What mods are worth a download?

[Bombasticus Maximus]

I am getting new PC very soon and want to try a mod for RTW so here are my questions:

Can you play two mods at one time?

what mod would you recommend for someone who plays RTW online and offline? or BI. Please don't say ntw2 as I don't like it?

[ByzantineKnight]

Can you play two mods at one time?

Yes, copy the Rome - Total War folder in Activision and install the mod on the second one.

Or you can install the Mod Switcher found here, Ive never figured out how to use it though.

what mod would you recommend for someone who plays RTW online and offline? or BI. Please don't say ntw2 as I don't like it?

NTW2 is out now!! Where can I find it?

[Ciaran]

I don´t have a link right now at hand, but I suppose in the Forge threat you´ll find a link to the download (130MB, so you have an idea)

As for Bombasticus: What are you looking for? Without that piece of info, no one will be able to make a decent suggestion - not that none will try, but you´ll end up with a list as long as the list of available mods - which won´t be much of a help for you.

[ByzantineKnight]

Some good ones are Blue Lotus TW 1.5 RTW (Beta hosted on the guild). Chivalry TW 1.5 (Beta I think on TW Centre Forums), Rome Total Realism 1.2 RTW (on rometotalrealism.net I think), and LotR Total War 1.2 RTW (Beta on lotrtw.com) Sorry I dont have BI so I dont know what to suggest for that.

[QUOTE=Ciaran]I don´t have a link right now at hand, but I suppose in the Forge threat you´ll find a link to the download (130MB, so you have an idea)
[QUOTE]

Thank You!

[Bombasticus Maximus]

I want a mod that changes the map, the units and other stuff like that.

Whats EB about?

O and ByzantineKnight http://lordz.thelordz.co.uk/index.php?index

[Monarch]

Please don't say ntw2 as I don't like it?

Pfft, give it a chance dude :P

[econ21]

I tried mod-swapper and it seemed really nice, but you have to be careful (with putting stuff in the right directories etc) as I messed it up when I used it for a second mod and ended up having to uninstall/reinstall RTW.

A more time consuming but easier way of installing multiple mods is simply copy your entire RTW directory. Then install the mod on the copy. I have around 6 copies of RTW on my harddrive using this method.

In terms of mods for RTW, I've only tried the two major realism mods - EB and Rome Total Realism. They are very similar in aim and, IMO, execution. They take the basic RTW game, then rework almost everything to make it more realistic and, in the process, play more like MTW (ie slower battles - slower movement, higher morale, lower kill rates). Visually, I find them stunning - the unit skins etc.

For RTR, I recommend you try the Platinum edition, as that is for the latest 1.5 RTW patch. To get a taste of it, you can read some of the PBM battle reports here:

https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=65721

EB is still on 1.2 and in fact I would advise you to to wait for 0.8 as it will be for 1.5 RTW. (If you install the current EB, you will have to patch your game up to 1.2 only.) Some rather glorious insights into the mod are available in the previews:

https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=51037

[Mr Durian]

I tried mod-swapper and it seemed really nice, but you have to be careful (with putting stuff in the right directories etc) as I messed it up when I used it for a second mod and ended up having to uninstall/reinstall RTW.

A more time consuming but easier way of installing multiple mods is simply copy your entire RTW directory. Then install the mod on the copy. I have around 6 copies of RTW on my harddrive using this method.

In terms of mods for RTW, I've only tried the two major realism mods - EB and Rome Total Realism. They are very similar in aim and, IMO, execution. They take the basic RTW game, then rework almost everything to make it more realistic and, in the process, play more like MTW (ie slower battles - slower movement, higher morale, lower kill rates). Visually, I find them stunning - the unit skins etc.

For RTR, I recommend you try the Platinum edition, as that is for the latest 1.5 RTW patch. To get a taste of it, you can read some of the PBM battle reports here:

https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=65721

EB is still on 1.2 and in fact I would advise you to to wait for 0.8 as it will be for 1.5 RTW. (If you install the current EB, you will have to patch your game up to 1.2 only.) Some rather glorious insights into the mod are available in the previews:

https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=51037

Do you need Barbarian Invasion to install the Rome Total Realism mod? And is it compatible with the Vanilla Balance Mod 1.1?

