Creating Successful Scenarios
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Welcome to a guide to creating a successful scenario!
--Since map-editors were around players have customized the feel of multi and single-player gaming. Not everybody has the patience, or the skills to jump forward and create a detailed map, thats unique and really fun to play. Numerous campaigns/scenarios have been created, and lost attention because they weren't outstanding. Well I'm here to give you some tips on how to create that "outstanding" scenario/campaign.
First of all, plan your scenario/campaign
I don't know about you, but I can't dive into the editor and work magic, simply because I don't know what to base my creation on, and where the story leads to in a campaign.It has been proven that pre-planning can have positive results, a very effective way to making sure your designs stick out from the rest. Here are some tips on how to plan your maps:
- Write your ideas on a piece of paper, list causes and effects for ideal triggers and build an interesting story line (campaign)
- Brainstorm on great ideas that would make a unique multiplayer map
- Create lists of the events that will occur in your scenario
Putting your plans to work
For some, this part is frustrating, for others its enjoyable.Whichever category you fall into, the best part of making something is finishing it. This is where you take your ideas and mold them into the form of a .scn. If you want to make something special that sticks out from the crowd, patience must be one of your virtues. The maps from the workers at Microsoft & ES have lots of work put into them, therefor the campaign is detailed and very interesting, let alone its also historical. Which brings the process of research into mind.If you are going to base your map/campaign historically, research all you can on it.
Making an interesting map
An interesting map sticks out. You know why? Its layout was previously and thouroghly planned. Let's face it, we love eyecandy. With all of AoE3's objects (i.e bushes, flowers) at your disposal this should be easily done. Each part of the map is covered with lush eyecandy, and each part should be unique. In missions try to make things unusual, do something fresh or your campaign will become one of the unnoticed ones. Don't just make it so that you build an army, conquer your opponent and the mission is over, try something differant because we can just do that in single/multi-player. Make objectives tough, with obstacles placed. A good map ensures that you cannot just walk to one side through one path. Mountains/Cliffs/Rivers and Forests are great, natural obstacles. Walls, buildings are great artificial blockings. If you are making a multi-mission campaign, let the story (which is the campaigns general lure) unreveal itself in a good pace among the campaign. Strectch it out according to how many missions total your campaign is. Each end of a campaign should be great, it is what the player has been waiting for. This is where your idea brain-storming comes into place. Have a great way to finish the campaign, such as the princess that was kidnapped that you rescued is a traitor, and has let the army waiting outside your gates into your town, catching you off-guard is just one example. Although the end may be the most appealing thing in a campaign, dont rush into to fastly. Everything has to come onto an non-understanding player at a understandable rate.
Tips on creating a nicely detailed map
- Take your time, work on your creation for hours, even days
- Dont rush it, go at a slow pace and make sure things get done right
- After completing every map, make sure it is bug free and the triggers and cinematics play out smoothly
My philosophy on a map
Eye Candy is the thing that sticks out the most, your maps should have lots of it. Underestimating a great story, and a smooth pace of missions has left numerious campaigns doomed to the alleys of the net. Take your maps seriously, plan them, build them accordingly. Always debug your maps before their release.Inspect each and every trigger also. The interface of AoE3’s map editor is simple and easy to use, even for unexpierenced map creators. All said, so what are you waiting for! Get out there and impress the AoE3 community with a jaw-dropping scenario/campaign!
Original Link
[1] (http://aom.heavengames.com/cgi-bin/forums/display.cgi?action=ct&f=13,14876,25,all)
