Failed to Initialize Renderer

[Rabid Bunny]

I'm using a GeForce2 MX400 64 MB w/T&L

Other than opening scene, game has played fine on medium graphics settings.

I only use this card because my mobo has AGP 8X conflicts, otherwise I would be using my Radeon9600 for everything.

I feel for you guys with only ATI cards or laptops. Although there are guys with 9600GT Nvidia cards out there who are having like issues. It seems to me, that it seems to play better with lower end cards. Who would figure?

 

[Patroklos]

Any news?

Just woke up, looks to me like Fraxis has produced nothing so far.

 

[Iolum]

Well it sure is annoying when you can play doom3 with no problems, but civ 4 crashes. I have 3 comps here, all have ATI cards. Cant pay civ on anyone of them.

When firaxis says they tested this on ati cards, I find it very very hard to believe.

 

[pc load letter]

Figured I might as well chime in as well.

ATI X800 XL, everything up date and so on and so on, Failed to Initialize Renderer.

This fresh install of your video card drivers solution has to be the biggest crock and copout around. I refused to try it for hours yesterday because I damn well knew it wouldn't work, and lo, when I finally figured I'd give it a go, it didn't work. Surprise.

Patch plz !!

 

[Brianboy_24]

The thing that really gets me more than the fact that the game doesn't work is that they try and blame us. I'm not amazing with computers but I do know how to install directX and upgrade my video drivers. A lot of the sting would be removed if on the civ 4 site they would just admit they goofed or if a major internet gaming place like gamespy.com would hop on the story so gamers every where could give these guys hell. At this point in time I'm not looking for a way to fix it anymore I figure I paid $50 let them fix it while I worry about other things.
some basic stats:
AMD 3000+
ATI-X800XL
1 GB crucial RAM

 

[noviere]

I just tried changing my desktop resolution from 1280x1024 to 1024x768. I still get the error message... I just dont have the screen res try to change before the error message is displayer

 

[Iolum]

I'v tried everything possible, reinstalled drivers, rolled back to older versions, tried the omega drivers, screwed with their directx. I now seriously doubt anything short of a patch can fix this. And I have even more doubts about them releasing it within a week.

Heh we paid 50 bucks to beta test their crap, I'd should have just waited and bought it a week later. I know where to spend my money when the xpacs come out.

 

[pc load letter]

Heh we paid 50 bucks to beta test their crap

Reminds me of Sony and Star Wars Galaxies. Ah, the memories...

 

[Imperator666]

got a 9600 sapphire radeon.

why the f*** has civ to be in 3d graphics? so fewer people can play it?
go to hell firaxis, this was the first and last game i bought EVER!

 

[BleckLord]

Well it sure is annoying when you can play doom3 with no problems, but civ 4 crashes. I have 3 comps here, all have ATI cards. Cant pay civ on anyone of them.

When firaxis says they tested this on ati cards, I find it very very hard to believe.

This is what gets me. Everything I've seen posted states that this problem only occurs with a small population of the ATI card set, but I've seen several reports like Iolum's. Reports were people have several computers, all runing ATI hardware, and all produce this error.

If this problem is common (or even 20% of ATI cards), then it should have been easily screened between 'gold' and ship, and Firaxis-2K would already be well along in fixing the game.

That's it, I have to go to work.

 

[banko]

Goddamn, I'm having the same problem with a Ati X800 XL. As someone said, it's nerve-wrecking to be able to play the coolest games (in graphic terms) but not a "little simpler" one :| I myself love Civilizations but this makes my blood boil!

 

[cannedarse]

well i guess where in the same boat here. like most other ppl i have the ati x800 XL. and get the error... BUT MY FRIEND HAS THE ATI 700 PRO AND PLAYS IT. NO PROBLEM!!!!!! i love haveing top of the like stuff not work. im off to the bank later on to get $250 and get me an nvidia card. nice work ppl. also i have an LCD monitor if anybody wants to know.

 

[Grawl]

Firaxis is currently looking into the startup issues people are experiencing.

There appear to be two seperate issues which lead to the "Failed to Initialize Renderer" bug.

-------------------------------

1) When installing Civ 4 you MUST install the version of DirectX 9 that shows up. If you get a window asking you to upgrade you NEED to update to the new version. Aside from Civ 4 this version is only available through the DirectX Development kit and does not come with other games or with the user DirectX you find through Microsoft.

-------------------------------

That'd be a wonderful solution, if it wasn't for the fact that I can't. When I install it, it says (when it's about halfway) "Can't copy file" or something among those lines. Then it just shuts down.

 

[Mazruk]

This is what gets me. Everything I've seen posted states that this problem only occurs with a small population of the ATI card set, but I've seen several reports like Iolum's. Reports were people have several computers, all runing ATI hardware, and all produce this error.

If its something like DX9 that is causing the issue, then presumably people with multi machines all had the same DX9 installed (prior to the arrival of Civ4) and therefore they all have the same problem.

The problem isnt just ATI cards (I dont believe its the cards at all actually) as nVidia users have also reported it.

Now, if everyone with the problem would just answer 1 question: Did you have DX9 on your machine before you bought Civ4? (Dx9 could have been installed by you, another game or by XP SP2). Answers to this could speed up solutions a lot...

 

[DeathsHead]

Yes I did have DX9 installed already from other games.

 

[MotorRalf]

I got it from BW2..

 

[Storm2380]

Well, I'm not sure at this point how much good this will do but...

I have an X800XL on my system. The specs are 3.0, 2 gigs ram, Audigy 2 and I've currently got the 5.9 drivers installed (basics, no control center).

Bottom line: it's working absolutely flawlessly.

On install, I got a few wierd things though. Just in case it helps, I'll tell you exactly what I did...

1. Insert disk labeled "Disk 1". For starters, as others have stated, this was actually Disk 2, which I found out later when I tried to start the program and it gave me the "Insert correct DVD (lol even though it's a CD)". At Least I think so. The installation still worked, with just swapping out disks when it asked. The only problems I had were on trying to start the program afterwards, and (see below).

You'd think the autorun would start right? Wrong. I got the ATI install autorun popping up every time. So wierd. Well, I just went exploring on the disk until I found the right install program to start.

2. Direct X dialogue popped up. I just let it do it's thing, as suggested in other places in this thread.

3. The rest of the game then installed with no problems.

4. I then rebooted, before even TRYING to start the game.

5. After clean reboot, I double-clicked the beloved icon and ...BINGO...no problems (other than having to switch out disks).

More information, just in case this helps:

Desktop resolution 1280x1024
Game resolution 1600x1200 (it's really gorgeous, incidentally)

I will try to give more information if needed, although I'm no guru like some on this board.

Good luck all! At least SOME high end ATI's seem to work for some reason!

 

[cannedarse]

yes me too. i buy games all the time. also i know this may sound weird but is there any similarity of the cores on these cards that dont work.

700 pro works vs. x800 XL not working.... just an idea

 

[Mazruk]

Another question: Does anyone know for absolute sure that they had DX8 or less before installing CIV4 (and using CIV4s DX9 update) and still gets the problem?

 

[boredoftheworld]

I got it from BW2..

AUGH!!!!!

So did I! I knew that game stank on ice! The only consolation I had was that at least I'd get to forget about BW2 by drowning myself in a CivIV induced coma. Well I'm gonna be in a coma alright and it will be due to CivIV, but not in the way I was hoping.