Installing under Windows 7

[Bartleby]

Try looking in:
C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files (x86)\Infrogames Interactive\Civilization III\

Where [username] is your account name on the computer. It's probably hidden, so you have to go to "folder options" in the control panel, click the "view" tab and choose "show hidden files and folders"

 

[Cyc]

Go to Program files (X86)
Find the firaxis folder, Civ 3, and click on the Conquest folder. Then click on the conquest file (Configuration Settings). That's the .ini file.

Or you could just type conquest in the search bar.

Or try what Bartleby said.

 

[EMan]

Thanks for your help Bartleby & Cyc..........Worked like a charm. (Once I was able to locate and update the conquests.ini file!)

 

[maximuss2225]

This all is VERY helpfull info. thank you! however i've noticed that many (most) of my carefully crafted senarios and more importantly my saves do not work on the win 7 install. any suggestions?

 

[Quintillus]

Where did you install Civ3 to? Anything under C:\Program Files (x86) will run into trouble with the VirtualStore, referenced by Bartleby in post 121.

I recommend installing under somewhere like C:\Civilization III instead. Then all saves and scenarios should work.

(Note: I'm running Windows XP, so most of my knowledge is based on what I've read here and the five months that I ran Vista, which was a mistake)

 

[threecee]

I had no problem installing. everything went great, but saving is becoming a huge issue. At first it seemed to relate to the number of save files, maxing itself out so I kept the number low, but now I only have 4 saves and I lost an entire hour of critical growth(a whole war) because the game claimed to have saved but failed to do so. Its getting to the point where I don't even want to play because I am so mad about losing progress. Whats going on???
Oh yeah I have the complete version if hat matters at all...and I tried saving n other locations, it won't let me.

 

[Puppeteer]

Hi threecee, if you installed with the default location, check Bartleby's post 5 posts above yours. Your save games will probably be there ( C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files (x86)\Infrogames Interactive\Civilization III\Conquests\Saves ) due to VirtualStore protecting the Program Files folder. (Omit the " (x86)" if you have 32-bit Win7.)

But your CivIII gaming life will be much easier if you uninstall the game and reinstall it in an alternate location as shown in my video.


Link to video.

 

[ChileDude]

I just loaded Civ3 1.29f on my Windows 7 and noticed that the rail bonus for plains and grassland irrigation isn't working. It's fine for desert, and mines get it as well. Is this a known issue? I just got this laptop and this is the first time I've tried to play with Windows 7. Thanks for any help

 

[primeboy1]

whenever i try to install Civ iii complete (PC gamer presents packaging) directly from the setup.exe i folow the instructions, but i always get the error "Error 1305. error reading from file C:\Games\civ 3\Art\VictoryScreen\defeat.pcx." can someone please help? i am running windows 7 home premium x64


EDIT: disk was corrupt, managed to salvage files from a previous install on a different pc

 

[AnorakTel]

I always set up a directory c:\usr\games and install games there. (I used to use c:\usr for all my personal add-ons but \usr\exe for programs and \usr\dev for device drivers haven't been useful since Windows 98.) This means means that I don't get the hassle of trying to write to a system directory when saving games - and I have a chance of finding save files.

I expect that when I upgrade to Windows 9 (I'll give Windows 8 a miss) I'll forget the \usr and just use c:\games. The point is that it will be a special directory for games that is separate from the official c:\Program Files directory.

 

[Fhadhq]

Played Civ 3 and C3C with a win Xp machine until the OS crashed
( didn't find out why ) but the content of the harddrive wasn't lost.

But as XP isn't supported anymore the "new" PC runs a Win 7 Home premium.
The old HD could be saved and I was able to keep the savegames.

Got Civ3 / C3C to run in XP compatibility mode....and its very slow...
Expected the more recent CPU plus 4x as much Ram and the same Graphics card would lead to a game that is at least as fast like I was used to.

How may I get the game back up to speed ?

 

[Lord AJ]

Played Civ 3 and C3C with a win Xp machine until the OS crashed
( didn't find out why ) but the content of the harddrive wasn't lost.

But as XP isn't supported anymore the "new" PC runs a Win 7 Home premium.
The old HD could be saved and I was able to keep the savegames.

Got Civ3 / C3C to run in XP compatibility mode....and its very slow...
Expected the more recent CPU plus 4x as much Ram and the same Graphics card would lead to a game that is at least as fast like I was used to.

How may I get the game back up to speed ?

