Custom Map Preview Application

[JiaHoJian]

Hi everyone,
Is it possible to create an application which can load the xs file and help preview the result of the custom map? I wonder how ESOC maps are made, do we have to restart the game each time we make some changes to the xs files, or is there a better workflow that can help preview the result of the custom map without launching the game?

[EAGLEMUT]

Hi, in order to do that accurately, one would have to replicate the entire behavior of the Age of Empires 3 (closed-source) game engine, which is effectively impossible. You don't have to restart the game every time for changes to take effect; it is enough to restart the match as the map is reloaded/compiled/generated every time.

[Dolan]

Theoretically, yes, you could create a simplified game engine that behaves like the one used by AOE3 and which can read XS commands and generate a map preview that will look pretty similar to what you would see if you loaded the map in AOE3.
Practically, it seems overkill to do that just for generating a map preview and nothing else.

[Ashvin]

Overkill is the term here