TECHNICAL FAQS
• When posting your issues please respect the following:
one thread per issue and per player.
• You will find below, a list of all our FAQs.

•
Tries to download the full game via steam instead of disc
•
Crash on start/splash after installing a mod
•
Where are my saves located?
(NB. Helping or sharing your thoughts with the OP is welcome but if reporting your issue please post in a new thread, unless asked otherwise by CA staff or Moderators.)
RII FAQ list- FAQ I - Possible solution for AMD FX BIOS Issue
- FAQ II - OROCHI-CEG WORKAROUND
- FAQ III - Lobotomy solutions for crashes and other types of graphical artifacting
- FAQ IV - Setting a preferred Graphics processor for Rome II with AMD
- FAQ V - Setting a preferred Graphics processor for Rome II with Nvidia
- FAQ VI - How to verify you have no mods and uninstall them
- FAQ VII - Low Resolution Texture when running on Extreme
- FAQ VIII - Updating your Graphics Drivers
- FAQ IX - Graphics issues? Graphics card's self-diagnostic!
- FAQ X - Verifying the Game's Cache Integrity
- FAQ XI - Game crashes/won't work/launch: a list of solutions
- FAQ XII - I have issues setting up my graphic options in game
- FAQ XIII - Issues launching the game
https://help.sega.com/home
http://wiki.totalwar.com/w/Main_Page
These forums are moderated by community volunteers.
Comments
You can find the DirectX Diagnostic tool by simply searching for 'dxdiag' in Windows 7 & 8 via the Start Menu.
Alternatively you can open it via the Run box (Windows Key + R) by entering "dxdiag".
Then click the Save All Information button, open the text file you saved and copy/paste the contents in your thread. You can omit information after the DirectX Filters section to reduce the size of your post.
(Please use the [code] tags - The "#" in the advance editing tools)
NB. If unable to post your DxDiag in one post, you are allowed to make a "double post".
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0 · LikeAMD FX BIOS Issue:
Background
Many FX motherboards were released with a Bios (particularly for those before December of 2011/ January of 2012) that did NOT include an important patch to prevent issues with certain Steam games including Shogun2 and Rome 2. YOU need to be certain you have a bios that contains the updated (usually a beta solution of orochi) patch.
Patches began to show up in December of 2011, although most but possibly not all motherboard-makers' updated bios' released after February or March of 2012, should contain this repair. As it was first identified in November 2011, obviously a bios dated Nov. 2011 or before is going to be a problem.
Possible Symptoms
This particularly impacts multi-threading and core-parking which can cause FX processors to grossly underperform in some cases. It can also cause stopping at the loading screen as well as rebooting the system or Crashing issues. This is not an exhaustive list of possible issues.
AMD link describing some symptoms with some MoBo links
http://support.amd.com/us/kbarticles/Pages/STEAMGamesonAMDFXplatforms.aspx
Solution
1)Go to your motherboard makers site.
2)Go to the motherboards section, then your motherboard's page, downloads
3)Identify the latest updated Bios. If it is ON or BEFORE NOV 2011, you need to contact your motherboard maker's support service to get them to email you a bios with the patch. If they cannot or will not respond, the Orochi-Ceg workaround in FAQ II below may help you if you choose it.
4)Install the updated bios following your Motherboard maker's instructions.
(It is important to know you must follow the instructions carefully and that incorrect execution of directions can cause unwelcomed results up to and inclusive of disabling your motherboard permanently. This board, its volunteers and CA are not reposnsible for your decision to use or not use this suggestion, and any risk you take is your own).
Windows has advised that, in addition, you may want to follow and perform BOTH of these hotfixes if you have an FX processor AND Windows 7 and feel this may be a problem you are facing:
1)Fix the multi threading
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2645594
2)Fix the core parking
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2646060
3) These may not work if you do not have a Bios that includes the patch discussed above.
If this fix is not possible because you cannot receive a patched bios or you want to try a temporary solution until you receive one, move to FAQ II below.
“Every so often things happen that can’t be rationalized in a conventional way. People wanna know their government has a response. I am that response.”
― Kent Mansley (in "Iron Giant")
For most general problems, for which you have no idea of the culprit, your first port of call should be:
https://support.sega.co.uk/hc/en-us/categories/200307381-Total-War-Support
If you are aware of a bug or a specific issue for which you know the cause, post in the support section for the specific title on our forums. ~Al
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0 · LikeOROCHI-CEG WORKAROUND
Orochi CEG Fix for FX CPUs without a Bios update to fix FX issues with Steam games: Some FX based systems are likely to BSOD or show other symptoms on startup including rebooting and or other behavior that prevents the user from accessing the game or accessing it reliably.
