Detailed info on patches and unpacker

Index
۞Jump to Download Links.
۞Jump to detailed explanation & Unpacking.
۞Jump to change logs(See what patches contain actually).
۞Jump to Cinematic and Battle editor info.

Must read Just for the players to know that patch 1.1 is of no use and if someone has patched his game to v1.1 then he will have problems in patching his game to version 1.2.

So directly patch it to version 1.2 from 1.0.
Then install the final patch for M2TW that is patch v1.3.

M2TW-Kingdoms is referred as v.1.4 and it's patch that is the last patch released by CA was v1.5.

For Gold version users there is no need to patch Medieval 2 to v1.3 it's already there all your have to do is patch your kingdoms copy (expansions) to v1.5.


Download Links



Detailed Explanation
Why run the unpacker?
When you install Medieval 2:Total War from the game dvd's, many of the game files are compressed or packed in order to save on hard disc space. That's fine for most people but for those who want to modify, they will need to run the unpacker in order to "get at" the files that modders will be most interested in.

Installing patch 1.2
If you are installing Medieval 2: Total War and then installing Kingdoms or are installing the Gold edition of the game, then proceed directly to Installing Patch 1.5. Otherwise, continue reading on how to install patch 1.2.

Firstly, you will obviously need to download it patch 1.2. You can download it from many sites, a few of which are linked here. You do not need to download the patch if you have the Gold Edition of Medieval 2: Total War or the Kingdoms expansion as installing those will automatically update your version of Medieval 2: Total War to allow you to use the unpacker.

This Patch is a hefty 650 mb so if you have dial up, don't even bother unless you want to leave it running overnight. You may find it easier to use a friend's computer which has broadband but even then it takes a minimum of 45 mins. And that's on a super fast connection.

Remember, install it to your main M2TW folder, not your data folder. I know it's obvious, but some do make that mistake.

NOTE: Many people have had problems installing this patch and M2TW not working. I recommend that you uninstall M2TW before applying the patch by running the uninstall procedure and then going to where you installed it, deleting the SEGA folder (or the Medieval 2 Total War folder if you have another game in the SEGA folder) and then reinstall. After that install Patch 1.2 straight on top. It has all patch 1.1 has and more. So there is no need to install patch 1.1 again.

Installing Patch 1.3
Patch 1.3 was released so that players without the Kingdoms expansion would be able to play online against players with Kingdoms installed. Obviously, this would only apply to vanilla Medieval 2: Total War games. It is a small patch and won't take long to install. You can download it here. If you install Kingdoms, your M2TW game is automatically patched to 1.3.

Installing Patch 1.5
Patch 1.5 is only for the Kingdoms expansion. When you install Kingdoms, it automatically installs version 1.4 of Kingdoms. Creative Assembly later released a patch 1.5 with fixes for some issues with Kingdoms. It can be downloaded here.

Using the unpacker.
NOTE: BACKUP YOUR DATA FOLDER BEFORE YOU USE THE UNPACKER AS CA AND TOTAL WAR HEAVEN ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE DONE TO YOUR GAME FROM USING THIS UNPACKER.

Using the file unpacker that comes with the patch can be a little confusing. First it's a load of files you don't often see. Batch files for one. Don't worry, you don't have to use these. The unpacker uses them when running. The only batch file you have to use is unpack_all.bat. Just click on it to run. you will have to type Y to all the questions to use it.

It should take quite a while to run as there are 7 gigabytes of files to unpack. If it happens in a second then something is wrong.

Also, make sure the unpacker is in tools\unpacker. Otherwise it WILL NOT work. Some regions have the patch installing the unpacker in a different part of your M2TW folder. The forumer Admiral_Nelson can testify to that one.

Now, pay close attention to this bit, or your game will crash every time you go into a battle.

Quoted from Unpacker Readme: NOTE: Due to a timestamp check, the following unpacked files will cause the game to crash and must be deleted before the game is launched:

  • data\descr_geography_new.txt
  • data\descr_geography_new.db

They are not kidding. Delete them. If you don't, you will get an unspecified error every time you go into a battle and CTD.

The readme gives you all the info you need to get the game to read the files but there is an easier way:

In your main Medieval 2 Total War folder, open preferences.cfg with notepad and scroll down to the bottom and type this:

Code:
[io]
file_first = true
Then save and close the file. Right click on the icon of preferences.cfg and go to properties. From there check the box next to read only and click apply. This will stop the game changing the file to the original content after one run. This way will not allow you to use show_err to find bugs. You have to run from a batch file for that but it does allow mods to work.

