Help getting Hotseat to work in 1.1

[Blyzintine]

Hey guys. I'm trying to get me and my friends' dream come true of being able to play a hotseat grand campaign against each other, and to my delight I found instructions on the .com on how to activate it!

They were as follows:

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Question # 32 - How do I enable multiplayer hotseat campaign mode?

Answer #32 -

1. First, copy your medieval2.preference.cfg file to your desktop.
2. Rename the copy of the medieval2.preference.cfg file to multiplayer.cfg.
3. Now, make sure that the multiplayer.cfg file is not read only (right click on the file, and check the properties).
4. Open this new multiplayer.cfg file with Notepad or Wordpad, then add this to what is already in the multiplayer.cfg file:

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

5. Now save the multiplayer.cfg file and put it back on read only.
6. Move the multiplayer.cfg file into your C:\Program Files\SEGA\Medieval II Total War folder.
7. Now open up Notepad again. In an otherwise blank document, type this:

medieval2.exe @multiplayer.cfg

8. Save the Notepad document as Launch_Multiplayer.bat
9. Put this new Launch_Multiplayer.bat file in your C:\Program Files\SEGA\Medieval II Total War folder.
10. Now, if you want to, right click on the new .bat file and send it to the desktop (Create Shortcut).
11. When you want to play the multiplayer version of the game, double-click the .bat file. This will launch the game in multiplayer mode.
12. Once you are in the game, select Singleplayer. Then Grand Campaign.
13. Now, pick which factions you want to play. Just click on as many as you want. I am playing as all 17 playable factions now.
14. When you start the campaign, you will play each faction you have chosen in order. You can save and quit at any point and resume your game as you choose.
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So I did all of that, loaded up the game using the new batch file, started a grand campaign and clicked on England, then Scotland. I couldn't tell if both factions were selected because it wasn't different in any obvious way. Since I clicked Scotland second, I started off the game as Scotland. I moved a Scottish army south, clicked end turn 1 and...started turn 2 as Scotland.

Any idea what I'm doing wrong? I'd love to get this to work, so any help will be greatly appreciated!

[_Tristan_]

I have not tried it but I think that after finishing the first turn as Scotland, you have to open the console and enter a command to play the second faction then you can press "end turn"...

I think you might find a thread about it in the modding section or FAQ
I read something like that over there, if i remember correctly...

[Eng]

playable = X (the number of factions u want to play)
just maybe.......

[_Tristan_]

playable = X (the number of factions u want to play)
just maybe.......

Nope... If I understand correctly, it's either 0 or 1 (like on/off)...

[knoddy]

works fine for me, im going to take a random stab at what may be your problem.

u say u clicked on england then scotland, however england is the first faction and is automatically selected when u start the game. so if u clicked on england then scotland u quite possibly de selected england. hence u acutally only choose 1 faction, that being scotland.

short of that im afraid i cant help. i did exactly as what u posted said and it worked first time no worries.

hope this helps

Cheers Knoddy

[Foz]

works fine for me, im going to take a random stab at what may be your problem.

u say u clicked on england then scotland, however england is the first faction and is automatically selected when u start the game. so if u clicked on england then scotland u quite possibly de selected england. hence u acutally only choose 1 faction, that being scotland.

short of that im afraid i cant help. i did exactly as what u posted said and it worked first time no worries.

hope this helps

Cheers Knoddy
This sounds likely.

Note that if you have set up everything correctly to play multiplayer hotseat, you should be able to click a faction on the faction-choosing screen and see its icon become highlighted. The look is identical to when you choose a faction in a normal campaign. The difference is in the functionality: in hotseat multiplayer, selecting a different faction makes them both appear highlighted, instead of switching your choice. You're actually allowed to have all the factions highlighted at once, which would mean they're all under your control. If your game is operating like I described and allows multiple factions to be highlighted, then it should be simple to make sure all factions you want control over are highlighted before you begin the game, which should fix your problem. If your game isn't allowing more than 1 faction to be highlighted, let us know and we can dig further into the issue to get you set up correctly.

[PutCashIn]

I just did what was on this link, first post on page 4.
Worked fine except for defending.

http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=74132&page=4

[Didz]

This looks cool...my son and I have been wanting to play the MTW2 campaign together for ages. But, just out interest how do the battles work when two hotseat armies collide?

Does it resolve the battle automatically or do you and your opponent get to fight it out in battle mode?

[Blyzintine]

Thanks for the help, guys. I still haven't gotten it to work. Yeah, when I click one faction's crest, then another, the first faction's crest is no longer highlighted.

The problem I'm guessing is the multiplayer.cfg file. The instructions say to add the new lines of code to what is already in the multiplayer.cfg file, but does it make a difference where in the .cfg file I paste them? Does it go at the top? Do I erase the original [multiplayer] entry and replace it with the new one? Do I add it to what is already in [multiplayer] so it looks like this?

