no campaign - RTW M:TW

[BURNY26]

when i want to start a campaign i get a ctd when the map is loading , following : total war medival doesnt work anymore
its vanilla!!!!!
ive read the remarks that new computers might have difficculty with running this game but come on!
isnt there a way to bypass it?
by using mods or something else?

[ccllnply]

http://shoguntotalwar.yuku.com/topic/1601?page=1

http://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showpo...48&postcount=3

Should be something in one of those threads for you. The second thread worked for me

[BURNY26]

thx mate ,works like a charm , do you know perhaps how to decrease the lag during a session? any mods that help?or patches for that matter? ( im playing on 2.02)

[ccllnply]

Nope, have no idea, sorry

[BURNY26]

ok thx anyway merry xmas

[Axalon]

Hello guys,

I am not sure I exactly follow you here Burny26? Do you have lag in battle-mode? If that is the case you simply need to set sound-quality to medium (instead of high). If it is the stratmap-mode - Iv'e seen that some people are supposedly having trouble because of the minimap (in the left corner). If that is really the cause for your problems here, you simply need to replace relevant files. Manufacturing some replacement files basically and it "should" work just fine (as in disabling the original files and what they do).

The relevant files are located:

?:\ ?\Total War\Medieval - Total War\campmap

Filenames…

File1: “MINIMAP.BIF”
File2: “minilukup.bif”

The most likely reason these might be a problem are because of color-palette and formatting. If both those were "destroyed" and replaced with new and other palettes and files your problem "should" disappear. If not, then they are hardly the ones causing problems here, now are they? It would be a smart move to backup the original files just to be safe - even if you are not supposed to base your replacements upon those...

Tools to make it happen...

CA_BIF_BUF_Utils_COMPLETE.zip
http://www.atomicgamer.com/files/366...s_complete-zip

readbif22b.zip
http://www.atomicgamer.com/files/734...-reader22b-zip

Other than that, I have no clue at the moment what it might be…

- Good luck

[Axalon]

Hi again,

Since I’ve been approached regarding how these replacement files are properly done, it has become clear that it is easier for me to just produce some files rather then the lengthy and complicated process of explaining exactly how it is done and what things to keep in mind while “you” create them. Thus I made some files and uploaded them over at Atomic (link below).

Hopefully this upload will do the trick for you guys who indeed has this problem – if not, then we all can be pretty sure that it is not those files that does create the lag that some of you people seems to be experiencing. Now, since I don’t have the means to recreate this lag-problem myself, I can’t check it out personally. Thus, some of you guys must do that and be the testers here.

If more than two separate players - with different rigs – with the lag problem – could check out what happens with this fix and then report back here. I think we got a decent shot at getting some real and valid answers on this issue. So, try it out and report back here…

Either the fix does work or nothing changes (other than that the minimap will be disabled)… Time will tell… Oh, and do back up the regular files…

Minimap Fix 1.0
====================
http://www.atomicgamer.com/files/836...p_fix_1-0-zip#


- Cheers

[Axalon]

…And yet another post here.

I forgot that VI/V2.01 and V.1.1 are structurally and internally different when I wrote my previous post.
The Minimap fix 1.0 should work just fine for all you VI-users as well, but the files are located elsewhere.
Thus some info on what to do for all VI-players with these problems then….

In VI/V2.01 we must replace the files in this folder*….

“?:\?\Total War\Medieval - Total War\Textures\campmap”

Files (to replace as usual)…
MINIMAP.BIF
MINILUKUP.BIF

Replacing the files at the old V.1.1-location (as indicated in previous posts) will have no effect in VI/2.01 games.
The older files and their location are simply ignored by the VI/V2.01 EXE. Thus replacing the files at the (now)
specified location should make things work for all you VI-users as well…

*The exact default install-path may vary a bit depending on what kind of editions you got. Gold editions, Eras-editions
for instance, might be slightly different… etc. etc.


- Enjoy

[A Demented Goldfish]

it says that the file cannot be found

[Barbarian-Bob]

Hi. I just wanted to say that the map fix didn't work. I suspect it's because it's not the mini map itself causing the problem, but rather the red "frame" that moves around the mini map. The fix given here only removes the mini map texture, making it transparent. But the red frame is still there and moving around as normal. I do not know, but the problem is still there anyhow.

Same discussion going on here:

http://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showth...ap-very-chuggy


And oh, I'm running Athlon II X2 240, 2gb ram, win7 ultimate and 9800gt

with VI 2.01 and XL 3.0 + Tyberius 2.3

[Axalon]

Howdy folks.... I'll start with Pharaoh....

it says that the file cannot be found

I checked and the files are there alright. I have also downloaded ‘em myself just to make sure. I had no problems with it. Try a different browser or change your internet-security settings – that might possibly solve it for you.


-------------------------------------------

Hi. I just wanted to say that the map fix didn't work.

Well, that’s a bummer for you… I do believe that it did not work for you – just like the button fix, it seems to not have a guaranteed success-rate for everybody. However it does seem to work just fine for others or so I hear - I guess you happened to end up amongst the unlucky ones in this. Thus our intel on it is mixed so far.

I suspect it's because it's not the mini map itself causing the problem, but rather the red "frame" that moves around the mini map.

I don’t know man. First of all, wherever it is - it is not a bif-file – and thus I don’t know how to get to it (I have tried you know. It is not the Bif-files containing the red-squares that we are talking about here - it is hiding somewhere else. I looked for it several times before - no succes this far). Anyhow, the palette for it is likely just a few colours (red and red basically) so it does not strike me as a probable candidate for screwing things up (then again we can not be certain, personally it does strikes me as unlikely). However, since I can’t get to the darn file – thus I can only speculate on it – which is what I am doing here.

