Installation Discussion

[TinCow]

SS 4.1 seems to be winning pretty convincingly in the confirmation poll. I understand the concerns about CTDs, but they seem very rare and can be worked around even when they occur. I think we'll be fine without worrying about this.

I would like to hammer out the other changes we are going to use and get them working. First on the list is the AI. SS 4.1 uses Ultimate AI 1.5 for the Campaign AI and Darth Mod 1.4B for the Battle AI. Are these ok? Are there better AI mods out now that we should be using?

*Draft Installation Directions*

1) Install a clean copy of M2TW.
2) Install the M2TW 1.2 Patch (http://files.filefront.com/Medieval+II+Total+War+v12+Euro+Patch/;7428598;/fileinfo.html).
3) Install the M2TW 1.3 Patch (http://files.filefront.com/Medieval+2+Total+War+v13+EU+Patch/;8477508;/fileinfo.html).
4) Install Stainless Steel 4.0 (http://files.filefront.com/Stainless+Steel+40exe/;8068080;/fileinfo.html).
5) Install the Stainless Steel 4.1 Patch (http://files.filefront.com/Stainless+Steel+41+patchexe/;8220351;/fileinfo.html).
6) *AI Mods, to be decided*
7) *Custom mod for the game, for stuff like RBG recruiting, etc.*

[Privateerkev]

Can we get directions on how to have multiple copies of M2TW on your computer?

I have Kingdoms and patch 1.5 and I am not going back.

However I do have tons of HD space and don't mind having multiple copies of the game on my computer.

Please make directions as "noob proof" as possible for those like me who are computer illiterate.

:beam:

[Zim]

We found out in the Grand Campaign hotseat that vanilla saves are compatible between 1.3 and 1.5, so it might not be necessary. :yes:

Are we sure about the ai mods included in 4.1? The list of changes between the 4.0 and 4.1 says this:

- Real Combat 1.21
- Lusted's battle AI
- Vanilla campaign AI

http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=110425

[TinCow]

Hm, that's strange. Under The Campaign AI it says "Ultimate AI 1.5" and under Battles is says "Darth Mod 1.4B battle AI and physics." We'll need to look into this.

[Zim]

Scroll down a bit to this section to see changes from the 4.1 patch. :yes:

Stainless Steel 4.1 Patch Features

4.1 Changes & Bug fixes


Hm, that's strange. Under The Campaign AI it says "Ultimate AI 1.5" and under Battles is says "Darth Mod 1.4B battle AI and physics." We'll need to look into this.

[Privateerkev]

We found out in the Grand Campaign hotseat that vanilla saves are compatible between 1.3 and 1.5, so it might not be necessary. :yes:

Right but I think SS 4 only works with vanilla and not Kingdoms. Would like confirmation on this though. Which means I would either have to uninstall Kingdoms (no way), or dual install. (which I have no problem with as long as I get a little help.) :beam:

[Zim]

I've had no problem with it at all and I have Kingdoms. :2thumbsup:


Right but I think SS 4 only works with vanilla and not Kingdoms. Would like confirmation on this though. Which means I would either have to uninstall Kingdoms (no way), or dual install. (which I have no problem with as long as I get a little help.) :beam:

[Privateerkev]

I've had no problem with it at all and I have Kingdoms. :2thumbsup:

awesome... :2thumbsup:

[OverKnight]

One thing we should remember to test is to see if saved game files are compatible between everyone who plays.

I know that was an issue when we changed from 1.1 to 1.2 in KotR. 1.1 saves were compatible with people who had 1.2, but saves made in 1.2 were not backwards compatible.

From the sound of it, some people just have M2 and others have M2 with Kingdoms. We might run into similar problems.

[deguerra]

I think so long as everyone has the lateset Medieval 2 patch (1.3 or 1.5?) it shouldnt matter who has kingdoms or not, and it should be fine using a non-kingdoms or a kingdoms installation. That's just my understanding of it, and dont hold me to it :beam:

[Zim]

One of my Grand Campaign players has 1.5, and his save didn't cause any problems for 1.3 users, so as long as everything has 1.3+ and we're using a non Kingdoms mod I think we're ok. :yes:


I think so long as everyone has the lateset Medieval 2 patch (1.3 or 1.5?) it shouldnt matter who has kingdoms or not, and it should be fine using a non-kingdoms or a kingdoms installation. That's just my understanding of it, and dont hold me to it :beam:

[AussieGiant]

While I'm concerned over the CTD's I think the outline you have given TC is the best available option.

FH's vanilla mod is still an interesting option though. But I'm just playing devils advocate. :2thumbsup:

[TinCow]

The main problem with Vanilla mod is the lack of an expanded map. SS 4.1 adds 50+ provinces to the game, which will probably benefit our game more than any other single feature.

