Creating and Sharing Map Templates

Overview

A template in CAIME is a set of raw campaign map files taken directly from the game's Assembly Kit — the very same files Creative Assembly's developers used internally to produce the finished, game-ready campaign maps you see in Total War titles. Think of them as the original blueprints: unopinionated, unmodified source material that you can open, paint over, and export without having to reconstruct anything from scratch. Templates can also come from the modding community, where experienced modders package their own pre-built map bases for others to build on.

When someone picks a template from the New Project dialog, CAIME copies all of its files into the new project folder and opens it immediately — the game type, map dimensions, regions, terrain, and supporting processing files are all already in place.

Understanding the Templates Folder
What Goes Inside a Template Folder
Required: map.hex
Recommended: trees.png
Recommended: tree_database.xml
Recommended: dynamic_resources.png
Recommended: dynamic_resources_database.xml
Step-by-Step: Building Your Template
Using Your Template in CAIME
Sharing Templates with Others
Pro-Tips & Troubleshooting

1. Understanding the Templates Folder

CAIME ships with a folder called Templates in its distribution package. This folder lives alongside (at the same level as) the main CAIME folder, not inside it.

CampaignMapToolkit\              ← the root of your CAIME installation
│
├── CAIME\                       ← the application lives here (CAIME.exe)
│   └── Release\
│       └── CAIME.exe
│
├── Projects\                    ← your own saved project files live here
│
├── Templates\                   ← custom templates live here  ← YOU WORK HERE
│   ├── main_rome_map\           ← example built-in template (Rome 2)
│   ├── main_attila_map\         ← example built-in template (Attila)
│   └── your_custom_template\   ← a template you create
│
└── Tools\                       ← internal processing tools (do not modify)

How CAIME finds the Templates folder: When CAIME opens the New Project dialog, it automatically scans the Templates folder and lists every subfolder it finds as an option in the Template dropdown. There is nothing to configure — you just need to create your subfolder in the right place.

2. What Goes Inside a Template Folder

When a user selects your template in the New Project dialog and clicks Create, CAIME copies every file that sits directly inside your template folder into the new project. It does not copy subfolders — only the files at the top level of your template folder.

Here is what each file does and whether it is required.

Required: map.hex

your_custom_template\
└── map.hex    ← REQUIRED — without this, the template will not work

This is the CAIME project file itself. It contains: - The target game (Rome 2, Attila, Warhammer, etc.) — this is locked in when the template is chosen - The map dimensions (width × height in hexes) — also locked in when the template is chosen - All of the painted layer data (regions, terrain, roads, rivers, town slots, etc.) - The region colour table used to display regions in the editor

Without map.hex, the template cannot be opened and will produce an error.

Recommended: trees.png

your_custom_template\
├── map.hex
└── trees.png    ← RECOMMENDED — needed for Map Data processing

This is a PNG image that defines where trees are placed on the campaign map. It is used by the Assembly Kit's internal BOB tool when you run process terrain / tilemap or trees directly. Without it, the campaign map will appear visually with no trees (if its a new map).

For Rome 2, Attila, Warhammer I/II/III, Three Kingdoms, and Troy maps: Always include trees.png. For Pharaoh maps it is less critical, but including it is still good practice.

Recommended: tree_database.xml

your_custom_template\
├── map.hex
├── trees.png
└── tree_database.xml    ← RECOMMENDED — rules for tree types

An XML file that defines which tree species appear across the map (e.g., pine, oak, palm) and the rules for how they are distributed. Used alongside trees.png.

Recommended: dynamic_resources.png

your_custom_template\
├── map.hex
├── trees.png
├── tree_database.xml
└── dynamic_resources.png    ← RECOMMENDED — resource icon positions

A PNG image whose purpose is not yet fully understood but it is closely linked to campaign map farms. Used by MapDataBuilder when you run Process → Dynamic Resources.

Not needed for Three Kingdoms maps: Three Kingdoms handles dynamic resources differently and does not use this file.

