Migrating from Retail copy to Steam
Lots of people have found themselves unable to play their retail versions of Medieval II after upgrading to Windows 10, and migrating to Steam seems to be the most straightforward soulution, since you can redeem your retail CD Key and get a Steam copy for free. However, some people (including myself) have a few uncertainties about how different the game will be, specially for those who have modded their game. So I decided to write down some of the questions that crossed my mind when considering to leave behind the retail version I can't play anymore. I'll try to update the thread with the answers people can provide, for future reference.
Check out this thread by Gigantus if you don't know how to activate Medieval II on Steam with an existing CD Key, along with ways to make some mods work.
1) Should the retail version be uninstalled before installing through Steam?
This may seem obvious to some, but some may want to know if it's absolutely necessary. It will also help those that want to back up some modded files.
Answer: It is the recommended way to do it, since it saves up a bunch of space and in most cases it's redundand to keep both versions. Back up all of you moddded files, and your preferences.cfg, if you still plan on using them.
2) Should we expect new bugs in the Steam version?
Last year, the game recieved a patch that allowed to play Medieval II's multiplayer on Steam. However, it algo introduced a variety on bugs on several different areas. Different fixes were issued since then, but there are ussually bugs that slip by and remain unfixed. Are there noticeable bugs we should expect to find in the Steam version that weren't present in the retail version?
Answer: I noticed the siege tower and ladder models do not fit the height of the walls they are meant to be used on. The men still climb them normally, but it looks very odd. I read about that glitch before, but I thought it had been patched. Not sure if there is a fix. It might be an issue with Retrofit only, though, since this bug isn't present in the Kingdoms campaigns.
3) Will it come with unpacking tools?
The Gold Edition disks didn't include the unpackers for the Kingdoms campaigns, making those who wanted to mod those campaigns download the unpacker files from the internet (such as this site). Will all the unpackers be included in the Steam version and work the same way (Having to delete some files after unpacking, etc)?
Answer: Yes, all unpackers are included in the files and work the same way. However, you may have trouble unpacking some of the Kingdoms campaigns (unpacker running for a few seconds and suddenly closing). If this happens:
1) Create a new folder in the C: drive named Medieval II Total War, move the unpacker folder into that folder
2) Copy all the .dll files from the main folder into the moved unpacker folder
3) Move the folders of the campaigns you have trouble unpacking (located in the "mods" folder) into the new Medieval II Total War folder.
4) Run the necessary unpacks, and move the unpacked campaign folders back into their respective places.
4) Will some old mods work in the Steam version?
For example, can the Retrofit Mod files simply be transferred into the "mods" folder, rename the .exe file required, and expect it to work?
Answer: Yes, it should work normally. However, since the Launcher doesn't exist in the Steam version, you will have to launch Retrofit from the batch file in the mod's folder.
5) Will there be a difference in preformance?
My Steam copy of Rome I runs worse than my disk copy of Medieval II. I'm not sure if Rome I is simply not as well optimized, but it is a particularly big concern of mine.
Answer: There doesn't seem to be any difference between both versions.
If this is in the wrong subforum, please move it to where it's appropiate.
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Originally Posted by atthias
