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This article is about the Scenario Editor in Age of Empires III. For the Scenario Editor in other games of the Age of Empires (series), see Scenario Editor. |
The Scenario Editor main screen
The Scenario Editor in Age of Empires III builds off its predecessor and includes newer features allowing for greater customization and versatility in game design and architecture. Among the most notable feature is the ability to create triggers, which enable more sophisticated gameplay.
Map[]
The map function builds from its predecessor, offering more maps and templates which can be generated randomly. In addition to map size, the number of players and teams can also be set. Map size can be either of the following:
- Normal
- Large
A blank normal sized canvas with grass terrain will be generated by default.
All maps available in skirmishes can also be randomly generated in the editor. The following maps that can be generated are:
- Amazonia
- Bayou
- Caribbean
- Carolina
- Great Lakes
- Great Plains
- New England
- Pampas
- Patagonia
- Rockies
- Saguenay
- Siberia
- Sonora
- Texas
- Unknown
- Yucatán
- Yukon
Terrain[]
There are a great many more terrain types compared to preceding editor. All terrain types seen in Campaign and Skirmishes are available in the editor.
Players[]
Included in the Player Data tab, one can edit details of the players, this includes their civilization, resource count, name, color. AI, and team number.
Objects[]
The former "units" tab has been replaced with Objects. Under this tab one can filter the following.
- All
- Units (Infantry, Cav, Heroes, navy)
- Buildings (All buildings including special campaign pieces)
- Embellishment (visual elements such as fire, rain, and plants)
- Nature (tab includes sockets for natives and trade routes)
- Current (A listing of all objects currently on map)
- Test
The tab is organized such that navigation is more easy than in previous versions. In the Definitive Edition, a search bar was added to facilitate the player's search for a particular unit. If too many units are placed on the map however, the game may lose performance which may vary depending on the amount of objects placed and the abilities of the player's operating computer. Placing too many units, especially with AI, may worsen this issue.
Triggers[]
This feature enables the player to create and activate a variety of effects once certain conditions are met.
There are three basic elements of a trigger and are as follows.
- Trigger
- Name (Name of the trigger)
- Options (Set whether the trigger is active, will loop, or run immediately)
- Priority (Set importance of trigger from high to low)
- Conditions (Specify conditions for trigger's activation)
- Effects (Specify what the trigger will do upon activation)
Triggers can be used to enhance scenarios, simulate many genres, and even recreate the campaign.
Clever use can allow players to create their own story-lines and multiplayer minigames. One feature players have access to are the game's sound files. These include, but are not limited to all music found in the campaign, voice dialogues, and sound effects.
Players may also add their own custom sounds by adding files to the game's folder.