Recommended: dynamic_resources_database.xml

your_custom_template\
├── map.hex
├── trees.png
├── tree_database.xml
├── dynamic_resources.png
└── dynamic_resources_database.xml    ← RECOMMENDED — links resources to positions

An XML file that links each coloured region in dynamic_resources.png to a specific in-game resource type. Used during Process → Dynamic Resources.

Complete template folder at a glance

your_custom_template\
├── map.hex                          ← REQUIRED
├── trees.png                        ← Strongly recommended
├── tree_database.xml                ← Strongly recommended
├── dynamic_resources.png            ← Recommended (most games)
└── dynamic_resources_database.xml   ← Recommended (most games)

3. Step-by-Step: Building Your Template

Step 1 — Obtain your map.hex

The map.hex file in a template is almost always sourced directly from the Assembly Kit — it is the raw campaign map file that Creative Assembly produced during the game's development. There are two common origins:

From the Assembly Kit: Navigate to the Assembly Kit's raw_data folder and locate the map.hex file for the campaign map you want to use as a base (see Step 2 for the exact path). This is the primary and recommended source — it is the authoritative, unmodified file for that map.
From a modder-made base: Some experienced modders release their own pre-built map.hex files (custom regions, modified terrain, etc.) as community templates. These are packaged the same way and dropped into the Templates folder like any other.

Step 2 — Gather the supporting files

If you are building a template based on an official game map, the supporting files (trees.png, tree_database.xml, dynamic_resources.png, dynamic_resources_database.xml) are typically found in the Assembly Kit at:

[Assembly Kit path]\raw_data\EmpireDesignData\campaign_maps\[MapName]\

Copy those files from there. They do not need to be modified for your template — they just need to be present so that when a user creates a project from your template and then runs processing, the tools can find the files they need.

Step 3 — Create your template subfolder

Open Windows File Explorer and navigate to your CAIME installation root (the folder that contains the CAIME, Projects, Templates, and Tools subfolders).

Open the Templates folder.

 📁 CampaignMapToolkit\
  ├── 📁 CAIME\
  ├── 📁 Projects\
  ├── 📁 Templates\   ← open this
  └── 📁 Tools\

Inside Templates, create a new folder. The name you give this folder becomes the name that appears in CAIME's Template dropdown — choose something clear and descriptive.

Rules for naming your template folder:
────────────────────────────────────────
  ✓  my_rome2_template
  ✓  attila_barbarian_invasion_base
  ✓  wh3_custom_chaos_map
  ✗  my template (spaces can cause issues)
  ✗  My Template! (special characters can cause issues)

Recommended: use only letters, numbers, and underscores.

Step 4 — Copy your files into the template folder

Copy your prepared files directly into the new folder you just created. Do not create any subfolders inside it — CAIME only copies top-level files.

 📁 Templates\
  └── 📁 my_rome2_template\         ← your new folder
       ├── 📄 map.hex               ← copied from your CAIME project
       ├── 🖼 trees.png             ← copied from Assembly Kit
       ├── 📄 tree_database.xml     ← copied from Assembly Kit
       ├── 🖼 dynamic_resources.png ← copied from Assembly Kit
       └── 📄 dynamic_resources_database.xml

Step 5 — Verify your template folder

Before testing, do a quick check:

Template folder checklist
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 ☑  map.hex is present at the top level of the folder
 ☑  No caime_metadata.json file is in the folder
 ☑  No subfolders exist inside the template folder
 ☑  The folder name uses only letters, numbers, and underscores

4. Using Your Template in CAIME

Once your template folder is in place, you do not need to restart CAIME — the Template dropdown reads the Templates folder fresh each time you open the New Project dialog.

Steps:

In CAIME, go to File → Create new map (or press Ctrl+N).

