Arena for DE by Enki Released

[Joshua667746]

Hey everyone!
Over the last month Enki has been remaking the popular ESO scenario, Arena. It is now in a stable state and will be releasing into a public beta at 20:00 GMT June 2. Currently the only playable civilizations are as follows: Spanish, British, French, Dutch, Portuguese, Germans, Russians, Ottomans, Swedish, and Americans.

Here is the current roadmap planned for the scenario:

June 2 - 1.0.0-Beta Release.
June 4 - Potential Hot fixes based on player feedback.
June 9 - Balance changes.
June 16 - New civilization (Mexico).
End of June - Refactor code base and publish public Gitlab repo so anyone can see how it was made.
Mid July - New civilizations (Italy, Malta).
Late August - New civilizations (TAD / TWC / Inca / Ethiopia / Hausa).
From there updates will be based on total play count.

This weekend there will be some strategy and information graphics released to help with your first games. A feature in the original that cannot be implemented yet is the home city / cards. Right now this is bypassed by giving techs based on the civilization and round number. For example: The first turn that Age 3 triggers, British players get Yeoman (+4 Range on Longbows), Spanish players get Caballeros (+1 multiplier for lancers vs inf).

Things to note about the remake:

Instead of a scenario, its a random map script for two main reasons: multiplayer functionality and ease of sharing. Previously, advanced scenarios required XS injection, however it is no longer supported in AOE3:DE. This hinders the ability to create highly technical scenarios without publishing a game mod alongside the map. As a result, Arena is able to be shared with people who do not have the map mod downloaded and are able to play with people who have as well. That is why it is a RMS over a scenario.

Another advantage is the ability to host dynamic games. You can play 1v1, 2v2, 3v3, or 4v4 as desired. While this was possible in the scenario editor, it required adding computer players to the empty slots. When it came to optimization, the game was still running triggers for each computer player, slowing down the game for everyone. Now it’s as simple as getting your friends into a lobby and launching the map!

Lastly, multiple people can share the load of programming. By using version control software and making it open source (soon), others can see how to do more advanced things in the game that the editor does not allow for. Finally, Enki has created several tools to aid in making maps and mods, all will be freely available under an MIT license.

Outside of the scenario / RMS, if you have questions about modding, map making, etc. let me know. You can find me at the Royal Discord Server with the name of Enki_.

Hope you enjoy the map!

[Squamiger]

Awesome! Great job!