Greetings and a question!

[Crazy_Banker]

I have played MTW since day one. Recently I ran across this sight and I must admit I have read every piece of advice with excitement. Thanks for all the great tips, special thanks to froggy.....I have always played on version 1.0 and am a little fearful of installing any patches. Can someone please expand on why I would want to install new downloads.

[Mithrandir]

Welcome CB,
The official patches fix problems, so it's always a good idea to install them.

Some mods add new units, lands etc. others just change stats. I haven't tried any of them, but there are some good ones out there, check out the dungeon on this site for more info...

[Ludens]

You should always install patches since they help solve problems with the game, not to mention that you can't multiplay without them. There are two patches for M:TW, one for the original game (M:TW 1.1) and one for the expansion (VI 2.01). If you have the Viking Invasion expansion, there is no need to install 1.1 since it is already included in the expansion.

I don't know the changes made by patch 1.1, but patch 2.01 removed a nasty bug that caused your king to die when he became 56 years of age and also solved an exploit that gave cavalry an infinite charge bonus (the so-called sideswipe exploit).

Other downloads are mods (modifications), made by enthusiastic fans. These mods change the game to make it more fun (e.g. Medieval XL, MedMod) or more realistic (e.g. BKB's Supermedieval), or sometimes place it in a completely different enviroment (e.g. Napoleonic: TW, Hellenistic: TW, Shogun for MTW:VI, Middle Earth: TW, War of the Roses). This is for players who like MTW but think it would be better if it had been done differently, or for players who got bored with the game. Most of these mods do require VI 2.01. The only exception I can think of is an early version of MedMod which is still downloadable. You can find information about the mods in the Engineer's Guild subforum (MTW modification forum).

[Crazy_Banker]

If I install Viking invasion, what will be the major changes to the format of MTW?

[Goofball]

If I install Viking invasion, what will be the major changes to the format of MTW?

Hi CB, welcome to the Org!

As I recall (it's been a long time since I played vanilla MTW) the changes with VI are all good. You get a few new playable factions in the Medeival game, a few annoying bugs are removed, I believe a few new units are available, and you also get the Viking campaign available for play. This campaign features only the British Isles and parts of Scandinavia.

It's well worth it my friend, I would recommend installing VI (and the subsequent patch) without delay...

P.S. Are you really a banker? I am too...

[Bobablooie]

Yes, definitely install VI! I waited because I enjoyed MTW just the way it was, but after I installed VI, I enjoyed MTW even more! I rarely play the Viking campaign anyway, but I'm grateful for what VI has given to the MTW play.
Pre-battle: after you invade or are invaded, instead of going right to the battle screen, you are given a "pre-battle" screen, which lists all of the forces you and your opponent have ready to fight. You can tailor your force (swap out/in units) to match/counter what the AI has, or, you can elect to withdraw entirely.
There are some other changes that VI adds to MTW like more units and playable factions, but the pre-battle screen makes you WANT to head into combat.
Don't delay, me-lad!

[Crazy_Banker]

So, I proceeded this weekend to buy the expansion pack and it seems it is no longer in production. Any advice on where I might be able to pick up the Viking Expansion.

[lugh]

Well, it is still available. Amazon still has it as a standalone. I dont recall seeing it in any real store though.
The thing is it was released as a battle pack, the original game plus the expansion so I would imagine most stores would only stock that.
If you cant order online and cant find a standalone copy you might need to fork out for the Battle Pack.