I am currently working on a small single-player scenario and I was wondering how you work with 'Difficulty'? I have been trying to use it to do different things but whenever I try to play the map in a different difficulty to easy it reverts back to easy. Could I please have some help on this matter, Thanks
Cabz =)

Cabz31, the difficulty level doesn't really do much by itself in custom scenarios.

You need to set up triggers to check the difficulty level and do things accordingly.

For example, if the difficulty level is Hard or higher then you might want to spawn more enemy units

Trigger - Spawn_on_hard
[x] Active
[_] Loop
[_] Run Immediately
Priority = High

Conditions
Difficulty Level
Operator is >=
Level = 2 (0=Easy,1=Moderate,2=Hard,3=Titan)

Effects
Army Deploy
Army = EnemyArmy
ProtoName = whatever unit
Location = wherever
Count = 30
Heading = 0
Clear Existing Units = ON

Here's a custom effect I made for using difficulty level, it sets a Quest Var depending on what the difficulty level is and you don't need to use the difficulty level condition for this:

   <Effect name="Difficulty Level QV Set">
      <Param name="QVName" dispName="Var Name" VarType="string">QV1</Param>
      <Param name="Cheasy" dispName="Value if Easy" VarType="string">1500</Param>
      <Param name="Moderate" dispName="Value if Moderate" VarType="string">1300</Param>
      <Param name="Hard" dispName="Value if Hard" VarType="string">1100</Param>
      <Param name="Titan" dispName="Value if Titan" VarType="string">900</Param>
      <Command>if (trGetWorldDifficulty() == 0) {</Command>
      <Command>trQuestVarSet("%QVName%", %Cheasy%);</Command>
      <Command>}</Command>  
      <Command>if (trGetWorldDifficulty() == 1) {</Command>
      <Command>trQuestVarSet("%QVName%", %Moderate%);</Command>
      <Command>}</Command>  
      <Command>if (trGetWorldDifficulty() == 2) {</Command>
      <Command>trQuestVarSet("%QVName%", %Hard%);</Command>
      <Command>}</Command>  
      <Command>if (trGetWorldDifficulty() == 3) {</Command>
      <Command>trQuestVarSet("%QVName%", %Titan%);</Command>
      <Command>}</Command>  
   </Effect>

You could use it to grant resources to the player e.g. give more gold if Easy or give more gold to the enemy if Titan

   <Effect name="QV Grant Resources">
      <Param dispName="$$22301$$Player" name="PlayerID" varType="player">0</Param>
      <Param dispName="$$22455$$Resource" name="ResName" varType="resource">food</Param>
      <Param VarType="string" dispName="$$23952$$Var Name" name="QVName">QV1</Param>
      <Command>trPlayerGrantResources(%PlayerID%, "%ResName%", trQuestVarGet("%QVName%"));</Command>
   </Effect>

Trigger - Give_Gold
[x] Active
[_] Loop
[_] Run Immediately
Priority = High

Conditions
Always

Effects
Difficulty Level QV Set
Var Name = Player_Gold
Easy = 999
Moderate = 666
Hard = 333
Titan = 0

QV Grant Resources
Player = 1
Resource = Gold
Var Name = Player_Gold

Difficulty Level QV Set
Var Name = Enemy_Gold
Easy = 0
Moderate = 333
Hard = 666
Titan = 999

QV Grant Resources
Player = 2
Resource = Gold
Var Name = Enemy_Gold

If you just want your enemy to have stronger human units, try this custom effect I made:

   <Effect name="Difficulty Level Adjust Human Soldiers Player Range">
      <Param name="PlayerMin" dispName="Player Min" varType="string">2</Param>
      <Param name="PlayerMax" dispName="Player Max" varType="string">12</Param>
      <Command>for (pid = %PlayerMax%; >= %PlayerMin%) {</Command>
      <Command>if (trGetWorldDifficulty() >= 1) {</Command>
      <Command>trTechSetStatus(pid, 478, 4);</Command>
      <Command>}</Command>  
      <Command>if (trGetWorldDifficulty() >= 2) {</Command>
      <Command>trTechSetStatus(pid, 479, 4);</Command>
      <Command>}</Command>  
      <Command>if (trGetWorldDifficulty() == 3) {</Command>
      <Command>trTechSetStatus(pid, 480, 4);</Command>
      <Command>}</Command>
      <Command>}</Command>  
   </Effect>

