ahowl11's VE Mod (Main Discussion) v19 New Map, New Factions & Unified Rome

[ahowl11]

Dear ahowl,

I do not understand how to make it work. Attached is a screenshot of my installation.
The text pointing to the target of my shortcut reads like this:

"D:\Documents D\Total War Disks\CD TW\RomeTW-ALX.exe" -show_err -mod:HRTW -no alexander

And it doesn't work. Answer is: "failed to read censored dictionary file".

I am lost, if you can help, many thanks in advance.

FFJean

It needs to be -noalexander
so make sure to have a space. Also what does the inside of tour hrtw folder look like?

[FFJean]

Dear ahowl,

Sorry but I’m lost. In your message dated March 1, you said: « It needs to read something like: “C/Games/Rome Total War“ -show_err -mod:HRTW -no alexander » with a space between no and Alexander. Yesterday: « It needs to be -noalexander
so make sure to have a space». I’ll post a pic of my HRTW folder late this evening if that helps, and of course value very much your time and support. I would be grateful if you could just copy/paste the shortcut as you use it so I can directly paste it into mine.
But I have the impression I am such a noob on this that I don’t understand the simple process. Would be great to have a simple step-by-step description of how to install.

Yours sincerely,

FFJean

[ahowl11]

It’s on the moddb page where you download, you just have to read the description (it’s not out in the open, so don’t blame you if you haven’t seen it)

1. Download the mod
2a. (Steam) Extract the files to your Rome Total War Alexander directory
2b. (Disc) Extract the files to your Rome Total War Directory
3a. (Steam) go to your library.. right click RTW Alexander.. select properties.. select launch options.. put in this: -show_err -mod:HRTW -noalexander
3b. (Disc)Create a shortcut of your RTW Alexander exe file.. right click the shortcut.. select properties.. in the target line after everything insert this: -show_err -mod:HRTW -noalexander

[FFJean]

Stupid me, and special thank to you not to blame me for being stupid!
I’ll try this simple approach later tonight or max tomorrow evening and let you know.
Thank you and best regards,
FFJean

[FFJean]

Sorry but I don't understand. It doesn't work for me.

Here is my shortcut: "D:\Documents D\Total War Disks\CD TW\RomeTW-ALX.exe" -show_err -mod:HRTW -noalexander

[Saul Tyre]

@FFJean in your directory it should look similar to this image...right click RomeTW-ALX then mouse over "send to" then left click on "Desktop(create short) go to your desktop icon > open properties add -show_err -mod:HRTW -noalexander



the target line in Properties should look similar to this image...click on images to enlarge

[ahowl11]

ahowl11's VE Mod v16 - The Forgotten RTR & Mercenary Pools

This will probably be one of the smaller releases that you see me put out. This release is necessary though in a few ways.

First, a lot of time was taken figuring out an Area of Recruitment (AoR) system for the mod so that you could recruit local units in your foreign settlements. All of my efforts ended with me being unhappy, or with the game having limits that would make things look and feel very strange. The quality of the mod would have definitely taken a big hit if I were to have given in.

Every major or even decent mod has some sort of AoR system where you can conquer a foreign land and recruit the local Warbands, Horse Archers or Hoplites. I personally like the concept, but I do not like the results: Armies full of random warriors from various locations. As a player when you face a Diadochi army, you want to face Phalangites, but when you get a horde of Celts and Thracians, it is disappointing. Same if you were to face the mighty Roman Legion, only to face a mob of Gauls, Iberians and Greeks.
So, I dared to be different. There will be no AoR and the standard recruitment remains. However, I decided to take advantage of a rare feature in the Alexander engine, and that was to customize and restrict the mercenary pools based off factions.
If you are playing as the Ptolemaic Kingdom and your general is outside of Alexandria he will find an assembly of Greeks that are only able to be hired by Diadochi. Meaning, when Rome comes, these Greeks will not be available to them. This is in alpha stages so if you notice anything weird please let me know. However, if you are the Gauls, don't expect to be able to hire Gallic mercenaries!

