Downloads: Early Campaign No FOW Bug

The rules of TWC now allow people to distribute mods (which we did not make) under certain conditions (for example, provided that the mod is not provided exclusively via Steam and provided the mod creator has not forbidden distribution - see the Rules tab for full information).

These are the original versions of this mod. You might prefer to use one of the improved versions provided by poa, from page 27 onwards on the All Factions Unlocked thread.

All credit for these mods belongs to the people listed in the OP of the All Factions Unlocked thread.

New Download Links

Link for all factions unlocked, early campaign (starting in 1700, play any minor faction)

Link for early protectorates (starting in 1700, play as Louisiana, New Spain or the Thirteen Colonies)

Link for late campaign, 2 turns per year (starting in 1783, play any minor faction)

Link for late campaign, 4 turns per year (starting in 1783, play any minor faction)

How to install

1. Download and unzip the file(s) you want.

- Download a startpos.esf file. Click on one of the download links above or, alternatively, download one of poa's improved versions. poa posted several 'all factions unlocked' startpos files on other pages of this thread, for example on pages 27 and 29. They are calling things like 'courland startpos' but you can use them to play any major or minor faction (except for protectorates - New Spain, Thirteen Colonies and Louisiana and emergents, such as the United States and Scotland).

- Unzip the file which you downloaded (I use 7zip, which you can find online.)

2. Move the vanilla files (which you are going to replace) to a safe place.

- Find your C:/ProgramFiles(x86)/Steam/steamapps/common/Empire Total War/data/campaigns/main folder. There should be two files in it, startpos.esf and scripting.lua. These files create the world at the start of the campaign. The startpos.esf is the file which you will need to move (into a 'vanilla files' sub-folder) and replace (with the modified startpos.esf).

- Create a new sub-folder called something like 'vanilla_files'.

- Move (cut and paste) the vanilla (unmodified) startpos from the campaigns/main folder into your new campaigns/main/vanilla_files sub-folder.

- If you are using the 'early protectorates' version of the mod, you will also need to cut and paste the scripting.lua file from your campaigns/main folder into your vanilla files sub-folder.

3. Install the modified files

Move (copy and paste) the modified 'all factions unlocked' startpos file into your C:/ProgramFiles(x86)/Steam/steamapps/common/Empire Total War/data/campaigns/main folder.

- If you are using the 'early protectorates' version of the mod, you will also need to copy and paste the scripting.lua folder into your campaigns/main folder.

4. Check your installation

- Have you put the modified file(s) in the correct folder?

- Is your modified 'all factions unlocked' startpos file called startpos.esf? If not, re-name it so that it is called startpos.esf. When you start the Grand Campaign, the game will use whichever startpos.esf file is in the data/campaigns/main folder to create the game-world

5. Play the game.

- Start the game normally. When you select the Grand Campaign, many more factions should be available to play.

How to uninstall

- Create a sub-folder of your campaigns/main folder called something like 'early campaign all factions unlocked'

- Move the file(s) from the campaigns/main folder to your new sub-folder

- Move the file(s) from your 'vanilla files' sub-folder to your campaigns/main folder.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

I installed the mod and can play the additional factions, but some of them can recruit very few units.
You could look for unit packs, for example in the 'Unit Packs and Stats' section of the Mod Threads forum. Some minor factions can recruit very limited selections of units. If you use a unit pack mod, there should normally be instructions on the mod's homepage. Unit pack mods normally go in your C:/ProgramFiles(x86)/Steam/steamapps/common/Empire Total War/data folder.

I installed the mod and started the campaign. I cannot play any additional factions.
Check the instructions above carefully. Did you unzip the file which you downloaded? Did you put it in the correct folder? Is the startpos.esf file called startpos.esf (if you renamed it, for example to 'all_factions_unlocked_startpos.esf', then the game will not use it).

I am playing as a protectorate (Louisiana, New Spain or Thirteen Colonies). A few turns into the campaign, it crashes every time.
Did you unzip and put the modified scripting.lua file in the correct folder? The modified scripting.lua prevents these protectorates from being automatically handed over to France, Spain and Britain a few turns unto the game. If, for example, you play as Louisiana and your regions are automatically handed over to France, then the game will crash.

I cannot play as the United States/Mexico/Ireland/Scotland/Quebec/Hessen/Hungary/Punjab/Mamelukes/Naples & Sicily/Norway. Which factions does this mod unlock?
These are emergent factions. This mod enables us to play as minor factions, not emergent factions. The minor factions (called 'non-playable factions') and emergent factions are listed here. The difference is that minor factions already exist when the game starts, emergent factions only appear if there is a rebellion. If you would like to play as an emergent faction, you could try the Empire Total Factions mod (in the Hosted Mods area, available from the StartPos Mods sub-forum). Other mods allow you to play as the United States, such as husserlTW's Sturm und Drang (also available from the Hosted Mods area, in the StartPos Mods sub-forum), The American Revolution (from the Hosted Mods area), shokh's US mod, here and Early American Revolution, here.

I tried playing as the Pirates. They have very few units and diplomacy does not work
That's true, this mod unlocks the Pirates but it does not really make them playable. For that, you could try a mod such as Pirates Uber Alles & Russian Company, here or Minor Factions Revenge, here - or you could try playing as the Barbary States (Mediterranean pirates) with a unit pack.

I tried playing as a Native American faction. They cannot recruit archers (or research the Spirit Medicine technology needed to recruit them), they cannot build ships and they only have access to the economic tech tree (not the army or navy technologies)
That's true. Of course, you could use the Warpath DLC instead. If you have the Warpath DLC, you could use vadik_1st's Native Units mod, here, which makes the Warpath units available in the Grand Campaign. Alternatively, you could try The Great Spirit, here (with a download link here) which is intended for playing as a Native American faction.

I want a startpos file to play the Early Campaign with 4 turns per year, and an 8 turns per year startpos, and a phased plasma rifle in the 40-watt range
Sorry, pal, there's just what you see here! In other words, I have already provided download links for all versions of this mod which I have.

Help! I forgot to put my vanilla files in a new sub-folder, so I deleted them when I installed the mod files! How do I get the vanilla files back?
You could try verifying your game files. First, remove all files from your campaigns/main folder (using the instructions on 'How to uninstall', above). Open your Steam client, select 'Library' and right-click on 'Empire Total War'. Select 'Properties'. Select the 'Local Files' tab in the box which opens. Select 'Verify Integrity of Game Cache'. Steam should detect that your startpos.esf and scripting.lua files are missing the replace them. If that does not work, then I am afraid you will have to reinstall the game.