Issue with Unpacker & Windows XP
There is a known issue when trying to run the unpacker in Windows XP and you get an error saying that a .dll file cannot be found.
There are two solutions, both of which seem to work fine. Copy all of the .dll files in your main M2TW folder into either your tools/unpacker folder or into your windows/system32 folder.

Issue with Unpacker & Windows Vista\7
Windows Vista and Windows 7 both are similar in giving pain to the user or modder who is planning to unpack the game. The thing is both these new OS(operating systems) uses one crappy feature called UAC=User account Control.
This feature unpacks the files in a different hidden location called virtual store instead of the data folder of M2TW. That will always give players problems live saved games also sometimes goes in there.
The best and easy way to avoid this is to have Admin rights and install the game outside program files folder.

However if it's already there then there is no problem all you have to do is make sure you have admin rights and have UAC disabled that can be done via UAC icon in the control panel.


Change Logs
Spoiler for Change log for v1.2
AI
  • Units do not clump together when told to complete a 180 degree turn.
  • Janissary Musketeers now fire consistently.
  • Enemy AI army formations in bridge battles now allow their own artillery to fire.
  • Enemy cannons do not fire at unbreakable walls.
  • Grouped archers out of ammo will attack enemy units in melee combat when ordered to do so.
  • AI does not deploy outside of enemy gates.
  • When defending an enemy settlement with multiple exits, taking your army out of the side/back door does not make it easier to defeat the enemy.
  • Improved Siege AI.
  • Cavalry can now charge a spearman army.
  • General's bodyguard unit now marches correctly outside castles.
  • AI now effectively assaults 2nd tier of a Fortress.
  • Sallying AI army now reacts properly to being assaulted from 2 sides
  • Attacking Siege AI concentrates on taking the settlement rather than chasing down units outside the settlement.
  • Generals are now more effective at chasing down routing units.
  • Enemy AI reacts to being bombarded with Trebuchets while inside a settlement.
  • Siege AI now more difficult to defeat if player places missile units outside the walls.
  • AI controls it units more effectively in a Citadel
  • AI artillery more decisive in its positioning
  • Remaining AI army now advances to use siege equipment
  • AI Cavalry can now flank a Spear Wall
  • AI now responds to missiles when sieging settlements
  • AI now crosses bridges to attack
  • AI responds more quickly to gates that have been opened by Spies (while sieging).
  • Units do not break formation when chasing routers
  • Enemy AI effectively attacks when player's units in a settlement square
  • Enemy AI now utilises spare rams
  • Improved enemy AI response to stakes
  • Shortened Siege attack timers
  • Enemy AI will no-longer send out General's bodyguard on a suicide mission while defending



Diplomacy

  • Improved responses to monetary offers
  • Bribery attempts do not always fail after an unsuccessful first attempt
  • Diplomatic 'Just Rejected' response no-longer to 'Not Interested' response to counter-offer, no matter how generous
  • Aztecs now appear in the correct year (for diplomacy actions)
  • Generals in a Crusade do not get inquisition
  • Improved diplomacy mechanic - AI Factions now stick with alliances and/or attack 'more intelligently'



Crash

  • Soft-locks in MP Lobby no-longer occur
  • Host random hangs fixed
  • Resolved issue with client CTD when host ends game that client is joining
  • Auto-resolve Siege battle hangs fixed
  • Siege tower catching fire no-longer causes random hangs
  • Random hangs after loading Campaign save game



Pathfinding

  • Battering Rams no-longer stuck in gates
  • Ship movement area fixed
  • Ram crew no-longer stuck between rams
  • Northern European Castle terrain fixed to allow docking of towers
  • Improved use of ladders
  • Southern European Fortress wall fixed to allow docking of towers
  • Improved the way units use Way-points
  • Siege of Setenil slow-down tweaked
  • Units no-longer become stuck on canyon walls on 'Canyon' map
  • Units do not ascend/descend invisible ladders
  • Units do not get stuck on Siege towers
  • Cavalry pathfinding improved when sallying out from a Fortress
  • Bridge battle pathfinding improved (units do not constantly reform)
  • Citadel and Fortress paths fixed so that units can avoid assaulting inner walls
  • Breach pathfinding tweaked



Combat

  • Enemy spearmen do not charge with raised spears
  • 2H axemen attack tweaked, inc. Attacking Cavalry
  • Defending units can no-longer enter a siege tower as soon as it docks with the walls



