Discovery
From GenieWiki
The discovery is a horse-shaped Gaia object in Age of Empires that can be claimed by any unit standing on top of it. The discovery represents an important location on the map holding some secret, and is represented by a white horse. It is a custom scenario only unit as it cannot be used in random maps. There are several tricks to using discoveries, which will each be covered briefly in below.
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Background
Discovery is the act of finding something unknown to a given culture, group or person. This could be an unknown place (e.g the New World), object or piece of knowledge. Research is the pursuit of new discoveries, while technology is often the result of discovery. The discovery is represented by a white horse (or similar animal) shaped figure painted on the ground (see above images).
Use in scenario design
Victory conditions
The discovery is not found in regular games as it can only be placed through the scenario builder. Discoveries can be used in both individual and global victory. In global victory, discoveries can be found under the 'custom' setting, where the number of discoveries required for any player to win can be specified. Additional requirements such as ruins count or exploration can also be added to this requirement if desired. If the discoveries required are not present on the map, the game will automatically generate them when play begins, creating a random placement each time the scenario is played. For an excellent example of discoveries used in global victory see the Magic Triangle (Scenario 3) of Ingo van Thiel's The Two Brothers.
Using in individual victory conditions
Though it would appear that discoveries cannot be used in individual victory, this is far from the case. The trick here lies in the object a discovery creates - the double pole flag. This object is listed under the create object condition, allowing discoveries to be used in individual victory as well. This is in most cases a far superior option to global, as the discovery can be used as a condition for a single player as opposed to the global scale, allowing much more specific requirements. The condition remains somewhat limiting still however, since double pole flags are often used all over, and are very difficult to count up for any given player. The solution here is to use 'create objects in area' instead, which allows the designer to narrow down the area to the specific location of the discovery, removing all possible complications with existing double pole flags, and of course allowing other discoveries to be placed on the map as well. This allows for a range of possibilities, such as finding one discovery before an enemy finds another, or locating two of three discoveries using overlapping areas.
Capturing remotely placed discoveries
One trick is to place discoveries in such a position that the player cannot bring a unit to stand on them - for example if placed on a cliff top. The trick to capturing these discoveries is to reach them remotely using a projectile. Not any projectile object will do - it must be a catapult style stone - this can be launched from a stone thrower, catapult trireme etc (using attack ground). Another lesser known trick is to use a building foundation to claim the object by using a villager to place a foundation on top of the discovery. Even though they can never build there, the foundation captures the discovery for the player, even if it is destroyed immedietely. If the designer does not wish for this method to be used they can place the discovery on some unsuitable terrain (e.g. on cliffs, under forest trees etc). They may also leave villagers out of the level (see the linked scenario above for one such example).
Converting buildings
Discoveries can be placed under buildings without being deleted. This allows ownership of the building to be detected via ownership of the discovery. For example to set the goal of coverting any of three different buildings (say a temple, market or government center) discoveries could be placed under each of the enemy buildings. Normally capturing buildings can be set using 'create object', however grouping buildings together in this fashion ('Capture any building') is quite impossible. This can also be used as a loss condition - for example if an enemy player converts any of your or your ally cities' granaries or storage pits, you will lose immediately. The problem here is that the discovery can also be captured by destroying the building and walking on it - this will have to be remedied by defeating the offending player if they destroy the building, or placing it in such a way that the discovery will still be protected (e.g. using embedded trees, stone mines or cliffs etc on/under the building). The other way in which this could fail is if a catapult stone of some form (e.g. from a stone thrower) hits the discovery while aiming at the building. This can be remedied by making sure such units are not available to the player aiming to convert the building. In any case, if all buildings intended for conversion are destroyed the human player will be unable to win, so a loss condition could be set up such that they lose when all target buildings containing the hidden discovery are destroyed (unless there is another way the player can win).
Projectile detection
The property regarding catapult stones above can be applied in a creative fashion as well. Here we have a way of detecting the presence of these objects, thus designers can make a player win simply by firing a catapult stone into a wonder, or lose by having an enemy juggernaut bombard their town center from the sea. The presence of the discovery is not noticable in these circumstances, so it appears to the untrained eye that you have engineered way to detect projectiles .
Unit detection
The discovery also offers a way to know that any of player's units is in the area, so discoveries can be used as a way to measure this otherwise impossible condition. For example a discovery carefully covered with some grass patches at the narrow entrace to a player's base may reveal that an enemy player has gained access. The player could win by bringing any unit to spy on the emperor's palace from the rear window, or they could lose if both their enemies find a way into their inner fortification. Note that artifacts and ruins can also be used for this purpose, however the discovery and artifact are by far the most subtle of the three, and a well concealed discovery is surely the hardest to spot.
