Playing an older version of the game.

Some of you guys enjoy BNW and some of you enjoy G&K, I have the utmost respect for you all in making your own decisions of which version to play. I just so happen to enjoy the VANILLA version of the game.

I am a complete moron when it comes to the understanding of the internal workings of a pc, I don't even know the difference between download and upload!

Many years ago we used to buy a boxed version of the game and it was up to us whether we wanted the patches that became available. Now in modern times and playing through steam it seems as if all these patches are forced upon us.

Some time in the year 2012 a game breaking bug affected the VANILLA game (workers refusing to work which is in the bug section), and I would like to play the game from pre this bug.

My question is this; Would it be possible to have an older VANILLA version as my default setting, if so how would I go about getting it, and how would I be able to avoid the patches that seem to be forced upon us?

you can go into 'mods' in the main menu, show dlc mods and turn off BNW and G&K? I dont know about older versions of vanilla though

All versions share the same exe file.

In addition, many of the patches post G&K and BNW release have changed some of the Vanilla XML files.

monkeymcbain said:

you can go into 'mods' in the main menu, show dlc mods and turn off BNW and G&K? I dont know about older versions of vanilla though

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The dlc screen should still exist for Vanilla players; there were several DLCs before G&K.
And with Mongolian civ being free DLC, from a programming standpoint it would easier to show the screen to everybody.

joncnunn said:

All versions share the same exe file.

In addition, many of the patches post G&K and BNW release have changed some of the Vanilla XML files.

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Playing Vanilla, I have noticed a few changes over the past year or so, some are good such as barbarians seem to gang up better and some are bad. In the past when instructing a unit to heal, there would be a warning of imminent danger being present, thus giving us the opportunity to move away. Now there is no warning and the unit is invariably killed, when playing a large domination game this is another game breaker that has evolved presumably because of what you mention! If this had happened when the majority of people were playing Vanilla there would have been uproar!

Why do these changes have to affect a version of the game that was left in it's best possible health, to the point where it is now a joke to anyone taking their first look at it?

TractorBoy said:

I am a complete moron when it comes to the understanding of the internal workings of a pc, I don't even know the difference between download and upload!

Click to expand...

Coupled with the above, I also have no idea about programming, when joncnunn makes a statement that vanilla XML files have been affected, am I on the right track in thinking that some aspects of game play have been affected?

All through the civ series apart from civ4 which I hated, I set myself goals to achieve, as regards civ5, I feel cheated because my patience of waiting for a (cheat bug fix) has deprived me of the opportunity. Going back three years I refused to play large vanilla domination games due to the courthouse bug which gave three more happiness than it should have, I waited for a year until it was fixed, then I thought great now I can play the game as it is meant to be played. Shortly after this fix, the worker bug arrived. All I would like is the opportunity to play the game as it was supposed to be played when everything had been patched and working correctly.

Could anyone please point me in the right direction of how to play Vanilla from the point where it was finished?

Not possible in the legal way. You can play without all DLCs, but to play specific version of game before patch is possible, but will require some, let's say, knowledge, and as I said - it is not legal.

Dedrytus said:

Not possible in the legal way. You can play without all DLCs, but to play specific version of game before patch is possible, but will require some, let's say, knowledge, and as I said - it is not legal.

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I find it very hard to believe there are illegalities involved, are you sure you don't mean too difficult to put into practice?

Do you have GnK? You might be better off turning off religion and spying rather than playing true vanilla.

TractorBoy said:

In the past when instructing a unit to heal, there would be a warning of imminent danger being present, thus giving us the opportunity to move away.

Click to expand...

My recollection is that was always a problem! It is not an uncommon complaint.

Dedrytus said:

Not possible in the legal way. You can play without all DLCs, but to play specific version of game before patch is possible, but will require some, let's say, knowledge, and as I said - it is not legal.

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Someone has been kind enough to contact me on this subject and I now understand where you are coming from. It was never my intention to pursue this course of action.

I was thinking more along the lines of a discussion I saw on the HOF forum quite some time ago (maybe 2 1/2 years ago). Some of the competitors were talking about loading older versions of the game so that they could compete on a level playing field. As far as I can remember the consensus of opinion was that it was quite legal, some of the guys put it into action and well within the HOF rules which are very strict. If I could find the thread it would be very helpful, but I wouldn't have a clue where to look, not for the lack of trying I might add!

I don't know if version 1.0.1.705 is the version I am looking for, but it does kind of fall into the right time frame!

Do you have the boxed version of V? I doubt that you want to repurchase, but it can still found cheap. Amazon currently has the GOTY edition for $16, but I am not sure that helps you in England.

I ask, because you should be able to install from disc, activate with Steam, then put Steam off line. Steam will not patch Civ if you don’t let it. The GOTY does not include GnK, but does include DLC civs and maps. It also includes some patches and some balance changes, but not all of them. You would really have to dig around to know ahead of time if this would close enough to the “pure” experience you are looking for, but the date of the GOTY version is 27 September 2011 so that may be what you are looking for.

Why do these changes have to affect a version of the game that was left in it's best possible health, to the point where it is now a joke to anyone taking their first look at it?

Click to expand...

I would argue that the balance issues with the vanilla game are better now than ever! I have not read about it on these forums, but it also seems to me that anyone taking their first look at V now also benefit from advisors that are much better than I remember them being.

beetle said:

Do you have the boxed version of V? I doubt that you want to repurchase, but it can still found cheap. Amazon currently has the GOTY edition for $16, but I am not sure that helps you in England.