Mechanics

  • Mouse Cursor position now updates when scrolling with the arrow keys.
  • Assassination exploit fixed.
  • Mission "Reinforce Region" now functions correctly
  • Attacking an enemy army from inside a sieged settlement no-longer causes the enemy to lose all built siege equipment
  • Fixed two family members (brothers) with the exact same name
  • Rudder event now triggers at the correct time
  • When an enemy sallies and is defeated you no-longer have to wait for the timer to run out in-order to win.
  • Assassin mechanics tweaked
  • Mercenary recruitment tweaked
  • Diplomatic Information scroll updates correctly.
  • Online replays now match
  • Slowdown fixed on Desert Sanctuary
  • Metallic Resource now support Mines
  • Cavalry charges do not fail when charging skirmishing/moving units or if a knight is out of position
  • Units can now withdraw on the Eifel Mountains Battle Map
  • Construction queue exploits fixed
  • The carroccio standard can now fit through the gate on a sally out battle.
  • Southern European > Fortress: routing Enemy AI now leaving the map
  • Printing press event triggers at the correct time
  • Ladder docking/undocking tweaked
  • Faction standings tweaked
  • Priests no-longer convert to heretics if traveling on a fleet
  • Upper limit added on how long units stay in loose formation for.
  • Traits/VnV triggers tweaked



Camera

  • Camera height does not drop under bridge in River Po Custom Battle map.
  • Camera does not drop below water's surface in Palm Beach, Andalusia and Italian Wars map/scenarios.
  • Camera does not show the underneath of a bridge when General is killed on the bridge



Controls

  • Drag Deploy functionality tweaked
  • RTS camera functionality tweaked



Graphics

  • Princess character now greyed out upon death on Family tree
  • Venice battlemap ambient building placement tweaked
  • Fixed issue with trees disappearing when panning camera
  • Added paths to doorways in Southern European Large City
  • Added paths to doorways in Southern European City
  • Fixed minor lighting issue in Southern European City
  • Fixed misaligned platforms in Southern European Large Town
  • Tweaked Crusade Army banner
  • Fixed texture gaps and unwelded verts on Middle Eastern Huge City buildings.
  • Fixed incorrect Tower Path in Mesoamerican City
  • Fixed path through wall in Mesoamerican City Wall
  • Fixed floating buildings above the battle map in Aztec Gold Scenario
  • Fixed floating spikes in Mountain Redoubt scenario
  • Added correct image for Paladin ancillary
  • Fixed grey reinforcement area that states that 'This army cannot fight in night battles' even though the current battle is not a night battle.
  • Added correct image for Aztec Rebel - Native Archer
  • Added correct image for Aztec Spearmen
  • Fixed floating torches in SE Citadel courtyard
  • Garrison quarters no-longer change to Town Guard when in Construction queue
  • Armoury building image in construction queue no-longer changes to an armoury
  • Fixed issue with Trebuchets sometimes disappearing when zooming in close
  • Fixed maps have the winter option but donā€™t have winter texture on the battle map
  • Night attack selection tick and reinforcements do not disappear if user selects night attack option and then views enemy army details.
  • Fixed officers not animating while riding
  • Removed trees in the water in The Battle of Otumba.



Deployment

  • Units can no-longer be deployed on inaccessible sections of wall
  • Fixed deployment issues with Southern European Wooden Castle on either side of the main gate.
  • Units no-longer deployable in buildings in Mesoamerican City



Collision

  • Ballista collision improved
  • Southern European Citadel gate collision improved
  • Middle Eastern Gatehouse collision improved
  • Issues with units getting pushed into areas that can't be deployed into.




UI

  • Mission scroll hotkey added
  • Financial Details hotkey functionality and tooltip added
  • Reveal/Advance advice hotkey functionality added
  • Battle Tutorial Dismiss advice functionality added
  • Magnifying glass added to Disaster Strikes scroll
  • Princess appears correctly on family tree
  • Chat Window errors fixed
  • Family Tragedy scroll triggered correctly
  • Console text appearance tweaked
  • Now possible to launch game from autorun launcher
  • Fine Grain time control added (accessible by holding Shift and clicking + and - on battle UI)



Save/Load

  • Loading saved game of the same turn no-longer allows user to keep both allies when they declare war
  • Russian and Czech autosave fixed