This fix is not official and cannot replace a permanent Bios update from your motherboards' maker, which in all cases you should insist upon and should eventually receive. This is only a temporary and generalized code, and while it has had generally good results, it may not work in all cases, nor are we in any way responsible for your use of it.
A temporary fix until you can get a bios update from your maker (if you can) is to use the Orochi CEG workaround. A poster on Xtremesystems wrote a fix that is the basis for most of the betas out there that fix the problem. It DOES have to be reloaded at every boot up, but if you read the whole thread, you will see some smartguys figured out a way to have it auto reload on startup every time.
Take a look at this site, read the ENTIRE first post and then decide whether you want to go through the rest of the thread (ignoring posters like Pad)
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?276698-A-fix-for-Valve-CEG-games-causing-BSOD-on-Bulldozer-issue
and then use this list of sites to get the program (the list is in post number 88).
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?276698-A-fix-for-Valve-CEG-games-causing-BSOD-on-Bulldozer-issue/page4
“Every so often things happen that can’t be rationalized in a conventional way. People wanna know their government has a response. I am that response.”
― Kent Mansley (in "Iron Giant")
For most general problems, for which you have no idea of the culprit, your first port of call should be:
https://support.sega.co.uk/hc/en-us/categories/200307381-Total-War-Support
If you are aware of a bug or a specific issue for which you know the cause, post in the support section for the specific title on our forums. ~Al
https://forums.totalwar.com/discussion/172193/forum-terms-and-conditions#latest
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0 · LikeThe "Appian Way Shuffle"
(Nicks "limited lobotomy" or alternate 'Full Lobotomy': and "Redist. Reruns" together!)
Some behavior including Freezing at Launcher or Title, crashing and other types of graphical artifacting may be solved by elimintating some basic Rome 2 Appdata files, and the Steam files that may be telling R2 that everything is hunkey-dorey when it isn't!
This is the 'lobotomy light' form of simply wiping the entire Steam R2 folder so eliminates the seperate step of having to save savegame files elsewhere. If you use the extreme form and erase the entire folder, you will want to probably save your savegames elsewhere and copy them back once the repair is done.
(Keep in mind that you should have User Account Control OFF or you may run into some problems )
Step 1)
LIGHT LOBOTOMY
Try going to C:\Users\YOURUSERNAME\AppData\Roaming\The Creative Assembly\Rome2 and delete the following folders:
army_setups
battle_preferences
fx_cache
ui_cache
Scripts
FULL LOBOTOMY
Delete entire R2 folder
(If you cant find Appdata or the R2 files, they may be hidden and Ctrl+F and search should find them. ALternatively you an go to contorl panel and globally make all files visible.)
Step 2
Exit Steam, then go to C:\PROGRAM FILES (X86)\STEAM and delete the following:
APPUPDATESTATS.BLOB
CLIENTREGISTRY.BLOB
(newer OSs may not have one of these files).
Step 3
Reboot, restart steam and let it rebuild its files (which it will). Now right click on your game in the Steam Library list. Choose 'Properties'>'Local Files'>'Verify Cache Files' This may take a few moments.
See if you can play when complete. If not proceed with the next step.
Step 4
Now,
Go to the following directory:
- C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Total War Rome II\redist
Here you will find these files:
---vcredist_x86-80-sp1.exe
---vcredist_x86-90.exe
---vcredist_x86-100-sp1.exe
(These will show an option to reinstall or repair, although one of them 86-90 may not show anything, this is normal.)
Step 5
Then, go next door to C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Total War Rome II\redist\directx
INSTALL DXSETUP.exe
Step 6
Reboot.
Then restart Steam (it will update) and now verify cache files for Rome2 again. Play.
“Every so often things happen that can’t be rationalized in a conventional way. People wanna know their government has a response. I am that response.”
― Kent Mansley (in "Iron Giant")
For most general problems, for which you have no idea of the culprit, your first port of call should be:
https://support.sega.co.uk/hc/en-us/categories/200307381-Total-War-Support
If you are aware of a bug or a specific issue for which you know the cause, post in the support section for the specific title on our forums. ~Al
https://forums.totalwar.com/discussion/172193/forum-terms-and-conditions#latest
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0 · LikeTo set a preferred graphics processor for Rome II, using AMD Switchable Graphics Technology:
1. Ensure that you have the latest GPU drivers from either your Laptop’s manufacturer’s official website or AMD’s website.
