Graphics/Sound Problems? - Please post your DX Logs.

[eersnherd]

I'm having the same problems with the sound as everyone else.

As soon as the 2k screen starts rolling the sound skips. The sound also skips during the intro movie. I haven't gotten far enough in the game yet to see about wonders but I assume they will do the same.

Other than that, I'm not having any glaring problems. The game runs as fast as one could expect it to on a:

1.4 AMD Thunderbird
Geforce 3 64MB
1GB RAM
Sound Blaster Live! Platinum 5.1
Windows ME

View attachment civIV files.txt

 

[Rik Meleet]

On my laptop, the game nearly runs. I see no faces, nor lands. (See attachment). If I go to global view, the land becomes visible the moment the units are no longer visible.

I've tried to set the graphics standards to low, medium and high. I've installed the latest drivers. I fear it's my vid-chip in the laptop. Hoping it can be solved I post my DXDiag info.

 

[generalshake]

Figured I'd post this again in the hopes of some help. I'm about on my last straw here. Have only had one suggestion from someone who was their first post. Here's the info....again.

1. The symptoms: Second load screen (with the loading bar) only comes up and loads about 1/3 of the time. It either doesn't do anything (no pop ups nothing) or it pops up the first 'loading' and then doesn't pop up the loading bar one, or it actually loads the game. When it does the locking up one when I hit ctrl-alt delete and look at processes it shows Civ4 at about 18,000ish k and a file called ~e5.0001 with about 1,300ish k. Should the game load and you try too access one of the scenarios that require a restart (or load a save from one) it repeats the process. It either doesn't load, or does the half a$$ locking up load. ***Out of the box it wouldn't load at all. I would have too hit it 20+ times filling up the processes before it would load. Upon updating my sound card driver (the only thing that sorta worked) I was able too load a scenario and even a save. I thought it was fixed. Upon turning off the computer and coming back later that day it started doing what it is doing now.*** My wife's computer runs the game fine though.

2. What I've Tried : I've installed multiple times. On both my non-writable drive and my top writable drive. I've updated my vid card and sound card drivers too the most recent. Run ad-aware and made sure too not have any spyware on my computer. Defrag and scandisc. Removed Nero in case it was a safedisc error. Ran a Registry Repair program. I've done everything short of a clean install, and would like too avoid that if at all possible.

3. I've attached the request information in the hopes someone can solve my problem. I do have the problem with the game closing at random, but using saves I can live with that. Getting the game too start (and load scenarios/saves) is all I'm focussed on. I posted in a thread with someone who has a similiar problem, though his won't even load at all.

(Edited too add in the extra things I've done too solve problem since I first posted this)

 

[damone2]

Every time I try to launch the program I get this.

failed to initialize renderer - check directx version and graphics setting

On the support in the civ site they have a process to eliminate this by updating the drivers but it didnt work. I have a radeon 9550 256M. Any input would be appreciated. my email damone2@yahoo.com and my dx log below

View attachment DxDiag.txt

 

[bart_pl]

1. The symptoms: What problem do you have?

• Computer rebots (in window mode)
• Game exits (in full screen mode)

2. What you've take to try and remedy the situation.

• New driver from ATI 5.10a
• Swap file size 2.5gb
• sound=off

3. Also, please post your DirectX diagnotics printouts.

 

[Tweets]

Further to my DX Diag from last night, I checked the NVIDIA site and downloaded the newest drivers (about the only thing I haven't tried)... but I get exactly the same problem. Namely:

All movies (intro, wonder etc) have glitches where they play for a few seconds, then the sound vanishes, then it plays again (stuttering), but the graphics are fine.

Additionally, at random intervals, I find that I'm booted back to my desktop.

Once, my whole PC just rebooted.

Additionally, I find that my windows graphics are affected and once the game booted me out, to a screen that was set to 640x480 at 16 colours! (not 16 bit, 16 colours!)

I know that my PC can run the game.....

Spec:

CPU: AMD 64bit 3GHz
Mem: 1Gb
GFX: NVIDIA GeForce 6200
OS: XP SP2

If anyone has any suggestions, I'd be really grateful!

New DXDiag from this morning attached.

 

[gunnergoz]

My DXlog file is attached.
I too have the problems with choppy ingame video and audio during movie replays.
Large and Huge size worlds tend to slow to a crawl then CTD, ususally in the middle ages part of the game. Upon restarting Civ4 I get the "failed to initialize renderer" message but after rebooting the system, the game loads OK.
I've tried reducing anti aliasing to 0 but it does not seem to matter. I also set rendering quality to medium but that did not impact the problems.
I really enjoy the game and look forward to the fixes. I actually like this game more than I did Civ3 so the fixes mean a lot to me...

