Luddite
Chieftain
... third-grade level "how to make it work" explanation for a complete technical illiterate like myself?
Let me elaborate. I have installed the game, but have the following problems:
1. The audio is choppy. This applies to the opening movie, the loading voice-overs, and the in-game music.
2. The leader heads are disembodied eyes and teeth, a la the Cheshire Cat.
3. The units and terrain features are visible, but the terrain itself is solid black. Everywhere.
I have a Dell Inspiron 1100 laptop, which I imagine is roughly the gaming equivalent of a late-model Honda Civic, but ran Civ 3 just fine. As I read page 7 of the Civ 4 manual, I would ideally want the following things to run the game smoothly:
1. A 1.8 GHz Intel Pentium 4 processor. (I have a 2.2 GHz Pentium 4 processor.)
2. 512 MB of RAM. (Whaddaya know? I have exactly 512 MB of RAM.)
3. A 128 MB Video Card with "Hardware T&L" and a "Direct X7 compatible sound card", or better yet, with "Direct X 8 support (pixel and vertex shaders)". (I'm not sure what I have in this department, but it ain't this. I checked the "System" window, "Hardware" tab, "Device Manager" button, and I think maybe what I have is an "Intel 82845G Graphics Controller". But for all I know, I may be describing the precise color of the finish on the laptop.)
4. A CD-ROM drive, a bunch of hard drive space, and DirectX9.0c (which is included, whatever it is). (Got all this.)
I gather, from the above and from the discussions I've read so far, that my Video Card is somehow inadequate. Perhaps it has something to do with "T&L"? Or maybe it's something completely different.
What I'd like to know is: (1) Is it the Video Card? (2) If so, can I go buy another, better Video Card and have a friendly techie install it? (3) If so, which one should I buy and where can I get it? Or alternatively, (4) am I way off base in my understanding of the problem, such that the best recourse would be to cut the CD-ROMs in half and use them as crude blade weapons against Firaxis employees?
I am eternally indebted to anyone who can provide any advice. Remember, I may have a Harvard J.D., but when it comes to computers and crap, I'm a total freaking moron.
Let me elaborate. I have installed the game, but have the following problems:
1. The audio is choppy. This applies to the opening movie, the loading voice-overs, and the in-game music.
2. The leader heads are disembodied eyes and teeth, a la the Cheshire Cat.
3. The units and terrain features are visible, but the terrain itself is solid black. Everywhere.
I have a Dell Inspiron 1100 laptop, which I imagine is roughly the gaming equivalent of a late-model Honda Civic, but ran Civ 3 just fine. As I read page 7 of the Civ 4 manual, I would ideally want the following things to run the game smoothly:
1. A 1.8 GHz Intel Pentium 4 processor. (I have a 2.2 GHz Pentium 4 processor.)
2. 512 MB of RAM. (Whaddaya know? I have exactly 512 MB of RAM.)
3. A 128 MB Video Card with "Hardware T&L" and a "Direct X7 compatible sound card", or better yet, with "Direct X 8 support (pixel and vertex shaders)". (I'm not sure what I have in this department, but it ain't this. I checked the "System" window, "Hardware" tab, "Device Manager" button, and I think maybe what I have is an "Intel 82845G Graphics Controller". But for all I know, I may be describing the precise color of the finish on the laptop.)
4. A CD-ROM drive, a bunch of hard drive space, and DirectX9.0c (which is included, whatever it is). (Got all this.)
I gather, from the above and from the discussions I've read so far, that my Video Card is somehow inadequate. Perhaps it has something to do with "T&L"? Or maybe it's something completely different.
What I'd like to know is: (1) Is it the Video Card? (2) If so, can I go buy another, better Video Card and have a friendly techie install it? (3) If so, which one should I buy and where can I get it? Or alternatively, (4) am I way off base in my understanding of the problem, such that the best recourse would be to cut the CD-ROMs in half and use them as crude blade weapons against Firaxis employees?
I am eternally indebted to anyone who can provide any advice. Remember, I may have a Harvard J.D., but when it comes to computers and crap, I'm a total freaking moron.
