PC just stops loading game at check xml stage, and disappears, no error message.

[ozza000]

I've looked at so many supposed fixes for xml problems, yet none of them work for me, so what gives?

 

[dosage0]

its not recognizing your sound card... so it errors out there. What sound card do you have?

 

[ozza000]

I think its SB Live! Audio B400.

 

[ozza000]

??? Anyone know what to do?

 

[dosage0]

try this...

start > run > dxdiag

Go to the sound bar up top. Click test sound. Keep clicking yes as you hear the sounds. The first 10 or so are all software generated. Then it will test hardware generated sounds. If you fail that one -- which im guessing you will -- you need a soundcard. It wont say fail, it will just say "Hardware generated sounds not supported" or something similar.

 

[VenomCoil]

This is happening to me as well, dxdiag sound check passed on all tests.
enabling debug logging reveals this in the init.log:

[50476.187] DBG: FILE Cat Init
[50476.406] DBG: NOT Using XML cache, failed to find crc.dat file
[50476.421] DBG: Game Init
[50476.421] DBG: Multiplayer Init

Sooo what the heck is crc.dat and why am I paying 45$ to beta test?

 

[meowsqueak]

I had this problem with Windows 2000 while trying to get VoIP (teamspeak or ventrilo) working with Civ4. It appears that Civ4 tries to capture the audio device and aborts silently if it cannot get it (Win2k only allows one process to access the soundcard at a time without special application support, which is missing in Civ4). This isn't a problem in WinXP because this OS manages these resources better.

 

[p5ych0_p4N]

well, meowsqueak, thats not true in my case :S
Got winxp Sp2, sound card integrated onboard DFI NFII Ultra B motherboard, soundstorm. Played a few games online using Teamspeak, but not Civ4 ..
well, lucky for me got my old SB Creative labs 128
I inserted it into one slot,
Now
1. run TS, set SB as input/output device to TS, run the game (ingame also SB as VOIP capture and playback device),
2. pres ok when Civ report error acesing Audio capture device,
3. Alt+Tab, set my I/O card in TS to primary onboard sound
and here we go.
Sound in game is still operational and using primary system sound card, which is onboard soundcard, and TS uses onboard soundcard. Now I can play with music and sounds, and talk to my friends...

Jesus.....!!!!!

To make such a great game, so modable and not to put some ekstra options like "No, I don't wanna use your Voip service, becouse it stinks" (chech related topics for more details)

does anybody knows where can I turn that VOIP option in some file? Do I really nead to learn python to be able to turn it off?

This extra sound card is eating my power suply, I nead a better solution

 

[ljossberir]

I'm having the same problem, I just bought the game today and its driving me nuts! Seriously, I can't find any solutions for this particular problem. The documentation provided for the game is downright lousy, and I stayed on hold for 45 minutes with 2K games and they STILL didn't answer. Actually, to say I stayed on 45 minutes in a row is not quite true... I stayed on 45 minutes total over a period of 5 different calls. You see, apparently the automated system at 2K GAMES will hang up on you after about 10 minutes of sending you several "we're busy" messages they come on and say "hey, email us instead!" or something. URGH!!!!

Seriously, does ANYONE know the answer to this prob?

 

[dosage0]

Try this:

open an mp3 song using windows media player. Hit pause but leave Media Player open. Now try loading the game. Sounds stupid, but it has worked for people.