Major problem on one, medium on other computer.

[CHRISROOM]

My first computer is having a lot of problems. First off, when I start Civ4, it tells me that my system is running less than the minimum requirements and that it can't run on it's setup. Then the game messes up (ex: in the main menu, the Earth is all white, background is black, It's always night so the sun doesnt come up in the animation. and when I play, it only shows the objects like rivers, units, and cities so I cant play. Actually, most of the time, it freezes before I can play.)

My second computer most likely freezes before I play or during play.

Both of my computers have way over the minimum system requirements and have pretty good memory. Could the monitors have something to do with it? My first computer has a Rage Fury Pro 2000 video card. Could that be the problem? What? At least Civ 4 works mostly on my second computer. But my second computer have less specs than my first one. What could be wrong?

 

[CHRISROOM]

can any1 offer a helping hand?

 

[MrCynical]

Ok, firstly patch to 1.61 if you haven't already, since that usually fixes the black terrain problems you describe for the first computer, and makes the game somewhat more stable. If you're still having trouble try turning off the in-game movies and try turning the graphics down to minimum.

 

[CHRISROOM]

how do I do that and where's the patch to download?

 

[CHRISROOM]

I downloaded the mod, but I cant load it when I play it.

 

[crunch]

If you got a CD/DVD version of the game, you can download patch here: http://www.civfanatics.com/civ4/patch/

If you are using direct2drive version of the game, look at their site.

I don't recommend using mods if your original civ isn't working...

Generally, to minimize crashes and prolong gameplay, try this:
- close all other applications before starting civ (including antivirus programs, instant messengers...)
- turn off e.g. movies, sound, tech splash screens, screenshots, in the ini file
- try playing in a window (ini file option)
- in graphics options in game, lower resolution, turn off details, animations, set everything to low
- ensure that your system is not overheating (open up your computer case)
- play smaller maps, less civs

 

[CHRISROOM]

in the ini file, I dont know what 1 or 0 means. which one is yes and which one is no?

 

[Comraddict]

Rage Fury Pro 2000 won't ever be able to run Civ IV. I hope your other card is better.

 

[crunch]

1 means yes
0 means no

to make it slightly more complicated, sometimes the ini file options are negative, e.g., NoMovies=0 means that movies are displayed.

As for the impossibility to run civ4 on the graphics card - I would not be so radical. I'm not saying that it would be playable, but it might.

 

[CHRISROOM]

ok, I think that I'll just get another graphics card. Also, a few months ago, my motherboard on my first computer crashed because of overheating. Ever since then, my first computer has been running slower. Do you think that that could also be the problem?