Age of Kings Heaven

The title of this week's preview is very unseasonal, but one cannot blame Gaspar for starting such a project this early in the year so it can be played at the time the title suggests (so let that be a lesson to you all, get started on your Christmas themed scenarios now)! Autumn, as the title suggests, bases the scenario is everybody's favourite season (well for me anyway) - but it is about far more than clearing fallen leaves off lawns or settling back into the school term after weeks of free time. No, it is about something a lot, lot more interesting than that. Seeking inspiration from the real life tale of the race of life-saving serum along the Iditarod in 1925, 'Autumn' seeks to mimic this race against time across by making the player march across plague ridden lands to bring life and freedom back to their nation. Gaspar has been keeping low on the scenario design scene for some while, but his lack of activity does not mean his skill has become blunt. Far from it, Gaspar is back up to his usual high standard of designing that will impress new members of the community and veterans alike. My only criticism of Gaspar is that he has kept far too much time between his projects, but hopefully 'Autumn' will make his design skills fresh in our minds once again.

As touched on before, the story revovles around you, Sir Arthur, trying to bring back a magical serum back to your plague ridden nation. However, it is far more complicated than it sounds (as it always is). Sir Arthur was exiled by the Duke of Holt for 'personal reaons', but after witnessing the refusal of the Duke to aid ease the plague in his region Arthur realises something must be done. Despite having a death sentence placed on his head if he even returns, Arthur knows he must face this danger if he is to bring the cure, and stability, back to his homeland. So that's the story, but the core mechanics of the game equally match the quality of the writing. Being a mixed genre scenario there is plenty for everybody, and a fully intergrated difficulty setting means players of all abilities will be able to play and enjoy the scenario. Not only that, all these elements come together in what Gaspar promises to be a realistic map reflecting the true imagery of the autumn season.

Taking a break from creating an autumnal wonderland, Gaspar was able to spare a few quick words with me:

WFrom your screenshots it seems you are designing without the expansion pack. Don't you think that the immersion factor of the scenario will be broken by the fact there is a lack of a renaming trigger?

Gaspar: Learning to work against the editor's limitations is a challenge, one that I enjoy. In this case, having to be creative with my character's names may limit the range of "names" I can use, but does not detract from characterization. One advantage, on the other hand, is that it neatly negligates the "rename created units" problem without resorting to mod packs.

Related to the previous question, what exactly do you attempt to achieve by using the standard Age of Empires II editor? Is this just a mere tool to hype, or even 'cutting your nose to spite* your face' putting principles first instead of trying to push the boundaries and make your scenario the best it can be?

Gaspar: How to answer this? The easy way out is to say I only recently salvaged my Conqueror's CD from my broken CD drive. The real answer is unrelated, though. This is, for me, as much about the joy and challenge of designing a scenario as making a scenario to be played. Using the more limited editor presents a challenge that requires a lot of creativity to work around. I don't feel any element of the mission is detracted merely because I don't have access to some additional units or tricks Conqueror's made possible. On the contrary, I feel like easy-made resources diminish the accomplishment; in much the same way, say, as the Great Pyramids of Giza are impressive to us while the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas is not. I would think and design differently if there was something essential missing, for instance, a side-project of mine that is set during winter, and so using AoK alone would not work for it. A final consideration for me is that my most admired campaign is Ingo van Thiel's The King's Best Men, which was created before Conqueror's. Originality issues aside, I like to draw from works I have liked, and Ingo's works are very likable (haha).

'For the first time, a truly unique Autumnal map design' is a very bold statement, and borderline pretentious. What can you say to justify such a statement to the cynics amongst us?

