Game Performance and Memory Usage

[RedArmy]

When I run CTPII on Win2000 Professional, I found it consumes around 1.3MB physical RAM (not bad ), but around 163MB virtual memory ! And my machine is struggling to read/write hard disks, I always have to listen 2 or 3 minutes of hard disk noise to wait for AI finish their turns, and the game is only at its 100 turns.
My machine is PIII733 with 256MB physical RAM (always more than 200MB physical RAM free while I am playing the game), I don't understand why CTPII is so keen using virtual memory rather than physical memory.
Does anyone have the same issue? Or maybe it's all my own problem, but, where and how can I control this or improve this. I don't want to spend most of my game time watching AI thinking and the only motion thing on the screen is the little rainbow bar at the right hand corner.
Please advise if there is any thought.

[Dale]

I've had lots of problems with Win2K with memory management and virtual memory and memory leaks. This is with more than just CTP2, but heaps of software. I just simply reinstalled Win98 and did my usual stuff with it, and now once again I have absolutely no problems with any piece of software.

Once again, Microsoft have really outshone themselves in showing the world how useless a piece of their software can be.

[RedArmy]

Thanks Dale, fair comment, I mean for Microsoft.

[Darkknight]

I have a PIII633 laptop with 256mb RAM. I can't complain about CTP2 in my last game at 2080 Gigantic map 8 civs it took about a minute a turn.

[David Murray]

Oh dear. I have Windows 2000 on my 1GH processor, 192MB memory, 20GB hard disk laptop.

Haven't tried CTPII on my laptop yet. Do you have Service Pack 2?

[OmniGod]

I've just updated and running 13 civs on a 210x210 map at the year 2000 on a P4 1.7Ghz with 256RDRam is about 45 secs a turn with all civs still in the game. It's nice to have a little power, but I haven't tried with 20 civs... might be too much.

[ENGINEER]

I'm jealous Omnigod, do you like the P4 1.7's? I was thinking of buying one why it is cheaper. Where did you get yours. Any suggestions you wish you would have done or got? I can barely get to the 1700's with those # of civs on a giant map. Do you find the civ's are still smart (in Med Mod or Craddle) or are they dumb like orginally thought? (meaning more civs = less challege in strag.)

[Der PH]

I only have a Celeron 333 processor and 128 MB RAM. I'm actually playing a map nearly the size of the ultra-gigantic map from the Apolyton Pack and 25 civs.

Yesterday I arrived at about 700 BC and well, it's a little slow ... but it still works. Don't know how long a turn will take in the industrial or modern age. Think I will have enough time to have a cup of coffee or reading a newspaper article while the AI is tormenting my harddisc.

[OmniGod]

The 1.7 is really nice, and I got it as part of a barebones system and I just transferred some stuff from my old Aptiva p2 333. It was a good deal at 600 USD for the chip, board, 256 RD and case on Ebay. As for the playability, the computer is a little stupid still but nothing in comparison to the original. They build and attack which is nice. Still playing on impossible with full barbs, but at least with 13 civs I don't get to build all the wonders

Oh and Der PH... I did the same thing on my old system and it took 15 minutes per turn.... I went to the bathroom, cooked some food and watched some tv between turns.

[RedArmy]

Exactly what I am experiencing now --- 15 minutes for AI turn, (only 8 civs, on a 128 x 256 map), I can spred all my householding activities during the waiting periods, cooking, cleaning, having shower, reading newspaper and eye massaging You know the only thing amazed me was, no matter how only a turn AI takes and how painful my hard disk screams, the game never crashed itself So to say, although it's slow, it's still going ... ... ...
BTW, I don't feel much help from the Wonders, so I just left AI to build all of them, as long as I've seen all the mini movies

[Der PH]

Last night I arrived at about 300 BC and 5 minutes per turn was enough. It was a nice try, but I'm going to continue another game, which I interrupted for the mega map game. For this one I chose a smaller map (the original huge one) and only 20 civs (well, 19 actually, as I already wiped out the mongols and the two remaining Aztec cities should be a nice addition to my nation...).
I'm at the end of the industrial age and one turn takes less time than the maga game in 300 BC. Since there is no space left for any civ to expand until the discovery of underwater colonies, I hope the performance won't go down much more.

Regarding the wonders i disagree with you, Red Army. For example the rise in reputation with the AI civs, which you get from the empire state building (resp. the Statue of Liberty and the Forbidden City in MedMod2) is very useful at impossible level, because it's the only way I discovered to make the other civs stop hating me.
Or as another example I'm always getting a bit angry, when I don't get the movement bonus from the East India Company, because an AI civ completed it before me.

[mhaupert]

Long time, No turn.

I don't buy pc hardware any more since I have the standard digit-head trait of never being able to throw any piece of HW away. My very accomidating wife brings home demo equipment from vendors for extended use so I get what I get and I dont complain about the 0$ price tag. I'm currently on a MIP starvation diet with an IBM Pentium II laptop with one of these removable hard drives. I believe there is 32MB in there, but I'm in a minimal installation due to disk space limitation. I am currently enjoying a MM2 gigantic 20 civ battle royal at 500BC. It does take a good 2 to 5 min for a turn. It gives me time to do some house work, cooking or chores while playing. I'm one of those 'single minded-try to finish the whole game in one sitting-faster, Faster, FASTER!' type of civ-ers so this is most certainly a change of pace. And man, the game is fantastic. Never have I had a city get sacked, or a have balanced stack of AI wipe out my convoy of attackers like this game has. I could weep tears of joy.

Warning: old fart story to follow. This is nothing compared to when I used to play Civilization on an IBM PS2 Model 35. Oh boy, it was a 386SX with a 30mb hard drive and 4 mb of memory. It had Windows 3.0 on it and took 10 min to load. It was so bad with the hard drive I used to call it Rico Swappe'. Bad pun, I know, but it was topical at the time.

P.S. Hey OmniGod, It's friggen hot here in Philly, Stay in Canookland while you can. I'm originally from Minnesota and this weather is brutal!

[OmniGod]

No I'm sorta stuck here in Philly until the end of August... tg the AC at school works =)

[Sabre2th]

I have a P4 1.3 GHz running win2000 pro with sp2. I haven't played more than 100 turns or so, but the AI hardly takes any time at all.

(Huge map with 8 civs)

I'll try to remember to update this when I get farther along and I'll also try out with more civs. Maybe 16ish?