Audio

  • Movement_Embark speech now triggered correctly
  • Allies breaking through gates of citadel now triggers correct speech
  • Battle ending in draw when timer runs out now triggers correct speech
  • Campaign Map interface sounds added
  • End Turn sound now fades out nicely
  • Win/Lose music is now representative of the Faction
  • Enemy King killed speech now triggered
  • Enemy Reinforcements arrive speech now triggered correctly
  • Player Army Tired Battle Event Speech is now triggered.
  • Player Army Half Gone Battle Event Speech is now triggered.
  • Enemy Army Half Gone Battle Event Speech is now triggered.
  • Player Under Attack Idle Battle Event Speech is now triggered.
  • Player Winning Combat Battle Event Speech now triggered correctly.
  • Player Losing Combat Battle Event Speech now triggered correctly.
  • Leaves Fleet speech now triggered correctly.
  • Player Tide Of Battle Up Battle Event Speech now triggered correctly.
  • Player Tide Of Battle Down Battle Event Speech now triggered correctly.
  • Muslim Enemy General Killed Battle Event Speech now triggered correctly.
  • Christian Enemy General Killed Battle Event Speech now triggered correctly.
  • Allied General Captured Battle Event Speech now triggered correctly.
  • The "spy infiltrated our settlement" audio/speech is now played when "Start battle" is pressed during cutscene
  • Correct region music plays when loading a saved campaign game.
  • Added sound trigger for planting archer stakes in ground.
  • Clicked-on characters on the Campaign Map no-longer stack their audio response if clicked multiple times.
  • In the Historical battles, Battle of Otumba and the Battle of Hastings the music speeds up when you attack
  • Other minor audio tweaks also carried out.



Text

  • Minor grammar/spelling errors fixed



Medieval II: TW Update 2 also contains fixes that were included in Update 1:

  • Battle AI, Siege AI and Campaign AI are no-longer passive
  • Close-range AI attacks are more consistent
  • Cavalry Charge and Cavalry power are more consistent
  • Merchant trade values no-longer drop after load / save
  • Elephant Artillery does not cause problems in Campaign Battle
  • Reduced Inquisitor power
  • Morale effects tweaked
  • Autoresolve
  • Increased effectiveness of naval invasions
  • MP lobby crashes removed
  • MP in-game soft-locks removed
  • Added support for international MP
  • Minor issues with deployment lines / zones have been solved
  • Tweaks made to Diplomacy mechanic
  • Sieged Settlements no-longer showing as sieged even if besieging army has been defeated
  • Gunpowder units do not get stuck re-forming
  • Siege equipment does not disappear while zooming
  • Removed Assassin exploit
  • Tweaks made to unit pathfinding in settlements
  • *Command line switch added to remove 'reinforcements delayed' message
  • No-longer possible to open gates with siege towers or embed them in walls
  • Minor UI changes
  • Added missing Audio triggers
  • Controls and Camera tweaks
  • Added ModTool - Unpacker



*To remove the Reinforcements Delayed message use the following command line switch:

medieval2.exe --game.unlimited_men_on_battlefield true


Spoiler for Change log for v1.3
  • Adds multi-player capability.
  • Core Medieval II settlement data updated to function correctly with Medieval II: Kingdoms.
  • Fixes some instances of floating settlements in Medieval II: TW and Medieval II: Kingdoms.


Spoiler for Change log for v1.5 for Kingdoms
Medieval II Total War: Kingdoms v1.05 contains the following changes:

- Forts in the Crusades campaign are now made of stone.
- Fixed various units having incorrect shield values.
- Fixed a number of inconsistencies between units’ speech and their unit cards.
- Fixed deployment zones being in unreachable locations on some river crossings and bridge battles.
- Byzantine Gunners are now available to be recruited in the Crusades campaign.
- Denmark now has Norwegian units available to them when the Kalmar Union is formed.
- The Kingdom of Jerusalem can now construct King’s Stables.
- Byzantine can now construct a Marksmanship Range.
- Mangonels can now be constructed at Siege Works in the Teutonic campaign.
- Swordsmiths’ Guild Headquarters now gives the correct bonus to Knights trained in the Crusades campaign.
- Fixed Lithuanian Arquebusiers firing too frequently.
- Fixed various units having incorrect banners on the battle map.
- Fixed exploit that allowed certain characters’ stats to be raised by repeatedly saving the game.
- New Faction Leaders in the Teutonic campaign now have the correct model.
- Crusading Nobles can no longer become the Faction Leader in the Teutonic campaign.
- Fixed Wales not receiving reinforcements when capturing bordering English settlements.
- Requirements of various Apachean units have been reduced allowing them to be more easily obtained.
- Fixed the Norwegian banners displaying the Novgorod symbol when out of fog of war.
- The Baron’s Alliance no longer re-emerges after taking control of England.
- Assassination missions targeting Crusading Nobles no longer expire when they are successfully carried out.
- Dead wives no longer produce children in the Crusades campaign.
- Faction heirs in the Americas campaign have had their loyalty increased to fix them rebelling early in the game.
- Players no longer receive incorrect event messages in hotseat games.
- Unique models on characters are removed when they change faction.
- Fixed the family tree disappearing when a princess is married to General who becomes the Faction Leader.
- Fixed Scottish family tree in the Britannia campaign.
- Fixed soft-lock that occurred with multiple armies on the battle map.
- Fixed crash that occurred when disbanding a unit whilst merging two armies.
- Crash after auto-resolving a siege battle from a hotseat save game no longer occurs.
- Crash that occurred when loading a battle from the campaign map edge no longer occurs.
- Kingdoms no longer crashes when playing battles after unpacking the game's data.
- Fixed unique unit recruitment in the Crusades campaign.
- Small black rectangles no longer appear on the campaign map.
- Improved siege auto-resolve for the Britannia, Crusades and Teutonic campaigns.
- Various localisation fixes.