[Ferret]

and the titles will be really cool, adding a few small powers to the FL. But yeah with the amount of land required to get players up the ranks we need a big map.

[FactionHeir]

You guys really need to read my forum :tongue2:

The new map should be out within the next two to three weeks with almost 200 regions, almost completely historic and with more resources.

[TinCow]

I just looked, but I don't see any info on that. A link would be useful. If you could somehow get your hands on the SS 6.0 map, that would be great. That map is (IMHO) about as perfect for our game as it's possible to get.

Would installing BBB on top of your mod screw everything up?

[FactionHeir]

Its somewhere buried in my 0.92 worklog. Irishron is currently working on it.
Will make comparisons possibly if you want.

BBB....may have some major conflicts but I can probably just take the titles and leave the rest as it is in my mod for pbm purposes. It depends on the final region count and naming really

[TinCow]

Any chance of getting some previews of the new map? A major bonus of using Vanillamod is that you're right here to deal with any problems that we may encounter. The main reason I have been voting against it is the lack of a larger map, though I also really like the BBB trait 'supply' system, as it's a fun and creative method of limiting expansion. The titles are nice, but less important IMO. If you could create some kind of supplemental mod to add the BBB supply system (w/ or w/o titles) into our game, I would be willing to change my vote and wait a couple weeks for your new map to be finished.

[AussieGiant]

I see your point TC and it is a major factor, I agree.

I just can't get passed how important it would be to have FH right on top of things if anything happens.

if we can get FH to incorporate a few of the characteristics we like from the SS side of things then we'd be in great shape...I understand what I just said FH, (it's easy to say and much harder to actually do), but how possible would that be?

i.e. Map, titles, and supply system?

[FactionHeir]

Map depends on how fast my mapper works, but I think 2-3 weeks is a realistic estimate for a first version and possibly another 1-2 to flesh things out properly if anything is missing or to fix some settlement names, win conditions, mongol spawning points, horde targets and new resources.
That is a relatively long period I admit, but some here were saying they can't make an early start anyway?

Supply/Titles. I can probably import supply system with almost no problems. Title system would be more difficult due to it being a different map and thus different region count and names. I can add generic titles though so that if you hold a settlement we can give you a certain title or we can give you title ancs according to your ingame PBM title.

The Map is for the general version but the supply/title changes will be a separate PBM version (to overwrite exisiting files).

Any other changes you want you will need to tell me early so I have time to consider them.

Btw, if you have been playing 0.92 note its currently in a beta stage still as I have been very hard pressed for time to test play it (I am but one modder/tester). It works pretty well overall and is stable but I'm still trying to improve strat map AI behavior more after some recent money changes to rebels which made it become a bit slothful compared to 0.91. Actually that won't be much of a problem once the new map is out because the normal vanilla map has some pretty bad pathfinding (especially for british isles and russia) which make the AI difficult to control using any means.

[Zim]

My first choice was always BC, so I don't have any big attachment to SS (would have picked Lands to Conquer if I were asked to pick a mod that wasn't a total conversion).

Still, SS received far more votes than the other mods. It seems to me as if the mod earned its usage. I wouldn't change mods unless SS lost on another poll or the CTD issues were big enough to warrant an executive decision from Tincow.

I also am not enamored with the idea of waiting another 3-5 weeks but with some players wanting more time I guess that doesn't matter much (and a larger map really is the feature that would add the most to the game, so I can't really argue with time spent on that. :clown: ).

If we do switch to vanillamod, we might have to reopen the faction poll (at least for the ERE and France). As much as I love the ERE, I fully sympathize with anyone that hates their vanilla skins.

[TinCow]

3 to 5 weeks (at a minimum) is definitely a long time to wait, considering that we're almost done with the testing and rules discussion.

[AussieGiant]

Thanks for the update FH. That time frame is rather long.

SS 4.1 does seem to be the direction to move in I believe.

[FactionHeir]

3 to 5 weeks (at a minimum) is definitely a long time to wait, considering that we're almost done with the testing and rules discussion.

At a maximum. Minimum would be sometime this or next week fully done. It really depends on how fast my mapper works on it.
Right now the map is more or less done, just needs some shrinking on the south and east and moving some settlements around. Its basic outline is that of an early Regions and Provinces Mod version.