Gaspar: Autumn represents a time of waning. Nature begins slowing down, dying off, preparing for the sleep of winter. This kind of fading, bleak atmosphere fits very well with the rest of the story. It's less than hopeful, it dwells in memories of the past and not hopes of the future, and tries to resolve the conflicts and mysteries before everything ends in a whimper. This theme is reflected in various plot points, some relevant to combat (forage bushes would have died off, so are nearly non-existent for the B&D portion). From a map design perspective, there is no exact unit or terrain feature that corresponds with autumn. What does exist are 2 reddish-brown trees and 3 defoliated trees amongst 15ish possible trees in the Oak Forest unit/terrain set. That means, to create a genuine autumn feel, every single tree must be placed and rotated individually, across the entire map. This is a very tedious process, and one I have not seen anywhere else. Other areas also include heavy use of leaves (self-explanatory) and Dirt 3 for most of the ground terrain, as Dirt 3 seems to best reflect the dried, yellowy, dead grass of the cold season. Farms (if tended by the healthy) would be ripe for harvest at this point, so I've included a village of pumpkin farmers and rows of wheat/corn (using bamboo). The map design really invokes the feel of autumn, which in turn helps the somber theme of the scenario.

You're a member of Tsunami Studios - apparently. I say apparently for one could argue the team as a collective has been very mute and inactive of late, do you have anything to say about this?

Gaspar: I've not participated in Tsunami studios for a while, and the tag is a relic of when I did. I keep the tag out of fondness for the people I worked with while a part of Tsunami, especially AnastasiaKafka and Oliver.

And of course, here are some screenshots:

• Harvest time
• A defended ford
• An island fortress

How is life over in scarse, barren and desolate Idaho? Does it agree with my prejudice about a land with twenty miles of barren wasteland from neighbour to neighbour, or do I need to broaden my perspectives?
TheLaughingMule: To some folks the desert is a barren wasteland - to us its where the deer and the antelope play; along with an amazing variety of wildlife, birds and plants. While the southern part of our state is comprised of desert, the central part is mostly National Forest or designated Wilderness. We are surrounded by a maze of tall mountains ablaze with wildflowers, deep canyons, rushing rivers and pine forests. The mountains are rich in minerals, the forests deep with timber, the rivers teem with fish and the air is fresh and resounds with the call of the wild. Not so barren a picture to us. Our little village is nestled in a deep canyon, far enough north to see the northern lights on rare occasions, far enough south to escape harsh winters and sheltered from the cold winds of the prairies. We enjoy living where there is peace and quiet - away from the stress of city life.

When did you start playing Age of Kings?
TheLaughingMule: In 2001 we found the Age of Empires trial version. It ran fairly well on Window's 3.0, we enjoyed it for about a year. We salvaged parts and built a faster PC in 2002 and bought the AoE gold edition. Later that year we found AoK and the expansion. By 2004 we discovered the multiplayer world via the Zone. When the Zone died, we played with our friend via TCP/IP.

You recently won the AoKH Cinematic Scenario Contest, ACSC09, with your very first Blacksmith submission, Olaf the Tardy, a project I know has taken a long time to produce. What is it that's so good about this game, and its community, and why do you design for it?
TheLaughingMule: Well, for me personally, its that cute villager without a shirt that does it. Seriously? The game is timeless. I did walk away from it for about a year after the Zone closed. When I came back to the game it was just as wonderful as it was 7 years ago. I started lurking at AoKH again and reading everything I could about design. The game is a great tool to tell stories, and Olaf was a way to use what I had learned to give back to the community that helped me so much. I have been involved with other gaming forums, and I must say that AoKH is top notch.

Will we be seeing any new Mule projects coming out anytime soon?
TheLaughingMule: Not right away. I have entered the Historical Woman Scenario Contest with Nicolaa De La Hay. It will be fun and challenging to tell her story. I think the hardest part will be to design a well balanced battle.

How did you find Age of Kings Heaven?
TheLaughingMule: I was searching the internet for strategy guides in early 2004 and found AoKH. The University Articles were a great help to us while learning the game.

Who's your favourite designer?
TheLaughingMule: I have not played very many scenarios - so that is a hard question. We have not had DSL very long, so its only been recently that I have downloaded anything from the Blacksmith. Plus I am one of those who are intimidated by mod packs and moving data files. My self imposed limits have short changed my experience in this field. I would have to answer Oliver for favorite designer, since I'm still stuck in his amazing cave!

