Triggers Manual

by Talon-Thorn

List of Triggers

* New event; ** Old event no longer available (but see notes)

NOTES

1) When a trigger is set off, its event occurs “immediately.” However, the player order can sometimes cause this to seem otherwise. If an event is triggered by one player and viewed by another player, and the event is of a type that occurs only at the beginning of a turn (such as diplomacy), then the event will occur on the first turn the event-player has following the trigger-player, even if it is the next day. This is true even for simultaneous turn games in pbem and multiplayer-online.

For example, if we have player order “player A, player B,” and for day 2 player B has a “New Turn” trigger that evokes a “Show Message” event for player A, player A will not see the message until day 3. On the other hand, if player A has a “New Turn” trigger to evoke a “Show Message” event for player B on day 2, player B will see the message on day 1 (since player 1’s “new day” has not yet occurred).

2) For classic turn games, for any event, if the trigger-player’s turn follows the event-player’s turn, the event will not be viewable by the player until the following day, but will be listed in the events log as having occurred on the day it was triggered.

Contact Player

DESCRIPTION: Trigger event when a player is first contacted by another player.

OCCURS: Once per game, immediately when “Viewing Player” player can see one of “Players” player’s units or structures. Does not have to occur during the “Viewing Player” player’s move. Trigger is tripped even if “Players” player moves a unit into view and then backs out of view (or vice versa).

SETTINGS:

Players – List of players who are to have first contact with “Viewing Player.”
Required : Yes
Valid Values : One or more players, independents

Viewing Player – Player who’s viewing area determines the trigger area.
Required : Yes
Valid Values : One player

Bidirectional – Undetermined
Required : Yes
Valid Values : False (default), True

NOTES:

  • This trigger has not been retested since patch 1.2.

Counter Change

DESCRIPTION: Trigger event when specified counter is changed.

OCCURS: Immediately when counter’s value is set to a value between the min and max specified values.

SETTINGS:

CounterID – ID number assigned to counter.
Required : Yes
Valid Values : Positive number.

CounterMin – Minimum value of counter.
Required : Yes
Valid Values : Positive number

CounterMax – Maximum value of counter.
Required : No
Valid Values : Number

NOTES:

  • This trigger has not yet been fully analyzed.
  • It is possible to set a timer on “New Turn” by using this trigger; normally setting timer with “New Turn” will simply fail. Use a “New Turn” trigger to set a counter to “1,” then use this trigger set to go off on the value “1” with event “Set Timer.”

Diplomatic Action

DESCRIPTION: Trigger event when specified diplomatic action occurs.

OCCURS: When diplomatic event occurs.

SETTINGS:

PlayerFrom – Players who executes the diplomatic action.
Required : Yes
Valid Values : One player

PlayerTo – Player who is the target of the diplomatic action.
Required : Yes
Valid Values : One player

Action – Type of diplomatic action.
Required : Yes
Valid Values :
edaWar – PlayerFrom declares war on PlayerTo
edaPeace – PlayerFrom offers peace to PlayerTo
edaAlliance – PlayerFrom offers peace to PlayerTo

NOTES:

  • This trigger has not yet been analyzed.

Enter Area

DESCRIPTION: Trigger event when a player’s party enters specified area (but see notes).

OCCURS: This event is more appropriately titled: “change in party within area.” A change can be 1) a party entering the area, 2) a party joining or leaving another party, where both start and remain within the area, or 3) a party attacking another party within the area.

SETTINGS:

Players – List of players who can trip the trigger.
Required : Yes
Valid Values : One or more players, (not) independents*

XYL – Coordinates on map upon which the trigger area is centered.
Required : Yes
Valid Values : Valid (X, Y, Level) coordinates

Radius – Radius distance in hexagons around the XYL location (where zero is the XYL hexagon only).
Required : No (default zero, or target hexagon only)
Valid Values : Positive number

StopMovement – Determines when the trigger is tripped and how this affects the triggering party.
Required : Yes
Valid Values : True (trigger is always tripped when party “changes” in the area, and party is stopped in the first hexagon it enters within the area), False (party is unaffected, and must have a move-destination within the area for the trigger to be tripped).

