Templates are the foundation of all randomly generated maps in Heroes of Might and Magic games — and for the first time in Olden Era, they are visible to the player. Developer Unfrozen has mentioned the possibility of adding a more traditional random map generator in the future, but for now, this is a brief overview of how the current template system works.

A template defines the basic layout and ruleset of a map, including size, victory conditions, player count, number of zones, and their connections. The actual contents are then populated randomly by the game. The selected layout is not followed strictly; instead, the generator uses it as a general blueprint, assigning regions loosely based on the specification. The Early Access version of Olden Era features over 50 different templates, ranging from small 1v1 one-hero skirmishes to large-scale 8-player battlefields.

A template layout is typically represented by a symbol map. Each symbol displays specific information about zones and their properties:

Symbol	Meaning
	Player starting position
	Low-value zone (weaker resources, artifacts, and guards)
	Medium-value zone
	High-value zone
	Presence of a city
	Connection between zones, typically guarded by strong units

Although there is a variety of templates, they remain fixed in their rulesets and cannot be customized in-game. However, the community has already created excellent tools and guides that allow you to modify existing templates or build your own from scratch.

Template files are stored in
‹game install folder›\HeroesOldenEra_Data\StreamingAssets\map_templates
as .rmg.json files, which can be edited with any text editor.

You can also place files in
\AppData\LocalLow\Unfrozen\HeroesOldenEra\users\Steam_xxxxxxxxxxxx\downloads\map_templates
and they will appear in the Downloads section when creating a custom game.

It is strongly recommended to create backup copies of any template files before editing them.

Here are great resources for you to start editing and creating your own templates:

• Guide for editing and creating custom templates by Garessta
• Simple Template Generator by deKhan
• Over 20 custom templates by Boromir