How to Make a Covered Cave
From AgeofWiki
This tutorial is a step-by-step walkthrough on how to create actual Underground Caves using the Scenario Editor in AOE III with The Asian Dynasties Expansion.
Using the Editor's cave entrance props and cave terrains can create a dim, underground atmosphere, but there are precious few terrain props indeed which let units pass beneath them, and NONE which let units walk on top AND beneath them.
To get around this, you can elevate large buildings and terrain objects on top of pillars to make a "roof". While most buildings have an impassable "footprint", some do not: some Nature props, some Wonders, and Rice Paddies cover a nice large area, can be supported by one pillar, and permit units to pass freely under all or part of their "footprint". You can make a near-seamless hamlet of fields, parks, and Wonders overlying a hidden but fully traversible cave.
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Planning Your Cave Scenario
The Underground Cave should go in a hilly area, with cliffs on either side of a channel (the cave). Pick a part of the map that does not require units to cross the cliffs that will make up the walls of your Cave. Ideally you want to orient the Cave so people will want to pass units through it.
The cave openings should be oriented so that players can see what's going on a fair distance inside. Choose lighting and orient your cliff-walls accordingly. A good guideline is you should be able to see at least the first 1/4 of the Cave without rotating the map. Additionally, you should be able to tell what types of units are inside if you can only see their silhouettes. A shorter Cave with a high roof is best for these considerations.
Lastly, remember units passing underneath can (and will) attack units and buildings overhead, and vice versa. Putting a Fort in your canopy village is the fastest way to ruin the illusion of a hidden, secret cave, as units sneaking past will be fired at from directly above. To minimize the chance for unwanted interaction between cave units and the town above, increase the height of the cave ceiling pillars, or use neutral buildings and props in the canopy village.
Building the Cave
Turn on the map grid (minor tickings). Start with two cliffs oriented roughly parallel. Place pillars at even intervals around the floor of the cave area, at least one small square apart at the base.
Paint the pillars with the cave terrain of your choice. Blackmap works well. Cave terrains, Patagonia dirt, and Bayou dirt work well for the floor. You can also turn the pillars into cliff-pillars using a dark, stony cliff type: Patagonia and Cave both work well. Those pillars closest to the opening need more cosmetic attention than the ones deeper inside the cave.
Test the pathing of various types of units through your cave pillars. Medium groups of infantry, cavalry, artillery, and wagons should be able to get through without getting trapped in terrain.
Pillar height should be the same height as the top of the Cave Entrance Props. Place your Cave Entrance props at each end now and make some test pillars, adjusting the terrain elevation until your pillars come right up to the top of the "arch". This is so that your overhead village buildings and props will be on the same level with the arch and blend with it.
Once you find the proper elevation, edit all your support pillars and your flanking cliffs to match this height. When you're done, cap each pillar with a 1x1 SPC Path Block cube, so units marching through your Cave won't march up and over the pillar tops and peek out between the rice stalks.
Lastly, go back over your cliff walls with the Cliff Tool to make the cliffs continuous on both sides. This is to keep surface units from wandering into the Cave from the town above.
Building the Town Roof
Place buildings and props you will need to the side, by the cliffs. Position them over the pillars as shown. Orient them so they mesh with their neighbors seamlessly. Use a variety of buildings, rice paddies, and terrain objects in different orientations to create a plausible village. It will tend to appear cluttered; if this is excessive, consider merging one or more pillars along the sides, and painting them with a compatible terrain; leave this area uncovered so it appears to be an empty field or lawn.
Place buildings and terrain props along the edges of the cliffs to interlock with the pillar buildings. Let them hang over the edge of the cliffs. Extend the village theme out along the cliffs and highlands.
Lastly, test the pathing through the cave again, using the same groups of units as before. Building footprints overhead can affect pathing. You can minimize "footprint obstruction" by using only Rice Paddies and PROP Underbrush Jungle moss carpets over the central pillars.
You can place additional units and props on pillars to show villagers and animals at "work" in the village. Remember that villagers on top of pillars cannot work Rice Paddies or Mango Groves.
Bringing It All Together
Cliffs: Pick a cliff type that matches the dry scrub-texture of the Cave Entrance Prop. If using snowy Cave Entrances, pick a rocky snow cliff type like Himalayas or Rockies.
Lighting: Check your lighting again. Make sure cave entrances are visible and it's obvious to the players that units can pass through. Consider putting small non-obstructive props on the surfaces and edges of pillars to hide the "flooded-furrows" appearance of Rice Paddy blanket terrain.
Practical Considerations: Test the scenario in the editor on Sandbox to look for buildings and units that attack each other. Often functional errors won't be apparent until you actually test it in a test-game.
For instance, placing a Confucian Academy wonder in your canopy town causes Flying Crows to spawn down into the cave if pop space permits. Trade routes passing through your Cave will give a telltale plume of smoke through the soil of the town when upgraded to Locomotive. It's difficult to task fishing boats to Fish or Whales placed deep inside water-bearing Caves, because you can't see them.
Testing at each step, and looking for potential problems before placing extensive terrain props, will help you fine-tune your Cave so it's realistic, attractive, and functional.
For more unique ideas about underground tunnels and caves, see Underground Pools and Streams and Underground Railroad.
