List of triggers that need to be included/fixed in AoMEX

[WarriorMario]

I'll introduce myself quickly to begin with.
I am a member of AoMH for several years and I have been modding AoM for quite some years now. It was awesome to find out that it was going to be ported to steam meaning that the community could last for another 10 years! At the moment I am working on something big for AoM and it requires some easy triggers and that is how I found out about the massive amount of things you can do with triggers. After reading that AoE HD got some new triggers in this post:
http://steamcommunity.com/app/221380/discussions/1/558752451415321110/
I came up with the idea to make a list of triggers/stuff that the veteran AoM scenario designers want to be added or fixed in this thread on AoMH:
http://aom.heavengames.com/cgi-bin/forums/display.cgi?action=ct&f=13,29395,,20

First of all and probably the most important DO NOT patch the currently non-escaping " (quote character) because this is used for a ton of maps. Maybe add \" as an escape method? Read post 3 and 7 in this thread[aom.heavengames.com] for the scenario design legends you will be scaring away from AoMEX if you mess this up :S Just stating this before the list because it is very important!

So, here is the list (so far) with some extra information:

Triggers

• Fix army deploy for CPU players
  We need to deploy the army for a human player and convert it to the CPU player right now. You should be able to just deploy it for the CPU player.
  
• FakeCounter:SetText effect should allow to show more than one fake counter at a time
  Something like the counter:add timer effect.
  
• Rework the modify protounit effect so that it will work with special attacks too
  This could also be done through some techs but reworking the trigger would be better :)
  
• Enable, disable and set cooldowns for god powers
  Enabling and disabling could be done through creating some new god power files but setting a cooldown would be useful for scenarios that need god powers to work with cooldown reducing effects.
  
• Let us be able to deploy and move units for the Gaia player in multiplayer scenarios
  Most triggers don't work for Gaia (all army triggers, move triggers and work triggers - basically every trigger that involves unit interaction).
  
• Unit teleport
  
• kb commands to select the target unit of effects
  
• getScenarioName(int unitID)
  Explanation
  
  We have a "kbGetBlockID(string unitName)" now we just need to be able to do it in reverse!
  
  Trigger methods like trImmediateUnitGarrison(string unitScenarioName) only take a "scenarioName" and not the unitID. But there's no way to get the scenarioName unless you use the editor UI - and this isn't always available. The only work around is to save it to a global which, apart from being extremely inefficient (having 10 thousand globals), is also not even always possible anyway!
  
  Trust[aom.heavengames.com], we need one[aom.heavengames.com] so badly[aom.heavengames.com]. It actually hurts to think about it.
  
  
• Improved way of transferring data between scenarios.
  Maybe add something to the player's in game account.
  
• Modify Protounit Percent
  Modify a stat of a unit by a percentage or add getProtounitField and setProtounitField instead. This would allow any sort of modification including percentage but others such as making the gold cost of the unit equal to a combination of the other costs.
  
• trGetTerrainType()
  Function that returns the type of terrain a unit is standing on.
  
• Make ALL units targetable
  This could also be done by creating some new units through modding.
  
• A new AI file that tells the CPU player to hold all units and production until told otherwise through triggers
  
• Fix the unit headings
  Now it is -180 to 180 and not 0 to 360
  
• Enable animations (-> set animation effect) for units in multiplayer scenarios
  
• A new trigger that can change a player's major god.
  
• Improve the Grant God Power effect so you can select which god power slot you want the god power to go into.
  
• A new condition that checks if a god power has just been invoked
  The god power used condition only checks if the god power has been invoked once in the entire duration of the game

This is it so far, maybe the AoMH scenario designers will think of some more in the future. I have added some information about ways to solve this including ways that require the modification of the proto and techtree files. A lot is possible with the proto and techtree and I could make another list of features that should be added for AoMEX if the developers are interested but from what I know of my experience as a modder is that in most cases triggers>(proto + techtree) because triggers allow a lot more and the only drawback triggers have is that they are not able to modify all the things of a unit/tech that are defined in the proto and techtree files so, I think it is better to focus on the triggers first.

I hope the developers will read this and that a few of these triggers will be included at release or later patches.

Oh and one thing slightly off topic: where is the preview post button? ATM I'm kinda afraid of pushing the post button haha...

Oh and I forgot to add something.
Another thing that would be helpful is adding a way to easily add campaigns as someone told me that it is a pain to do. Maybe add a campaign editor in game or create a tool for it?

[76561198054961196]

I would like to see some of the new triggers in AoMEX because they would be very useful and the campaign editor would be awesome too!

[Tiger Baron]

I don't know if a trigger, but I'd like to be able to rotate buildings and not having to manually replace my game.cfg file just for it to work, oh and god powers, like plenty vaults.

[WarriorMario]

Rotation of buildings should be very easy to add and I think it will be added at the release of AoMEX. I think they could do the same for god powers

[nottud]

God powers are cast by specifying a location and that is all - hence the system would need changing to allow god power which you would need to specify power rotation. That could be tricky....

[Stefe]

Support for this!

[nottud]

Hi - I can confirm that the " bug needs to be preserved. If it is fixed almost every RMS I haved created will break. They are the only way to insert custom triggers for people who don't have have.

[Funeral]

@nottud the rotation of god powers was already implemented with the rotation of buildings, you could rotate the plenty vault of dwarven gold mine aslong as you hade the rotation file added

[nottud]

I have a feeling once the power is cast it rotates back to what it was?

[WarriorMario]

I can remember being able to rotate the plenty vault gp but can't remember if it got placed like that ^^ Would be weird if it did because then you could somewhat evade a placement problem.

[SENTAR]

AoM is eternal

[WarriorMario]

And if some of these triggers will be included it would become even better.

[nottud]

A trigger to set the cooldown of any god power would be nice. :)

[McLerristarr]

@WarriorMario: Any update on this now that you're working for Forgotten Empires?

[WarriorMario]

Triggers do not have a high priority on the list of things that need source code changes.