Game crashes...video card problem?

[Invader3K]

Hey all...I have Civ 4 with both add-ons, and have been playing for a while. The game has always crashed occasionally for me, but it seems to be getting progressively worse. It seems to happen more in later parts of the game where more of the map and units are shown. Basically I get some random screen flickering, then the screen turns black, and crashes back to the Windows desktop. I'm wondering if it could be a video card issue? Here are my stats:

Dell Dimension 4600
Intel Pentium 4, 2.8 ghz
2.79 ghz, 1.00GB of RAM
Windows XP
GeForce FX 5200 graphics card (I believe 128 MB, but I'm not sure on that).

PC is about 4 years old.

I've already tried tweaking the in-game graphics settings, and tweaked the Windows virtual memory settings, to no avail. Would getting a new video card help, or is the issue likely something else? Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Minmaster]

happens to me too...i also have a dell 4600 lol...but different vid card. it just goes black and i have to restart the comp.

 

[ori]

Does it give any error message?

 

[Invader3K]

Nope, no error messages at all.

I searched around here and installed one of the older drivers from Nvidia (71.89, I think) and that seems to have helped. I played for about an hour and a half this evening without the game crashing, so hopefully that has solved the problem. Just seems weird that a much older driver would be the solution.

 

[khrag]

I get this too, and I have a killer system

Intel Dual 3.0ghz cpu
4gb Ram
512mb ATI HD 2900XT Vid card
Windows Vista Ultimate (Yeah I know thats 90% of the problem right there)

I have always had great confidence in Firaxis games, but it seems they are going the way of so many other publishers and rushing games out the door before they are finished.

Remember the good old days when you bought a game, it actually worked?

 

[Galatian]

Remember the good old days when you bought a game, it actually worked?

Like Civ 1? Though I was extremely young at that time and really start to appreciate that game now that CIV is already out

But I completely agree with you. I mean I play quite a few game on PC, PS, PSP (though I have that one laying around for 2 years now in my cupboard because there is utterly no game out their that interests me ), NDS, NGC and I did had an XBox but the PC is already enough Microsoft. I never encountered that many bugs in a game (especially such obvious bugs) like in BTS. I am really disappointed and if they bring out a new Add-On I will definetely wait 2 months or so before I buy and make sure the first patches already fixed the major problems.

 

[mike2007]

Same thing here,different card. I got 4600 Dimenson 3.0ghz 1gbram and Radeon 9600/X1050 256 mb. updated bts patch,video drivers no change. im thinking of buying new card. Any ideas on whats wrrong and how to fix it?

 

[Minmaster]

maybe this is a dell 4600 dim. problem?

 

[mike2007]

Hope not don't want to buy new comp. right now!

 

[MorphiusFaydal]

I'm getting random crashes; mine, however, does leave an error message:

Failed to allocate video memory. Please try reducing your graphics settings.
File:\main\Civilization4\SDKs\Gamebryo2_0\CoreLibs\NiDX9Renderer\NiDX9VBManager.cpp, Line:1019

Athlon64 3000+
1GB DDR400
ATi Radeon 9600 Pro, 256MB

 

[ori]

I'm getting random crashes; mine, however, does leave an error message:

Failed to allocate video memory. Please try reducing your graphics settings.
File:\main\Civilization4\SDKs\Gamebryo2_0\CoreLibs\NiDX9Renderer\NiDX9VBManager.cpp, Line:1019

Athlon64 3000+
1GB DDR400
ATi Radeon 9600 Pro, 256MB

Have you tried it? In the options screen you can reduce the graphics settings. Also in you civilization4.ini there are some memory savings settings for the videos. Finally sometimes installing the newest driver or firmware for your card helps.

 

[MorphiusFaydal]

I'm not sure what needs to be turned down, because it's only just started dcrashing like this.

 

[Quiet Man]

I've also been having the same problems, getting the "failed to allocate enough video..." message, and my system is reasonably gutsy. However, if you read the fine print, you'll see that Nvidia helped to build BTS to show off their latest glitz product. Don't get me wrong, I think that Nvidia makes some dynamite products, but they're usually beyond my price range.

I've been playing CIV since the beginning, and I'm a huge fan of almost all of Sid's stuff; however, I've just about had it. Firaxis needs to realize that they are pricing their products out of the market. Although their product price tag is $40-$50, which is reasonable, when you add in the cost of the new gear you need to buy to run it, the price goes up from several hundred to a couple thousand dollars. And... the games may be good, but they're not worth THAT price tag!

