Poll- Is this game running well for you (with pc that meets reqs)?

[darsmith]

I would just like to see how many people are affected by the poor programming of Civ 4. If a lot of people post in the thread maybe the developers can at least tell us if they know of the issues and if there will be a patch.

I believe the majority of problems come down to simple video card compatibility.

I am using the NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 and its a no go.

[Wildcat]

Runs well for me nothing major. IBM P4, 1gig mem, MSI fx5200.

[evizaer]

If i play on a map larger than standard, i encounter unplayable graphical and UI lag.

Specs:
3.06 GHz P4
1gig RAM
nVidia GeForce4 FX Go5700 128mb

[Electrius]

Same here... the Dell OEM GeForce FX 5200 (the card I have) seems to have problems generally. I would replace it, but there are money issues. There are pretty bad framerate issues. (Win2k, 3.2 gHz P4, 3.7GB)

[cribgod]

once i did the unpak i get no MAJOR probs, the occational crash and some lag with the options menu. several small probs but not enough to make me not enjoy the game.

xp+ 3200
radeon 9600 pro/256
512 corsair low latency ram

[asleepathewheel]

Game runs flawlessly on my Dell 9100:

Pentium D830
3GB RAM
nVidia GeForce 6800

It does slow slightly on Huge Terra maps, but that's no suprise.

[BleckLord]

Game crashes to desktop randomly (intervals range from ten minutes to about an hour). Its so bad I quicksave after every turn.

Performance/speed is top notch.

AMD Athlon 64 3000+ (socket 754)
1GB RAM
2 x 200GB Seagate SATA HDD
ATI 9600XT-VIO 265MB RAM
Soundblaster Audigy 2 ZS

[noptov52]

Game does not work for me. CTDs randomly, and does so at the same point after restoring from saved files.

[darsmith]

My whole point with this thread is to see how many people do and dont have problems.

In my mind a finished and well tested piece of software should work on 100% of the users who meet the reqs. I have never heard of software being released where a substantial portion of people who bought it actually DID have problems. Really, as with most software, there should be very few... and of those most should be more isolated one-off type problems.

[Grandpa Troll]

works well with me a few issues nothing major no CTD's

AMD 64 Bit
processor 3400+ processor

1 gig RAM DDR

Radeon X800 PRO 256 Bit graphics

Moron behind keyboard

[Raion]

The ingame videos and the opening movie has the sound cutting in and out. Other than that when I go to the Settings the game was installed with (which is only 1024 x 768 mode) it runs mostly okay, and I do think that the game needs a patch for the sound. If I change modes or enable antialiasing (2x of 4x when it originally is set to '0') then the game gets really laggy and perhaps a better graphics card is needed.
I see in the Options under the Graphics that a 'Single Unit' can be shown and that I like instead of the 'three' it usually shows. Also I have played around with some other settings there and are trying them out. That might include no animation and effects whatever they are, but right now, I think I will un-install it and re-install it, then change those settings again, especially the 'single unit' only showing since that is the way that other Civ games have been!

However the opening video portion moves right along but I accidently only played with one player the first game (myself) and I know the ending since in three turns I won a Conquest Victory had the same sound problem of cutting and out as the opening movie. Otherwise the video part was moving right along, and I think that 'single unit' only showing will improve the game speed. Otherwise, setting the resolution must be done on the Opening Main Menu Screen, as when I tried it in the game, that did not work. But for now, I will only use 1024 x 768, but since all resolutions mainly look the same anyway, a simple scrolling the middle mouse wheel will zoom in or out, and then mainly the standard starting zoom is better to see all things, but I will have to get use to it, but zooming in or out (I think Page Up and Page Down can also be used) will have me playing with no major problems except for the sound in the ingame and opening video (s).

That I can do nothing about since I have the only drivers from Creative with my Live! card that have been updated, and any other game, the sound is fine!

Including Pirates!

On my FX5200, I have the standard game type settings in the Performance and whatever Settings of the Nvidia tab of the video -- FX 5200 tab whatever it's full title is there in the Advanced button of the video properties.

That is:
Image Quality -- set to -- High Performance (like for other games) and everything else there, Antialiasing, Isotrophic Filtering, and Vertical Sync -- set to --- Application Controlled!

