Brief Guide to Multiplayer Scenario Design - Part 3

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murdilator
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Brief Guide to Multiplayer Scenario Design - Part 3

Post by murdilator »

Greetings to all of you again!


I now conclude to write my third part of my guide. I will discuss and go through how to get trade routes and native trading posts. I realize that by now some of you are more curious and, having built your own map, probably wonder how to get Trading Post Sockets to work. So I have decided to reveal it.


Trade Routes

How do I built my very own trade routes? Pardon me that I have not said this earlier, as a trade route is a key factor in making an interesting map. Go to Objects in scenario editor, and you will see "Place Trade Route." Select that, and press create trade route. Click from waypoint to waypoint to build your trade route. I hope this is self-explanatory enough.

After you have built your trade route, you can go to "Place Objects" and select Embellishment. Once you are hear, start scrolling down and press "s" to get to Sockets. Select "Socket Trade Route" and place it near the trade route as a Gaia object. You can place more sockets in the same way. However, don't place a Native post right next to the trade route, or else the game thinks that the native socket is a trade route socket as well. Most of this seems like rather obvious stuff, but I have to say it to make the guide clear. I am sure you will find some stuff on your own.

!!! A Quick Tip !!!

There is a special tool, quite simple to use, that I think is under objects or right next to it on the scenario editor toolbar. It is called "Position Unit(s)". You can put this on and click an object and position it how you like. Also, using the middle wheel of a mouse rotates the object selected, and using the arrow keys slowly moves it. I personally use this for the triple gold mine, making it look neat, and clumped together. Also you can move town centers or cinematic blocks -- the cinematic blocks can be used for randomized trade route locations, in which case you would make a Quest Var. This can be done through Quest Var(iable) Randomize, in which you make a name for your variable, and built three other triggers that rely on this. So, I am introducing you to Randomized Trade Route Sockets. Like so:


Trigger Name: RandomizeTrdRts; Active, Medium-High Priority

Conditions: Timer: 8

QV Randomize; QV3, values 1-2, Rounding: ON

and


Trigger Name: RndmTrdRt1; Active, Medium-Low Priority

Conditions:
(tick NOT and OR on the conditions checkbox)
Quest Var Check: QV3 value = 1,
Quest Var Check: QV3 value = 2

Effect: None (delete the effect here and leave it blank; this lets you have your original trade route locations)

-------------------------------
Trigger Name: RndmTrdRt2, Active, Run Immediately, Medium-Low Priority

Conditions: Quest Var Check: QV3, value = 1

Effect: Change Unit Type (for all current sockets, select cinematic block), Change Unit Type (for set #1 of cinematic blocks along the trade route).

-------------------------------
Trigger Name: RndmTrdRt2, Active, Run Immediately, Medium-Low Priority

Conditions: Quest Var Check: QV3, value = 2

Effect: Change Unit Type (for all current sockets, select cinematic block), Change Unit Type (for one set #2 of cinematic blocks along the trade route).

-------------------------------

This should, although it looks very complicated when I write it out, give you a decent measure of the use of Quest Vars and arouse your curiosity early about what they can do. Have different values for your Quest Vars if you decide to use a Quest Var, like QV1, more than once. However, apart from this strain of thought, I will go to Native settlements. The "Position Object" key is most important in this.



Native Sockets with Art

How do I construct Native Sockets? Why can I not build on them when I place them? There is a tool near "World" on toolbar that is called "Native American Manager." On this you will also find Mercenary Editor and weird things like that. Go to "Native American Manager;" you will get a list of the natives and of the Revolution Politicians. This list is a little big, and actually to big for the screen. Select the natives you want on your map, and then, drag it up, and click on any other natives you want, and then press "OK" to save your information. Save your scenario. Now you can place those native sockets in the editor and build on them ingame or in the editor. However, to activate this in the editor, you should save your scenario, go to main menu, and load it again.

Now how do I get that neat embellishment like native villages near my native post? In "Embellishment" you will find some tools for the Natives, which of them some can randomize a bit differently if you right click. These, however, do not have solidity; people can walk through them. You will find solid embellishment in the "Buildings" section, and even more if you look in "All" section. In fact some objects are uncharted as such, and are only found in the "All" section. This includes Berry Bushes and a couple Native objects, including a special object called "NATIVE OBSTRUCTION."

Here is a photo of one of my own native villages:

Image



Men can walk through my Native village!!! What do I do? Found in the "All" section, NATIVE OBSTRUCTIONs are used to take up space, and do a pretty good job of it. However, they seem a large square and so do not seem so user-friendly. Stuff in the "Embellishment" section of objects can be placed on top of these, and the Native Obstructions are invisible. Well, we have the solution to the uneasiness of Native Obstructions. Remeber that nifty "Position Object" tool I mentioned earlier? We can use that to. Just find a near place where you can place a native obstruction. You can move them, rotate them, and overlap them using the "Position Object" tool. You can also move the Native Embellishment from the "Buildings" and "All" Section (some of which are the same) onto the area covered by the Native Obstructions using the "Position Object" tool. And, with this knowledge, I believe you can now moderately understand Native Sockets.

This is a computer generated native post on unknown in scenario editor:

Image


Here you see a special block, 1x4. This is actually a 1x4 meter obstruction ingame, and these can also be used to stack on top of one another. You can use these with much greater versatility; they can rotate easier and take as much space as they look. They also don't block your trading post from being built on. I often use a lot of them in other scenarios. Also, 1x2 and 1x1 blocks exist. Honestly now, it takes about ten to thirty minutes to construct a good Native sight with full embellishment. You can also use the nifty "Great Plains De (a large dirt type object)" found in the Embellishment section. Use this and "PROP Native," found also in Embellishment, to make a nice, liveable village.

Here is when I went berserk on 1x4 and 1x2 blocks:

Image


Note that "PROP Native" can be randomized literally twenty different ways; either when you place one of these or right click you will get a different one. You can also copy these and paste. Also, if you click enough times the Native props will loop. These are not solid and men can walk through them, just to let you know. I am sure you will be creative enough on your own. Enjoy!


EDIT: A designer at HG actually informed me that there are 5 built in native villages for each of the natives. It is found under Edit, on the left-hand side, called "Load built-in grouping." You can scroll down and find some easy native villages, which of course look nasty and rotton compared to ours ^_^. No, but they are decent I would say, unless you are making a custom native post.



I hope I answered some crucial questions. I am done writing for the day so far. I may edit this here and there. (Edited July 12th).



regards,



murdilator
"Feel the Might of the Sioux!" - Gall, when fighting and defeating your army at his own base.

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Scenario Design Competition Participant 2009:

3v3 WildernessRoad: https://aoe3.heavengames.com/downloads/ ... ileid=2521
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