Rome Total War Descr_strat Original File

Free euromonitor reports. Jun 23, 2005 Neoseeker Forums » PC Games » Strategy » Rome: Total War » descr_strat original. Mail me an original copy of the descr_strat file? Jul 28, 2009 For Rome: Total War on the PC, a GameFAQs message board topic titled 'descr strat files.'

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Title: The Basics of descr_strat.txt Posted by: Caius
Modding area: Campaign Map
Required programmes: Notepad (or other text editor)
Summary: In-depth explanation of descr_strat.txt for starters.
Introduction:
We, at some point of our modding projects, can handle a lot of files without checking the Scriptorium. But, we were newbies when we started..
There are a lot of people who want to unlock all the factions. That's a classic question in the Rome Colliseum. But I will go further, and I will explain more things than how to unlock all the factions. Here, you can find information that won't be found in other places. Now, if you still are reading, we will start!
We are starting, now what do we need?
We need 4 things:
descr_strat.txt (the file in question)
A copy of descr_strat.txt (the file)
Notepad (or text editor you use)
Patience (always welcome)
I want to unlock all factions, what do I have to change?
1. Open the file descr_strat.txt, which can be found in data/world/maps/campaign/imperial_campaign.
2. Once opened, we can see the following text included in code tags:
Some cutting and pasting is need to change that to this:
Note: Please note that the Senate and the Slave factions CAN'T be played. High changes are need to make them playable, and maybe those changes won't work. We'll never know.
Changing the starting and ending age:
We can change our starting and ending age in case we starting to mod a campaign with other timeframe.
Just change the number to the year we want. You can use - (minus) to indicate that year is Before Christ.
It can start (or finish) in winter, just changing summer to winter.

Rome Total War Descr_strat File

There is one limit to the age, the end date cant be sooner than the start date, this will give you a CTD, which means Crash To Desktop. Like in this example, which has been created to show you a uncommon error that can make your game not start.
Pirates and Brigantes:
Annoying rebels.. They are popping out from the nothing to annoy me! Well, that can be changed. There are two lines who make this change:
Since I have a moddified descr_strat.txt for my campaigns, this value should be much less than those.
How does it work?
Its like a rule: the lesser the number, the higher they will spawn. 0 (zero) is the lesser number for both spawn values, 1000 (one thousand) is the maximum number for both spawn values.
Now, we are approaching the factions section (Yes, we ommited the resources, that's advanced modding, as if you add a resource where you cant, you will have more than a headache.)
Let's start with a faction:
There are a lot of things here, so lets start with:
This indicates to Rome which faction are we talking about.
No, they aren't comfortable. This 2 words indicates how the IA will play as this faction. therother posted this list, its the research of IA and personalities:

Originally Posted by therother

These control a set of AI production personalities, which contribute a bias towards building and training (but not retraining or repairing). This bias is fairly small compared to game-generated factors such as 'the enemy is attacking me with lots of cavalry, build me some spearmen'. Explaining the weighting system which drives the production AI in full is beyond the scope of this document as it would take several days to write.
So in short, the building construction personalities are these: (ranked highest to lowest - therother)
balanced - biases towards growth, taxable income, trade level bonuses (roads), walls and xp bonus buildings
religious - biases towards growth, loyalty, taxable income, farming, walls and law
trader - biases towards growth, trade level, trade base, weapon upgrades, games, races and xp bonus buildings
comfort - biases towards growth, farming, games, races, xp bonus and happiness
bureaucrat - biases towards taxable income, growth, pop health, trade, walls, improved bodyguards and law
craftsman - biases towards walls, races, taxable income, weapon upgrades, xp bonuses, mines, health and growth
sailor - biases towards sea trade, taxable income, walls, growth, trade
fortified - biases towards walls, taxable income, growth, loyalty, defenses, bodyguards and law
These biases are towards building properties, rather than buildings themselves. The game does not know what a 'Blacksmith' is, for example, it only knows that it is a building which provides a weapon upgrade, and hence a Craftsman AI would be more likely to build it than another AI personality type.
These are then combined with a troop production personality, as follows:
smith - exactly level
mao - biased towards mass troops, light infantry
genghis - biased towards missile cavalry and light cavalry
stalin - biased towards heavy infantry, mass troops and artillery
napoleon - biased towards a mix of light and heavy infantry, light cavalry
henry - biased towards heavy and light cavalry, missile infantry
Caesar - biased towards heavy infantry, light cavalry, siege artillery
The same system as for the buildings applies. Troop category and class are combined at the time the unit database is loaded to give a unit production type, and the likelihood of the AI choosing to produce a given unit type which can be produced is then modified by the unit type weighting. There is also a random element in the choosing of which building or troop type to produce next, so the effect of the bias is a statistical thing. Another factor that is applied over the top which may obscure the bias is a tendency towards producing troop mixtures (according to what is already in the garrison) and a weighting according to unit strength.
The two sets of types can be freely combined; for example, although Fortified Caesar does not appear in the list of options currently used by the vanilla RTW game, it is a valid combination.

This allows the Senate to give you missions. Delete this line entirely if you want to not to receive more missions as playing as the Julii (if you delete it in the Julii part). Remember that this action can give you problems if some changes aren't being done.
Starting denarii amount for each faction.

settlement
{
level large_town
region Campania
year_founded 0
population 7000
settlement_tax 51
plan_set default_set
faction_creator romans_julii
building
{
type barracks militia_barracks
}
building
{
type core_building governors_villa
}
}
settlement
{
level large_town
region Etruria
year_founded 0
population 5000
settlement_tax 51
plan_set default_set
faction_creator romans_julii
building
{
type barracks militia_barracks
}
building
{
type core_building governors_villa
}
}

This is the part of the cities/towns/villages. I won't enter in much details, but according to me, the first location indicated is automatically the capital of a faction.
Lets modify a family member:
We can do a lot of things. Lets change something about a troop:
This unit is a Roman Archer. If we delete this line from descr_strat.txt, there won't be a roman archer unit with Flavius Julius.
But, we can change three things there:
Experience
Armour
Attack.
Actual experience is level 1, values can go from 0 to 9
Actual Armour is level 0, values can go from 0 to 3

Actual Attack is level 0, values can go from 0 to 3
We can add troops to them, in this case, I will teach how to add a mercenary unit in Flavius Julius army.
This is the syntaxis for a cretan archer unit with two chevrons of experience. Add it in the last line of Flavius Julius army. It should look like this:

Rome Total War Mods

Note: Please notice that RTW is limited to 20 cards or units. Failure to reach the number won't give you a problem, but if you put more units you are in serious problems. The game won't start.

I will complete it soon. And yes, its not complete yet.

