A Bunch of How-to's and other short guides
A Bunch of How-to’s and other stuff
Just a few How-to’s and other things, written and compiled by me, for anyone out there who needs it. There may be more out there on the same things, made by other people, but I find myself answering these questions often, so I wanted to create this to help newbs. Everything here was made by me, and is gathered from my own personal experience.
Now I am thinking of expanding this a bit more. I think as well as Technical help for RTW, I will put in some other things realated to playing RTW that dont relate to Technical problems. They will be at the bottom of this post if you want, and Ill update it whenever i can.
TECHNICAL HELP SECTION
How to: The Battle Editor
You need vanilla patched to 1.3 for it to be enabled, so do this first.
Next, you just type in -enable_editor in the command line, right here where it says all this:
"C:\Program Files\Activision\Rome - Total War\RomeTW.exe"
And make it say this: (You can also copy this line into the command line if you want)
"C:\Program Files\Activision\Rome - Total War\RomeTW.exe" -enable_editor
Don’t forget to put a space between the .exe" and -enable_editor
To get to the command line, just right click on the RTW shortcut, select Properties, then you will see the Command Line near the top of the box.
When enabled run RTW, and in the options menu there will be a new option for it. Post or PM me with any questions.
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How to: Movie Cam
First, you will need vanilla RTW patched to 1.3. Then you will enable it similar to the way you enabled the Battle Editor.
Go to the Command Line, and type in: -movie_cam
So you end up with this:
"C:\Program Files\Activision\Rome - Total War\RomeTW.exe" -movie_cam
To use the movie cam, just load a replay from a custom battle (remember it only works with custom and online battles). Once loaded, you will notice the movie cam is enabled when you see the blue text and all. Go Here http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=49260 for more info on using the move cam.
See also 1hHoplite’s movie cam guide here: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=16473
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How to: Show err
Easy, just do the same thing with the Battle Editor and Movie cam enabling, except type this at the end of the command line: -show_err
Now, whenever your game CTDs, you will be notified of the problem that caused this CTD.
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How to: Unlock All Factions
Ok, this first part is just for the 1.2 version of RTW (or lower). Later I can update it with instructions for other versions, like 1.5.
Quite easy for this part. First you need to find the file descry_strat.txt . It is located deep inside the RTW Data folder. To get to it go through these folders.
RTWDataWorldMapsCampaignImperial Campaigndescr_strat.txt
Open descr_strat. At the very top is the document is a list of playable factions, and non playable factions.
Copy the factions in the non-playable section to the playable factions section. Make sure you keep everything aligned properly, I don’t know if it will affect gameplay or anything, but just to be safe and stay organized you should. Also, do not copy the slave faction over, I am pretty sure it will not work, and will cause a CTD. You can copy the Senate faction over, but be warned it is quite a buggy faction and you very well may experience some problems while playing as them in a campaign.
More to come (hopefully) on unlocking all factions for 1.5.
UPDATE: Here is a download link to a little mod for 1.3 that will unlock all factions, and give them leader pics, descriptions and a map. http://www.twcenter.net/downloads/db/?mod=672
UPDATE!!! Here is the link to another thread for my All Factions for RTW 1.5 mod. Enjoy it.http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...834#post994834
UPDATE: A guide by Ghoulem for another easy do-it-yourself mwthod of unlocking all factions for 1.5.
Originally Posted by Ghoulem
Hader’s quick guide to preferences.txt
Lets just say I was inspired by an idiot who hates Rome because of green triangles….something related to preferences .txt.
From top to bottom, some important preferences. Important ones that are often asked about are in blue.
SUBTITLES:FALSE
Change this to TRUE to automatically have subtitles enabled when you start RTW. Can also be done through Options ingame.
FOG_OF_WAR:TRUE
Toggles Fog Of War. Also done with the toggle_fow cheat ingame
EVENT_CUTSCENES:TRUE
These cutscenes are the ones you see when a general dies, you capture a wall, etc. Change to false to turn those off.
AUTO_SAVE:TRUE
Turns the autosave feature on or off.