 

[Millagi]

Well my problem is when i zoom out to the max the graphics get corrupted, it only pass in this view, not in the others zooms. If I change aplication with Alt+TAB and return the map is ok again, but if I retry to zoom in and zoom out its gets corrupted. Also if I put some antialiasing seems to solve the problem and occurs less times.

 

[Bigrusst]

Dirextx log attached. For the record, I upgraded my computer after finding out that the old 64 nvida card just wouldn't run civ IV-- on the other hand, the new card doesn't work very well either. There seems to be a prpblem with the autosave/audio card interaction, or just with the audio, can't tell for sure. But when the game crashes to desktop (which, in the large map mode in the latter stages of the game it does about every other turn) I get a merssage that the audio can't access something--and then the game freezes, and crashes. I've also had the problems with wierd graphics, loosing everything but basic terain, or loosing all terain but keeping cities and/or units, or one time (this was pretty cool if I hadn't been pissed off at it happenig) I got an "aluminium grey and pink" overlay, kind of like the test for the direct draw program, only in grey and pink. Pretty, but it froze the computer and the game crashed and froze, so I had to do a manual reboot. And, if I try to save after I get the audo card message, the program tells me it has a probklem with saving, and the game crashes anyway. Hope this helps. Love the game, HATE the BUGS!

 

[The Cat]

I can not start the game with a scenario. After all is loaded the game just hangs.
I can play the game with a random world and when the wonder movies are left out. But I can't use any of my advisors. If I switch to one of the advisory screens the game gets real slow and the screen becomes corrupt. But it is possible to save the game, quit en reload it again. Later in the game this also happens when one of the diplomacy screens kicks in. Sometimes even with a hard crash of the system.
This game is serious buggy.

Hardware Ti4600 with latest drivers, one gig of memory and a dual 1.5 ghz athlon MP.

 

[Emiraven]

I have a solution for some of the issues for this post:

1) Choppy scrolling in game, at either 1024 or 1200... The interturn enemy movement "bounce-arounds" actually seem smoother than the player scrolling...

2) Stutters in Wonder Movies

3) Occasional "response lag" in the unit actions/update available unit actions menu

4) Scroll out to globe view gives "interlace line hash"... Now this one DID NOT happen until I put the 81.85 Nvidia drivers on...

5) This is a new one I didn't see until yesterday... Occasionally, during combat, the unit graphics will "disappear", leaving your poor infantry firing at invisible targets...
(deletia)

I encountered these identical issues on a Shuttle P4/3.4GHz, 1G RAM, NVidia 6600, SoundBlaster Audigy 2 Value.

The latest drivers from NVidia seem to cause some of the above problems. Reverting to 78.01 (prior version, released in September) solves the issue; you can download them from the NVidia web site. This clears up alot of the 3d issues, most importantly the interface line hash when zooming out to the "Earth globe" view.

This fix doesn't solve the wonder stuttering problem, however. ;( But it's a start.

 

[corionis6]

Never occurred to me to look at specs on box (I preordered on Amazon and they didn't list the requirements) cause processor improvements have leveled off in last few years.

Processor: Intel Celeron CPU 2.20 GHz

(I know its a Celeron but every other game worked fine for me!)

Graphics Card: Intel 828456

Memory: 256 MB

Video Mem: 64 MB

Is there any hope for me? Will installing a new graphics card do any good or is my processor speed hopeless? Will upgrading to 512 MB memory do the trick?

 

[midn8t]

I dont know why but now gfx are pretty much fine in game i didnt do anything but opening movie is still crape hashed up choppyed up so forth and it now just looks up randomly at random times....

usally when it loads something

like changes bettween music loops or like when u go from menu to menu
sometimes it just locks up whole system when u select item.

I would say its driver related but i have changed and tryed 4 diffrent versions of drivers for video and for sound.

so its not driver lreated nore is it resrouce related.

someone siad befor that they think there is a memory leak in the game from poor code.

im starting to think that also.

im having total gfx gltich from opening video to there opening logo to in game.

no issue with the menu though.

i attached my dxdiag info.
but just incase it didnt attach correctly
amd xp dual core 4200+

asua A8n sli premium

7800 gt 256 evga

2 gigs of samsung dram master

Windows xp 64 bit

Ac97 sound

Dell 20” wide screen

Sound blaster xfi – disabled drivers not out yet for 64 bit os

Divx codec installed

Driver video card update to current
Sound drives updated to current
MB drivers updated to current
Windows xp 64 bit updated

 

[Mosaic]

I've been having these problems ever since I got Civ4. I love the game and wish I could actually play it. But it's almost impossible now and nothing seems to help.

