-ian gaming

I was just wondering how to work the -ian switch since I have seen many suggestions about its uses in order to make a more challenging game. I am a semi-experienced Total War player having had the game for several years. Also I am a long time reader of the Guild but have never had a signifigant response to make that really caused me to believe that I needed to register.

Granted I still have not made a valuable contibution, but I wished to know this and felt that it was an appropriate question. Please inform me of the method.

Also, if this thread could be transformed into a disscuusion of possible uses of the -ian switch then you would save me much trouble.

I'm not sure how -ian can make a game more challenging, but I don't know everything about it though.

I just use -ian to play as the Mongols in campaign.

If you didn't know, in the campaign map with ian on, press 1 through 0 to switch factions, then shift+ 1 thru 0 to get the rest.

But how do I turn the switch on. Apparently, I wasn't too specific in my question.

in your desktop icon, right click, select properties

in the "Target" field it'll say "C:\Program Files\Total War\Medieval - Total War\Medieval_TW.exe"

just add -ian after it, outside of the quotes

so it looks EXACTLY like this:

"C:\Program Files\Total War\Medieval - Total War\Medieval_TW.exe" -ian

Thank you Graphic. I am happy to see that people in the Guild are as helpful as I had thought.

eat cold steel
Programmer
Group: CA
Posts: 294
Joined: Aug. 2002
CA, UK Posted: May 13 2003,04:45

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Yes as many as you want, and spaces in between each one. I've had a look at the list just now, there are too many to list here, most are debug things like setting hardware sounds and stuff. These are not very interesting and can be fiddle with from option screen anyway. A few interesting ones I've spotted, not sure if they actually work or not but here they are.
D - debug mode, runs in a smaller screen
C - selfrun mode, just let the AI fight itself (mostly the same is -ian)
-old_rebels uses a different way of generating rebellions
-green_generals newly created replacment is non-experianced
-loyalty:X set the suto tax to maintain X loyalty
-bbc apparaent allow the host to pause MP games
-strictserver you may also need to have this off for pause

Again command switch is mostly for debuging, these may not work and can crash your game.

While in debug mode (D, C, or -ian) various keys do wonderful things to the strategy map. The number keys allows you to change factions, a turns on auto run - ends the turn as soon as it starts. # or ' depending on what keyboard you have let the AI take over your faction, along with autorun makes the game play itself, great for testing out mods. To turn off AI control press the number key for your faction. G toggle see the whole map on and off, same as the cheat. Don't press F12 as that quits everything.
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I've never been able to see my faction fight a battle under ai control. Also, I think the "I" ket toggles ai on and off on the strategy map. You can use that to play multiplayer campaigns by emailing the savegame around to the players, and then having someone end the turn and auto resolve all the battles.