[Ituralde]

*Draft Installation Directions*

1) Install a clean copy of M2TW.
2) Install the M2TW 1.2 Patch (http://files.filefront.com/Medieval+II+Total+War+v12+Euro+Patch/;7428598;/fileinfo.html).
3) Install the M2TW 1.3 Patch (http://files.filefront.com/Medieval+2+Total+War+v13+EU+Patch/;8477508;/fileinfo.html).
4) Install Stainless Steel 4.0 (http://files.filefront.com/Stainless+Steel+40exe/;8068080;/fileinfo.html).
5) Install the Stainless Steel 4.1 Patch (http://files.filefront.com/Stainless+Steel+41+patchexe/;8220351;/fileinfo.html).
6) *AI Mods, to be decided*
7) *Custom mod for the game, for stuff like RBG recruiting, etc.*

Just a short point concerning 3).
I'm a little confused, because the installation instructions for SS 4.0/4.1 say that M2TW 1.2 is needed.

http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=110425

So do we need 1.3 now, or 1.2? Maybe that's the reason why the tooltips didn't show up in my SS version, which I installed on top of 1.2, following the official instructions.

Just curious.

Ituralde

[TinCow]

1.3 is simply a compatability patch for Kingdoms. AFAIK, it shouldn't impact the game in any other way. We're simply using it as a convenience for people who may also have Kingdoms installed on their system, just as we did with KOTR.

[TinCow]

So, are we happy with the AI packages bundled with SS 4.1?

[Ferret]

I am :yes:

[Zim]

Did we ever check into the possible issue I mentioned before?




Are we sure about the ai mods included in 4.1? The list of changes between the 4.0 and 4.1 says this:

Stainless Steel 4.1 Patch Features

4.1 Changes & Bug fixes

- Real Combat 1.21
- Lusted's battle AI
- Vanilla campaign AI

Scroll down a bit to see the section showing changes from 4.0 to 4.1 patch. :yes:

http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=110425

[TinCow]

Did we ever check into the possible issue I mentioned before?

I'm looking into it now:
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=166512

Once we get an answer, I'll move forward with the last few details needed to get the game running. We're going to need a custom made mod that will properly enable the RBGs. We need them to cost 1 florin, have 1 florin upkeep, be recruitable from every level of city and castle walls, allow 2-3 to be recruited from each settlement per turn, and replenish the recruitment pool to max every turn. Any volunteers?

[TinCow]

Ok, looks like we'll need new Battle and Campaign AI mods on top of SS 4.1. I'll make sure that everything other than the basic M2TW patches and the SS install files are all packaged into a single zip file that just needs to be extracted into the root M2TW folder. That should be pretty hard for people to screw up.

[AussieGiant]

That should be pretty hard for people to screw up.

Famous last words there Chief!! :beam:

You're an organisational machine TC.

My very public appreciation to you my friend. :balloon2:

[deguerra]

Indeed. You are steaming this game ahead faster than I expected TinCow, which is fantastic.
:2thumbsup:

Is there any specific time you were aiming to start?

[AussieGiant]

Indeed. You are steaming this game ahead faster than I expected TinCow, which is fantastic.
:2thumbsup:

Is there any specific time you were aiming to start?

Hi deguerra,

based on TC's previous comments it would be the weekend of the 31st of May. He mentioned that he's out this weekend with his wife.

[deguerra]

thanks AG! I've got a nasty big law assignment due on the 30th, so that's good news, really. Which I should go off and plan some more now...sigh...I am bad at researching and planning for things sometimes...:embarassed:

:book:

[AussieGiant]

thanks AG! I've got a nasty big law assignment due on the 30th, so that's good news, really. Which I should go off and plan some more now...sigh...I am bad at researching and planning for things sometimes...:embarassed:

:book:

No problem :balloon2:

You should do what we've all done...leave it to the very last minute and then freak out!! :beam:

[TinCow]

Is there any specific time you were aiming to start?

Yeah, my objective is the weekend of May 31st/June 1st. We could easily start earlier, but given how long these games tend to last, I'm not in a rush. More time also means a better organized start. My general plan is to get the entire game (and forum) ready for play by this weekend, then advertise next week as needed. Further tweeks can still be made to all aspects until the first Senate session actually opens.

[Privateerkev]

Yeah, my objective is the weekend of May 31st/June 1st. We could easily start earlier, but given how long these games tend to last, I'm not in a rush. More time also means a better organized start. My general plan is to get the entire game (and forum) ready for play by this weekend, then advertise next week as needed. Further tweeks can still be made to all aspects until the first Senate session actually opens.

That leaves the nerds among us more time to read our books on the ERE anyways. :book:

I cracked out one chapter already and learned far more about Constantine than I ever wanted to know... :dizzy2:

[Zim]

Another week then?

I may be gone for the first couple days of the game. My wife's and my first anniversary is June 2nd, and we're going on a trip. Maybe if I get lucky the first vote will be before or after we go. :yes: I'd like to make the starting vote of the game, but not enough to bring a laptop on our trip. :clown:

[Privateerkev]

:yes: I'd like to make the starting vote of the game, but not enough to bring a laptop on our trip. :clown:

Some things are more important than LotR. :yes:

I know its early but congratulations! :balloon2:

[TinCow]

Ok, I need some help here. I've made the proper mods both for the initial mass-recruiting of RBGS on turn 1 (9 per settlement) as well as the normal RBG recruitment mod that everyone else will be using for the rest of the game. So, I'm ready to run the first turn and spawn a massive number of avatars for us to start looking at. However, I want this game configured as a Hotseat game, so that if we ever want to control an enemy AI faction (i.e. for an 'Event') we can. I've never set up a Hotseat game, though, so I want to make sure I do this right. Are these the right settings for our purposes?


