Civ3+Steam

[ZergMazter]

Civ3 and steam do not mix. Is where a way anyone could modify a text or something to launch civ3 without steam? Its a royal pain in the butt. If im not connected to the internet, steam decides to update, but because no connection is available it will just crash and it will not ever let me just click on the darn civ 3 icon and play it.

Putting steam in offline mode is not the answer. Steam will attempt to update itself even if its offline and it results in a crash when it doesnt detect internet.

I've surfed the internet and a lot of people have the same problem, but no answer. Can any of you tech savy people help us out? I'd hate to be stuck in a long trip without my civ just because steam crashes :/

 

[dragonprobably]

Is where a way anyone could modify a text or something to launch civ3 without steam?

If you don't want to play the game without it launching Steam, you shouldn't have bought it off Steam.

 

[WildWeazel]

It sounds like there's a problem with your Steam client installation. If the game is already installed it should absolutely work in offline mode without trying to update anything.

In any case this question belongs in tech support or a Steam forum.

 

[ZergMazter]

Thanks WildWeazel. I dont know how to move threads around. I actually play every other game I own without any problems because even if steam crashes I can surf thru the files and find the launch file and the games launches as normal.

I found it a bit odd that civ 3 is the only game that can only be launched thru steam

Moderator Action: Moved to Civ3 Tech Support. Good luck with your issue.

 

[Quintillus]

I think it's actually a Steam problem that Steam tries to update but fails. I've had the same problem occasionally in the past with Steam, although it's been a number of years. I remember reading last summer that one of the benefits of Steam's new download system was supposed to be a more reliable offline mode, although I'm not sure if they've got around to fixing that or not (perhaps not). What I usually do if I know I'm going to be offline for a long time is disconnect the Internet while I'm still offline, make sure Steam will start, and if not, reconnect and let it update. If it does connect, I exit Steam and don't restart it again until the time of offline-ness (since if it does restart, it might find an update that it tries to install the next time it starts).

There are a few other games that also won't start without Steam, including many of the ones that have been on Steam a long time. I want to say Rome: Total War is one of them (the original, I don't have the new one).

At any rate, you do have a couple options. If you're okay with disallowing razing, take a look at the No Raze patch. You could also consider buying the game from a non-Steam digital retailer, such as Gamersgate. When on sale, it can be as low as $1.24. I used to have Civ3 via Impulse, and it was a non-Steam version. I wouldn't recommend Impulse or its successor GameStop, however, as their download client isn't very reliable. Gamersgate gives you a full offline installer, so there's no client to worry about (although I should note that while I've bought a number of games there, Civ3 isn't among them - I have CDs for Civ3).

 

[ZergMazter]

Thanks Quintillus! Im gonna try and buy it from gamersgate. Internet connection is becoming a little bit too expensive for me, and i might be cancelling it soon. I still remember times where good internet was only 40/month and now i pay more than double :/

 

[Gray Wolf]

ZergMazter, you can also buy the game from Amazon and just install the game on your computer without Steam.

Here's the Amazon link: Sid Meier's Civilization III Complete.

Actually, here is something better on Amazon. You can get Civilization 4 and Civilization 3 together in a bundle.
Here's the Amazon link for that: Civilization-3-And-4-Complete ($10.99)

 

[Laurana Kanan]

I wouldn't even bother with discs unless you wanted a backup or to play PTW. I d/led a copy from Gamersgate about a year ago when it was on sale for $1.24 and have been extremely happy with it. Even at $4.95 it's pretty cheap, but usually they have a Civ sale every 2 or 3 months where all the titles are 75% off.