Europa Barbarorum 2.2b is released! news

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Greetings fans of Europa Barbarorum!

This has been a little longer in the development than we'd originally planned; what was supposed to have been a bugfix and gameplay update (2.1c if you will), has instead morphed into another full release, complete with a load of new units and a host of other new features. There was a target date floated on Facebook of May, we're slightly over that because we've been allowing the pre-release testing to run its course. It was rushing this vital, last phase, that led to 2.1 having to ship with a Day One patch, and all the woes that attended that. There may well be a 2.2a/b/whatever patch, but hopefully we've ironed out enough of the issues that popped up that it won't be necessary.

As always it's necessary to be absolutely explicit about this point:

THIS RELEASE IS NOT SAVEGAME COMPATIBLE

This is a complete installation, it's best if you remove any previous versions of EBII you have installed.



Pre-installation instructions

1) If you are a Steam user, and your M2TW is in Program Files or Program Files (x86) you need to move your game, or reinstall it outside of that folder. This isn't negotiable, you will not be able to patch or otherwise modify your EBII if the game is installed there. UAC may unpredictably and silently interfere with your files, breaking your installation, to say nothing of problems with VirtualStore. The official instructions on how to move a game are here. If those do not work, try these instead.

2) If you are not a Steam user, but you have M2TW installed in Program Files or Program Files (x86) you need to move your game, or reinstall it outside of that folder. For exactly the same reasons as above.

Optional: Re-install M2TW. Then start a campaign to make sure it's all still working. If you have other mods active, you won't want to do this, but it will likely result in a cleaner experience.

3) You must have Kingdoms installed - at least one of the mods, though not necessarily all of them. EBII needs the kingdoms.exe to run.

If you ignore step 1/2 and later come to the Bug Reports/Technical Help forum, and it arises you have your game installed in Program Files/Programe Files (x86), don't expect any meaningful assistance until after you've moved your installation and tried that.


Installation instructions

1. Download the EBII installer using one of the provided download links.

2. Uninstall the previous version of EBII (there's a shortcut for it in your start menu).

3. The downloaded file is a zip archive, which means you need to unpack the installer files from the zip file. Windows Explorer should allow you to simply copy the contents out. If not, you can download 7-zip for the purpose.

4. Run EBII.exe.

5. Step through the install wizard. Make sure the installer is pointed at your M2TW directory - you may need to change it from the default if it is pointing at Program Files.

6. Wait for the installer to copy all the files.

7. If you have never run M2TW vanilla after installing it, run that now. Start a campaign, then quit.

8. Run the mod using the shortcut placed in your start menu or desktop. Start a campaign, then quit.

9. Make sure your error log is working properly so you can properly report any issues. Go into [your M2TW directory]\mods\EBII\EBII.cfg and make sure under [log] it says:

Code:

to = mods/ebii/logs/eb.system.log.txt 
level = * trace

This means the log will be stored as eb.system.log.txt in [your M2TW directory]\mods\EBII\logs\ - we will need this log any time you report an error. No log, no resolution, for the most part.

Report your errors in the EB Bug Reports and Technical Help forum, not in this thread.

10. It's highly recommended that you play with windowed, borderless mode - this both improves campaign performance and increases stability too. In the same config file as above, ensure these values:

Code:

[video]
windowed = 1
borderless_window = 1

If "1" doesn't work, try "true" instead. Note you'll have to enter your native resolution in there to get a proper-sized window. You also need to ensure your medieval2.preferences.cfg doesn't have conflicting values.

Alternatively, we've bundled a windowed mode/fullscreen mode switcher program in with the installation, it looks thus:



All you should need to do is click the Windowed button.



Post-installation instructions

1. Note that the first time you run a campaign (or start a custom battle) it will take anywhere up to 5-10 minutes - it has not frozen. Be patient, let it finish.

2. If you interrupt the first campaign, you will break the map. Delete your map.rwm in [your M2TW directory]\mods\EBII\data\world\maps\base\, start a new game again, and WAIT. It only has to do this once.

3. We've bundled the Recruitment Viewer in with the installer; in order to use it, you need to ensure you have the latest version of Java installed.


Downloads

We host 2.2b here at moddb. You can download from the files section. Other sources are:

EBII v2.2 Download:
Torrent - installer version
Torrent - ZIP version
EB FTP (installer version)
EB FTP (no installer version)
Totalwar .Org FTP (installer)

If you have the means to host the files, please do so and share the link - I'll update this post with it.


Change List

The change list since 2.1b is pretty huge, given it's been six months of near-constant development since then. There have been 1904 logged changes since 21st December last year, some small, some huge as you'll see. At the summary level, please see the preview thread, which captures the essence of most of them.


Credits

These are the main team-members, past and present, who've been involved in making Europa Barbarorum II come to life:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

Special mentions also go to all the people who've been invaluable acting as playtesters in the long-running testing cycle. You've been tireless in finding bugs, checking things work, making suggestions and for a select group, seeding the mod so everyone can get it. Thank you.


And finally...

In closing - EBII is still not complete. We are not finished. We are somewhere past halfway now - what we still need, what we always need, are more willing volunteers. If you are a 3D artist able to work with 3DS Max, or a 2D artist who can work to instructions, we want you. If you have a knowledge in ancient history and a desire to contribute, we want you. If you are a scripter or coder, and have some familiarity with the files used here (compiled with C++ I believe), we want you. If you can proofread and edit XML files accurately, we want you. If you can playtest the ever-living crap out of a game, then do it all over again after a minor change, we want you. If you like the mod, and are eager to learn how to do something that can help to contribute, we want you. Applyhere.

As ever, thank you for your support and remember to read more history.

- The Europa Barbarorum II Team