______________________________________________________________________

MANUAL ADDENDUM
______________________________________________________________________

Crusades:

The map for the Crusades Campaign has changed slightly, resulting in the
Manual displaying an incorrect map for this campaign.

Teutonic:

Teutonic Campaign: Playing as the Teutonic Order
Castle-Driven Build Options

The Teutonic Order is capable of upgrading its city settlements past the
level of City and converting castles to cities; however the Order does not
endorse the construction of the Brothel, Pleasure Palace and other buildings
in the Tavern chain which encourage impious behaviour amongst its citizens.
The Teutonic Order will instead need to maintain public order with an iron
fist, and rely on its Castle Libraries and Academies to recruit Spies,
Diplomats and Assassins. These buildings can be constructed in castles
above the level of Wooden Castle.

Britannia:

Culture
In the British Isles, each faction spreads its unique culture rather than a
religion. The amount and type of culture present in a settlement determines
which units can be recruited from that settlement and how much unrest is
created by insurgents within the population.

Many units require that a certain level of their faction’s culture be
present in a settlement before they can be recruited there. The level of culture
required to recruit a specific unit can be viewed on the Building
information screen of the structure which trains the unit. Conversely, while a foreign
faction’s culture remains within a captured settlement; mercenary variants
of that faction’s units may be drawn directly from the population. The quality
and variety of mercenary units available are determined by the size of the
settlement and level of foreign culture present.

Settlements with high levels of foreign culture will suffer greater unrest
caused by insurgents within the population. While the culture in each
settlement will shift in favour of the settlement owner over time, the most
efficient way to minimize the unrest caused by insurgents and speed the
spread of the controlling faction’s culture is to install a Governor in the
settlement.

Governors in the Britannia campaign receive the “Management attribute in
place of “Piety: The greater the Governors management skill, the faster his
culture will spread within the settlement and the lesser the effect insurgents will
have on public order. While second to Governors, spies are also able to increase
the spread of their faction’s culture when stationed within the walls of a
settlement their faction controls.

Religious buildings can still be constructed in the Britannia campaign,
However they no longer allow the recruitment of the Priest agent type and instead
serve as a means to boost population happiness and increase the spread of culture.



Enable Cinematic and Battle Editor
This is only for v1.2 & above only
Battle Editor

This tool is unsupported by either Creative Assembly or Sega, it is provided as is and there are no guarantees that it is free from bugs.

You can run the Battle Editor in two ways:
1. Run Medieval2.exe with the commandline switch:

medieval2.exe --features.editor

2. In the config file add the following option:


Code:
[features]
editor = true
______________________________________________________________________

Cinematic Editor

This tool is unsupported by either Creative Assembly or Sega, it is provided as is and there are no guarantees that it is free from bugs.

NOTE: When viewing movies created in Cinematic editor in pro applications. e.g. Premiere, the Alpha channel will always be set at 0. As a result you
must ignore the Alpha channel setting in the application. Unedited movies playback normally in standard Media Player apps such WMP or VLC.

To run the Cinematic Editor you must create a new config file with any filename (e.g. CineEd.cfg) and launch medieval2.exe with the following command line switch:

Medieval2.exe @CineEd.cfg

The Config file must contain the following:
Code:
[video]

windowed = true

movies = false

tga_width = 800 #tga capture size



[capture_tga]

fps = 20



[misc]

tga_front_buffer_capture = true



[audio]

disabled = true



[cine]

show = true

width = 800

height = 600



[replay]

play = true

file = replays/replay.rpy

camera = cameras/cam1.cam #default camera to load



#The file will also need to contain one or both of these options:


[cine]

capture = true #captures the movie as .tga files using the default camera (required)

avi = true #use this if you want an AVI instead of .tga files