Comments

edited June 2010
Table of Contents
1. Missing Academy Bonus in v1.5?
2. Temple of the Horse
3. Making all factions playable in RTW
4. Are old saved games compatible with v1.5?
5. Mandatory update for online play?
6. Which version of the patch do I need?
7. My game is messed up! Where do I go for help?
8. How do I enable huge unit sizes?
9. Multiplayer problems - 'No response from Host,' etc.
10. What are RTR, SPQR, etc?
11. What is the bugfixer and where can I find it?
12. How do I use some of the cheat codes?
13. Why are my biggest cities always losing money?
14. How can I get rid of squalor?
15. Can I make the Marius Reforms occur later?
16. Unit Shaders - On or Off?
17. Unit Movement on the battlefield
18. How do you take screenshots?
19. How do I start the civil war?
20. How do I make better leaders?
21. How can I use the battlefield group AI to help me the most and why use it at all?
22. Will there be any more patches for RTW/BI?
23. Is it possible to prevent the general to be the first in a charge when I need his unit to get involved?
24. Oliphaunts appearing in rebel cities?
25. Why can't I control my reinforcements in RTW/BI? Is there a way I can fix this?
26. Can I play/test the rebel/slave/merc units in custom battle?
27. Why are my screenshots black? How can I make usable screenshots?
28. There is no 'grassy flatland' map for custom battle testing in BI, how do I get a grassy flatland map?
29. What are 'shadow factions' as mentoned in the 1.6 patch for Barbarian Invasions?
30. I hate rebels! Can I mod them away?
31. How do I get 1st cohorts?
32. How do the Ostrogoths emerge in Barbarian Invasion?
33. When Do the Marian Reforms Occur?
34. How do I remove the green arrows?
35. I just bought the gold edition and I'd like to know if and what patch I should install.
36. How do I stop the cutscenes to the general's death, gate being broken down, etc? These changes of position and zooms are preventing me from issuing orders.
37. My soldiers get stuck in siege tower entrances when battling on large stone walls. What do I do?
38. Where can I find a map of the RTW world?
39. How can I defeat Chariots in the RTW Imperial Campaign?
40. How do I defeat phalanxes?
41. How do I see if I have made a modding mistake?
42. Where is the best place for my capital?
43. Where can I find a list of traits/retinue for my generals, and their effects?
44. Can I attack enemy ships in a port?
45. What exactly determines how many bodyguards my generals have?
46. I am having trouble winning battles. What are some basic tactics and formations I can use to win?
47. I can't seem to be able to open the game console. How do I enable it?
48. Why must I built a road in Agusta Vindelicorum, when there is already a road in the Raetia region on the campaign map and how do I fix it?

Corrected action is the most sincere form of apology.
edited June 2010
Question #1:
In the readme of the 1.5 patch for RTW it says that academies now also have a use even if there is no family member in the city. Does anybody know what effect they have? And how big it is for academy, scriptorium, ludus magna?
Answer # 1:
The readme file is wrong. It says that the bonus was applied to the academy line of buildings, but this did not happen.
Here is how to apply this fix yourself:
1. Find your Rome Total War/data/export_descr_buildings.txt. Make a backup copy of it in a safe place.
2. Find the following section:
building academic
{
levels academy scriptorium ludus_magnus
{
academy requires factions { carthaginian, eastern, parthia, egyptian, greek, roman, } and building_present_min_level market market
{
capability
{
}
construction 3
cost 1600
settlement_min city
upgrades
{
scriptorium
}
}
scriptorium requires factions { carthaginian, eastern, parthia, egyptian, greek, roman, } and building_present_min_level market forum
{
capability
{
}
construction 5
cost 3200
settlement_min large_city
upgrades
{
ludus_magnus
}
}
ludus_magnus requires factions { carthaginian, eastern, parthia, egyptian, greek, roman, } and building_present_min_level market great_forum
{
capability
{
}
construction 6
cost 6400
settlement_min huge_city
upgrades
{
}
}
}
plugins
{
}
}
3. Change that section to look like this:
building academic
{
levels academy scriptorium ludus_magnus
{
academy requires factions { carthaginian, eastern, parthia, egyptian, greek, roman, } and building_present_min_level market market
{
capability
{
law_bonus bonus 1
}
construction 3
cost 1600
settlement_min city
upgrades
{
scriptorium
}
}
scriptorium requires factions { carthaginian, eastern, parthia, egyptian, greek, roman, } and building_present_min_level market forum
{
capability
{
law_bonus bonus 2
}
construction 5
cost 3200
settlement_min large_city
upgrades
{
ludus_magnus
}
}
ludus_magnus requires factions { carthaginian, eastern, parthia, egyptian, greek, roman, } and building_present_min_level market great_forum
{
capability
{
law_bonus bonus 3
}
construction 6
cost 6400
settlement_min huge_city
upgrades
{
}
}
}
plugins
{
}
}

Thank you to: Mindblank, the Stig, Sirius 21 and theplayer1.
Edit - Due to a question from Entwood, I have to add a disclaimer. This is NOT an official fix. CA has NOT endorsed this modification or this FAQ thread. This is a community discovered fix. Implementing it means that you are modifying your game. It will no longer be 'vanilla.' If you attempt this [simple] modification and mess up, it will be your fault, NOT CA's. With that said, it is a simple fix to make, and you can easily get a new copy of the export_descr_strat.txt from the downloads page here. You can also reapply the backup copy that every sensible person makes before modifying anything.
Edit No. 2 - theplayer1's unofficial bugfixer also takes care of this problem. There is a link in this thread to the bugfixer. It solves this and a whole host of other bugs and glitches in RTW & BI.

Corrected action is the most sincere form of apology.
edited June 2010
Question #2: As the Gauls i have the option to build two extra temples of epona that appear to look like Roman barracks, is this normal?
Answer #2: There is a small fix for this published by CA:
'ADDITIONAL ROME CAMPAIGN FIX FOR PATCHES 1.5/1.6
Only Romans are now able to build an Awesome Temple or a Pantheon of Epona.
export_descr_buildings.txt - this file must be placed in the Rome data directory. Example path: c: Program FilesRome - Total Wardata.'Thanks to the Stig - an alternate way:
This is what they say it should be changed to and this is wrong. You see that the awesome temple and pantheon can be build by romans, you can do two things. Take the awesome temple and pantheon completely out or add romans to the other two. This is how you take them out.
Go to the input of temple_of_horse in the export_descr_buildings.txt file.
change it to say this.
building temple_of_horse
{
levels temple_of_horse_shrine temple_of_horse_temple temple_of_horse_large_temple temple_of_horse_awesome_temple temple_of_horse_pantheon
{
temple_of_horse_shrine requires factions { spain, gauls, }
{
capability
{
happiness_bonus bonus 1
recruits_exp_bonus bonus 1
}
construction 1
cost 400
settlement_min town
upgrades
{
temple_of_horse_temple
}
}
temple_of_horse_temple requires factions { spain, gauls, }
{
capability
{
happiness_bonus bonus 2
recruits_exp_bonus bonus 2
}
construction 2
cost 800
settlement_min large_town
upgrades
{
temple_of_horse_large_temple
}
}
temple_of_horse_large_temple requires factions { spain, gauls, }
{
capability
{
happiness_bonus bonus 3
recruits_exp_bonus bonus 3
}
construction 3
cost 1600
settlement_min city
upgrades
{
}
}
}
plugins
{
}
}

Make sure you copy this in at exactly the correct place underneed the last }, it should say 'building temple_of_hunting' if it doesn't say that, you've done it wrong.
Don't forget to back-up your export_descr_building.txt file, always do that.

