Burned by 2K and Firaxis

[stoicfaux]

Eh, a lot of the time, it's not the game that has problems, it's one of a zillion components in your windows box. (Which is a reason why consoles are so 'easy' to write for.) Things that have hosed games in my experience:

-sound cards. Biggest game or frame rate killer in my experience. Verify your sound drivers are up to date. Don't get a generic card. Name brand cards (aka creative labs) are cheap and name brand stuff normally gets tested by gaming companies.

-heat. Games put a *lot* more stress on your CPU and video card. If you're having random reboots or lockups, you might have a heating problem. Taking the cover off of your computer reduces your temp by 10 degrees or so. Verify that your cpu and video card fans are working.

-drivers. Some games require you to have up to date drivers. Other games only work with older drivers. =) Check the forums and newsgroups. If you're running RAID or other exotic components, don't forget to verify that they're up to date also.

-Update your BIOS. Normally a last resort.

-Remove spyward, adware, and other malware from your system. I've seen mal-ware slow a computer down dramatically. I've seen it break expensive commercial software because the mal-ware was redirecting addresses and generally mucking with the tcp/ip stack. =P Run AdAware and SpyBot to clean up your system.

-CD/RW and DVD/RW. DRM/copy protection can screw up your games by forcing your dvd/cd-rom to constantly have to re-read data.

-Re-install the game. Sometimes a file gets corrupted during the install. Try reinstalling.

-Defrag and then re-install the game.

-Run checkdisk. Occassionally a sector goes bad or you get cross-linked files. Not much of a problem with winNT or winXP though.

-Windows gets crufty. If you're truly desperate, re-install windows from scratch. But make damn sure you backup everything, and make sure you can connect to the internet to download drivers afterwards.

-Buy name brand components. If you assemble your own PCs, try to use quality parts. They're more stable, have had more QA time, handle heat better, etc. Conversely, avoid bleeding edge tech. 2nd generation stuff has been reviewed by everyone, making it easier to research what components are stable/problem free.

The only truly unfixable problem I came across was with Evil Genius having a stuttering sound problem that appears to have been related to the motherboard's on board RAID controller. The only fix for that was to build a new system. (I was overdue for an upgrade.)

 

[salous]

I got my civ4 yesterday, and installed it in my Acer 4100 laptop, which has a Radeon X700 mobile(64MB RAM), 1 GB RAM and 1.73 GHz CPU.The only problem I encountered is a initial error message. But it is soon resolved by installing DirectX 9 in Civ4 CD. I played a standard map with normal speed. No crashes. No wierd graphic problems. It is just as smooth as it can be and lots of fun.

 

[scooterguy]

I haven't had any major technical problems...just don't leave the game for any reason or you'll never get back in unless you CTRL, ALT, DEL it. Even though mine works fine, I still think the game was months away from a fair release. Civilopedia, Advisors, City Screens all suck big. It's actually quite pathetic that this stuff took two steps back from Civ 3.

P4 3.2 Northwood
1 gig
ATI 9800 pro (128)
No crashes while playing, only after going to desktop.

 

[Critt3r]

It's too bad so many people are having problems with Civ IV.

I was reading these forums before picking up my copy thanks to a shipping snafu at Fry's.

I was a little bit nervous about compatability.

Luckily for me I have had not a single problem. No crashes, no glitches, no lag, nothing.

I run all of my games on a separate HD. I use Boost XP to keep my registry clean. All of my drivers are up to date and I defrag once a week.

AMD 2800+
1024 mb RAM
A7N8X Deluxe MoBo
Onboard NVidia Sound
ATI 9800 Radeon 128 mb
ATA Serial HD (Games Only)

 

[BobtheBold]

All I can say is, caveat emptor. Firaxis and Take2 didn't have a gun to your head when bought Civ IV. If you read the various fansites, you would have had a really good idea that the game was largely unplayable and/or glitchy for some folks. But, lemme guess: you bought it anyway.

Honestly, if buggy software bothers you so much, don't buy anything until six months post release.

For me: other than the mini-map glitch, and a flickering cursor, the game is pretty darn stable and entertaining.

What? Hello? McFly? They do have an unreasonable advantage. This game cannot be returned to any retailer that I know of once the box is opened. They have no incentive to work to try and solve the problems I am having. In fact other than, IMO, a useless dxdiag, they have done nothing.

Let me understand your logic. I read a review. It got a great rating. I bought the game. It doesn't perform properly. This is somehow my fault? I apparently screwed up by believing the reviews and the information on the box. Hey, sorry I don't read every scrap of info on a $40 purchase. Sid Meier earned my confidence over years of quality games. He blew it with this one.

Sorry your logic eludes me. If I bought a car based on a review in a magazine and it stalled and died after being driven for an hour it would be defective. But not software. The manufacturer of the vehicle would be required to fix or replace it. Firaxis and Take 2 have no such obligation. Read the EULA.

Finally, this software isn't a little buggy. IT IS BROKEN. Bad docs, mislabeled disks, and software that doesn't run on nearly half the video cards on the market is "buggy"? My friend, you and I have a different understanding of the word buggy.

