A variety of important questions (at least in my opinion)

[Mattygerst]

I had just 1 question...but as I started typing this...I decided to a couple others...

#1 - I play a scenario from the Creation & Customization forum - Lokolus' Earth 1862. IF I want to delete the airship unit from the entire scenario, how would I go about that in XML? I check the scenario XML and there are no units...so - I am guessing that means I have to delete it in the actual Civ4 BTS XML (since this is a scenario, and not a mod with its own XML)? Also, when I go into the XML to delete the airship...what exactly should I delete? The entire coding for it...or is there a more simple way to turn it off (switching a 1 to a 0 for example...or making it obsolete at a tech far, far in the past???

#2 - *This is much more random* - My computer is a Sony Vaio (desktop), and is Pentium 4, 2.53 GHz with and it has 512 MB RAM. I run a Geforce 6200 graphics card. I get a LOTTTT of lag late-game (1 minute+), and it generally crashes due to low virtual memory even though I play on the low-resolution visual settings. My question is...would I be best served to purchase more RAM (if so...up to 2 GB, 3 GB, 4 GB??), or is this a problem of my 6200 series graphics card and would it be better (obviously better, but NECESSARY) to get a 8500 series graphics card? Or is it both?...

Meaning...IF I got the RAM up to whatever is suggested...will the game stop lagging if I kept my 6200 series graphics card? Or do I NEED to get both?

PS: Im MUCH, MUCH more interested in simply having game-speed late game sped up, Im not overly concerned with using the high-resolution graphics settings (if that matters at all).

 

[Wolfshanze]

I had just 1 question...but as I started typing this...I decided to a couple others...

#1 - I play a scenario from the Creation & Customization forum - Lokolus' Earth 1862. IF I want to delete the airship unit from the entire scenario, how would I go about that in XML? I check the scenario XML and there are no units...so - I am guessing that means I have to delete it in the actual Civ4 BTS XML (since this is a scenario, and not a mod with its own XML)? Also, when I go into the XML to delete the airship...what exactly should I delete? The entire coding for it...or is there a more simple way to turn it off (switching a 1 to a 0 for example...or making it obsolete at a tech far, far in the past???

#2 - *This is much more random* - My computer is a Sony Vaio (desktop), and is Pentium 4, 2.53 GHz with and it has 512 MB RAM. I run a Geforce 6200 graphics card. I get a LOTTTT of lag late-game (1 minute+), and it generally crashes due to low virtual memory even though I play on the low-resolution visual settings. My question is...would I be best served to purchase more RAM (if so...up to 2 GB, 3 GB, 4 GB??), or is this a problem of my 6200 series graphics card and would it be better (obviously better, but NECESSARY) to get a 8500 series graphics card? Or is it both?...

Meaning...IF I got the RAM up to whatever is suggested...will the game stop lagging if I kept my 6200 series graphics card? Or do I NEED to get both?

PS: Im MUCH, MUCH more interested in simply having game-speed late game sped up, Im not overly concerned with using the high-resolution graphics settings (if that matters at all).

#1), the simplest way to remove the Airship would be change its cost (icost) value to "-1"... nobody could then build the unit. Trying to remove the XML code would probably be more trouble then its worth. If there isn't a custom XML for the units, I would suggest placing the Civ4UnitInfos.xml in your custom assets folder and changing the cost to -1 there... but to be honest, if you have deep-seated hatred for the unit, it's probably best to give it realistic requirements, like Physics + Combustion Engine... the default Physics alone makes it come waaaaaaay too early in the game.

#2) Upgrade your system memory... at 512MB, that is DEFINATELY the problem... my 4-year old system was kinda laggy with 1GB of memory... I recently upgraded to 2GB of system memory and the lag issues almost completely vanished. It cost me $40 bucks to jump from 1GB to 2GB on my DDR1-equipped system... so memory ain't that expensive.

 

[Mattygerst]

Awesome answer, thank you very much.

Slight side question...is there a reason I should move the unitXML to my custom assets folder instead of simply making the cost -1 in the XML where it is?

I can't stand the unit...It annoys me to no end, and I just don't want the unit in the game, haha.

 

[Agent327]

#1), the simplest way to remove the Airship would be change its cost (icost) value to "-1"... nobody could then build the unit. Trying to remove the XML code would probably be more trouble then its worth. If there isn't a custom XML for the units, I would suggest placing the Civ4UnitInfos.xml in your custom assets folder and changing the cost to -1 there... but to be honest, if you have deep-seated hatred for the unit, it's probably best to give it realistic requirements, like Physics + Combustion Engine... the default Physics alone makes it come waaaaaaay too early in the game.

#2) Upgrade your system memory... at 512MB, that is DEFINATELY the problem... my 4-year old system was kinda laggy with 1GB of memory... I recently upgraded to 2GB of system memory and the lag issues almost completely vanished. It cost me $40 bucks to jump from 1GB to 2GB on my DDR1-equipped system... so memory ain't that expensive.

And that's the better answer. (Just sent you a PM...)

