I will gift steam game...

Hi to all,

I didn't play Civ 4 for years because of MAF. Now finally when I have strong PC I start playing again but MAF is still here I read so many post and google so many solutions for this problem and cant find right answer. Please can someone explain why this happening to me because i cant find solution nowhere. I have win 7 64bit, 8 core cpu, 16gb ram, 2gb graphic card ram, 16 gb virtual memory, BTS have checked App can handle >2GB address space and I should play until memory limit hit 4gb but I cant because my game always get MAF around 2gb used memory! Why I cant bypass this limit untill 4gb? I tried everything and cant find solution. Please anyone...

I will gift steam game to anyone who help me to solve this problem! Desperately whant to play CIV 4!

I used to have the MAF issue years and years ago when i ran IV on a 32 bit machine. Once I upgraded to a 64-bit machine, I never once saw that MAF error again in several years.

So really 64-bit was pretty much the solution for the MAF error. Otherwise, Civ iV has a notorious memory leak issue that there's really no fix for, other than maybe some advanced workarounds on the executable that you probably already have seen.

Your machine's specs look more than fine. The only thing I can ask is whether you play some very resource intensive mods out there or use max settings. Otherwise, I can see absolutely no reason for you to be getting the MAF error. Like I said I never saw it once I went to 64 - that MAF error used to bother me like crazy - and I use a laptops with specs not as good as what you mentioned.

I honestly don't know what to tell you then. I don't think there really is anything you CAN or NEEd to do to your machine or civ itself, other than just the basic things with Civ IV like using "run as administrator' on install and execution. editing security on all civ iv related folders to "full access". And evaluate the settings and mods you are using.

Civ IV is going to slow down and lag after a while...usually about an hour or so of play for me. That's just the way it is and that happens to everybody. Alt-tabbing out will give some relief for a spell, but probably good idea to reboot machine after a couple hours or so of play.

if you are getting MAF error on a 64 bit machine with your specs my guess is that you may have monkeyed around with something. If you jacked something up, I suggest a clean reinstall and try out running the game on normal settings for a while. there's absolutely no reason to have to mess around "under the hood" with Civ IV if you have a 64 bit machine

I get occasional MAF errors on a 64 bit setup with 8 GB of memory. It only happens in late modern era on huge maps on marathon speed. I set the auto save to every turn. So, when the rare MAF occurs, I just quit the game and restart, loading the last autosave. Restarting the game clears the memory usage. I also have found that shutting off the sound decreases the frequency of the MAFs by a lot, most likely by decreasing how much memory is being used by the game.

lymond said:

I used to have the MAF issue years and years ago when i ran IV on a 32 bit machine. Once I upgraded to a 64-bit machine, I never once saw that MAF error again in several years.

So really 64-bit was pretty much the solution for the MAF error. Otherwise, Civ iV has a notorious memory leak issue that there's really no fix for, other than maybe some advanced workarounds on the executable that you probably already have seen.

Your machine's specs look more than fine. The only thing I can ask is whether you play some very resource intensive mods out there or use max settings. Otherwise, I can see absolutely no reason for you to be getting the MAF error. Like I said I never saw it once I went to 64 - that MAF error used to bother me like crazy - and I use a laptops with specs not as good as what you mentioned.

I honestly don't know what to tell you then. I don't think there really is anything you CAN or NEEd to do to your machine or civ itself, other than just the basic things with Civ IV like using "run as administrator' on install and execution. editing security on all civ iv related folders to "full access". And evaluate the settings and mods you are using.

Civ IV is going to slow down and lag after a while...usually about an hour or so of play for me. That's just the way it is and that happens to everybody. Alt-tabbing out will give some relief for a spell, but probably good idea to reboot machine after a couple hours or so of play.

if you are getting MAF error on a 64 bit machine with your specs my guess is that you may have monkeyed around with something. If you jacked something up, I suggest a clean reinstall and try out running the game on normal settings for a while. there's absolutely no reason to have to mess around "under the hood" with Civ IV if you have a 64 bit machine

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Thanks for answer, I play ROM New Dawn with 25 civ on giant map, but I think that is not problem on 64 bit windows, when i load game memory usage is around 1,7gb and that gives me 4-5 turns before hit limit of 2GB and get MAF. Problem is why my window wont pass 2gb limit and go to 4GB memory usage?

You could try try running CivIV using Radeon Ramdisk that should circumvent the MAF errors as then Ramdisk software is handling the memory allocation rather than windows.
you have plenty of RAM to run the RamDisk the free version lets you load 4GB and is all you need for BtS and vanilla huge maps. I am not sure if ROM a New Dawn is bigger than that. but the pay version to let you use all 16gb of your ram is about a tenner IIRC
Seraiel is a big proponent of Ramdisk so he can play turns much quicker with less than 2 seconds between turns on the last big huge marathon space-race. He is likley to give you some advice on using it.
I assume you have done the windows basics the others have mentioned.
I could also reccomend looking at your PageFile allocation to see if another application has changed the settings. Some software changes the PageFile from Auto(let windows manage my pagefile) to a set figure and fails to reset it on exiting.
Also check task manager as Civ is running, my machine occasionally starts multiple instances of Civ when I start. If you find multiples just close the one(s) with low memory allocated leaving the obviously big running one.
If you do go to do a clean reinstall many folks install outside of a UAC folder such as Programs to prevent UAC and virtualization problems. CIV was not designed to take Virtualization into account (or benefit from it) and UAC is just a pain in the hole (especially with old games {Yay 10 years of CivIV})
Good luck. Don't forget to post any solution you come up with so others can benefit and welcome to the forums

ps) There is a small difference with the steam install and the disk version as I play vanilla (CivIV 1.16) I am not up to speed on the differences. There is a thread in the support forum (and links to that thread throughout the newbie quick questions thread). from the recesses of my memory you look in the steam apps game folder right click the game name like you would if you wanted to verify the game and there will be a second version of CiVIVBtS there and that is the one to install. From it lets you be fully compatible with the latest disk version (1.13?) and let you run Buffy if you fancy playing HoF Hall of Fame games. But do read the thread to see if it is for you.

