at my wits end with performance.

[typicalskeleton]

I have searched through the forums, on google, and everywhere I could look, with no solution. I've seen other people having similar problems, though they always seem slightly different, a lot of them have BtS as well, I do not.

I'm running vanilla civ4.

please note this is not a issue with my computer specs. the game runs just fine at max settings, for about 30 turns (or some arbitrary number, even as few as 5). after that point, it just slows down, way down. to about 10fps. it makes no sense to me.

if I alt-tab out and check the task manager, the CPU usage spikes up to about 60-80%, then gradually comes down, and if I refocus civ4, it spikes again, then comes down. if I leave the game alone, it occasionally "fixes" itself, until some other point...

I have tried:

lowering graphics settings -- no change.

disabling music and voices -- no change.

disabling movies -- no change.

modifying the .ini to max the fps at 40 -- no change.

used static leader heads -- no change.

run the game as admin and not as admin -- no change.

modify the .ini to disable all blink related things -- no change.

using the memsaver option in the .ini -- nothin'.

running tiny games and huge games -- same problem.

uninstalling and reinstalling civ4 -- no good.

patching and not-patching -- same thing.

also note I had the same problem with the demo, before I got the game (I got the game free from my brother, btw. it is 100% legit, he just didn't like it, big into civ3, never gave it a proper chance).

I do know computers to an extent and have never had a problem I couldn't eventually solve, but this one is driving me crazy! anyone have any suggestions/ideas?

one more thing, exiting the game and restarting it temporarily fixes the problem. needless to say, reloading at some arbitrary point gets old, fast. I really want to fix this.

edit:

I also tried using the directx9 installer, which didn't help.

additionally, I updated my video drivers. it is an nvidia card, though.

I've tried to place when/where this starts, but so far I can't seem to nail anything down. the only thing I can say it is MAY, and that's a big MAY, be related to the camera auto-panning to an event. but that's not 100%.

 

[ori]

welcome to CFC

could you post your dxdiag results file?

 

[typicalskeleton]

is this what you mean?

 

[ori]

yes, thanks.
Are you sure your graphics driver is uptodate? it is from 07.

 

[typicalskeleton]

come to think of it, I may have had trouble getting the update to install. seems like it frequently complains that the device is not found.

but do you think that would cause the symptoms? both graphs for the CPU show spiking, but maybe that's normal? I'll look into that driver update..

 

[ori]

if you use the game in full screen mode alt-tabbing out to see the task manager is not a reliable measure since the game switches from highest priority process while active to low priority when you alt-tab out and back to highest when you go back into the game and the spikes are likely related to that.
most delays with your kind of system are due to the graphics engine and an old driver is the most common culprit...