It's a damn shame.

 

[ori]

I'm not sure what needs to be turned down, because it's only just started dcrashing like this.

I've also been having the same problems, getting the "failed to allocate enough video..." message, and my system is reasonably gutsy. However, if you read the fine print, you'll see that Nvidia helped to build BTS to show off their latest glitz product. Don't get me wrong, I think that Nvidia makes some dynamite products, but they're usually beyond my price range.

I've been playing CIV since the beginning, and I'm a huge fan of almost all of Sid's stuff; however, I've just about had it. Firaxis needs to realize that they are pricing their products out of the market. Although their product price tag is $40-$50, which is reasonable, when you add in the cost of the new gear you need to buy to run it, the price goes up from several hundred to a couple thousand dollars. And... the games may be good, but they're not worth THAT price tag!

It's a damn shame.

While I agree that Civ4 is a memory devouring monster of software - they do allow you to play with lower graphics settings...
In the ingame options screen (Advanced -> Options) you have quite a few graphics options with lower settings/details try to set those. If that does not help you can open the civilizationIV.ini in your My Games folder and enable the memory savings settings for the ingame videos which are usually responsible for crashes.
Also the patch reportedly allows you to enable those in the ingame options as well...

 

[Quiet Man]

...they do allow you to play with lower graphics settings...

Thanks for the helpful suggestions, ori, but when you have the graphics options cranked as low as they go, and the game STILL crashes, it's a problem.

(BTW, My video card has 256MB on-board VRam and I'm running a dual core processor with 1GB RAM.)

I've had this problem since CIV IV came out, only it's worse with BTS.

 

[ori]

Thanks for the helpful suggestions, ori, but when you have the graphics options cranked as low as they go, and the game STILL crashes, it's a problem.

it is a problem and there is no real reason for Civ4 to need so much memory (both graphics and other) - unfortunately it does and programmers did a pretty bad job in handling memory globally not only with regards to graphics. BtS should actually have been better at that (and with regards to RAM usage it is - thanks to Gyathaar and some other people recruited from the CFC community) but apparently they still have no one who can actually program an efficient use of memory for the 3d stuff they included in Civ4. I will not ever buy a console so I won't be affected by it too much - but unless they increase their quality in this regard they'll probably run into trouble with the Civ-console game they announced for next year.

(BTW, My video card has 256MB on-board VRam and I'm running a dual core processor with 1GB RAM.)

I've had this problem since CIV IV came out, only it's worse with BTS.

Having said that one has to work with what we have. If you have not yet done so I would recommend the movie settings in the civilizationIV.ini - they could help, and while not officially so your system's memory and card memory (is that virtual RAM? - then you have even less real RAM after the card got its share) you system is really at the minimum requirements for Civ - since it is so inefficient with its memory usage.

 

[nbcman]

I have just started having this problem with BtS-even on the lowest graphic settings. I run CIV on a (company owned) laptop so not much chance for upgrading. Hopefully the 3.13 patch will help.

 

[Quiet Man]

...(is that virtual RAM? - then you have even less real RAM after the card got its share) ...

ori,

I used the incorrect term "VRAM". My video card is an ATI Radeon X600 256MB HyperMemory card. My system is a Dell Dimension E510 with an Intel Pentium 4 650 with 2 3.4GHz processors and 1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM. Not exactly a monster, but it's OK for a 2-year-old machine.

Regardless, CIV IV requires way too many resources for a turn-based 4X game, and it's the only game I've had problems with on this system.

IMHO.

 

[ori]

ori,

I used the incorrect term "VRAM". My video card is an ATI Radeon X600 256MB HyperMemory card. My system is a Dell Dimension E510 with an Intel Pentium 4 650 with 2 3.4GHz processors and 1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM. Not exactly a monster, but it's OK for a 2-year-old machine.

Regardless, CIV IV requires way too many resources for a turn-based 4X game, and it's the only game I've had problems with on this system.

IMHO.

ok, and as said above - I agree on the memory part - it is sloppy, (the game does not even need so much memory but it does a very bad job of cleaning up after itself and just runs the memory full until it crashes) I have no idea why they did not fix that by now...

 

[Quiet Man]

...open the civilizationIV.ini in your My Games folder and enable the memory savings settings ...

ori,

I tried this and it seems to be working for now. Thanks for the tip.