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Only the Diadochi can hire these troops here

The next important thing that I wanted to focus on was Martial Law. This has been a thorn in my side for 3 releases now, but thanks to BHL_20 and Suppanut, it has finally been tamed to where the AI will not build it and the player can't take advantage of it. First you cannot build it if a recruitment center is present. Once built, you can then build your colonies and recruitment centers. However I would not keep the building for long as it will cripple your economy!
I then started focusing on RTR 5.4.1 and it's mysteries. I have wanted to implement this forgotten mod for a very long time, but I had to be patient. The features of this mod were relatively small, but I made due and integrated them in. The most important feature from RTR 5.4.1 was it's new Egyptian roster, based off of Egyptian Locals and Greek Elites. I have integrated this by reintroducing some vanilla Egyptian units: Peasants, Bowmen, Skirmishers and Slingers. I have also added a new Egyptian Militia unit and the Rebels will have Mounted Skirmishers.
However, the Ptolemies still keep their basic Greek troops, the recruitment has just changed. If you are in Egypt or anywhere else, you can recruit Egyptian Auxiliaries (this represents the lower Machimoi who served in the Ptolemaic armies as auxiliaries and garrison duty troops.. this was before Raphia where the Machimoi were trained to be professional soldiers). In Greece though, you can only train Greek local troops such as Militia Hoplites, Peltasts, etc.
Militia Cavalry - now renamed to Prodromoi - can be recruited anywhere as they represent the Thracian and Galatian cavalry that the Ptolemies used.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The New Units of v16

The rest of the features in this version are smaller, but still significant. Here they are in detail:
- Changes to General's Bodyguard Units: Each faction no longer has a bodyguard upgrade, as I wasn't seeing a good use for it. All early bodyguards have been removed and replaced with the later bodyguards to add a bit of flavor. Also just about every faction has a unique bodyguard except for a few
- New Historical Battles by NinjaCool: Bibracte, Camelodunum, Pydna, Pharsalus, Silarus River, Ilipa, Zama, Mons Graupius, and Watling Street. These battles should offer some fun game play, but don't expect them to be narrated or anything.
- Italic Units: one small feature from RTR6 that I added before I work on it, is the Italic units for the Romans and Rebels. Italy was desperately lacking units for the Rebels so I figured I'd get them in sooner. I've added Italic Swordsmen, Skirmishers, Spearmen and Cavalry.
OTHER NEW UNITS FROM RTR 5.4.1
-Ubii Cavalry, a unit specific to the Germans available in Treveri. An upgrade from Barbarian Cavalry
-Veneti Raiders, a unit specific to the Gauls available in Condate. Similar to vanilla Night Raiders
- German Spear Band - a unit specific to the Germans. Upgrade Spear Warband
- Iberian Tribesmen - a unit specific to the Iberians. Militia unit
- Gallic Light Cavalry - a unit specific to the Gauls. Skirmisher Cavalry
- Cantabrian Cavalry - mercenary unit in northern Iberia. 'Cantabrian Circle' came from them
- Arab Infantry - mercenary unit in Arab regions.
- Gallic Cavalry - mercenary unit in Gaul. Widely used by Carthage and Rome in history
- Indian Elephants - for Seleucids only, replacing the African Elephants
OTHER FEATURES FROM RTR 5.4.1
- Boats and Large Boats renamed Warships & Large Warships
- Barbarian unit names changed to Gallic, Germanic etc
- Imperial Palace now requires a Great Forum to be built
- Germanic Skirmishers renamed to Germanic Frameamen
- Carthage & Numidia start allied with very good relations. Hopefully it keeps Numidia alive longer
- New Blood Soaked and Tattered Routing banners
- Militia Cavalry renamed to Prodromoi
- Irrigation and Latifundia now require and Academy and Scriptorium to be built
- Army Barracks and Royal Barracks now give a Law Bonus
OTHER FEATURES
- New Forts from the SPQR mod for Romans, Easterners and Barbarians
- Germans have access to 3 new temples
- A few new ancillaries from the GAFH mod (Genetics, Aging, Family, Health)
- Vanilla Historical and Quick Battles updated to be playable
- Bug Fixes: sprite issues, texture issues and Armoured Elephants aren't immortal
- Vegetation update by Robbe: Grain fields shouldn't be so large now

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

DOWNLOAD & INSTALLATION


- If you have an old HRTW version, you can try overwriting, but to be safe, delete it as this will not work with it. This version isn't save compatible.

- One thing that I need to be clear on, is this mod runs on the Alexander.exe not the regular Rome Total War exe. Please make sure you use an Alexander Install.

