Help unlocking factions - RTW

[Shadow the Barbarian]

Hi there, i have tried unlockign all "unplayable factions" in Rome:Total War... unfortunately I cannot get it to work. First i tried using Hader's mod for 1.5, but when it went to save after installing it said the file destination was not found and asked if I would like to create it. So i did, and predictably when I went to play the Imperial Campaign only the basic factions were there.

Next I tried to manually do it by following instructions (from here: http://www.twcenter.net/wiki/HowTo:Unlock_All_Factions) to edit the Descr_strat.txt file. however two strange things happened when I tried this.
1 - all the factions except for the slaves( rebels I assume?) were all already under the "playable" list, yet I could not select them in the campaign.
2 - just to be sure I cut all the generally "non-playable" factions, which were at the bottom of the list under the playable ones and pasted them to the top of the list, putting them above Roman_julii. then i went to save it, and upon clicking save I was got a message sayign "access denied"

maybe I do not have patch 1.5, but since I have gold edition everything I read made it sound like I couldn't possibly have anything less how can i check what version of the game I am playing

please help.. i've really been itching to play some of the other factions. And i'm sorry if you get threads like this all the time... but I have looked all over this site and found nothing that works

[irishron]

After you edited the descr_strat.txt, did you delete the map.rwm and start a new campaign?

[Shadow the Barbarian]

no i didn't delete anything, the directions said simply to edit and save the one file. and i couldnt finish editing it since it wouldn't let me save over it

[irishron]

Are you usong Vista or Win 7? Are you logged in as Administrator? Do you have full admin rights to the Rome folder?

[Brusilov]

You can check the version of the game you are playing by looking on the top right hand corner of the options menu. The number there is the version. If it doesn't show 1.5 then you don't have 1.5.

What operating system are you running? If you are using Vista or 7 what have you done with UAC and where did you install the game. The default folder (c:\program files (x86)) is protected by Windows and you won't be able to save there - it will need to go into your 'virtual store' or 'appdata' area (just run %appdata% to find the start of that path).

I'd suggest if you are using Vista or 7 that you install into a new program files folder that you create - you then don't have any problems with the 'virtual store'.

[Shadow the Barbarian]

You can check the version of the game you are playing by looking on the top right hand corner of the options menu. The number there is the version. If it doesn't show 1.5 then you don't have 1.5.

What operating system are you running? If you are using Vista or 7 what have you done with UAC and where did you install the game. The default folder (c:\program files (x86)) is protected by Windows and you won't be able to save there - it will need to go into your 'virtual store' or 'appdata' area (just run %appdata% to find the start of that path).

I'd suggest if you are using Vista or 7 that you install into a new program files folder that you create - you then don't have any problems with the 'virtual store'.

ok so I have version 1.3, not 1.5. I am using windows 7, and should have administrator rights as I am on the only user file on the computer. I don't know what UAC is... but I just used the default folder for installing the game which i imagine is c:\program files. So.. are you saying i have to re-install the game in a new folder, or is there a way I can just move it to a new folder?

[Brusilov]

ok so I have version 1.3, not 1.5. I am using windows 7, and should have administrator rights as I am on the only user file on the computer. I don't know what UAC is... but I just used the default folder for installing the game which i imagine is c:\program files. So.. are you saying i have to re-install the game in a new folder, or is there a way I can just move it to a new folder?

UAC is User Account Control or User Access Control - I can't remember which as it's usually just referred to as UAC. It's usually worth switching that off.

It's User Account Control. Have a read of this thread: http://www.petri.co.il/disable-uac-in-windows-7.htm

I'd suggest switching it off and then seeing what happens. It's certainly worth patching your game up to 1.5.

If you ever do reinstall I'd suggest creating a new folder and using that. In fact create one anyway and any new games should be installed there. I created one with my initials (SKN) so it's called 'C:\SKN PROGRAM FILES'.

The patches towards the bottom of the first post in this thread should give you links to the patches: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=169585

[irishron]

Let's see if I can help some.

Win 7 installer will put it in program Files and %appdata%. It's a builtin security feature for Vista and 7.

For UAC, http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/w...trol-on-or-off and if you are the only user, off is best.

To reinstall the game in a different folder is your choice. Just moving it does not work as all the registry keys would then be wrong.

Right-click the file, click preferences, click the security tab, and see what admin rights you do have for your login. If it does not have read and write checkmarked, you will have to add it.