 

[Clown2TheLeft]

Assuming you have the recommended requirements, this game plays much better than civ 3 out of the box. Remeber the completely corrupt cities and repetitive tree-choppin, ugh

I'd have to disagree. Civ III RAN out of the box. This does not. Yes, III had problems --the trees, the air units, the corruption-- but nothing that'd cause inexplicable crashes to desktop such as this...

Later!

--The Clown to the Left

 

[Lincoln77]

I will admit that I have been somewhat disappointed with some of the aspects of the new game, but other than having to get a new video card because the stock one that came with the computer was only operating at 32-64 meg, the game has worked well and has not crashed once.

 

[BobtheBold]

WOW!

What a firestorm I seemed to have caused. Not really my intention. I only ranted because I have very much enjoyed the games Sid Meier makes. I have played all of the Civ's, pirates (apple // no less) Hellcats, RR Tycoon, etc.

To those who work right out of the box. I am happy for you. A bit envious as well. I WANT to play this game. I can't. Games that are much more cpu intensive like Quake 4 or Unreal run for as long as I want them to.

My system isn't defective. I don't have bad software. My issue is this: Aside from an email requesting a dxdiag (not the problem IMO. There is a resource leak in the game.) As the units, strategy decision trees and conflicts increase, the software grabs OBSCENE amounts of RAM. Just before my last crash the game was using over 1.1GB of ram for itself. How is this a driver or BIOS issue? Perhaps with less memory if processes information differently. I don't know. Games are supposed to be fun. This one is until it stops.

I came here because I found more information than Take 2 and Firaxis have made available. I am sorry that some of you are personally offended by my post. Apparently I am a whiner for wanting to software to work according to its own documentation. I have called Take 2. I waited on hold for 20 minutes 3 times at least. Then they hung up and told me to call later via recording.

My final point, and then I am outta here is this. For the number of people complaining and commonality of the problems I would have expected Firaxis to catch this in QA. I have worked with game developers (not as one, just with them) I know the pressures. I know Take 2 wanted this for Xmas. This much is obvious. The fact that is was rushed is obvious. French docs, mislabeled discs and an abnormaly large number of errors prove this. I just want a refund. I buy games to have fun. This game, for me, is not.

 

[Venger]

Eh, a lot of the time, it's not the game that has problems,

Uh huh. And then again, sometimes it is.

So it could be a combination of:

-sound cards.
-heat.
-drivers.
-Update your BIOS.
-Remove spyward, adware,
-CD/RW and DVD/RW.
-Re-install the game.
-Defrag and then re-install the game.
-Run checkdisk.
-Windows gets crufty.
-Buy name brand components.

Or it just might be this:

Civ4 is buggy.

Place your bets...

Venger

 

[wilebill]

1.8 P4, .75 gig Ram, Radeon 9600 Pro. Slight slowdown in late game on big maps. Cured by exiting and rebooting Windows. Other than that no problems.

There may simply be a problem with some graphics cards that will not go away until the patch. Other than that, get everything out of the background, run nothing concurrent, turn off real time file checking in adware and virus, only while running the game.

A patch is needed. Now that Firaxis and T2 have signed their agreement, maybe they will get to work on one. At a minimum, they should give some rough estimate of when they hope to have a patch. The silence from both is deafening.

 

[MobBoss]

Stop complaing to civfantics. Half of the people here don't care that this is a buggy release. They are true belivers and nothing you say will convince them that this is a horrible piece of software (which it is).

Do what I did... Sell it on eBay and tell all of your friends how Civ 4 sucks really big time

Well, who should I believe....you?...or my computer that runs the game? Oh wait...my computer says Civ 4 runs great and is a load of fun...you? I dont know you.

I guess I will go with what is logical and trust my senses that say playing Civ 4 is a load of fun!

 

[wayninja]

What? Hello? McFly? They do have an unreasonable advantage. This game cannot be returned to any retailer that I know of once the box is opened. They have no incentive to work to try and solve the problems I am having. In fact other than, IMO, a useless dxdiag, they have done nothing.

Sure they have an incentive. They are a software company which largely operates under the assumption of planned obsolecence. Such companies live and die by reputation. Look at Blizzard.

Let me understand your logic. I read a review. It got a great rating. I bought the game. It doesn't perform properly. This is somehow my fault? I apparently screwed up by believing the reviews and the information on the box. Hey, sorry I don't read every scrap of info on a $40 purchase. Sid Meier earned my confidence over years of quality games. He blew it with this one.

I don't think he said it was your fault. The words he used were 'caveat emptor' which means that when you buy something, you are taking a risk of your own free will. But let me understand YOUR logic. You are saying that it doesn't make sense for you to READ 'every scrap of info on a $40 purchase' but you'll come in here an WRITE about how unfair it is for the same $40?

Sorry your logic eludes me. If I bought a car based on a review in a magazine and it stalled and died after being driven for an hour it would be defective. But not software. The manufacturer of the vehicle would be required to fix or replace it. Firaxis and Take 2 have no such obligation. Read the EULA.