1. Download the mod
2a. (Steam) Extract the files to your Rome Total War Alexander directory
2b. (Disc) Extract the files to your Rome Total War Directory
3a. (Steam) go to your library.. right click RTW Alexander.. select properties.. select launch options.. put in this: -show_err -mod:HRTW -noalexander
3b. (Disc)Create a shortcut of your RTW Alexander exe file.. right click the shortcut.. select properties.. in the target line after everything insert this: -show_err -mod:HRTW -noalexander
CREDITS
- The RTR 5.4.1 team lead by Gaius Julius through 4.0 and then the infamous Tyr the rest of the way
- tommh for many of the ideas in RTR 5.4.1
- Lt_1947 for his Roman Fort mod
- NinjaCool for his Historical Battles pack
- RTR6 for Italic units and Sacred Band Cavalry
- BHL_20 for all the help with Martial Law
- Suppanut for coding assistance
- XGM for Egyptian Militia
- Lanjane for Indian Elephant UI
- Everyone on the discord, moddb and twc for testing and feedback!

[FFJean]

Dear Saul,

I attach the two pics 1/ of my directory and 2/ of my shortcut. I don't know if the mod works (I don't know how to be sure, how to check, which element would demonstrate that I am playing this mod) and the pics are not exactly the same. As an example, in your directory, you have a forlder named "ahowls pref" that I do not have.
Regarding the shortcut, although it looks the same, "start in" is not the same.

Do you have any easy way to find whether I am indeed playing this mod? Because, thanks to your help, it seems to be working, but I do not know whether I am playing the mod, and the differences (in the directory as well as in the shortcut) make me uneasy.

Sorry for my English, and many thanks to you,

FFJean

[Saul Tyre]

@FFJean everything looks fine..."ahowl prefs" is a folder I made which has my personal choice of preferences that I use for the mod so ignore it please. The confusion probably is because the VE mod loading screens have not yet been made so it will look just like normal vanilla. To check if the mod has installed pick a faction, prepare a battle and when you click "start" battle an advisor icon should come up in the top left hand corner, if not you still have vanilla and you have not installed correctly. your English is quite good so no worries there, hope this helps

[FFJean]

Thank you very much, it does help indeed
So I have the advisor. My only criticism so far (I have tried the Armenians but will stop) is that there are too many enemy stacks for my liking.
I guess the IT managed factions get an enormous boost, and I end off fending off more than 3 stacks of Seleukids per turn.
Do you know if the boost to the unmanned factions is so much more than in other mods like EB? And if yes, is there any way of toning this down? I am more of a slow builder than the great invader type of play
Thank you in advance,
FFJean

[Saul Tyre]

@FFJean I'm only a tester not a modder I'm afraid, have a chat with ahowl 11 on Discord he's a really nice guy and will help you.

[FFJean]

@Saul Tyre, thank you very much, and thanks to you, I have this discord, but do not really know how to use it. As we are stuck home (CoVid!), I'll have time to explore Discord!

[ahowl11]

This mod is the slow building type of mod so that report concerns me. Then again it’s because it’s the seleucids. They have a huge empire and lots of troops. Armenia is probably one of the hardest factions to play as.

[Vesko]

I played multiple campaigns with Pontus on very hard with v15 and v16, I'm attacked by the Seleucids almost immediately as the game starts, there is virtually no way I can withstand them unless I get very lucky. My kingdom simply doesn't have the resources to go full out against Selecs that early in the game. I would like to have more space between them and me so I can build up my country properly. I'm not sure how can this be achieved, ideally my main competition in early campaign should be minor states that surround me like Galatians and others represented by Greek Cities and rebels. As it is, Guals and Armenians sit back and do nothing, While Selecs go full on my Pontic butt. Maybe create more cities in Asia minor that have large rebel armies that would represent various petty states that existed in that period, give Greeks more presence in the black see coast and Chersonesus. Give less regions to Selecs in asia minor. There should be a race between all factions who can conquer more rebel towns before we hit each other.

[Saul Tyre]

@Vesko @FFJean take the campaign difficulty down a step, this will bring a bit more space for your faction and give them slightly better chance to get a foothold in the campaign, I suggest you try that as I feel it will be more to your liking, good luck to you both

NB: the mod's actually balanced on hard campaign difficulty.

