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**Sheik** · October 14, 2002, 15:55

Could be XP related but I doubt it.

Go into your civ3 folder and right clikc on the .exe file selecting properties. Then go to to the compatibility tab and selct run this program in compatibility mode for... Try Windows 98 or 95.

**zeh** · October 15, 2002, 10:22

You could try get the latest drivers for your graphic card.
This apper be atypical problem with a video card configuration problem. Generaly the newest drivers correct this kind of problem.

**chanser69** · October 15, 2002, 11:34

I got the latest version as of 3 days ago and I tried compatibility mode like you said and it still didn't work. When in the menu area... if i press Enter then i go to the new game in which there is all the buttons and map type choices etc. But there is no text at all whatsoever... and the same on the next screen where you choose your civilization... the grahpics all work but there is no text. So I start the game and it says it cannot initialize the direct draw buffer or something like that and then it closes the program.

It doesn't really matter though, I just borrowed my friends game to try it out, I think it may have something to do with my computer not knowing how to read Russian although I choose English... but anyways I'm going out and buying the regular English version today and that should probably solve my problem. Thank you for your help.

**Ethelred** · October 15, 2002, 11:56

Originally posted by chanser69
I got the latest version as of 3 days ago and I tried compatibility mode like you said and it still didn't work.

Turn off the compatibility mode. The game should run fine without it.

There is no menu after the opening menu. Just hit a key and you should get main menu.

When in the menu area... if i press Enter then i go to the new game in which there is all the buttons and map type choices etc. But there is no text at all whatsoever...

Now that is a problem. Why did you get a russian-english version in the first place. Where did you get one? You do a have a Canadian flag next to your avatar after all.

and the same on the next screen where you choose your civilization... the grahpics all work but there is no text. So I start the game and it says it cannot initialize the direct draw buffer or something like that and then it closes the program.

Update your graphic drivers or maybe its the peculiar version of the game you have.

but anyways I'm going out and buying the regular English version today and that should probably solve my problem. Thank you for your help.

Most likely that will solve the problem. For one thing you will be able to install the 1.29f patch. You may still need to update your graphic card drivers. The drivers that come with XP just aren't very good and they are old.

**chanser69** · October 15, 2002, 20:15

I guess you didn't read properly... i said I updated my video drivers 3 days ago. And pressing keys doesn't do anything... i have tried most of the keys and the only one that does anything is Enter and that is just like clicking on new game (which i can't do because it is not even there to click on... and yes I have tried clicking the empty space where it should be and nothing happens... its like clicking an image... nothing happens) as for the Russian-English version it is my friends... and i don't have a clue how he got it... I am borrowing it to see if the game is any good.

**Ethelred** · October 16, 2002, 00:13

Originally posted by chanser69
I guess you didn't read properly... i said I updated my video drivers 3 days ago.

I think I read properly. You said.

I got the latest version as of 3 days ago

Which I assumed meant you got the 1.29f patch for civ. You didn't mention your video drivers or I would have thought otherwise. Usually anyway. Sometimes I don't read perfectly.

as for the Russian-English version it is my friends... and i don't have a clue how he got it... I am borrowing it to see if the game is any good.

Its odd, to say the least, that it is in Canada. I would guess the problem could be that was not a legal copy but I have no way to know. Just mentioning it as a possibility since I haven't seen the disk.

If you are going to buy the game you want to be sure you clean out the old install completely. Maybe even use Regedit but only if you are experienced with it. Most likely uninstalling and deleting the Civ III folder will do the trick.

**chanser69** · October 16, 2002, 00:31

no worries... lets not make anything out of it :P

yeah your right it could be illegal... and I am already one step ahead of you

thats already done.

**chanser69** · October 17, 2002, 00:57

ok I went out and bought it for myself... and strangely enough... the problem is still there!!

I don't know what is causing it... although I assume it is related to the only error message I get and that is just after it loads in the world... just as it give me control of the first settler.... it says "Fatal Error.... Unable to allocate draw-buffer; terminating program."

and it said that before too. I had already updated my video drivers through windows update but I went to nvidia.com (I have a riva tnt 2) and downloaded an update and ran it... but i need to reboot... but I'm kinda on an uptime record hehe... 2 weeks and 3 hours so far

. So when my comp screws up i will reboot and find out if that helps. Does anybody have any other ideas that don't require a reboot in the meantime?

Thanks in advance.

**chanser69** · October 17, 2002, 01:02

oh yeah ... one other thing... which I don't know if it has significance... even though there is no menu... pressing enter has the same effect on clicking on the default choice (start new game) which takes me to the world customization screen in which there is no text... but there is buttons and pictures of what the world looks like (in other words... no way to tell what the buttons represent)... pressing enter or clicking on the circular button at the bottom takes me to the next screen... the civilization customization screen... which there is also no text... but there is buttons and graphics... including the nice 3d civ leader... also no way of telling what the buttons represent... but this is the weird thing... if I press enter which would start the game... it crashes with "Civilization 3 has encountered an error and needs to be closed"... if the button is clicked it enters the game and has the draw-buffer error... lose-lose situation lol. But I don't understand why a diferent crash. I can also provide screenshots of all of this if neccesary... just let me know.

**Ethelred** · October 17, 2002, 02:01

Originally posted by chanser69
I don't know what is causing it...

I think I do.

I had already updated my video drivers through windows update

That is likely the cause. Those drivers aren't the Detonators but a subset of the full Nvidia drivers and often old.

but I went to nvidia.com (I have a riva tnt 2) and downloaded an update and ran it... but i need to reboot... but I'm kinda on an uptime record hehe... 2 weeks and 3 hours so far

. So when my comp screws up i will reboot and find out if that helps. Does anybody have any other ideas that don't require a reboot in the meantime?

Thanks in advance.

Reboot. You won't find the answer otherwise. Maybe you could even mess up the install if it crashes hard enough.

**chanser69** · October 17, 2002, 02:34

ok i will try rebooting and get back to you... thanks

**chanser69** · October 17, 2002, 11:29

hahahhahahahaahaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah aahhahahaahahaahahaahahaahahahahhaahahahahahhahaha hahahahahahahahahhaahhahahaha

lol
lmao

it worked :P
how stupid am i?

thanks. Although you should put somewhere that if your menu doesn't show and your text is not there... then you need to update your drivers... and not by windows update. Thanks for your help Ethelred. Bye for now.

**chanser69** · February 15, 2003, 02:30

ok kinda a weird update to this.... i've completely reinstalled my comp since.... anyways... i installed Civ3 again... and this problem didn't come up... then I installed PTW and i've had a problem with it (you can check my posts to find it out)... so in an attempt to fix the problem i am completely reinstalling the game... so when I went to reinstall civ3... the menu is missing again!.... i know how to fix it of course... but why wouldn't the problem come up the first time i installed it? Very strange. thought you guys may find that interesting

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