Black Map Fix!!

[ThePunisher]

I got it working on an under spec IBM T42 laptop with only a 32mb ATI radeon Mobility 7500 graphics chip!

Mind you, I had to mess with the settings via Radlinker & it runs like a dog from the start but it works!

I almost cried the 1st time I saw the terrain!

 

[Michelangelo]

I really hope to see such a post concerning intel 8xx cards. But i've given up hope and will continue to play civ3.

 

[raabjerg]

ThePunisher - I also have a T42 with a 32MB Radeon card. Have tried 3 different drivers, but map is still black.

What did you specifically do to fix this?

 

[lamaslany]

I'm trying to get it running on my n800v with Radeon Mobility 7500 - any chance you can post the RadLinker settings?

 

[ThePunisher]

First I installed .net framework & patched. Then I installed DirectcX 9. I had to use a 3rd party app to force the install of the latest ATI drivers - the ones on the IBM site are useless. (Sorry but I don't remember the thread but the app is here somewhere! I found it searching the forum for "ATI Radeon Mobility 7500".)
ATI driver versions:
Catalyst 05.11
Packaging version 8.191

Then I downloaded & installed Radlinker & went into Radlinker / directx / & set the vertex shader version to 1.0

..and it then worked.

Except I'm no longer convinced that it has. All the terrain looks like snow/tundra and the seas are black? Plus, it now still works if set the vertex shader back to auto? Still, I can give the game a go until I buy a better PC?

I hope this helps?

 

[lamaslany]

I hope this helps?

I'll give it a try when I finish work and post my results.

PS: Thanks for the speedy response!

 

[Ron2112]

Except I'm no longer convinced that it has. All the terrain looks like snow/tundra and the seas are black?

Sorry to tell you, that isn't the way the terrain is supposed to work. The "fix" you mentioned results in the same white/yellow terrain many of us end up with. Still waiting for the patch here....

Peace,
Ron

 

[paland]

I really hope to see such a post concerning intel 8xx cards. But i've given up hope and will continue to play civ3.

I have the black terain error and I have a Laptop with an Intel 82855/82855 video card. I'm going to just change the xml file to show all of the map until they come out with a fix.

the Problem seems to be as if the black fog of war is NOT on the terrain but on the "upper camera" instead. And then when some of the terrain is removed by a scout, then some of the "upper camera" becomes clear and you can then see the terrain, not just what's around you, but all of the world that you can get to.

 

[StyxNCa]

My question is, after spending $45, why should I have to manually alter settings to get the game to work?

 

[bio_hazard]

@Titus,
interesting that you got it to work- i have the exact same computer. I did the reveal in worldbuilder fix, and could see the terrain, but still had the a resource display problem where I could only see bread and not hammers or coins.
Also, i had stability issues, where approx 30 turns into the game (usually before i had my second city built), the game would crash and I'd need to hard-reboot.

this was a couple of weeks ago- I've since un-installed as best I can and am waiting to see how the first patch works out. Otherwise will return.

I have not tried the omega drivers yet, but did do the Art file fix and deleted the cache.

 

[Michelangelo]

I have the black terain error and I have a Laptop with an Intel 82855/82855 video card. I'm going to just change the xml file to show all of the map until they come out with a fix.

the Problem seems to be as if the black fog of war is NOT on the terrain but on the "upper camera" instead. And then when some of the terrain is removed by a scout, then some of the "upper camera" becomes clear and you can then see the terrain, not just what's around you, but all of the world that you can get to.

Same config here. I also think it's a layer thing. When you see the earth spinning in the main menu, the lights and continents don't move. Only the clouds. I've played a game with the reveal world setting, but it takes away quite a lot of gameplay.

BTW Welcome to CFC

 

[picklion]

Running a mobility radeon and the omega driver fixed the problem completely. Game works very well.

 

[ikajaste]

I have a Mobility Radeon 7500, and haven't been able to fix the problem. However people with the same problem might be interested in looking at the hacks i've collected from these forums. They don't fix the problem, but let you experiment with the game a bit. You can find them from the site I built for the problem, Black Terrain.

 

[ThePunisher]

Running a mobility radeon and the omega driver fixed the problem completely. Game works very well.

Even a 32mb 7500???