[ahowl11]

I played multiple campaigns with Pontus on very hard with v15 and v16, I'm attacked by the Seleucids almost immediately as the game starts, there is virtually no way I can withstand them unless I get very lucky. My kingdom simply doesn't have the resources to go full out against Selecs that early in the game. I would like to have more space between them and me so I can build up my country properly. I'm not sure how can this be achieved, ideally my main competition in early campaign should be minor states that surround me like Galatians and others represented by Greek Cities and rebels. As it is, Guals and Armenians sit back and do nothing, While Selecs go full on my Pontic butt. Maybe create more cities in Asia minor that have large rebel armies that would represent various petty states that existed in that period, give Greeks more presence in the black see coast and Chersonesus. Give less regions to Selecs in asia minor. There should be a race between all factions who can conquer more rebel towns before we hit each other.

This mod is not meant to be played on VH. I’ve played a Pontic Campaign on H and it was a very fun campaign and I was not rushed by the Seleucids.

[ahowl11]

ahowl11's VE Mod v17 - RTR6, Unit Extravaganza, & Spartans

Well, I must say that these have been some crazy times on our planet. Everyone is home, in isolation and we have no idea what will happen in the future. Trying times for sure. Thankfully for all of you that follow this, that means I have more time to focus on the mod. Yes, until things get better here in our world, I will be treating this as a job of sorts (to keep me sane) and I hope to really speed up the progression during this free time.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Spartans... I saw the requests, and I came through. I hope you like them!

Now, onto v17! This has been one of the most exciting, yet one of the most tedious and frustrating versions to work on. In this version, you'll find that I have integrated RTR 6 into the fold. RTR6 came out in the summer of 2005 (not even a year after RTW released!) and it offered the player a brand new game almost. Complete new unit rosters, two new factions, realistic looking units, a new soundtrack and longer battles. It went down as a classic, being one of the most memorable mods out there. Since then it has taken a back seat but it's still a gem. I have included just about everything unique about it into v17, adapted to fit the style of this mod. This means a ton of work reskinning and coding in units was done. This also means that recruitment needed to be revised. On top of that the RTR6 soundtrack from Vlad Kuryluk is included as well as Sinuhet's 7.0 battle ai formations. I have also fixed some bugs and balanced out the battles a bit. This will be a lengthy article so buckle up and enjoy!
First we will get the main event out of the way.. the units! A few factions weren't really touched due to them either not being in RTR6 or RTR6 giving them generic rosters that didn't add anything special. Other factions on the other hand will get a complete overhaul, even if just in appearance!
Carthage got a few new units and a few new reskins. The main things are the new elephants.. they have a better 'African' look and they lose their huge Cataphract elephant and have the War Elephant replaced with a smaller version. This is more accurate, and still lethal! They also have a better cavalry representation. With this being said, Carthage now has two areas of recruitment: Africa and Iberia. Basically, you won't get Iberian troops in Africa and vice versa. Finally, the starting units have been changed to make it more accurate for Carthage as well as making them more of a force in Sicily.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The New Carthaginian Units

Staying in the same area, Numidia got a brand new look to their skins. They now look Numidian instead of Iberian. They also gain the Cataphract Tower Elephant which should serve them well in the long run.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The new look Numidians

Moving north across the Strait of Gibralter, the Iberians have had a bit of a boost. They gain a few new units, two noteworthy ones being the Edetani Devotio and Lancers. These are two Elite units only available in Arse. They receive a Heavier Skirmisher as well.
The Gauls will get a new Heavy Spearmen unit, the Romans will get an elite cavalry unit in Extraordinarii Cavalry. Finally Thrace gets a Warband, and can only recruit Militia Hoplites in Greek regions now.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Iberian, Gallic, Roman and Thracian Units

Further north are the Germans, and they will end up getting a major upgrade, including many AoR units that will represent some of the major Tribes. The Chatti, Batavi and Semnones are just some of the few tribes that you will see being represented.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The New German Units

Now, going southeast, we encounter the Antigonids of Macedon and the Greek Cities. Both factions will get considerable upgrades. Macedon now has it's own line of phalangites as well as some awesome cavalry. The Greeks finally get their Spartan upgrade as well as a few other upgrades.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The new Greek & Antigonid Units

Staying in the Hellenistic realm, the Seleucids will receive one of the biggest updates. Not only are their Elephants amazing, but they also get a Phalangite line of their own, new cavalry and even new skirmishers and a camel unit!

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The New Seleucid Units

Finishing up the Diadochi is Egypt, and they finally have a truly unique roster now instead of a copy of Macedon. They get their own phalangite line, extensive Elephants, and some great cavalry!

