CtP1 FAQ

[Martin Gühmann]

Well I felt it is also time for a CTP1 FAQ. CTP2, SMAC and Civ3 have one, so why not CTP1 ...

ATTENTION: please read the rules in this post before posting here. Particularly rule #3 is violated too often (probably because this rule was apparently dropped in the Civ3 forum).

Rules of posting on this thread (mostly ripped from Locutus' CTP2 FAQ):
1) You must post a common question.
2) The subject could be anything CTP1 related
3) You must also post the answer to it. If you have a question that is not in this FAQ and you're looking for an answer, please post a new thread in which you ask the question, don't post your question here (if you do, it will be deleted, and (only) if you're lucky someone will repost it in a new thread for you and answer it there).
4) Each question must be numbered and unless you post an addition to an existing point (add the number of the point you're referring to if this is the case), you must post with a new number. So if #25 is the last question, you must number your point #26 (this makes for easy referring when someone asks the question outside this thread).
5) Corrections on the answers should not be made, only additions (e.g. dont try to correct other people, just add your perspective). (The best way to deal with incomplete/incorrect information is to email/PM the person who posted the question and discuss it privately - the person in question can edit his answer if needed).
6) Let's try and keep the answers fairly short, if it's a very 'big' subject with many different aspects or opinions, find/post a seperate thread about it and link to it from here.
7) This thread is for answering common questions, not for discussion! Irrelevant posts will be deleted without warning.

Since we're trying to help people locate the info they need fast (while relieving the regulars of having to answer the same questions over and over again), it's important that this thread remains relatively short (not *too* short of course, then it won't contain the info people need), otherwise it would take too much time to locate the info and people will start their own threads anyway. So rules #1 and #6 are particularly important.

A table of content will here added as soon as the FAQ grows.

[Martin Gühmann]

The first question and answers

Q1: How can I play with more then 8 civilisations?
A1: Just open your userprofile.txt in your ..\ctp_program\ctp\ directory. At the top of that file you find something like this: NumPlayers=9. Just change the number there to a number of your choice, and you can start a game with that number of players.

Note that you shouldn't change the number of opponents within the game from the game setup screen. CTP1 will crash if you try this. As far as I know it is not possible to play an Email game with more then the standart 8 players by this way.

The maximum number of players possible in CTP1 is 32.


Q2: What is the difference between players and civs?
A2: Players are all civs + the Barbarians. Therefore if you set (#1) NumPlayers=29 you will play against 27 opponents. (Barbarians + Yourself + 27 Opponents)


Q3: How can I place Tile Improvements (Terrain Improvements) like roads, farms, mines...?
A3: Just click on the hammer and you are in the TI menue. Land, Sea, Space and Terra are the available categories of TI. In order to place a TI you need enough PW and of course the enabling advance of the TI you whish to place. And finally the TI must be placed near or within the radius of one of your cities or in neighnourhood of one of your TI.


Q4: What is Public Works?
A4: PW are a certain amount of the total production of your Civ. How much PW you get depents on your empire/production size and of course on your PW tax setting. Settings between 0% and 100% are possible.


Q5: Why I need PW?
A5: You need PW to improve the surrounding of your cities, as every TI costs a certain amount of PW. Of course the prize and contruction time depents on the type and how modern a TI is.


Q6: Why is the PW system so much better than this settler/worker system of Civ1/2/3.
A6: The PW system is superior as it doesn't depents on units, espechially in games with huge empires it is a pain if you want to develope your empire well and you have to do it with 200 settlers, that slows down the game a lot as you have to move these units, give them orders to build this and that...


Q7: I downloaded a mod/scenario. Unfortunatly I have a non English version of CTP1. If I try to run the mod/scenario from, I get a bunch of error messages.
A7: As you have a non English version of CTP1, CTP1 can't find the language specific strings. In order to fix this just go into your main CTP1 directory for example my main CTP1 directory is called C:\Activision\CivCTP\, if I remember correctly the default installation directory is C:\Program Files\Activision\Civilisation-Call To Power\ (what a long name). There you find a subdirectory called \scenarios\ now find the subdirectory of your mod. For example the subdirectory of the ApolytonPack is called \Apolyton\. Every mod/scenario/map has its own subdirectory. Now find all the subfolders of the mod/scenario/map directory that is called \english\. Replace the name of all the \english\ directories by the name of your language directory. For example if you have a German version then you have to rename all the \english\ folders to \german\. If you have a French it is \french\ and so on. You can find the name of your language folder by taking a look into your ..\ctp_data\ folder.


