So you've come to Medieval2: Total War Heaven [sometimes called TWH by oldies]. This is a guide to help you get settled in and make the most of the Heaven.

Firstly welcome. We're delighted to have you here and hope you enjoy it.

This heaven grew out of an existing Rome Total War Heaven and retains quite a few of the original forumer population. Basically we're crazy about the Total War games so we'd be nuts to go elsewhere.
The current population spans all ages from 13 right up to the mid-fifties and hail from all parts of the globe.

First up, there is still a full RTWH which is separate from M2TWH but they share the same forums. In time, it is hoped to have a compilation of strategy, history & other articles relating to M2TW on the site. The site is as good as you make it. For every contribution you make, you can sleep soundly at night knowing that you have helped stick another block in the building that is TWH.

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Basic stuff you need to know in a Q&A format.

Who are those guys in green, orange, purple & red?
They are the HeavenGames staff and help to make this Heaven what it is. They moderate the forums, handle submissions, add content and generally do everything needed to keep the site running.
Current staff at M2TWH are the seraphs Yakcamkir & Gaius Colinius, angels Foamy & SubRosa and the cherubs EnemyofJupitor (he's seraph at BFME2H), Chonaman, Andrew Dunn and Kor.

Who are those blue guys?
These are very special people. They are VIPs or representatives of the game programmers. We have a couple of people from CA who drop in from time to time.

How do I get fancy formats in my posts on the forums?
The forums use BB code. Everything you need to know about BB code can be found here.
The main ones are:

[quote]I’m an alien[/quote].
Speak for yourself mate.


Looks like

I’m an alien

Speak for yourself mate

[b]M2TW is the best game ever[/b]

Looks like

M2TW is the best game ever

Those are nice sigs. How do I do that?
Marcus Orentius made an excellent thread on it. You can find that here.

What’s this CoC you hear people on about?
That’s our Code of Conduct. You can read it here.

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M2TW site itself

Game info
This is an overview of the game with some basic information about it.

FAQ
The Frequently Asked Questions page has some basic questions about M2TW like minimum specs required to run the game and the answers. If there is something you think should be there but it isn’t, then contact a staff member.

Factions
This page lists some of the factions in M2TW. More will be added over time. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can write up a faction overview yourself.

Screenshots
This is where you can view screenshots of the game. I think that you’ll agree that they look brilliant.
It’s possible to submit your own screenshots to the Gallery in the community section of the Heaven.

Strategy
This is where you will be able to find articles on M2TW strategy and this is where YOU can have a big input. The articles are submitted by forumers on the Heaven and they get full credit for writing them. It’s possible to become quite famous if you write an original & high quality strategy article for the game.

Cheats
Some forumers may want a little “help” during their campaign game and all the cheats are here. These can’t be used in multiplayer play so it only affects single player mode. They are okay to use because they don't require cracks or hacks.

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Community

Forums
For many forumers & visitors to HG, this is what the site is all about. You can talk about the total war games, the history of the period and general chit-chat in the community forum, known as the Baths.
More about the individual forums in a bit.

Links
HG does Heavens for many many games and you are very welcome to visit them. Just remember that when you travel “abroad”, you are representing TWH so be nice to people and bear in mind that they may have a different ethos to the folks here so be respectful.

Everything you need to know about the individual forums but were afraid to ask
The forums and what they are for.

Forum Rules & Guidelines
This is a link giving information about the various rules that apply on the forums. It straightforward enough. You must be 13 or older. Personal attacks & harassment are not tolerated and don’t talk about activities that are banned by law [taking drugs, etc.]. There is a zero tolerance policy regarding hacks, cracks or any abuse of copyrighted material. This applies to all copyrighted material, not just Total War games.

Moderation Announcements
Bold people end up in here. Don’t be one of them please.