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The New Ptolemaic Units

Now heading east and north, we will get small updates to Pontus, Parthia and Scythia. For Parthia and Scythia, they now have a small AoR system where you can train your units based off of what regions you occupy.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The New Pontic, Scythian and Parthian units

Now, the most immersive addition in my opinion are the mercenaries. There are a ton of mercenaries and they cover every part of the map. I won't list them out here but maybe you can guess who's who?

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The many new mercenaries available for hire!

Finally, what would this game or mod be without the Rebels? I have included many rebel units, especially in the Balkans area to make it more interesting!

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The New Rebel Units

Now, moving on from the units, there are a few other things that I want to showcase. First is the music, composed by Vlad Kuryluk. This is one of my favorite soundtracks and it was for the RTR6 mod. I hope you all enjoy the new music!
Also, recruitment has been broken up again. Iberian, Balkan, Celtic, Germanic, Greek, Hellenistic, Roman, Eastern, Carthaginian, Numidian, and Nomad are the different recruitment centers now and so it should definitely offer a better sense of realism in that regard. Also, each faction has it's units spaced out better in the 5 tiers, so things won't seem so off balanced.
Thrace got a minor rework for it's culture. It now is predominantly Tribal and can build Taverns and Bardic Circles. However, they are a major WIP and they will be a fun faction to tackle.
Battles should also be a bit different. First, Roman infantry won't have the AP ability and massacre anything they face. Second, Greek and Eastern Psiloi won't be lethal against cavalry anymore. Third, cavalry won't have super long charge distances which means YES, they finally lower their spears when charging! Finally, I have yet again included a new formations file. This one is Sinuhet's AI formations 7.0 which was the one used by RTR for years, so hopefully it works well while the main file is being worked on.
Last but certainly not least, I have updated diplomacy and core attitudes. Some factions will start off as allies and some as enemies. Will this make a big difference in how the AI operates? I hope so!

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The Seleucids will have a more interesting Start

To finish this lengthy post off, I always would be highly appreciative of feedback from the game. Every time some posts about an error, bug or weird occurrence it helps this mod get better and better. So please don't hesitate to comment! Also, for this version I'd really like it if I could hear from you all on how your campaigns are going. It always excites me to read your stories and see your screen shots!


Before I get into the credits, just know that Historical Battles and Quick Battles HAVE NOT been updated to v17. This is because until my unit rosters are final, I don't want to have to commit to doing those battles time and time again. I hope you can understand, and just know that you can always create your own custom battles!

DOWNLOAD & INSTALLATION

- If you have an old HRTW version, you can try overwriting, but to be safe, delete it as this will not work with it. This version isn't save compatible.

- One thing that I need to be clear on, is this mod runs on the Alexander.exe not the regular Rome Total War exe. Please make sure you use an Alexander Install.

1. Download the mod
2a. (Steam) Extract the files to your Rome Total War Alexander directory
2b. (Disc) Extract the files to your Rome Total War Directory
3a. (Steam) go to your library.. right click RTW Alexander.. select properties.. select launch options.. put in this: -show_err -mod:HRTW -noalexander
3b. (Disc)Create a shortcut of your RTW Alexander exe file.. right click the shortcut.. select properties.. in the target line after everything insert this: -show_err -mod:HRTW -noalexander

CREDITS
- The RTR 6 team lead by Caius, after taking it over from a scandalous Tyr.. Quite the story. Anyways, this mod is one of the best and mine wouldn't be possible if it wasn't for you guys, wherever you may be!
- Vlad Kuryluk for his amazing RTR6 soundtrack
- webbird and warspite for many of the skins and details
- Sinuhet for his formations
- EB for their Spartan Hoplite Model
- Kaiser for his patience

- Ariaces for his good heart and attitude (and constant praise on every little update haha)

- Lanjane for some of the units and teaching me many valuable lessons on 3dsmax
- Suppanut for coding assistance
- BHL for assisting in the Recruitment Centers

- Mausolos for his nagging.. I mean for his historical knowledge and wonderful descriptions! You are a great friend.

- jorellaf for his historical knowledge
- Everyone on the discord, moddb and twc for testing and feedback!

[mathieu57700]

Hello guy, thank you for your excellent work. Do you have some animation for the phalangites to fight with 2 hands ?

[ahowl11]

Hello guy, thank you for your excellent work. Do you have some animation for the phalangites to fight with 2 hands ?

I do! However the animation makes the phalanx very very buggy and it ruins battles

[mathieu57700]

Is it possible to have this animation for personnal use? I really dislike seeing phalanx fight with one hand.