Please help I am a silly sod using a laptop with in-built intel graphics controllers

[davidwchislett]

My knowledge of computers, and especially my understanding of the mechanisms that control graphics, is highly limited; thus, I need all the help from you wonderful people that I can get.

The question I have is very simple, are those of us trying to play this on laptops with in-built Intel graphics controllers (such as my 82852/82855 GM/GME Graphics Controller) utterly and totally stuffed for all eternity , or just until a patch comes out , or can we do something now .

(Please don’t say, ‘get a better graphics card, blah blah blah. And if you do have too, please say it politely.)

[Perplexity]

I'm in the same situation. You can still play, but you have to play with the entire map revealed. A lot better than nothing. You achieve this thusly:

edit the file: "C:\Program Files\Firaxis Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 4\Assets\XML\Technologies\CIV4TechInfos.xml"

replace all instances of:

"<bMapVisible>0</bMapVisible>"

with:

"<bMapVisible>1</bMapVisible>"

[davidwchislett]

Civ comrades, please reply, even if it is just to support or insult rather than technical advice, any feedback would be great, please.

[davidwchislett]

pants, I didn't mean to post again, but the blasted thing did it for me.

[maartena]

(Very Politely) Get a better graphics card!

Jokes aside, that is indeed the problem you have as the game requires a videocard with hardware T&L support and the Intel series cards do not possess that capability. There will be no patch that will magically remove this requirement from the game, as the requirement for hardware T&L is built into the core of the game engine. Sure, you can ask Firaxis if they care to invest in a "Civ 4 light edition" for hardware that does not have hardware T&L capabilities, but I am afraid the chances on that are virtually zero.

There are some workarounds though - like the one mentioned above - that will still allow you to play to a certain degree, but you may be subjected to other graphics bugs as well due to the lack of hardware transform & lighting capabilities in your video card.

Since this requirement is part of the engine that they chose to build the game on, (same as Pirates! by the way) you best bet to get the game working properly is install the game on different hardware that does support the requirements as marked on the box - with a graphics card that supports hardware transform & lighting.

There is a tool called 3DAnalyze that can emulate T&L support. Instead of using the GPU to make the T&L calculations, it will use the CPU to do those calculations so Civilization 4 will probably run slower then it normally does but it may operate properly this way.

I have NOT tried this tool yet, and since it may pressure your normal CPU into long periods of 100% CPU activity (with both game and tool running) you better have a system that cools decently.

http://www.3dfxzone.it/dir/tools/3d_analyze/

I have heard no one on the forum yet that has tried the tool or had any success with it, so.... give it a shot I would say and report back to us.

Use at your own risk

[davidwchislett]

Maartene, thank you kindly, that was the most polite way I've seen someone deal with the hardware issue yet.

I will try your 3DAnalyze suggestion forthwith.

Thank you.

[Simo]

I am in the same boat david.

I tried 3danalyser but I has not worked, but then I really dont understand what I am doing with it!!

I have a laptop with SIS M650. I cant find out if it has this TnL or not but as the computer is only 2 years old I was hoping there is a chance!

If anyone can help me I would appreciate it. SIS M650 - any chance?

[Riddler]

I am by far not an expert but here is some information. I just recently researched and purchased a new laptop. During the research I wanted to make sure that whatever I got would be able to handle Civ 4 but did not have any specs to go on except the T and L info. The key recurring information was that Intels GME was horrid. The good new is, if you have a new laptop with an integrated video card from Intel it will probably be the GMA card which does have T and L capability. I run Civ 4 perfectly except for playing over the internet (havnt been able to get it to work right).

The point is, if you have the old GME from Intel you will most likely have issues and as previously posted by others may have fixes. If you have a new laptop with an Intel GMA card then you should be fine (just dont forget to upgrade your RAM).

Hope this helps.

[bio_hazard]

My laptop is about 1.5 years old, and a mid-range laptop (at least back then) and has a card without T&L support. (Radeon igp 320M)

I've tried playing with and without the map reveal. Either way it is slow, and works for maybe 20-40 turns then crashes, requiring a hard reboot.

