EB start problem

[theboyne]

NOTE - I said problem, not bug.

I've installed it and it starts ok - up to a point.

I get to the "single player, multi-player, etc screen and all I get is an option for the prologue scenario at the beginning of RTW.

I click on it expecting to have to play it but then I get a popup telling me to click on an option.

Any ideas?

[MarcusAureliusAntoninus]

There is no prologue in EB.
Are you saying that the prologue is the only option? There is no campaign, historic battles, custom battles, etc selections?

[bovi]

Are you sure you're using the EB shortcut that was created on the desktop?

[theboyne]

What Icon?

It tooks what felt like hours to load this time, while taking literally seconds previously.

After either occurence it said installation complete.

No icons, some different graphics in the pre-game screen, an inability to start a game.

All in all, confusing.

I've uninstalled and reinstalled RTW and EB half a dozen times and I'm losing patience.

I'm going to give up soon even though I love RTW and most of the mods.

[bovi]

I can't remember what the shortcut is called, if that's what you mean by "which icon". I think there's a Play shortcut and a FAQ shortcut, You want the Play one. It's NOT placed in your RTW directory but on your desktop.

Increased loading time in EB is normal, especially if you have little memory.

Are you sure you've installed over a clean 1.5 RTW installation? And that you are not running BI?

[theboyne]

I think I may have spotted the problem.

As far as I know, my copy of RTW is 1.0 (I bought it when it was very new).

Do I have to update to 1.2 then 1.3 then 1.5

OR

can I update to 1.3 then 1.5 missing out 1.2 completely

My reason for asking is that 1.3 won't update properly if 1.2 is installed thus 1.5 won't update properly.

I suspect I may just give up and play solitaire.

[d'Arthez]

Patch RTW to 1.3
Then to 1.5
And then install EB.

That should take care of the issue.

[bovi]

When you DO have a 1.5 vanilla installation, make sure to make a backup copy of the whole of it so you have it in case something goes awry, or you want to try another mod etc. I always keep a clean vanilla 1.2, 1.5 and BI 1.6 on my disk.

[Tellos Athenaios]

Some shameless selfpromoting here: you could use the installation Guide. (Click the link in my signature.)

[theboyne]

Some shameless selfpromoting here: you could use the installation Guide. (Click the link in my signature.)

Made sure to THOROUGHLY uninstall RTW.

Installed as per your guide.

IT GOES.

Chose the celts

Got hammered in 20 turns.

Why do I bother.

[Tellos Athenaios]

Okay, but you had a 20 turn experience, right?

Well, you've probably made the already classic mistake in EB economics: more war doesn't automatically equal more settlements and more cash - since most structures take considerable money and time to build. In other words: disbanding armies, and expanding with just one would probably work out better.

[theboyne]

Okay, but you had a 20 turn experience, right?

Well, you've probably made the already classic mistake in EB economics: more war doesn't automatically equal more settlements and more cash - since most structures take considerable money and time to build. In other words: disbanding armies, and expanding with just one would probably work out better.

I only had one army.

I put both family members in it and every merc I could afford after 20 turns.

I sent it north to take the city there by siege not assault.

WHERE THE HELL DID A REBEL CITY GET TWO MEDIUM SIZED REIFORCING ARMIES FROM!!!

The overall size of all three enemies armies was at least three times the size of my army (it felt like it anyway).

I couldn't run since they surrounded me so I started a battle so as to work a useful bug I've noticed in most Total War games. If you commit a tactical withdrawal you tend to end up in a less dangerous position than you were prior to the battle.

I failed to notice that one of the armies was behind me.

My army died bravely as did both my family members.

At the time my city was doing fine and I could easily afforded a decent second army (my strategy is very economic in most games).

All of which leads me to ask - WHERE THE HELL DID A REBEL CITY GET TWO MEDIUM SIZED REIFORCING ARMIES FROM!!!

[bovi]

Free armies are wandering the land from the beginning, and some more pop up occasionally. If you send spies in advance of your army you will have a greater chance of spotting them so you can deal with them before laying siege.

But why on earth would you put every family member in one stack ? Eggs, basket, etc. You need to try a few times to get accustomed to how EB works... You probably rushed to the settlement too, tiring out your family members so they're no good in combat and get depressed?

[theboyne]

Free armies are wandering the land from the beginning, and some more pop up occasionally. If you send spies in advance of your army you will have a greater chance of spotting them so you can deal with them before laying siege.

I did. After 20 turns of running around, my spy had spied on every conceivable bit of the UK (except Ireland). He ended up in the city I wanted to take. Why do you think it took 20 turns

I had single unit cavalry scouts on either flank who rejoined the army at the end.

I had been engaged in the siege for 2 moves before they turned up. Either they came from some distance or they were newly recruited

But why on earth would you put every family member in one stack ? Eggs, basket, etc. You need to try a few times to get accustomed to how EB works... You probably rushed to the settlement too, tiring out your family members so they're no good in combat and get depressed?

Its not an unusual occurrence for me to put most if not all of my family members in one army especially if I'm short of cavalry which I was. My most common battlefield tactics don't involved using the cavalry to attack ANYTHING from the front since I prefer missile cavalry over melee cavalry. I also use cavalry en-masse (I send ALL my cavalry to attack a unit). Don't forget I was intending on a siege which is very infantry intensive. It's very rare for me to lose a family member with the tactics I prefer and then normally to artillery.

I didn't rush to the city either - were do you think all the mercenaries came from. It took 6 or 7 turns to get there hiring all the way. It would have cost a lot less in merc upkeep if I'd moved faster since I use mercs as assault troops and they cost less when they're dead.

The rebels appear to be WAY more organised than in RTW.

A question has just popped into the vacancy that is my mind - do rebels have the same economics as the other factions since there should be no feasible way for them to have such large armies with neither time nor infrastructure to support them (that's one thing about the old rebels who had lots of peasants - they were economically viable if utterly useless troops)

[bovi]

Ah, you're playing as the Casse. There are two free armies there, both mean trouble but one of them is really powerful for a starting Casse. It's better to take the southern part first, then march north to fight these armies before laying siege. They'll come to chase you away if you stay in free territory up north. There's no shame in retreat if you make enough casualties to be able to take it the next time around.

Edit: Eleutheroi have their own economy to be able to do anything even with all the roaming stacks.

Edit2: You might want to find an AAR or guide to the Casse in that subforum.