ok I have a painfully simple question for you all:

i want to block off a certain area, like a gap in between two mountains i want to block it off how would I do this using least amount of locations possible? And I would prefer not to use gates, actually I was thinking more along the lines of creating those doodads the ones that look like weird ass rock things. but i culdnt figer out a way to do this with only one location

Now wait... you want to have the mountains there with a gap, but dont want the players to pass?

If so you could always have a neutral player and use the old fashion DT way. Make them invicible thou. Takes no locations only a few DTs.

My answer is probably silly.

nah the players pass through it originally, but then it closes behind them. and no dts would just block the player but from the players point of view it look like they should be passing.

i want it to be visually blocked as well as physically.

Use a door? All you need is to use the AI script for opening the door at the location, then closing it when wanted.

-.- he stated he DIDN'T want gates.

2 things come in my mind:
- Place a building that blocks the way

- or use a combo of triggers setting the players back to a nearby location when they enter the location blocking the exit and death animations. Dying Zerg for a wall of lava or blood, dying terrans for a wall of fire, dying protoss for a wall of ice or energy.

If you've played Rush, a good effect like this is made when you get through the cave level, I would just use a mobile grid to create DTs to block them, then for looks make a massive amount of those rock sprites.

Ah the mobile grid... ACtually, whatever happened to RUSH? TT said he was gonna make a pt 2 to it...

Anyways, the mobile grid is a good idea. If you want an area sealed off permaneatly, I suppose you could have a few burrowed zerglings, center locations around them and have explosions or something.
OR

Preplace a series of DTs
Center an odd number around the dt (1x1, 3x3, etc..)
When heros approach, zerg units unburrow [moving the DT(s)]
Heros kill em, DTs move back to location, thus forming a wall.

Other then that... ask Tux

yes the effect with the rock doodads was a perfect example of both a visual and physical block. actually what i had in mind wen i asked the qustion

how would i go about doing this? plz be detailed lol i have no idea wat a mobile grid is...

It's not really a mobile grid, all you do, is have a bunch of burrowed units, in the spots where you want the DT's to be, then you center a location on one, create a DT, remove it, then do it again, until all the DT's are gone, then you only use one location to place as many DTs as you need.

you mean center on the burrowed unit, create a dt, remove then burrowed unit, and repeat until all the burrowed units are gone, right?

Yeah.

so simple yet so complex! thanks

And thats the end of that chapter Homer Simpson

You could have your conditions, then order the players units "move" at that location in conjunction with hyper triggers. As long as you have another stationary location somewhere in the direction you want them to go it should work fine.

That's what I said. But you missed a solution for a visible block.