I am currently trying to modify a map where I will have 4 starting forces on one side of the map and the other 4 on the other side. When I test it under Multiplayer it keeps randomizing start locations but that has been turned off. Testing it I use Top Vs Bottom 4v4. What am I missing?

You have to select Use Map Settings when you play the map. Otherwise it won't use the settings you've modified. AFAIK top vs bottom jus randomizes based on the start locations that are on the map

I appreciate the help. Is there any way to say players 1-4 start in one area and 5-8 in another area within multiplayer maps using computers or humans? I am using Scmdraft 2 version 0.9.10 Beta to modify my maps. My goal is to make this map a 1 person with computer allies vs computers or allow humans and computers vs other humans and computers.

If you place the start locations for each player where you want them to spawn and then disable "randomize start locations" for all forces, the players will always spawn where their start locations are. If you want to randomize their start within a specific subset of locations (ie player 1 can spawn in any start among players 1-4 starts), then you'll have to make some extra triggers and randomize switches to accomplish that.

If, however, you're fine with each player starting in the same spot each time, just put their start locations where you want them to be, and like Butch said, host the map as UMS. You can have computers on your team as well, but they'll always start out as unallied to players even in the same force, so you'll have to make triggers for them to ally the players.

Re: slightly off-topic slots issue

You *can't* really toggle a slot between human/computer at ease. Not officially anyways. There (used to be?) some third-party launchers for SC that would allow players/hosts to create + remove computer slots in UMS lobbies, which basically does what you're asking for. But you 1) need the host to have the utility installed and 2) the utility that I'm thinking of has been discontinued and the official download link for it pulled (utility is wLauncher - made by a Korean, though there is English option for it).

I think it might be possible that you can use RNG and case detection (triggers) applied to multiple bases (where the bases don't have to be the same races), to work around that, but I don't really know enough on the built-in AI scripts to actually comment on that.

Actually yeah, I'm thinking that's probably the only way.