How to Install a 2d Copy of RTW

by SubRosa

Here is how to install a second copy of Rome: Total War. This is quite handy to have, as most people like to install mods and tweak their playing version, while most multi-player games require identical versions (Vanilla 1.5) in order to work properly. This guide tells how to have your cake and eat it too.

Open Windows Explorer and navigate to the folder that you want your new copy of RTW to reside within. I keep all my installations of RTW within a larger folder I simply named Rome, so this is where I will put the new copy for this example.

Move your mouse to the right-side window pane, and click once with the right mouse button. A drop-down box will pop up.

Move your mouse down to New.

Then over to folder, and click once with the left mouse button.

A new folder will appear on the screen, with the name “new folder” in highlighted text.

Type in the name of your new RTW folder. I will call this “Rome XGM”. Press Enter when you are done.

Now select your original copy of RTW with your mouse by left-clicking on it once.

Move your mouse to the right-side window pane and select the first folder listed (in my case this is Alexander).

Move your mouse over the very last file listed at the bottom of the window. Hold down the Shift key with one finger, and then select the file with a single left click. You will see it automatically selects all the files in the folder.

Now, with those files and folders still selected, move your mouse up to the menu bar on the left and click on Edit. A box of options will drop down.

Select Copy with a single left click. This will copy all the selected files and folders to memory.

Now move your mouse down to the new folder you created earlier, and select it with a single left mouse click.

Once again go up to the Menu Bar and click on Edit.

In the drop down box click on Paste. This will paste all the files and folders you selected from your original copy into this folder. This will take a while, even on a fast computer.

Now you have a second copy of Rome Total War. More to follow later.

Here is how to add a shortcut to play your new copy of RTW. If you just want a second copy of RTW for another mod that does not add a shortcut for you, this is how to do it yourself:

Select the file RomeTW.exe (or RomeTW-BI.exe if you want to play Barbarian Invasion).

Click on it with the right mouse button. An options box will pop up.

Move your mouse down to “Send To”. Another box will pop up along side the first one.

Move your mouse over to “Desktop (Create Shortcut)”, and click on it with your left mouse button.

Now go to your Desktop and you will see the new shortcut there.

To rename it something more descriptive, move your mouse over the shortcut and click once with the right mouse button. An options box will pop up.

Move your mouse down to “Rename”, and click on it once with the left mouse button.

You will see the text box under the shortcut changes color, and the text within is highlighted.

Type a new name. As soon as you start doing so it will automatically clear out the previous selection. I will call this “Rome Something Or Another”. When you are done press Enter.

Your shortcut is ready for you to play your new copy of RTW with.

Enjoy!