Third Age Total War, mod for Medieval 2: TW

Sacrilege83 · **Posted:** Wed Nov 09, 2011 8:37 am

I'm surprised I haven't found a topic on this specific mod for a video game, at least none showed up on the search engine. Only a few posts in off-topic.

Anyway I had this game for a couple of years now and I only got back into it recently. The only reason why I bought Medieval 2 Total War was because of the Lotr mod. I'm currently doing the Eriador campaign and I'm having a hell of a time trying to convert the faction to Arnor.

So who here plays TATW and what are your opinons on the game and the diferent factions? Who plays Hot Seats, and online battles?

For those who are unfamiliar with Total War, here's the mod site: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=654

Xelee · **Posted:** Thu Jan 12, 2012 12:31 am

I love it. It is always the way with the total war series. I get the base game and enjoy it but end up having to buy the expansions so I can play the awesome mods.

I did an Eriador Campaign but it was my first one and I've let it lapse. I immediately gave the High-Elves a try and that was going very well (except for the damned Balrog, fittingly) but I got sucked into Starting Gondor. I think I will return to Eriador again though. Sadly -- there is no resurrected realm of Angmar - did GW make that up or something ROFL

I don't play online - I can't commit to continuous play sessions.

If people like Strategy games, I don't think they'll find a better one for LOTR at the moment (though there is FATW....) and MTW + Expansions is very cheap these days.

WayUnderTheMountain · **Posted:** Thu Jan 12, 2012 5:33 am

I enjoyed Third Age as well and thank you sacrilege for the link that got me to enjoy this amazing game.

High Elves were first then Eriador. High Elves started too scattered for my liking. Then tried Wood Elves and wiped out both Misty Mountains and Gunabad while applying pressure on Isengard and Mordor. Then I tried Dale and Gondor. I also tried Rhun but I can't remember when exactly. Haven't got around to playing Rohan yet. I also don't play online just because I still have some difficulties with the battle HUD not working correctly and I haven't had time to play since November.

GothmogtheWerewolf · **Posted:** Fri Jan 13, 2012 8:23 pm

I didn't know it had a LOTR expansion, where can you get it from?

WayUnderTheMountain · **Posted:** Sat Jan 14, 2012 5:51 pm

The Link in the OP takes you to the site where you can download it. It was never released on a disc.

Telchar · **Posted:** Sat Mar 03, 2012 8:27 pm

Brilliant mod. I played Isengard and loved it, especially using 70.000 francs on Uruks to capture one town. Only then I failed. Afterwards tried various factions, but the only other I really loved was Mordor. All the others are very good as well though, and the skins are all very nice. The best mod I've ever seen.

Highlordell · **Posted:** Mon Mar 05, 2012 9:32 pm

Sacrilege83 wrote:

I'm surprised I haven't found a topic on this specific mod for a video game, at least none showed up on the search engine. Only a few posts in off-topic.

Anyway I had this game for a couple of years now and I only got back into it recently. The only reason why I bought Medieval 2 Total War was because of the Lotr mod. I'm currently doing the Eriador campaign and I'm having a hell of a time trying to convert the faction to Arnor.

So who here plays TATW and what are your opinons on the game and the diferent factions? Who plays Hot Seats, and online battles?

For those who are unfamiliar with Total War, here's the mod site: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=654

I'm not sure if you noticed my reference in your Eriador Units Thread...

Yeah, I'm not sure how I stumbled upon this mod, but I love Total War, and a LOTR Version - Holy Devlan Mud its brilliant!

Only problems I've come across are:

1. Its not really fair to use Auto-Resolve if you are playing as ORcs or Uruk-Hai, as the numbers differenc is to great for the game to counter, even by superior skill in enemy units.

2. It takes an incredibly large amount of time to find enemy settlements.

3. Elves (Wood Elves especially), can simply lay a castle under seige, assault, and sit outside the walls and promptly kill everyone inside with arrows, before walking in and taking the courtyard - archery is a major advantage, although it is quite fluffy.

Apart from that - considering its a fan-made mod, its an amazing game to play on.

Sacrilege83 · **Posted:** Tue Mar 06, 2012 12:16 am

Yes I've seen your reference, and as you've guessed that's what I'm basing my Eriador project off of just as this mod based some of its models off of GW.

On point #1 the campaign says not to auto resolve, I believe, at the beginning in the introduction of it. As with the few problems you've mentioned, you tend to figure out ways to defeat the cpu easily and then it just becomes a boring routine. For example;

I have my fortress undersiege against impossible odds, before the enemy lays siege and attacks, during my turn of play on the M-E map I attack his sieging army first with my garrison and it always happens in the battle action that the enemy retreats to the end of the map. Their siege engines run slow and are left behind, so I run them down with my cavalry and shoot up the machines with my own machines. With the rest of the enemy army waiting at the end of the map I use my archers to play a game of cat and mouse with them, and use other soldiers to defend my archers from getting mowed by enemy cavalry.

Constantine · **Posted:** Thu Apr 19, 2012 9:31 pm

Me and my brother installed the mod last week. I think for it being a fan made mode it is very well made although rough around the edges. It also shares the issues of its Total War engine (stupid AI, numerous bugs). As I write this my brothers Dwarves are besieged by a Goblin Horde. I suggest you play the game on both difficulty levels on very hard, it makes it more worthwhile.

