A look at temporary freezes and CTDs (that I get anyhow).

[Marko Polo]

Re: A look at temporary freezes and CTDs (that I get anyhow).

Originally posted by Drachasor
3. I unpacked all of the art files into the custom directory. Then I deleted the Interface folder (keeping it inexplicably made the game crash on any load or new game--I also deleted the camera folder, though I am not sure if it was causing a problem).

Thanks Drachasor for explaining the unpak procedure. I did that but now I'm puzzled about deleting folders.

Under customassets there is art subfolder that contains "interface" and "cameras" subfolders. Should I delete those? There is "interface" folder also under "xml" folder. How about that?

[Drachasor]

You just need to delete the main one under custom\art, you don't have to worry about the \art\art one or the xml one. I don't think the camera folder caused problems, but I don't really remember. You can delete that too to be safe.

I find it really weird how the game crashes if you don't delete that interface folder -- for me it crashed whenever you tried to start or load a game. Something odd there.

-Drachasor

[tai4ji2x]

wait, there's also an "interface" folder in the games' assets/art/ folder (not the one in "my documents/.../customassets/). should that be deleted as well?

[tai4ji2x]

oh, and does changing the "Disable PAK memory mapping (May affect performance)" from 0 to 1 mean that we don't have to move/delete the original pak files in assets folder? (this was what was supposed to be done for the ATI fix published at http://www.2kgames.com/civ4/support_ati.htm. i had never used that fix, so i wouldn't know, but if i do that now with your fixes, the game will crash)

[Drachasor]

You don't need to move the asset files.

Only the main interface folder under custom assets needs to be moved. The subdirectory in the art folder is fine. This is only because not moving/deleting that one directory seems to make the game crashing when starting or loading a game.

-Drachasor

[dango]

hi m8
forgive my ignorence but where do you put the ini file

[Vlad Antlerkov]

Originally posted by dango
hi m8
forgive my ignorence but where do you put the ini file

There are two *.ini files. One of them is in My Documents/My Games/Sid Meier's Civilization 4/; the other is in Program Files/Firaxis Games/Sid Meier's Civilization 4/. The one Drachasor mentions as containing "Sync input to smooth interface" is the latter.

[Drachasor]

Actually there's no ini in the firaxis\civilizationiv folder, but there is a shortcut to the ini.

-Drachasor

[tai4ji2x]

k thnx. so far seems to have reduced but not eliminated my crashes mid/lategame. too bad my savegame loading times and AI-turn times are still minutes long though...

EDIT: meh, just crashed several times again. oh well.

[Raion]

First, I don't understand on why you think you need 64-bit graphics drivers for the FX5200 graphics card. I am running that card, and using 78.01 drivers. Yes, the game slows down, on a large map so I am playing now a standard map, with 6 Civs. Simply put, you have probably 32-bit computer and using 64-bit drivers. Don't need it!
As for anything else, the game will take time sometimes, simply put, the technology is leaping ahead by leaps and bounds.

If the game slows down too much after the patch, then I will turn off animations and effects and other options, and try to tweak the CivilizationIV.ini file somewhat.

Perhaps a better statement is that the Civilization game has always made a point about the real Civilization and what you can expect out of your current computer.

That is a given. Deal with it, because some of what you post -- is not needed. What is needed perhaps is simply a better computer -- although a patch may help the Wonder Movies now, that do stutter and skip in sound.

But, I have not gotten far enough into the game to make it crash -- yes it will slow down, but if waiting then it will resume -- simply the computer is too slow, and perhaps another patch to make low-end computers play the game better is needed.

And FX5200 is below the recommended requirements and having other background tasks running at the same time -- all take memory -- and Civ IV takes a lot of memory in the late game -- that is just a given, and always will be that way -- whether anyone else compares it to this game or that game -- simply they are not using as much memory -- since there is so much in Civ IV that requires keeping memory and using memory for the entire game.

And I have never crashed the game - never, it just runs slow sometimes.

So most people I think having problems with their computer -- do not realizes that games as involved as Civ IV -- simply need more computer than is realized and running everything at the same time -- does not make the computer run -- and in fact most of the time -- it may even be Windows fault -- and a computer is not magic -- it just takes knowing what your computer is capable of.

The program - ZoneAlarm - conflicts with games as other Firewalls may -- and since I do not use any of that stuff -- I never crash. Yes, it may be needed if not playing a game or someone else said setting those items to know that Civ IV should be excluded from their checking, but even with XP - how many people turn off that automatic Checking program which Microsoft included to run all the time - - actually do that especially since it is with XP -- on all the time?
That only means that you are checking every program that runs -- according to Microsoft and if it spots an error then they are saying that the program is not programmed correctly -- when in fact -- they do not release enough info to program anything correctly and have been sited for it - by being dragged into a European Court about that!

Games use shortcuts to make them faster, because the OS is still the slowest thing around - and then people use other programs running in the background -- that make your computer even slower -- turn off processess that are not needed - and error checking is one that is not needed, because that is only according to Microsoft, and games can not run that way completely and make them really fast enough for the most part.

Luckly Windows 2000 Professional does not have all that crap added by Microsoft and uses the Drivers for XP and really is the initial release of parts of the OS being 64-bit OS system -- but you are running that OS on a 32-bit system -- and anything more you ain't got yet - as in a new computer that is fully 64-bit!

So knowing what is in your computer and how it runs probably will help -- avoid those CTD's.

Otherwise -- wait -- a few seconds -- there is only so much a game can do to not include everything -- the rest is up to the Operater of the computer, and admitting like I do that I do not have the latest greatest computer - comes first!

