Have Steam dumbed down the Alexander exe file?

[Anarchon]

Hi Gigantus & Aradan,

Trying a reinstall.
Please can you guys point me to the best place for instructions about adding a mod under Steam.
Always previously non-Steam.
I may have made a mistake as I cannot launch vanilla RTW-Alexander, only my mod.

Anarchon

[Aradan]

Is your mod modfoldered? If so, create add a copy of the game (RomeTW-ALX.exe) to Steam's Library. Use the original to launch vanilla (the launch options should be blank) and the copy to launch your mod (by adding -mod:your_modfolder -show_err to the launch options).

[Anarchon]

Thanks Aradan,


To clarify.


My mod is modfoldered.
Where should I place the folder?


my mod is ALK60E
Should I locate it like so?
E:\Rome Total War\steamapps\common\Rome Total War Alexander\ALK60E


Within the folder my mod files are largely in...
E:\Rome Total War\steamapps\common\Rome Total War Alexander\ALK60E\data\world\maps\campaign\Alexander


Do I need to switch them into a folder like so...?
E:\Rome Total War\steamapps\common\Rome Total War Alexander\ALK60E\data\world\maps\campaign\ALK60E


And if so presumably that needs some other changes. Like region and settlement text file name.
What is the full list of files which need changing if I have to do this?


Would most appreciate your help.


Anarchon

Is your mod modfoldered? If so, create add a copy of the game (RomeTW-ALX.exe) to Steam's Library. Use the original to launch vanilla (the launch options should be blank) and the copy to launch your mod (by adding -mod:your_modfolder -show_err to the launch options).

[Leonardo]

Is your mod modfoldered? If so, create add a copy of the game (RomeTW-ALX.exe) to Steam's Library. Use the original to launch vanilla (the launch options should be blank) and the copy to launch your mod (by adding -mod:your_modfolder -show_err to the launch options).

I posted a sticky about that and I think that also applies for Alexander.

https://www.twcenter.net/forums/show...mods-via-Steam

[Anarchon]

Hi Aradan & Gigantus,

It is looking increasingly likely that I shall have to reconstruct my entire mod from scratch/ground zero.
So please can you guys (or anyone else) point me to a good tutorial for building mods on Steam Alexander.
from start to finish.
So irritating when it works perfectly on the disk version.

Anarchon

[Anarchon]

Hi Aradan,
You said "add a copy of the game (RomeTW-ALX.exe) to Steam's Library"

But do you mean.....

a. the Steam 'RomeTW-ALX.exe'
b. the disk 'RomeTW-ALX.exe'
c. the Steam exe 'testappa.exe'

Anarchon

[Anarchon]

Thanks Leonardo,
However, I think I may have issues with what has to go where under Steam (see my post). ahead of what you suggest
And unless I can find a tutorial for building mods for Alexander under Steam, probably headed nowhere fast.
Anarchon

[Aradan]

Try: "Add game" > Add a Non-Steam game > your (non-steam) RomeTW-ALX.exe

I realise now, though, that this doesn't work if you want to test the Steam .exe per se. In that case, you will have to edit the Launch Options of your Steam ALX when you want to switch between vanilla and your mod. When you want to use the Steam ALX to play your mod, just add "-mod:your_mofolder" to the launch options, and when you want vanilla, just remove it.

[Anarchon]

Hi Aradan,


Thanks again.
However, nothing seems to work.
Which is why I am asking for a reference to a tutorial.
For building a mod from scratch.
for Steam on Alexander.


Thx
Anarchon


PS It seems a backward step that you need to edit the launch line between using vanilla and a mod.
In my disk version I had separate desktop icons for vanilla, various versions of my mod and other folk's mods.
Steam seem to have reverted to DOS days.

[Anarchon]

UPDATE TO...
Have Steam dumbed down the Alexander exe file?


Perhaps not dumbed down.
but rendered it incompatible with the disk version.


Have now...
1. Reinstalled Steam RTW-Alexander
2. Checked vanilla Alex works fine. It does.
3. Installed my mod (which works perfectly with my disk version on my old laptop).
4. It works fine with the Steam Preferences/Settings.
5. It crashes if you disable Fog Of War or choose to View AI Movement.


I have used up my last 'seat' on my old disks and it is impossible to buy a legal disk version here in Indonesia.


So my obvious next move is to buy a counterfeit disk version.


Please can someone tell CA I tried to do this legally.


Anarchon

[Gigantus]

I am not really that versatile on RTW (M2TW is my domain), but when it comes to starting RTW mods you may want to try out the BAT file approach instead of constantly changing Steam launch options.

Edit: if lifting the Fow causes a crash then it's more often then not a strat model issue, not the 'missing texture crash' type though. Rather something along the line of a missing or misassigned settlement model.

[Anarchon]

Provisional Solution.