Corrected action is the most sincere form of apology.
edited June 2010
Question #3 : I see people on the forum talking about playing with factions like Macedon, how do you do this? They aren't unlockable in mine!
Answer #3 : Try this download:
www.twcenter.net/downloads/db/?mod=672
This should make all factions in the game playable! This mod is for v1.3/v1.4.
Disclaimer: Remember you should back up any game files this mod alters most noticably : descr_strat.txt and campaign_descriptions.txt.

If you are having problems do not post them here, post them in the RTW-Mods forum.
Here are the downloads for German and Italian versions of RTW:
German:
www.twcenter.net/downloads/db/?mod=719
Italian:
www.twcenter.net/downloads/db/?mod=685
Edit - Sirius21 says: I updated my Italian all factions mod for localized RTW 1.5, BI 1.6 and Alexander 1.9! It can be found at www.rtwitalia.com (italian RTW fan community website). Here is the straight link:
rtwitalia.interfree.it/do..ns_1.0.zip
Edit - Based on the fact that people are still have trouble with this, I am including this advanced method here as well:
As far as I can tell, there is not currently an English RTW v1.5 mod that allows all factions playable. This does not mean it is impossible. It is quite easy in fact. What I would do is download this mod:
www.twcenter.net/download..php?mod=74
This mod is NOT for v1.5/v1.6. But we can work around that because this mod has the advantage of NOT having an installer. This allows you to pick and choose what files to overwrite. Inside the .zip file you downloaded, you will see a file called readme.txt. Read that file. Understand them? Good. Now pretty much ignore it. But, it was important to read it first so you know what you are doing to your game.
Now make a backup copy of your entire Rome - Total War/data folder. It takes a while, but it is worth it in the long run.
Now, look in the .zip file. Find the file called 'campaign_descriptions.txt'. Now open your Rome - Total War/data/text folder. Copy and paste the new 'campaign_descriptions.txt' file into that folder. It will overwrite the old one.
Now, open up your Rome - Total War/data/world/campaigns/imperial_campaign folder. Now copy every file in the .zip file - EXCEPT for the readme.txt, the campaign_descriptions.txt and the descr_strat.txt. Another way of saying this is to say, copy all the files that begin with map_ or leader_ . Paste all those files into your imperial_campaign folder. This will overwrite all those files and add some new ones.
Almost done. Now, open your descr_strat.txt.
Make the top part of it look like this:
; Custom campaign script generated by Romans Campaign Map Editor
campaign imperial_campaign
playable
romans_julii
romans_brutii
romans_scipii
egypt
seleucid
carthage
parthia
gauls
germans
greek_cities
macedon
pontus
armenia
dacia
scythia
spain
thrace
numidia
britons
end
unlockable
romans_senate
end
nonplayable
slave
end
This is the exact method I used to make all factions playable in RTW v1.5. I know for a fact that it works. If you think it is too complicated for you, then don't attempt it.
Another edit - here is another link an all factions mod for v1.5. I haven't tested it, but it seems like it should work:
http://rtw.heavengames.com/downloads/showfile.php?fileid=3998
Another edit - according to various forum members, this link at heavengames works like a charm and is very easy to use.

Corrected action is the most sincere form of apology.
edited June 2010
Question # 4:
I bought RTW and played it for a long time. Now I see that a new patch has come out. Will my old saved games work if I upgrade to v1.5?
Answer # 4:
Yes, your old saved games should work when you upgrade to v1.5. This was not true for all previous patches, but they should work with this one.

Corrected action is the most sincere form of apology.
edited June 2010
Question #5: How do you get online battles with this game and what the heck is the mandatory update required for it??
Answer #5 : Online play must be done through Gamespy , the mandatory update is, at time of writing this, the 1.5 patch for Rome TW and the 1.6 patch for Barbarian Invasion.

Corrected action is the most sincere form of apology.
edited June 2010
Question #6(a):
I have RTW installed on my computer. Which version of the patch do I need to download and install?
Answer # 6(a):
If you have just RTW installed on your computer, then you need to install v1.3 and then install v1.5. In my experience you need to uninstall RTW and then reinstall it before installing v1.3. Maybe not everyone has to do this, but if you have a problem playing the game after installing v1.3, then uninstall RTW, then reinstall it, then install v1.3.
Question #6(b):
I have RTW and BI installed on my computer. Which version of the patch do I need to download and install?
Answer # 6(b):
If you have RTW and BI installed on your computer, then you need to download and install patch v1.6. If you just have RTW installed, then you need to install patch v1.3, then install patch v1.5. It is extremely helpful if you uninstall RTW and reinstall it before installing either BI or the v1.3 patch.
You can also install the new export_descr_buildings.txt that was provided by CA to fix the temple of Epona problems. See FAQ # 2. This will make your game as up-do-date as CA currently wants it to be (as of December 30, 2005).
1.3 includes all previous fixes found in 1.1 & 1.2, there are no prerequisites for the installation of 1.3.
1.5 requires that 1.3 is installed.
1.6 should be installed in place of 1.5 for Barbarian Invasion. Do not attempt to install any patch other than 1.6 over Barbarian Invasion.
As a side note, all saved games should be compatible with the latest patch, however, some users have not reported success with all their saved games.

Corrected action is the most sincere form of apology.
edited June 2010
Question #7: There is something wrong with my graphics, speed, CTD, or similiar.
Answer #7:
1. You are in the wrong forum, go to the support forum. Here is a link to the support forum
2. Ask your question nicely and politely. Be patient, someone will answer your question, but these people are all volunteers and have real lives.
3. When you ask your question, also post your dx-diag. How to do that you can find in here
Edit - Just added a couple of things - Olmsted

Corrected action is the most sincere form of apology.
edited June 2010
Question #8: How do you make units so big!? Theres over 100 men in every unit!
Answer #8: Open RTW and go to options then Video options. Click the box called 'Advanced options' and you'll see a drop down box called 'Unit Scale', select Huge for the biggest sized units. Beware however you will need a good PC to be able to support this. Alternatively if you find you have bad performance on RTW you can reduce the unit sizes to gain better performance.

Corrected action is the most sincere form of apology.
edited June 2010
Question #9:
When playing MP I keep having messages like, 'No Response From Host' and 'Failed To Join Game (GS)'. What can I do about it?
Answer #9:
-No Response From Host: This is not your problem, sometimes the host quits the game himself because he's fed up with waiting or has to go somewhere else, or whatever.
-Failed To Join Game (GS): This sometimes occures, just join another game or if you want that one, because a friend is waiting or something, logout and login again.

