Video Memory Crash (v1.52)

Installed from disk, everything worked

Installed patch 1.09, everything worked, but new message at beginning stating min specs not met (they are though)

Installed 1.52, starts up fine, min spec msg now gone, load game and crash with external warning ("video memory too low") - i have twice the minimum required.

What gives?

What video card do you have? Have you got the latest drivers for it? Have you set something in the BIOS (relating the the AGP aperture)?

Warix

Post your Dxdiag (Start button - click - select run - type dxdiag - hit enter - wait a min - select "save all information" - the post the filke using the 'go advanced' button at the bottom of the thread - scroll down you will see it

Regards
Zy

warix said:

Installed from disk, everything worked

Installed patch 1.09, everything worked, but new message at beginning stating min specs not met (they are though)

Installed 1.52, starts up fine, min spec msg now gone, load game and crash with external warning ("video memory too low") - i have twice the minimum required.

What gives?

Click to expand...

there are a couple of other posts on this out there.

i had the same problem.

if you uninstall and reinstall v 1.00 it will work again.

alternatively, if you reduce some of your video settings it will probably work as well. specifically, from main menu, click advanced, click options and then play around with the Low/Medium/High settings and the variables (ie: show 1 or 3 units, etc) and it should work again.

absolutely NO idea why a memory-helping patch has caused so many problems....but it has.

Here you go, dxdiag.txt.

We are having the same problem with verion 1.52, and looking at your dxdiag file, have the same graphics chipset, also known as Intel Extreme Graphics. The program runs perfectly on version 1.0 of CivIV.
We have 2 GB ram, and 440MB is reserved for video.
Any suggestions as to settings/adjustments to enable us to run the latest version of Civ (1.52)?

We forget to mention that we can initally run and play CivIV version 1.52, but after we save and try to load a saved game, we get the video memory error?

warix said:

Here you go, dxdiag.txt.

Click to expand...

Current Mode: 1680 x 1050 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor: Plug and Play Monitor
Monitor Max Res: 1600,1200


You are over monitor spec.

drop that to 1024 x 768 from desktop and in game options too.

Your page file is 1200 and when you printed the diag it was at 500 usage.
shut all startup items and non-MS services thru msconfig. up the page file to 1500/1500. This game uses big portions of the page file even more so with the 1.52 patch and that could make a huge difference it you set it larger.
Heck you might even go up to 2000/2000

You are running from a chip with no video card so reduce your in game settings to low to start out.

Try that first.

backpacker said:

absolutely NO idea why a memory-helping patch has caused so many problems....but it has.

Click to expand...

On significant reason - not by any means the only one - is that V1.52 changed the way memory was handled, and put more work on the Video RAM in order to save main System RAM for those with low spec machines. They also included the memsaver switch in the .ini file to reverse that aspect - but still benefit from other memory changes.

The minimum spec specified for the game includes hardware based T&L - ie a graphics card (reason being the sheer processing power needed now cannot be supported by on board graphics, most of which dont support T&L anyway - although the new Intel "extreme" series of on board chips with their improved design and integral graphics RAM do work)

Therefore when V1.52 came out it exacerbated the problem for those with low spec cards (aka 32mb) and on board graphics (no card so problems increase with a design that depends on a card) - hence many (not all) of those having problems post V1.52 have more hassles, they are using unsupported hardware, it may run at some point, but as coding and patching proceeds they will have increasing problems as the coders cant support those hardware setups and still make the game run

This kind of problem vis hardware needed will increase this year across the games world as more demands are put on hardware to satisfy gammers demands for features.

Minimum System Requirements
Operating System: Windows® 2000/XP
Processor: 1.2 GHz Intel Pentium 4 or AMD Athlon processor or equivalent
Memory: 256 MB RAM (Windows 2000) / 512 MB RAM (Windows XP)
Hard Disk Space: 1.7 GB Free
CD-ROM Drive : 4X Speed
Video: DirectX 9.0c-compatible 64 MB video card with Hardware T&L support ( GeForce 2/Radeon 7500 or better)
Sound: DirectX 9.0c-compatible sound card
DirectX®: DirectX® version 9.0c (included) or higher

Recommended System Requirements
Operating System: Windows® 2000/XP
Processor: 1.8 GHz Intel Pentium 4 or AMD Athlon processor or equivalent
Memory: 512 MB RAM
Hard Disk Space: 1.7 GB Free
CD-ROM Drive : 4X Speed
Video: 128 MB Video Card w/ DirectX 8 support (pixel & vertex shaders)
Sound: DirectX 9.0c-compatible sound card
DirectX®: DirectX® version 9.0c (included) or higher


Regards
Zy

Thanks to all,

On a seperate note, has anyone noticed how hard installations have become over the last 3 - 4 years. I remember stuff like captain comic and lemmings - i was 8 and i could install those blindfolded - now??? I have to get a PHD in rocket scientry to install a GAME...

:sigh:

Ahhhh but thats progress ........ so they say

Regards
Zy

View attachment DxDiag.txt

I'm another video victim. Could someone please eyeball my fille and see if I'm
out of whack somewhere? I did figure out that I am under the specs for my
monitor.
Thanks very much.