The Create new project dialog will appear:

┌─ Create new project ──────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ Campaign map name: [_____________________________________] │ │ ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │ │ Template: [ None ▼ ] │ ← click here │ Game: [ Rome2 ▼ ] │ │ Map size: [ 1016 ] x [ 720 ] │ │ ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │ │ [ Create ] [ Cancel ] │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

In the Campaign map name field, type the internal name for your new map. This name must match your Assembly Kit database entries exactly (see the Creating a New Map guide for database setup details).
Click the Template dropdown and select your template from the list.

Template: [ None ▼ ] ┌────────────────────────────────┐ │ None │ ← blank canvas │ my_rome2_template │ ← your template │ main_attila_map │ │ main_rome_map │ └────────────────────────────────┘

Notice that as soon as you select a template, the Game and Map size fields become greyed out:

┌─ Create new project ──────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ Campaign map name: [ my_new_campaign ] │ │ ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │ │ Template: [ my_rome2_template ▼ ] ← selected │ │ Game: [ Rome2 ▼ ] ← locked │ │ Map size: [ 1016 ] x [ 720 ] ← locked │ │ ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │ │ [ Create ] [ Cancel ] │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

These fields are locked because the game type and map dimensions are already embedded inside the template's map.hex file — they cannot be overridden.

Click Create.

CAIME will: - Create a new project folder at Projects\[YourMapName]\ - Copy every file from your template folder into that project folder - Rename none of the files — they are copied as-is - Open the copied map.hex and connect to your Assembly Kit database

Your new project will open with all of the template's layer data already visible and ready to edit.

To share a template:

Navigate to your Templates folder.
Right-click your template subfolder and select Send to → Compressed (zipped) folder (or use any archive tool like 7-Zip or WinRAR).
Send the resulting .zip file to your collaborator.

The recipient should: 1. Extract the .zip file. 2. Move the extracted folder into their own Templates folder (inside their CAIME installation). 3. Open the New Project dialog — the template will appear in the Template dropdown immediately.

CAIME installation template sharing workflow:
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
  You (template author)                    Recipient
  ──────────────────────                   ─────────────────────────
  Templates\
  └── my_rome2_template\                   Templates\
       ├── map.hex             → .zip →    └── my_rome2_template\
       ├── trees.png           →  →             ├── map.hex
       ├── tree_database.xml   →  →             ├── trees.png
       └── ...                              └── ...
                                            (now appears in dropdown)

6. Pro-Tips & Troubleshooting

My template does not appear in the dropdown. Check that your template folder is directly inside the Templates folder — not inside another subfolder within it. The path should be Templates\your_template_name\map.hex, not Templates\some_other_folder\your_template_name\map.hex. Also check the folder name: avoid spaces and special characters.
I created a project from my template but the Swatches panel is empty. The Swatches panel is populated from your Assembly Kit database, not from the template files. A template does not carry database entries with it — only the painted layer data from map.hex. The recipient must have the correct Assembly Kit installed and set up in Settings → Preferences (Ctrl+P), and the required database entries (regions, ground types, climates, etc.) must exist in that Assembly Kit before opening the project. Refer to the Creating a New Map guide for the database setup steps.
Process → Map Data or Process → Dynamic Resources fails after I used the template. This usually means trees.png, tree_database.xml, dynamic_resources.png, or dynamic_resources_database.xml is missing from the project folder (and therefore was not in the template). Check that all five files are present in your template folder, then delete the project, re-create it from the template, and run the process again. You can also copy the missing files directly into the project folder at Projects\[MapName]\ without re-creating the project from scratch.
Do not include caime_metadata.json in your template. If you have used the Map Data Editor on your map before making it a template, CAIME will have created a caime_metadata.json file in your project folder. This file stores an absolute path to a map_data_config.xml file on your own machine. If you include it in your template and another user creates a project from it, CAIME will try to read the config file from a path that does not exist on their machine, and Map Data auto-patching will silently fail. Always check your template folder and remove caime_metadata.json before distributing.

Guide version: 1.0 — Campaign AI Map Editor