Corrected action is the most sincere form of apology.
edited June 2010
Question #10: I hear people talking about SPQR, RTR and EB, what do these mean?
Answer #10 : These are popular mod's for R-TW (Rome Total Realism = RTR and Europa Barbarorum = EB)
For a list of most RTW mods in development look here

Corrected action is the most sincere form of apology.
edited June 2010
Question # 11:
What is the Bugfixer and where can I find it?
Answer # 11:
BUG-FIXER, an unofficial patch for both Rome: Total War and its expansion pack
Compiled by player1
Requires:
v1.5 patch for Rome: Total War,
or v1.6 patch for Barbarian Invasion expansion pack
Here's a link to the totalwar.org thread
Introduction:
This is compilation of fixes to various bugs that can be found in Rome: Total War and its expansion pack Barbarian Invasion. Many of the fixes were not originally my ideas, but ideas of other members from gaming community that I compiled in one unofficial patch. Since unofficial, it is in no way associated with Creative Assembly, Activision or SEGA.
Download link (2 parts):
www.totalwar.org/patrons/..6part1.zip
(440 KB, hosted by TotalWar.org)
www.totalwar.org/patrons/..6part2.zip
(1.9 MB, hosted by TotalWar.org)
BUG-FIXER, an unofficial patch for both Rome: Total War and its expansion pack
Version 3.36
Compiled by player1
Requires:
v1.5 patch for Rome: Total War,
or v1.6 patch for Barbarian Invasion expansion pack
Introduction:
This is compilation of fixes to various bugs that can be found in Rome: Total War and its expansion pack Barbarian Invasion. Many of the fixes were not originally my ideas, but ideas of other members from gaming community that I compiled in one unofficial patch. Since unofficial, it is in no way associated with Creative Assembly, Activision or SEGA.
Download link (2 parts):
www.totalwar.org/patrons/..6part1.zip
(440 KB, hosted by TotalWar.org)
www.totalwar.org/patrons/..6part2.zip
(1.9 MB, hosted by TotalWar.org)
Bonus downloads (work with all 3.x versions):
-German language files, made by FoDeL
www.totalwar.org/patrons/..German.zip
(300KB, hosted by TotalWar.org)
-Spanish language files, made by SeKhTeM
www.totalwar.org/patrons/.._v3.xx.zip
(300KB, hosted by TotalWar.org)
Install instructions:
Just run installers included in the archives. But don't forget to specify correct Rome - Total War folder.
Note that you need both parts if having Barbarian Invasion expansion. Othwerwise, only part1 is enough.
List of fixes for Barbarian Invasion Campaign
Changes in descr_model_battle.txt file only:
-Fixed Mercenary Bucellarii unit model, so it will fire crossbow properly
-Fixed animations for Steppe Nobles, Noble Warriors and Mounted Nobles, so they don't use swords as spears
-Swapped Alan and Sarmatian Noble Cavalry weapons so they would match their unit cards and attack animation
-Added a workaround for misplaced axes for some of the lower detail Chosen Axemen models
-Added a workaround for model corruption that Imperial German Bodyguards have when looked from distance (two big extensions from right arm)
-Added a workaround for model corruption that Sughdian Warriors (and its mercenary version) have at distance
-Added a workaround for an issue when shield appears on Sassanid Desert Archers at distance
-Added a workaround for model corruption that Catholic Priests have at distance (a hole in their body when looked from the rear)
-Added a workaround for an issue when Arian Priests and Arian Mounted Priests get their crosses extended at distance
-Fixed Orthodosx Priest oversized crosses
-Fixed Praeventores model, so it has no arms or anything else missing anymore
-Fixed shoulder armor of Roman Centurions, so it's visible on shoulder, not arms
-Multiple fixes to Chosen Warlord bodyguards model (corrupt right hand and 'invisibility' on medium distance)
-Fixed model corruption that Paladin and Paladin Bodyguard units have on their left side of the chest
-Fixed model corruption that Camel Raiders and Mercenary Camel Raiders have in lower detail model on their upper side of the chest
-Fixed model corruption that Steppe Swordsmen have near neck in one of the lower detail models
-Fixed a problem with Scholae Palatinae and Armored Camel Mercenary units when lower detail model would be used in place of higher level model
-Fixed color of Alemanni Chosen Axemen, so it matches colors of its unit card
-Fixed color of British Legionaries, to match other Romano British units
-Fixed color of Lombardi officers so they don't look like Vandals
-Fixed color of Rebel controlled Moorish Raiders and Equites Auxilia, so they are actually white, not green
-Fixed barding for mercenary horses to be green, not white
-Fixed barding for mercenary camels to match rider color
-Changed wrong textures on Chosen Archers, so they don't get garbled anymore
-Changed wrong model for barbarian female civilians, so that looking cities in battle view, for barbarian factions, would not show just male population
Changes in descr_model_battle.txt file, with fixed textures:
-Fixed a problem when first solider in the group would be missing transparency info for his textures (units affected: Hun General, WRE Imperial German Bodyguard, Pictish Crossbowmen, Chosen Archers)
-Several fixes for Imperial Bodyguard unit regarding its shield for WRE faction and weapons for WRE Rebels faction (but with use of some compromises)
-Mostly fixed textures on maces for Clibinarii Immortals
-Fixed faces of WRE Rebel Auxilia Palatina, so they won't be in constant shadow
-Fixed garbled model for Lombardi onager crew and wardog handlers
-Made Slavs use correct model for Steppe Swordsmen, not a Warlord one
-Fixed a bug when Slav Steppe Raiders had no proper textures on their swords
-Fixed a problem when Bosphoran Infantry would carry both spear and sword in its hand
-Removed shield form unit model of Sarmatian and Roxolani Alan Noble Cavalry, since unit stats show no shield available for this unit
-Removed the blackness that Burgundian Lancers had below waist on their armor for Alemanni faction
-Fixed the problem when Equites Catafractarii riders had part of their body, near the saddle, invisible
-Removed artifacts near shields for Burgundian Lancer, Scholae Palatinae, Hunnic Heavy Cavalry, Tribal Cavalry, Sword Heerbann, Chosen Swordsmen, Levy Spearmen, Spear Warband, Pictish Spearmen, Steppe Spearmen, Steppe Swordsmen and Saxon Keel units
-Removed artifacts near shields for barbarian generals and officers
-Removed black lines on faces of ERE Comitatensis (including First Cohorts)
-Fixed helmet corruption near the face of WRE Rebel and ERE Rebel Plumbatarii
-Fixed Sarmatian @#%$ Cavalry shields and helmets
-Fixed hollow spears for Goth Lancers, Steppe Lancers, Merc Vandal Lancers and Steppe Warriors
-Fixed hollow weapons for Eastern Peasants
-Fixed misplaced rear side of the Limitanei, Berber Lancer and Berber Camel Raider shields
-Fixed misplaced front side of Frank Levy Spearman, Francisca Heerbann, Slav Steppe Spearmen and Slav Steppe Lancer shields
-Fixed flag at the rear side of Scotti Chariots, so it's Celtic and not Briton
-Fixed color of Alemanni Chosen Archer, so it matches faction colors
-Fixed color of Pictish Spearmen, so it matches color of other Celtic units
-Fixed color of ERE Rebel standard bearers (was too blue)
-Fixed color of Burgundii, Roxolani and Rebel officers so they don't look like Vandals
Changes in both descr_model_strat.txt and descr_character.txt file:
-Made Burgundii use correct barbarian general model for their generals and captains (new textures added)
Changes in descr_model_strat.txt file:
-Fixed the bug when Berber generals used black sword on strategic map (fixed textures added)
-Changed wrong textures that Burgundii and Lombadri generals used on strategic map (fixed textures added)
Changes in descr_sounds_units_fire.txt
and descr_sounds_weapons.txt file:
-Fixed missile attack sounds for Celtic and Sassanid slingers, so it doesn't sound like bow fire
-Fixed the bug which made projectiles of various siege equipment have no sound (units affected: Onager, Heavy Onager, Ballistas, Repeating Ballistas, Carriage Ballistas)
Changes in export_descr_sounds_stratmap_voice.txt
and export_descr_sounds_units_battle_events.txt files:
-Fixed voices for campaign map and battle events for Hun faction, so they'll be barbaric like all other voices they use (units in battle, general speech), and not Arabic
Changes in export_descr_sounds_units_voice.txt file:
-Added missing voices for Scorpion unit
-Removed 'Yes, Imperator!' confirmation from Catholic Priests and Mercenary Bucellarii, since these units can also be used by non-imperial factions
Changes in export_descr_unit.txt file:
-Added missing cantabrian circle ability for Mercenary Sarmatian Archers, since Sarmatian Armoured Archers, as well as all other horse archer units, already have it