Q8: Usually my CTP1/2 maps don't have icy terrain on the north and the south can this be fixed?
A8: Yes, but actual I am not content with the result you have will have climate zones with hard borders, but of corse you can try this and if you like the result you can keep it.

Open the userprofile.txt in your ..\ctp_program\ctp\ folder and find these lines:

MapPlugin0=dll\\map\\geometric.dll
MapPlugin1=dll\\map\\crater.dll
MapPlugin2=dll\\map\\plasma2.dll
MapPlugin3=dll\\map\\plasma2.dll

Replace the last MapPlugin so that it looks like this:

MapPlugin0=dll\\map\\geometric.dll
MapPlugin1=dll\\map\\crater.dll
MapPlugin2=dll\\map\\plasma2.dll
MapPlugin3=dll\\map\\fault.dll

[Maquiladora]

Q9 I have trade routes but some of them dont follow the lines of my roads and via across oceans instead, why?

A9 If you reset the trade route it will find the new path with the new roads and will often follow the roads now.

Well it was useful to me anyway.

[Frozzy]

Q10 How do I get PBEM for my CtP?

A10 You will need to download CtP patch 1.2 from www.activision.com . In addition to PBEM, you can get better Internet Play, a hotseat setting and other, game improving procedures.

[Martin Gühmann]

Q11: What is the hack patch?
A11: The hack patch fixes some stuff in CTP1 that was broken and was not coverd by the latest official CTP patch 1.2. It fixes some problems that occurs when you are playing scenarios and mods that uses the scenario file structure. That includes also just playing on a costumized map. Therefore I highly recommend it. You can find the CTP 1.21 Hack in the Apolyton directory.

Q12a: When I try to start a new MP game the game looks for game servers forever.
Q12b: When I try to start a new MP game the game finds a game server, but if I try to connect to that game server the game tries to connect to the game server forever.
A12: Two questions but the same answer: That is a well know bug caused by an out of date servers.dat file. This file can be found in your ..\ctp_program\ctp\ folder. You can find an up to date version in the Apolyton Directory. The file was created by the CivCTP.exe and can used with CTP2 as well, therefore don't wonder if you find it in the CTP2 secton of the Apolyton Directory.

[Andy Jackson]

Q13: How do I create my own really extensive maps that require more than one sitting to create, so that I can eventually use it in PBEM games?

A13: This essentially requires you to create your own scenario which is a bit more complicated than the program leads you to believe. It requires a bit of file cutting and pasting within the program. Follow this link for a detailed explanation of what to do:

http://www.geocities.com/jbtwuk/ACCTPSD.txt

[Protoss72000]

Q14: My citizens kept getting taken away by slavers! What do I do?

A14: Either build city walls or keep your own subversive units moving through your empire since they can see other subversive units.

Q15: Whats a subversive unit?

A15: Slavers,Clerics, and Abolitionist are subversive. They can only be seen by one of your own subversive units or if one of your units tries to move into a square a subversive unit occupies.

Q16: Whats an easy way to get slaves?

A16: Having a slaver in a stack of fast units is a good way to get slaves. Have your stack attack lone units/settlers etc., every battle the stack wins the slaver will take one slave.

[J Bytheway]

Q17: (Almost) all my cities were suddenly overtaken by the barbarians/another civ! What happened?

A17: This is almost certainly due to the cities revolting, probably because they are unhappy. There are several possible reasons why this will occur in many cities simultaneously:

1. You built the AI entity, and it revolted.
2. You suddenly expanded your empire (possibly because the AI entity revolted in another empire, and all the cities that revolted from them joined your empire, or just because you built/conquered many last turn) and now you are well over the city limit for your government, causing great unhappiness in your cities.
3. You have just emerged from the enforced celebration provided by the Egalitarian act, and while it was in effect your cities have become unhappy (probably due to a combination of the effects listed here).
4. You altered the sliders (wages, rations, workday) in such a fashion that it created great unhappiness, especially in your larger cities.
5. You ran out of gold, and as a result your wages were reduced, causing the same effect as in 4.
6. You lost your capital - possibly due to an attack, or to revolt, possibly induced by AI units such as Clerics / Televangelists / Subneural Ads. This will drastically increase the capital distance unhappiness in your other cities.

