You can't in the editor; the editor is always in discovery age.

Yeah you can't change how anything looks in the editor

It sounds like you're trying to get a screenshot of a certain part of your map but want the buildings to appear as they would after aging up. (And probably don't want to take an in-game pic because you want to be able to hide the UI and mini-map.)

Well, maybe try write a trigger for screenshot purposes only: Condition: Timer (whatever time you have set the comp to advance to the age you want to take pictures in) say 5 minutes, so that's 300 sec. Effect: User controls OFF and fog of war/blackmap OFF. You can probably also put your Camera controls/tracks and cut scene trigger here, so it will take you to the exact spot on the map you want a pic of, then Ctrl-F12 or Function-F12 that very instant to take your screenie. I havent tried this in the editor so it's just an idea I'm throwing out there...

Now after making those triggers, go in and play as that civ, so you have LOS on his/her buildings and units, but can allow the AI to control them and you can step in and do something as needed, for a better pic; then when the trigger takes away the user controls and stuff, take your shots.

Please let us know if this works...or if Moshe or Dallas answers, use their ideas instead (whichever comes first)

[This message has been edited by As_Saffah (edited 11-16-2007 @ 07:36 PM).]

try playing a single or multiplayer skirmish game in which the player you want or all players are in the age you want, say colonial. then quit and go into the editor and it should be in colonial.

That's interesting. I playtested Empire Earth and exactly that happened, the editor modified to the one instant when I left the game. I'm not sure if it would happen in Age of Empires III or how to make that work. I want to create neat terraces because most of the map will be city so this is where fighting will be (I'm trying to replicate the city of Bradford). If I played the game, and built the houses myself (this way I could delete wrongly orientated ones and the whole thing would be easier) then came back into editor and the changes had been made that would be very useful. Can this work like on EE?