Cloud Kingdom AoE is a 1v1 open-land Random Map submission candidate for
The Garrison 2026 map competition. It is adapted by betwixtX with OpenAI
Codex from the competitive geometry of Cloud Kingdom LE, the StarCraft II
map created by SUPEROUMAN.
Current status: v0.2.0 runtime test candidate. The source passes its local syntax, symmetry, topology, balance, cliff-placement, and integrity checks. The v0.1.0 layout generated successfully in the current Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition build; the new cliff and cloud treatment still requires in-game verification before this revision is submission-ready.
Blizzard's 2014 community vote ranked Cloud Kingdom LE first among returning StarCraft II ladder maps with 8.34% of the vote. Blizzard described it as one of the greatest maps in SC2 history and noted that it remained in the ladder pool for 11 seasons. It also won the first Team Liquid Map Contest.
This is an independent AoE2 adaptation, not a tile-for-tile copy. It preserves the original map's strategic geometry while translating its mechanics through normal AoE2 systems. The project is not affiliated with or endorsed by SUPEROUMAN or Blizzard Entertainment.
Two players begin on large elevated plateaus at opposite diagonal corners. Each home connects to a natural shelf, a safe third, a side expansion, and an exposed forward shelf. A short central attack line passes through two raised signal hills, while long northwest and southeast lanes support raids and counterattacks.
StarCraft II concepts become native AoE2 decisions:
- Expansion bases: secondary gold, secondary stone, and bonus food are placed on separate shelves rather than scattered uniformly around the Town Center.
- Xel'Naga towers: two elevated signal hills hold four of the five relics and clear building ground. Players decide whether to construct their own Outpost, Tower, Castle, or nothing.
- Destructible rocks: two symmetric pine-and-stone seals can be opened by ordinary chopping and mining. No object behavior is modified.
- Mineral lines: compact mine groups and engineered gravel platforms make the expansion structure readable to players and viewers.
- Cliff boundaries: 76 fixed native snow-cliff pieces close selected plateau and shelf edges. Deliberate gaps preserve the authored ramp network.
- Cloud sea: ten symmetric outer snow banks use three layered terrain shades to frame the battlefield without introducing naval terrain.
- Target: 1v1 Random Map on a fixed 120 x 120 Tiny map
- Start: 1 Town Center, 9 villagers, 2 houses, and 1 scout
- Quick-start adjustment: -30 starting wood and -100 starting food
- Home food per player: 8 sheep, 2 boar, 4 deer, and 6 berries
- Expansion food per player: 4 additional sheep, 4 deer, and 4 berries
- Gold per player: 7 home + 4 natural + 4 forward
- Stone per player: 5 home + 4 safe-third
- Guaranteed home wood: two 70-tree woodlines and 6 stragglers, plus sparse symmetric neutral dead groves
- Neutral side objectives: two equal 3-tile golds and two equal 4-deer groups
- Relics: 2 on each signal hill and 1 at center
- Routes: mirrored home webs, one direct center line, two long flank lanes, and two signal-hill cross-links
- Boundaries: 76 rotationally symmetric native snow-cliff pieces with fixed gaps at the intended ramps and approaches
- Variation: player colors swap diagonal ends with a fair 50/50 branch
- No triggers, XS, custom includes, unit/building attribute changes, scripted income, capturable structures, or guardians; native map cliffs are the only fixed blockers
Copy Cloud Kingdom AoE.rms into:
%USERPROFILE%\Games\Age of Empires 2 DE\<player-id>\resources\_common\random-map-scripts\
In Skirmish, choose Custom map style and Cloud Kingdom AoE. Use two players, Tiny map size, Random Map mode, and Standard resources.
Run the map-specific checks:
node tools/validate-rms.mjsBuild the final upload after authentic screenshots exist:
bash tools/package-submission.shThe packager intentionally refuses to create a release until the required
in-game screenshots are present. Complete
submission/runtime-test-checklist.md
before submission. For v0.2.0, explicitly test every cliff rim with a scout,
confirm every intended ramp remains open, and inspect the perimeter cloud banks
with All Visible enabled.
- RMS:
Cloud Kingdom AoE.rms - Discord copy:
submission/discord-submission.txt - Static report:
submission/validation-report.md - Layout reference:
submission/layout-reference.svg - Rendered reference:
submission/layout-reference.png - Screenshot plan:
submission/screenshots/README.md
The layout reference is an original diagram of this adaptation, not a StarCraft II asset and not an in-game AoE2 screenshot.