You already summed this one up. 'But not software'. Yep. Believe it or not, software and cars don't make for a good analogy.

Finally, this software isn't a little buggy. IT IS BROKEN. Bad docs, mislabeled disks, and software that doesn't run on nearly half the video cards on the market is "buggy"? My friend, you and I have a different understanding of the word buggy.

I think you're letting your emotion get the best of you and might be exaggerating slighty. You know for sure that the software 'doesn't run on nearly half the video cards on the market?' If a pure software bug was causing the game not to run, then no one would be playing it.

 

[MobBoss]

What? Hello? McFly? They do have an unreasonable advantage. This game cannot be returned to any retailer that I know of once the box is opened. They have no incentive to work to try and solve the problems I am having. In fact other than, IMO, a useless dxdiag, they have done nothing.

Let me understand your logic. I read a review. It got a great rating. I bought the game. It doesn't perform properly. This is somehow my fault? I apparently screwed up by believing the reviews and the information on the box. Hey, sorry I don't read every scrap of info on a $40 purchase. Sid Meier earned my confidence over years of quality games. He blew it with this one.

Sorry your logic eludes me. If I bought a car based on a review in a magazine and it stalled and died after being driven for an hour it would be defective. But not software. The manufacturer of the vehicle would be required to fix or replace it. Firaxis and Take 2 have no such obligation. Read the EULA.

Finally, this software isn't a little buggy. IT IS BROKEN. Bad docs, mislabeled disks, and software that doesn't run on nearly half the video cards on the market is "buggy"? My friend, you and I have a different understanding of the word buggy.

I have highlighted the part that I have the most problem with. People who claim it to be "broken" just because it wont work on their PC seem to want to ignore the vast majority that it DOES work for. A forum like this will attract a higher ratio of those having problems as they are trying to search out a "fix"..however, the vast majority playing this game with no problems will never visit this site at all. As for the mislabeled disks..well, I guess you have to have a higher IQ than the disk to figure that one out. Also, the game runs on way more than "half the video cards on the market". I have read dozens of posts of ATI users on this forum alone that have no had problems...also you seem to think that the problem running the game centers around video cards when actually it could be just about any reason. I have seen games run on not run on a case by case basis on systems with bad memory, overheating problems, bad bios, bad mobo, hardisk corruption etc, etc, etc.

By the way, if you didnt have the time to read every scrap of paper on a $40 purchase, please let us know when you have reached the $40 level of complaining...IMHO you seem to have exceeded it already.

Ya know if you have a problem and are looking for a fix ok, but to make a blanket statement like the game is totally "broken" is incorrect.

 

[Clown2TheLeft]

If it doesn't work on my PC, it's broken, far as I'm concerned.

I would not be looking for a fix if it weren't.


Later!

--The Clown to the Left

 

[wayninja]

Isn't that a little like saying "If I can't operate an offshore oil drill, then it must be broken."

I"m willing to bet a good deal of money that my game CD's and yours are identical. It works on my machine fine and not yours. You take the next logical step...

Look, I"m not saying that there are not any problems, but the term 'broken' means (or at least should mean) that the game is unplayable on any hardware or has some other game-crippling defect seen by ALL users.

 

[Zelgadis75]

Can the people complaining name one pc game made in the recent past that didnt need patched?

Is this a joke??? Every game I have ever bought for a computer or gaming console has worked pretty good out of box. every one. Civ4 is the exception.

 

[wayninja]

I bet others felt the same way about 'every game' you have 'ever bought' as you do about civ4...

 

[Zelgadis75]

I bet others felt the same way about 'every game' you have 'ever bought' as you do about civ4...

Im sure, however, the point is all other games I have bought were at least tested enough to work without glaring errors and crashes.

I have a top end computer ordered through Dell from about a year ago. If they didnt test for a machine that mainstream, they are a bigger bunch of clowns than the people posting here.

 

[wayninja]

You mean that all other games you bought were at least tested enough to work without glaring errors and crashes for you. Just as Civ4 works without glaring errors or crashes for me. See what I'm getting at?

Just because the game doesn't work on your 'mainstream-top-end-Dell' doesn't meant that they didn't test on one. Your reasoning is a bit specious.

 

[Zelgadis75]

You mean that all other games you bought were at least tested enough to work without glaring errors and crashes for you. Just as Civ4 works without glaring errors or crashes for me. See what I'm getting at?

Just because the game doesn't work on your 'mainstream-top-end-Dell' doesn't meant that they didn't test on one. Your reasoning is a bit specious.

Im not sure what your point is (other than to provoke an argument perhapse ). Its obvious they rushed through QA to get this released before christmas. Sure they MIGHT have tested on mainstream computer company configurations but how much? Not enough apparently.

My computer exceeds reqs in all catagories. It has all mainstream parts bought through Dell. Well maintained, de-spywared etc youve heard it all before.

+

Civ4 Chokes late game and crashes.

=

Not enough QA, buggy product.


This is a great game, I love it. However I want it to actually run for a full game. I sure hope they are working hard to fix these issues.