If difficulty is Moderate or higher, they will get Medium units tech
If difficulty is Hard or higher, they will get Heavy units tech
If difficulty is Titan, they will get Champion units tech

Trigger - Tough_Enemy
[x] Active
[_] Loop
[_] Run Immediately
Priority = High

Conditions
Always

Effects
Difficulty Level Adjust Human Soldiers Player Range
Player Min = 2
Player Max = 12

[This message has been edited by perpetual_n00b (edited 07-06-2012 @ 04:23 AM).]

@perpetual

in your first trigger watch out for this:

<Command>trQuestVarSet("%QVName%", êsy%);</Command>

the e isn't what it should be. i doubt that's an issue in your actual trigger but it'll get copied if left like that

Yeah, the forum occasionally misinterprets those things.

I'll fix it now.

ok i'm working on a new set of triggers and have encountered a problem..

one of the major things i wanted to address was using a "units in area" condition without a central unit. i looked at the v-triggers method and it uses a whole lot of queries which i have no idea how to use. before eplaining those to me i've wanted to ask about my workarounds.

1.) i haven't see "kbArmyCreate" in anyone's triggers at all, what's the deal on that does it not work?
2.) trcountunitsinarea requires a central unit; is there something else i can put in the first field other than something with a unit vartype?

3.) completely different from these others. i am completely oblivious to most C-programming, most things i do in any programming are here in aom. For doing mathematics i know it's very sloppy to use entirely trquestvarset, so i'd like to use defined terms such as "long h1=0", but the trigger i tried with that completely derped and i had no idea how to troubleshoot it. could i have an explanation on using these terms?


Thanks in advance

#3. You don't want to declare variables like in normal programming using var because of conflicts with variable scope in the AoM triggering environment. Here is how you want to do it:

<Command>for(convcount = 0; > 1){}</Command>
<Command>convcount=3;</Command>

The for statement forces AoM to create the variable convcount as an integer because its initial value is 0. Once declared, you can use this variable within your custom effect/condition as you like just as if you used a int (varname) = command.

Without going into complicated detail, here is how using int, float statements can go wrong. You cannot declare a variable with the same name more than once in the same scope(read on). Of course you wouldn't do this, but.... When you are making a custom Effect, you only see the code of that effect and let's say you need a counter variable and you use int x=0;. Then you are making a different custom effect and you need a counter again so you do int x=0; again. A trigger is actually a single function that is composed of all the effects that you added to it, so if you have added both those custom effects that each declare their own int x=0;, you will cause a duplicate variable declaration error (though AoM isn't nice enough to give you an error message, it just causes what we call 'trigger lock', i.e. none of your triggers run at all).

This is because a trigger has its own temporary memory space for your variables created for it when a trigger is run. Each effect of a trigger is processed and if requested, variables are created and written into this memory space, so if the first effect declares a variable x and another effect in the same trigger also declares x, you will get the conflict. The for statement trick works because any variable created using the for statement only exists within the even more temporary memory space of only that effect. Once all the code of that effect is finished, the memory that holds all the for-declared variables is erased and the variables and the values that they held cease to exist just as if you hit the clear button on a calculator. Now that they don't exist, they can be re-declared again in the next effect.

When you use int, float to create a variable, that variable exists across all effects in that same trigger(that is the scope of those variables) and keeps its value until the trigger is finished and then their memory space is wiped clean ready to be re-used for the next trigger. This also means that if in the first effect, x is declared and set with a value, then you can use that same x in the following effects and the value will persist between them - although this makes for confusing and sloppy programming.

So to conclude, variables have their short lived memory spaces that define the scope of their existence. You cannot redeclare a variable in the same scope. The variables mentioned here are local variables. QuestVar variables are global variables. Once they are given a value (and therefore created) using trQuestVarSet(), they exist for the life of the game and are a way for different triggers to share information between each other.

