How to get started in Extended Realism?

**Cheomesh** · November 20, 2009, 01:28 AM

So the pseudohistory of the other Total War games kinda turned me off to them (Except Shogun, when I was too young/dumb to know anything better :p). I also had a tough time with MTW and M2TW (Except Viking Invasion) because the maps were so large I inevitably ended up with an AI controlled Empire OR turns that lasted an hour.

However, I've decided I'd like to give R:TW a try, with the Realism mod (particularly this one as I have BI). Thing is, I'm not quite sure where to start. I was about to get the No Nonsense installer for 3.4 when I realized 3.5 is apparently out. Should I get 3.5? I noticed there were a lot of "CTD" reports -- should I just stick with 3.4 for now?

Also, is there a manual to getting started? I'm aware that there were some (thankful) changes to recruitment; I'm going to need to know how that works.

All in all this seems like a really good mod. It is a pitty M2TW: Total Realism died or I would have given that a go as well (The original doesn't seem to work on my "advanced" PC). Any help would be great!

M.

**ro6ertj** · November 20, 2009, 03:03 AM

Hi.
Just use the 'no-nonsense installer' for 3.4 - http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=189465 Thanks to Bladerunner900 for this.

Then apply the patches 3.5 and 3.5.1 to it.

I had some problems copying the patches over 3.4 the result of which can be found here.. http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...=309752&page=2

It is, along with every mod I have played, awesome.
If you search the Extended realism forum there are various 'stickies' that will explain most of what you require.

There is also a piece by FriendlyFire re. Roman Officer to be found at http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=311969
Very interesting and something I didn't know.

Otherwise, just jump in and enjoy.
Hope that helps. R.

**Quinn Inuit** · November 20, 2009, 07:43 PM

Welcome to the forum, Cheomesh!

Assuming you get this installed correctly (the installation post has step-by-step instructions, and ro6ertj's advice is sound), you should see extremely few CTDs. This version actually employs some cutting-edge anti-CTD measures. Some of these may look odd, but you do what you've got to do.

There's a manual in the Docs folder in the download, along with changelogs. Here's the short version: Greeks can colonize places, Roman recruitment is more limited until the Marian reforms to reflect how they actually recruited their legions, and the AsOR are much more diverse and unique.

Oh, and costs are way, way different. As a result, the AI produces much more balanced armies (for the most part--Macedon produces a lot of prodromoi when it's poor for some reason, but I'm happy with everything else).

**Cheomesh** · November 27, 2009, 02:54 AM

Alright, I've given it a try over the past couple of days and I've not yet had a single CTD. It's also quite addicting, though as Rome I'm still not in control of the Penninsula by 250BC.

One thing that's really strange though; the AI seems psychopathic. I'll get a cease fire or an alliance, accept it, and then 10 or so turns later it's gone totally (if that long). The AI loses battle after battle to me, and yet still demands my surrender. Is this normal?

M.

**Caesar Augustus** · November 27, 2009, 07:37 AM

Hi Cheomesh,

Good to see you're enjoying the mod. I downloaded it a couple of weeks ago but still haven't had the time to actually play it. However, from my understanding of diplomacy in RTW and RTRPE, alliances with AI factions don't really tend to work out particularly well if you happen to share a border with them. I've never had a properly functioning alliance with any of my neighbours. I think you might need to pay some ridiculously high amount of tribute to the allied neighbouring faction to show it that it is better off remaining allied to you than trying to wipe you off the face of the earth.

I find that I'm better off allying myself to factions a bit further away, and just getting trade rights with everybody else that I'm not at war with.

I don't know what other people have experienced though?

**Carados** · November 27, 2009, 09:30 AM

I think there is definitely a trick to getting alliances to work. If you refer to my Pontus campaign thread, you can see where I'm up to in my campaign (24something BC). I've been allied with the Galatians since turn 2 (or whenever my diplomat reached Ancrya)... despite sharing a border since turn 3! I'm also allied with the Samartians, again despite sharing borders.

**Caesar Augustus** · November 27, 2009, 10:14 AM

I think I've seen your campaign somewhere on here. If it's the one I think it is it looks pretty sweet.

Have you done anything in particular to help your alliance, i.e. helping them defend their territory or anything to make them not want to attack you?

I think I've heard that you can intimidate the AI into remaining allied by having large garrissons on your shared borders, but then that makes me wonder why bothering allying with them in the first place?

**Carados** · November 27, 2009, 10:52 AM

Yeah, leave them the heck alone!!

I have occasionally helped them out in allied battles but that is hard to pull off, you usually have to wait for a seige to occur. There was a strange instance where they requested my aid for a battle, so I think with manipulation of the "Attack Faction" option in the diplomacy screen allied battles might be more common. I must stress that this is just a theory. I have attacked common enemies, i.e. Seleucids/Greeks as well which might have some impact on their decision not to attack me.

I've heard of the garrison theory as well. It does seem to work, however I have left my Galatian flank mostly unguarded, and my holdings in the Bosphorus are weak as well so that can't be the whole story.