NOTES:

  • Entering the trigger area via teleporter sets off this trigger, as does the events “Teleport,” “Spawn Unit,” and “Units Join.” A wizard respawning to a wizard tower sets off the trigger too, but only if it is not day 1.
  • Beware! If the event is set to activate “always,” the trigger can fire multiple times in response to a single “change.” I could not figure out what determines how many times the trigger fires. In one test, I had innumerable red dragons spawn from an “Enter Area” trigger tied to a “Spawn Unit” event!
  • This trigger does not work for independents!

Explore Structure

DESCRIPTION: Trigger event when a specified structure is revealed by a player.

OCCURS: When fog of war hiding the structure is cleared for player.

SETTINGS:

Players – List of players who can trip the trigger.
Required : Yes
Valid Values : One or more players, independents

StructureID – ID number of the structure.
Required : Yes
Valid Values : ID of any city, tower, node, or resource site on the map

NOTES:

  • This trigger has not yet been analyzed.

Flag Structure

DESCRIPTION: Trigger event when a specified structure is flagged by a player.

OCCURS: When structure is flagged.

SETTINGS:

Players – List of players who can trip the trigger.
Required : Yes
Valid Values : One or more players, independents

StructureID – ID number of the structure.
Required : Yes
Valid Values : ID of any city, tower, node, or resource site on the map

NOTES:

  • Josborne wrote: Capturing a Rift Node for the first time (ie. when the Rift Node is bound to your sphere) does not cause an event with a Trigger:Flag Structure event that is set to the Rift Node’s ID to “trigger”.

Game Over

DESCRIPTION: Trigger event when a specified player has a specified amount of gold.

OCCURS: When player loses the game.

SETTINGS:

Players – List of players who can trip the trigger.
Required : Yes
Valid Values : One or more players

Return to the Top

Gold Reached

DESCRIPTION: Trigger event when a specified player has a specified amount of gold.

OCCURS: Once per game, when specified gold amount is first attained (see notes), due to income or spending.

SETTINGS:

Players – List of players who can trip the trigger.
Required : Yes
Valid Values : One or more players, independents

GoldMin – Minimum amount of gold to attain.
Required : Yes
Valid Values : Positive number

GoldMax – Maximum amount of gold to attain.
Required : No
Valid Values : Number

NOTES:

  • If GoldMax is less than GoldMin, trigger occurs when GoldMin is exceeded. Otherwise, player must have an amount of gold between GoldMin and GoldMax to trip trigger.
  • There seems to be no practical reason for using “independents.”

Interface Click

DESCRIPTION: Function and purpose of this trigger is unknown.

OCCURS: Undetermined.

SETTINGS:

InterfaceControl – The purpose of this field could not be determined.
Required : Unknown
Valid Values : Unknown. Text can be entered in this field.

Kill Unit

DESCRIPTION: Trigger event when a specified unit is killed by player.

OCCURS: When specified unit is killed by a specified player (see notes).

SETTINGS:

Players – List of players who can trip the trigger.
Required : Yes
Valid Values : One or more players, independents

UnitID – ID number of unit who’s death will set off the trigger.
Required : Yes
Valid Values : ID of any unit on the map

NOTES:

  • Prior to patch 1.2, this trigger could not deal with a situation where the unit was killed by independents.
  • Wizard units can not be “killed” when they have a wizard tower to respawn at after death. Thus, this trigger does not work for detecting the killing of a wizard unit unless the player owns no cities with wizard towers. Furthermore, when the wizard is killed he is not absent from the world if he has at least one wizard tower; thus, it isn’t possible to “detect” the killing of a wizard by use of the “unit in area” condition.

Mana Reached

DESCRIPTION: Trigger event when a specified player has a specified amount of mana.

OCCURS: Once per game, when specified mana amount is first attained (see notes), due to income or spending.

SETTINGS:

Players – List of players who can trip the trigger.
Required : Yes
Valid Values : One or more players, independents

ManaMin – Minimum amount of mana to attain.
Required : Yes
Valid Values : Positive number

ManaMax – Maximum amount of mana to attain.
Required : No
Valid Values : Number

NOTES:

  • If ManaMax is less than ManaMin, trigger occurs when ManaMin is exceeded. Otherwise, player must have an amount of mana between ManaMin and ManaMax to trip trigger.