[multiplayer]
playable = true
hotseat_turns = true
hotseat_scroll = false
hotseat_autoresolve_battles = 0
hotseat_disable_console = 0
hotseat_disable_papal_elections = 0
hotseat_save_prefs = 0
hotseat_update_ai_camera = 0
hotseat_validate_diplomacy = 1

[hotseat]
admin_password = XXX

[Zim]

PK Thanks, to be honest, we were amazed it had already been a year. :clown:

Tincow Here's what PK got from Tosa, with the battles switched off of autoresolve. Having disable console turned on may seem counter-intuitive, but that's what I have in my config and the admin password still works. Best thing to do is start a game just to test to see everything is working. I did that before starting both hotseats I did.

You can't normally play defensive battles in hotseat mode, though. There was some trick to get around that I remember finding at TWCenter a long time ago, though.

[multiplayer]
playable = true
hotseat_turns = true
hotseat_scroll = false
hotseat_autoresolve_battles = 0
hotseat_disable_console = 1
hotseat_disable_papal_elections = 0
hotseat_save_prefs = 0
hotseat_update_ai_camera = 0
hotseat_validate_diplomacy = 1

[hotseat]
admin_password = abc



Ok, I need some help here. I've made the proper mods both for the initial mass-recruiting of RBGS on turn 1 (9 per settlement) as well as the normal RBG recruitment mod that everyone else will be using for the rest of the game. So, I'm ready to run the first turn and spawn a massive number of avatars for us to start looking at. However, I want this game configured as a Hotseat game, so that if we ever want to control an enemy AI faction (i.e. for an 'Event') we can. I've never set up a Hotseat game, though, so I want to make sure I do this right. Are these the right settings for our purposes?

[deguerra]

yeh we would def. need a a way around the lack of defensive battles! I will search around

[TinCow]

Hmm... even with hotseat_autoresolve_battles = 0 the game isn't let me fight battles when I'm attacking.

[Zim]

That's strange. Did you change the config file to read only after making the changes? Otherwise it changes back anytime you start the game.

Phonicsmonkey has the only hotseat where battles are fought, we could ask him. It's strange, though, it worked for me when I convinces someone to play a game here at home one time. Battles fought and all.


Hmm... even with hotseat_autoresolve_battles = 0 the game isn't let me fight battles when I'm attacking.

[Byblos]

With the SS 4.1 mod, is there any possibility of being able to keep Lands To Conquer without having to duplicate med2 on my hard drive, not sure I have the space to be able to do that..

[deguerra]

Found this:


There seems to be some confusion as to which option means what.

[misc]
unlock_campaign = 1

Speaks for itself.

[multiplayer]
playable = 1

Speaks for itself.

[hotseat]
autoresolve_battles = 0

Whether battles are auto resolved (1) or not (0).

disable_console = 1

Whether the console (used for cheating) is usable (0) or not (1).

disable_papal_elections = 0

Whether the Papal Elections are held (0) or not (1).

save_prefs = 1

Whether the preferences are stored in the savegame (1) or not (0).

update_ai_camera = 1

Whether the camera should focus on whoever's turn it is' capital (1) or not (0).

validate_diplomacy = 1

Whether players get to reply to diplomacy requests themselves (1) or let the AI handle it (0).

turns = 0

Whether turns are in a fixed order, and protected by passwords (1), or turns are in the order of which action is required, ie. defending a settlement from a siege unless the attacking player is another human player (0). 1 comes with auto resolve on defending, 0 does not, but 0 is not suitable for online play.

scroll = 0

TBA


and:

"Ok, so I played around with the options and answered my own question.

The way to have it so that no battle (except for sea battles of course) do not auto resolve while playing hotseat multiplayer is having this in your pref file;

[multiplayer]
playable = true

[hotseat]
autoresolve_battles = 0
disable_console = 0
disable_papal_elections = 0
save_prefs = 1
update_ai_camera = 1
validate_diplomacy = 1
turns = false
scroll = false


This seems to suggest turns = 0 or turns = false should allow us to play defensive battles.

I have no idea why you are having touble with the autocalc TinCow :no:

[deguerra]

Excuse the double-post, but I also just learned that some players have found they need to make their preference file "read only" again, as their system otherwise resets it at every start of Medieval2.exe. Is this by chance happening to you TinCow?

