Disappointed with the Patch

[cephyn]

Originally posted by Patchmaster
One of the registry entries for Civ3 is the letter of the install drive. If you know how to edit the registry you can change this to your new drive and the game should now play in the new drive.

I don't think this issue is something that was necessarily introduced with the patch. I had a problem with this prior to the patch. The CD-ROM I installed from flaked out on me and I had to use my other drive. If the game booted up from the CD-ROM (due to autostart when I inserted the CD) it would work fine from the alternate drive. If I started the game from the desktop icon it would just complain about the CD not being in the drive. I edited the registry to point to the alternate drive and everything works fine now.

Hmm. thats interesting. I tried the autostart thing from the other drive and it still didnt work 8( given that, i had to assume the patch goofed something.

The registry thing is a good call. Do you know the exact key? its not important really, i can poke around and find it, it would just make it easier, hehe...thanks for the tip! :crazyeyes

 

[nok]

Originally posted by cephyn
The registry thing is a good call. Do you know the exact key?

prepatch was this, postpatch location should be same/similar :

HKLM/SOFTWARE/Infogrames Interactive/Civilization III/CD_Path

 

[m_m_x]

i have windows 98 se installed
and the patch is causing my system random crash's all the time..after going into some screens like wonder, domestic etc....
before that i didnt had 1 problem...whats going on here?!?!
i am very very disappointed , waited quietly ,didnt complained and thats what we get??and what about those ugly city pop numbers????how that thing can get pass by QA???its so irritating....
well i hope they are working on something fast, so ill sit here again quietly and wait..

 

[Mr Spice]

1) Guys. How could you NOT fix the bug where your own fortified troops attack your own troops/workers trying to enter the city?!?!

I´ve never ever had this problem. Are you sure it isn´t something you caused yourself by editing the rules?

I´ve noticed that the game use to crasch when I change some units in a certain way, but functions normally when I reinstall the original bic-file. Perhaps your problem originates from editing as well.

 

[OneInTen]

I'd suggest you send your complaints about cd copy protection to the culprits, which isn't Firaxis. The people at fault are the wankers who make safedisc, Macrovision.

 

[EDaddy]

I've had this problem too in the non-edited rules. I lost alot of workers in one of my games, because MY troops decide to have a little "civil war"!

An army also got attcacked by one of my own cities!

 

[cephyn]

Originally posted by Mr Spice


I´ve never ever had this problem. Are you sure it isn´t something you caused yourself by editing the rules?

I´ve noticed that the game use to crasch when I change some units in a certain way, but functions normally when I reinstall the original bic-file. Perhaps your problem originates from editing as well.

As you can see, its not unheard of. I havent ever edited the rules, or modified the game in any way (save for the patch, of course)

If you poke through the forum a bit, youll see that its definitely a known problem.

 

[cephyn]

Originally posted by OneInTen
I'd suggest you send your complaints about cd copy protection to the culprits, which isn't Firaxis. The people at fault are the wankers who make safedisc, Macrovision.

has nothing to do with this -- im not trying to burn the CD. Checking for the CD, and how the game checks and where it checks has zero to do with macrovision and safedisc.

 

[Second]

Originally posted by cephyn


has nothing to do with this -- im not trying to burn the CD. Checking for the CD, and how the game checks and where it checks has zero to do with macrovision and safedisc.

Actually, I think it was mentioned somewhere that the new patch uses a newer version of safedisc, don't remember where tho.

 

[Wolfshanze]

Safedisk and any CD copy protection schemes are HARD CODED on the CD itself to prevent 100% same duplicate copies of the CD when burned.

YOU CAN'T CHANGE THE VERSION ON THE CD WITH A DOWNLOADED PATCH.

Now you can screw something up on the software downloaded to the hard-drive that fails to read the CD properly, but you're not changing the version of Safedisk on the copy of Civ3 that you own!

 

[Second]

Originally posted by Wolfshanze
Safedisk and any CD copy protection schemes are HARD CODED on the CD itself to prevent 100% same duplicate copies of the CD when burned.