For deeper understanding, go into the editor and run your scenario. Return back to the editor then exit AoM directly from the editor without going back through the menus. Then in windows go into your My Documents/My games/Age of Mythology/trigger folder and open the trigtemp.xs file with a text editor. You will see how effects of a trigger combine into a single function and how all of your triggers exist in a long to do list of functions to run, top to bottom in the file. AoM starts at the top of this trigger 'to do' list and processes it to the bottom (using the priority setting to skip lower priority triggers every 2nd,3rd 4th time), then repeats this over and over again, creating scratch memory spaces between each trigger for local variables, then wiping it clear for the next trigger.

I hope that gives you some deeper insight into the happy world of triggering for AoM.

Name - v unit find coordinates/vector
Description - the trigger provides the X, Y, and Z coordinates (or a vector containing them) of a unit that I found using the target protounit query triggers created by HailToTheOboe.
I need a trigger that will provide me with the coordinates of a house that is damaged more than 20%, and move a fireman to that house. I already know how to burn the house and how to move the fireman to these coordinates, but I can't find the coordinates of the burning houses.

Here you go:

   <Effect name="v Quest Var Set from Unit Co-Ordinates">
      <Param name="QVName1" dispName="Var Name X" VarType="string">LocX</Param>
      <Param name="QVName2" dispName="Var Name Y" VarType="string">LocY</Param>
      <Param name="QVName3" dispName="Var Name Z" VarType="string">LocZ</Param>
      <Command>trQuestVarSet("%QVName1%", xsVectorGetX(kbGetBlockPosition(""+1*UnitID)));</Command>
      <Command>trQuestVarSet("%QVName2%", xsVectorGetY(kbGetBlockPosition(""+1*UnitID)));</Command>
      <Command>trQuestVarSet("%QVName3%", xsVectorGetZ(kbGetBlockPosition(""+1*UnitID)));</Command>
   </Effect>

I already had a non-v trigger version so it was easy to convert.

Edit: Actually, this one might be better for you if you've using the move to vector effects

   <Effect name="v Unit Position To QV Vector">
      <Param name="VQVName" dispName="Vector Name" VarType="string">V1</Param>
      <Command>trVectorQuestVarSet("%VQVName%", kbGetBlockPosition(""+1*UnitID));</Command>
   </Effect>

[This message has been edited by perpetual_n00b (edited 07-28-2012 @ 09:31 AM).]

be careful with that. when you try to specify one unit from the target protounit triggers like in perpetual's example, if there is more than 1 unit of that type it will choose the closest unit to the protunit search query centre unit.

perpetual_n00b - Many thanks for the effect. I have a problem with it. It works perfectly on its own, but it stops working when I add it to my scenario. What may the reason for that be?

Ghostoo - Thank you for pointing that out. In fact, it saves a lot of work to me, because this is exactly what I need.

ORm0rni, I can't be certain why it stops working in your scenario, but as I'm sure you know, the vector effects require the trigger loader.

The trigger loader needs to be in a trigger created before an effect that requires it, otherwise the effect won't work.

The easiest way to do that is to put the Activate Trigger Loader effect in the first trigger. If it's not already there, copy the first trigger (you can find what it is in the Fire Event drop down list as it lists them in order of creation), then change original to include only Activate Trigger Loader.

ok so if for{} holds effect-wide variables and float and int and etc don't, i'm having an issue. i've discovered (correct me if i'm wrong) that the for{} vars only hold integeters; whole numbers - which is completely logical as they're for adding +1 to a value until a condition is met. so for things that need the decimals after it i'd have to use float, which stays within the system for the whole trigger. so, as you can imagine, i'm asking how do you cope with this? is there a trick or do you just have to go and use floats?

Questvars are floats. They are bulky to use because you have to use trQuestVarGet and trQuestVarSet which is large just for a variable, but it will work. You just have to remember that they will have the value from the last time they were used which is in any trigger because it is global in scope. It is good practice in programming to set initial values to variables (usually set them to zero) before you start using them for calculations.