[Zim]

Ahem. :clown:


That's strange. Did you change the config file to read only after making the changes? Otherwise it changes back anytime you start the game.



Excuse the double-post, but I also just learned that some players have found they need to make their preference file "read only" again, as their system otherwise resets it at every start of Medieval2.exe. Is this by chance happening to you TinCow?

[deguerra]

:shame:

edit: does someone want to test the above regarding defensive battles? Im at work, atm.

[TinCow]

That fixed it for both offensive and defensive battles. Paging through a couple turns, everything seems to be working properly. Am I right in thinking that once a game is saved in this format the settings are permanently set for the game, and no one else needs to have these settings in their config file?

[deguerra]

good question. i think you are correct, but just upload it here and Ill test it when I get home :2thumbsup:

[Zim]

Yep, at least it's worked that way for all the other hotseats. Deguerra's test would be a good way to make sure, though. :yes:

[Privateerkev]

Am I right in thinking that once a game is saved in this format the settings are permanently set for the game, and no one else needs to have these settings in their config file?

As Tosa explained it to me, yes. It is just a save file and will keep the settings you give it.

With hotseats, only the person starting the save game needs to change anything. Like with the Teutonic game, only EF had to change his config file to add the Mongols. None of the rest of us had to do so. :book:

[Cecil XIX]

That fixed it for both offensive and defensive battles. Paging through a couple turns, everything seems to be working properly. Am I right in thinking that once a game is saved in this format the settings are permanently set for the game, and no one else needs to have these settings in their config file?

Is it displaying all the start-of-turn messages as well? Those have been a casualty in the two PBEMs I'm involved in.

[AussieGiant]

Bloody hell...I'm glad you guy's are on this...

maybe we need to have a special OOC Technical Committee?:balloon2:

[deguerra]

actually, TinCow, no need to test, what we are looking for is actually in the preference file, and something I posted just above already (without noticing):

"save_prefs = 1

Whether the preferences are stored in the savegame (1) or not (0)."

[Ferret]

But if you set it to hotseat mode wont you have to control the other factions and fight their battles/do their movements? I believe there is a console command which allows control of a specified faction so we could use that instead of having to play as everyone.

Oh and decb:yes you can have both on the same M2 installation, they are in 'mod folders' so they don't affect each other, sorry everyone else ignored you, they are busy arguing :clown:

[deguerra]

nah hotseat mode still only gives you command of the factions you select at the beginning. and we can always select and deselect with the console. that is the whole beauty of it really. i was just fooling around some more, and it seems all the reports (end of turn, built buildings, recruitment, mission) are firing, with the possible exception of traits.

[TinCow]

As far as I can tell, I get all the end of turn scrolls. Since I picked only one faction to control as part of the hotseat, the game looks and handles exactly as it would with a normal single-player game. The only thing I haven't tried yet is changing factions via the console. I'll see if I can figure that out now...

[edit] Tested it and it works perfectly. We will be able to directly control any AI faction if we decide we want to. Dunno about trait scrolls, but I'm definitely getting retinue changes in the scrolls. Everything looks good to me and I think the game is ready to go.

I am going to busy for all of today, though, so I won't have time to advance the game one turn and do mugshots of all the avatars. I should get that done on Friday, along with more detailed installation instructions. After that, we're just waiting until the 'sign-up' is complete and it's time to start picking avatars.

[TinCow]

With the SS 4.1 mod, is there any possibility of being able to keep Lands To Conquer without having to duplicate med2 on my hard drive, not sure I have the space to be able to do that..

I'm not 100% sure, but I think so. SS installs in a separate folder within the M2TW directory. As long as you are patched to version 1.2 or 1.3, I think it should work just fine. It would be a good idea to test it and see if you can load the saved games. The first will be posted in the next couple of days.

[_Tristan_]

In fact, the scroll happen at the start of the turn if there is no save between on the PW scroll of the next faction.

I noticed this on playing France in the MPC... Before England's demise, I didn't get any scroll. After said demise, I had to enter ENgland's PW to play my turn then hit end turn and enter my own PW, then I would get all the scrolls.

So there really shouldn't be any issue in the configuration TC set up...

[Ferret]

Oh right I forgot about the admin abilities, in that case, so long as defence works, it sounds great!

[TinCow]

Is anyone any good with creating icons? If someone feels up to it, they could create an icon for LotR. I would include it in the custom mod we'll be running and use it for a 'Launch LotR' shortcut.

[_Tristan_]

I've created one...

Let me know what you think...

https://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee86/badlieutenant_bucket/LotR.jpg

EDIT : If you have some other favorite image you deem better related to our game, I can create an icon from it in about 2s (plus upload time...)

By the way that is only the .jpg basis, I can send TC the .ico by PM...