Sacrilege83 · **Posted:** Fri Jul 27, 2012 5:10 am

Anyone here playing version 3? I'm download it now but gamefront is making it very difficult for me to get the 3.1 patch since it always refreshes on me.

Can't wait to try the new maps and the new Fellowship campaign.

KnightyKnight · **Posted:** Fri Jul 27, 2012 7:19 am

I love the Total War series, especially Medieval. Unfortunately I can never find the expansion (Kingdoms?) that is required for the LOTR mod

but from watching videos and reading battle reports it looks brilliant. Good to see One Ring opinions, you should have added a poll for favourite factions

Sacrilege83 · **Posted:** Sat Jul 28, 2012 2:37 am

You need to get your hands on that Kingdoms expansion friend. Maybe it's being sold on Steam network, I know Medieval II is, but you need to open up a free account with them.

Gondor has always been my favorite for the variety of troops. Just downloaded v3.2, don't know why I took so long since it has been out last Dec.

Angularity · **Joined:** Fri Jun 25, 2010 7:56 am **Posts:** 157

Has anyone had any luck playing this (Medieval TW) on Windows 7? I've downloaded it from Steam, that didn't work (crashes the whole machine), uninstalled from Steam, bought the disks but they wouldn't install because it said the game was already installed :roll:

then I re-installed it from Steam and the same thing happens, i.e you get half-way through a game and the computer switches off ("Bye bye, go and do something productive with your time."), like it's my mother saying I should get out into the sunshine. :-X

I did download the Third Age mod, and it looked nice, but guess what, black screen of 'go away and have a cup of tea' just as the siege towers get to the wall of Helm's Deep.

I uploaded all the up-to-date sound and video files, changed the screen resolution, followed all the recommendations from Steam but nothing works.

I am most seriously displeased.

PS it's not just this version, Empire and Rome do the same thing.

Sacrilege83 · **Posted:** Fri Aug 10, 2012 12:27 pm

I am at a lost... I used Medieval2 on my dad's cpu, I'm not sure of he runs vista or Win7 but it works. I guess you got yours working since you said you were playing TATW. The mod is not perfect though and can crash on you like it has done to me but not often. Recommend lowering your graphic settings if you haven't done so already.

Telchar · **Posted:** Mon Aug 13, 2012 11:50 am

All three work very fine on Windows 7 for me, as does TA:TW. I couldn't say what causes your problems, but then I'm hardly a computer genius...

Karak Norn Clansman · **Joined:** Tue Jul 03, 2012 7:01 pm **Posts:** 272

I am impressed by the quality of the mod. It certainly gives the impression of a game on its own, especially with all the custom settlements. The design of the units are generally top-notch. To avoid heaping more praise on this great mod (which made me buy the full Medieval II via Steam - that game is by the way not on par with Rome or Shogun) I will put up my negative observations:

The population growth rate is awkwardly slow for elves and dwarves, even if you maximise it as I always do by lowering taxes and pumping up agriculture. This is made an even greater problem by the fact that the juicy, non-regional specific units for High Elves are made available only on the highest city tier. After a long game of empire building and highest population of all factions I was only able to build Eldarinwe units in other cities than Imladris about turn 450 (in effect after the pre-set end of the game). I would like a quicker population growth to be available (either by altering game settings, or by building costly special buildings) and maybe some more metal armoured Noldor units available at earlier city tiers, and perhaps some guard units for the High Elves which are not bound to certain regions (such as a House of Fëanor unit).

As it stands now the mod is lacking in gameplay for High Elves since you have to rely on militia units only, albeit lethal ones, for a great number of game turns. Even tough I tried hard, it was almost impossible to carve out a huge Elven empire as soon as one started running into Isengard, since the lightly armoured militia units suffered heavy casaulties against the Uruk-hai even when superior encirclement and hammer-and-anvil tactics were employed and broke the spine of the Isengard army. In the grinding warfare against better armoured opponents, elven militia units could stand their ground and perhaps even conquer a region once in a while, but without well armoured troops it was devil hard to play on somewhat equal footing with the opponents.

The population growth problem was not as large with dwarves as it was with elves due to the heavier armoured units, and since my issues with them may be put down to beginner's difficulties I won't bring any of them up.

On an Easterling campaign none of the issues associated with High Elves appeared.

LordElrond · **Posted:** Wed Apr 24, 2013 6:22 am

I love this game.
However I have to auto resolve sometimes because the game glitches out at certain points and places each time they happen.

Silvan elves are the best IMO

Sacrilege83 · **Posted:** Wed Sep 09, 2015 8:09 pm

I'm getting back into this game again. Just had to re-download on Steam for free using my old CD-Key since Gamespy went down and can no longer do online battles.

bilbobaggins764 · **Joined:** Sat Nov 06, 2021 1:19 am **Posts:** 35

TATW is the best TW mod of all time, I loved it. I still hope for a Tolkien TW someday.

Third Age Total War, mod for Medieval 2: TW

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