What do you work with?
TheLaughingMule: I am retired now. I used to travel all over the US implementing computer systems for a major railroad. I helped develop and test new software and hardware, installed computers on locomotives, wrote computer manuals and taught the new users. It was a fun and interesting career.

Do you have any big interests, besides designing in the AoK editor and taking your horses for a stroll on the surfarce of Mars?
TheLaughingMule: One of my big interests is history, especially of the time period of Age of Kings. I also have spent most of the last 9 and a half years writing a village newspaper in one form or another. In between those two hobbies, I spend a lot of time with Slim and our critters. We have 3 elderly horses, an orphan mule, 2 dogs, 6 cats and currently 20 chicken (and 5 young roosters) Another hobby is bird and wildlife watching (we don't have TV.)

What are your hopes and dreams for the future?
TheLaughingMule: I have dreamed and worked towards building a house for many years. Not just a house, but a home that is environmentally friendly. I hope to do that in the next few years.

With no intention to be rude, I must acknowledge that you are one of the utterly few seniors of our beloved community, and actually the only one I know personally that plays computer games. Why, would you say, do so few seniors play games and use computers to such small extent?
TheLaughingMule: A lot of people from our generation never used a computer until late in life. Most of the ones who do have a PC play the solitaire games, or poker or puzzle type games. The folks older than us are either not interested in learning to use a computer, or are frustrated by them. Before I retired, I taught railroad people how to use computers. Most of my students were much older and they had a difficult time. I think you would be surprised how many of us seniors do play games.

Now for a few quick ones. Red or blue?
TheLaughingMule: Blue

Chocolate or crisps?
TheLaughingMule: Chocolate (What's a "crisp"?)

Antarctica or Sahara?
TheLaughingMule: Antarctica (I have hot flashes.)

City or countryside?
TheLaughingMule: Countryside

Tea or coffee?
TheLaughingMule: Coffee (with chocolate!)

Rounding off, is there a game/band/scenario/film that you would like to recommend to the people reading this?
TheLaughingMule: "A Knight's Tale" - I love the jousting in that movie and the music rocks.

It may seem like Matt livecchi has been getting a lot of press coverage of late (sex scandal not withstanding), but I must say this preview has been at the bottom of my 'to do' pile for the last few weeks so this is not a case of nepotism I can tell you now. That said, my wallet has been rather full of late, but I'm getting off topic now. I'm sure you all played the first chapter of 'The Quiet Dawn' and if the many kind words about it on the forums, including Basse's Blacksmith Feature, have not convinced you to download it I don't know what will. My personal experience with the file which I gained from playtesting the project was one that involves language that is far too rude to mention here; but let me just mention that bodily functions occured due to my sheer amazement at what I was seeing. There is nothing much I can say about what to expect from the scenario if you've already played the first installment, it is pretty much more the same. However, this isn't a bad thing, expect the game to be modded beyond all recognition (just like various 'women' of certain nightlcubs) you wouldn't know it was it was a man all along still running off the standard AoK engine. Yet, like before, to avoid confusion and your computer blowing itself up with the force of a thousand suns, the scenario comes with it's own handy installer. Run the installer, play the scenario, run the uninstaller and that is it - you're back to your bland vanilla AoK:TC (if you are into that sort of thing...hey, you could even leave the file installed and open up the editor and mess around making 'leet tricks' and pretend you're some super-cool modder for the day).

The story has a lot of promise, for the author himself says that 'I like this second scenario considerably more', so you're in for a treat. In the usual fashion, exact details of the story were few and far between. Also, it is very hard for me to tell you all what I do know without ruining the first part of the story if you haven't played it yet: so here is the spoiler-free story preview. The scenario carries on seven years after the events of the first chapter, but this time the forces of darkness are now at the pinacle of their power. The shift in mood is also reflected by a shift in gameplay, so that is good news for those who are less interested in puzzles and riddles, but there will be some to keep die-hard fans entertained. I know you don't have much information to go by, but you much trust me when I say the story itself is very engrossing (well, I said no spoilers, so that is all you are getting for now).

