Hi! On behalf of the staff here at AoE3 Heaven let me welcome you to the scenario design forum. This thread should give you an overview of what is available here and should help you find your way around. You're about to enter into a community steeped in tradition and with a wealth of talent, so take a look around, take in as much as you can and most importantly enjoy yourself.

What is this forum for?

Scenario design covers all areas of making custom-made maps, from compiling triggers, to adapting terrain to make maps look beautiful, to writing the perfect storyline, to writing complex RMS code to write a random map script.

The forum and Wiki are for many things, including discussing ideas and concepts, answering any questions you may have, getting playtesters to test your scenario, and for talking about scenario design with the community in general.

For discussions on modding, which is the art of modifying the game files to change and add new content, take a step next door to the modding discussions forum, or have a look around the modding section on the main site.

On your way around the forums you may see some people with coloured names. These are site staff, and they're there to help you. The current scenario design and modding staff are Argalius and Luke M, with forum moderating assistance from Elpea and Stonewall J.

I have a question, where can I get the answer?

Firstly, the best place to go is the scenario design Wiki. The Wiki contains a huge knowledge base of articles, guides and information all for scenario design. For more on the Wiki, check out the separate thread in this forum.

Another good place to have a look is for threads in this forum. Many questions will have been asked before you, so it is quite possible someone has already answered your question. The best way to search this forum is by using the search boxes at the bottom of the page.

For example, if you are having trouble with the "Modify Protounit" trigger, and the Wiki hasn't helped, then by searching for "protounit" in the "Subject:" box, a list of all thread titles containing "protounit" will be listed. You'll most likely find that the answer to your question is in one of those.

If all else fails, then head over to the Scenario Design Library thread and post your question there, or if your problem is quite big, create a new thread. When making a post about your problem or question, be sure to include as much information and be as detailed as you can. This saves a lot of time and avoids confusion, but always check whether your question has been answered before.

Where can I download other peoples scenarios? Where can I upload my own?

The downloads section is the place to go for downloading and uploading custom content. For more on the downloads section, such as news, reviewing and general questions, go to the downloads section thread.

Can I play custom scenarios on ESO?

Not at the moment. ES have said they will implement this feature in the future. At the moment custom made random map scripts (RMS) ARE playable on ESO. For more on such scripts, go here or download some user made ones here.

Useful Links:

These links should be invaluable to any budding scenario or RMS designer. Check them out!

• The Wiki - the largest collection of articles relating to scenario design for Age of Empires III. If you have a question, this is the place to go first.
  
• Downloads Section - the place for all custom-made maps, mods, random map scripts and AI files for Age of Empires III.
  
  • Single Player Scenarios
    
  • Random Map Scripts
    
  • AI Files
    
  • Modpacks
    
  • Miscellaneous Files
• Eye Candy Gallery - this gallery contains the winning screenshots from the regular screenshot competition. Head over here for inspiration for your maps or just to look at some fantastic images.
  

[This message has been edited by Luke M (edited 07-07-2006 @ 05:29 PM).]