No special setting is needed. Simply install the game in Windows 7 and play on. In fact I never played on xp and started the game for the first time on a Windows 7 ultimate machine. It runs smoothly without any hitches.

 

[tjs282]

Played Civ 3 and C3C with a win Xp machine until the OS crashed
( didn't find out why ) but the content of the harddrive wasn't lost.

But as XP isn't supported anymore

Just for the record, I am still getting occasional updates on my old WinXP laptop -- not OS-updates as such (that I recall), but 'malicious software removal tools' (which haven't removed Windows, so not very well-named ), MSOffice updates, etc.

Got Civ3 / C3C to run in XP compatibility mode....and its very slow...
Expected the more recent CPU plus 4x as much Ram and the same Graphics card would lead to a game that is at least as fast like I was used to.

How may I get the game back up to speed ?

I successfully installed C3C onto a new Win8.1 gaming-box a couple of months ago. Apart from installing in a custom location, outside the default C:\ProgramFiles(x86)\... (as described above), I didn't do anything with respect to compatibility-mode settings, custom access rights, etc. Result: The one test-game I played so far (on a Small Archi-map), ran at least as smoothly as similar games on the laptop.

I'm actually hoping it will run faster than that: even on Standard maps, the laptop started creaking in the mid- to late game, so I have only ever tried to play two games on Large maps (one is still underway, using Vanilla), and have never played on a Huge one. I also still haven't tried any of the Conquests Scenarios with Large+ maps and/or lots of units, and I'm looking forward to doing that, as well as going back to my previously abandoned Vanilla-modding efforts...

But for now I'm still using the laptop for my self-training games, since I can dual-screen with the integrated + external monitors (for running CivAssist and Notepad while I play), but don't have a second monitor for the new box yet...

 

[Fhadhq]

No special setting is needed. Simply install the game in Windows 7 and play on. In fact I never played on xp and started the game for the first time on a Windows 7 ultimate machine. It runs smoothly without any hitches.

Switched compatibility mode off and it was as smooth as always.....

..until I had my First crash of the game ever ( bought C3C at release )

Auto-save is your friend it seems.


@tjs282:

the main reason I and friends play Civ3 instead of "more recent" variants is the possible size of it. Huge maps are like real Civs IMHO.

C3C never slowed down when it was new at machines of that time and I have played Maps of every size to the very end and beyond ( 2050 + ).

 

[Lord AJ]

Switched compatibility mode off and it was as smooth as always.....

..until I had my First crash of the game ever ( bought C3C at release )

Auto-save is your friend it seems.

Does that happen if you click on something or press a hotkey in between a battle or during interturn? If yes then we have a common problem here. Although this is the only times when the game crashes and everything else, even huge maps do just fine.

 

[Fhadhq]

Does that happen if you click on something or press a hotkey in between a battle or during interturn? If yes then we have a common problem here. Although this is the only times when the game crashes and everything else, even huge maps do just fine.

Attempted to click on a icon ( Advisors IIRC ) .

 

[Lord AJ]

Attempted to click on a icon ( Advisors IIRC ) .

Crash or No Crash ?
What happened?

 

[Fhadhq]

Crash or No Crash ?
What happened?

A window popped up - win7 - told me the game had to be closed.
( I am new to win 7. Maybe there is a place to get more details why ? )

The game felt a bit sluggish before the Icon was hit IIRC. Like animated workers acting in slow-motion when the mouse was almost at the top of the screen.

Now I've played for a few hundred turns and it didn't happen again.

 

[Lord AJ]

A window popped up - win7 - told me the game had to be closed.
( I am new to win 7. Maybe there is a place to get more details why ? )

The game felt a bit sluggish before the Icon was hit IIRC. Like animated workers acting in slow-motion when the mouse was almost at the top of the screen.

Now I've played for a few hundred turns and it didn't happen again.

That's a lot similar to what happens when I do the same. Although the mouse doesn't really get sluggish, but I get a white background with a popup saying the same.

 

[tjs282]

Attempted to click on a icon ( Advisors IIRC ) .

I think this might be a Conquests-related bug. I've had the occasional crash to desktop (under WinXP) while trying to switch between advisors (F1 to F3, IIRC) in my download-version of Civ3(In)Complete -- don't remember it ever happening while I was playing Vanilla 1.29 (installed off CD, patched through CFC).

As with all CTDs, it's irritating when it happens, but it happens only rarely, and at most I only lose 1T worth of moves, and the couple of minutes it takes to relaunch the game and reload the last Autosave.