SHOW_BANNERS:TRUE
These are the banners that appear above your units in battle. If you don’t like these, or need them out for a video, change this to false.
DISABLE_BACKGROUND_FMV:FALSE
Change this to false if you want a nice staticy background instead of that crappy movie in the background.
DISABLE_ARROW_MARKERS:FALSE
Change this to false to disable the green arrow markers (AKA STUPID LITTLE GREEN TRIANGLES) that appear under each man in a unit in battle.
TGA_CAPTURE_WIDTH:1024
Changes the size of screenshots you take ingame. 1024 is default, and best.
LABEL_CHARACTERS:FALSE
LABEL_SETTLEMENTS:TRUE
On the campaign map there are labels under cities and characters in an army. True will make these labels always appear, false will only make them visible when moused over,.
FIRST_TIME_PLAY:FALSE
If you do not want to play the prologue to get the Imperial campaign, change this to False.
MUTE_ADVISOR:FALSE
Pretty self-explanitory
EDIT_SETTLEMENT_NAMES:FALSE
I just noticed this at the bottom of the text. I think it will allow to edit city names ingame juist Like in BI. yay!
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How-to: Multiple Installs
Multiple installs are ways to install multiple mods of RTW onto your computer. They are easy and fast to use, but take up a ton of space on your disk drive, so make sure you have the room for them.
This is a very simple process. There are two methods you can use. Here is one:
1. First, you will need a clean install of RTW patched to 1.2 on your computer (I doubt there are any mods for 1.0, but if there are and you want to play them, read the next step).
2. Open the RTW folder (remember it is in C:\Program Files\Activision\Rome - Total War) and then find the Data folder. Copy the Data folder to the Activision folder, just one up from the RTW one, or copy it to any other folder of your choosing. I just think it is easier to have it right there for easy access.
3. Once the Data folder is copied, you can install any 1.2 compatible mod into that copied Data folder. Whenever you want to play that mod, just switch out that copied Data folder with the one in the main RTW folder. Don’t delete the one in the RTW folder, just switch it out with the modded one.
4. To do this for 1.5, just do basically the same thing. First, install 1.5 into the RTW folder with its original Data folder (NOT the modded and copied one). Then, copy the new Data folder of the 1.5 version just like you did for the 1.2 version. Then install any mod into that copied folder.
*Note: Make multiple copies of a Data folder if you wish to use more than 1 mod for a version of RTW. For example: If you want to play Terrae Expugnandae 5.0 for RTW version 1.5 and switch between Rome:Total Realism for RTW 1.5, then make 2 copies of the Data folder from the fresh 1.5 Data folder and install TE and RTR into the different copies. Switch them as you like.
The other method:
1. Follow the same step as the first method, which is: First, you will need a clean install of RTW patched to 1.2 on your computer (I doubt there are any mods for 1.0, but if there are and you want to play them, read the next step).
2. Now instead of copying just the Data folder, copy the entire RTW folder, that is all of its contents, and rename it however you like.
3. Once the copy is complete, install any 1.2 compatible mod into either the copied or original RTW 1.2 folder. This way you have the mod and you have the backup vanilla version for more copying or just future use.
4. Once again, do the same with 1.5. However, you might want to still keep an old copy of your 1.2 RTW folder handy, so you can if you want make another copy of it and use one copy to patch to 1.5. Then, once patched to 1.5, just do the same installation process, which is copying the 1.5 RTW folder and installing mods into it.
*The advantage of this method is you can create and .exe for each mod, so you can just click the .exe for each mod and play it, instead of substituting the Data folders all the time.
Please ask me with any questions, I am more than willing to help you.
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Issues with the game
Having trouble with the game, like constant CTD’s, or just stupid/annoying things that screw up gameplay? Well then try to uninstall RTW. This usually fixes about 90% of problems such as CTD’s and other weird bugs. Remember though, when you uninstall to also delete the RTW main folder to erase all traces of the game, so you can perform a fresh install.
PM me or post here if you have any questions or comments.
