Huge map causes HARD crashes, need help.

[JingoMan]

Not only does it have a memory allocation error when I try to load after already starting a game, but it now crashes once I'm about 100 turns into the game it's started crashing every 2 minutes within the game.

It also causes my CPU to overheat, which leads to the crash. This is despite it not actually using very much of my RAM so I can't understand what's using so much of the CPU.

So what are some solutions here? I've turned all the graphics to low, etc. I've been tweaking my graphics card to try to find a solution but it seems there is none. The heck is going on. I hate Civ 5 so I have been trying to play Civ 4 recently but got bored with the normal sized maps and this is what I get.

Is there any workaround for giant maps to NOT cause overheating/memory issues?

 

[mintegar]

first as for the CPU usage: It is mostly when you end your turn, and the game does the AI calculations. This will load one thread at 100%, and i don't know of any practical solution to slow that down. The game will just run the calculations as fast as possible in that in-between-turns timeframe.
Best thing to do would really be fix your hardware, the heatsink / fans should be chosen in such a way that the cpu won't overheat, even if it is loaded fully 24/7.

Now for the huge map thing.. i don't play on those normally. Are you running just plain BTS/BUG, or are there any mods involved? AFAIK for huge maps it's recommended to have 64 bit OS and at least 4GB of ram (better 6GB).

 

[s.bernbaum]

AFAIK for huge maps it's recommended to have 64 bit OS and at least 4GB of ram (better 6GB).

I agree with this. My previous computer was 64 bit but only had 2 GB memory. Huge maps would bog down and crash regularly in the mid game. I could not play beyond the mid game. I usually played on large maps and even then the game would bog down and crash due to MAFs frequently in the late game, so I would save every turn and reload the last save when it happened. I now use a 64 bit cpu with 4 GB of memory and can play huge maps, which I mostly do. However, even with the new computer, they slow down in the late game and occasionally crash due to MAFs.

 

[Furiey]

The is a long thread on this site (search of it) I've fixed the MAF error and here's how. It has something that helps if you have a 32 bit OS and 4GB memory. But it doesn't solve the problem that Civ 4 can only access a certain amount of memory no matter how much you have. If you still get MAF errors after that you'll just have to play smaller maps/mods with less civs.

 

[JingoMan]

Actually I (partially) solved this issue for me, when I set a FPS limit on civilization it seems to have calmed down. I don't get why having a bigger world makes this cause my cpu to overheat, except unless civilization is actually running the entire world's animations all at once (seems to be the case). Find it rather funny I can run Civ 5 or Skyrim at full graphics and am forced to play civ 4 barebones.

 

[s.bernbaum]

Actually I (partially) solved this issue for me, when I set a FPS limit on civilization it seems to have calmed down. I don't get why having a bigger world makes this cause my cpu to overheat, except unless civilization is actually running the entire world's animations all at once (seems to be the case). Find it rather funny I can run Civ 5 or Skyrim at full graphics and am forced to play civ 4 barebones.

The part that I bolded in the quote is indeed what is happening. So, the more civs there are, the more memory is used and the more active the cpu must be. SInce larger maps normally mean more civs…. there you are!

 

[JingoMan]

The part that I bolded in the quote is indeed what is happening. So, the more civs there are, the more memory is used and the more active the cpu must be. SInce larger maps normally mean more civs…. there you are!

Wow. So what I suspected is indeed true. That's unbelievable, they should only run maybe two or three screens worth, it shouldn't be animating stuff on the other side of the world. I also found that disabling animations doesn't seem to be permanent, after disabling more and more new units started animating even though it's disabled and it eventually led to overheating again.

What can I do to "re-disable" animations since I tried unclicking it and then re-clicking but the animations start back up again. Really irritating. I was mistaken that the FPS limiting alone would solve it, it was stopping the animations and once they started back up on their own again it led to the same problem. Again this is ridiculous. Wish there was some mod or something to make only the active-screen's worth of units animate. I prefer Civ 4 over Civ 5 by a longshot (I hate Civ 5 sadly). At this point I have often resorted to playing Civ 3. Which makes me then feel pathetic after a while so I go back to Skyrim or other games.

 

[Padjur]

That's unbelievable, they should only run maybe two or three screens worth, it shouldn't be animating stuff on the other side of the world. I also found that disabling animations doesn't seem to be permanent, after disabling more and more new units started animating even though it's disabled and it eventually led to overheating again.

Is it the programs fault or the machines, that is the question.
Remember Civ4 was designed at a time when machine specs were different, should not a good machine be able to run modern software and be able to run legacy software as well?
I think the continued popularity of the game and the mod-ability of it, stand testimony to a good job.
If a PC that is way over spec for Civ 4 is run as as "legacy" machine, it should have no problems with the program.

When a CPU is working hard it creates heat, this is normal and requires an effective cooling system. The program is CPU intensive, yes
and when modders increase map size and the number of playable Civs, that load goes up even higher but to put it bluntly a 2.0GHz Pentium 4 or better should handle the work load easily.
So if it is over heating then you have a cooling problem.

The first step is to find out what the temps are when the CPU is idle and what are they under load, ideally you could expect them to be between 35 and 45 degrees when idle and say 55 degrees maximum under load, for most CPUs 75 degrees is shut down time. You can use a program like Speedfan to read the temps.
If idle temps are high then look at the air flow, does it need cleaning, do the fans need replacing. If the temps are OK at idle but high at full load, the only answer is to improve the cooling, a better heatsink and fan, or more/better case fans.

As far as the memory is concerned, the program is designed at a time when 1 Gig of RAM was a considerable amount for the average PC and which were nearly exclusively 32bit.
Now machines come with a minimum of 4 Gigs of RAM and a 64bit O/S. If your running a Windows 7 x64 system for example, run civ 4 in compatibility mode for XP SP3 and make sure the paging file ( Virtual Memory ) is about 1000-2000 MB regardless of which O/S it is. Civ 4 is designed to make maximum use of the virtual memory, given the limitations of machines at that time.
C++ and Python are memory intensive, which Mods use extensively, big mods have a lot more units, Civs and bigger maps increasing the memory required. If your graphics card is integrated you are gonna have problems with memory, if not the more memory the card has the better, 500MB would do for most mods.

 

[mintegar]

Wow. So what I suspected is indeed true. That's unbelievable, they should only run maybe two or three screens worth, it shouldn't be animating stuff on the other side of the world. I also found that disabling animations doesn't seem to be permanent, after disabling more and more new units started animating even though it's disabled and it eventually led to overheating again.

I don't think it is as bad as you make it out to be. Ok, can't prove it, but almost completely sure that civ4 gfx engine is not animating the invisible parts of the map. Think about it, Gfx-cards that where common when civ4 was released would have ground to a standstill if the game threw that kind of load at them. (You would meassure performance in seconds per frame, not fps...)
Many many people play this game, and with modern dedicated gfx there is generally not a problem, they can handle it easily.

Make sure you have:
[ ] Show Friendly Moves
[ ] Show Enemy Moves

Deselected in the options screen. I think they are checked by default, which is a huge timewaster..
Also check all the [x] Quick... Options.

What can I do to "re-disable" animations since I tried unclicking it and then re-clicking but the animations start back up again. Really irritating.

Can you be more clear on what you did. If you uncheck and then re-check the option checkbox, its no wonder the animations restart. Or did i misunderstand?

I was mistaken that the FPS limiting alone would solve it, it was stopping the animations and once they started back up on their own again it led to the same problem.

How do you set fps limit btw? I personally always use the "SetMaxFrameRate" Option in CivilizationIV.ini, but i'm sure there are other ways...