AGE OF WONDERS II
SCENARIO DESIGNER'S HALL

Welcome to the Age of Wonders II: The Wizard's Throne Scenario Designer's Hall, where you may browse through articles, read up on important mapmaking matters and share your knowledge with others. Feel free to drop us an e-mail if you have anything to contribute to this section. Articles, short suggestions, and additional information to the existing sections are most welcomed. Please read the Article Submission Guidelines which can be found here.

Section 1: Overview of Mapmaking and Important Reminders

• The Map Making Process In Summary
• AoW2 Scenario Review Guide
• The Readme.txt
• IMPORTANT Reminders In Scenario Designing

Section 2: Map Building How-to's and References

Some of these pages may take some time to load due to picture content.

• Basic Terrain Gallery
• Terrain Combination Effects Gallery
• AOW2 Mapmakers' Gallery: Room One | Two | Three
• Swolte's Gallery
  - Swolte's creations, with comments by the map designer
• King David's Gallery
  - King David's gallery and the techniques he use in his creations.
• Cazuul's "A Touch of Love To Your Map"
  - Cazuul shows us that extra effort can enhance the aesthetic quality of your map.
• Magog's "A Small Tip On Creating Pretty Islands"  
  - Magog demostrates how to use the raise terrain tool to create realistic looking islands.
• Adding Artistic Touches to Your Map
  - Talon-Thorn demonstrates more techniques on how to enhance and beautify your map.
• Making Extreme Mountains and Kewl Waterfalls (2 parts):
  • Part 1: How To Start Making This Terrain Effect
  • Part 2: Extreme Mountains and Kewl Waterfalls
    - Talon-Thorn's article on how to make mountain peak effects on your maps.
• Creating "Dark Grass" Effects
  - Damon Rellik shows us how to darken the grasslands.
  
  
• AOW2 Editor Interface (4 parts):
  • Part 1: Getting Around in the Editor
  • Part 2: The Toolbar
  • Part 3: The Map and Events Tabs
  • Part 4: The Main Map Window
    
    
• Reflecting Pool Channel Setting
• Army Properties and (AI) Behavior Settings
• More on AI Settings and How They Affect the Game
• City Properties
• Customizing Wizards
• The AI Block (a forum topic adaptation)
  
  
• Story Elements In AOW2 Scenario Design (5 parts):
  • Part 1: Do We Need A Story?
  • Part 2: The Map Background
  • Part 3: The Use of Tutorial Message Event As A Start-off Message
  • Part 4: Short Message Events (A little taste of what they can do.)
  • Part 5: Signs - A small but important story contributing element.
    
    
• How To Make A "Random" Map
  - The Jerk shows us how to create a simulated random map.

Section 3: Event Scripts and How to Use Them

• Event Scripting Resource Database
  
  
• Map Event Basics (a 5-part article written by Talon-Thorn):
  • Part 1: Introduction and Getting Started
  • Part 2: The Events Settings and Trigger Settings (on the Main Tab)
  • Part 3: The Condition Settings (on the Main Tab)
  • Part 4: The Conditions Tab
  • The Appendices: List of Events, Trigger and Condition settings.
    
    
• Events Guide  [133Kb] (Detailed explanations and notes)
  
  
• A Detailed Explanation On How Triggers Work
  
  
• Triggers Guide  [45Kb] (Detailed explanations and notes)
  
  
• Conditions Guide  [48Kb] (Detailed explanations and notes)
  
  
• Event-Trigger-Condition Quick Reference (compiled by Josborne)
  • Events List
  • Conditions List
  • Triggers List
    
    
• AI Behavior of Event Spawned Units
  
  
• AOW2 Movies List  (compiled by Josborne)
  
  

Section 4: Commentaries, Interviews and Scenario Design Notes

This section will feature articles in relation to anything that has to do with scenario design. From sharing about map making experiences to how to get ideas, etc.

• More Balanced Multiplayer Maps Needed For League Games
  - An Interview with LeagueAOW Lead Admin, Der Waggs
  
  
• Overcoming the Obstacles of Creativity
  - An Interview with Queen Elquein where she touches on how to get over corrupted map files and mapmaking burnout.
  • Part 1: Making Maps and Overcoming Obstacles
  • Part 2: Elquein's standards and playtesting methods
    
    
• Useful Sites and Utilities for the Scenario Designer
  - external resources for scenario design ideas.

Please send us your short suggestions and ideas for map making to this site. If you have a good idea, post it in the forum or send it in via email, OR BOTH! Let us know about any valuable tips you find in the forum so I can post it here for ease of finding it.

Have you found a mistake or spied some misinformation in the scenario design section? Do you know something that is noteworthy and should be mentioned? Send us an email.

Note that all these pages may be updated time and again to reflect new findings and to correct or add new information.

The suggestions in this section are by no means straight forward instructions that one is limited to but, hopefully, it will help spring new ideas for those who have just started dabbling in the editor. As it is said, let there be no limits to the human imagination.

Yes, we realize you have heard that before. We just want to make it very clear, that when it comes to creativity there is no straight road to how things should be done. Happy Mapmaking! - AoW Heaven Games Staff