Flag appearance
The appearance of the double pole flag itself seems somewhat random - a unit standing on a discovery will not always cause a flag to drop - in fact sometimes a unit may pass across one without dropping such a flag, only to return in the same direction and see one appear. The mechanics behind this aspect of the discovery have received little attention, but appear to contain some mysteries of their own. The most that can be said about the subject at this stage is that the appearance of flags is 'a bit random'.
Manipulating CPU units
Much like other victory conditions, the CPU is fairly oblivious to what it must do to win. This is exemplified in the Ascent of Egypt Learning Campaign, where the enemy scout will be more likely to invent the lightbulb than find all five discoveries. It will never seek out discoveries unless guided to do so somehow. Capturing a discovery may be the goal of an enemy player, or an ally player using allied victory. However getting them to the discoveries is a very difficult task - they will have to be coerced, dragged, and generally baby-sat through the whole process. Giving them some incentive to go there is probably the only way they will ever pass in that direction, and finding them via exploration alone is unlikely unless a large number of ruins are placed and only a small number are required to be found. Placing a discovery in your base directly in the path of the enemy may work well if a wonder behind it is their real target, for example. This could force the player into building some walls around it to avoid its probable capture.
Alternatively consider an ally having the goal of finding 4 discoveries (representing maps in a language only their priests can read). Getting an ally priest to find 4 discoveries will require a small miracle, but instead consider this situation: One ally priest (Hero Archimedes) could be used to follow your men to the map. However this presents another problem. Considering the mechanics of this hero (described on its unit page above) he will only follow enemy units. And using allied victory to win will require him to be your ally. Again, creative thinking yields another workaround - using an intermediate player with an Archimedes unit of its own, your ally's Archimedes could follow this second one who in turn follows your units. He then remains allied to you (allowing you to win through Global victory using allied victory and a custom setting including discoveries) and can be manipulated indirectly through luring the other player's Archimedes past the discoveries, hopefully steering the ally player's unit through them too. By giving the allied player another hidden discovery (or ruin/artifact) somewhere out of the way, they will be the only player to win when all the visible discoveries are captured.
Enticing a CPU player to find discoveries is a very difficult task indeed. Increasing the probability of them finding the discovery (narrow paths, large numbers of discoveries, many scouting units etc), enticing them to it with a target unit, or leading them directly as described above seem the most promising options if such a feat is undertaken.
Map design
The discovery may represent many things - a sacred object, hidden location, a site hiding precious metals or other resources, a portal to another world, the discovery of a new invention or technology, a sign left by an ally, or simply a horse itself. It may be used in a vital objective as described in the sections on individual and global victory use, or it may simply be used as an eye candy - for example a central decoration in a unique temple gardens arrangement.
Placement
Discoveries can be a nuisance to place on the map, especially with regard to surrounding units. Using the enhanced editor is recommended, while placing discoveries before other units may make things a lot easier.
Discovery snow
For more details on using snow see Andrea Rosa's snow article
Disoveries are also used as discovery snow, as there is no suitable snow terrain in Age of Empires. Modpacks have been used to replace other terrains with snow, and other objects such as grass patches with white coloured snow patches, but no other in-editor solution remains besides using the humble discovery. This has however been used with some success, for example discovery snow is used to represent the Himalayas in Where the Eagles Dare, the second scenario of Andrea Rosa's Memories of the Gupta Dynasty.
The snow here is mixed carefully with other effects like glaciers and cliff mountains, and the edges and tell-tale signs of discovery use are hidden with carefully placed stone mines, trees, shallows (for glaciers) etc. A large amount of discoveries can add lag to a scenario, so they are best used in careful moderation. The key to discovery snow is that units must not walk on it, otherwise the effect is ruined with flags popping up everywhere!
Relation to artifact and ruin
The discovery, ruins and artifact are all closely related units. They can all be captured by both human and computer player alike, all appear in global victory settings, and all represent important objects or locations. All objects can be claimed, however the discovery is quite different from these two related units. Artifacts are of course mobile, while discoveries and ruins are stationary. However the discovery also differs from ruins in that its ownership is not exclusive, that is to say multiple players can lay claim to it. The discovery may also be captured via artifacts, projectiles (see above) and buildings, unlike the ruin, but unlike a Gaia ruin, discoveries must always be walked on (Gaia ruins can be captured by the human player as soon as they are within their line of sight.
Beta discovery
The beta discovery is known only through the game's SLP files. Shown at the top of this page on the right, it more closely resembles a horse and faces the opposite direction to the regular discovery. Despite extensive data editing, the beta discovery was not unlocked, and appears to remain only in graphical form.
Unit stats
- HP:1
- Other: Cannot be destroyed, double pole flag is dropped for any player unit standing above it
