Psyringe said:
From my experience, map size is the bigger issue. For example, doubling the number of AIs (while maintaining the same map size) will not double the number of decisions they have to make, as each of them will have a smaller empire, fewer cities, and hence less decisions individually.
However, doubling the map size (while maintaining the number of AIs) will lead to many more AI decisions in total, as there will be (in total) more cities on the map, more units, longer paths to calculate for the units etc.
I haven't thoroughly tested though, take it as an impression.
My experience shows that map size is the number one reason for slowdown. But on larger maps multiple civs also have an affect as follows.
More Civs on large map = more expanding all at once = more slowdown earlier in the game.
Fewer Civs on large map = about same expansion for Civs but fewer of them = slowdown appears later in the game.
I have most noticed this on Terra maps. While the map is larger than equivalent size maps it always appeared to run better, until you get to optics etc and start being able to expand to the new world. Then it goes to hell in a hand basket.
So more Civs = more slowdown sooner, but has no effect on the ultimate level of slowdown.
Just what I have found.
And though I have posted my problems before here is a complete in depth list of them and what I have tried to fix them and the results (as far as I can remember at any rate).
Install: Fine.
Mislabeled CD. Annoying. 30 secs to a minute to check online and change out the CDs. Ominous feeling in gut.
First time I ran it:
Standard continent map 18 civs, everything ran fine till end game whereby I won with spacerace victory on warlord difficulty (getting a feel for the game). No problems at all. Movies ran fine etc. Close the game goto sleep and wait for the morrow for more play time. Weekend YAY! Ominous feeling Gone, replaced with euphoria!
Prepatch next day until day of patch release:
Intro movie is fine. Start huge map 18 civs. Stuttering Wonder movie sound, smooth video playback. I think ok... huge map same problems as Civ3 where it runs slow start on smaller map. Still stuttering movies. Game runs fine on maps smaller than standard until end game. On Standard tends to run fine until industrial/modern age then sound begins to show some stuttering turns slowdown map moves choppy, Nemoy's voice begins to stutter towards end with more sever graphic anomalies, such as units during attacks start to seperate out, it animates single attack they just stand around then both act as if retreating and one is declared the winner and the other dies. Noticably longer turn processing choppy diplomacy animations, I have not noticed any affect on advisor screens, maybe slight increase in their loadtimes. This is all the same stuff as happens on larger maps as well now. It just happens sooner on them. The more civs = the sooner. Always by Age of Discovery/Renaissance on large or huge maps.
I get first CTD on large map play. Takes a few minutes for the screen to clear and the system to start running normally. Go online read up some stuff. Try various fixes ala unpacking the pak file checking drivers (all upto date) rolling back drivers to older versions with no effect on the game. It still runs just as badly. Reccomended cache clearing has no effect. Go back in change all graphics settings that I can find to lowest both in game and .ini put autsave to 1 turn frequency (actually I think I reduced graphic setting before going online to lowest). None of it has any effect. The game looks worse and still runs awfull with CTD dispersed at intervals in late game. If I start the game right back up after CTD it maintains the sound/graphic glitches and crashes again in 5 to 6 turns. If I reboot and load up it runs smooth again for the first turn then rapidly degenerates again and crashes in 20 to 30 turns. Eventually I get the first crash that goes to BSOD. I stop playing and decide to wait for a patch.
Patch to present:
Check the Firaxis site... no patch... check others... A PATCH! Yay. It is 1.08. It is turned off before I can try to download it. Another day or two... 1.09 comes out. Still nothing on Firaxis site about anything worthwhile, very annoying. Try to download the patch in game through advanced menu. It goes oh so very slow... but eventually finishes... and the patch installer crashes while loading the Civ patch. ARG. I posted the exact error messages earlier in this thread. I download another patch from this site. Same thing happens. I download 3 more patchs all from different sites. Next two also crash but not in same place. They crash while attempting to patch Civ4, that error message is also posted somewhere. The fifth patch I downloaded works and patches the game. I run it up and... Intro is still fine. At first everything seems to run better... then the first wonder movie... and it runs even worse! Not just sound stutter but full movie stutter. Eventually all symptoms return. Perhaps they start up a little later in game. Nothing very noticeable. Standard games stop having CTD. They just get slow endgame. Large and Huge still crash.
Go online to find solutions read about .pak file having to be in place and old parts deleted so uninstall whole thing reinstall. Make sure pak file is ok and just for kicks try the last three patches again. Once again the first two crash with same message and the last one works. No affect on patch performance still runs exact same.
Mess with the config file again set bink lines and load it up... no intro movie at all... ok... play the game and first wonder pops up and... RUNS SMOOTH... with the same old stuttering sound... and a poor quality image! ARG. All other problems still present.
Decide to keep playing until/unless another BSOD.
None so far and by quiting the game and rebooting when the sound stutter and graphic glitches get bad enough I can avoid CTD for most part. And play game in 30 to 40 turn increments in late game.
Thus is the source of my intense frustration with this game and any intemperant comments earlier/first rant.
Please note I have repaced the HD, defragged it, run multiple system scans, shut off all background tasks except Civ4, flashed the Bios, updated/downgraded drivers, everything I could think of to get this game to work right and it just won't. No problems with any other game I have installed. Doom 3 on second highest tier of settings runs just fine, Half Life 2 the same thing, Battlefield 2 on standard settings is fine, FEAR runs good. MOO3 and its videos run fine(too bad the game sucks). Heck I can even play the Civ3 WW2 global war mod with decent turn speeds.
I don't overclock or anything like that... just standard nice little system.
Hope that little story helps someone (namely the patch makers).