I'm going to return PTW to Firaxis

[RedwoodTree]

for the 50th time, after 3 patches, the game continually crashes. If necessary, I'll contact consul to prosecute this. Maybe if we all return it, they will get the idea?

 

[Mega Tsunami]

I can't recall mine crashing at all.

 

[Sirp]

PTW 1.21f doesn't work at all for me, it crashes on startup (and yes I do have the American version).

Many different suggestions from Infogrames technical support haven't helped one bit, and now they are dropping broad hints about how downloading a "no cd crack" from elsewhere on the Internet might be the best way to fix one's problem.

*sigh*

-Sirp.

 

[Shillen]

I haven't had a single crash since upgrading here...good luck with your case though.

 

[bladester]

I haven't had PTW crash at all. I own the Aussie version (probably same as US since 1.21f patch works).

Perhaps, the problem is the amount of memory you have or maybe the amount of swap space?

 

[Sirp]

bladester: My machine is a 1.9Ghz Dell machine, purchased less than a year ago with 256 megabytes of memory and ample swap space.

-Sirp.

 

[Greyhawk1]

Mine has only crashed after my machine was left in an unstable state after a GPF in Internet Explorer.

Try playing it with sound and/or video acceleration down a notch.

Get the latest drivers (obviously) and shutdown any unnecessary programs you have running.

My Spec:

PC
Athlon T-Bird 1.1Ghz
VIA KT-133 chipset
512mb PC-133 RAM
GeForce 3 Ti200 64mb Graphics Card
SBLive! Player 5.1
2x8.4gb Hard Drives (ancient!)
DVD-ROM Drive (very ancient!)
Alcatel SpeedTouch ADSL Modem on a Belkin 4 port USB card

(homebuilt system)

OS
Windows 98
DirectX 9.0

Game Versions
Civ3 v1.29f
Civ3 PTW v1.14f

 

[warpstorm]

First off, if you send it to Firaxis nothing will happen. The proper legal way to do this is to send it to Infogrames as they are the owners of Civ3.

Second, there is no way I'd do this as it is my favorite game and I haven't had a crash in ages (and those were on the alpha versions).

If you feel you need a lawyer, you better check out what your legal contract with Infogrames is. It's in your readme.txt file, but you explicitly agreed to it when you installed it. Here's a snippet of the most relevant sections to give your lawyer.

*** IMPORTANT ***

This is a legal agreement between the end user ("You") and Infogrames Interactive, Inc., its parent, affiliates and subsidiaries (collectively "Infogrames Interactive"). This Agreement is part of a package (the "Package") that also includes, as applicable, executable files that you may download, a game cartridge or disc, or a CD-ROM (collectively referred to herein as the "Software") and certain written materials (the "Documentation"). Any patch, update, upgrade, modification or other enhancement provided by Infogrames Interactive with respect to the Software or the Documentation, or bonus game provided by Infogrames Interactive at no extra charge as part of the Package, shall be included within the meanings of those terms, for the purposes of this Agreement, except to the extent expressly provided below.

BY DOWNLOADING OR INSTALLING THE SOFTWARE, YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE READ ALL OF THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THIS AGREEMENT, UNDERSTAND THEM, AND AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THEM. YOU UNDERSTAND THAT, IF YOU PURCHASED THE PACKAGE FROM AN AUTHORIZED RESELLER OF INFOGRAMES INTERACTIVE, THAT RESELLER IS NOT INFOGRAMES INTERACTIVE'S AGENT AND IS NOT AUTHORIZED TO MAKE ANY REPRESENTATIONS, CONDITIONS OR WARRANTIES, STATUTORY OR OTHERWISE, ON INFOGRAMES INTERACTIVE'S BEHALF NOR TO VARY ANY OF THE TERMS OR CONDITIONS OF THIS AGREEMENT.

If You do not agree to the terms of this Agreement, do not download or install the Software and promptly return the entire Package to the place You obtained it for a full refund. If You should have any difficulty in obtaining such refund, please contact Infogrames Interactive Technical Support at 425-951-7108. Failure to return the entire Package within 30 days of the purchase date shall be presumed to constitute acceptance of the terms and conditions of this Agreement.
.
.
.
LIMITED WARRANTY:

Infogrames Interactive warrants for a period of ninety (90) days following original retail purchase of this copy of the Software that the Software is free from substantial errors or defects that will materially interfere with the operation of the Software as described in the Documentation. This limited warranty: (i) applies to the initial purchaser only and may be acted upon only by the initial purchaser; and (ii) does not apply to any patch, update, upgrade, modification, or other enhancement provided by Infogrames Interactive with respect to the Software or the Documentation or to any bonus game provided by Infogrames Interactive at no extra charge as part of the Package, which are provided on an AS IS BASIS ONLY. EXCEPT AS STATED ABOVE, INFOGRAMES INTERACTIVE AND ITS LICENSORS MAKE NO OTHER WARRANTY OR CONDITION, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, STATUTORY OR OTHERWISE, REGARDING THIS SOFTWARE. THE IMPLIED WARRANTY THAT THE SOFTWARE IS FIT FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND THE IMPLIED WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY SHALL BOTH BE LIMITED TO THE NINETY (90) DAY DURATION OF THIS LIMITED EXPRESS WARRANTY. THESE AND ANY OTHER IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS, STATUTORY OR OTHERWISE, ARE OTHERWISE EXPRESSLY AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMED. Some jurisdictions do not allow limitations on how long an implied warranty or condition lasts, so the above limitation may not apply to You. This limited warranty gives You specific legal rights, and You may also have other rights which vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.

