Overview
Understanding player starting positions is vital to creating a usable map.
If there are not enough player start locations on a map for the number of players in a game lobby, the match will fail to load, causing the game to crash.
This guide covers the differences between the various types of player start locations and how to place them on a map.
Placing a Starting Position
To place a starting location, perform the following steps:
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Go to the Object Browser and search for "Start" in the search field. This will bring up all the options for placing starting locations.
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Then, select and drag the starting Entity Blueprint you want to place onto your map.
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The start location will then be placed on the map, indicated by a coloured symbol representing where the start location will spawn.
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Finally, select the start location and set it's Owner using the Properties panel. This allows you to control which player will spawn here. Setting the owner to "World" will create a neutral town center.
Starting Position With Town Center
The most common start location for Age of Empires IV included a town center, along with several villagers and a scout.
To spawn this type of start location, select the Entity Blueprint named "starting_position_share"
When placed on your map, this start location shows up as Green.
Make sure you select the Entity Blueprint (box), and not the Visual Blueprint (eye).
Starting Position Without Town Center
Sometimes you may wish to spawn a start location without a town center, such as if you are making a custom scenario using scripting.
To spawn this type of start location, select the Entity Blueprint named "starting_position_no_to"
When placed on your map, this start location shows up as Red.
Make sure you select the Entity Blueprint (box), and not the Visual Blueprint (eye).
Other Starting Locations
The other types of starting locations, indicated by Blue and Purple icons, are specialized and not designed for general use.
It is not recommended you use these entities.