Scenario Editor

The Scenario Editor is an option in the Age of Empires Series of games that allows players to make their own game and establish their own win or lose conditions. Users are able to customize maps and add everything that would appear in a standard game. Players can also use the editor to test each of the elements that could affect gameplay. These scenarios can be grouped together as a part of a campaign. Certain units such as heroes and other special units such as the mercenary are only available in the Scenario Editor. All scenario editors of the Age of Empires series have a max of 8 different players whose diplomacy can be adjusted to optimize gameplay. When it comes to adjusting the amount of something, negative numbers and decimals are not allowed.

Age of Empires (Age of Empires: The Rise of Rome expansion) Editor
The Age of Empires editor, included with the full version of both the original game and its expansion (the expansion having some extra expansion units, obviously), is a basic editing tool in which the player can create or customize any game with a set of win or lose conditions. A classic example is the "build and destroy" map theme for normal RTS games with the well known system of building a small base and overcoming his opponent. Alternatively, gameplay can be slightly more complicated involving an adventure theme map in which the player controls a small band of soldiers and has to accomplish a set of given goals.

Age of Empires II (Age of Empires II: The Conquerors expansion) Editor
The Age of Empires II editor features everything its predecessor possessed with newer additions. Among the most notable new features is the ability to create Triggers, which enable more sophisticated gameplay.

Map
The map function is no different from its predecessor other than offering a more varied collection of random or real world maps. In addition to map size, the recommended number of players are also displayed. Map size can be either of the following:


 * Tiny (2 player)
 * Small (3 player)
 * Medium (4 player)
 * Normal (6 player)
 * Large (8 player)
 * Giant

Like its predecessor, blank maps can be generated based on default terrain with a few changes. There are 3 different terrain types for each category based on their number and frozen terrain makes its first appearance in the series. In addition, desert is renamed to dirt. The default terrain for blank maps are the following:


 * Grass 1
 * Ice
 * Dirt 1
 * Snow
 * Water, shallow

Random maps are more varied in terrain and some feature more realistic geography and terrain. The following random maps that can be generated are:


 * Arabia
 * Arena
 * Archipelago
 * Baltic
 * Black Forest
 * Coastal
 * Continental
 * Crater Lake
 * Fortress
 * Ghost Lake
 * Gold Rush
 * Highland
 * Islands
 * King of the Hill
 * Mediterranean
 * Migration
 * Mongolia
 * Nomad
 * Oasis
 * Rivers
 * Salt Marsh
 * Scandinavia
 * Team Islands
 * Yucatan

Terrain
There are more varied terrain types compared to its predecessor as aforementioned. The following terrain includes:


 * Bamboo
 * Desert
 * Dirt (1-3)
 * Forest
 * Grass (1-3)
 * Ice
 * Jungle
 * Leaves
 * Oak forest
 * Palm desert
 * Pine forest
 * Road (paved, broken, fungus and snow)
 * Shallows
 * Snow (pure, dirt, grass, pine forest)
 * Water (deep, medium, shallow)

Besides including more varied terrain, this tab features new components, most notably, the ability to erase units or buildings in a larger area and the copy map function. This "map-copy" feature enables the player to copy a certain object/patch of terrain into another area. This also enables the player to make contraptions of buildings that looks like a huge, custom building, very popular with designers that concentrate on the aesthetics of their map.

Players
This tab has not changed much compared to its predecessor. Besides having the option to change the population limit for each player, the default personality is more limited compared to its predecessor with only 2 options.

Units
The "units" tab has been edited so that there now are smaller tabs that ease navigation. There are 4 tabs and these include Units (standard, usually in-game soldiers), Buildings (standard, usually in-game buildings), Heroes (Heroes, usually from the campaigns, but also others) and Other (Miscellaneous objects like flags etc.). Like the previous edition, if too many units are placed on the map, the game may lag which may vary depending on the amount of units placed and the performance of the player's operating computer.

Diplomacy
Like the previous version, this tab allows the player to adjust diplomatic relations for each player. Besides the ability to change diplomacy using triggers, the aesthetics remain unchanged.

Global Victory
Like the previous edition, this tab serves to determine how the overall game should be played. Gameplay can be set to standard, conquest, score with or without the time limit or custom. If custom win or lose conditions are set for each player and the box is checked, then fulfilling that condition ends the game.

Options
This tab is no different from its predecessor, allowing the player to disable the creation or development of certain units, buildings or technologies. Full tech tree can be checked for each player as well as the difficulty of the scenario. The player's starting view can also be changed under this tab.

Messages
This tab serves a similar function to the previous game in that it offers the player to create and edit crucial information about the scenario which is often presented before the game starts. Sections include scenario instructions, hints and information from scouts and spies, victory and loss conditions as well as history.

Cinematics
Like the previous edition, this tab is optional and provides the player to insert a short video clip related to the scenario both before and after the game based on whether the player successfully completed the scenario. To perform this action, the video file must be present in the "data" folder of the "Age of Empires II" folder.

Triggers
The "triggers" feature enables the player to create effects that are activated only by satisfying certain conditions. The triggers have been used for a wide variety of scenarios in lots of different "genres", e.g. Defend-the-Spot, Role-playing games and Fixed Force. The Triggers tab was updated with the Conquerors expansion pack that added new features like the "Change Object Name", "Change Object HP" and "Change Object Attack" effects, which enabled the creation of more customised units. For example, the designers didn't need to use the old, historical heroes anymore: any fantasy theme could now be created. Triggers can also be looped if the box is checked. This reactivates the trigger repeatedly until the game is over.

Glitches
Triggers can initiate several bugs that may impact gameplay, both positive or negative. Most of the glitches are minor and do not affect the game system. The most serious it can get is forcing the game to crash unexpectedly.
 * For example, looping triggers can be useful in small amounts, but if this option is used in conjunction with extraordinarily high values, glitches and even crashes can occur. A similar situation can occur If too many triggers go off at once. Using values that exceed certain numbers without looping can also create similar problems. Anytime when the amount exceed a limit, each of the following scenarios can happen even if the trigger is not looped.
 * On a similar note, exceeding the 999,999,999 resource capacity may cause the resource display digits to go off screen. A single tribute of more than this amount can also cause a similar problem. An even larger number exceeding the limit will result the following:
 * The tribute may be reduced to any random value below 1,500,000,000 of any resource. Once the player exits the playtest of that scenario, that random value will appear automatically in the quantity section of the effect tab.
 * A more extreme case exist in which a bug will cause the resource display to freeze and render the player's economy useless since it prevents development of units and technologies. Sometimes, the resource display number will be negative. Upon exiting the scenario, the quantity of that tribute is set to 0.
 * A similar situation can also occur when rewarding additional hit points for certain units and buildings. For military units, especially cavalry and infantry, this can be a problem. Exceeding 30,000 hit points at any rate initiates a bug that can cause unexpected death of that unit. Alternatively, a similar bug can cause the hit points of a unit to exceed the limit. This occurs when the green bar displaying amount of hitpoints veers off screen towards the right. This can occur at any time, but is less common among military units and is more common to converted units and civilian units, especially villagers. Damaged buildings may also face this situation. Buildings that constantly gain hit points may retain their appearance even as the player advances through different ages.
 * In more extreme cases, the hitpoints can increase faster than the limit. This is especially common to villagers and similar units. If this happens, the green bar may veer off course so fast that the green bar no longer exists. The green bar would be replaced by a red one with high digit negative numbers to the right side upon clicking that unit. If this continues, the number may be set to 0, which indicates that the unit is now invincible.