If You believe You have found any such error or defect in the Software during the warranty period, call Infogrames Interactive Technical Support at 425-951-7108 between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday (Pacific Time), holidays excluded, and provide Your Product number. If a return is determined as necessary, a Return Merchandise Authorization Number (RMA#) will be issued to You. Send Your original CD-ROM disc, game cartridge or disc, or, if applicable, the executable files that You downloaded, along with the RMA#, a dated proof of purchase, Your full name, address and phone number, to Infogrames Interactive, Inc., Attn: TS/CS Dept., 13110 NE 177th Place, Suite # B101, Box 180, Woodinville, WA 98072-9965.
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Sorry, about that for those who can't read legal-ese. Ignore it except for this section:

INDEMNITY; INJUNCTIVE RELIEF: You agree to indemnify, defend and hold harmless Infogrames Interactive, Firaxis Games, Inc., and each of their respective officers, employees, directors, agents, licensees (excluding You), successors and assigns from and against all losses, lawsuits, damages, causes of action and claims relating to and/or arising from Your breach of this License, distribution or any use of any Variations, and/or any other use of the Software.

 

[Charlie Martel]

Ever since before Civ3 has had patches I've not crashed once. Even when I screw up adding a civ or unit it doesn't crash. It instead tells me the error and then shuts itself down. I wish other games would do that

 

[Gainy]

this happened to me all the time when i first got it, do you use Windows xp?, i do, and i just completely deleted everything to do with civ from my computer. Then reinstalled it all again. It now works , you should try doing it. (someone advised me to do this on civfanatics, thanks)

 

[Akka]

Warpstorm : the legal stuff is bullsh*t, as you are presented with it only when you install the game - which means you ALREADY bought it and opened it. Hence it has absolutly NO value.

 

[etj4Eagle]

Originally posted by Akka
Warpstorm : the legal stuff is bullsh*t, as you are presented with it only when you install the game - which means you ALREADY bought it and opened it. Hence it has absolutly NO value.

However, it does state that if you don't agree with it, just return it to the place you bought it from and they are obligated to give you a full refund.

 

[RedwoodTree]

RE: "Infogrames Interactive warrants for a period of ninety (90) days following original retail purchase "...

I don't believe firaxis/infogrames has fixed the problems with the game, but true it doesn't now "crash", it just generates out of sync errors, locks up, and all, but doesn't "crash". I'm just sick and tired of having a company deliver crap, expect us to pay for it, and just sit there and take it without doing anything.

 

[bladester]

Originally posted by Greyhawk1
Mine has only crashed after my machine was left in an unstable state after a GPF in Internet Explorer.

Try playing it with sound and/or video acceleration down a notch.

Get the latest drivers (obviously) and shutdown any unnecessary programs you have running.

Yeah, Greyhawk1 is correct. On my machine, P2 400MHz, 192MB ram, I make sure to close all background apps except ICQ or MSN messenger.

Also, I have found that shutting down virus scanners helps A LOT.

 

[Hygro]

RedWoodTree:

It's probably a problem on your end and not firaxis's end.

 

[JJP]

PTW 1.21f works just fine. No problems.

 

[Eklektikos]

Originally posted by Hygro
RedWoodTree:

It's probably a problem on your end and not firaxis's end.

Yes, that's probably it. The program is flawless - however the universe is inexplicably incompatible with it. Can't blame Firaxis for that

 

[Hygro]

Well, considering how many differant situations a computer to be in, and the fact (I think it's a fact anyway) that it works with most computers, it's probably something on your end that doesn't work with something stupid on their end

 

[Oddible]

It would seem - just looking over the number of posts from successful players on this site alone - that the problem lies not with the game but with your configuration. I wish you luck - because I've been enjoying this game since the day it hit the shelves close to zero crashing. Only crashes I ever had were the vanilla, pre-patched multiplayer or when I'm using somebody's jacked up mod (this includes my own poorly designed mods).

Unfortunately its not just up to the power of your machine - even machines from the manufacturer come with so many pre-installed programs that this may be your confict. Go through the processes list in your task manager and shut everything down. Especially make sure you don't have anti-virus running (as a test).

I for one play multiplayer with anti-virus and a web site with SQL Server running on my machine while streaming web radio into WinAmp - through DSL on an 800MHz machine. I think you will find equally remarkable feats occurring on a daily basis from others here on this site. BTW, a 'CivFanatics' site is probably not the best choice of places to flame Civ. However, if you are interested in working through your problem you'll probably find a LOT of help here. Great community for a great game!

Good luck.

 

[Romanus]

I still have crashes with PTW...usually late game. Not all the time.

But, aside from that, its very playable. I cant think of a game I have that doesnt crash on occasion.