Windows 10 (moderator take notice please)
With the impending release of Windows 10, Rome has an issue with starting after being installed clean.
Upgrading to Windows 10 with a working playing copy of Rome already in your files and you will have no problems whatsoever. In fact, you get the smooth playback as even most of the Intel HD lag on the Steam Version has been worked around.
Installing a clean install of Rome to Windows 10 WILL NOT GENERATE the contents of the preferences folder no matter what you do or try at this point.
Attached is my Preferences Folder for Rome and Rome Gold. Disk version or Steam version, this folder is exactly the same and once you install Rome or Rome Gold you will need to download this attachment and drop it into your main Rome folder. Please NOTE: Resolution is set to 1920x1080. You will have to custom modify the preferences.txt to match your desktop resolution if you are using a different resolution and they must be the same for Strategy and Battle!
FULL DIRECTIONS INCLUDING MOD WARNINGS AND HOW TO!
Rome: Dos, Don’ts, Fixes, and whatnot! Please post support questions here!
Dos, Don’ts, Fixes, and whatnot!
Disk Version if you own Steam Version:
If you activated your Disk Version to Steam, your disks still work if you wish to play mods.
However, in order to install and patch, Steam has you locked out if you own the Steam version installed or not so you must temporarily uninstall Steam to install Rome in order to get it fully patched.
Please note: Uninstalling Rome in Steam rather than uninstalling Steam, the disk will install to the proper nonSteam Folder, but patches will still default to the Steam Rome Location and break your Steam Version when you install Steam again afterwards.
Please note, uninstalling Steam clears your installed games list when you install Steam again. Simply right click the games you want and verify files to avoid downloading again.
If Rome is installed in Steam and from disk, in some cases launching the disk version will still launch the Steam Version because Steam makes itself default. If you have this, you must rename your Rome Folder in Steam to play from disk so it cannot find the Steam to default to.
STEAM/Disk Version:
No matter your operating system, to keep this simplified as it will not hurt older operating systems running Rome, follow step by step in proper order! Do not even waste time attempting to deal with Steam Support, SEGA, or the Total War Forums (OFFICIAL)! They are using my fix, but only in parts which will not work for everyone and makes getting it to work more difficult in the long run!
First Step, browse into Rome Folder and verify you have four files in the internal preferences folder.
Advice
Keys.dat
Player.txt
Preferences.txt
If you do not have the files, go to
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?691946-Windows-10-(moderator-take-notice-please)
Download the preferences folder and drop the contents into place. Membership is free and this is the site you want to get information from if you are interested in mods.
Once you have these four files in place, open Preferences.txt
Here, you need to know your exact desktop Resolution. If you are using an HD Resolution such as 1080p, you need to change it to 1920x1080 which is the exact same setting! I do not care what resolution you use as long as it is full screen and two sets of digits.
If you have a wide screen (longer than tall) make sure
USE_WIDESCREEN:TRUE is present
If you have a square screen, make sure
USE_WIDESCREEN:FALSE is present
Scroll down and find
AA_QUALITY:AA_OFF
STRATEGY_RESOLUTION:1920x1080
STRATEGY_MAX_RESOLUTION:1920x1080
STRATEGY_32_BIT:TRUE
BATTLE_RESOLUTION:1920x1080
BATTLE_MAX_RESOLUTION:1920x1080
BATTLE_32_BIT:TRUE
Make sure AA is set to OFF as above.
Make sure all resolutions are exactly the same as your desktop as above.
Save, close, right click, select properties, tick the Read Only box, click apply and ok.
This makes sure NOTHING can make changes to this file that are persistent and even changes you make in game will not hold once game is restarted.
Second Step is to go up one level into your Rome Folder. Find RomeTW(.exe) and RomeTW-BI(.exe).
Right click both, select properties, go to compatibility tab, set to run in XP Service Pack 2 mode, click apply and ok for each.
Third step, leave this window open, browse into Windows/System32 and scroll down to find the d3dx9_XX(.dll) files. XX represents number 24 through 43. Drag a box around them, right click, copy, go to Rome Folder, right click in clear, select paste.