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A Guide to common errors
Ingame errors: Sometimes when playing ingame, usually campaign mode, you will encounter a CTD that randomly happens. Now of course, this isnt really a problem of bug with the game, it is just a random CTD that you cant do anything about. Please remember that! Other times though, you wil find yourself getting a CTD every time you perform a certain action, or after a certain thing happens. An example would be getting a CTD every time you press the End Turn button in the year 238BC. Things like this are small bugs that cant be fixed, so you will have to deal with them. To work around these type of bugs in the campaign, you need to move around your units and agents, etc before pressing the end tun button. What I mean is: If you are getting something like "a CTD every time you press the End Turn button in the year 238BC", then reload your game, and instead of just ending the turn and hoping it works, move your units, agents, generals, armies, whatever youi have to different places. Now dont move them away from an objective of yours or anything, just move them to different locations. like moving an army from one town to another or a spy from an enemy town to the hills nearby; small movements really. This usually is the only way to get arond these kind of bugs.
Other things, like not eing able to start a campaign, are almost always due to an error in the RTW files, probably when you modded them somehow. Remember that one tiny typo in one small file can keep the entire game from playing correctly, so you need o keep track of what you do to each file, and make backups just to be safe.
Installation related issues: Issues with installation are common nowadays, but are usually very easy to fix. If you are encountering some small errors with the game then your best bet is to reinstall RTW completely, and make sure to delete the RTW main folder with the uninstall too. Then reinstall the game and you will more than likely find the game working correctly again.
Other times, it can be a problem with patches that you installed. When you install a patch make sure you install it correctly, and into the correct folder. If not installed properly then it will not patch the game or it will run wrong and maybe screw up some files, forcing you to reinstall the game from scratch. If you are positve that you installed the patch correctly yet it does nnot take effect or does something it shouldnt, then chances are you have a corrupted download. Re download the patch frm a good source and try installing agian.
RTW Minor Modding related articles
How to: Increase Campaign map Movement points
As you all know, the movement points given to your men on the campaign map in vanilla is a bit low, and you cant march your armies that far. Well it is a fairly simple thing to change and give your people more movement points.
Step 1- Open your Rome Total War main folder, then the Data folder. Look for the file called "descr_characters.txt". It should be located around here.
Open this file and go down just a bit until you find this line circled in red. By default will be at 85. You can change it to whatever you want, but I think 100 is the limit. I suggest 95, it is a good balance, but thats just me.
ROME TOTAL WAR RELATED ARTICLES
Start of new section for this post.
AI Faction Behaviour in vanilla RTW
Well, of course, it always differs with each campaign, so there really is no one weak faction. Well, here is my list of what each AI faction is like.
Gaul: The Gauls seem to last longer but due to their bad selection of troops (except the forester warbands) they get defeated pretty easily, but not neccessarily quickly. Usually they last for a while when the human player is not a neighboring faction, like the Julii or Spain, maybe the Germans.
Spain:Spain seems to be moderate, at times they can be quickly and easily dealt with by Carthage and Gaul, or both at once. At other times they steamroll the Gauls or Carthage, while sometimtes they remain more neutral. If the human player isnt Carthage or Gaul then they do this, but if they are Carthage or Gaul they will usually get killed easily.
Britons: The Britons can usually last very long due to their position in England. Though this doesnt mean they expand much, at times they seem to just sit back on their island and let the game play out. Sometimes though they decide to expand into Gaul or Germania, and sometimes even Dacia if they get that far. If the human player is not near Briton then they tend to do this, but otherwise they will be fighting for England rather than just sitting there.
Germans: The Germans seem to expand into Gaul, parts of Briton and into northern Russia most of the time. But other times they get defeated by the Britons really easily, but rarely by Gaul (since Gaul is occupied with the Romans most of the time). Any human player may have a bit of a hard time with Germania if they are a neighboring faction, because of their strong shock infantry (berserkers!).
Carthage: Carthage stars out strong and very rarely goes down early in the game. Most of the time they tend to expand into Numidia and Spain, and maybe even Egypt. But with Rome just across the sea they have a big challenge to face, and usually they are utterly defeated by the Romans (usually only when the human player is Rome, buts sometimes when the AI is Rome). At other times Numidia steps up to the plate and takes on Carthage in the beginning. Spain is know to do this as well, expanding as far as Palma on rare occasions.
