This will give you the basics on how to make a simple multiplayer Warcraft III map.
1.) Open the “World Editor” in your Warcraft III directory. (Most likley at “C:/Program Files/Warcraft III/World Editor.exe”)
2.) Go to file > new in the menu bar.
3.) Choose the map size, tile set (what the ground looks like), and initial cliff level. I recommended a 96×96 map size, with the default tile set and an initial cliff level of 7 for your first map. The size will be small but not too small, and larger maps should be avoided at first. The cliff level of 7 is so that you can have many levels above and below it.
You should now see a plane of dirt with a yellow and white grid on it, pressing “g” on your keyboard will toggle the grid. Right click will pan the camera around the map, and the scroll wheel will zoom in and out. Holdctrl and right click to move the view angle.
4.) Change the drop down menu to “Terrain Palette” in the top of your tools palette on the right.
5.) Sculpt the terrain using the tools in the palette. For now stick to Apply Texture and Apply cliff. Apply Texture will change what the ground looks like, and also what can be build on it. Apply cliff will make cliffs that ground units can not move over, and will help shape the look of your map. The size and shape options at the bottom of the Terrain Palette can also be used for bigger areas.
6.) Change the drop down menu to “Doodad Palette” in the top of your tools palette on the right. This palette will contain all the scenery for your map.
7.) Add in doodads to finish the map. The 2 drop down menu’s beneath the doodad one will let you choose different types of objects to place. Make sure to place trees in strategic locations, as they are a resource in the game.
8.) Change the drop down menu to “Units” in the top of your tools palette on the right. This will be where you place and person, building, or object that a player can interact with.
9.) Place gold mines and starting locations. By changing the players drop down menu, you can place starting zones for each of the possible 12 players, you can also place the monsters who will be hostile to all players, as well as neutral buildings such as gold mines. Each starting place should have equal advantages in terms of it’s terrain, and distance from resources.
10.) Test your map. By clicking the red box with a check in it in the upper middle, you can test play your map to make sure it works out how you wanted. After testing, fix anything that was wrong.
11.) Save the map. Go to file > save as and save your map to the default directory. Follow the prompts to fill in the map name, author, and description.
12.) Play your map!
Example of the Warcraft III World Editor.