I only have 512mb ram, so I'm not even going to try the 3dAnalyze.

[Kizyr]

Same situation, of course. A 'new' laptop won't help you necessarily--I bought mine in April and it's still not running Civ4 correctly. It's mostly with the video card (Intel 8** GME). Unless you're specifically looking for a good video card (which wasn't important when I bought my machine) then chances are the more affordable ones won't have what you need.

I'm going to try that graphics fix. If all it takes is some slower playing and a diminished role for exploration, I'll be content--not happy, but at least not rioting. Oh, and putting up with the Chesire Cat problem. KF

[Laramon]

It says right in the readme of the 3danalyze program:

- Emulate HW TnL caps

Effect :
This Option will Enable the basic DirectX 8.1 core Emulation.

Status :
Functional

Limiting Factors :
Will be recognized only by DirectX8 or DirectX8.1 applications.

Civ4 is a DX9 application. Unless it for some reason calls on 8.x functions to check, it won't help you at all.

[Simo]

Laramon, that would explain why it is doing nothing!

If only a version for directx 9 was available

[Jason The King]

I have integrated intel graphics. dell inspiron 2200. It works fine.

[BigCMan]

Jason the King, what are your hardware specs?

[davidwchislett]

Alas, I am afraid that after extensive testing, 3DAnalyse does not work, it needs to be updatedt to DirectX 9c.

Sorry to confirm bad news

[Jason The King]

Originally Posted by BigCMan

Jason the King, what are your hardware specs?

Dell Inspiron 2200 laptop
1.5 ghz intel celeron M
760 mb ram

Mobil Intel 915GM/GMS, 910 GML Express
Approx. Total Memory: 128 mb

I do not pass one of those online thingies for the T&L shading.

And im not saying it doesnt lag a little (probably a lot to do with my processor speed), but it never pauses for long periods of time, crashes, and all the movies play, etc. Totally playable and enoyable

[maartena]

Originally Posted by Jason The King

Dell Inspiron 2200 laptop
1.5 ghz intel celeron M
760 mb ram

Mobil Intel 915GM/GMS, 910 GML Express
Approx. Total Memory: 128 mb

I do not pass one of those online thingies for the T&L shading.

And im not saying it doesnt lag a little (probably a lot to do with my processor speed), but it never pauses for long periods of time, crashes, and all the movies play, etc. Totally playable and enoyable

The 9xx series of the Intel graphics supports SOFTWARE T&L, which means it has the capability to instuct your central CPU to do the T&L calculations for you. I have heard of others getting it to work right on the 9xx chipsets.

The problem is, the 9xx chipset is fairly new and as of today there are still many laptops sold with the 8xx chipset, and that chipset has no T&L support whatsoever.

[maartena]

Originally Posted by Laramon

It says right in the readme of the 3danalyze program:



Civ4 is a DX9 application. Unless it for some reason calls on 8.x functions to check, it won't help you at all.

Ah

As said, I have never tried it, I just came across it the other day researching stuff about T&L.

Too bad it was nothing but false hope then.

[Laramon]

Hey, that's what we're here for.
I'd rather people post things they heard (that's at least checkable) and people like me can give our professional overview. In this case, it's just a matter of updating the software to DX9c.

[Jason The King]

Originally Posted by maartena

The 9xx series of the Intel graphics supports SOFTWARE T&L, which means it has the capability to instuct your central CPU to do the T&L calculations for you. I have heard of others getting it to work right on the 9xx chipsets.

The problem is, the 9xx chipset is fairly new and as of today there are still many laptops sold with the 8xx chipset, and that chipset has no T&L support whatsoever.

That's good to know .

Wonder why the online sites I went to to check my system against the game (heard of it AFTER i got the game, luckily it still works) said I failed the T&L...

They also said i only have 64mb of graphics memory, but the dx diag says I have appx. 128.