You don't need to even use for and I don't know why you do.
You can literally put int x; and define x. and use assignment like normally.

[This message has been edited by L33TSkillz (edited 08-13-2012 @ 12:39 PM).]

@L33TSkillz - we use for because if you make a trigger that has two or more effects with int x in it causes things to break as it applies to the whole trigger not just to the effect like variables declared in a for statement do.

For a more in-depth explanation see Elrich's earlier post

Is it possible to save a chat message in a quest string? If so, how would you do that?

I know this has been asked before, but I forgot the answer.

Here's a basic effect for saving player chat.

 
   <Effect name="QV Set String From Player Chat">
  <Param name="PlayerID" dispName="$$22301$$Player" VarType="string">1</Param>
      <Param name="S1" dispName="Var Name" VarType="string">QV1</Param>
      <Param name="tag" dispName="Chat tag" varType="string">name </Param>
      <Param name="length" dispName="Length of string" VarType="long">5</Param>
      <Command>string alphabet = "abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz1234567890 ";</Command>
      <Command>trStringQuestVarSet("%S1%","");</Command>
      <Command><![CDATA[for(n=1; <= %length%) {]]></Command>
      <Command><![CDATA[for(i=1; <= 37) {]]></Command>
      <Command>if(trChatHistoryContains("%tag%"+ trStringQuestVarGet("%S1%") +""+ String_charAt(alphabet,i), %PlayerID%)) {</Command>
      <Command>trStringQuestVarSet("%S1%", ""+trStringQuestVarGet("%S1%") +""+ String_charAt(alphabet,i));}</Command>
      <Command>}</Command>
      <Command>}</Command>
   </Effect>

You need to set a tag, for example 'Name: ', the effect will then save the rest of the line (up to Length of String) sent in chat after 'Name: ' (provided it is a number, letter or space) to a QV string.

[This message has been edited by perpetual_n00b (edited 08-20-2012 @ 06:35 AM).]

Thanks perpetual_n00b.

I have one problem though. Is it possible to save the result of the {playername(1)} code in a string? If I send the {playername(1)} code through a send chat command, the output is "Lewonas". But when I use your effect, it saves the quest string as (the chat input) "{playername(1)}".

I think {playername(1)} is like those commands that show LOS, Speed, etc and is just interpreted by the engine for display but not actually converted to a string.

well lewo just a minor thing but in my game it uses {playername(1}, maybe that's just an interpretation that the game accepts both.

and for the qv string i can't think of an actual way to take what's in the chat and put it into a qv, i could think of a major work on the "chat contains" conditions, but then there'd be an insta-oos

Hi, I'm a bit of a noob when it comes to triggers but I understand the basics at least. I've also done some very basic trigger work on my own single-player scenarios. Right now my titans version is broken so I'd appreciate it if you could please give your advice for just vanilla AOM.

I'm looking for 2 things really. The first is that I don't know how to make a tech available for research. I can set a tech status to 'active' but when I use 'available' or 'obtainable' the tech doesn't show up where it should. For example I want to make a scenario where even when I'm just loki, I can research all the norse techs and train all the myth units.
Can anyone help?

My second request is kinda related to the first. I want to be able to have the passive bonuses granted by each of the three major Norse Gods. So if the major god is Loki in the scenario I still want my human soldiers to regenerate, ravens to spawn, be able to train all armory techs in the foundry from the first age, hersirs to be stronger etc
When I tried this the major Gods appeared to cancel the bonuses of the the first.

I have looked around for the answers to these questions but have thus far been unsuccessful. I'd be very grateful if someone could help me out.

ok fire of fafnir

first of all, this actually belongs in the "Got a question? Post it here!" thread. the trigger request is actually to request a custom-made trigger to preform an action that the built-in triggers can't preform.

as for your questions:

using the set tech status, "available" is the status you should want it at. obtainable makes it so when the time comes, they're allowed to research it, whereas available should make it researchable from there, and active just enables that tech automatically for that player. some problems you might be running into are your god isn't allowed to research that tech (ie you can't research a pharaoh tech as a norse god). i'm not entirely sure, but with available you might need to be at the proper age to train that tech (which makes it identical to obtainable?). and make sure you're using the right building to train the tech (lol).

