Game always crashes with Ents from Fangorn Forest

[Roma_Victrix]

I'm playing on an HP Pavilion Notebook 15 with Windows 8.1. I'm also playing with the "alternative patch" sub-mod. I don't know if that matters at all. Here's the system log if that helps at all:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

17:11:21.362 [system.io] [always] mounted pack packs/data_0.pack
17:11:21.362 [system.io] [always] mounted pack packs/data_1.pack
17:11:21.363 [system.io] [always] mounted pack packs/data_2.pack
17:11:21.364 [system.io] [always] mounted pack packs/data_3.pack
17:11:21.364 [system.io] [always] mounted pack packs/data_4.pack
17:11:21.364 [system.io] [always] mounted pack packs/localized.pack
17:11:23.938 [script.err] [error] Script Error in mods/Third_Age_3/data/export_descr_unit.txt, at line 8317, column 37
missile range of 254 is impossible with projectile grape_shot (max range 254)
17:11:24.366 [script.err] [error] Script Error in mods/Third_Age_3/data/export_descr_buildings.txt, at line 10435, column 3
Building DB error - faction milan has gap in building prior to citadel
17:11:24.367 [script.err] [error] Script Error in mods/Third_Age_3/data/export_descr_buildings.txt, at line 10435, column 3
Building DB error - faction egypt has gap in building prior to citadel (unavailable at level zero)
17:11:24.367 [script.err] [error] Script Error in mods/Third_Age_3/data/export_descr_buildings.txt, at line 10435, column 3
Building DB error - faction mongols has gap in building prior to citadel (unavailable at level zero)
17:11:24.367 [script.err] [error] Script Error in mods/Third_Age_3/data/export_descr_buildings.txt, at line 10435, column 3
Building DB error - faction england has gap in building prior to citadel (unavailable at level zero)
17:11:24.367 [script.err] [error] Script Error in mods/Third_Age_3/data/export_descr_buildings.txt, at line 10435, column 3
Building DB error - faction france has gap in building prior to citadel (unavailable at level zero)
17:11:24.367 [script.err] [error] Script Error in mods/Third_Age_3/data/export_descr_buildings.txt, at line 10435, column 3
Building DB error - faction hre has gap in building prior to citadel (unavailable at level zero)
17:11:24.367 [script.err] [error] Script Error in mods/Third_Age_3/data/export_descr_buildings.txt, at line 10435, column 3
Building DB error - faction portugal has gap in building prior to citadel (unavailable at level zero)
17:11:24.367 [script.err] [error] Script Error in mods/Third_Age_3/data/export_descr_buildings.txt, at line 10435, column 3
Building DB error - faction papal_states has gap in building prior to citadel (unavailable at level zero)
17:11:24.367 [script.err] [error] Script Error in mods/Third_Age_3/data/export_descr_buildings.txt, at line 10435, column 3
Building DB error - faction aztecs has gap in building prior to citadel
17:11:24.367 [data.invalid] [error] Target building description not found: Gondor, fortress -> city[320096712]((null)) -> c_ballista_towers
17:11:24.368 [data.invalid] [error] Target building description not found: Gondor, citadel -> city[320096712]((null)) -> c_ballista_towers
17:11:24.368 [data.invalid] [error] Target building description not found: Dale, fortress -> city[320096712]((null)) -> c_ballista_towers
17:11:24.368 [data.invalid] [error] Target building description not found: Dale, citadel -> city[320096712]((null)) -> c_ballista_towers
17:11:24.368 [data.invalid] [error] Target building description not found: Free Peoples of Eriador, fortress -> city[320096712]((null)) -> c_ballista_towers
17:11:24.368 [data.invalid] [error] Target building description not found: Free Peoples of Eriador, citadel -> city[320096712]((null)) -> c_ballista_towers
17:11:24.368 [data.invalid] [error] Target building description not found: Dwarves, fortress -> city[320096712]((null)) -> c_ballista_towers
17:11:24.368 [data.invalid] [error] Target building description not found: Dwarves, citadel -> city[320096712]((null)) -> c_ballista_towers
17:11:24.369 [data.invalid] [error] Target building description not found: Orocarni Dwarves, fortress -> city[320096712]((null)) -> c_ballista_towers
17:11:24.369 [data.invalid] [error] Target building description not found: Orocarni Dwarves, citadel -> city[320096712]((null)) -> c_ballista_towers
17:11:24.369 [data.invalid] [error] Target building description not found: High Elves, fortress -> city[320096712]((null)) -> c_ballista_towers
17:11:24.369 [data.invalid] [error] Target building description not found: High Elves, citadel -> city[320096712]((null)) -> c_ballista_towers
17:11:24.369 [data.invalid] [error] Target building description not found: Harad, fortress -> city[320096712]((null)) -> c_ballista_towers
17:11:24.370 [data.invalid] [error] Target building description not found: Harad, citadel -> city[320096712]((null)) -> c_ballista_towers
17:11:24.370 [data.invalid] [error] Target building description not found: Rhûn, fortress -> city[320096712]((null)) -> c_ballista_towers
17:11:24.370 [data.invalid] [error] Target building description not found: Rhûn, citadel -> city[320096712]((null)) -> c_ballista_towers
17:11:24.371 [script.err] [error] Script Error in mods/Third_Age_3/data/descr_walls.txt, at line 319, column 48
missile range of 573 is impossible with projectile wall_trebuchet (max range 573)
17:11:24.371 [script.err] [error] Script Error in mods/Third_Age_3/data/descr_walls.txt, at line 433, column 48
missile range of 573 is impossible with projectile wall_trebuchet (max range 573)
17:11:41.653 [game.script] [always] Germanicu5 ReallyBadAI v5.6 Running. Please upload log and savegames when reporting battle CTDs for SS.
17:14:14.689 [system.rpt] [error] Medieval 2: Total War encountered an unspecified error and will now exit.

Is anyone else having this problem? This really bugs me, especially since I really wanted to use these Ents against Mordor and their damn trolls! The Ents are so powerful, the most powerful unit I'll ever get my hands on. It's the whole damn reason I gave Fangorn Forest autonomy. Otherwise, what's the point? I'd rather upgrade the settlement to a town if these stupid Ents only cause a CTD.

It's doubly frustrating because I can load the battle and even get to the pre-battle speech. However, the moment I zoom the camera in front of the Ents for a close-up shot it ALWAYS crashes. For me its near impossible not to do that during a battle because it's just a reflex for me to do that at this point, to zoom in on the fighting. It's a guaranteed CTD with the Ents. Should I kick the graphics down temporarily or something?

[Roma_Victrix]

EDIT: Eh, never mind, in the "Video" section of the main menu I kicked the graphics down to "medium" level across the board, specifying that there be no grass detail, and this did the trick! Now I can fight battles with Ents, so long as I remember to kick the graphics down whenever I use them in battle. Apparently the "Intel HD Graphics Family" graphics card is really crappy, which I already basically knew when I discovered that this laptop of mine (a gift, beggars can't be choosers) is unable to play Rome II and Attila Total War. Sigh. I'll just have to wait to get a new PC to play those. It's strange, though, I can play this mod on really high graphics, even with large city sieges, so long as there are no Ents! How is it that this unit of 20 some Ents takes up so much memory and processing power?

[ElvenKind]

They're a special MODERN unit with special textures, model etc.. made to be used with not so modern M2TW engine, which is not optimised so well. That is why they use more GPU/CPU resources mate. You could have top CPU/GPU, and just a slightly different driver version which will not work with Spiders, Ents, Sauron, Mumakil, Balrog.. You are lucky to find a workaround for the Ents.