YOU CAN'T CHANGE THE VERSION ON THE CD WITH A DOWNLOADED PATCH.

Now you can screw something up on the software downloaded to the hard-drive that fails to read the CD properly, but you're not changing the version of Safedisk on the copy of Civ3 that you own!

Indeed, I left to much space for interpretations.

What I meant was that they used a newer version of the safedisc decoder (or whatever it is, 2.5xxx instead of 2.4xxx or something) for the patch, just like they did for Max Payne (v1.02).

Don't remember, and I can't seem to find either, the post where I read it, perhaps I was dreaming - who knows?

 

[nok]

Originally posted by Second
What I meant was that they used a newer version of the safedisc decoder (or whatever it is, 2.5xxx instead of 2.4xxx or something) for the patch, just like they did for Max Payne (v1.02).

1.07f used safedisc 2.40.10 while 1.16f uses 2.51.21... It is still safedisc v2 of course though.

 

[Iskan]

4) Guys, the city population numbers -- what the hell is up with those? How did graphics get messed up, especially those? That needs to be fixed, it looks horrendous. I mean really really bad. I know this game isn't about graphics, but I know you guys take pride in the look&feel of the game -- which i like too. But now, these numbers are a blight

cephyn,

I read somewhere that unchecking (or checking - don't remember exactly..) "Smooth edges of screen fonts" (Display Properties - Effects) fixes this problem.

A question:
After the patch cities with pop 1 disappear when captured. Was it the patch fixes? Or it's just me?

 

[cephyn]

Originally posted by Iskan


cephyn,

I read somewhere that unchecking (or checking - don't remember exactly..) "Smooth edges of screen fonts" (Display Properties - Effects) fixes this problem.

A question:
After the patch cities with pop 1 disappear when captured. Was it the patch fixes? Or it's just me?

thanks for the tip, ill have to try that -- but really, i shouldnt have to change a windows setting like that to fix a game. not cool.

Thats what i hear -- but i havent experienced it myself. 8/

 

[lemur]

I suppose waiting for a patch adressing the cd-drive/original install is worthwhile, but wouldn't reinstalling be relatively painless? In the amount of time it takes to read this thread first to finish the game could be uninstalled then reinstalled on a preferred drive (then import copy of saved games folder)

For the brave, no doubt there will be a no-cd crack out there which works with the patched version, though it is possible that Firaxis will adress this issue b4 a 1.6 no-cd crack


buried in his jammies

 

[m_m_x]

I read somewhere that unchecking (or checking - don't remember exactly..) "Smooth edges of screen fonts" (Display Properties - Effects) fixes this problem.

not working for me
ugly shadow still there....FIRAXIS
please give us back the old clean look.....why mess around with things that were ok?!?!?!?!!

 

[Iskan]

In FAQ they mentioned something about removing the Lucida Sans font from your windows\fonts directory.... ?

 

[Iskan]

Sorry for posting one word at a time but here's some more on fonts issue:

I had the same font problem. I opened the civ folder, and there was a TrueType font labeled "Lucinda sans". I moved this to the windows/fonts directory and after rebooting, most of the text appears correctly. Occasionally there is some overlap or misfitting of the type in the space provided, but this is now very rare. You might want to open your civ folders and see if there is a font symbol, which like TT, in blue. (protista)

Did you try changing font size?

 

[OneInTen]

Originally posted by cephyn


has nothing to do with this -- im not trying to burn the CD. Checking for the CD, and how the game checks and where it checks has zero to do with macrovision and safedisc.

Um, how do you think safedisc works? By checking for the cd in the drive when the game is played. Safedisc checks for known bad sectors on the disc at startup time. WHen the game pops up that message that it can't find the cd, that's safedisc that wants the cd, not the game code itself.

Unfortunately for us, when they released the patch they used a newer version of the safedisc disk checker, which is obviously more sensitive about the drive being used. Not to mention doesn't yet seem to have a crack available for.

 

[XPav]

If Civ3 is checking the wrong CD drive -- do the following.

Start->Run
type "Regedit"

browse to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Infogrames Interactive\Civilization III

Change CD_PATH to the drive you desire.