as for your second question, you can set your own modifications on a trigger and use the condition "player civilization". it basically says if they're this god, do this effect. so for the civilization name you actually put gods' names. i don't think it's a natural trigger so here it is:

    <Condition name="PLAYER Civilization">
        <Param name="Player" dispName="$$22301$$Player" VarType="player">1</Param>
        <Param name="Op" dispName="$$22297$$Operator" VarType="operator">==</Param>
        <Param name="MyString" dispName="Civilisation" VarType="string">Zeus</Param>
        <Expression>kbGetCivName(kbGetCivForPlayer(%Player%)) %Op% "%MyString%"</Expression>
    </Condition>

if you don't know how to add triggers, there's a guide on it in the main post of this thread.

Thanks Ghostoo, very helpful

Hello,i came up with a trigger idea.

v save has QVstring


Description:
save units name selected by the v search trigger inside a QVstring.

That would be a nice use of the QVstring trigger^^.

Thanks for help

[This message has been edited by oxHaNxo (edited 11-25-2012 @ 05:47 PM).]

In the question thread oxHaNxo asked:
Hello everyone, well i'm currently working on a single player rpg and i need some help about how i could do a trigger system that includes: ( take loots from dead units / drop items and have the capacity to take back the same item afterwards).
I have tested with army on unit condition (using invisible target), it has worked but the problem is that the game only takes into account the last army deployed... (so triggers will just work on the last item of same type dropped -_- )

---

Here's my train of thought:

First look at what dropped items do for the character:

give gold or some other resource

give them a weapon or armor which means in reality, increase their stats via modify protounit while weilding it.

....etc


The list of events around treasure dropping and using:
1. Kill a unit
2. randomize treasure(is it gold/weapon/armor-how much/how strong?)
3. create treasure that can be picked up
4. react to the event of picking up that treasure
5. if a weapon/armor, ask if they want to wield it, if gold just add it
6. if a weapon/armor, first you must 'remove' the current one
7. add the new weapon/armor

I think a relic is a good idea because it looks like gold and you can detect if a hero is carrying one or not. You mentioned using army deploy and I think you have 'clear units' selected so the army only contains the last item deployed. It sounds like you have come up with a solution for some of what I've mentioned here and I think the next thing you need are Questvars.

Questvars (QVs) can remember numbers for you and be available anywhere in your triggers. My idea using the unit id is a way you can store and retrieve a dropped treasure (relic)'s randomized type of treasure. Here is that idea in more detail:

Let's say treasure can be 1 of 3 things: gold, armor or a weapon. Make number codes for each type- gold=1 armor=2 weapon=3.

1. decide what the treasure is: gold, armor or weapon
2. choose random value for that type of treasure
3. army deploy the relic and determine the unit's unit id number.(you can select the army then get the unit id of the selected unit)
4. create questvars that store that unit's information:
let's say the unit id is 582. QVs can be named with a combination of text and numbers so create a QV using the unit id. We need to know the treasure type and the amount associated with that treasure type (i.e. if it's gold, how much? weapon-how much bonus for wielding it). Create a
qv with the name "trtype" + unit id - in this case 'trtype582' and the treasure amount "tramt582". When a hero picks up a relic and you want to know what it is, you can get that unit id and build the name of the QV that is remembering the type and amount: trquestvarget("trtype" + unitid).

You would also need to know what modification the current wielded armor or weapon is having upon the hero so make QV's that keep track of that as well. You could call them "curarmor" and "curweapon". When the hero wants to wield armor, you would first subtract the remembered armor modifier (which would start out as zero when the scenario starts), then add in the new treasure's modifier, then store THAT modifier in the 'curarmor' QV so you know how much to remove when it is dropped.

Since I still don't know what you have implemented so far and what type of treasure you have, I won't think this much further, but if this sounds like something useful for you we can get to more details.

---

In all your science of the mind, seeking blind through flesh and bone
Find the blood inside this stone
Well, I know I've never shown what I feel, I've always known
I plan my vengeance on my own - and I was always alone