[econ21]

Do you need Barbarian Invasion to install the Rome Total Realism mod? And is it compatible with the Vanilla Balance Mod 1.1?

No, you don't need BI.

I am pretty sure it is incompatible with other mods such as Vanilla Balance. As I say, it changes virtually everything, particularly the balance between units and between factions.

There are lots of sub-mods for RTRPE though. I particularly like Marcus Camillus's 4TPY which adds some nice Roman leadership traits; the Metro-Naval mod which gets rid of walls from many settlements and makes the settlements much more differentiated (Carthage and Rome etc will always be more important than most settlements whose population is more capped); and there's also SnakeIVs sub-mod which brings back the 3 Roman family factions (Rome is unified in RTR).

[Ciaran]

I want a mod that changes the map, the units and other stuff like that.

I´m afraid that´s not very precise, because, as a baseline, that is what all mods do.

Are you looking for a total conversion, a balancing mod, or a bigger strategy map? What changes precisely are you looking for? New skins and models or new gameplay?

[caravel]

I think I'll be going for RTR once I get RTW (hopefully it'll arrive before saturday). It sounds all good from what I've read/seen so far.

[Mr Durian]

No, you don't need BI.

I am pretty sure it is incompatible with other mods such as Vanilla Balance. As I say, it changes virtually everything, particularly the balance between units and between factions.

There are lots of sub-mods for RTRPE though. I particularly like Marcus Camillus's 4TPY which adds some nice Roman leadership traits; the Metro-Naval mod which gets rid of walls from many settlements and makes the settlements much more differentiated (Carthage and Rome etc will always be more important than most settlements whose population is more capped); and there's also SnakeIVs sub-mod which brings back the 3 Roman family factions (Rome is unified in RTR).

Does the RTR Platinum work with Barbarian Invasion v1.6? Has it fixed certain issues such as the Britons rampaging through Germania and the Egyptians rampaging through the Seleucids?
Also is the campaign more dynamic/fun if you play Rome united? Do you get Senate missions still?

I checked their homepage and it looks like they changed absolutely everything. Have they even replaced the music or just added new ones? How is the game balance? Does the AI get more smarter?

[LestaT]

Does the RTR Platinum work with Barbarian Invasion v1.6? Has it fixed certain issues such as the Britons rampaging through Germania and the Egyptians rampaging through the Seleucids?
Also is the campaign more dynamic/fun if you play Rome united? Do you get Senate missions still?

I checked their homepage and it looks like they changed absolutely everything. Have they even replaced the music or just added new ones? How is the game balance? Does the AI get more smarter?

1. RTR Platinum do work with BI and some of it's mini-mods for RTR Platinum actually needs BI to run.

2. Britons wont be rampaging through Germania as there's no British factions in RTR. The British isles are only inhabited by rebels and not a single united faction as in vanilla RTW.

3. Between Ptolemaic (Egyptian) & Seleucids, I have to say it's pretty balance. Some campaigns have the Seleucids taking the upper hands while on some campaigns it's the Ptolemaic turns. In RTRPE there's a land-block between Ptolemaic and Carthage so Carthage will take more interest in the north (Italy & Iberian peninsular) than the usual Carthage vs Egypt as in vanilla RTW.

4. There;s no Senate mission as there's no longer a Senate faction.

[econ21]

There is a nice mod by SnakeIV for RTRPE which puts back in the Senate missions. I confess the Julii campaign in that is proving to be one of the hardest TW games I've played. Money is SO tight. It's quite a shock after the original vanilla Julii campaign, which is a romp through barbarian lands!

[Barbarossa82]

Do you need Barbarian Invasion to install the Rome Total Realism mod? And is it compatible with the Vanilla Balance Mod 1.1?

RTR is a total conversion mod which completely replaces the Imperial Campaign in RTW; cities, units, factions, everything. Vanilla Balance Mod is a limited, rebalancing mini-mod for the 1.5 vanilla game, and as such is totally incompatible with RTR. However you can have multiple installs of Rome Total War, so it's quite possible to have one version running vanilla with Vanilla Balance Mod installed, and a second version converted to RTR.

