Unlocking Factions on a Mac

[Probalicious]

I tried to transfer all of the unplayable factions into the unlock-able group in the descr_strat file, but it will not let me save it. Has anyone been able to unlock them on a Mac?

[Ottaman Emperor Mehmet]

you have to go to the folder and right click on descr_strat then press properties than check modify in the security tab and then click OK then it should save

[Probalicious]

When I control-click it there is no properties option.

[Boristus]

Jaffry, Probalicious is using a Mac. This means that your techneique will not work. The Mac version's files are stored on a Read-only disk image. This means that we need to make a new disk image for the files if we want to mod them.

Probalicious:

To edit the files on a Mac, you have to create a new disk image first.

To do this, start by mounting the "RomeData" disk image in the "Rome total war" folder. You can access it by clicking on the "mounted disk" icon on the folder sidebar.

Inside, move the folders "Data" and "BI" to the desktop. Don't worry, they will be copied to your desktop, and the originals will remain inside of the disk image.

Next, dismount the "RomeData" disk, and move the disk image from the "Rome total war" folder to your desktop.

Now, you need to open an application.

Go to your applications folder, and scroll down until you find the "utilities" folder.

Inside, find the "disk utility" application. It's icon should look like this



Open "disk utility". At it's top, it should have a number of image buttons with labels. These are, in order, "Verify", "Info", "Burn", "Mount", "Eject", "Enable Journaling", "New Image", "Convert", "Resize Image", and "Log".

Note, before you follow the next few steps, BE ABSOLUTELY SURE THAT YOU HAVE MOVED THE ORIGINAL "ROMEDATA" DISK IMAGE OUT OF THE "ROME TOTAL WAR" FOLDER. IF YOU REPLACE IT, YOU WILL HAVE TO RE-INSTALL IT FROM THE DVD.

Click on "New Image".

You will be presented with a "Save As" window. Here is the best way to fill this out.



I generally use a 6 GB disk image, because all of the Rome data files come to around 5.7 GB, but you can use a bigger one if needed. The important part is that the file and volume are both named "RomeData", otherwise the game will not open with them.

Hit create, and wait for the disk image to be created.

Once this has happened, mount the disk image, and take the "Data" and "BI" folders that you should have moved to your desktop earlier, and put them inside of your new disk image.

Now, you have a "RomeData" disk image that can be freely edited, and will be automatically opened by the game when you start it up.

Keep in mind, that sometimes the game has some issues with the newly added factions. I find most of these issues can be resolved by going to your "User" File (lets say, your name is "Steve", then you would go "Macintosh HD" > "Users" > "Steve") Now, open the file "Library", and scroll down until you find the "preferences" folder. Open that, and look for the "Feral Interactive" folder near the bottom. Inside, take either the "Rome total war" or the "Rome total war - Barbarian Invasion" folder (take the one you wanted to mod), and move it into the trash.

That should solve most of your issues. Happy Modding!

[Probalicious]

So I just installed RTW on my laptop which I don't actually play the game on to test this out, I am pretty sure that I did everything right, although I am not sure if I mounted/dismounted correctly. I put all of the factions that I wanted next to the romans at the top of the list, and deleted them from below, and it successfully saved. I then launched the game but only the starting three roman factions were playable, went back to the descr_strat file and it was back to how it had originally been. I then tried to switch it back but it again would not save.

[Boristus]

Thats odd... I know the file is supposed to be unstable, but...

Let me try it out on one of my own.

---- double posts merged (Brusilov) - please use the EDIT function to provide updates if there have been no further posts since your last one.

Ok, I've done some testing, and from what I have found, I know what you are doing wrong.

It seems that there is a limit to the amount of factions that can be playable at a time, so for every unplayable faction you want to play, you have to make a playable faction unplayable.

Does this make sense?

[Probalicious]

I just tried to do this again, this time intending to install Mundus Magnus.
It told me that there was only enough space for a 3.7 GB new rome data disk image,
and that is not large enough for the data folder.

[Squid]

Moved to RTW Technical Help Forum.

[Probalicious]

So I successfully made a new romedata disk image and all that, moved the install.zip thing from the mundus magnus folder like I'm supposed to, and started the game up. It did not have the mundus magnus map. Then I went back to the new romedata disk image and it cannot be modified any more...

[vasquez1414]

i did everything and now i cant start a campaign as any of the new factions

[stoogeofstooges]

Wow, I used a totaly different process to mod my Rome Mac files. I made a copy of the data folder and bi folder inside the RomeData.dmg. I edit the folders and place them in a RomeData folder and convert it to a dmg. I then take the new dmg. and replace the old one. The best part is that I always have a RomeData folder with my most current mods, which I can update or delete at any time. The only thing is I thought that any mods with installers (like the big, full modded ones out there) would not work because they are pc (exe.) based. Therefore, you couldn't get at the files. And I'm not sure how to install large mods manually, only small mods like adding units.

[Brusilov]

i did everything and now i cant start a campaign as any of the new factions

Have you added the -show_err switch to the shortcut target properties? If you've done this do you get any error messages when the game is closed down (do this immediately after you've tried to select one of the new factions).

If you don't know how to do that then have a read of this stickied topic: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=62217

Have you deleted the map.rwm files before starting the game?

[Ivandude]

i did almost everything too and still cant play campaign... deleted the map.rwm files and nothing...am not that good with computers so i cant find the shortcut target properties for the mac...

[sharinshi]

When you open up rome on a mac, there should be a window that pops up, select "advanced" and check unlock all factions.

[Ventus]

Hey, can anybody help? I'm playing on a Mac, and I've managed to get everybody playable, but when I try to play any faction in campaign, I just can't. It sends me back to the Single Player menu. This is on vanilla, and on the latest update. Any help is appreciated.

[Robdavid1111]

i did everything and now i cant start a campaign as any of the new factions

Exact same problem- how can I play campaign? it just goes back to the menue...

[Total Maniac]

Dear Boristus,
You seem to know whats up so I'm asking you.
I've modded the files on a new disk and that's all great but the new factions aren't playable so I followed your instructions to the "preferences" folder but nowhere on my computer is there such a thing as the "feral interactive" folder.
Long story short, I still can't play as any of the unplayable factions.
Help me please!
Oh - same problem as all these chaps before me

[Chris Death]

Last Post: Mods on Rome Total War for Mac July 08, 2010 04:46 AM

This is showing up when clicking onto Boristus' profile and then on statistics.

You might need to address your question to somebody else as it seems to me
that Boristus won't answer you anytime soon.

~S~ CD

[Snorticus]

I have followed all of the directions above but i cannot play the campaign. When ever i attempt to edit the RomeData even just make it read/write i cannot play the campaign. When i click on campaign it says "please select an item from the list". Any suggestions

[JakeNyg25]

how do you unlock all factions with the rtw app for the mac?