Version Mismatch

Ok so I finally decide to have a stab at online/internet play.

I have Warlords and BtS installed but I am playing Vanilla 1.74, and whatever game I join I get:

'Warning: The version of our game files do not match our host's.'

... and it still lets me join, but in the game I tried playing I had OOS problems.

What exactly does this warning MEAN and how can it be fixed?

I believe it means some of the files in your assets folder do not match the other players.

It could be because the host doesn't have the patch but this is unlikely.

If you have used mods before, it maybe did not install correctly and actually replaced one of the original files (a re-install would be in order there).

Lastly, I think there were issues that one of the latest BtS patches actually modified parts of the original vanilla civ4 assets folder which would make it incompatible in MP. I'm not sure how to resolve this, but I would recommend playing BtS instead where you shouldn't see this issue, unless you really want to play vanilla (I found vanilla to be a catapult fest more or less).

I had this problem as well, PieceOfMind is right that BTS overwrites some of the original vanilla civ IV assets.
My workaround was to uninstall the game and reinstall vanilla and patch it up to 1.74 and copy that whole folder (and all its sub-folders) to another directory, then reinstall BTS again as normal.
So I use the copy of the vanilla civ IV for multiplayer.

Ah I see so this is what is meant by a dual install?

And does the second copy just share the My Games\Civ 4 directory no problem for those extra files?

I renamed the duplicate folder 'Civilization IV multiplayer' and the saves appear under that directory name in the My Games directory, seperate from the 'Sid Meir's Civilization IV' one.

Ah brilliant, thanks.

Question though: I've installed Civ 4 vanilla, updated to 1.74, made a Civ 4 Multi copy, and am now installing Warlords.

How does it know to install Warlords to the Civilization 4 directory and not Civilization 4 Vanilla Online Version directory?

Not a big issue, just wondering.

Tbh, I can't remember exactly, but I just left it install them all in the default Program Files\Firaxis\.

Yeah, it does it somehow. And changed it from the default.

Thanks for your help, all good now!