[Mr Durian]

RTR is a total conversion mod which completely replaces the Imperial Campaign in RTW; cities, units, factions, everything. Vanilla Balance Mod is a limited, rebalancing mini-mod for the 1.5 vanilla game, and as such is totally incompatible with RTR. However you can have multiple installs of Rome Total War, so it's quite possible to have one version running vanilla with Vanilla Balance Mod installed, and a second version converted to RTR.

How do I have multiple instals of RTR?

[caravel]

There is a nice mod by SnakeIV for RTRPE which puts back in the Senate missions. I confess the Julii campaign in that is proving to be one of the hardest TW games I've played. Money is SO tight. It's quite a shock after the original vanilla Julii campaign, which is a romp through barbarian lands!

It's good to no that RTR removes the senate missions if that's what you're saying. The first time I fired up RTW and was confronted with this, and the unlockable factions I found it to be very offputting.

[econ21]

It's good to no that RTR removes the senate missions if that's what you're saying.

Yes, in RTR there is only one Roman faction and it has very little land (3 provinces, IIRC). It still has a lot of potential though, of course. If you want to see how a Roman RTR campaign can play out, you could look at the PBM we are running in the Throne Room.

Skim the First Consul reports here:

https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=64989

and the battle reports here:

https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=65721

(edit: oops, I've posted this link already in this thread - apologises for the spam advertising! )

Indeed, if you are interested, you could always join in!

[Braden]

Mr Durain,

You can have multiple installs of any game provided you copy the original folders and place them somewhere else on your hard drive.

The Rome mods all use a shortcut (just exit out of your autorun screen after you've put your Rome or BI disc in your drive) and its the "Target" where the shortcut is looking that is the key.

The exact method is long winded to put here though, but I'm sure there are several tutorials in these forums and the main .org site.

Caravel,

I trust you have read the main Beginners Guide to Rome on these forums. The unlocking of factions etc is very easy to get around if its off putting.

...the PBM campaign that Econ21 has linked is a very good advert for RTR:PE, and a stunning campaign, hard to believe we're only at 255BC!

[caravel]

I now have my RTW Gold Edition and will be firing her up for the first time tonight! I have read through the initial parts of Frogbeastegg's guide, regarding unlocking factions and removing the other annoying bits, and will do so later and also in a continuous fashion. I'm going to first give RTW itself another chance and not plunge into BI or any mods just yet. I need to get the feel of the game again first.

[Epistolary Richard]

One day, all mods may use the -mod: command line switch... oh happy day...

[Ciaran]

It would be if all mods made use of this functionality.

[caravel]

The mod would only need to place it's media files in another folder. Many of the core files would be common so this would eliminate any wasteful duplication. The executable would then know where to look. Example, if a hypothetical mod called "A New Mod" existed the user would only need to install from the modders installation program. This would place the shortcut on their desktop. The shortcut would be something like:

"C:\Total War\Medieval II - Total War\Medieval2TW.exe" -mod anewmod

The mod would simply be a collection of the necessary files located in e.g:

C:\Total War\Medieval II - Total War\Mods\anewmod\

So with a collection of shortcuts and folders for each mod in the mod folder, the player could load any number of mods (individually not combined) and still have the vanilla game unaltered on their machine. Really it makes sense, it works, it's not an original idea as it's been done eons before by developers such as Valve and others.

As to applying small mods, such as various tweaking and fixing mods, this is not as impossible as it seems, but it's not very viable either as it relies on many different modders code to co-exist happily.

[Quillan]

There is also the option of something like the JoneSoft mod enabler. With that one, you create a folder named MODS, with subfolders under it for each mod. Within each subfolder, you have the mod files in subfolders that duplicate the directory structure of the game. When you use the enabler, it copies the basic files to a backup folder, then copies the files from the mod you're activating into the main game files. If you disable the mod later, it replaces the mod files with the original files from the backup directory.