Minimum System Requirements...

[TrekkiELO]

Do you guys @ Firaxis have any idea what they will be yet?

You've always been really good about making all Civilization games as backwards compatible or low end as possible!

I have a:

Pentium III 800 MHz Laptop w/256 MB Ram & 16 MB Trident CyberBlade XP graphics card running Windows 98 SE.

Unfortunately I can't afford to upgrade to a new high end system as of right now.

Thanks in advance,

Rick Vendl II

 

[warpstorm]

I would imagine that the system requirements will be very similar to (if not a bit higher than) those on the new Pirates! game as it appears to use the same graphics engine.

# Operating System: Windows® 98/Me/2000/XP
# Processor: Pentium® 1.0 GHz or higher
# Memory: 256 MB RAM
# Hard Disk Space: 1.2 GB Free
# CD-ROM Drive: 4X Speed
# Video: 64 MB video card* with Hardware T&L support
# Sound: Windows® 98/Me/2000/XP-compatible sound card*
# DirectX®: DirectX® version 9.0b (included) or higher

* Indicates device should be compatible with DirectX® version 9.0b or higher.

Unfortunately, I suspect that your computer will have issues with it.

 

[brinko]

i was hoping that civ 4 would be a pig on requirements. since im building a machine specifically for it, it really doesnt matter what the requirements are. but i will be pissed knowing that civ4 requirements match civ3, since i already sold my computer in hopes of building a new, for reasons mentioned above.

 

[Pentium]

CD-ROM Drive: 4X Speed

I don't know anyone with Pentium 1Ghz and 2x CD-ROM drive.
Just hope that it will run on Win98. XP suck!

 

[sourboy]

Looks like I need a new computer....this better be an improved game from Civ3.

 

[ComradeDavo]

Looks like I need a new computer....this better be an improved game from Civ3.

Same here! No new games work on my computer. Even if it did, it would laaaaaaaaag. Guess thats an incentive to get a new job!

 

[sourboy]

Actually, mine computer is pretty nice still - it's only a couple years old & was theeee top of the line at the time (I spent about $3k on it).

It's just sad how much things have changed. I feel like I should hold out longer, since this is still an average comp - but with Civ4 and DS2 coming out this year...I guess I'm back to 2 comps. Of course, I'm thinking laptop this time, so ...

need another job.

 

[covenant]

jobs suck.... thievery is art

 

[ainwood]

I don't know anyone with Pentium 1Ghz and 2x CD-ROM drive.
Just hope that it will run on Win98. XP suck!

As noted in the top bit of Warpstorm's post, Win98 was listed.

Has anyone actually tried Pirates on a minimum spec. machine? It would be an interesting exercise (considering that often the minimum specs mean "will run", rather than "will be playable").

 

[GenMarshall]

Looks like I need a new computer....this better be an improved game from Civ3.

Ditto :-/

XCL

 

[gnznroses]

well, hell..... i've still got a 500Mhz comp... this really blows...

 

[mastertyguy]

I laugh at you guys needing a new computer, altough it was my case one month ago. Having a brand new computer is fun. My new computer is way over the min specs.
btw, I may have for myself the old 233 mhz, 20mg hard drive computer, which was replaced, so LOWER SPECS, as I want to play in my room.

 

[oldStatesman]

But isn't the whole point of capitalistic consuption to force us to buy new stuff all the time???? They purposely write new software to force you to buy new hardware...and make new hardware so people can write software to take advantage of it so peolpe will have to upgrade ... 'round and 'round and 'round we go....welcome to the new world order....

My guess is that the hardware requirements will be in line with what is posted above... 1GH or higher processor, at least a 1 gig HD driv overall ... I question whether it will run on Win 9x ... that OS kernal is very old and is not even supported by MS anymore...if not this time then expect Civ5 to not run on that old dawg. In fact if you are not running XP now, better be prepared to upgrade soon as the 64 bit stuff becomes mainstream next year... 64 bit is going to change everything really quick. And it Flies Baby, yes it does!

 

[mastertyguy]

But isn't the whole point of capitalistic consuption to force us to buy new stuff all the time???? They purposely write new software to force you to buy new hardware...and make new hardware so people can write software to take advantage of it so peolpe will have to upgrade ... 'round and 'round and 'round we go....welcome to the new world order....

And the new stuff is 2000$ every year.

 

[oldStatesman]

And the new stuff is 2000$ every year.

Unless you spend $15,000 going to a tech school to learn to build your own and save money... then it is only $500... what a bargain!

 

[Più Freddo]

Has anyone actually tried Pirates on a minimum spec. machine? It would be an interesting exercise (considering that often the minimum specs mean "will run", rather than "will be playable").

Indeed. I remember trying Civ III Vanilla on a minimum spec computer. It did NOT run. It died at "37%" (where large memory buffers are allocated with a timeout) every time.

 

[Darwin420]

I doubt cIV will run on a 9x platform... If it does, don't expect much performance out of it.

Do you think a 2ghz processor with 400FSB, and 1.3gigs of memory will suffice? Oh, and a 256mb video card??

 

[p dandy]

I doubt cIV will run on a 9x platform... If it does, don't expect much performance out of it.

Do you think a 2ghz processor with 400FSB, and 1.3gigs of memory will suffice? Oh, and a 256mb video card??

Yes, taunt us with your computer's power.
As for me, if need be, I'll just give my current computer to my mom so she can practice the apps she uses at her job. Letting her continue using that 133MHz P1 16MB RAM monstrosity is just not being a good son . Also, it'd give me a chance to build a computer from scratch, something I've always found interesting.

Seperate question: Does the graphics card help turns go faster? I would think that the length of the turns are based on how much AI calculation is needed so it should be under the jurisdiction of the processor but I'm not sure. Hypothethically, if I just get a fast card will it just allow me to increase level of detail but ultimately, the game will go at the same speed.

 

[Chazbagel]

E machines T2341... 40 GB hard drive, 128 MB DDR ..2300+ AMD Athlon Processor... thats all i see right now.. pos.

 

[oldStatesman]

Seperate question: Does the graphics card help turns go faster? I would think that the length of the turns are based on how much AI calculation is needed so it should be under the jurisdiction of the processor but I'm not sure. Hypothethically, if I just get a fast card will it just allow me to increase level of detail but ultimately, the game will go at the same speed.

A definite .... maybe. A better card will allow you to run at larger screen resolutions so you see more ...if your card is now one that shares system RAM rather than having it's own onbard RAM it can effect performance. Cards with onboard RAM will not use the system RAM freeing it up for better things, like running complex game algorythms....

But you may need to update your processor and main board to take full advantage of a new card...hard to answer your concerns without the details.