[Ramses II CP]

So if we use the hotseat to take command of a faction before the ERE in the turn order we will not get scrolls for that turn. I've definitely noticed this in hotseat games as well, like not getting scrolls even when my faction leader dies, people are assassinated, war is declared, and territory is lost. It's very annoying.

:egypt:

[_Tristan_]

Yes we could get the scrolls the only thing is to play the ERE's turn without reloading it (which deletes the scrolls)...

To make myself clear, you'll have to play Faction X, hit Endturn, save on the ERE PW scroll (for safety's sake) and enter the ERE PW to play the turn with the scrolls all appearing... :2thumbsup:

[TinCow]

Tristan: Very nice. Would it be possible to fit the text "LotR" on there somewhere, perhaps at the bottom?

Ramses: Yeah, that's true. However, the hotseat thing is specifically to allow other options for 'Events.' Using the hotseat system is far, far better than the console commands. Imagine what the Cataclysm would have been like if I had been able to control ALL aspects of the AI factions myself. That said, I have no plans to do an Event that will require that any time soon, if at all. It's more of a precaution for the long-term, just in case we want to use it. There's no guarantee that we ever will.

[Privateerkev]

Ramses: Yeah, that's true. However, the hotseat thing is specifically to allow other options for 'Events.' Using the hotseat system is far, far better than the console commands. Imagine what the Cataclysm would have been like if I had been able to control ALL aspects of the AI factions myself. That said, I have no plans to do an Event that will require that any time soon, if at all. It's more of a precaution for the long-term, just in case we want to use it. There's no guarantee that we ever will.

I think we should consider enacting a "4th Crusade" event. :2thumbsup:

[_Tristan_]

Tristan: Very nice. Would it be possible to fit the text "LotR" on there somewhere, perhaps at the bottom?


Would that be necessary ? Correct me if I'm wrong but you'll have the name under the icon on your desktop...

Plus, I think it would overload the icon...

I may try to do it anyway...

[TinCow]

I think we should consider enacting a "4th Crusade" event. :2thumbsup:

Crusades are interesting options for Events. With the hotseat system enabled, it would be exceptionally easy for me to simply switch to a faction with high papal ratings and request a crusade against Constantinople, then let the AI take care of the rest. That's a big event right there and it requires minimal fiddling with the game. The same could be done with a Jihad.


Would that be necessary ? Correct me if I'm wrong but you'll have the name under the icon on your desktop...

Plus, I think it would overload the icon...

I may try to do it anyway...

Give it a try. If it looks too cluttered, we can use the first one you posted. I'm just curious to see what it looks like.

[Privateerkev]

Crusades are interesting options for Events. With the hotseat system enabled, it would be exceptionally easy for me to simply switch to a faction with high papal ratings and request a crusade against Constantinople, then let the AI take care of the rest. That's a big event right there and it requires minimal fiddling with the game. The same could be done with a Jihad.

And if the AI is being stupid, you can just jump to each of the factions, and make them join the crusade. With all of the free upkeep, we will be swarmed with waves of angry invaders. Could be a good idea to "shake things up" in the mid-game if we feel things are getting stagnant. :yes:

[Ferret]

I added some writing underneath a bigger version of the image but it'll probably be unreadable when scaled down, I can change the font and colour and proportion to the eagle though if you want any changes.

https://img530.imageshack.us/img530/2708/lotrrb7.png

edit:the eagle doesn't look centred either, I'll fix that.

[TinCow]

Yeah, that won't be readable when shrunk to an icon. Try just the acronym (LotR) and with non-cursive letters.

[Ferret]

How's this?

https://img186.imageshack.us/img186/2443/lotr3bx1.png

edit: I think I should add some red to the sides so it is a square and fits the icon space better.

[Byblos]

Oh and decb:yes you can have both on the same M2 installation, they are in 'mod folders' so they don't affect each other, sorry everyone else ignored you, they are busy arguing :clown:

Haha thanks Elite Ferret. Note my name change people. -decb -And thanks TC.

[_Tristan_]

https://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee86/badlieutenant_bucket/LotR-1.jpg

How's that ? with some Hellenic letters...

Problem is even on the biggest size of icon, the letters just won't appear...

[Ferret]

I just used mine on an old shortcut and it wont look good, it needs to be square and the 'L' is covered up by the little shortcut arrow, I'll see if I can fix this.

[_Tristan_]

Mine works but the letters just won't appear...

[Ferret]

yeah it's tough to get the same quality in .ico format as well. Here is what mine looks like as an actual icon:

https://img185.imageshack.us/img185/7595/screeeeeeeenvz5.th.jpg (https://img185.imageshack.us/my.php?image=screeeeeeeenvz5.jpg)

edit: you can actually see the letters properly on the real screen, the quality here is lowered because I used paint lol.

edit2: picture updated using GIMP this time, quality is better.

edit3: you need to click the pic to see it full size, then you can read the 'R'

[Cecil XIX]

Looks good to me EF.

