Byzantine Questions.

I hadn't got MTW: II yet, but I played the first one and was wondering how my favorite faction stacked up in the new game after reading the new PC Gamer issue.


I got several questions.

1. How do you unlock them for Campaign Map play?
2. Can they explore the new world later on in the game if they make it past 1453 (since the game ends at 1530)?
3. (Non-Byzantine Question.) Does Vlad The Impaler ever show up as a General/Leader in any of the units from the Romanian/Hungary area in the later portions of the game (Like El Cid did in the original MTW as a rebel general)? While he is not Byzantine, I'm sure this infamous enemy of the Ottomans/Turks would make a good (if terrifying) addition to a Byzantine army if his territory is under Byzantine control.

1.Beat 1 campagin.
2.Not sure yet haven't goten that far yet.

Or edit a file. I did that, as I was starting my first campaign with Byzantium! I'm still playing it after a week. Byzantine spears suck, archers are good, melee infantry is good, and cavalry is incredible. So far, I've been attacked by Hungary, Venice, and all the Muslim factions. I thought I was about to get backstabbed by the Rus just now, but their army was small and they saw mine sitting on a bridge waiting for them, and turned away. I own from Budapest down to Adana, and all the islands in the eastern Mediterranean. Constantinople has fought off 4 different armies on a jihad.

You can edit the campaign playable factions the same as you could in MTW, RTW etc, just go into the data>world>maps>campaign>imperial_campaign>then edit the desc_strat.txt file. Its easy breezy.

As for Vlad, I'm not sure but I do see many historical names. Saw a few famous scots when I was on a scottish campaign and a starting unit for the Byzantines is Anna Comnenus :)

How about Bohemund? Since I know my history ahead of time, I'd make a point not to leave his army high and dry during the Siege of Damascus. Perhaps I could increase the loyalty of this trickster by marrying him to Anna? :?