War3map.w3e - Terrain

This is the tileset file. It contains all the data about the tilesets of the map. Let’s say the map is divided into squares called “tiles”. Each tile has 4 corners. In 3D, we define surfaces using points and in this case tiles are defined by their corners. I call one tile corner a “tilepoint”. So if you want a 256x256 map, you’ll have 257x257 tilepoints. That’s also why a tile texture is defined by each of its four tilepoints. A tile can be half dirt, one quarter grass and one quarter rock for example. The first tilepoint defined in the file stands for the lower left corner of the map when looking from the top, then it goes row by row. Tilesets are the group of textures used for the ground.

Format

Here is the file format:

char[4]     magic_number
int32       format_version
char        main_tileset
int32       uses_custom_tileset
int32       ground_tilesets
char[4][a]  ground_tileset_ids
int32       cliff_tilesets
char[4][b]  cliff_tilesets_ids
int32       width
int32       height
float       horizontal_offset
float       vertical_offset

Then width * height tilepoints, each 7 bytes long:

int16       ground_height
int16       water_height + boundary_flag
4bits       flags
4bits       ground_texture
5bits       ground_variation
3bits       cliff_variation
4bits       cliff_texture
4bits       layer_height

Explanation

char[4]     magic_number

The constant string “W3E!” at the start of the war3map.w3e file used to identify it.

int32       format_version

The version. Seems to always be 11? Needs more investigation

char        main_tileset

This is the main tileset for the map. Each tileset has an .mpq in the game mpqs which contains some specific textures for this tileset like water or cliff textures. It can be one of the following:

• A Ashenvale
  

• B Barrens
  

• C Felwood
  

• D Dungeon
  

• F Lordaeron Fall
  

• G Underground
  

• L Lordaeron Summer
  

• N Northrend
  

• Q Village Fall
  

• V Village
  

• W Lordaeron Winter
  

• X Dalaran
  

• Y Cityscape
  

• Z Sunken Ruins
  

• I Icecrown
  

• J Dalaran Ruins
  

• O Outland
  

• K Black Citadel

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int32       uses_custom_tileset

Indicates whether this map uses a combination of textures from different tilesets or a predefined one from the list above.
(1 = custom tileset, 0 = no custom tileset)

int32       ground_tilesets

Indicates how many ground textures there are. There is no maximum except that a tilepoint only allocates 4 bits and thus can save only 16 different values and so only the first 16 tilesets are usable.

char[a][4]  ground_tileset_ids

A list of strings of size 4. Example: “Ldrt” stands for “Lordaeron Summer Dirt”
Refer to “TerrainArt.slk” located in War3.mpq or War3x.mpq for more details.

int32       cliff_tilesets

Indicates how many cliff textures there are. There is no maximum except that a tilepoint only allocates 4 bits and thus can save only 16 different values and so only the first 16 cliffs are usable.

Note that while the tilepoints allocate 4 bits for which cliff_tilesets_ids to use, the value 15 is reserved for an unknown. This means that while y