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Quite the contrary I would spend £100 to get the exact version that I am looking for. I just don't know if the courthouse bug was fixed and the workers not working bug occurred at the same time!

beetle said:

I ask, because you should be able to install from disc, activate with Steam, then put Steam off line. Steam will not patch Civ if you don’t let it. The GOTY does not include GnK, but does include DLC civs and maps. It also includes some patches and some balance changes, but not all of them. You would really have to dig around to know ahead of time if this would close enough to the “pure” experience you are looking for, but the date of the GOTY version is 27 September 2011 so that may be what you are looking for.

Click to expand...

I am pretty sure the courthouse bug was still a bug at this time, but at least the workers were responding properly. I will seriously consider this as an option, thanks very much.

EDIT- I just checked back on one of my previous threads and found out that I was having some serious game crash problems back in Aug 2012, I think they got sorted just after that date, whether it was a patch or hotfix I just can't remember. From this I take it the boxed version would contain the same potential crash problems?

beetle said:

I ask, because you should be able to install from disc, activate with Steam, then put Steam off line. Steam will not patch Civ if you don’t let it.

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No. It will not work. Steam is "too smart", you must update. No update = no play.

Dedrytus said:

No. It will not work. Steam is "too smart", you must update. No update = no play.

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I make a booking for my wedding anniversary at our favourite restaurant called STEAM, they are famous for their traditional Italian dishes. It's midsummer, early evening and upon arrival we request a seat outside in the partial shade with the hope of being able to watch the sun going down to add to our experience.

The waiter tells us that he is sorry but we cannot have an outside seat unless we are in a group of four or more and we would also have to order the NEW THREE COURSE chef's special as part of the criteria.

We explain to the waiter that we have been coming to this restaurant every year for the last 40 years, surely this must count for something!

WAITER... "I'm afraid it doesn't count for anything, you can see just how many covers we are doing, we have had to move with the times"

As we walk away into the sunset, taking one last look over our shoulders, we can see a marked difference from our old Italian restaurant, it has lost that individual identity. Flashing advertising lights and loud pop chart music, nothing like the place we used to know!

WHO CARES.

The only way to do what you want assumes you remembered to make a FULL backup of the C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Sid Meier's Civilization V directory for the version you want to revert to - if you didn't, you're out of luck.

@whoward69 (or anyone who knows )

Does your "Units Awake In Danger" mod help with the Vanilla bug mentioned in OP - that workers get interrupted every turn in areas where there used to be (but is no longer) any danger? If I understand correctly, this mod reduces the range at which workers react to danger, so I'm wondering if it would reduce the number of tiles where the bug is manifested.

@psparky - that micro-mod enables two features within my DLL mod

Have to say I do agree with the original poster in that the game now is not what it was, and I'm not sure it's for the best.

After not having played the game for quite some time now due to other commitments, I suddenly realised that I hadn’t missed it … and having read some of the comment on here about the effects of the latest patches, it appears that the game is no longer a game … it seems to have become a study in human behaviour !

There are all sorts of new Civics, Tenets … things that I still haven’t got to understand … this is not what I signed up for !

I started reminiscing about the earlier games … it was all so much simpler then - you decided on a strategy, and you knew, through experience of the game, how to achieve it. There were precious few Wonders, and you knew and loved them; there were few grey areas in that your opponents were either goodies or baddies. You knew where you were going, and what you were after, and it was this that gave rise to the ‘just one more turn’ excuse … you wanted to reach a certain goal but it needed just one more turn …

The game now requires serious study to try and fathom out what is going on what with numerous Wonders and Civics, complex Diplomacy and Religion … it is becoming more of a simulation than a game.

And I don’t like it any more.

So I’m seriously thinking of going back to Civilization IV and see whether or not absence has clouded my memories … just like memories of childhood where it was always sunny, it’s time to compare what I now have against what I used to play and see if that ‘just one more turn’ feeling can be once more enjoyed.

I am enjoying the heck out of GnK, so I obviosuly disagree with OP, but I could see how all the options in BNW are overwhelming. That said, I also think the basic changes to core game, not the least of which is 100 point base health instead of 10, are huge improvements. So really I think the best mix for OP is GnK but with religion and spying turned off. All the little balance tweaks, juggling of the tech tree, and changes in unit upgrades are all small but good changes, and I would think would be fine for someone who likes vanilla.

TractorBoy said:

I make a booking for my wedding anniversary at our favourite restaurant called STEAM, they are famous for their traditional Italian dishes. It's midsummer, early evening and upon arrival we request a seat outside in the partial shade with the hope of being able to watch the sun going down to add to our experience.

The waiter tells us that he is sorry but we cannot have an outside seat unless we are in a group of four or more and we would also have to order the NEW THREE COURSE chef's special as part of the criteria.

We explain to the waiter that we have been coming to this restaurant every year for the last 40 years, surely this must count for something!

WAITER... "I'm afraid it doesn't count for anything, you can see just how many covers we are doing, we have had to move with the times"

As we walk away into the sunset, taking one last look over our shoulders, we can see a marked difference from our old Italian restaurant, it has lost that individual identity. Flashing advertising lights and loud pop chart music, nothing like the place we used to know!

WHO CARES.

Click to expand...

I feel your pain. 'Member DOS and running Civ I without a single patch? For ten years? Ahh, thems the days. Short of some decent hacks, please give BNW a chance. I have just gone from the vanilla version that you mentioned (pre-worker bug) straight to Brave New World. It is a short adjustment, but will remind you of some of the best things about Civ IV.