Hi Guys,


I seem to have solved it.
I stress this is a provisional solution, not fully tested.
I am describing it here as it may well affect vanilla Alexander on new high-end machines.
And other mods.
When played with 'view AI moves' and 'No Fog of War'.


On the launch icon
Right-click on Properties
Select Compatibility tab.
Check the box marked 'Disable Full Screen Optimization'


So far everything is fine.
Immortality works and apparently also 512 unit types,


Anarchon

PS Gigantus thx for your last post and effort to solve this.

[Gigantus]

Compatibility mode can solve a number of issues, most of them graphic related. See 'Mo' notes' in there for your approach. For RTW using 'XP' compatibility might be more applicable then the 'Win7' one used for M2TW.

[Anarchon]

Hi Gigantus,


I kind of lucked out solving this crash.
I did not suspect a graphics issue and combed descr-strat for an issue.
But why was an identical d-strat working on the old laptop but not the new desktop?
I wondered about preferences, but porting across my preferences didnt work either.


I then decided to try running it with screen res set to that of old laptop.
STRATEGY_RESOLUTION:1280x768
instead of
STRATEGY_RESOLUTION:3840x2160


While looking how to do this I saw that 'Disable Full Screen Optimization' checkbox,
and thought why not try it.
And it worked!


So no need to change screen res.


Anarchon

[Gigantus]

Good news that 'disabling optimization' will make large resolutions possible. Might work for M2TW as well...

[Anarchon]

Hi Gigantus,


Strangely that brings me neatly to something else.
You may want to move this to a new thread called something like...
"Porting mods from RTW to M2TW."


A friend of mine, Jonathan, has long suggested I port my mod from RTW to MTW2.
I had wanted to make it more finished before I did so.
And had several concerns about doing this.
Perhaps you can help address some of them.


My principle concern is map size.
My mod runs from Ireland to western China.
But more importantly the map size is 510x345(1021x691)


It has taken me literally years to find a way to make this stable/crash-free.
What map size can M2TW handle?


Also I use Immortalty to enable secondary cities.
Does Immortality work in M2TW?


What other limits differ from RTW?
EDU? (512 or 256), Buildings, Traits, Ancillaries?
Is there a list somewhere?


Can you build dead characters in the family tree?


Would you recommend porting to M2TW over porting to RTW-Remastered.
I am not at all interested in purely tarted-up graphics and standardization of what modders have long done.
Which is what RTWR seems to mostly be.


Anarchon

Good news that 'disabling optimization' will make large resolutions possible. Might work for M2TW as well...

[Gigantus]

map size - same
immortality - doesn't work in M2TW
dead characters - no problem
EDU - 512 entries is limit

Essentially there are very few differences between the two versions. More agents and religion are the major difference and obviously the unit model format.

You could give it a shot by using my Bare Geomod set up and then move your files into it. The set up contains all essential files to make the mod 'kingdoms' compatible plus has a number of fixes and corrections.

I would suggest to first port the map with a very simplified descr_strat file. descr_regions will require the new religion entries. RTW trade resource entries have no impact in M2TW in there so you might as well remove them, only hidden resources from the EDB will work.

[Anarchon]

Hi Gigantus,


Thx that is most interesting and useful.


Is there an alternative mechanism for making forts permanent?
Or another way to include secondary settlements?


I use Immortal and Immovable Rebel spies to make forts permanent as secondary settlements.
These are an important part of my mod.


Also, is there any method of adding map labels?
Other than for capitals and characters?


I understand you can have 28 factions, not the 20 of RTW.
Can each have its own name set?


And how many cultures can you have?


Resources.
In RTW there are resources on the map(from descr-strat)
and resources in descr-Regions.
They seem to be completely independent of each other.
Are you saying both have no impact in M2TW?
Or that only Resources from d-strat work?
So is there no Trade in M2TW?


Anarchon

[Gigantus]

permanent forts - should do away with your immortality problem.
stone forts and labeling them - not sure what else you might mean with map labels, please specify.
default is 26 (?) factions but you can extend to 31
6 cultures is default but you can extend to 7
This could be of interest for extended faction numbers

[Anarchon]

Hi Gigantus,
I am very confused about factions.
You say 31.
Those threads reference 29.
One thread mentions unplayable Rebels and Pope.
As modder, how many playable factions can I make myself?
Is it 29 but 2 cannot be played.
I dont intend having the Pope.
Does that make it 30?

And can the Pope faction be the one you use for naming forts?

Anarchon

PS By labels I meant things like mountain ranges, deserts, oceans pretty much anything on the map.

permanent forts - should do away with your immortality problem.
stone forts and labeling them - not sure what else you might mean with map labels, please specify.
default is 26 (?) factions but you can extend to 31
6 cultures is default but you can extend to 7
This could be of interest for extended faction numbers