Being a close friend (no nepotism, I swear!) Matty (as his friends only friend calls him) easily allowed me to ask him somre questions about his project in the works and designing in general:

There have been many pretenders in the realms of modding, who release only a trailer and nothing else. It seems you are one of the rare few who have come close to completing a project - what, if anything, has made you different compared to others?

Matt livecchi: Well, there is a nasty pattern to scenario design. First, you come up with an idea, and you think it is so grand you quit every project you've ever worked on to start it. You start designing the map and doing useless stuff like writing histories and drawing bitmaps. You make the prologue, and then you hit the nasty trigger work and endless playtesting. And it isn't much fun anymore, so you take a little break, just a few days maybe. During that break you think up a new, grander idea and pursue it, dumping your old project. And this cycle continues...Modding just throws one more chore into the process, one more step that requires lots of work. It makes it just that much harder to finish, unless you completely rework the scenario design process you use. I've found a system that works for me, and I'm finally able to do the balancing act. I don't set out to make a modded scenario. I just start designing, and at each part I design, I modify what I need to make it that much better. I don't focus on idle tasks, and the map design isn't fine tuned until near the end. Recently, it has been working for me at least.

In relation to the previous question - do you think the idea of promoting your project and using mods for the sake of them have detracted from the actual core content of the scenario: making it fun for the player?

Matt livecchi: Two questions in one! Well I've never been big for promoting my own work with multiple threads, teasers, youtube videos (yes, youtube videos have been done). Designs speak for themselves. I've downloaded stuff that was hyped, and knew it was junk in 30 seconds (at least by my somewhat harsh definition of junk). At the same time, whenever I have judged competitions, I have found that it is often a reltively unknown forummer who has quietly made the best entry. Of course, I'm doing this WiP, so I suppose I sound a bit hypocritical to all the readers, but I just do them to help our pal Scud out, HONEST! As to modding for the sake of it, now that's a different question. For those who played part 1, you need to ask yourself if the core designing skills (making it fun to play, pretty to look at, etc) were still present. If so, then proper use of modding can only further improve the experience. This second part will be the same in that respect I hope. You still need to be a designer first and modder second for your scenario to be more than just a novelty.

What can you say to convince those who can't be bothered to install any mods, let alone a mod for just one scenario?

Matt livecchi: Nothing. I don't really want them to anyway. I put the effort into making a custom installer for the first part, as I will with this second one. Currently to install the campaign, the player must double click the exe file, click "Next", click "I agree", click "Install", then "Next and finally "Finish" to launch the game. That means that in less time than it takes to unzip a 'normal' campaign and place its cpx and sound files in the proper folders, a grand total of 7 mouse clicks are required to install this campaign. Uninstalling is even faster. If you are not willing to do that, it is because you have some sort of ideological problem with modding, in which case I don't really want you playing my files for the sole sake of criticizing them. I used to try very hard to convert these individuals, but now I'd rather they just go play the Joan of Arc ES campaign for the 6th time instead.

And finally, anything else planned for the future- I dunno, say maybe a mod and scenario set in the wild west?

Matt livecchi: Haha, that one's been kept pretty quiet outside of SWS. See question #1 for what happened to that project (before I learned my own lesson). I still haven't given up on it, but it needs a complete overhaul. As far as the very near future, I want to have this second scenario done by Summer's end. We will see what else I get into after that. I've always wanted to work with the community on a large Age of Chivalry style expansion, but I don't think I have the dedication Kor had, so unless modding becomes a more common skill in our community that's probably not realistic.

Due to the economic slump, we can no longer sustain three screenshots every two weeks, this has now been cut to two:

• The End of a World
• A very good multi-leveled castle

1. Download, install and run GameRanger.
2. Join the AoKH Weekend Warriors!
3. Join an AoKH game room on Gameranger (it should be somewhere in the description), and get ready to have a blast!

