Rome: TW question

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Mon Nov 01, 2004 10:00 pm

I just got this installed, and thought I would grab a quick skirmish, but the skirmish menus are greyed out. What do I have to do to be allowed to play a skirmish?

Mr. Sparkle · Post by **Mr. Sparkle** » Mon Nov 01, 2004 10:14 pm

I can't say for certain, but it is a distinct possibilty that you have to play the tutorial. You don't have to play all the way through, but you have to get to a point where they say "OK, you're free to go".... as I recall, that didn't take too long, but I could be wrong. And yes, it's annoying.

knob · Post by **knob** » Mon Nov 01, 2004 10:24 pm

He's right. You need to do the tutorial to unlock the other options.

It's kind of annoying, but it really does teach you a lot about the game.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Mon Nov 01, 2004 10:35 pm

Oh, geeze, what a bunch of bunk. I can understand mandatory tutorials built into a campaign, but to access skirmish mode? I normally use a skirmish to get my video settings and controls set up the way I like them - taking the tutorial before I customize my camera controls is a bit silly.

Actually, seeing the tone of the manual, it is pretty clear what they are doing. They are afraid S:TW and M:TW players are going to jump in, not know what is going on because of changes, and then complain publicly that the game is flawed, so they force you to go through the tutorial before you can play.

Bah.

knob · Post by **knob** » Mon Nov 01, 2004 10:40 pm

I don't know if you've ever played S:TW or M:TW, but the tutorial really isn't that bad. It's what got me into the campaign mode. Before, with M:TW, all I ever did was the quick battle stuff because I really didn't understand the campaign mode.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Mon Nov 01, 2004 10:43 pm

Oh, I'm sure the tutorial is fine. I always play tutorials anyway. I just don't think they should be mandatory to 'unlock' the rest of the game. I like to get a feel for things and get everything just right before I work my way through a tutorial, so that I can concentrate on learning the game without worrying about settings, and so I don't have to learn controls that I will change anyway.

No huge deal, though - just a design decision I disagree with. The rest of the game is what I bought it for, anyway.

Asharak · Post by **Asharak** » Mon Nov 01, 2004 11:14 pm

The whole game is built around that principle, unforunately: you can't play as any of the non-Roman factions without first winning a game as a Roman...

- Ash

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Tue Nov 02, 2004 12:05 am

Let me guess; you unlock Gaul by beating it on Nightmare?

Ronin · Post by **Ronin** » Tue Nov 02, 2004 12:49 am

You can unlock the factions by A) defeating it utterly in the Roman campaign, or you can unlock all the playable factions by achieving either the short of the long campaign goals for the Romans.

Kelric · Post by **Kelric** » Tue Nov 02, 2004 12:59 am

Ronin wrote:You can unlock the factions by A) defeating it utterly in the Roman campaign, or you can unlock all the playable factions by achieving either the short of the long campaign goals for the Romans.

I already managed the long campaign goal and continued to the game to work on conquering the entire world. Oddly enough, my 50th province was Byzantium by complete coincidence, which I found kind of cool. If I manage to conquer the entire map, does that mean I get to play everyone, or are some factions still restricted?

Quaro · Post by **Quaro** » Tue Nov 02, 2004 2:07 am

Once you win the long campaign you unlock all the factions, you don't need to keep going and conquer the whole map.

Installing the all factions mod will give you a few more factions to play as well.

Asharak · Post by **Asharak** » Tue Nov 02, 2004 9:45 am

Kelric wrote:If I manage to conquer the entire map, does that mean I get to play everyone, or are some factions still restricted?

You won't gain any more factions by conquering the entire map. Winning the game was sufficient to unlock all the intended playable factions. That is not, however, every faction in the game - a few of the smaller ones, especially off to the east, are never unlocked.

Unless, as Quaro said, you install the All Factions mod. But that has a few drawbacks, last I heard - like crashing the game if you ever try to click on the Senate tab while playing as the Senate...

- Ash

Little Raven · Post by **Little Raven** » Tue Nov 02, 2004 11:26 am

The all factions mod is pretty darn harmless. It is true that the Senate faction was never meant to be played and is slightly unstable if you try, but every other faction works like a charm. They even have maps, leader portraits, descriptions and intro movies. I highly recommend this mod. Trying to play Spain is...fun, if you're into that sort of thing.