2. Right-click on the desktop and select ‘Configure Switchable Graphics.’
3. Once the Catalyst Control Center has launched, look for ‘rome2.exe’ in the Recent Applications list. If it is not there, either launch Rome II then return to the Switchable Graphics menu, or select ‘Browse,’ and navigate to your Rome II Steam App folder (commonly “C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Total War Rome II”) and select Rome2.exe.
4. To the right of Rome2.exe in the Switchable Graphics menu there should be a button saying ‘Not Assigned.’ Left click on it to cycle through the options, which are ‘Power-Saving,’ and ‘High Performance.’
a. The Power-saving option makes use of the more Integrated GPU, and High Performance uses your higher performance AMD discrete GPU. Select whichever one you prefer.
5. Once you have selected your preference, click ‘Apply’ in the bottom right corner to confirm & apply.
Also please connect your AC power cable to your laptop.
Some laptop computers will not run with the second more powerful discrete graphics card unless connected to the mains AC.
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0 · LikeTo set a preferred Graphics processor for Rome II, using Nvidia' Control Panel:
1. Ensure that you have the latest GPU drivers from either your Laptop’s manufacturer’s official website or Nvidia’s website.
2. Right click on the desktop and select ‘NVIDIA Control Panel’ Then click ‘Manage 3D Settings’ (on the left hand side).
3. Once the Manage 3D Settings page has launched, look for ‘rome2.exe’ in the drop-down box underneath “1. Select a program to customize” and left-click on it. If it is not listed, either launch Rome II then return to the 3D Settings menu, or select ‘Add’, then ‘Browse’ and navigate to your Rome II Steam App folder (commonly “C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Total War Rome II”) and select Rome2.exe.
4. Under ‘2. Select the preferred graphics processor for this program’ select the GPU you wish to use to run the game (For the best performance but higher power-consumption, select High-Performance NVIDIA processor).
5. Once you have selected your preference, click ‘Apply’ in the bottom right corner to confirm & apply..
Also please connect your AC power cable to your laptop.
Some laptop computers will not run with the second more powerful discrete graphics card unless connected to the mains AC.
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0 · LikeIf your game is having issues and you have or may have modified the game in any ways (DLC are official updates of the games you can purchase and therefore are not counted as such a modification) this could be caused by this modification.
This can be through altering any game file yourself, or downloading a mod or subscribing to a mod on the steam works website.
If this is the case (or if unsure), could you please follow those steps please?
- If you have subscribed to mods through steam work, please follow the below troubleshooting first.
- Whether or not you had to follow the below troubleshooting, please uninstall completely the game. (Please copy all your important saved games to a “My documents” folder) IF YOU HAVE A SLOW CONNEXION READ THE NB AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST BEFORE UNINSTALLING.
- Verify that there are no Rome II files anywhere on your computer.
- Delete all remaining Rome II folders (apart for any saved game files you’ve saved in another folder – which is recommended to do).
- Reinstall the game.
- Verify the game's cache integrity (To do so:
- right click on the game
- click on properties
- select the local folder tab
- click on verify the game cache integrity button)
[/LIST][LIST=2]
If you subscribed to a mod via the steam workshop, steam will automatically download the mod and updates when the mod creator makes them available.
If you have manually deleted the mod files from your Rome 2 directory (or just performed a fresh install), but haven't unsubscribed from the workshop, these files will automatically be downloaded again.
This may give you the impression you have a clean, mod-free install when it isn't the case.
You can find a list of mods you are currently subscribed to by doing the following:
In order to ensure you have cleanly and correctly uninstalled workshop mods, press the 'Unsubscribe' button next to any mods you have installed.
This should cause steam to remove the mod from your game.
It is worth verifying the game cache again after doing this, to make sure all files are correct and up-to-date.
Your existing saved game is dependent on the mods you presently have installed, so you will have to start a new campaign after doing this.
If you are worried about being unable to find mods again after unsubscribing to them, you can click the 'Favourite' button on the mod in the steam workshop. This will add mods to your favourites list so that you can find them again at a later date.
If performing these steps above causes your issues to be fixed then it is almost certainly the mods which are causing instability for you, so it might be best to either update them after every new patch if the new version is compatible with the newest patch or stop using them in the future if it isn't updated and compatible with the latest live patch.
If this issue is ongoing, please create a new thread to report it by adding your DxDiag and when possible, the latest mdmp file. (Please ensure that it is the mdmp file that was created for you crash and not for a previous crash, build number and date is given in the mdmp file name.)
