To Aussie_Lurker
First. All your polls are from this site. Most(read ALL save 1) have less than 200 responses a statistically insignificant amount. As you said on this site most of the "whiners" are all the same people. But by the same token most of the "IT WORKS GREATERS" are also the same people. I frequent more than one site. They are not all the same people. I will be using percentages as the raw numbers are all too small to be statistically significant.
Poll: Does the patch work for you?
Yes, I have better performance 111 43.36%
Yes, no change in performance but I have the new features now 99 38.67%
No, worse performance 35 13.67%
No, I couldn't run the game at all and had to reinstall! 11 4.30%
Yes 82.03%
So you are saying that it is ok for software to have a patch that causes 13.67% of users to see worse performance?
And that 4.3% of users who meet the stated system requirements(assumption but reasonable) to not have it work AT ALL is good?
Poll: Do you like the game?
Yes 106 96.36%
No 4 3.64%
My Answer? GOD YES! I LOVE THIS GAME! Now if only it would at least reasonably well!
Poll: Can you play the game?
Can play and it works fine. 58 48.33%
Can play with minor bugs. 36 30.00%
Could play but won't due to major bugs. 19 15.83%
Can't play at all. 7 5.83%
78.33% Say they can play it but a large portion of that with "minor" bugs. One of the first rules of good statistics? DEFINE! What is minor? Is a CTOD that you can continue from after a reboot "minor"? I know some who would say yes. And just as many that would say no. The main problem with this poll is one of definition.
I put myself in Could play and due despite massive frustration taking years off my life from increased blood pressure due to unnecessary and preventable bugginess.
Also note that once again 5.83% can NOT get it to work AT ALL.
Poll: Inflicted with OMTS? (One More Turn Syndrome)
Yes 106 81.54%
Not yet 16 12.31%
No 8 6.15%
This poll has nothing to do with how the game works.
I would answer. YES. For the brief flashes of time I can get the game to work in a stable manner!
Poll: Is your game sluggish?
Couldn't be faster!! 15 7.65%
It's faster than Civ3. 12 6.12%
Normal, no need to complain. 26 13.27%
Sometimes it gets slow, but overall it's fine. 91 46.43%
So slow that I can barely move the camera. 47 23.98%
I simply can't play it, period. 5 2.55%
This is an interesting one. The Majority say it gets slow but overall it's fine. The next largest... So slow that I can barely move the Camera! The it's faster group is only twice the size of I can't play it at all section! This is your definition of "acceptable" and "good"?
Poll: Is CIV4 better then CIV3?
Yes 110 80.88%
No 18 13.24%
Just as good 8 5.88%
Once again a poll with almost no relation to the burning question of does it work and how well?
But I would think that almost 20% of people saying no it isn't better than what it is meant to replace OR is only just as good might by significant.
My answer. YES.
Poll: How do you rate Civ 4?
Lots of options.
Once again though it seems you have submitted a poll with little relation to the question at hand.
My Answer. Probably and 8 or 9 IF it would work reliably as it SHOULD without inflicting continous frustration and buggy torment upon me!
As to your points in earlier post:
I build computers. Every system I have EVER built since HIGH SCHOOL over 10 Years ago has worked for no less than 4 years Before anything went wrong with it on the hardware. I know because I also will do ALL maintenance for the computer since I only put them together for friends, family, roommates, etc...
Two Years of Computer Engineering before deciding I like computers as a hobby not a job and switched to History/PoliSci and now make a living off of that.
I DO NOT overclock. I DO NOT engage in risky behavior. I DO know what I am doing on both the hardware and software side. What I DO NOT know is advanced programming. I am largely a boring older male of mixed ancestry who WANTS TO PLAY HIS FAVORITE VIDEO GAME SERIES WITH REASONABLE PERFORMANCE EXPECTATIONS! The slowness doesn't bother me so much but the CTOD and the BSOD DO!
Please don't just look at what you admitted was 20% of the community for a massively popular series and say "Well it doesn't work for you because you don't know WTH you are doing!" That does anger me.
I disproportionate number of these problems hit people with ABOVE NORMAL systems not Below Normal and none so far that I have seen have had below MIN SPEC computers. SO 100% of them should have the game WORKING! But according to your own polls 2% to 5% are totally and completly unable to get it to work at all! And those are the ones that stuck around with a not working piece of software to answer the poll instead of returning it after MORE THAN 2 WEEKS WITH NONFUNCTIONING SOFTWARE!
SO in closing.
Your polls are unscientific in nature and inconclusive based on nothing but the base consideration of sample size to the size of your total population, not to mention all coming from the exact same base population of this Forum.
Also please note that it is an accepted fact that ALL internet polls suffer from the same failing. They are not random sample but rather seeking out to be heard. IE: The only ones that answer them are the ones that want to.
EDIT: As for your last two posts. Well. If you READ some of the reviews you find the same percentage break down.
About 5% 1 to 2 score about 15% 5 to 6 and the rest are pretty much 9 to 10. This reflects what we already see. 5% it doesn't work, 15% it works poorly, the rest think this great game is a great game that works great not caring about those of us left behind.
After all those scores are composed of AVERAGES.
EDIT: Checked Newegg... err... I only saw 10 reviews... not 10000... maybe you use a different newegg.com...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/CustRatingReview.asp?Item=N82E16832205902
. Sheesh, that excuse is so pathetic that it barely deserves any comment at all (and shows how desperate you have become to seem like nothing more than a VERY vocal minority). You asked me to show you a poll that showed more than 80% of people liking the game/enjoying the game and/or having little to no trouble with the game-and I showed you almost a dozen. Oh, but NOW they are all WRONG or BIASED because they don't AGREE with YOUR opinion of the game-man, this is evidence that you are such a SELF-INVOLVED little whiner Blue. If anything, I think these polls are biased AGAINST those who like the game, because most of the regular members of these forums are actually off PLAYING the game-or hanging out in the more INTELLIGENT areas of the Forum. But no, this Forum is biased against whiners, apparently, simply because actual polling shows that the whiners are nothing more than a VERY vocal minority. Oh and, let me assure you, I play HUGE maps-and often huge TERRA maps-and play a lot of online games-and I am still having incredibly smooth games with little to no lag AT ALL (with the few minor hitches I had removed by small alterations to my Civ4.ini file). I repeat, those with problems are clearly not having them due to problems with the game-or else EVERYONE would be having the same difficulties-but because of their computer set ups (I, for one, had MAJOR general difficulties with my Radeon 9550 card, but not with an older 9250 card), or HOW they installed the original game and/or the subsequent patch. Seriously, though, comparing the problems some people are having with planes falling out of the sky is a clear indication of how desperate and shrill the vocal minority here have become, and are a clear indication of the fact that-if I want INTELLIGENT conversation-then the General Discussion threads are NOT the place to come. So, for the VERY last time, I say GOOD BYE and GOOD LUCK to all the intelligent members of this forum. To the rest of you 
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