Steam vs Mods

[SamuelDivinium]

How steam handle the certain mods avaible for Medieval2? I wanna try Eras and Third Age mods but i'm afraid of some kind of ban because messing up with the game

[elevenwhat]

No problem in regards to bans. Mods are fine however there are generally some additional installation procedures due to Steam related features.

[w00ties]

From what I've read Steam can be a bit of a pain when it comes to M2:TW mods.

I was looking into Stainless Steel recently and found that the process of installing SS involves renaming folders and messing with the launcher/Steam launch settings. You can read those instructions here. Now, I should mention, while I was looking for the link (posted above) I ran across another thread which stated that SS6.4 works fine with Steam; to run the mod you simply need to launch M2:TW Kingdoms and select Stainless Steel in the options. That info can be found here. I therefore assume that the first link (requiring folder and launcher modifications) would be a last resort, but something to keep in mind nonetheless.

In another SPUF thread a user described the process of modifying folders in order to run Third Age: Total War. You may want to look into that.

Finally, it seems as though the best solution would be to try out the Kingdoms Launcher Application which was referenced in the previous thread. I'm not exactly sure how it works or whether or not in modifies folders/launchers, but it's worth trying.

If you use this application please let us know how it goes. Also, once you install your mods with it you should ensure that the Kingdoms campaigns still work.

[SamuelDivinium]

Thank you guys for the quick answer, i'll try em and will write my experiences

[v1c7r1x]

Originally Posted by w00ties

Finally, it seems as though the best solution would be to try out the Kingdoms Launcher Application which was referenced in the previous thread. I'm not exactly sure how it works or whether or not in modifies folders/launchers, but it's worth trying.

You should definitely use this program to register mods. The reason it is required is the following: the Launcher needs to know not only that there are some mods installed (it could just check the "mods" directory for that), but also whether to use "medieval2.exe" or "kingdoms.exe" to launch a specific mod. This information is stored in the Windows registry. Some badly written mods don't create the entries in the registry during installation, so the Launcher doesn't know how to handle them. The Kingdom Launcher App lets you add that information so that Launcher sees the mod and know what .exe to use to start it.

[w00ties]

Originally Posted by v1c7r1x

You should definitely use this program to register mods. The reason it is required is the following: the Launcher needs to know not only that there are some mods installed (it could just check the "mods" directory for that), but also whether to use "medieval2.exe" or "kingdoms.exe" to launch a specific mod. This information is stored in the Windows registry. Some badly written mods don't create the entries in the registry during installation, so the Launcher doesn't know how to handle them. The Kingdom Launcher App lets you add that information so that Launcher sees the mod and know what .exe to use to start it.

Good to know.

Do you know whether or not that application modifies folders/launchers in the process of installing a mod (as others have recommended when installing mods)? In other words, will Kingdoms still be fully functional while using that application with other mods, or is that application simply an easier/automated way of modifying all the folders/launchers without actually looking for them?

[Hypa]

I always just rename the mod i want to play to a kindoms campaign and choose that campaing in the launcher. So for example you want to play ss6.4 instal it, rename to crusades, start crusades, play ss. You can keep the original kindom campaigns, just rename that map to crusades_org or something, so yo can change it back in no time.

[Rossignol]

The Kingdoms Launcher application is what I use, and it seems to work well with multiple mods. (Posted an earlier thread at http://forums.steampowered.com/forum....php?t=2187107)

There is still one small problem that I run into. A setup program should come with SS 6.4 and is needed to change between eras or different AI settings. While it has a "Start and Exit" button, the game crashes if I try and launch it with that. It seems to work fine if I make any changes with the setup, exit that program, and launch normally through Steam.

[v1c7r1x]

Originally Posted by w00ties

In other words, will Kingdoms still be fully functional while using that application with other mods, or is that application simply an easier/automated way of modifying all the folders/launchers without actually looking for them?

Kingdoms Launcher App doesn't modify/rename the folders. It just modifies the Windows Registry (a database where Windows and programs store information) to indicate to the Launcher where the mods are installed.
With it, you can have an unlimited number of mods installed while keeping access to the original Kingdoms campaigns without having to rename anything.

Originally Posted by Rossignol

There is still one small problem that I run into. A setup program should come with SS 6.4 and is needed to change between eras or different AI settings. While it has a "Start and Exit" button, the game crashes if I try and launch it with that. It seems to work fine if I make any changes with the setup, exit that program, and launch normally through Steam.

The SS launcher probably was not written with Steam in mind; non-Steam versions of M2TW/K can be started directly, but on Steam you always have to use Launcher to start a game. That's probably where SS falls over when trying to directly start a game.

[w00ties]

Originally Posted by v1c7r1x

Kingdoms Launcher App doesn't modify/rename the folders. It just modifies the Windows Registry (a database where Windows and programs store information) to indicate to the Launcher where the mods are installed.
With it, you can have an unlimited number of mods installed while keeping access to the original Kingdoms campaigns without having to rename anything.

Thanks. I had considered purchasing another non-Steam version of M2:TW Gold after my disc had chipped, but it sounds like the Kingdoms Launcher is all I need to continue using my Steam copy

[Rossignol]

Makes sense. It's been awhile since I've checked for an update. It's the sort of problem that could easily trick someone into thinking the whole thing doesn't work when it's actually only launching it from the setup program that's an issue.

I'd imagine some workaround is possible, given that some other programs are launchable from a third party application, notably Skyrim and New Vegas with the Nexus Mod Manager/Script Extender combo.

I'll have to see what I can find out when I finally sit down and begin my long-delayed late era rebuilding of the Roman Empire (Byzantine) post-Fourth Crusade.

[SamuelDivinium]

I extracted Eras Conquest to my mod folder, and added with Kingdoms Launcher App but it's not wanna work. All it does is run the basic game without sounds and great campaign.. What should i do?

[Rossignol]

Not familiar with that mod, but KLA should work with any of them. Need to find out a bit more though.

1. Is it definitely in the right folder? It should be a subdirectory of its own under x://Steam..../Mods. The vanilla Kingdom mods will also have folders of their own if in the right spot. /americas, /british_isles, etc.

2. Is the mod made for basic M2TW or M2TW: Kingdoms? If the latter, are you using the Kingdoms launch button in Steam, or the basic M2TW button? I think the Kingdoms button can launch either type of mod, but I could be wrong.

3) After launching the game, does a launch screen pop up, or does it go straight into loading the game?

4) When clicking Play on the launch screen, a list of available campaigns and mods should be the next option. Does Eras Conquest show up on that list?

[v1c7r1x]

5) In KLA, was the Game Exe changed to Kingdoms? It defaults to Medieval 2, if that is not changed a Kingdoms mod will not work. You can check by right-clicking on the Eras Conquest entry in KLA and choosing "Edit Settings".

[SamuelDivinium]

1. It's in ..\Steam\...\mods\Eras\
2. I tried it both with M2TW and kingdoms
3-4. Launch screen pop up, then there is Eras which i added before with KLA (and Americans, British, etc from original)
5. I tried it with both