-Added warcry ability that was missing from Hun Steppe Swordsmen, considering that they are identical to Vandal Steppe Swordsmen that also have warcry
Changes in export_descr_buildings.txt file:
-Added +1 experience bonus to Vandal Steppe Warriors trained in Royal Stables, since otherwise Royal Stables would have no benefit over Warlord's Stables
-Changed experience bonus British Legionaries gain in Urban Barracks from +1 to +2, since otherwise Urban Barracks would have no benefit over Army Barracks
-Made Bucellarii, Ballistae and Repeating Ballistae recruitable by Romano Britons in campaign, since they are already available for them in custom battles
-Removed law bonus from Mithras shrines, since otherwise Mithras temples have no real advantage over shrines (exempt pagan conversion bonus)
-Changed happiness bonus for Sacred Circles of Tyz and Morrigan from 10% to 15%, since these are only Sacred Circles that miss happiness advantage compared to Sacred Groves (making them underpowered)
-Fixed the bug when Hun, Nomad and Sassanid factions can't benefit from conquered higher level health buildings
Changes in export_descr_ancillaries.txt file:
-Fixed bonuses for Bodyguard, Charioteer and Elder Senator retinue members, so they'll actually give bonus/penalty to Influence and not only affect public order
-Fixed trigger for Drinking Companion retinue member, so it can be gained at both Tavern and Bardic Circle like all other drinking related ancillaries and not just in Tavern
-Fixed Sassanid Turncoat ancillary, so it actually gives command bonus against Sassanids
-Fixed the bug when same governor could have both Sol Invictus and Mithras Priest in his retinue, due to a typo in ancillary exclusion list
-Fixed triggers for Navigator and Pilot ancillaries, so they can be gained by admirals
-Fixed Son of Chinglu title, so it can be awarded to 3 generals as intended
Changes in export_descr_character_traits.txt file:
-Added anti-traits to some traits to prevent weird or impossible combinations
-Several anti-traits that worked in one direction fixed to work in both directions
-Added the workaround for a bug when gaining an anti-trait would reset trait value to 0 (instead of reducing it for value of anti-trait)
-Increased point awards in birth and adoption triggers for traits that need more then one point to get first level of the trait, so it's actually possible to gain those traits at character generation (expect more vices and virtues from new family members)
-Removed anti-traits for Intelligent line of traits, since characters shouldn't be able to lose intelligence over time
-Removed the trigger for gaining IndecisiveAttacker group of traits when ending turn in enemy zone of control, since trigger does not work as intended (it can fire even when you can't attack the enemy, or when you are besieging)
-Fixed a problem when IndecisiveAttacker traits could be gained if general withdraws when attacked by superior force (not indecisive, but smart)
-Added partial workaround for a problem when auto-calculated siege battles would never give siege related traits to generals (one of four triggers fixed)
-Fixed bonuses for Sobriety like of traits, so they'll actually give penalty to Influence as intended and not only affect public order
-Fixed trigger for Logistical skill, so it can be gained by generals that move a lot
-Fixed trigger for BadTaxman line of traits, so it won't be awarded in situations when tax policy is best as it could be
-Made impossible for Roman leaders to gain points in Disloyal line of traits, since they can't rebel anyway
-Removed Roman culture requirement from trigger for refusing bribes, so that non-Romans can benefit from resisting bribes (by gaining levels in Upright line of traits that increase bribe resistance)
-Introduced two new birth triggers to make it possible that Intelligent and Genius characters could be born
-Fixed Good/BadConspirator line of traits, so they can be gained by assassins
-Corrected sabotage triggers, so that they make more sense
-Fixed several agent creation triggers related to religious believes
Other:
-Added description for 3rd level barracks for Berber faction (export_buildings.txt)
-Changed Berber cultural designation from Carthaginian to Berber, so formerly Berber controlled cities won't report Carthaginian culture (expanded_bi.txt)
-Fixed battle advisor icon for Berber faction, so it has correct eastern advisor and not Roman one (added correctly named battlemap.tga)
-Fixed the bug when some soldiers would die when exiting medium siege towers (descr_engines.txt)
List of fixes for Imperial Campaign
Changes in descr_model_battle.txt file:
-Fixed shoulder armor for Legionary and Praetorian Cavalry (fixed models added)
-Fixed Velite Gladiator shoulder armor
-Fixed the wrong color of Spanish generals by giving them proper texture
Changes in export_descr_unit.txt file:
-Added warcry ability to Thracian Bastarnae, since Mercenary Bastarnae already have it
Changes in export_descr_buildings.txt file:
-Added +1 experience bonus to Greek Cavalry trained in Greek Elite Cavalry Stables, since it makes no sense to build Elite Cavalry Stables just to get Incendiary Pigs
-Made Slingers available from Practice Range in place of Archers for Numidian faction, since otherwise when you get Slingers at Archery Range they are already obsolete
-Made Onagers recruitable by Spaniards in campaign, since they are already available for them in custom battles
-Added law bonus to academy-type buildings like it's done in Barbarian Invasion expansion and was intended in 1.5 patch
-Fixed the bug when Awesome Temple of Epona and Pantheon would show up in building browser for Gauls and Spaniards
Changes in export_descr_ancillaries.txt file:
-Fixed the issue with Numidian and Spanish governors not gaining priests as their retinue members
-Fixed the bug when Judge retinue member could get doubled
-Fixed triggers for gaining Heroic Saviour and Shieldbearer retinue members
-Fixed Roman Turncoat ancillary, so it actually gives command bonus against Romans
-Fixed the trigger for Navigator ancillary, so it can be gained by admirals
-Fixed the trigger for Poisoner ancillary, so it can be gained by assassins
Changes in both export_descr_character_traits.txt and export_VnVs.txt files:
-Parts of Energetic line of traits tweaked, so they won't get worse at higher levels
-To prevent drop in morale bonus when becoming Legendary Hero, this trait gets its morale bonus increased from +2 to +4 (to same level as National Hero) and also gets a +1 bonus to Command when attacking (like same trait in Barbarian Invasion expansion)
Changes in export_descr_character_traits.txt file only:
-Added anti-traits to some traits to prevent weird or impossible combinations
-Several anti-traits that worked in one direction fixed to work in both directions
-Added the workaround for a bug when gaining an anti-trait would reset trait value to 0 (instead of reducing it for value of anti-trait)
-Increased point awards in birth and adoption triggers for traits that need more then one point to get first level of the trait, so it's actually possible to gain those traits at character generation (expect more vices and virtues from new family members)
-Changed crushing victory condition in triggers for GoodRiskyAttacker/Defender line of traits to clear or better, since winning difficult battles with just clear victory is great accomplishment on its own
-Removed the trigger for gaining IndecisiveAttacker group of traits when ending turn in enemy zone of control, since trigger does not work as intended (it can fire even when you can't attack the enemy, or when you are besieging)
-Fixed trigger for Logistical skill, so it can be gained by generals that move a lot
-Smoothtalker changed to be diplomat trait, since its effects deal with bribing
-Fixed trigger for BadTaxman line of traits, so it won't be awarded in situations when tax policy is best as it could be
-Fixed problems with Senate Office triggers, which could result in losing some senate titles
-Implemented new triggers for Warlord, Siege and Ambusher traits from Barbarian Invasion expansion, in order to make it possible to improve these traits in imperial campaign
-Introduced two new birth triggers to make it possible that Intelligent and Genius characters could be born
Other:
-Added hotfix to formation for light cavalry armies, to prevent generals getting placed at same tile as other infantry (descr_formations_ai.txt)
-Added missing unit info card for Spanish Onagers (carthaginian_onagers_info.tga)
-Fixed the bug when some soldiers would die when exiting medium siege towers (descr_engines.txt)
-Fixed the bug when two of senate family members had Greek names and looks (descr_regions.txt)
-Fixed the bug when all Italian provinces spawned rebels of Greek culture (descr_regions.txt)
-Fixed an issue when game would crash at 237BC and several other dates (historic_events.txt)