Then work around all of that by the Civilization IV. ini file if you do not like the speed of the game -- wait perhaps for another patch since the game is complex to begin with and probably more complex then any other game on the market, and then save your pennies and get a better computer.

Civilization games have always been always about the real Civilization -- always -- even when all the other versions of the game came out -- at the time!
And yes -- Civ II was also that way when it originally came out in 1997!

Thank you for your time!

[Drachasor]

While I am on XP now, the computer also crashed on 2000 when running Civ IV. Some people have noticed improvements with older drivers, and perhaps I'll try those, but the game also appears to be quite finicky. I know a fair bit of what I am doing around a computer; how to minimize the usage of other programs, etc. I went through such procedures and the game still crashed. So I started to look at other ways to solve the problem.

Just because the game doesn't crash on your system, doesn't mean you aren't just fortunate. A fresh install of windows on this system, with only the minimum drivers and other software needed, and only have Civ IV installed....still resulted in crashes.

So calm down and let people try to find solutions to the problems they are having, and consider that maybe it isn't their fault.

I'd also have you look at the game requirements again. Consider also that my card has 128 megs of video memory. Also, and look this up if you have to, try to bear in mind that the FX series does indeed support directx9. So in fact my system meets the "Recommended Requirements" of the game. In fact, it exceeds them.

-Drachasor

[feckhornet]

so does mine, and the point is that civilization is not the lated FPS on the block, it's a TBS game! I can run Half Life II on my machine just fine, with some of the high end graphics turned down a notch. However, I cannot run Civ IV at all, even with everything turned down or off and i wouldn't want to. This game is the problem, not my machine. I can accept slow, but crashes are down to the software, plain and simple.

[Tas Devil]

Originally posted by Raion
First, I don't understand on why you think you need 64-bit graphics drivers for the FX5200 graphics card. I am running that card, and using 78.01 drivers. Yes, the game slows down, on a large map so I am playing now a standard map, with 6 Civs. Simply put, you have probably 32-bit computer and using 64-bit drivers. Don't need it!
As for anything else, the game will take time sometimes, simply put, the technology is leaping ahead by leaps and bounds.

If the game slows down too much after the patch, then I will turn off animations and effects and other options, and try to tweak the CivilizationIV.ini file somewhat.

Perhaps a better statement is that the Civilization game has always made a point about the real Civilization and what you can expect out of your current computer.

That is a given. Deal with it, because some of what you post -- is not needed. What is needed perhaps is simply a better computer -- although a patch may help the Wonder Movies now, that do stutter and skip in sound.

But, I have not gotten far enough into the game to make it crash -- yes it will slow down, but if waiting then it will resume -- simply the computer is too slow, and perhaps another patch to make low-end computers play the game better is needed.

And FX5200 is below the recommended requirements and having other background tasks running at the same time -- all take memory -- and Civ IV takes a lot of memory in the late game -- that is just a given, and always will be that way -- whether anyone else compares it to this game or that game -- simply they are not using as much memory -- since there is so much in Civ IV that requires keeping memory and using memory for the entire game.

And I have never crashed the game - never, it just runs slow sometimes.

So most people I think having problems with their computer -- do not realizes that games as involved as Civ IV -- simply need more computer than is realized and running everything at the same time -- does not make the computer run -- and in fact most of the time -- it may even be Windows fault -- and a computer is not magic -- it just takes knowing what your computer is capable of.

The program - ZoneAlarm - conflicts with games as other Firewalls may -- and since I do not use any of that stuff -- I never crash. Yes, it may be needed if not playing a game or someone else said setting those items to know that Civ IV should be excluded from their checking, but even with XP - how many people turn off that automatic Checking program which Microsoft included to run all the time - - actually do that especially since it is with XP -- on all the time?
That only means that you are checking every program that runs -- according to Microsoft and if it spots an error then they are saying that the program is not programmed correctly -- when in fact -- they do not release enough info to program anything correctly and have been sited for it - by being dragged into a European Court about that!

Games use shortcuts to make them faster, because the OS is still the slowest thing around - and then people use other programs running in the background -- that make your computer even slower -- turn off processess that are not needed - and error checking is one that is not needed, because that is only according to Microsoft, and games can not run that way completely and make them really fast enough for the most part.

Luckly Windows 2000 Professional does not have all that crap added by Microsoft and uses the Drivers for XP and really is the initial release of parts of the OS being 64-bit OS system -- but you are running that OS on a 32-bit system -- and anything more you ain't got yet - as in a new computer that is fully 64-bit!

So knowing what is in your computer and how it runs probably will help -- avoid those CTD's.

Otherwise -- wait -- a few seconds -- there is only so much a game can do to not include everything -- the rest is up to the Operater of the computer, and admitting like I do that I do not have the latest greatest computer - comes first!

Then work around all of that by the Civilization IV. ini file if you do not like the speed of the game -- wait perhaps for another patch since the game is complex to begin with and probably more complex then any other game on the market, and then save your pennies and get a better computer.

Civilization games have always been always about the real Civilization -- always -- even when all the other versions of the game came out -- at the time!
And yes -- Civ II was also that way when it originally came out in 1997!

Thank you for your time!

perhaps now is a good time to take your head out of Sid's ass...

[Zydor]

There is a Major Memory issue in Civ IV. A fix has been produced that really does work. The thread is sprinting towards 32,000 hits at the time of this post - all in 4 Days!

Its not a dubious amateur hack. If you get CTDs - slow down - reboots - massive save files etc - go now to this thread, its put Firaxis to shame

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=146309

Regards
Zy

[tai4ji2x]

btw, even before harkonnen's patch, i seemed to have solved most of my issues with going back to omega drivers based on the 4.12 catalyst.