Using the Battle Royale Game Mode with Random Map Settings is possible but weird

Age of Empires II: DE II - Report a Bug
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:arrow_forward: GAME INFORMATION

  • BUILD #: 43210
  • PLATFORM: Steam
  • OS: Windows 10

:arrow_forward: ISSUE EXPERIENCED

This is a minor issue, since the way of producing it probably extends the intended use. That being said, there currently is a way to play random maps with the Battle Royale corruption approaching from the edges. This does however come with several issues, which however all relate to the start on this specific setting (BR on RM map):

  • On “normal” maps such as Arabia and Ghost Lake, you start without a TC, but instead are given a packed TC unit. The packed TC unit is somewhat bugged: When unpacking, the TC is not bound to the grid and it can be built not only on elevation, but also inside of resources and probably even buildings (Straggler Trees do disappear however). Trying to pack it again just renders the TC useless.
  • On Land Nomad, you get the typical Nomad start, but you don’t have the starting resources to build an initial TC (missing any stone, probably since the BR mode starts with 0 stone by default). Interestingly, the standard Nomad map seems to start similarly to Arabia (with a packed TC).
  • Gaia units (wolves and huntables) can convert sheep back.
  • Gold and Stone resources generate much fewer piles (tested on Arabia)

As this is an unintended interaction with Battle Royale not being designed for standard random maps, this probably is a lower priority issue. However, I would love to see adjustments to this interaction, like making the BR corruption a toggle as you did with the Regicide and EW options, because I think that setting could make for some really fun and interesting non-standard games.
While it is possible to get such a game started with the later described steps, the creation process is not only inconvenient, but for various reasons, the resulting game has multiple issues. On maps with nomadic start specifically, the players do not have enough resources to build a starting TC, while on other maps, the players are provided with packed TCs that have multiple issues themselves.

:arrow_forward: FREQUENCY OF ISSUE

  • 100% of the time / matches I play with the settings described in the following section (ALWAYS)

:arrow_forward: REPRODUCTION STEPS

Here’s the steps to reproduce the issue:

  1. Create a custom lobby (Single- or Multiplayer)
  2. Configure the settings as you would for a RM game, with “Random Map” still selected as game mode
    2.1. Change the starting age to “Dark Age” since BR’s standard setting is Post-Imp
  3. As the final change in settings, switch the game mode from “Random Map” to “Battle Royale.” When asked whether to change the settings to the recommended ones, decline.
  4. Start the game.

Note: Trying to change the map after setting the game mode to “Battle Royale” will also change the game mode back to “Random Map.” Thus, the game mode should only be changed after configuring the map settings.

:arrow_forward: GAME FILES

  • Example Battle Royale match on standard Arabia, hosted as a Multiplayer battle (FFA with 7 AI). Evidently, gold and stone resources are generated in smaller piles, the TC can be unpacked half inside a forest, and Gaia can convert herdables: Record (on Google Drive)
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