Corrected action is the most sincere form of apology.
edited June 2010
Question # 12:
I want to use some of the cheat codes, not because I suck, but just to have fun. How do I make them work?
Question # 12:
How you play your single player game is your business. Who am I to judge you? I use cheat codes all the time to make enemy armies stronger and so on and so forth. Not all of the cheat codes work. Here is how to use some of the cheats:
When in game, press the ~ key to bring down Romeshell. On some keyboards you have to press the key to bring RomeShell up (thank you, Sirius21)
Then enter the codes:
1. Add Money - add_money 20000 (can add any amount of money, but the game will only give you a maximum of 40000 every time you enter the code. In patch v1.5 you do not have to get out of the game to use it again. You could use it like 10 times in a row or even more.) [Thank you, Emilysboy]
2. Create Unit - Here are three examples, you can obviously change the city/character name, unit name and etc. as needed. The basic code is: create_unit 'city/character name' 'unit name' # of units experience armor weaons
create_unit 'Sparta' 'greek hoplite elite' 1 4 2 2 (this one makes 1 Greek armored hoplite with 4 experience, 2 armor and 2 attack bonus at the city of Sparta)
create_unit 'Tiberius Brutus' 'roman triarii' 2 3 1 1 (this makes 2 Roman triarii with 3 experience, 1 armor and 1 attack bonus in Tiberius Brutus' army)
create_unit 'Doros of_Sparta' 'greek hoplite militia' 1 4 2 3 (this makes 1 Greek hoplite militia with 4 experience, 2 armor and 3 attack bonus in Doros of Sparta's army)
3. Give Trait - this one work a lot like the create_unit cheat. The basic format is: give_trait 'character name' Trait Level
give_trait 'Tiberius Brutus' WellConnectedWife 3 - this adds the trait WellConnectedWife level 3 to Tiberius Brutus.
Another note about the give_trait (or any other cheat applying to a character) - you have to put in the character's original name. Thus, if I have an assassin named Placus Libo and he gains the nickname 'Placus the Killer', if I want to use the cheat code to make him better, I have to type in the following: give_trait 'Placus Libo' GoodAssassin 3 .
Typing in this - give_trait 'Placus the_Killer' GoodAssassin 3 - will NOT work.
To find the traits, look in export_descr_character_traits.txt.
4. Move Character - Move the character out of the city or off the ship before using this one. Basic format - move_character 'Character Name' x,y
move_character 'Admiral Lucius' 118,35
5. Show Cursorstat - hover your pointer over the hex, then bring down Romeshell and type in show_cursorstat. This will give you the x,y coordinates for that square. Very useful for modding and using the move_character option properly.
6. Toggle FOW - type in toggle_fow to disable the Fog of War.
7. There are several other cheats that I have never used - add_population, oliphaunt and etc. These cheats do work. Because I have never used them, I am not posting exactly how to use them here. Nevertheless, if you can use the ones above properly, than you can figure out how to use the rest. More information on cheat codes can be found here: www.twcenter.net/html/rome/cheats.php
8. The diplomacy cheat codes do not work, as far as I can tell.
9. Many of the cheat codes do not work at all.
10. Some sites list lots of console commands that can only be enabled via scripting. If you want to know about scripting, I suggest you start here
11. 'What if there's more than one character with the same name? If the Julii have two people called Marcus Julius, how do I differentiate between them?' As far as I know, you cannot differentiate between them. The game always deals with the first character with that name.
12. If RomeShell says 'invalid command' it should mean that it doesn't recognize this command, then this cheat doesn't work in your version of RTW. There are different versions of the game around the market (i.e. localized versions). If you want to know if give_trait works in your RTW then type ?give_trait (or maybe it was give_trait? with the ? after the command) and press enter. It should tell you how to make a correct command line for this cheat. You can test the real effectiveness of every cheat by typing the command with ? on RomeShell. [Thank you, Sirius21]

Corrected action is the most sincere form of apology.
edited June 2010
Question #13: Why are my biggest cities always losing money?
Answer: They're not! You have to pay upkeep every turn for your field armies. The game divides the cost of this upkeep proportionally between your cities, based on population. For example, say, Tarrentum has 10,000 population and shows an annual income of 400, and Rome has a 30,000 population and shows an annual loss of -1100. This does not mean Rome is losing money and Tarrentum is making money. It means that Rome is shouldering a higher proportion of your annual upkeep costs.
You can check this out in the city details scroll.
So letting Rome rebel, retaking it, and exterminating its population may give it a positive income. But this is just an accounting trick. You other settlements will be paying more.