Medieval 2: Total War Discussion
This is where it’s at for most forumers. Anything and everything about M2TW can be discussed here.
If there is already a topic on what you want to discuss, please don’t start a new one. Use the search function at the bottom of the page to see if there is already a thread on your topic. The reason for this is that it can be frustrating to have to answer the same question over and over. Use the newbie FAQ up the top if you are unsure. We were all new once so nobody will judge you for it.
We’re here to have fun so there is no problem with having a bit of fun but do try and keep the chat M2TW related.

Strategy Discussions
If you want to reveal your deviously brilliant strategies to the world, this is the place to do it. Generally it applies to battlefield strategies but if you have a strategy for preventing money problems, then you can post that here too.

Multiplayer Discussions
This is where you can discuss anything to do with multiplayer from challenging other players to posting/discussing multiplayer battle strategies.

This is also home to the M2TWH Ladder, a kind of league for us to play each other in (And score points!). All skill levels and players are welcome, and it's truly a great experience to match up against fellow forumers.

Rome Total War discussion
All the old threads are still there in this forum and you are perfectly welcome to discuss the RTW game here. It still gets quite a bit of traffic.

Alexander Expansion
The RTW: Alexander expansion pack can be discussed in this forum.

Barbarian Invasion
The RTW: Barbarian Invasion expansion pack can be discussed here.

The RTW Strategy & Multiplayer forums are available if you want to discuss RTW-specific strategy & multiplayer.

Game Modification & Editor Discussion
For those who would like to make modifications to their Total War game [major or minor], this is the place to stop by.

Technical Help & Bug Reporting
If you have a technical problem with your computer or with loading/running/installing the game, this is the place to come. We’ve some very helpful forumers in TWH and somebody will be along to help you soon enough.

Medieval & Shogun Total War
These were the first two games in the Total War series and while old, they are still very popular. Drop by here if you want to talk about them.

The Baths
This is our community forum where we get together to talk about everything not related to Total War games. We have all sorts of chat here. Don’t be afraid to join in. We’re a nice bunch really. There’s no need to go crazy in an attempt to get yourself known. It can be hard coming into a forum where everybody seems to know everybody else. Just be yourself and chill out. We joke and tease here as well as have rocking debates so there’s something for everybody. As long as you don’t spam or flame, you’ll be very welcome here.
Don't forget to fill out the Census or post up your pic in the Forumer Gallery thread. Our Mafia games are also very popular.

Ancient History
We have some right clever uns here in TWH and this is where they talk about history. Try and keep the history somewhat related to the Total War game periods. Too many threads about WW2 would mean that it isn’t really an Ancient History forum anymore.

War Stories
We’ve got some talented writers here who are inspired by the games they play to write up stories about their campaigns or favorite generals or even the lowly man-at-arms fighting battle after battle. Please show respect for others attempts. It may not be very good but constructive criticism can often help writers turn their stories into minor masterpieces.

Website Comments & Announcements
If you have any suggestions or comments on the site content, this is the place to put it.

Outside Discussions
The Baths is our community forum but there are lots of other Heavens and they all have their own community forums. HeavenGames also has it’s own main webpage to which all the individual Heavens are linked. Outside Discussions is the community forum for that main webpage.
A few words of caution before you rush in and start posting because it is quite different to our own community forum. Before you post there, lurk for a bit and get a feel for the place. Don’t start new threads right away. Some of the forumers there are on HG quite a long time and newbies can take time to be accepted there.
A general rule of thumb is that nothing, absolutely nothing there is to be taken seriously. About the worst thing you can do on your first few posts is to get offended by something posted there or post something serious. If you have any questions about the rest of HG, email a mod or another forumer.

The Library
This is the place on the HG main portal to have debates or to discuss current affairs. The activity level rises and falls over time. Some of the debates get quite heated so always remember to debate the points and not the forumer because that’s an ad hominem and ad hominems get you into trouble.

Remember that when outside TWH, you are representing the Heaven as a whole. How you behave, reflects on the entire population of TWH so be nice and people will be nice back to you.

Anything that has been left out can be added in. Likewise, you can ask general questions about TWH/HG here if you like.

[This message has been edited by EnemyofJupitor (edited 04-19-2008 @ 02:59 AM).]