The only mode the game works in and I am on a large map (Terra) but still at the beginning of the game for me will be 1024 x 768 until I get a better (newer) graphics card for my PCI 2.0 Slot computer!

The sound is my main issue, and that can not be solved whether I set Full Acceleration (like I usually set it at with the sound card) or No Acceleration.

So, turning off some graphics options and only using the 'Single Unit' settings in the Options Graphics is the way I will go, since my FX 5200 Geforce is slightly less than Recommended (at the website for Gamespy which had a program to test my computer with).

Otherwise I have 512mB of memory and a 1.8gHz Celeron to run with.

I seen one game listed over at Nvidia ( maybe Everquest in the readme file that was really intensive with needing 1.5mB or more of memory but that is not Civ IV while reading some other issues with games that needed a patch for those other games) when downloaded some older drivers there that I use to use, but still am using the 78.01 drivers, but there is really nothing new with those drivers for they are the same as the 77.77 drivers for my video card (under Archive) and I have not downloaded the newest drivers -- 81.85 or whatever the version is!

Otherwise no crashes to desktop or anything but I have not played that far into the game.

I am pretty sure the game needs a patch, maybe it has to do with the copy protection put on, or whatever, or just the game needs a patch.

Major issue so far, is the sound cutting in and out on ingame and opening videos!


I have tried different things but I think mainly the game really needs a patch.
As I know there is some other issues inside the game's Option screen and Saved Games can not be 'Deleted' or removed and some other things there I would like to see.

If you want to Delete Saved games the only way to do that is quiting the game and deleting the files in Explorer. Plus making a new Folder to save games in, is not also included, if I wanted to.

So that is about it with the game for me!

unless I find more, but that will take more time!

[Raion]

Also when a game is loaded up, the player may have to wait up to what seems like a couple of minutes after the 'Done' is shown to actually have it start, but it will load up the game and all of that, but the player will have to be patient about that!

I also copied the Saved game folder in the My Documents/Sid Meier's Civilization IV/ (all of it)
to the logical drive where I plan to put my Saved games, and changed the folder (found it when loading up the saved game) and had no problem with changing the folder to show the Saved game.

It also mentions this in the Read.htm file, but I have no idea what it means, since there is only a few files under the Miles folder and there does not seem to be a default setting for sound, only starting with Mono, Stereo, on down the list there.

>>>>>>>>>>>>
If you are experiencing sound problems, including volume issues, missing audio channels (i.e., no sound comes through your center speaker channel), crashes, or any other audio issues, we recommend switching your sound driver to the default MILES Fast 2D Driver.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<

I have not checked at RAD Game Tools to see if there is anything to download there, yet, but I have no idea what a Miles Fast 2D Driver is, let alone can find it, although, it seems like I rather use my Live! Creative Drivers that work with other games and all of that!

I just take it that the game needs a patch for the cutting in and out of the sound during the running of the videos, since the mp3 files seem to appear to be okay!

Plus I am not sure if I am getting songs during the game either, but have not played enough to actually know, if that is a problem or not yet! (if there is in-game songs that are suppose to play -- like just music!)

???

[Garwoofoo]

I have major sound skipping in wonder movies. And a weird thing on the opening movie, where it seems to slow down to half the frame rate for about three seconds out of every thirty seconds or so, but otherwise plays fine.

I'm reasonably happy. The game plays well for me, and I've had worse problems with other releases. It's definitely less bugged than Civ 3 was at launch, anyway.

P4 2.6 GHz
1GB RAM
GeForce FX 5900 Ultra
SoundMAX Integrated Digital Audio

[ledhed]

It runs fine until I get into the mid to late portion of the game , then it slows down and becomes frustratingly unplayable . The problem seems to be with the diplomacy screen and the wonder movies . Its a 3 minute wait while the game figures out what its up to at the end of every turn ..then more lag as it searches for its next move. Its driving me batty .

[baldingbrute]

the game works on my compaq celeron... i've been able to play it with the world builder fix with out to many problems. I bought this computer in 2000 and it really sucks, i dont even have an upgraded graphics card.