Corrected action is the most sincere form of apology.
edited June 2010
Question #14: How can I get rid of squalor?
Answer: You cannot do it directly. But you can do something to lower it.
Squalor is directly related to population. When you get enough people you can upgrade your town (2000, 6000, 12000, 24000 citizens). If you have, for example, 5600 citizens you cannot upgrade and you have a lot of squalor. Upgrading to the next town level will lower squalor. Untill you do it, you can do something to help.
Build public health buildings: they will give health bonuses that go against squalor (but they will boost population growth).
Train a lot of military units to lower population.
Don't build highest level farms and markets, as they give strong population growth bonuses that will give you squalor.
Build the temples that give you a lot of public order bonuses, as squalor makes people unhappy.
Train a lot of peasants for garrisoning, you will lower population and you will get public order.
The last solution, expecially for huge cities, could be extermination of your own population (by letting them rebel and retaking the city), but I don't like this kind of solution.
I hope this helps.

Corrected action is the most sincere form of apology.
edited June 2010
Question # 15:
The Marius event occurs too early for my taste in v1.5, is there any way that I can make it occur later?
Answer # 15:
No. It will occur as soon as one of the Roman factions builds an imperial palace in Italy (including Northern Italy and Sicily). This is different than the system used in v1.2 (where it also had to be after 220 B.C.). There is a modification you can make to work around this.
I always wait until the reforms occur in my game before making any changes. Once they occur, I make the following changes.
Make a backup copy of export_descr_buildings.txt. Then open it up. Find all the places where it says 'and marian_reforms' - change these to 'and not marian_reforms'. Now change all the ones that used to say 'and not marian_reforms' to 'and marian_reforms'. Examples:
Old -
recruit 'roman hastati' 0 requires factions { roman, } and not marian_reforms
New -
recruit 'roman hastati' 0 requires factions { roman, } and marian_reforms
Old -
recruit 'roman infantry auxillia' 0 requires factions { roman, } and marian_reforms
New -
recruit 'roman infantry auxillia' 0 requires factions { roman, } and not marian_reforms
You have to do this for all the barracks, stables and range units.
When you want to start building post-Marius units, then simply put in your old file again, or change it back to what it was before.
Edit - Another method to make the reforms take longer is to modify the number of turns it takes to build various buildings. This will necessarily make the reforms occur later.

Corrected action is the most sincere form of apology.
edited June 2010
Question # 16:
unit shaders; do we turn them on or off to fix lag problems??
had to erase my hard drive and reload the games, now i can't remember which choice is correct!
Answer # 16:
'Unit Shaders should always be ticked, otherwise graphical anomalies will occur. The option is disabled on low end cards by default for performance reasons.' (Thank You, Dark)

Corrected action is the most sincere form of apology.
edited June 2010
Question #17: How do I get my troops to move across the map without screwing up my formation?
Answer: Keeping your units in formation as you move them across the map is easy once you figure out the little trick.
1) Select all your units, group them into one big group, then pick one of the pre-made battle formations from the little 'face' button on the lower right of the screen.
2) Make any adjustments you want, i.e., change the width of your infantry line, move your cav to one flank, whatever.
3) Then select all again, and ungroup and regroup. This locks your guys into your new and improved formation. Then you can move them across the map however you like. If you select the group as a whole, you can click and drag the formation at its destination to face the way you want. You can even use waypoints, and they will not break formation.
Note that if you do not first use one of the pre-set formations, it seems to give screwy results. You will click and drag and, instead of spinning your fixed formation around, it will change the unit widths and depths. As long as you put your men into one of the formations, and adjust from there, everything should work fine.
Edit - I'd also add that using the Alt+move command keeps your units in the position you set them in even if you do not use a custom formation. - Olmsted

Corrected action is the most sincere form of apology.
edited June 2010
Question #18: How do I take screenshots?
Answer: You take screenshots by pressing the Print Scrn button on your keyboard. The screenshots will be saved in the tgas folder in your Rome directory.
If this doesn't work, try Shift + Print Scrn or Alt + Print Scrn. For some people, this seems to do the trick.
If you're still experiencing trouble, try downloading a utility like Fraps, which can be found on www.fraps.com.

Corrected action is the most sincere form of apology.
edited June 2010
Question #19:
How do I start a Civil War?
Answer #19:
Normally you have to wait until the you are very popular with the people or till the senate is really fed up with you. But there is a way to let it start when you want it to start.
Build a dozen assassins, they don't need to be very good, and send them to kill SPQR family members, after about 20 attempts, failure or not, the Senate gets really fed up with you and expell you and start a war against you, by doing this you can gather your armies in Italy before you start the war.
UPDATE - I've tested this on VH - in v1.5 it is impossible to start the civil war until you have enough popular support. Even if you are outlawed, you can not attack the other Roman factions without the support of the people. So, it is no longer possible to start the civil war early if you are using v1.5.
Update - A modding suggestion from Patrick199 - He says:
It is possible to trigger a civilwar early in RTW 1.5. What must be done first is a bit of editing in descr_strat file. Here´s how to do it:
At the beginning of the diplomacysection ( you will find it at the end of the descr_strat file) you will first see the coreattitudes of the different factions towards each other. And after that comes the factions relationships towards each other. And it is here that you will have to edit a little bit. Depending on what roman faction you play, you simply change the attitudes towards the factions you wish to fight.
Example: You play as the Julii, and want to start the civilwar at once? No problem! Just type in the numbers in this example in your descr_strat file that I have changed.
Do not type 'at war'! This is only to point out what numbers I have changed.
faction_relationships romans_julii, 600 =at war
romans_brutii
faction_relationships romans_julii 600 =at war romans_scipii
faction_relationships romans_julii, 600 =at war romans_senate
faction_relationships romans_julii, 600 slave
faction_relationships romans_brutii, 600 =at war romans_julii
faction_relationships romans_brutii, 100 romans_scipii
faction_relationships romans_brutii, 100 romans_senate
faction_relationships romans_brutii, 600 slave
faction_relationships romans_scipii, 600 =at war romans_julii
faction_relationships romans_scipii, 100 romans_brutii
faction_relationships romans_scipii, 100 romans_senate
faction_relationships romans_scipii, 600 slave
faction_relationships macedon, 600 slave
faction_relationships egypt, 600 slave
faction_relationships seleucid, 600 slave
faction_relationships carthage, 600 slave
faction_relationships parthia, 600 slave
faction_relationships pontus, 600 slave
faction_relationships gauls, 600 slave
faction_relationships germans, 600 slave
faction_relationships britons, 600 slave
faction_relationships armenia, 600 slave
faction_relationships dacia, 600 slave
faction_relationships greek_cities, 600 slave
faction_relationships numidia, 600 slave
faction_relationships scythia, 600 slave
faction_relationships spain, 600 slave
faction_relationships thrace, 600 slave
faction_relationships slave, 600 romans_julii, romans_brutii, romans_scipii, romans_senate, macedon, egypt, seleucid, carthage, parthia, pontus, gauls, germans, britons, armenia, dacia, greek_cities, numidia, scythia, spain, thrace
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
; >>>> start of regions section

Corrected action is the most sincere form of apology.
edited June 2010
Question #20: How do I make my leaders get better on Command, Influence and Management?
Answer #20: Well if you want better leaders, and even if you don't want them. Read this thread.
Thanks to Sulla (from TWCenter) for making this tutorial, if you used it please thank him.