Yeah, as I suspected, you are running settings/mods that pushes things to the extreme. My understanding is that CIV IV has always not utilized system RAM well and anything over like 2G or 4G (been a long time since I've even thought about this stuff) is not used, unless you use some techy work-arounds

A better machine always helps any game to a certain degree, but with Civ IV there has always been diminishing returns. Even the very souped up machines are going to run into issues with IV , as it just doesn't use the memory.

Not familiar with the Ramdisk, but as Testhero say, Serial is known to oft play huge/marathon games with BUFFY. So it may help some. (although I'm pretty sure ROM is one of the more resource intensive modpacks and..well...giant maps are just insane)

Only other thing I can tell is to come to terms with playing more normal settings and maps. I've pretty much played standard settings and maps (mods or no mods) for years, and the game is very satisfying all the same. bigger is not always better.

I tried Radeon Ramdisk but didn't help, game get little on speed but MAF is still there after few turns around 2gb memory used. Ramdisk cant handle the memory allocation(or maybe it can but I didn't see that option). I also tried Auto PageFile allocation and manually PageFile allocation but game just wont use more than 2GB. I always check task manager to see memory usage and there was never multiple instances of Civ. I always start game in admin mod, it doesent matter if it outside of a UAC folder or in. Thanks for welcome but Im not new to this forum, Iwas here before but then MAF put me away from civ and my old account was probably deleted.

Damn the only other thing I can think to check out is which version that you are playing. perhaps an earlier or later version will work better with your setup.
Did you patch to v3.19? it fixes som memory issues

Testhero said:

Damn the only other thing I can think to check out is which version that you are playing. perhaps an earlier or later version will work better with your setup.
Did you patch to v3.19?

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Yes, one month I'm searching solution on google but I didn't find it. I was also try to find if there is problem with my windows, why wont allocate memory but I couldn't find it.

HI i searched the Technical support forum for MAF error and this looks like the closest match
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=313936&highlight=MAF+error

it is an older post starting with WinVista it also links to a few other threads with fixes individual users have had success with. I will give it a brief browse to see if I can find anything.

I suggest you post a request on the support forum don't forget to read the how to post a question sticky and append a DirX report

ps Another thread http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=224178 shows how to make CivIV use >2GB of memory

Thanks, but I already read all MAF topics on this forum before I ask for help here, could not find solution, only thing that I didn't try is to install 32bit system again and try 3gb switch.

I need someone who good understand things about virtual memory. I read on 2k forum that some guy also have 16gb ram but game wont pass 2gb memory usage untill he turn on virtual memory. Maybe I need somehow to force windows to switch on virtual memory after 2gb...

@bolesting@ said:

I need someone who good understand things about virtual memory. I read on 2k forum that some guy also have 16gb ram but game wont pass 2gb memory usage untill he turn on virtual memory. Maybe I need somehow to force windows to switch on virtual memory after 2gb...

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Win7 has Virtual Memory enabled by default so unless you changed that that is not the problem.

Yeah, as I said, which seems to have been overlooked, there's not much you can do about the memory problem. It is the way it is.

You seem to be adamant about playing ridiculously extreme settings on IV, while spending what appears to be a great deal of effort trying to resolve the infamous MAF error. The best solution is to lower your settings. Your computer is absolutely fine. Civ IV is a fantastic game on normal settings.

My best suggestion for you is stop wasting time on this quixotic effort, and look to the most simple solution at your disposal.

I don't know why you insist on pushing CIV4 to its limits like this, but this may help...

BTS is large address aware, meaning that it can address more than 2 GB. It just has to be told to. There is a utility that you can run against the executable file, and it patches BTS so that it can "see" more than 2 GB. It is called the "4 GB patch", and it allows CIV4 to see the entire address space available to a Windows XP based program (which is what CIV4 is).

It's located here: http://www.ntcore.com/4gb_patch.php

Now, this won't let BTS address 4 GB. It will only allow BTS to see about 3 GB, because Windows uses around 1 GB for internal stuff and housekeeping, but it may help with your MAF error.

But if it were me, I would do as lymond says and stop trying to do the impossible. CIV has its limitations, and we have to accept that.

Lemon Merchant said:

I don't know why you insist on pushing CIV4 to its limits like this, but this may help...

BTS is large address aware, meaning that it can address more than 2 GB. It just has to be told to. There is a utility that you can run against the executable file, and it patches BTS so that it can "see" more than 2 GB. It is called the "4 GB patch", and it allows CIV4 to see the entire address space available to a Windows XP based program (which is what CIV4 is).

It's located here: http://www.ntcore.com/4gb_patch.php

Now, this won't let BTS address 4 GB. It will only allow BTS to see about 3 GB, because Windows uses around 1 GB for internal stuff and housekeeping, but it may help with your MAF error.

But if it were me, I would do as lymond says and stop trying to do the impossible. CIV has its limitations, and we have to accept that.

Click to expand...

That is first thing that I try and with 4gb patch wont pass 2gb limit.