Scenario Design

by Talon-Thorn

At the top right of the map editor are two tabs, the Map tab and the Events tab. This article is about the basic components of the "Events" tab and has been divided into 5 parts:

• Part I: The Event Settings on the Events Main Tab
• Part II: The Trigger Settings on the Events Main Tab
• Part III: The Condition Settings on the Event Conditions Tab
• Part IV: The Conditions List on the Events Main Tab
• Part V: Using Units and Structures in Scripts
• The Appendix: List of Events, Triggers, and Conditions with Additional Reference Links

Getting Started

Clarification: To prevent confusion, the "Events" Tab consists of what I am calling the "Events Main Tab" (reached by clicking on "Main") and the "Events Conditions Tab." Both tabs are sub-tabs of the Events tab. For now, you do not need to know about the Events Conditions Tab, as you can make an event without ever using the Conditions Tab. The Events Conditions Tab will be discussed later in this article. Suffice it for now to know that you can switch between these two tabs by clicking the "Main" button to get to the Events Main Tab, or the "Conditions" button to get to the Events Conditions Tab.

The first step in creating an event is to click on the Events tab. Very Important Note: You will have to click on "New" to make an event. Don't be fooled by the look of it - when you first switch to the Events tab, there are no default events and you cannot fill in the blanks in the display until after you've created a new event. The "New" button is toward the bottom of the "Event Settings" tab.

The names of all events you create are displayed in a list to the left of the event settings. When you create a new event, it defaults to the "Center View" event and is given the default name "Center View." Later, when you want to edit or review an event, click on its name to see its settings.

TIP: To quickly make a duplicate of an existing event, select the event in the events list, press ctrl-c, then press ctrl-v. This will create an exact duplicate event in the events list, even with the same name as the original.

With the Events tab selected, you are now ready to make your first event. Begin by clicking the "New" button to make a new event. Events are composed of three parts: "Event Settings", "Trigger Settings", and "Conditions".

1. Event settings define what happens when the event occurs. An event is defined by a type, name, and activate setting.
2. Trigger determines what must happen to make the event occur. An event will only occur when the trigger is tripped.
3. Conditions are additional situations (if any) that must be present for the event to occur when the trigger is tripped.

Clarification: All conditions must be satisfied before the trigger is tripped for the event to occur. An event occurs only when a trigger is tripped, and not when condition is satisfied. If the trigger is tripped and then one condition that does not hold is satisfied, the event will not occur until the trigger is again tripped.

For example, for an "Enter Area" trigger, the event will occur when a party enters the defined area and all conditions are satisfied. If all conditions are satisfied only after a party enters the defined area, the event will not occur until that party leaves the area and re-enters, or another party enters the defined area.

Now let's begin by looking at the event settings in Part I.