[_Tristan_]

Frankly, I prefer it without the letters but I will go with the majority vote or any other icon that is proposed...

[Ferret]

I'd like to see Tristan's one as well, the Greek letters would add depth and it's always good to have a choice :yes:

edit: and yeah I also think it will look better with just an eagle, and maybe the Greek letters in the corners or something. 'LotR' will be written at the bottom anyway.

[_Tristan_]

Btw, the greek letters are simply substitutes for the English ones, ie LotR raplaced by Lambda-Omicron-Theta-Rho

[TinCow]

I agree that it doesn't look as good with the text. If someone can come up with a text version that looks nice, that would be great, but at the moment I'm inclined to just go with the eagle.

[_Tristan_]

Simplicity is always best...

[Ferret]

Here is a comparison shot to see what it looks like with just the eagle: (again click to see it full size)

https://img294.imageshack.us/img294/1579/screeeeeeeen2ko0.th.jpg (https://img294.imageshack.us/my.php?image=screeeeeeeen2ko0.jpg)

we could always put up both and leave it to personal preference...

[_Tristan_]

That looks much better, IMHO

[OverKnight]

Does anyone have a link to a good FAQ or set of intstructions for SS 4.1?

This will be my first time playing the mod, and since I'll be FL I don't want to make a hash of it.

I'm particularly concerned with the supply system.


On another note, I'm afraid I can't contribute too much on the current discussion. Just point me in the right direction once the install is set.

[Ferret]

I recommend reading the first post of the 4.1 one thread, found here:http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showpost.php?p=1966941&postcount=1

this lists all the new features, factions, settlements etc

Other than that I don't know of any FAQs but the best way to find out is to play a quick SP game if you have time.

The supply system is simple enough, IIRC it is something like:

last 16 turns in friendly province and 8 in an enemy one and the lower your supplies are the lower your mens morale will be.

[Northnovas]

Does anyone have a link to a good FAQ or set of intstructions for SS 4.1?

This will be my first time playing the mod, and since I'll be FL I don't want to make a hash of it.

I'm particularly concerned with the supply system.


On another note, I'm afraid I can't contribute too much on the current discussion. Just point me in the right direction once the install is set.


The supply system is what EF said and it tells you with the avatar traits that army is 75% 50% so you are not surprised when desertion is high and supplies are gone. The avatar can pick up a trait forager so you can keep your army supplied longer in the field.

:furious3: Found a little annoying bug last night in my AAR wiped out 2 Timurid generals but lost my faction leader at the end of the battle. When I got back to play I lost the family tree. I had the Venetian Family tree with the Dodge and his wife and they were both dead. :furious3:

I had to cancel that battle and restart a previous save. I thought the Mongols were annoying!!! :wall:

[_Tristan_]

I hadn't taken a look at the game until now and now I wonder who told me that ERE didn't not have that eye-wrenching purple color in SS 4.1 ...

I feel sorry for our screenshot thread and battle reports with so much purple everywhere...

[Zim]

I'm the one who mentioned in the faction poll threads that the ERE units are not that "eye-wrenching purple color" in SS 4.1. I'd ask that any complaints about something I said be directed to me, please.

I'd like to know which units bothered you.

These?

https://img165.imageshack.us/img165/2742/image001fk5.jpg (https://imageshack.us)

Maybe these guys?

https://img165.imageshack.us/img165/3962/image003vj7.jpg (https://imageshack.us)

Or these units?

https://img396.imageshack.us/img396/7762/image004up4.jpg (https://imageshack.us)

Maybe these garishly clad fellows.

https://img165.imageshack.us/img165/456/image005fh3.jpg (https://imageshack.us)

The sprites have not been changed yet in SS 4.1, so they show some purple. I suppose it can be a bit confusing, but I don't really see detail at the sprite level as having a big effect on battle screenshots. The effect of the purple just isn't that offensive for the unit sprites, as opposed to the vanilla units up close.

While the reskins are not as nice as the ones in BC I'd say they are a significant step above vanilla, especially insofar as they avoid that unpleasant shade of purple.

If it's the color of the faction on the minimap or other occurences of the color purple I have to be honest and say I don't really think it's an issue.


I hadn't taken a look at the game until now and now I wonder who told me that ERE didn't not have that eye-wrenching purple color in SS 4.1 ...

I feel sorry for our screenshot thread and battle reports with so much purple everywhere...

[_Tristan_]

Oops...

I should learn to think before speaking out of turn...

I didn't take a look at the battles... (damn...) and seeing the sprites on the campaign map, I just assumed (damn again...) that the purple color would be everywhere...

And Zim... I just couldn't remember who was the advocate of the no-purple issue otherwise I would have ranted against you...



