Need help: Display issue with macbook

[Nooberman]

I'm trying to run Civ3 on my macbook (leopard). As soon as I start it, it gives me a message:

DrawSprocket cannot switch to the requested resolution. (640x480, 16 bit, 1 buffer(s))
Make sure your computer meets the display requirements specified in the read me file.

I'm not even changing anything. I'm simply trying to open Civ 3. I'm pretty sure my screen can handle it, for it is a new macbook.

Does anyone have a solution to this? I tried opening the DrawSprocket file to see what I could do, but apparently it doesn't open with OS X.

 

[AlanH]

It sounds as though the game thinks you are trying to run it in a 640 x 480 window.

1. Which version of Civ3 are you trying to run?

2. Are you trying to run the Aspyr version directly from the DVD? If so, you can't. You have to install it on your hard drive and run it from there.

3. Have you tried holding the Command (Apple) key down while you launch Civ3? That should bring up a video settings screen where you can select an appropriate screen resolution.

 

[Chris R]

I'm having the same problem, I've got the MacSoft Civ3, and even when I update it to 1.29b2 I'm getting the same error, regardless of what resolution I use. I read somewhere that it had something to do with the Intel chip not being able to go down to 16 bit from the "millions of colors" setting.

 

[AlanH]

That sounds a bit of a tall story! I'm sure the Intel graphics chip is capable of running old legacy PC software that never knew about millions of colors. And Civ3 doesn't constrain the system to run fewer colours than it is set up for, it may just not use them all.

 

[Chris R]

Well, I'm brand new to Mac (though not something unix based) so if someone told me to put a waffle into my CD drive I'd probably think about it for a second.

Has anyone had luck with the macsoft version?

 

[AlanH]

I tried it here, and I get the same result as you, except the error message quotes whatever screen res I select in the dialog I get when I Command-launch it. I don't have the Intel GMA chipset, my graphics card is a GeForce 7300GT.

I think this is a new Leopard thing, as I'm pretty sure it used to launch OK in 10.4 (Tiger). I have Civ3 Complete for both Mac and Windows, so I only ever launch the MacSoft product if someone asks questions like this, and I clearly haven't since Leopard arrived.

 

[Chris R]

So then I'm guessing my only real option is to go out and buy the Aspyr version?

 

[AlanH]

Civ3 Complete is far more useful in general - Window mode, better mod compatibility, more civs and victory options ...

There are two other options:

- the Windows version of Civ3 Complete is cheaper, comes with the full editors, and will run in Parallels, VMWare, or Bootcamp.

- retrofit Tiger.

Only you can say how real these are for you.

 

[Chris R]

I have the $10 Windows version, my question is whether I can get that to run without running Vista. I haven't found a copy of XP to throw into bootcamp, and with only 1 gig of ram running Vista is Parallells is too slow, especially with the amount of multi-tasking I do.


And meh, I like Leopard.

 

[Regent_Cleo]

Hello,
I am also struggling with this issue, and wondering if it would also apply to Civ IV?
Is it worth getting anyway?
Sigh
Thanks for any ideas,
RC

 

[AlanH]

Hello, welcome

This thread is talking about an old version of Civ3 that was developed when OS X was in its infancy. It seems to have broken now that Leopard and Intel CPUs are in common use.

Civ4 doesn't have these issues. It has different ones, mostly concerning compatibility with the ever-changing graphics cards used in Macs these days. It is also incompatible with most of the mods created by Windows users, and the Beyond the Sword expansion and Colonization version are not available for OS X. As a result, BootCamp and Windows seem to be the most popular way to get a Civ4 fix on a Mac. Read our Civ4 forum for more discussion.

 

[NickyH]

It has different ones, mostly concerning compatibility with the ever-changing graphics cards used in Macs these days.

Sorry for a post that doesn't add anything to the discussion, but that was probably the first time I heard something that sounds like complaining about too many choices of graphics cards on the Mac platform!

 

[AlanH]

I don't think I mentioned "choices"!

There are very few choices available on Macs, the problems are caused because the new versions of each product arrive with a different graphics card and driver, and that seems to confuse the Aspyr software model. The only Mac product you can customise to any extent is the Mac Pro, and even that has only one or two card options that make sense at any time.

 

[NickyH]

I don't think I mentioned "choices"

I deliberately misinterpreted what you wrote because I could see a joke there.

I'm one of those Mac-addicts that would love to see more affordable choices when it comes to graphics cards…

Since you're a moderator, I wouldn't mind if you deleted the off topic posts that I caused, to keep the discussion on topic.

 

[AlanH]

It's OK, the signal level in here is so low that the *occasional* joke is welcome, just to break the stony silence. That's not an invitation to anyone to start spamming the forum, though

 

[Blue Monkey]

It's OK, the signal level in here is so low that the *occasional* joke is welcome, just to break the stony silence. That's not an invitation to anyone to start spamming the forum, though

Almost every time I check in on CFC one of my stops is the Mac forum. I usually find that either there are no new posts, or AlanH has already posted the answer. I remain both a loyal C3C player & MacHead.

 

[karlos_43]

sorry to flog a dead horse but i've been having the same problem and i'm a bit of a computer novice. i've got the macsoft version of civ III, on a 2008 macbook with leopard. same issue as previously discussed. but i have a couple of questions. how do you retrofit tiger. can i do this on a computer which has only ever run of leopard? will this make any difference if it is still running on an intel CPU? also i have tried playing the game on my old ibook on OS9 and have the same problem.

laymen's terms please!

 

[AlanH]

Hello, welcome

Very recent hardware may not be capable of being downgraded to Tiger, as Tiger drivers for the graphics card or other hardware may not be available. In my opinion, it is not worth downgrading from Leopard just in the hope of running a very old version of the game, and my recommendation would be to get Civ3 Complete.

I've no idea why it won't run on the iBook. I have never run Civ3 in OS 9, so I can't advise.

Sorry I can't give you any simple answers