 

[Mattygerst]

Thanks guys for the nice answers.

According to google (http://www.memoryx.net/sonvapcmem440.html)...my Sony Vaio PCV-RZ14G can only hold 1.5 GB of RAM, max.

If that is the case, I have 2 more questions:

#1 - Everyone seems to be suggesting 2 GB of ram, whereas I only have a 1.5 GB maximum allowance...is that going to be a major difference in game play (especially late-era)? How much "lag" do you guys experience late-game in the modern era with 2 GB+ of RAM...at 512 MB, I experience 2-5 minute turns late-game in the modern era (if the game doesn't shut down due to lack of virtual memory)...what do you guys experience at 2+ GB?

#2 - Since I can only get to 1.5 GB...should I simply think about getting a new system altogether? Any recommendations? I have the money to spend...but I only use my computer for: scanning youtube, iTunes, and Civ4...I don't play any other games so Im not sure I need an ungodly massive system...just the most simple that allows me to really ramp-up my Civ4 gaming and stop the 2-3 minute turns late game...

 

[Wolfshanze]

#1 - 512MB is your big problem. Even if your system is limited to 1.5GB, 2GB for Civ4 is not a hard and fast rule... it's just a recommendation... certainly TRIPPLING your system memory from 512MB to 1.5GB would be a considerable improvement. Civ4 is very much a memory hog, so anything more you have over your current amount would be a significant improvement.

#2 - Well, if you've just got money burning a hole in your pocket, just spend it! Seriously though, before recommending you go spend several hundred to a couple of thousand dollars on a new computer, why not spend something a little closer to a modest two-digits and bring your system memory to the maximum... you may well be happy with 1.5GB... the problem isn't so much of not having 2GB, in-that you only have 512MB... even upping the memory to 1GB would go a long way in helping... but in your case, I'd definitely max-out your system memory. I'd upgrade your system to 1.5GB first... and see how you like it... that should be a fairly cheap upgrade... if you're still not happy, then I'd look at another system... but you might be happy just spending $40 bucks or so upgrading your memory and calling it a day, then spending 1,000 bucks or more just to improve your one game.

 

[Mattygerst]

Okay, guys...Here is the next step in this line of questions...

#1 - Since I CANNOT go to 2 GB (running Windows XP, and my machine has a max allowance of 1.5 GB)...how much better is that going to be than my 512 MB of RAM, currently? Is 1.5 GB going to make a LARGE difference in end-game wait time compared to 512 MB? For example --------------------->

#2 - Using 512 MB RAM...I literally have 3-7+ minute wait times for turns on large maps, modern era (and this is what I play on my favorite mods/scenarios). What kind of wait time can I expect from 1.5 GB compared to 512 MB RAM?... What do you guys see/have at 1.5 GB or 2 GB?...Im trying to find out if the purchase of of the 1 G of RAM is worth it...

 

[Shiggs713]

to be quite honest, the lag your experiencing is every bit as much from your old craptastic 6200 as it is your lack of RAM. Thats the exact same card i used to have... its really a horrible card. If you keep running civ4 for many hours at a time, it will probably eventually fry itself (its easily prone to overheating, no built in fan or anything) When i took my old 6200 out, it had burnt spots all over it.

if you upgraded your RAM to 1.5 GB and got an 8600 or better (you can find very very nice gfx cards for about $100 @newegg.com) the difference would be like day and night.

However since you have the limitation of a maximum of 1.5 GB RAM, you may want to consider upgrading your motherboard or just buying a new computer, depending on how serious you are about gaming.

You may also want to take into account how many PCI and PCIe slots your motherboard has.... its the little (i think 8 and 16 prong respectively) things that lets you connect your components to the motherboard. Like for example a new gfx card! yay

but to answer your Q's, I'd bet 1.5 GB RAM and an upgrade at the gfx card would satisfy you.

and yes 1.5 GB compared to 0.5 GB would make a big difference, but probably not in the way you would hope... in fact RAM has absolutely nothing to do with how fast the turn times go... it has everything to do with your processors and microprocessors in your gfx card(s).

The wait time in between turns will likely not improve unless you get a better processor(s).

For example, my PC has dual pentium 4's optimized and slightly overclocked, and can easily push 5.4 Ghz.... my wait times are virtually nonexistent until modern age on the biggest of maps. Most players are probably considerably behind that. I've also spent nearly $3000 purchasing and upgrading my PC. But you'd be hard pressed to find a 4 year old computer thats even half as powerful as mine.

Shiggs

 

[Mattygerst]

Okay...instead of that, Ive decided to simply purge myself of this computer, and upgrade.

Could someone explain a few things for me though, first:

#1 - I know I'll have to get VISTA, and I tried installing Civ4 on my friends computer, and it continued to give me an error message, saying that it was not going to load.

#2 - If someone would like...what type of build should I get? I ONLY play Civ4, have iTunes, and use AIM...so I don't need something ungodly top of the line...so Im looking at the most bang for my buck in terms of a civ4 gaming experience...what do you all suggest?