.

If you attempt to use doodads that look like cliffs, alongside actual cliffs, you will get fucked up lighting at any seam between the two and it will never look quite right.

Cliffs are always unwalkable/unbuildable but flyable. This can of course be changed in some ways, but not based on the cliffs themselves.

You can't easily (and possibly not at all, realistically) add new cliff textures. You must overwrite the ones for the tileset your map uses.

That's all I can think of to say aboot cliffs. So yeah, hope this is helpful.

Yes, you can replace the models. I saw it done with Project Revolution, I think. They managed to make natural cliffs be... SC style.

I don't know about adding extra variations, I suspect not. There are two for each segment, as far as I'm aware, but that's it.

I'm pretty certain you can't affect the pathing or the height flying units move. Even if you could, it wouldn't be anything to do with the models -- flying units follow the bizarre plane that shadows and splats follow.

Thanks for the responses on this. Had a feeling the bizarre plane flying units fallowed would be unchanged, but figured I'd ask. Looks like my idea won't work, but being able to override models is still kind of cool. If I could get 2 variations with each cliff that would at least be something :)

You could always extract cliff models from the mpq(it's like a 2d plane) and make your own. It's just basically a 2d plane then though but looks just like a regular cliff to be honest when placed correctly. Then you can skin them for whatever you want like a door, window, or any other type of map's cliff. And if you make it a doodad instead of a destructible it's completely manipulatable as you can change x, y ,and z as well.(It's one of the two destructible or doodad that allows x,y,and z i always mix the two up though.)