NB.: If your connexion is too slow to download the whole game again you can try finding the mod files on your own. Asking the modder for guidance should be the first thing to do as we have no way to know what has been changed or added by the modder.
The second and last thing before having to follow the normal process as described above, is to find files that seem to be mod related (because of its name for example.)
Don’t forget to continue from after the reinstalling the game part of this FAQ.
If you haven’t been able to uninstall all mods then you will need to uninstall the game and follow this FAQ from there on.
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0 · LikeLow Resolution Texture when running on Extreme
You can force an override by ticking the unlimited video memory tick box in the advanced graphics settings however this may impact performance.
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0 · LikeHow to update my Graphics drivers:
b) Or if you feel more comfortable you can use the "Option 1: Manually find drivers for my NVIDIA products."
c)You can find all the needed information in your DxDiag.txt in the following sections:
b) For more experiences users you might prefer use the following information:
c) Desktop AMD users you can also choose to go http://support.amd.com/en-us/download/desktop?os=Windows%207%20-%2064 Please read f) to find your laptop configuration.
d) You have to look for your graphics card name as it may have specific drivers you will need to install and might not be the first download link.
e) to identify what is your graphics card, please read the top part of the following section of your DxDiag:
b) For more experiences users you might prefer use the following information:
a) Regarding the "1. Select a product family", choose Graphics
b) You can find all the needed information in your DxDiag.txt in the following sections:
If you are having issues with your graphics card please visit this FAQ first.
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0 · LikeHow can I troubleshoot my graphics issues myself?
(Or performance possibly linked to my graphics issues.)
Please follow the step by step guide that should help you.
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0 · LikeHow can I Verify the Integrity of my game's cache?
Follow these steps:
o In Steam select and right click on Total War Rome 2.
o Select Properties.
o Select the "Local Files" tab.
o Select "Verify Integrity Of Game Cache"
o Once this process is finished click Ok/Done.
o Exit and fully close Steam.
o Launch Steam.
o If you are automatically logged in to your account, please log out of your account.
o Log into your Steam account.
o Launch the game.
Why should I follow these steps?
The game's data can get corrupted for many reasons and in many ways. This will help clean and correct any missing or corrupted data detected by Steam.
This may not always work if you have mods installed as some mods may corrupt data if not updated to be compatible with the latest patch. For more information regarding mods, please visit FAQ VI.
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0 · LikePlease click here if you are having the folllowing issue: My Game won't launch / launcher issues
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0 · LikeIf the game crashes when you try changing one of your graphics option you can change these manually.
To do so you will need to manually change information in the preference.script file. In order to ensure this is done properly please follow the below instructions:
DISCLAIMER: Before changing any files from your game, your game should be shut down completely.
You will first need to find the preference.script file:
To get your preferences.script.txt:
Once you have opened the preference.script file (It’s a text file) you need to change the right line to change the graphics setting you wanted to change:
DISCLAIMER: if you want to test any changes in this file, please make a copy of it before changing anything as The Creative Assembly cannot be held responsible for any issues caused if you modify game files.
- To change the game’s screen resolution:
- To change from full screen to window mode or vice versa:
- To change the unlimited Video Memory option:
- Find the following line:
- Change the “True” to “False” to deactivate the Unlimited Video Memory option, or set it to true to activate it. (Write False or True instead of the opposite.)
- Press at the same time the “Ctrl” and “S” buttons of your keyboard to save this file.
- Close the file and launch the game to verify it worked as intended.
Please bear in mind that deactivating this option might secretly downgrade your graphics settings. IF the graphics do not live up to your expectancy try running the game with the unlimited video memory option activated.- To change the V-sync option:
If you are experiencing any issues with your graphics settings after reading this, please post a new thread (or continue your existing thread) and give as much information, including which part of this FAQ you followed and post your DxDiag as well.
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0 · LikeIf you are having issues to launch the game please follow these solutions:
1) Run the game as administrator:
To do so:
2) Check your preference.script file
If you are missing your preference script even though you did play the game previously at some point and the game won't launch please copy paste the below preference script text into a basic text file (notepad) and save this text file into the following folder with the Unicode incoding*: scripts in the Rome2 folder.
To find it:
To save your file with the Unicode encoding please do as follow:
Here is the preference text to copy/paste:
3) Other Solutions:
If all these fail could you please follow FAQ XI, as this has more troubleshooting steps that should help you out.
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0 · Like