[Grandpa Troll]

Re: The first question and answers

Originally posted by Martin Gühmann
Q1: How can I play with more then 8 civilisations?
A1: Just open your userprofile.txt in your ..\ctp_program\ctp\ directory. At the top of that file you find something like this: NumPlayers=9. Just change the number there to a number of your choice, and you can start a game with that number of players.

Note that you shouldn't change the number of opponents within the game from the game setup screen. CTP1 will crash if you try this. As far as I know it is not possible to play an Email game with more then the standart 8 players by this way.

The maximum number of players possible in CTP1 is 32.


Q2: What is the difference between players and civs?
A2: Players are all civs + the Barbarians. Therefore if you set (#1) NumPlayers=29 you will play against 27 opponents. (Barbarians + Yourself + 27 Opponents)

Ok...I have a problem

I am trying to setup a lan game with myself..basically a single player game where I can play my rules my way via the Multiplayer setup screen.

I can alter the userprofile for making a 28 civ game via single player mode..

BUT I cant make it happen for a MP game.


Any suggestions?

Thanks

Grandpa Troll

[Martin Gühmann]

Re: Re: The first question and answers

Originally posted by Grandpa Troll
Ok...I have a problem

I am trying to setup a lan game with myself..basically a single player game where I can play my rules my way via the Multiplayer setup screen.

I can alter the userprofile for making a 28 civ game via single player mode..

BUT I cant make it happen for a MP game.


Any suggestions?

Thanks

Grandpa Troll

I remember I looked into it in CTP2 and I wasn't able to figure out how to start such a game with more than 8 players. Actual it is an interface issure and maybe something else, but I think they just took the interface from CTP1 and changed the appearance a little bit. For the 28 players I think this is a problem from CTP2 I just copied and pasted the question from there. In CTP1 you can have 32 players. OK here is my answer on that question:

Q18: Can I start an internet or lan game with more then 8 players?
A18: To make it short, the answer is unfortunatly No.

[Grandpa Troll]

Thanks for the response..

Its Odd..in single player mode no problems..BUT when you try in MP..you cant and then when you go back and check the userprofile it reverts back to the default 9 (8+barbarians)

~sigh~

GT

[toydolls0101]

That and I havent been able to start a multiplayer game by myself anyway. The launch button is greyed out until you have another human player.... I guess if you have two computers and have both join then have one leave in the beginning?

[Grandpa Troll]

Originally posted by toydolls0101
That and I havent been able to start a multiplayer game by myself anyway. The launch button is greyed out until you have another human player.... I guess if you have two computers and have both join then have one leave in the beginning?

You should by pressing "DYNAMIC JOIN"

and having at least one ai

I do it all the time..especially when I am hoping someone will come along....

Try it out and see if it works..

You do have an updated server file?

There is currently only one available server..911 something or other...

There is the Kali server as an option should this go down just have to buy into it though...


Peace

Grampa Troll

[JohnGalt137]

Q19: How does the powergraph work?

A19: According to quinns:

1. The powergraph looks the SAME for everyone throughout the turn. That is, it doesn't change as it moves from player to player in the same turn.

2. The powergraph line for each player is made up of:
a) The total production actually produced and still functioning. For example, a Warrior takes 135 production points to produce. You wont get any PowerGraph credit for this, until "construction complete" on the Warrior, then you'll get full credit (135 power graph points). The same holds true for city Improvements and Wonders. E.g. when a Granary is completed, you'll get full credit for the Granary (540 points). This does not seem to hold true for Advances or Tile Improvements though.
b) You seem to get about 50 points for each pop unit available to work. Each city counts as equal to [(city population factor plus 1) times 50] (or there abouts).

3. There is exactly a 2 turn lag on the power graph. That is, if it is turn 5, the power graph reflects the above "in-field production" as of the end of turn 3.

[JohnGalt137]

Q20: How do I get Call to Power PBEM to work on Windows 7?
A20:
Install by running the setup as administrator (You must run as administrator). Run the 1.2 patch as an administrator. Then go to the 1.21 hack, run the hack as an administrator.

Start call to power and create a single player game. Save the game and exit. (This creates a .csg registry entry).

Download Creative Element's "power tools". Install. After it is done click on the link to "Start File type Doctor now..." go to the .csg entry and press add. Name the action something (be cool dudes).

The application you need is civctp.exe found in the main civ directory/ctp_program/ctp/civctp.exe

Under the box type the command line arguments to pass to the application pass:

-l"%1"

Accept.

(It took me forever to figure out that the "-l" is an L not a | (the uppercase of \).)

You're ready to play!