Game refuses to run...

[balearicrazy]

Could be your motherboard drivers forcing the card to run in 1x or software mode. Go to your motherboard's webpage and get the latest drivers for the chipset if all else fails. This happened to me years ago when I was running a 9600. The drivers for the card were installed, but for some reason my motherboard was running the card without agp support.

You can check this by going to Display->Settings->Advanced and under one of the tabs there (I forget now, and can't check since I have a geforce 6600gt) should be an option for setting the AGP as well as fast write / read. If it's running at what it's supposed to 4x or 8x depending on your computer, then you don't need to update mobo drivers.

Further to this, you might need to turn AGP fast write on in your BIOS settings. When you first turn on your computer press the delete key, sometimes its the ESC key, and you should get your motherboard settings, everyone is different but you should have an option in one of the menus to turn AGP fast write on.

Also it could be your installation of DirectX 9.2 is bust. There have been lots of problems with this current version of DirectX. It is a pain to install, however if you visit download.com (part of CNET) there are several utilities that allow you to revert it back to version 8 (requires your windows cd and your computer to be in safe mode). Once you have managed to remove it, go to google and search for versions of DirectX 9.1, download it and install it, hopefully that will solve your problems. I had a similar problem recently with a game called Black Hawk Down.

 

[oldStatesman]

Yep, I've already checked all that. Everything is set as it should be. So far I've tried 5.10, 5.9, and 5.8 with no luck. Off to try 5.7

Do you have any entries regarding this in your system Event logs?

I'll help as much as I can...but I need more detailed info. Make/Model of Mainboard. Operating System service pack level and version incl hotfixes. Video Card make and model. Audio card make and model. CD/DVD rom make and model.

Have you done a recent virus scan? Checked your PC for malware/adware/spyware? Are you running anykind of security software such as a firewall or process guard? What A/V are you running?

I can't help with the game itself now - mine will not be here until UPs delivers sometime today. But I can try and help out with the OS/hardware issues.

 

[Tyranthraxus]

Got the same problem. Called tech support and didn't get anywhere. They said they'd call back within 48 hours.

 

[Greek Plunder]

When you say it doesn't run, what happens, exactly? Does an error pop up? Do you CTD in the opening movie? What happens?

 

[alfeas]

Just out of curiousity, Does anyone who has an ATI Radeon card AND purchased the game today (as in, didn't have it in beta) have the game up and running?

 

[bshock727]

Ok, I've tried every ATI driver from 5.7 through the latest and I'm still getting the error. Fast write and AGP 4x is enabled in BIOS and I'm running the latest drivers for my mobo.

To answer the question on when I get the error - it's as the game is loading inside windows before you actually get into the game.

I have no spyware or anything like that on my machine. I'm not the most advanced computer user, but I know a great deal as I've been gaming on the platform since the early 90's. Recent games that I have played on my machine include F.E.A.R. and Battlefield 2 which I've had absolutely no problems with. Civ IV is actually the first game I've ever had a problem running outside copy protection/disc errors.

So frustrated at this point...

 

[CdGGambit]

I'm pretty sure you want fast write off, but that really shouldn't be a "will it run or not" issue.

Give us your full system specs if you can't get it to work, so that those of us who know a thing or two might be able to figure it out.

 

[Equanimity]

I hve an ATI Mobility Radeon 7500 AGP for my Dell Inspiron 5100. Video Card has only 16 mb, T&L and 3D accelerator present. Game runs for me, except I have the dark terran problem when game starts (see units, cities, everything else but the terran tiles). So pretty much can't play. For me, game does run, just not properly.

 

[oldStatesman]

I'm pretty sure you want fast write off, but that really shouldn't be a "will it run or not" issue.

Give us your full system specs if you can't get it to work, so that those of us who know a thing or two might be able to figure it out.

Yeah, without details none of us can be of much help.

I am a IT professional with over 15 years experience - yet even I run into stuff that I can't figure out. Experience is sometimes a hurdle that must be overcome. "Pride commeth before thy fall."

I know it seems frustrating to have to go step by step through basic stuff that you have already done - but one cannot take anything for granted in troubleshooting. I teach this stuff sometimes - and one of the first things I tell my students is don't be the first 3 letters of the word "assume" by taking things for granted. I speak from experience - I have made an "ace" out of myself too many times to count because I assumed something...

 

[oldStatesman]

I hve an ATI Mobility Radeon 7500 AGP for my Dell Inspiron 5100. Video Card has only 16 mb, T&L and 3D accelerator present. Game runs for me, except I have the dark terran problem when game starts (see units, cities, everything else but the terran tiles). So pretty much can't play. For me, game does run, just not properly.

I beleive 16MB video RAM is below minimum spec. Don't expect it to run if it doesn't meet minimum specs.

 

[Mikeytikey]

Just to check has anyone that has problems checked they have xp service pack one? I noticed only a day or so ago that civ 4 needs that hadn't noticed before so maybe that changed. (Tis a minor thing so maybe people over looked it?)

 

[bshock727]

I appreciate you guys being willing to help out. There is a thread on the technical support side of the forum now. Many people with ATI cards are having the same error.

If push comes to shove I can slap an old Geforce 2 GTS in my machine to play the game, but I'd rather have the shader effects my Radeon offers.

 

[invoke41]

Could you be a little more elaborate than: it doesnt run? Do you see the screen change resolution, any opening sequences?

Does the CD / DVD spin up? Did you try testing it with another CD-ROM player?
Could be the copy protection...

 

[bshock727]

Could you be a little more elaborate than: it doesnt run? Do you see the screen change resolution, any opening sequences?

Does the CD / DVD spin up? Did you try testing it with another CD-ROM player?
Could be the copy protection...

I posted a screenshot of the error in my first post. I guess the bandwidth has already been used up on imageshack and it isn't displaying any longer.

The error is 'Failed to initialize render / Check your version of DirectX and graphic settings' and I get it about 2/3rd's of the way through the initial loading screen upon startup. I never actually make it into the game.

 

[doronron]

This honestly makes no sense. Sid & Co., and certainly the right demographic of beta testers, would have insured that ATIs would have been tested with this game. We are talking about one of the two giants in the Graphics industry, here. There's no way they would have so completely missed such an problem. Along with bshock's lack of video memory, surely there could possibly be similar contributing factors for other users?

I'll have to find out tonight on my own machine...Hmmm.

 

[Varelse]

OK folks, I am getting the game in less than 2 hours and I will be home installing it shortly after that. Here's a link to the thread in the tech section about this problem.

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=133003&page=2

Apparently the problem is on the 668.656 line of some sort of initialization program. The error reads:

[668.656]PBG: Failed to initialize renderer check DirectX version.

You have until 5:30 PM eastern stadard time to discuss and solve this problem! I will be expecting a fix for this when I get home! I didn't put up with half a year of overhype for this game just to find out approximately half the cusomers for this game will not be able to use it because they went with ATI instead of NVidia for their graphics card!

 

[Aedwild]

Moderator - please delete

Another wet blanket eager to dismiss the troubles that many are having...

Moderator - please delete Crazybeard from the boards, after all one good turn deserves another.

 

[KymeraTX]

Radeon X850XT PE runs smooth as silk!!!!

Are alot of these problems with ppl who have old vid cards??? (2-3 yrs old)

 

[brown_mudante]

I have ATI Radeon 9600 and I don't know if I will have some troubles because I didn't get game yet.