Now, seeing those screenshots, I will shut up and go hide in a hole somewhere... :wall:

:clown:

[Zim]

Actually I wasn't talking about those sprites. :clown: The ones that show for units when the battle camera is far away from them are vanilla as well, although the effect isn't too bad, partly because they're so small and not very detailed.

I might have made the same mistake but I tend to check units for a mod I haven't tried before in custom battles. :yes:

Since I'd obviously become cranky from lack of sleep by that last post I better get to bed. :clown:


Oops...

I should learn to think before speaking out of turn...

I didn't take a look at the battles... (damn...) and seeing the sprites on the campaign map, I just assumed (damn again...) that the purple color would be everywhere...

And Zim... I just couldn't remember who was the advocate of the no-purple issue otherwise I would have ranted against you...



Now, seeing those screenshots, I will shut up and go hide in a hole somewhere... :wall:

:clown:

[TinCow]

Ok, the LotR Mod has been uploaded. You can find links to it in the Rules, FAQ, and Installation Thread (https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=103874). I would like to request that people start getting their systems setup for LotR. I will be uploading the current save-game with all of the spawned avatars in a moment, so that you can test to make sure everything is working properly.

[edit] Save game can be found here (http://www.totalwar.org/patrons/pbm/LOTR-1081-Avatars.zip)

EEK! Just noticed a problem, please hold off on downloading the save and the mod at the moment. (If you already did, it's not a problem, you'll just need to overwrite the Mod with a new one a bit later.)

The problem is that I reduced the upkeep and cost of RBGs to 1, but the avatars themselves are drawing 'wages'. This is above and beyond normal upkeep costs, and with so many avatars in existence, it's bankrupting us.

All is well once again. The LotRMod 1.1 includes a change that reduces the wages of family members and recruitable generals by half (100 instead of 200 per turn). We'll probably be immediately killing off 20 of these avatars, so that will also reduce the high level of wages we see at the moment. I will pump the treasury back up to its starting level (10,000) before the game begins. At some point in the future, when our economy is booming, I will make a new version of LotRMod that will restore the wages back to their full level.

[deguerra]

Just wanted to say installation worked like a treat, thanks for the guide TinCow. One small addition: If you are running Stainless Steel for the first time, there will not be a "Saves" folder in the "Stainless_Steel_Mod" subfolder. Simply run the mod once, and this folder will be created.

[OverKnight]

I'm not sure if this is worth explaining, but instead of extracting saves to the main M2 saves folders like we did in KotR, any LotR saves will be extracted to the SS 4.1 saves folder.

On my computer it looks like this:

C:\Program Files\SEGA\Medieval II Total War\Stainless_Steel_Mod\saves

I loaded the save without difficulty. 59 Generals? Oy.

Edit: Keep in mind what deguerra said above.

[Byblos]

Question about SS

I followed the instructions in the installation sticky thread, patched to 1.3, then SS 4.0 then SS 4.1 then the lotr download. BUT, I get no option to play SS instead of medieval tw 2, I get the option to play LTC so why not SS?

SS is present in the medieval data folder along with ltc but there is no icon to play it and no desktop shortcut has been made. Is this right or have I done something wrong?

[_Tristan_]

That is rather strange as you should have at least the SS icon on your desktop which can be replaced by the provided LotR icon simply...

Other than that you can simply send the SS 4.1 icon to your desktop from the Program Start menu...



Otherwise, you should try and reinstall the whole lot... hopefully it doesn't take too long..

[deguerra]

alternatively create a new shortcut with:

Target: "C:\Program Files\SEGA\Medieval II Total War\Launch_Stainless_Steel_Mod.bat"

and Start in: "C:\Program Files\SEGA\Medieval II Total War"

(Note that the quotations marks ARE included, and that obviously the first bit of that may change depending on where you have installed Medieval)

You should have, as Tristan suggested, a shortcut in your Start Menu.

If that doesnt work, reinstall as Tristan suggested, and there should be an icon on your desktop.

[Byblos]

Brilliant. reinstalled med2, installed 4.0, no shortcut so I made that shortcut D, working. Installing 4.1 now. Thanks a lot.

WORKING!

Thanks guys.

[Northnovas]

Finally the mod LotR is installed. :2thumbsup:
I had some issues I didn't want to overwrite my current SS 4.1 mod. I am using Med Manager but for whatever reason it wasn't picking up the LotR mod I created in the files correctly. It would start a vanilla game.

The Med Manager is a great tool for multiple mods but can get a little wonky recognizing a new mod but picked up the first save and it looks good. Weird to see all those avatars sitting in the cities.

Anyone else having an issue similar to what I was having let me know and I will assist to get the mod installed.

[deguerra]

odd...but glad it worked out :2thumbsup: