Please help a newbie (and not very 'puter savvy)

[KabukiJo]

The most annoying thing is that when I scroll the screen to a different part of the map it jumps really bad and is very slow.

My question is "What can I do to fix this?" Do I need more memory?, a better graphics card (I don't need amazing graphics), or what?

The game runs and I can play it, however it runs pretty slow and choppy. I don't care for the intro movies so I just skip through them. My wonder movies are choppy as well as the animated diplo screens. My elephants, horses, pigs, etc. all dissappear once I build camps, pastures, etc. on them (or maybe it is when my cultural borders cover them, I'm not sure.) In the game I am playing now there is a black dot (about the size of a pea on my screen) sitting on the map. I don't think it is a shadow for anything either. My galleys are dark blue/black most of the time.

I have a Dell that I bought 3-4 months ago. All the drivers are up to date, and I have the game patched as well. Here are the specs:

XP home edition 5.1, Dell Dimension 2400, Phoenix ROM BIOS PLUS Version 1.10 A05, Intel Celeron CPU 2.40GHz, 254 MB RAM, DirectX 9.0c.
I think my graphics card is an Intel 82845G/GL/GE/PE/GV Graphics controller.

(I think that is them. I don't know much about computers, I just type "dxdiag" into the "Run" box.)

Can someone help me "enjoy civ4 to the utmost"?

 

[Moepheus]

You could try turning the ingame movies off, doing this will turn off the into movie and the wonder movies as well

To turn them off go to your install irectory of the game (which should be:
C:\Program Files\Firaxis Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 4\)

In there there should be a file called "_Civ4Config"
open that and find this in the file

; Set to 1 for no in-game movies
NoMovies = 0

Just change the 0 for a 1, then save the file.


Your not by chance using a laptop are you?

 

[KabukiJo]

Its not a laptop.

I always skip the movies so that isn't a problem. The problem is the slow gameplay.

 

[Underseer]

Here's what you do to fix your problem.

Look in the back of your computer. See the power cord connected to your computer? (The other end goes to a power outlet in your wall, probably.) Near where that power cord attaches to your computer, you will see a fan covered by a kind of grate thingy. Use a butter knife, and pack as much peanut butter into there as you can fit.

The next time you start your computer (make sure you do this while your computer is off), your computer may smell funny for a while, but eventually all your problems will be solved! I guarantee this!

• Open any folder.
• In the "Help" menu, choose "About."
• In the window, you will see a number next to the words "physical memory." Please tell us this number.

• Right-click on your desktop wallpaper (not any folders or icons you have on your desktop, just the wallpaper) and choose "Properties."
• Click on the "Settings" tab in the upper right.
• Click on the "Advanced" button.
• In the window that pops up, click on the "Adapter" tab.
• Tell us the number you see next to the words "Memory Size."
• (Somewhere in here you should also see exactly what kind of video card you are using. Might as well tell us that too.)

This will help us figure out what to tell you.

 

[Moepheus]

Look in the back of your computer. See the power cord connected to your computer? (The other end goes to a power outlet in your wall, probably.) Near where that power cord attaches to your computer, you will see a fan covered by a kind of grate thingy. Use a butter knife, and pack as much peanut butter into there as you can fit.

The next time you start your computer (make sure you do this while your computer is off), your computer may smell funny for a while, but eventually all your problems will be solved! I guarantee this!

You have got to be joking mate!! sure it might fix his problems but it will also overheat the power supply.


I'll agree with Underseer on one point though, it might help if we knew how much memory your graphics card has got on it.

 

[KabukiJo]

Here's what you do to fix your problem.

Look in the back of your computer. See the power cord connected to your computer? (The other end goes to a power outlet in your wall, probably.) Near where that power cord attaches to your computer, you will see a fan covered by a kind of grate thingy. Use a butter knife, and pack as much peanut butter into there as you can fit.

The next time you start your computer (make sure you do this while your computer is off), your computer may smell funny for a while, but eventually all your problems will be solved! I guarantee this!

• Open any folder.
• In the "Help" menu, choose "About."
• In the window, you will see a number next to the words "physical memory." Please tell us this number.