 

[paland]

Same config here. I also think it's a layer thing. When you see the earth spinning in the main menu, the lights and continents don't move. Only the clouds. I've played a game with the reveal world setting, but it takes away quite a lot of gameplay.

BTW Welcome to CFC

I agree that it takes away the game play. And Thanks for the welcome.

 

[fwaltman]

I have an HP TC1100 Tablet computer (formerly Compaq TC1100) with a Nvidia GeForce4 4200 Go 32M video adapter. The game would install and start but go the exact black map problem shown here.

I loaded the drivers from Omegedrivers.net and now I see the map! I haven't played a game yet, so I can't comment on speed and crashes -- I am going on a long business trip after thanksgiving and wanted Civ IV to pass the evenings sitting in my hotel room in the middle of nowwhere.

I have been playing on my desktop (P4 3.0Ghz, 1GB, Nvidia GeForce Fx5200 128mb) and it still has problems (ocassional CTD and sometimes just a black screen but still background music but have to reboot), but that's for another thread.

Two comments while I'm on my soapbox:

1) I've been playing Civ since the original came out way back when. Its really the only computer game I play (Played a little Master of Orion and Alpha Centauri when the first came out -- but they were no Civ). Every version has had problems with the "Wonder's Movies" (or the equiv.) You'd think they'd test that extra hard, but I solved 75% of my crashes by turning them off.

2) I realize that game market has changed the last 15 years or so and that I am not the target market, but I really thing all the fancy graphics just detracts from the game -- both in terms of speed and reliability. I don't really need to see the windmills turning, if that makes the run faster and more rubustly. I could go down the list and you would end up with a game that with all of the game features required but without the "fluff." If this were a flight simulator or a First Person Shooter or some real time reaction game, then thats different. But this is really more like a high tech version of chess.

I guess it just pisses me off that the game runs slower on my 3Ghz P4 than the original Civ ran on my old 286. Yes its a more complicated (and better) game, but I'd wish they'd do a "graphics lite" for fogeys like me.

But the Christopher Tin music makes up for some of the hastle

 

[wilwil]

i'm using T42 too with 32mb radeon 7500
only have two main graphical problems, fog of war and strange sea color(black and blue)

the game runs smoothly in normal size map but sometime the whole game just keeping loading forever for long hours playing

 

[rickmc]

My system:
IBM ThinkPad T42
Windows 2000
ATI Mobility Radeon 7500

I have come across something odd while trying all the different tweaks.

When I go into the ATI 3D Control Panel and play with the Set AGP Speed setting under the SMARTGART tab, I get some odd results.

At 'off' and '1x', the game movies and leader faces all work fine. BUT.... the the terrains now has the white/yellow problem instead of the black fog of war problem AND it is slower than a snail in a salt bed.

At '2x' and '4x', the usual movie, leader, black tile problems.

Sooo, at the cost of a decent play speed, you can get a better experience at off or 1x.

I couldnt take it so back to waiting for a solution.

I hope this info may help all of you out there smarter than me.

 

[King Flevance]

Pyerun seeing people like you are out there gives me strong hope. I dont know what any of that means besides that the so called 'patch' concerning some video cards will probably include the Radeon 7500 and the others with the black terrain issues. The omega drivers made my terrain go from black to snow covered white/yellow. But it is playable. if you know how the functions of the core game work. (I got the 2 food everytile bug too and other ones where people that didnt understand the concept would confuse them visually)
Kudos Pyerun

 

[RKumono]

I guess I'm the odd one out. While this all is still not working for me (invisible animals, transparent leaders, black terrain, goofy fog-of-war, food indicator glitch, etc.), fixes are giving me more trouble than help. I can play it with the black terrain revealed by patching the xml, but nothing else helps.

...in fact, the Omega drivers have disabled part of my video card's functions... Now I can't video capture...what this system is primarily built for... *grumble*

I am hoping this patch seriously addresses these issues, though I suppose I can wait. I would replace my video card, but my board is so old that nothing new will fit the slot, so I'm having to wait until I build my next PC. (Though that should have no problem running this at all.)

Current Spec: (System Construction: July 2002)
AMD Athlon XP 2000+ (1.66ghz)
1024MB PC133 RAM
ATI All-in-Wonder 7500 64MB AGP4x

System Under Construction:
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4000+
1024MB PC3200 RAM
ATI All-in-Wonder X600 128MB PCI-e