A Warning to all PBEM players

[Lt. 'Killer' M.]

After Firaxis has released the 1.21f patch for PTW there have been troubles with PBEM games.

This is due to the fact that the new patch is for the US version ONLY!!!!!

Sadly, it seems the patched US-version savegames are NOT compatible with non-US, NON-patched versions!!!!

if oyu play a turn on a patched game, save and send it on, the next player will NOT be able to load it properly UNLESS he/she is patched, too!

 

[prettyvacant]

Originally posted by Lt. 'Killer' M.
After Firaxis has released the 1.21f patch for PTW there have been troubles with PBEM games.

This is due to the fact that the new patch is for the US version ONLY!!!!!

Sadly, it seems the patched US-version savegames are NOT compatible with non-US, NON-patched versions!!!!

if oyu play a turn on a patched game, save and send it on, the next player will NOT be able to load it properly UNLESS he/she is patched, too!

I claim no credit for knowing the answer to this, but I dont know how to do a link so I have copied this from another post (actually from hhj's many pbem games). Also a mod might wish to put this as a sticky as, temporarily at least, it will be useful to many people. Stickied --Padma

If you have already installed the new patch and you want to continue to play PBEM games with people who have not or can not get it you need to create two distinct installations of Civ3TW on your PC. This is how you do it:

Copy the entire CIV3PTW folder to some other directory (perhaps C:\), and rename the copy (perhaps as "CIV3PTW v1.21f").

Uninstall Civ3TW and restart your computer.

Reinstall Civ3TW.

Download the v1.14f patch from here.

Install the v1.14f patch.
This way when you launch Civ3TW normally, it will pull up as v1.14f. When you want to play v1.21f, browse to the copied directory you made and launch "Civilization3X.exe" (the executable). You can also create a shortcut to this file on your desktop; just be sure to label it as "v1.21f".

Note that even when using two distinct installations, your default Saves folder will always be in your Civilization III\CIV3PTW folder, and **NOT** the copied folder you made!

This has been tested; a save game sent to me (in UK) worked fine.

 

[Lt. 'Killer' M.]

Wow, thanx - I will try that.

 

[anarres]

You should be very careful about this.

Values in the registry will refer to the correctly installed game (1.14f), this will mean that any self-registering dlls used will be the wrong versions when you play 1.21f.

If it uses the wrong dll it will still be using old functions, and 1.21f may crash as a result. For example, 1.21f Civ3.exe may call 'civ3.dll' (for example), and in that dll call a function 'calculate_battle_odds' may be called. If the return types of the old function have changed you will get a crash. Obviously if this happend for battles you would find out pretty quick, but there are *thousands* of function calls I bet, and any of them may have changed.

If you don't understand the above, take it from a programmer that has released complex commercial software for a few years: You are walking in to a minefield.

Please don't assume anything either way. I post this because if all the PBEM's and SG's get upgraded and 10 turns later you find an issus in diplo that crashes everything and makes it unworkable you will be mighty upset.

 

[anarres]

Oh, I have another load of reasons not to risk it, but I figured the reason above should be enough by itself...

 

[Lt. 'Killer' M.]

anarres: that is why I will extensively test it on my Laptop, only if things look good after a lot of tries will I do it to the PC I am using for PBEM and SGs


thanx for the warning!!!!!

 

[col]

There are reports appearing of a cracked 1.21f ptw upgrade which will function ok with the UK/European version of PTW but I prefer to wait for an official release.

 

[D.K.]

there are a couple of nocd patches available - single player works fine but multiplayer (online not PBEM) causes unplayable lag as it seems to lose other players every 2 secs - reconnecting in a another couple of secs

also found units not getting full movement - i think this may be todo with moving and the command getting lost as it lagged

 

[WildFire]

So, is it safe to do? Make a 1.14 civ3.exe file and a 1.21 exe file? I really want to play these PBEM's but I dont want to do this if anarres is right I wanna play them!

 

[Sashaddin]

The easiest way for now is just to patch/unpatch as your various games need to. It takes less than 30 seconds to patch/unpatch altogether, so everyone can play for the small price of clicking the left button of your mouse a couple of times. Having multiple execs might work, but I'd rather not take the chance.

 

[Lt. 'Killer' M.]

Sashaddin: sadly, uninstalling the patch doesn't work for me

 

[Sashaddin]

How so? Just double-click on the 1.21f icon patch and that's it!

 

[Lt. 'Killer' M.]

and if i load a game and save it it will not work for 1.14f users I need to uninstall all of Civ3 and PTW

 

[hotrod0823]

Killer I am playing both versions for at least the time being and I have been. Unistalling just PTW, it leaves all the saves etc. Then reinstalling to version 1.01 then patching to 1.14.

When you go to 1.21 just patch and you are at 1.21.

Repeat:


I have left civ 1.29 alone

Hotrod

 

[Lt. 'Killer' M.]

hotrod: I am simply not going to bother with that **** - I will use two PCs

 

[hotrod0823]

I wish I could too , it stinks.

 

[Praetorian]

Originally posted by anarres

You are walking in to a minefield.

I didn't know that there were minefields in CIV III

As a fellow programmer, it might be wise to listen to the Dude.

 

[Aggie]

This doesn't appear to be valid anymore. Shouldn't this be un-stickied?