Fourth step closes all these windows now and you go to Steam to your games list, right click Rome, select properties, on the window that pops open select Set Launch Options, add –nm –ne, click ok, close properties.
(Disk version:Make a shortcut for desktop, right click, select properties, add at end of text for target after the quotation "space-nmspace-ne" ( -nm -ne) Please do not actually write space and hit the space bar in the words place! LOL)
You should start up and run just fine at this point. If you end up with Rome in a smaller window, you have the resolution set incorrectly so that something does not match.
ALTERNATE for adding –nm if you want the movies and videos in game, download Klite Codec Pack Mega and install setting Media Player Classic as your default Video player. (There may be others that work fine, but this is the one I know and have used since version 1 and have never had adware, spyware, virus, or problems due to the contents.)
http://www.codecguide.com/download_kl.htm
NOTE: Adding Klite Codec Pack also cuts into the Intel stuttering a little making it better!
Last section is for performance stuttering due to overpowered equipment made well after Rome, especially for Intel Users, but helps all!
Download a Large Address Aware Enabler:
http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/large-address-aware.112556/
and use it on both RomeTW.exe and RomeTW-BI
This enables Rome to see and use more than 2GB system Ram and 1GB Video Ram opening them both up to 4GB max.
Go into your video control Panel. In NVIDIA it is listed as Manage 3d settings and I do not remember Catalyst at the moment. Do not change global settings, but change specifically the RomeTW and the Rome TW-BI and set Prerendered Frames to 1
I will edit as needed, but this is the gist of running Rome these days!
MODS General rules for installation...
As some of you have discovered the hard way, most mods are broken after the Steam Conversion patch for online play; Some are not.
Mod Rule #1: No matter that you can just download your Rome again for installation, mame a complete separate manual back up copy of your Rome Folder.
Without this folder, I cannot help you get running again when Steam Cache picks up a modded file as a legit file by mistake. Once picked up, a modded file remains in the cache redownloading over and over leaving Rome broken without a copy of the vanilla files in that manually made backup. Yes, I know steam has a way to back up, but it is suceptible as well.
Mod Rule #2: For a mod to work properly, it must be foldered so as not to replace any vanilla files for Steam to grab up into your cached files.
If there is one that you particularly want that is NOT already contained fully within a mod folder, please allow me to know and I will give the basics, but if that doesnt work, that is as far as I am willing to help with my current lack of available time. Ask my friends and they will tell you I do not support mod installations past telling you where to find what you need in most cases.
If there is a mod that has an installer, I recommend allowing it to install to a dead folder it creates first to make sure it is completely foldered.
If a mod has no instructions for launch, please let me know and I will give you the relevant path as soon as you leave me a message asking for the path to a specifically names mod folder.
When your Rome picks up a modded file as valid, and I say when because if you install mods, eventually it will happen to you.
With a backup folder made manually of Rome...
1)go to your games list and make Steam delete local content.
2)browse into Steam/common/steamapps and make sure there is no Rome Total War Gold folder any longer. If it is there, delete it and empty your recycle bin now!
3)copy your back up folder back into place
4)do not select INSTALL! Rather pick Rome Total War Gold in your games list, right click, select properties, go to local files tab, Verify Local Files!
Now you can play again!
If you do not have a backup folder created, I am sorry, but once Steam Cache picks up a modded file you must uninstall Rome completely, leave it uninstalled for 32 days, then reinstall.
Please NOTE: If you install as little as one hour before Steam resets the cache, you have another 32 days to wait.
.
.
Notes to assist:
https://www.slimwareutilities.com/slimdrivers.php
The above is a Microsoft Certified Free Driver Update Utility. The average user has no idea how to find and which to pick where drivers are concerned for main chips. Inclusion has always been a failing of Windows Update as it is up to driver writers for companies to send them to Microsoft and then Microsoft to publish them.
Windows 10 does a good job once it is caught up, but it still needs to be caught up with the appropriately recognizable versions it looks to replace so this benefits 10 as well as previous windows versions to download, run once to catch up and then remove it. Earlier Windows version users will need to keep it and check it every few weeks.
is there a chance for a solution?