Corrected action is the most sincere form of apology.
edited June 2010
Question #21: How can I use the battlefield group AI to help me the most and why use it at all?
Answer: Battlefield AI is a superb tool for commanding your army when it has a lot of units and you’re not using the pause during the battles. If you’re using the pause you can give far better commands yourself and the AI is not needed. If you’re not using the pause however the AI can help you prevent the battle turning into a complete chaos and it doesn’t need to become a mad click fest that some call commanding. The units being AI led also give the most cinematic feeling possible.
First divide your units into core units and key units. Your core units will be the ones controlled by the AI and your key units will remain under your command to support the core units. The most effective way is to let the AI take command of the infantry. It usually makes good use of support units like druids as well, but if you wish, you can simply have them stand still close to the battle line. You will most likely wish to take control of the cavalry and the general. This way you can flank most efficiently.
Remember that even when a group is under AI control you can give individual commands to units but keep it simple.
The attack
Close in with all your units grouped together to maintain cohesion. When you close in, regroup your units to core and key group. Before you attack, make sure you have used all special abilities like war cry etc. Turn on the AI for the core group, give the attack command and have fun with the key units. When you are controlling units with pila it’s recommended to remain the control of them until they have thrown all pila. The AI uses one volley and attacks.
The defence
Group in advance. When the AI closes in, turn on the AI for the core group and be ready to support it with key units.
It’s important to have all the units that you wish the AI to lead grouped in one group. This way the AI can coordinate them. If you have multiple groups each group is only able to lead itself and will not coordinate the attack with the other group or support it. Have more than one AI group only when you are attacking from multiple directions. In such a case putting them all into one group would prove counterproductive because the AI tries to get them all together while the enemy is in between.
When you are a phalanx-heavy faction you may wish to take control of the phalanx line (and the general) and put the cavalry under AI, preferably after you have led it behind the enemy lines and made contact with the phalanx line. Commanding Roman infantry is fun as well. Naturally there are no rules and experimenting is most fun.

Corrected action is the most sincere form of apology.
edited June 2010
Question # 22: Don't know if you have already answered this, but will you be planning to release any more patches for RTW/BI in future?
Edit - Answer # 22 - CA has not said one way or the other as to whether or not there will be any more patches for RTW/BI. They will let us know once they decide. - Olmsted

Corrected action is the most sincere form of apology.
edited June 2010
Question #23: Is it possible to prevent the general to be the first in a charge when I need his unit to get involved?
Answer #23: Yes. It's possible when your general is one of your family or when the unit containing the general doesn't have a special ability. A short time before the charge actually hits the enemy hit the 'rally' command and the general will stop to call his troops back. That will delay him just the time needed for his unit to get in front of him.

Corrected action is the most sincere form of apology.
edited June 2010
Question #24. Oliphaunts appearing in rebel cities?
Answer #24.
In RTW when cities rebel, there is a chance that they might receive an Oliphaunt unit..which is kind of a problem since it is both massive, and can't leave through gates. (And of course they are pure fantasy units meant for simple amusement, not part of game play.) Seems that the new 1.3 and 1.5 patches have introduced this new feature. While I've not had it happen personally, I've seen half a dozen shocked reports of it here and on other sites. Apparently some of the code restricting recruitment of rebel units like this was inadvertantly removed/altered. Since BI does not have Oliphaunts this is not a problem in BI, but RTW has them with 'slave' ownership.
Workaround for #24
To prevent this from happening, update export_descr_units.txt by placing comments ( ; ) infront of all of the oliphaunt entries. Another way would be to make their 'category' as 'non_combatant' (although I have not tested this latter.)

Corrected action is the most sincere form of apology.
edited June 2010
Question #25: Why can't I control my reinforcements in RTW/BI? Is there a way I can fix this?
Answer #25: There is some sort of bug with the check box for computer control. Sometimes it indicates that the player will have control but the AI will have control instead.
Fortunately, a player over at the ORG figured out a workaround that so far has been successful for most of us. Just before going to the field, check and uncheck the box several times, leaving it in proper non-AI controlled unchecked state. (Don't check the armies after doing this as this might reset the toggle to a state other than what is diplayed. Go right to the battlefield.) This workaround seems to reinitialize the toggle and put it in the correct state.

Corrected action is the most sincere form of apology.
edited June 2010
Question #26: Can I play/test the rebel/slave/merc units in custom battle?
Answer #26: Yes. All you need is a single word edit to the descr_sm_factions.txt file. Find the section for the 'slave' faction.
Change:

to:
custom_battle_availability yes

Save and exit.

Corrected action is the most sincere form of apology.
edited June 2010
Question #27: Why are my screenshots black? How can I make usable screenshots?
Answer #27: If the game has anti aliasing enabled in the video options menu, then screenshots will be black. To make the screenshots visible, pull up the video options and turn off anti aliasing. Then take your screenshots. You can turn anti aliasing back on when you are done.

Corrected action is the most sincere form of apology.
edited June 2010
Question #28: There is no 'grassy flatland' map for custom battle testing in BI, how do I get a grassy flatland map?
Answer #28:
We don't know why CA left out this important map for determining the relative strength/abilities of units. An easy way to get a similar map is to make the following edit per leeho730:
If you want to add a Flat Fertile Grassland location, add the following lines to 'custom_locations.txt' file located at bidata:
custom_location Flat Fertile Grassland
{
location 65 86
image data/menu/grass3.tga
sett_locked no
summer no
}

I have done this and it is passibly flat for testing.

Corrected action is the most sincere form of apology.
edited June 2010
Question # 29:
'What are 'shadow factions' as mentoned in the 1.6 patch for Barbarian Invasions?'
Answer # 29:
The faction to which disloyal generals go, as well as cities that rebelled.
So in unmoded game, that's eastern roman rebels for eastern romans and western roman rebels for western romans. And vice versa.
Note that ostrogoths are *not* shadow faction to goths, since after one goth city rebels and ostrogoths are formed they are totaly seperate factions (new goths rebels won't go to ostrogoths).

Corrected action is the most sincere form of apology.