Is my civ messed up or...

[PritomD]

I got it from my friend, and I think I got a weird version. For instance, when my people question my authority, and ask me a question, I pick any random answer, that has NOTHING to do with the question, and they say it's right(for ANY answer too! I saved, and retried)

Also, sometimes people declare war, but they dont REALLY declare war on who I pay them to, or they declare war on my for no reason.

 

[Siegmund]

Can't help you with your first question... the copy of Civ1 I had years ago always asked me a question (and fired me if I got it wrong) while the one I have now never asks at all.

As for declarations of war, yes, this is an annoying tendency. Unless you have a lot of gold burning a hole in your pocket it seems to usually be a waste of time to bribe AI#1 into attacking AI#2 - as often as not they will pocket the money, declare war, and then sign a peace treaty one turn later.

Being attacked for no reason is pretty much a fact of life. Attacks, yours or theirs, have a way of doing more damage if the defender is unprepared. Both war-issues seem to be normal for Civ1, not anything messed up with your copy.

 

[Zwelgje]

That question in the beginning is strange and the same thing you have is also in my version. When I first had it all was fine: questions were asked and I had to give the right answer otherwise I would lose my units. Now I don't get any questions anymore on one computer, on my other computer it doesn't matter what answer I give, all are considered right...
Strange huh?

I never bother to get AI1 to declare war on AI2, I like to take them out myself. That's the fun part of the game!

 

[Jayne]

I remember the question was to check you had the original version with the manual etc. I don't have a copy anymore (my Amiga is long since obsolete). I can only guess that later versions don't need it, or the security stuff expired.

 

[covok48]

Actually the question you get at the start of the game tests the legitamacy of your copy.

In the DOS version, if you get the question wrong the game will boot you.

In the Mac and windows version would simply strip you of everything you had (so you could get killed faster) if you got it wrong.

It's no bug, it was designed specifically to test for piracy. If you had the manual (meaning you bought the game), you would have no trouble compared to someone to had no clue. Of course, the more you played the less it made a difference...

 

[Wil]

Originally posted by covok48
In the DOS version, if you get the question wrong the game will boot you.

In my DOS version it erases all your units.

 

[PritomD]

I saw somewhere that:

DOS-boots game
WIN-erases units, impovs, etc

 

[Siegmund]

Yes, we know that as originally released it was intended as an anti-piracy device (and a fairly effective one against people who hadn't played the game before.)

What we were pondering in this thread - I thought! - was why most of us now seem to have a version of the program that either never asks questions at all (which is fine), or asks a question but then doesn't bother to see if we got the answer right (which doesn't seem right).

 

[de Montcalm]

Originally posted by PritomD
I got it from my friend, and I think I got a weird version. For instance, when my people question my authority, and ask me a question, I pick any random answer, that has NOTHING to do with the question, and they say it's right(for ANY answer too! I saved, and retried)
Also, sometimes people declare war, but they dont REALLY declare war on who I pay them to, or they declare war on my for no reason.

In my version this strange question-answering game was stripped you can immediately play so I can't help you here

Ha never pay them to do anything take them out yourself:
1) It's more fun
and
2) you get all the cities
Sometimes when I have too many gold I pay one civ to declare war on a civ which I'm also at war because it's more fun when we bash them together (2vs1 is always a good bet 3or4 against 1 is almost better )
But the AI isn't too god in warfare and they accomplish as good as nothing so the good old "de Montcalm" will have to take matters into his own hand. Well I'm more than glad to do so anyway
The French are destined to rule the world anyway

 

[Siegmund]

The FAQ says the two original versions of Civ1DOS were 474.01 and 474.05. Does that mean that there was a final Civ1 patch released in 1994 or 1995 after the FAQ was written -- or does it mean that everyone who has version 475.01 now in fact has a hacked version?

 

[Groovin']

I know of a program that removes it for you, some sort of game cheat program that you can buy (or could buy, it was many years ago now.) I tried it out once and afterwards the game asks you the questions but you don't need to pick the right one.

Or maybe eventually, the game recognises you are rightful owner and stops worrying after a cetain amount of time opening the game.

 

[gonzo_for_civ]

Or maybe eventually, the game recognises you are rightful owner and stops worrying after a cetain amount of time opening the game.

I've still got a working 286 that hasn't been formatted in SEVERAL years and has played civ1 hundreds of times, and it still bugs me when I play on it(and yes, I do still play on it(NOSTALGIA PEOPLE))

 

[Brainly]

I have 474.01 and it isn't hacked in any way. It has a play-test mode though...

 

[pdescobar]

To answer Siegmund's question, even though it is a bit old, the difference between 474.0x and 475.0x was the distribution media. The 0x (01 through 05) is the patchlevel. This is in question #1 of the FAQ.

I have no idea on the copy protection. My DOS versions (474.01 and 474.05) both ask. I know I had to be right on the 486 laptop I used to play on under DOS 6.22 and I have yet to get the question wrong on my current windows 98 PC. I suppose it's possible that whatever instruction is supposed to be executed to kick you out of the game doesn't work when played under a newer O/S although that doesn't explain the complete lack of questions others get.

 

[stormbind]

I don't see how the same installs can change, unless some have acquired edited versions/backups and don't remember doing that.

My install of Civilization for Windows on WinXP does ask a random question and getting it wrong hurts your civilizaton but doesn't end the game. If you continue to play it will put another question to you and failure to get the 2nd question answer correct will end the game!

I don't have the original manual, but downloaded the HTML version and was once asked a question that is not answered by that manual.

 

[t-force]

The version on CD (for anyone who bought it, like me), actually removed the copy protection, because at the time, CDs were "impossible" to copy. Ah, how times have changed!!

 

[GoldBerg]

Originally posted by covok48
Actually the question you get at the start of the game tests the legitamacy of your copy.
... ...
In the Mac and windows version would simply strip you of everything you had (so you could get killed faster) if you got it wrong.

you lose all your UNITS, that's it.
if this happens when you have no city,
the game is over.
this was the same at amiga version (my first in 1990)

Originally posted by covok48
It's no bug, ...

that's right.

 

[Pirate]

I think it also only asks you the question if you are in Despotism. Once you switch your government, you don't get it anymore. Perhaps you who do not get the message are getting to Monarchy fast enough to avoid the question?

 

[Wil]

Yes, but if you can do it, you probably can answer the question as well!