So the sun is out and summer is now in full swing, yet I am still stuck inside writing these features (I think HG management should purchase a laptop for me so I can work from outside, that, or a bloody long extension cord). But I digress, as much I begrudge sulking around inside, this week's project has turned a chore into something to look forward to writing about (but I'm still stuck inside, so I'm still fuming). This week's project hails the return of a once-dead genre, a victim of over-saturation and associations with "noobishness". In case you haven't guessed, this week's feature is from the genre that was once a forum staple, especially with beginners, the cameo scenario. Rarely are they finished and with the focus of the scenario on cheap forum in-jokes instead of actual gameplay or design, it was no wonder they fell out of favour (though the cynics amongst you may have noticed the new designing 'fads' are 'Defend the Spot' and Cutscene 'scenarios' [sic]). So the task now falls to Kormin to save the genre with his new scenario 'The Last Attempt'(ironic, given that this is his first scenario, just as in the same vein 'I am The One and Only' was Chesney Hawkes' only hit).

Alarm bells may be ringing to some of you for this seems to meet the criteria of what makes a 'bad' cameo scenario, for starters being designed by a relatively new and/or unknown designer. That may be true, but that isn't a mark against Kormin. In fact, it only adds to what makes this scenario good. He hasn't been around as much compared to other forumers, meaning his scenario won't be full of the same dire in-jokes that often fail to be transplanted from the forums into a playable format. Instead we have witty and original humour that though original, still seems familiar to us. For example, the two warring factions in game are 'King's Haven' and 'Ensemble' - not that there is any jokes in those names (not that I can see anyway ). Akin to what can only be described as the plot to Dr. Strangelove, the two factions are plunged into a brutal war through a series of misunderstandings and misinterpretations. But enough about the plot, what about the gameplay? Kormin has excelled himself by using techniques to keep the game fresh and interesting; such as a levy system to draft an army from your peasant work-force, or if you have the money to spend you can use it on better equipped and better trained mercenaries. Along with side quests ranging from defeating an undead army accidentally risen from the dead to various trade-based missons, this is set to be a cameo scenario like no other.

I managed to track down the illusive Kormin and ask him a few questions:

A scenario with cameo appearances by forumers - hasn't this be done ad nauseum?

Kormin: Its been done a lot, also its been done by plenty of other places besides this site. I'm wishing to create a scenario that will be engaging. its basically supposed to be a scenario using the forumers names. so simply, I got lazy and didn't want to make up names for the characters.

And on a related note to cameo roles, does it not worry you that most projects that base themselves around cameo roles from the community never get finished?

Kormin: This is true. many times cameo things never get published, but when this W.I.P.S. gets posted. I guess i would have no option but to finish it. plus I'm working on triggering it right now so it would be fairly pointless for me not to finish when I'm so close to done.

It seems you are uncertain about what gameplay elements to include, did this not occur to you that some say this is the most important part of the scenario, making it fun to play?

Kormin: I am uncertain, which isn't to say I don't have a clear idea of how I want it to look or feel. I never really have a complete game-plan for anything (it drives my teachers up the wall when they want me write power points or outlines). it will have some interesting twists too it, that is what i can promise.

What do you say to those who think cameo based scenarios are a sign of amateurish designing skills?

Kormin: An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without formal training or pay. That is the dictionary defines the word Amateur, so unless someone here is being payed to create campaigns, then we are all under that definition. So we are all amateurs.

A very philosophical response to the last question. But anyway, here is a screenshot of Kormin's project. I know, only one screenshots today, but don't blame me, blame Kormin's computer (maybe HG Mangement can buy Kormin a new laptop then, seeing as they should be purchasing me one):

• King's Haven

WATCH OUT!!! Abbreviations can't even do this contest's pure, unadult-rated awesomeness justice! Tomorrow is the deadline for all Age of Kings Heaven Cinematic Scenario Contest entries, so if you happen to be working on one of these inline Age of Kings movies, tomorrow is the last chance you'll have to turn them in for judging, and the wonderful prize of a custom title on our forums of your choosing!

Have any questions? Maybe you even have a mild, random, esteem-boosting statement to give to your competitors! Make sure to direct them to the official forum thread, and good luck to all of our contestants!