New Turn

DESCRIPTION: Trigger event at the beginning of a new turn.

OCCURS: At the beginning of a turn, before all other triggers.

SETTINGS:

Players – List of players who can trip the trigger.
Required : Yes
Valid Values : One or more players, independents

Pickup Item

DESCRIPTION: Trigger event when a specified item is picked up by player.

OCCURS: Each time specified item is picked up by a specified player.

SETTINGS:

Players – List of players who can trip the trigger.
Required : Yes
Valid Values : One or more players, independents

ItemID – ID number of an item.
Required : Yes
Valid Values : ID of any item in the items list

Quest

DESCRIPTION: Trigger event when a specified quest is complete.

OCCURS: When quest is complete (as specified by a “Spirit Quest Control” event), or if quest offer is declined.

SETTINGS:

Players – List of players who can trip the trigger.
Required : Yes
Valid Values : One or more players, independents

Outcome – Outcome of quest.
Required : Yes
Valid Values : Pre-defined quest outcome type. Choose from: qoSucceeded, qoFailed, qoDeclined

QuestID – Unique, user-defined ID number for quest.
Required : Yes
Valid Values : Positive number

NOTES:

  • There seems to be no practical reason for using “independents.”

Raze Structure

DESCRIPTION: Trigger event when a specified structure is razed by player.

OCCURS: Each time specified structure is razed by a specified player.

SETTINGS:

Players – List of players who can trip the trigger.
Required : Yes
Valid Values : One or more players

StructureID – ID number of the structure.
Required : Yes
Valid Values : ID of any city, tower, node, or resource site on the map

NOTES:

  • Prior to patch 1.2, this trigger could not deal with a situation where the structure was razed by independents.

Rebuild Structure

DESCRIPTION: Trigger event when a specified structure is rebuilt by player.

OCCURS: Each time specified structure is rebuilt by a specified player.

SETTINGS:

Players – List of players who can trip the trigger.
Required : Yes
Valid Values : One or more players, independents

StructureID – ID number of the structure.
Required : Yes
Valid Values : ID of any city, tower, node, or resource site on the map

NOTES:

  • This trigger has not been retested since patch 1.2

Request Reply

DESCRIPTION: Trigger event when a specified request is replied to.

OCCURS: When a request is answered.

SETTINGS:

Players – List of players who can trip the trigger.
Required : Yes
Valid Values : One or more players, independents

RequestID – Outcome of quest.
Required : Yes
Valid Values : Positive number

Reply – Unique, user-defined ID number for quest.
Required : Yes
Valid Values : rrYes (default), rrNo

NOTES:

  • There seems to be no practical reason for using “independents.”
  • This trigger works automatically in conjunction with the “Request” event.

Timer

DESCRIPTION: Trigger event when specified timer expires.

OCCURS: At the beginning of a turn, just prior to the “New Turn” event (see notes).

SETTINGS:

TimerID – ID number assigned to timer.
Required : Yes
Valid Values : Positive number.

NOTES:

  • This trigger has not yet been fully analyzed.
  • It will appear to a player that the event triggered by this trigger occured at the end of the prior day; however, the triggered event will not be seen in the events list until the day the timer expired — the triggered event which gets listed in the events list will be listed prior to the “new turn” event.
  • Trigger order is affected by this trigger, meaning that the events triggered by it will not necessarily occur in the same order as they are listed in the scenario’s scripted events list.

Tutorial Event

DESCRIPTION:This is a AoW2:WT event. It may be (not checked) imported when loaded into AoW:SM. The function and working of this trigger has never been determined.

OCCURS: Unknown

SETTINGS:

TutorialID – ID number of a tutorial event.
Required : Yes
Valid Values : Pre-defined tutorial event number.>

NOTES:

  • I could not get tutorial events to work. It may be that they work only in campaign maps.

BACK TO SCENARIO DESIGN MAIN MENU