• Right-click on your desktop wallpaper (not any folders or icons you have on your desktop, just the wallpaper) and choose "Properties."
• Click on the "Settings" tab in the upper right.
• Click on the "Advanced" button.
• In the window that pops up, click on the "Adapter" tab.
• Tell us the number you see next to the words "Memory Size."
• (Somewhere in here you should also see exactly what kind of video card you are using. Might as well tell us that too.)

This will help us figure out what to tell you.

Hah! I'm not that computer-ignorant!

"Physical memory available to Windows: 260,096"

It is an Intel 82845G with a memory size of 64MB.

Is that my problem?

 

[Coreymas]

KabukiJo,

First off you need to ignore the children.....

Second,

RAM - 256MB -- A bit low (okay a lot low) for running any game that requires alot of processing power -- You should consider upgrading that to at least 512 or 1 GB if you can afford it. You should be able to go to Crucial.com or some place like that to get more memory for your PC. This should cost you around 50$ for 512 MB or near 100$ for 1 GB. You will notice a big difference in performance of your PC (in all respects) when you go past the 512MB level.

Video -- Appears to be an integrated video setup. At 64 MB it is a bit low to play any Graphics intensive games (and CIV 4 is definately one of them). You can buy a new video card to put into your machine and disable the onboard video. If you go this route, i would recommend an NVidia or a ATI card that is at least 256MB. A good card will cost you $100 or more.

The only part that i am afraid of is that you will be spending more money on upgrades than what the PC is currently worth.

If you are willing to spend some more money, you might want to buy a whole new PC.

I hope this helps, if you want more help spec'ing out a new pc (if you want to buy one) i would be most happy to make recommendations for you.

Corey

 

[KabukiJo]

Yeah, the computer is a baseline model, but I only use it for Civ4. Is it really worth it to buy a new computer?

If I could be assured that buying $200 worth of graphics card and RAM would help the game then I would go that route.

 

[Moepheus]

Buying a new Graphics card and more RAM would definaltly help you but seeing as though you only bought your computer 3 months ago there is probably going to be a guarantee with the computer, so if you were going to buy those things you would have to check with Dell to see if it voids that guarantee.

Dispite what you think or what people might say CIV4 is not a graphic intense game. In my other computer I've got a Geforce 2 64MB card running it with no problems what-so-ever (and my other computer has only just got the miminum specs to run CIV4). Granted a 256MB graphics card would be better but not really essential, but i will agree with Coreymas if you do get a new graphics card go for an ATI or Nvidia card.

 

[Underseer]

Hah! I'm not that computer-ignorant!

"Physical memory available to Windows: 260,096"

It is an Intel 82845G with a memory size of 64MB.

Is that my problem?

Well, your total RAM and crappy video card certainly aren't helping!

Your computer and/or computer's mother board should have come with a manual that tells you what the maximum possible RAM is and warn you if RAM needs to be installed in a particular way or in particular combinations. Do read that before you run out and buy RAM sticks. 1.5GB to 2GB seem to be the "sweet spot" for RAM with Civ 4. If you can't get that much in your computer, any increase would be an improvement for you.

And yeah, get a new video card while you're at it. If you're using integrated video, you will have to disable the on-board video at the same time you install the new card. The manuals I mentioned earlier will explain how to do this. Read those manuals before you buy a video card, because you need to know if you're looking for a PCI or AGP card.

Lastly, in the interim there may be a kludge you can slap together. Check the front page of this site and you'll see a link to a thread that may help you.

 

[KabukiJo]

Thanks for the help.

I will see what by budget (and wife) allows for as far as upgrading my computer.

 

[Zydor]

I would make sure the Wife understands that instant Heaven and happiness will not occur from such an upgrade, and it could be a while before other factors are fixed within the game - otherwise when you turn it back on and doesnt work perfectly (highly likely until some other game aspects are sorted) then you could end up with an interesting discussion along the lines "I thought you said ...... "

They'll fix it in the end for sure, but meanwhile dont expect instant Heaven with a hardware upgrade.

You definitely need a hardware upgrade thats for sure, but keep expectations down a tad until the Firaxis patches start flowing.

Regards
Zy

 

[perro100]

Hi, just bought Civ IV, its great, but I have a small problem. I live in Spain, but do not speak Spanish. Does anyone know where I can download an English version of the manual?