1.Problems: Intermitten crashes to desktop.

Intermitten system crash, with a total blue screen that requires me to turn the computer off.

Very laggy and slow gameplay that worsens as the game progeresses to the point of being unplayable around the middle half of the modern age.

Sound problems and jerky graphics upon the later movies. Movies near the beginning of the game are fine.

2. Fixes: Updated my graphic drivers

Updated my sound drivers

Fixed my page file to the same amount

3. Here is my DxDiag file.

 

[midn8t]

i was having this issue also i noticed that when u edite the world size of how big the world is huge is defualt at 32 by 20 or something i noticed then when i made the word size 40 by 30 for huge that when i zoom out i get the exact same issue u are having.

i aslo notice when i made the world size smaller the issue went away.

i noticed when i left it at defualt i had that issue

i noticed that the if hte world size is bigger then what fits in the mini map down below and the borders of the zoom box go out side the mini map it cuases that gltich when u zoom out.

Well my problem is when i zoom out to the max the graphics get corrupted, it only pass in this view, not in the others zooms. If I change aplication with Alt+TAB and return the map is ok again, but if I retry to zoom in and zoom out its gets corrupted. Also if I put some antialiasing seems to solve the problem and occurs less times.

 

[midn8t]

chances are dosnt matter what u do or get the game probly wont run right period.

Never occurred to me to look at specs on box (I preordered on Amazon and they didn't list the requirements) cause processor improvements have leveled off in last few years.

Processor: Intel Celeron CPU 2.20 GHz

(I know its a Celeron but every other game worked fine for me!)

Graphics Card: Intel 828456

Memory: 256 MB

Video Mem: 64 MB

Is there any hope for me? Will installing a new graphics card do any good or is my processor speed hopeless? Will upgrading to 512 MB memory do the trick?

 

[Bigrusst]

Finally got though a game(OK, I won and was rewarded as being the equal of Louis XVI, but that's another matter!). A few hints, as I finally did get the game to stop acting really wierd.
First, disable the AA. After I did that, I stopped getting wierd graphics (GeForce6600). Its so easy, even a philosophy major like me can do it. Make sure you have the right setting to disbable AA in the game options too.
Next-- really, really important and really, really obvious, but WATCH OUT FOR ACCIDENTALLY CLICKING WHEN THE GAME IS TRYING TO SAVE!!. That just about the oldest crash causer I can remember, but when response time is sooooooooooooo slooooooooow like it is in this game, its easy to do, and, when the game files get over 400 MB or so, it'll get you every time.
Also, watch out for moving across the map quickly-- that a sure way to get one of thopse lost audio stream comments that come right before crashes.
I'll bet a nickle there is a memory bleed somewhere, and my guess it it will be faily easy to correct one its located. But, in the meantime, before making a lot of exotic modifications in your computer files and drivers, try the easy stuff.
All that being said, the game still crashed about every 5-6 turns after the year 1990 or so, but most of the time I could see how it was my fault (see above). Cool, Cool game though. Wonder how great it will be when it reallyt works?!

 

[bbalcarlton]

When I go to play the game the screen is all black except for the tops of trees, my units, and my buttons. I have tried lowering the quality of graphics but nothing helped. I know other people have had this problem, but I was just wondering if the only way to fix this is to get a new video card. I really want to play this game, and any help would be greatly appreciated.

View attachment DxDiag.txt

 

[hawksong]

renderer problem: check directx or graphics
i tried but didnt work
my graphic card is a ati radeon 9550

email me by Hawksong@nate.com

I would apreciate to have help:View attachment DxDiag.txt

 

[dpdawson]

When I start the game, it initializes, and then goes back and forth from Full Screen to Minimized a few times (every few seconds) while the sound cuts in and out every second or so. Eventually it settles on Minimized with no sound output. If I click on it in the taskbar, it goes Full Screen for a second (on the main menu) and the sound cuts in for a second, and then it jumps back to minimized.

Intel P4 2.8 GHz
1 GB Ram
RADEON 9800 PRO
Realtek AC'97 Audio (on board)

I followed the instructions for ATI card problems and it didn't help. I haven't been able to get past the main menu, yet.

UPDATE: I had Folding@Home running and it was messing it up. Just in case anyone else is having a similar problem. I would suggest shutting all other programs down.