What mods are worth a download?

**Monarch** · 09-05-2006, 18:10

Originally Posted by Bombasticus Maximus

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

Pfft, give it a chance dude :P

**econ21** · 09-05-2006, 18:24

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** · 09-05-2006, 18:29

Originally Posted by 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

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

**econ21** · 09-05-2006, 18:36

Originally Posted by Mr Durian

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).

**Mr Durian** · 09-07-2006, 14:45

Originally Posted by econ21

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** · 09-07-2006, 16:36

Originally Posted by Mr Durian

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** · 09-07-2006, 16:59

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** · 09-07-2006, 18:31

Originally Posted by Mr Durian

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** · 09-08-2006, 16:18

Originally Posted by Barbarossa82

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?