Civ 3, Windows Update KB3086255, & SafeDisc

@tjs282 .. thanks for that. The complete version I have is combined with all the Civ4 games on a single disc. Was chesaper to buy this combination than to buy Civ3 complete on its own. ( i have no interest in civ4 ).

I also have all my Civ3 folders/files attached straight to C:\Games\Civ3\
 
Thanks for this help. I solved my problems by replacing the start up-files with NO-CD-files. Everything seems to work perfectly now, exept that you can not win a Space race-victory, as the game crashes when you launch your SS.
 
Count me among those who has installed my old CD version of Civ 3 on my Win 10 computer and tried to launch the game. Reading through this thread...I'm ready to just give up.
 
Antonin1957 said:
Count me among those who has installed my old CD version of Civ 3 on my Win 10 computer and tried to launch the game. Reading through this thread...I'm ready to just give up.
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Antonin1957, welcome at CFC! :band:[party]

As far as I know, with Win10 only the CD versions of the Chronicles compilation and a German Green Pepper version are running, as Win10 doesn´t support SecuRom and these versions of Civ 3 Complete are running without SecuRom.

The next 12 hours Civ 3 Complete is on sale at GOG for € 1,29 and this version is running with Win10.
 
Actually, I was a member of this forum years ago, but I lost my account information. I started thinking about Civ 3 a couple of nights ago while reading "Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World" by Jack Weatherford. So I decided to try to install it. This game might be a good distraction during this difficult time. My wife has been stuck overseas since January because of the pandemic, and I feel very low and really need some distractions...

As I read the above comments it seemed that the process for installing and playing Civ 3 on Windows 10 is so complicated... I really hate Microsoft.

I don't know what GOG is. Is it a legitimate site? Anyway, you said the sale is for the next 12 hours, so it is probably over now. Oh well. Thank you for trying to help me.

EDIT: I looked up GOG, and I see that it's in Warsaw. Too close to Russia for me. These days I don't feel comfortable about giving credit card information or downloading software from any Eastern European or Russian company.
 
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The sale is still running for about 2 1/2 hours. After that you have to pay 75 % more (€ 5,09). I think it´s no problem to pay from GOG. The advantage compared to the Steam version is, that you don´t have a messed up labels text file in it and you can play it without any internet connection to that site. I have myself a Civ 3 Complete version bought from GOG and it is playing very well with Win10.

It is a legitim site (as it is steam) and you can pay via PayPal.
 
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Vote of confidence in GOG seconded over here.

I agree that one needs to be careful online, but GOG is as safe as any other online game-retailer, and much more customer-friendly than Steam. I've had a GOG-account for nearly a decade now, and never had any major problems with them or their games.

Before you re-buy the game though, have you already tried (and failed) to patch your CD-version using the legal NoCD .exe files in the 'Patchpaket' from the PCGames link (Germany-based, also legit, and still working: I just tested it) in Option 1 of Post #1 of this thread?
 
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Antonin1957 said:
EDIT: I looked up GOG, and I see that it's in Warsaw. Too close to Russia for me. These days I don't feel comfortable about giving credit card information or downloading software from any Eastern European or Russian company.
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Poland is within EU and NATO.
 
I will consider trying to install the NoCD patch. But everything I read here about trying to install patches or modify files makes my head spin and makes me depressed. I'm not very good with tech.

But I really appreciate the advice.

Thinking about when I was a much younger man, in a simpler time, Civ 3 was a part of that...
 
Loudspeaker said:
Thanks for this help. I solved my problems by replacing the start up-files with NO-CD-files. Everything seems to work perfectly now, exept that you can not win a Space race-victory, as the game crashes when you launch your SS.
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I know this reply is just a little late, but (for anyone who's looking at this thread recently) this is usually a video-driver problem, it has nothing to do with the SecuROM deactivation.
 
Antonin1957 said:
I will consider trying to install the NoCD patch. But everything I read here about trying to install patches or modify files makes my head spin and makes me depressed. I'm not very good with tech.

But I really appreciate the advice.
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I'm no techie either, but I managed to install these patches without any major problems.

And now you have 5 posts, you should be able to use the private messaging system (="Start a conversation"), so you're welcome to drop me a line if you need help with anything.
 
Just an FYI, I finally got around to updating a couple things in the OP. (Sorry it took so long @tjs282 !) I've also asked for this thread to be moved to Tech Support and stickied.

If there's anything else someone feels that needs to be updated in the OP let me know.
 
Antonin1957 said:
This game might be a good distraction during this difficult time. My wife has been stuck overseas since January because of the pandemic, and I feel very low and really need some distractions...
Click to expand...
Hey, it's happening to everyone. Hang in there.
 
After years of defeating Microsoft attempts to kill old games like CIV III, it seems I've run out of workarounds. Today, I sent an inquiry to 2K games looking for help in getting Steam CIV III V1.22 updated to CIV III V1.29f, so I can continue to play the Game of the Month (G ot Quarter now-a-days!). Steam website says they keep game versions up-to-date, so I hope 2K helps. Meanwhile, if anyone is successfully running CIVIII V1.29f on Linux PlayOnLinux/Wine (I use Ubuntu based Zorin 16) please clue me in. Steam did add the X1.22 vanilla CIV3 .exe to the CIV3 Conquest .exe some time since I got Steam CIV3.
 
The ‘workaround’ I use is simply keeping the old Windows XP partition instead of deleting it, so the incentive to getting it to work on Linux is minimal at the moment. For Linux I think nick0515 could help.
 
milr said:
Today, I sent an inquiry to 2K games looking for help in getting Steam CIV III V1.22 updated to CIV III V1.29f, so I can continue to play the Game of the Month
Click to expand...
I think there may be some misunderstanding here.

v.1.22 is the final patch for the second Civ3 expansion, the 31-Civ Conquests executable — which all DL-versions include already. This is the final/"best" version of the game (apart from the bugs, which CFC-user @Flintlock has recently been busy fixing).

v.1.29f is the final patch for the original 16-Civ Vanilla executable, which was/is included in some DL-versions of Civ3 Complete, but not all. IIRC, Steam did not have it initially — but based on your post, it sounds like they added it later?

But the GotQs are based on the first Civ3 expansion, the 24-Civ "Play the World" executable, which is unfortunately not supplied with any currently available DL-versions.

The final patch of PtW was v.1.27, so that executable is what you actually need to play the GotQs.

About 5 years back, I asked GamersGate if they could add a PtW executable to their installation-package, but was told that the package came "as is" from the publisher — which strongly suggests that 2K were/are not interested in supporting PtW.

So you may need to look *ahem* elsewhere...
 
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I do have a regionalised installation disc for PTW somewhere (bought before Conquests came out) in an old box. I could try to get it to run on a Windows machine and see whether the installation works.
 
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