To those who are having this problem, like myself although occasionally and only when I leave the game running for 6-8 hours and/or fiddle around in worldbuilder too much (especially doing major geography changes )and/or relaod games more than a couple times on the same session, try the following:

After your game crashes, manually delete the cache files in documents and setting/[username]/application data/mygames/sidm meiers civ4/cache. (the folders are hidden so you will need to unhide). Reboot then restart the game. I got in the habit of purging that folder often.

Ignore what it says about video settings. This problem appears to be a memory leak if not something wierd with how the cache file works.

Just a suggestion. Hope it works or improves things.

1stMinnesota

Overall you will have some of the issues you see with on board graphics chips as with older Intel on Board chips. At present the only on board graphics chip known to run it with no problemis the latest Intel Extreme 945 chipset.

The game should run on your chipset, but it will probably be on the slow side and you will have issues that in the end may not be resolvable in performance terms. Look at the posts on the Forum concerning reducing the load on the system RAM & Video RAM - thats important for you so that the maximum amount of memory is available in main RAM

That looks as if its the ThinkCentre A51p A Series 3.00G 1 256/80 XPH (nice solid beastie ). It has a PCI Express slot free, so you have the ability to easily upgrade it with a good mid-range graphics card, thats well worth doing, and not that expensive. Its a good solid workhorse,and well worth upgrading the card, you will see a very noticeable improvement if you do so. No need to go to a high end card, and research the card re possible heat issues - doubt the latter will happen, IBM have good case design, but wise to double check.

EDIT: it takes PC2-3200 DDR2 SDRAM in main RAM, worth considering upgrade RAM to 1Gb if budget extends that far - could take it steps, do the Card first - if happy hold it there, if not, go for 1Gb main RAM (Card far more important to you than 1Gb RAM, if can only go for one, upgrade the card)

Regards
Zy

thanks zydor. that does explain things a bit.

<sigh>

thats what happens when you leave the world of computer developments behind. havent paid attention for years...only turn back to the computer when a new edition of civ comes out, so the fact that my intel chip was just "on board" as distinct from a "card" was completely lost on me.

wonder if it would be worth it to pick up a relatively basic card at future shop or something.....

probably not, though. the game works - why pay more for a card than the game itself cost?

Depends on the beastie you have, as to whether or not you can fit a card to it, worth doing if you can - the lower end cards such as the GeForce 4's will run it, and they are fairly cheap now. Also worth upgrading the main RAM to 512mb if the board will take it memory also dropped in relative price these days. Need to research your beastie carefully to see if it will take such an upgrade, if you want to try, could always post your Dxdiag and someone can take a look. It still would not break any speed records, but - depending on your base machine & motherboard, could well make it playable for relatively little outlay.

Regards
Zy

Appreciate the info. I will definitely try a video card of the cheaper kind.
If that fixes things well and good; if not on to the RAM.
I do like my A51 and it's never let me down until the arrival of Civ IV.
It's great there are folks like you out there to help dumb users like me!
Thanks again.

have video mem problem after loading patch. check my file to see if my specs can be changed? thanks, fam

famous5 said:

have video mem problem after loading patch...

Click to expand...

From what I can see, and from what I understand from reading Zydor's great posts, your system was hindered with 1.52 because you only have 32 MB video card, but 512 MB on system RAM?

Here's what Zydor said up ^^^ post #9
On significant reason - not by any means the only one - is that V1.52 changed the way memory was handled, and put more work on the Video RAM in order to save main System RAM for those with low spec machines. They also included the memsaver switch in the .ini file to reverse that aspect - but still benefit from other memory changes.

So I might suggest changing the memsaver switch to 1.
For some reason the civiv.ini file is in your My Games /Civ 4 folder

This also disables ALT-Tabbing.

Hi everyone. I´m very dissapointed about the graphics issue in civ iv.
I have the same problem that somebody had above: when playing , the game crashes telling me that that is a video memory problem.

p4 2.4
1gb ram
ati 128 mb
1.52 patch
"low" on graphics
direct 3d opengl "performance"

A game is supposed to work in "recommended settings" , even though at minimal (thats the meaning of the word , the minimum for the game run and play)

I wonder if civ iv programers , probably phd in computers, have ever asisted to a administration I class ? not even marketing I , just introduction to business?
- "if the product is bad or it doesn´t work, you won´t buy it again"
I think that you dont need to be a phd on computers or have an mba or assist a basic business class to realize that. Even at kindergarden you realize that.
You cannot sell bottles of coke without screw top.
Or sell a car that doesn´t work for the 40 % of the buyers , yeah , you can´t reach 60 on the car or the car crashes , you cant open the door , you cant put your seatbelt , you cant open the window , you cant start your engine unless you make a "pole" with another car. Civ iv is that car.

A game is supposed to work and not the users try to tweak it.

Check my BIOS ? I´m an average user i don´t know how not to screw up my BIOS.
Somebody said on a post that the problem is with the Ati card. The programmers ,which i think they know basic marketing, know that a big portion of the market uses Ati cards.

Anyway in civ iv manual you can read the following:
"its not easy making art for a game that must be playable" Manual p.164
"...creating a world both beatiful and playable" ib. p.165
"dedicated volunteers who put up with terrible crash bugs" ib p.167
--- VOLUNTEERS ? The progammers are not doing their job with crahses? What kind of companies are 2k and firaxis ?----
"really cared about Doing Things Right for the player" ib.p166

Excuse me, doing things right for the player? As i said before i´m highly over recommended settings and thaegame still crashes.