The fix given here only removes the mini map texture, making it transparent.

...Which is exactly what it was designed to do. So, mission accomplished….

Anyhow, I personally do believe more in the minimap as a culprit causing this particular fuss for some Nvidia-people (yet to hear anything from ATI-users). Another candidate could possibly be the shields – I don’t know. The regular MTW faction-shields on the strat-map have rather screwed up palettes – which could potentially cause problems. Again, I don’t know that for sure. It is a hunch of sort. As in pointing at another possible suspect for the fuss on this note.

I'm running Athlon II X2 240, 2gb ram, win7 ultimate and 9800gt

You got an Nvidia 9800, a card that reportedly do not function properly with MTW anyhow – supposedly... If that is true – then you will probably get other fuss as well (if not already) – even if these particular lag-issues are solved for you. I am merely telling you what I have seen claimed and reported elsewhere. The W7-drivers might be screwing things up as well. Can you actually play the game at all – otherwise? How about battles for instance? No problems there? If really so, you might very well be an exception to other Nvidia 9800 users – as I understand it. Then again, I am an ATI-man myself…


-Cheers

[Barbarian-Bob]

Hello Axalon, thank you responding to this thread and for doing your best to fix the problem. I thought I was the only one with this issue

I don’t know man. First of all, wherever it is - it is not a bif-file – and thus I don’t know how to get to it (I have tried you know. It is not the Bif-files containing the red-squares that we are talking about here - it is hiding somewhere else. I looked for it several times before - no succes this far). Anyhow, the palette for it is likely just a few colours (red and red basically) so it does not strike me as a probable candidate for screwing things up (then again we can not be certain, personally it does strikes me as unlikely). However, since I can’t get to the darn file – thus I can only speculate on it – which is what I am doing here.

The reason I brought up the red frame was because Pronoiar in the Guild-thread I linked to directed my attention to it, and he's right - the game slows down when the red frame crosses alot of borders. I'm "EBnewb" in that thread by the way.

UPDATE: This no longer happens with my 9800gt (whereas it DID with my 4670). I hadn't thought of testing that before now. Also, increasing refresh rate to 75 Hz does nothing for me.

I should point out that I've tried playing MTW1 with several configurations, as you can see in the Guild-thread.

http://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showth...ap-very-chuggy

Anyhow, I personally do believe more in the minimap as a culprit causing this particular fuss for some Nvidia-people (yet to hear anything from ATI-users).

Before I got my 9800gt I had a Radeon 4670, and while the framerate was definately better than with 9800gt (and I could at least play battles fine), the framerate was still in the teens when looking at the sprite pieces on the map (princesses, castles etc.) Also, when the red frame was away from any explored borders (that is, playing as england and zooming in on egypt or the sea or whatever) the framerate would stay at a rock solid 30 fps. I describe this in the Guild-thread if anyone is interested.

You got an Nvidia 9800, a card that reportedly do not function properly with MTW anyhow – supposedly... If that is true – then you will probably get other fuss as well (if not already) – even if these particular lag-issues are solved for you. I am merely telling you what I have seen claimed and reported elsewhere. The W7-drivers might be screwing things up as well. Can you actually play the game at all – otherwise? How about battles for instance? No problems there? If really so, you might very well be an exception to other Nvidia 9800 users – as I understand it. Then again, I am an ATI-man myself…

True, I can't actually play battles with the 9800gt, but the strategy map works fine (aside from the framerate issues), I get no CTDs or anything after applying the button-fix. I really like MTW1, so I figured I might as well play it as a CIV-style game with only the strategy map, but the framerate kills any enjoyment out of that too.

[Barbarian-Bob]

Hello again, I felt this warranted another post.

I think increasing refresh rate to 75 Hz works! I haven't had the chance to test it before, but I get consistently 40-60 fps now at 800x600. It runs like a dream!

However it was very hard to test, because for some reason the game doesn't immediately register the fact that I changed the refresh rate, so it keeps on lagging. But after I restarted the machine and opened and closed medieval a few times it seems to double the framerate. The in game settings do not appear to do anything with the framerate, apart from strategy map resolution which has a big impact.

Update 1: The above was with v-sync disabled. With v-sync enabled I get consistent 37-38 fps, with very little variation. So disabling v-sync seems to be the way to go. The only side effect I see is flickering main menu, but who cares about that?

Update 2: Ok, now I have no idea what's going on. The framerate is back in the teens for some reason. All I did was enable anti-aliasing in the nvidia control panel, but it didn't actually do anything, so I put it back onto global and all of a sudden I'm back to square one. Also I closed firefox.

I found the solution!

1. To double the framerate on the strategy map, simply open your internet browser, go to youtube.com and start any movie. You can pause the video if you want so it doesn't make any noise, but leave your browser open on the video.

2. Start medieval and enjoy double framerate on the strategy map.


I came across this by accident as I was listening to songs on youtube and testing the framerate in MTW at the same time. When I closed the youtube tab, the framerate dropped. I checked GPU-Z and sure enough, GPU clocks dropped when I exited the youtube video, even though MTW1 was up (I was alt-tabbed).

So basically if your framerate is low on the strategy map in MTW1, your GPU probably isn't clocking up properly (it clocks down when not doing any graphics intensive tasks). If you make sure the GPU clocks up properly, you solve your problem. This can be done by the method described above, or by some GPU-tweaking software.

I made a new thread here about it, for later use:
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=373789

[irishron]

Total War games=set the AA ingame, not the control panel.