As some of you want to know how to make high elevation or low elevation past the normal point.
I myself will put together some guides step by step on how to make higher/lower elevation!
Using random map scripting for extreme elevaion
I myself am no random map scripter but I have suceeded in making lower than normal elevation by using the higher than normal templates - see link below
It is possible to use random map scripts to create higher than normal elevation. I will be posting some lower than normal templates but for templates higher than normal, click this link:
http://www.geocities.com/hyenastudios/index.htm
I have now also uploaded some lower than normal templates for you to use also here:
http://aom.heavengames.com/downloads/showfile.php?fileid=5208
Load up the random map script in the editor and work from there. You cannot adjust the elevation or it will "jump" to normal elevation.
Creating extreme elevation without random maps
It is possible to create extreme elevation without the use of random maps. This way requires REYKS editor for this to work! I have only found it to work on expansion due for 2 reasons. Tremor works best but that is expansion. Earthquake works too but only really with god ower blocking on off. You could use earthquake on none expansion without god power blocking on off but it will take longer to work. Tremor works best!
Method for tremor:
place a gaia revealer on your map and make sure that you won't get defeated halfway through playtesting. e.g. you could turn victory conditions off. put a trigger on loop to tremor the place with the revealer by making gaia cast tremor. No need to grant tremor to gaia. Playtest the game and then save the game. e.g. quicksave using the shortcut key f8. Now go back into the editor and load your saved game. Find the place with the revealer and place a unit that CAN be tremored onto spot. The land with foul up and bits of it will go lower than ground level and other bits will go miles above the normal ground level. Keep doing it untill it gets as high as you want it then read the section called: "shaping the extreme elevation using the water tool"
Method for earthquake:
Simular method for tremor. Turn god power blocking on off and make earthquake invoke on loop on a spot. Load the saved game in editor and the ground will continue to rise in editor. When you want it to stop, delete the earthquake invoke trigger and playtest again. Just then simply return to the editor.
Shaping extreme elevation using the water tool
Once you have your extreme elevation, you still face a problem - how do you shape the land while keeping the extreme elevation? I myself have recently found out a way to solve this problem! Open your water tool. Now go to the box labled "paint land" and click it so that there is a cross in it. Paint some water ontop of the hill - fill the entire top of the hill. Now put some at the bottom of the hill. (right the way round the bottom of hill) Now make the brush bigger so it coveres the entire top of the hill and the water at the bottom. Hold alt and move your mousewheel, of hold ctrl and drag so it creates the huge brush. Position your brush ontop of the hill so that it covers all the hill and the river round the hill at the bottom and click. It will smoothen your hill AND drain some of the water ontop of your hill. Keep clicking untill your satisfied with what you have got. Now you can simply remove the water at the bottom of the hill by raising the land the normal way and smoothen it. Use that to create the hill at the top like so. There are other ways of using the water tool to create valleys using it too. If you practis, you will be able to get rid of any water. Practis will also allow you to create valleys without any water appearing in the first place!
The forest tool may not work properly on the hills you have shaped using the water tool, but it will allow you to place seaweed or other water objects in those places, even if you cannot see any water!
Notes on extreme elevation
Do not place buildings on the high elevation! It will muck it up! Same with using hekas, they will destroy the elevation. This means you can really have it on maps you can build on unless that area is unbuildable. You can make your own water types and use those to help you. I have made the shallowest water type that it will let you for the job and also one that is extremely deep. Any units that "fall" down these steep hills will delete themselves! Very useful for deep pits that are not circular, etc. Only works if you fall in! You can still walk down the hill though!
FAQ
Can you use hekas to create this high elevation?
No, hekas do not ignore the terrain height limit so they will not work.
Are there any god powers other than tremor and earthquake that work?
Not that I know of
Can you also create really high water too?
Yes, it is possible but I will not explain it here! Anyway, what is the use of it?
Can you use random map scripting trick for non expansion?
Yes, it is complete possible so no worry for non expansion folks!
Water thing won't work, it jumps to normal height!
Make sure that the paint land box is ticked!
When making my own shallow water type, why wont it pain at all?
The lowest depth that seems to work for water is 0.5 metres.
My hill using the tremor/earthquake trick is all jagged!
Try using the shaping water trick to smoothen it out!
The cliff stuff on the side of the map is all wierd!
playtest the map the go back into the editor.
I would like to give credit to M0ntly Python and Auron_ because I editted their extreme land height templates to create minus land height ones! I cannot random map script myself, only edit them!.
Please comment on this guide and ask me any questions on it. Also, post screenshots with your uses on or post me extra guides to go with it! The more information we have on it, the better!
This is quite a complex guide but it works and it is the only way I have found so far! Some of the steps may sound a bit strange but don't worry! Save it before you do this trick incase you mess up!
(1)Flatten the entire map to highest you can! (try to flatten it all without letting go of the mouse button because you will see why later)
(2)Go to world/map elevation:
If you have the new editor:
press the MAX button loads and loads of times.
Old editor:
press the move map up button tons of times and press apply
You need to do this loads of time if your on old editor because map dosn't move as much when you use that function.
(3)playtest the scenario - no need to save it.
(4)go back to editor and you will see the cliff stuff has disappeared!
(5)press the UNDO button and all your elevation will return to normal!
Press it more than once if you didn't manage to flattern the elevation in 1 go.
Thats it!
You can also do the opposite and get really high cliff on side of map too but only do this on SMALL maps or it will lag!
Very useful guide and I have fixed several peoples maps by doing so.
This trick does the following:
#Make forest disappear and be replaced by a blue glow when you character moves near it!
#Makes forest regrow when your unit moves away from area!
This makes a cool secret area for RPGs or other games! I would advise advanced deisgners to read this guide for it will come in good use on your maps! If this trick has been found before then please tell me!
This guide uses gaia forest(best forest to use) the arkantos boost sfx for the blue glow but you can change these
The following triggers are needed for it to work!
Trigger 1 (loop, active)
Conditions: always
effects: Change units in area
Select you character as the unit and set the forest as the unit to change from and titan atlantean as the unit for it to change to. Set radius from about 5 to 10 and put both players as 0.
Trigger 2 (loop, active)
Conditions: timer (1 second)
effects: change units in area
Place a cinematic block around the area of the forest and select that. Set the radius to larger that the forest area or the map itself. Put both players on 0 and make it change from invisible target to gaia forest tree.
Trigger 3 (loop, active)
Conditions: always
effects: change units in area (2)
For the first one:
Select the cinematic block again, put the radius to same as in trigger 2 whatever that was and put both players as 0. Make it change titan atlantean to invisable target.
For second one:
Same as the first on in trigger 3 except that you are changing titan gate dead to arkantos boost sfx.
Note to designers:
Please use invisable target as nothing else seems to work anywhere near as well. You can change the forest type and you can change the arkantos boost effect to any of your choice but DO NOT change the titan atlantean bit for it is need to make it work for when you place a titan you get 2 objects so you use the second object to do the glow.
There is a simplyfied version you can make where you only use invisable target and gaia forest tree (or any other forest) which will not create that cool glow.
If it doesn't work, check you are using the right objects and that everything is selected!
Please comment on this guide!