Read this article on another forum, and use the show_err command. That will usually tell you what is not working with the game. Without knowing further details, my guess is that you have made a typo somewhere.

What version of RTW are you using? Older versions require that a faction has a description in RomeTotalWar\data\text\campaign_descriptions.txt before you can play as them.

This will work if you have RTW 1.5. I do not believe it will work on earlier versions.

Go to: RTW\World\Maps\Campaign\Imperial_Campaign\descr_strat.txt

Make a copy of it for a backup to be on the safe side. Then open it up. You will see the beginning looks like this:

;

Custom campaign script generated by Romans Campaign Map Editor

campaignimperial_campaign
playable

romans_julii
romans_brutii
romans_scipii

end
unlockable

egypt
seleucid
carthage
parthia
gauls
germans
britons
greek_cities

end
nonplayable

romans_senate
macedon
pontus
armenia
dacia
numidia
scythia
spain
thrace
slave

end

Change it to look like this:

; Custom campaign script generated by Romans Campaign Map Editor

campaignimperial_campaign
playable

romans_julii
romans_brutii
romans_scipii
egypt
seleucid
carthage
parthia
gauls
germans
britons
greek_cities
macedon
pontus
armenia
dacia
numidia
scythia
spain
thrace
slave

end
unlockable
end
nonplayable
romans_senate
end

However, the interface in the campaign selection screen is only made to display 20 factions, so the rebel/slaves are not shown there even if you unlock them as above. If you want to play them you have to move one of the other factions to unlockable or nonplayable. I put the senate in nonplayable, but that is just a matter of personal preference.

You ought to link that in your sig SubRosa, you explain it so often.

If I could, I'd expand SubRosa's sig allowance to allow the whole thing to fit into her sig

It wont let me save this config.

It says -

Cannot create the C:\Program Files\The Creative Assembly\Rome - Total War\data\world\maps\campaign\imperial_campaign\descr_strat.txt file.

Make sure that the path and file name are correct.


I am not sure of my version (Gold ed, BI added).

Why on earth did they not just make the game with all these unlockable? It would have been really easy and saved a lot of hassle! It really annoyed me, after destroying the Macedonians for the first time, save, quit, new campaign and NO MACEDONIANS! I almost threw the game out of the window!

Hi Marcus.

You can find out your versions of Rome Total War and Barbarian Invasion by starting each and going to the Options screen off the Main Menu. Your version will be displayed in the upper right corner of the screen.

Is the file set to Read-Only? Or are you using Windows Vista? I know that with Vista you are often locked out of the simplest things because the operating system thinks it is protecting you.

I am using Vista, yes. Is that going to be a problem?

Sometimes Vista can be. I believe you have to be logged in as an administrator in order to do anything like changing files.

Administrator! That is one of my issues with Vista. I am logged in as admin, but half the time it won't let me change a file name! (even on a file I have JUST created). To be honsest I despair at the new WinDOHs OS as it is worse than XP (I never had any issues with XP. I currently think Vista is also crashing my games, git that it is).

Vista should be chucked into the nearest 'recycle bin' and 'deleted'

Thanks for your help though. I will try and try and it will probably have a fit and let me (As it did when I created 'Seved Music' by mistake and it eventually let me rename it).

I wonder if other people are having issues with Vista and RTW?

I have vista and when on RTW or BI it randomly goes to desktop.Normaly it goes back on but will it sometimes freeze. Any ideas?

YEY! I finally got this working! I did it a little differently, but SubRosa's text up there works!

Here is what I did, for anyone else who may have problems with Vista

1 - I made two folders
2 - One I named A1
- The other A2
3 - I cut the descr_strat file from the RTW prog files and put it into A1
4 - I then opened the descr_strat file in A1 and pasted SubRosas text into the right place
5 - I clicked save as, and saved it as the same file name (descr_strat), but in A2
6 - I then copied the A2 descr_strat file and pasted it into the RTW prog files.

Info - Vista will pop up with boxes that say they need to verify if you are the Administrator to cut or paste things. This is fine as long as you are logged in as Admin and clicking 'ok' will get rid of the box and begin the cut/paste.

This might seem a long way to do things, or just obvious to some, but Vista really makes it problematic. I couldn't seem to just 'save' as or 'save as' the modded descr_strat file when it was in the RTW Prog files, so taking it out of there solved my little problem.

I have also done this to unlock Medieval Total War II civs also, so if you have both and Vista, this works there also.

BTW - Funnily enough, I can get MTW2 to work much better than ANY other game on my new laptop. Strange, as I can't even get MTW 1 to load the campaign map.... Anyway, off subject and off game.

[This message has been edited by Marcus Victor (edited 10-14-2007 @ 09:36 AM).]

The easiest way to get around Vista is to copy the text file to your desktop and make the change there and then copy it back into the original folder where you will get an alert but you will be able to do it.

Hmm, I guess I just like making two different files first off, original and modded, as I never trust windows not to go pear shaped or me to muck up something.

I suppose cutting and then making a copy on the desktop would be the same. I suppose I always like to make things more difficult for myself (Fun that way...)

[This message has been edited by Marcus Victor (edited 10-15-2007 @ 03:24 AM).]