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

[Blyzintine]

Also, if it works correctly will there be an option for Multiplayer Campaign on the main screen? I seem to recall in Olmsted's post that you have to select Multiplayer Campaign.

[SirRethcir]

The easiest thing you can do to try out the hotseat mode:

add
'playable = true'

under
'[multiplayer]'

to your medieval2.preference.cfg.

Nothing more is needed to have a quick start on hotseat.

[Blyzintine]

The easiest thing you can do to try out the hotseat mode:

add
'playable = true'

under
'[multiplayer]'

to your medieval2.preference.cfg.

Nothing more is needed to have a quick start on hotseat.


Hmm...I'm kinda skeptical. If it's that easy, how come Olmsted and others are using this "convoluted" method?

[Foz]

Thanks for the help, guys. I still haven't gotten it to work. Yeah, when I click one faction's crest, then another, the first faction's crest is no longer highlighted.

The problem I'm guessing is the multiplayer.cfg file. The instructions say to add the new lines of code to what is already in the multiplayer.cfg file, but does it make a difference where in the .cfg file I paste them? Does it go at the top? Do I erase the original [multiplayer] entry and replace it with the new one? Do I add it to what is already in [multiplayer] so it looks like this?

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

You add the new entries under the already existing [multiplayer] heading, like what you have above. The [] entries are tags that tell the game to look for a particular kind of info in this section of the file, so all that's necessary is to put all the multiplayer-related info under the same tag. In fact if you put more than one copy of the same tag in the file, it may result in some of your settings being ignored, so check to be sure you haven't done so, and consolidate to only 1 [multiplayer] if needed.

Also, I notice in what you typed above that several hotseat_ lines are duplicated, with different values set sometimes. If you find a line that is duplicated in the file already, you should remove the line that was in the file, and replace it with the new one in the directions you followed. It's not necessary to keep them in the same order at all, any order will do - just look for and eliminate duplicate/conflicting entries, they may cause weirdness or problems.


Also, if it works correctly will there be an option for Multiplayer Campaign on the main screen? I seem to recall in Olmsted's post that you have to select Multiplayer Campaign.
No, there's no separate option I know of. You click single player and select grand campaign like you would to play a single player game. It's just that the multiplayer settings you've added will make you able to select more than one faction to play for that campaign.

[knoddy]

Thanks for the help, guys. I still haven't gotten it to work. Yeah, when I click one faction's crest, then another, the first faction's crest is no longer highlighted.

The problem I'm guessing is the multiplayer.cfg file. The instructions say to add the new lines of code to what is already in the multiplayer.cfg file, but does it make a difference where in the .cfg file I paste them? Does it go at the top? Do I erase the original [multiplayer] entry and replace it with the new one? Do I add it to what is already in [multiplayer] so it looks like this?

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

theres ur problem right there, dont add what was in ur first post to wots already there, replace whats already in the cfg with what u got in ur first post. u have stuff doubling up there. that should fix your problem.\

CHeers knoddy

[SirRethcir]

Hmm...I'm kinda skeptical. If it's that easy, how come Olmsted and others are using this "convoluted" method?
Have you tried it out? No? Do it! It's not too complicated I guess. ;)

Why they use the "convoluted" method?
Well, so you can run the 'hotseat' as an own mod and they made a few custom changes, I think.

[Didz]

My son and I tried the hotseat option this afternoon with only partial success.

My son was playing Russia and I chose Hungary, to avoid victory conflicts on the Short Campaign setting. The game ran beautifully for the first few turns. I took Iasi with my Hungarian army to fulfill the first Council Mission, whilst my sons Russians successfully defeated a rebel army outside the gates of their capital and then marched on Helsinki.

After beseiging Helsinki for 2 turns the Fins sallied out of their castle and the first and last game stopping problem occurred. The battle began and my son rapidly deployed his archers and crossbows to shoot them down as they emerged from the gate.

However, his missile men refused to fire and as the Fins deployed they suddenly began running backwards along with his spearmen and the entire Russian battle line. A quick check revealed that the 'fire at will' button on all my sons missile troops was off. Any attempt to switch it back on was immediately countered by the AI.

Not only that but any attempt to form a battle line to face the Fins was instantly countermanded by the AI which had decided to scatter the Russian units in small isolated pockets all over the map. It then decided to switch skirmish mode off on all missile units so that not only did they not fire on the enemy but they stood and fought them alone and hand to hand.

Finally, it decided the charge the Russian generals and faction heir into the middle of the Finish horde and leave him standing there unsupported.

In fact the AI did everything possible to screw up the Russian army, at which point my son lost his patience said 'Sod, this' and walked off in a huff. Which is a shame as this was his first expereince of MTW2 and he had been looking forward to it all weekend.

I am using the straight setting suggested in the first post as follows:

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

The above is the full content of the [Multiplayer] section which is the only section with that name in the file.

It seems to me that the AI is being allowed to command the human sides armies when they are on the defensive which doesn;t sound right at all.

Is there a way round this?