Factions?

[zepfan81]

How can I find out how to play all factions from the beginning? Also, would any of you recommend "Kingdoms"? Is it much of an improvement?

[Monsieur Alphonse]

Just edit the descr_strat (c:\Program Files\SEGA\Medieval II Total War\data\world\maps\campaign\imperial_campaign) and cut and paste all factions from unlockable to playable.

Kingdoms adds four mini campaigns. If you download the Retrofit mod you can play the Grand campaign with the Kingdoms improvements (boiling etc.).

[Lazy-Hamish]

Kingdoms is good once you get bored of the same old conquering of europe, the new mini campaigns and new factions add new challenges.
I'd say the teutonic campaign is the most dull as there is no real change to the original game in my opinion bar new factions, crusades is fun as massive battles are very common, brittania i think offers the biggest challenge england may look easy but a big kingdom is difficult to manage from the start, and the americas is very different to vanilla that it is worth getting kingdoms for this one campaign, the apaches are amazingly fun (you'll use loose formation a lot, so it seems more like skirmishes than battle making it different and very fun)