Numidia: The Numidians start out very weak, they have a poor economy and some low standard troops. When the AI plays as them they are usually wiped out early on or driven to the point of no return to glory. However, the AI will on rare occasions stand firm, blocking Carthage’s attacks and maybe even expanding into Carthage, becoming a great power to contend with. However this would probably never happen if a human player is nearby.
Egypt: Egypt is the Rome of the east, they start out strong in both military strength and starting position. The AI almost always plays well and expands rapidly and effectively north into Seleucid territory and sometimes west into Carthage and Numidia. Egypt usually ends up conquering the whole eastern part of the map if not having to contend with a human player. And even if they do they still expand with seemingly little effort.
Seleucids: The Seleucids start out in a very vulnerable position. They are right in the middle of the Middle East region and are surrounded by enemies. They have to contend with Egypt to the south, Armenia and Parthia to the East, Pontus to the north and the Greeks and Macedonians to the west. The AI does try to hold on but almost always goes down early due to war on every front. There are however rare occasions where the Seleucids hold on and manage to keep their lands, and expand little by little. They have also been known to attack and destroy rival factions like the Greeks and Egyptians. One other advantage they have is their extremely diverse selection of troops, ranging from armoured elephants to outstanding pikemen, legionaries and cataphracts. However this can do little to save them if the AI uses them wrong, and especially if there is a human player nearby.
Parthia: The Parthians start out fairly even in terms of military strength and starting position. They are to the east of the Seleucids and though they pose a threat to Parthia, the Seleucids are usually contended with fairly easily. What Parthia should worry about is Armenia directly to the west of them. If they do not ally with Armenia early on then there will without a doubt be a long war between them. Parthia must also contend with the Scythians to the north, but they are not as big a threat as Armenia. When the human player controls Armenia or the Seleucids Parthia is really in for it.
Armenia: Armenia starts out in a small area in some mountains, definitely a good, defendable area but it may halt expansion. With Parthia to the east and the Seleucids to the south, Armenia must build up early or face a long war that will end with their downfall. If a human player is Parthia or the Seleucids then Armenia has little chance of survival.
Pontus: Pontus starts out in a nice position, though it is vulnerable to attack from all sides. They face Armenia to the east, Greeks to the west, Seleucids to the south and there is a possibility of an attack from the Scythians across the Black Sea (only from a human player though). Pontus faces crisis early on, it is hard to expand in any direction, and that is one main reason for their early downfall.
Scythians: The Scythains have it good, they have almost no enemies near them to begin with, and those that are there usually don’t mess with them. But the downside is they have a huge expanse of territory to look after, which spreads their forces thin. You rarely see them expand much, but when they do they come in full force.
Thracians: The Thracians start out on a fairly good position on the Bosporus strait, and have a good selection of barbarian troops and Greek style foot soldiers. If they take the initiative then they can go on to dominate the Greek peninsula and barbaric lands of Dacia to the north. However, a human player nearby poses a real threat to their expansion and survival.
Macedon: Macedon begins on the crowded Greek peninsula, and is at war with other Greek nations from the very start. They will at times expand quickly and take Greece, while holding of the Romans coming from the west. But there is an equal chance of them getting defeated early on as well, with enemies all around them. If there is a human player around they will more than likely fall.
Greek Cities: The Greek Cities start spread out and usually lose many territories early on to rival factions. However, they posses a secret weapon- Spartans. Any faction that doesn’t attack these guys early will be in for it later when they have Spartans. Usually though, the Greeks don’t get that far and are crippled early in the game.
Dacians: The Dacians start out in a great location, fairly distanced from other factions that pose a threat. They can usually expand slowly and effectively, or quite rapidly. Though sometimes the Germans and the Thracians pose a real threat later one, they are relatively safe early on in the game.
Romans: Well, they are Rome, you really need an explanation for them?
Working on this still, look for updates soon! I plan to add much more. Remember to ask if you have any questions or comments.
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I am shocked, but at the same time thankful!Thanks exc! :original: 
use report button to help us keep twc clean 