[Shadow the Barbarian]

I downlaoded patch 1.5, but it saved in the downloads folder and not into the game, thus leaving my game at 1.3. If you can just tell me how to get the patch to actually affect the game, I think that I will be able to do that same process again for Haders all factions mod and then get it to work.

also I turned off UAC and was still unable to edit the file manually.. which also still displays all teh factions under playable which I find strange

[Brusilov]

Where you put the patch does not matter - it isn't doing anything until you run it. I tend to put all my downloads into a series of folders so I can find them again - I guess this started when I first used the internet with dial-up - 14400 baud (read slow).

When you run it (it may be necessary to unzip it first) follow the instructions and if it asks where to install to just point it to your game folder - I think it may be 'c:\program files (x86)\Activision\Rome - Total War'. You may well find that it does not ask for a target folder - I seem to recall some RTW patches do that (it's been a long time since I've had to patch RTW).

It may well be that you won't be able to create a new file (or an updated file) when it's in the c:\program files (x86) folder as Windows is protecting that folder from yourself.

[irishron]

Did you check the file's security settings?

[Shadow the Barbarian]

Ok I'd just like to thank you guys for your help, I successfully installed 1.5 ( for some reason didn't even think to try to unzip it lol.. easily followed it from there). now I think I have just one more question. I installed Hader's factions mod the same way after by unzipping it. However the only factions I have right now after installign 1.5 are the three roman houses, so I think I'll use cheats to beat a short campaign with one of them and see if it unocks everyone else. Or should they all be playable without unlockign with Hader's mod?

Edit: ok so I just won a quick short campaign using cheats and it did infact only unlock the usual factions.. so while patch 1.5 did install correctly, Hader's mod did not.. more help?

[Brusilov]

Have a search for descr_strat.txt on all of your 'C' drive - how many of them are there?

What are the properties of each of them? Right mouse click the file to see this - are they read-only? irishron did ask you what the security settings on the file were twice |(post #8 and #11). Believe me it's all relevant - if you don't answer the questions it's hard to help you.

[Shadow the Barbarian]

There is only 1 descr_strat.txt, and all permissions are set to allow.

here's a new oddity.. I can now edit & save the Descr_strat.txt file freely now instead of being told access denied.. but it does nothing. All the factions where already under playable, which to my understanding half of them should be under unlockable and unplayable. But also, I moved the Julli and Gauls to unplayable and was still able to choose them in a campaign when I started the game. So it seems like the Decr_strat.txt file is having no effect on the game??

the factions part of my file looks like this.. which I thought should make them playable.
; Custom campaign script generated by Romans Campaign Map Editor
campaign imperial_campaign
playable
romans_julii
romans_brutii
romans_scipii
egypt
seleucid
carthage
parthia
gauls
germans
britons
greek_cities
macedon
pontus
armenia
dacia
numidia
scythia
spain
thrace
romans_senate
end
unlockable
end
nonplayable
slave
end

[irishron]

In Medieval2, there have been instances where the login admin had to go into the security tab on the Rome folder and give ownership of the folder and all child files and folders to get it to work. Being Microsoft OS, it could also be true in Rome.

[Shadow the Barbarian]

I'm not sure if I did what you meant, but I went into the activision folder ( and every folder to come after it in the steps to get to Descr_strat.txt) and gave full acces to everything I could. But still it didn't seem to work. The folders had "read only" checked, but whenever I turned it off it would automaticall go back to read only the next time I open that folder
I'm not sure if that would be the same as giving owner ship

[irishron]

I found http://www.addictivetips.com/windows...ion-ownership/ that may help you.

To be honest, I got bullheaded and fought my way through it. This is the most pertitent one on Google at the moment.

[Shadow the Barbarian]

Well, i changed the owner ship of everything to my normal account, re installed Hader's mod again, and made sure i had read and write allowances to every folder... and still only have the default factions even though in the Descr_strat.txt file they are even all under playable

[irishron]

For the changes in the descr_strat to take effect, you have to delete the map.rwm and start a new campaign.

If this does not work, have you tried putting the -show_err in the target?

[Shadow the Barbarian]

the only map file I see is maps, which is the folder containing the files Campaign>imperial_campaign>Descr_strat (and the many other files on the same level as it). Is that the one? wouldn't deleting that delete all the folders under it including Descr_strat, and then make the game unplayable? also I have no idea what -show_err is.. .I'm not very good with computers


Edit: in the same folder/tier as Descr_strat there is a seperate file for each unplayable faction titled "map_(faction name).tga" is that what i'm supposed to delete? there is also a simialr file for leader pics or every faction