Problem with Civ3 Conquests Patch 1.22

[Talas]

Hi everyone,

I am new to this forum but I hope that you can help me. I bought the german version of "Civilization III Complete" (Its called "Civilization III Deluxe") over here. I installed everything and it worked without problems. Then I wanted to download the newest patch and start playing. I downloaded the Civ3: Conquests Patch 1.22 from the Firaxis Homepage. It was the patch for ALL Languages. Now, after installing it (install was a little strange, the prog didnt tell me that it finished. The install bar was full and that was it) Civ3 wont start because it doesnt recognize my Game CD. Anyone had this problem and knows a solution?

Thx for the help,

Talas

 

[Ginger_Ale]

Try uninstalling then reinstalling the patch. It seems, like you said, the install wasn't right...

 

[Talas]

Hi Ginger,

thx for the quick answer. Tried that already. Uninstalled the patch, then reinstalled. Same strange behaviour as before. Still doesnt work.

 

[Ginger_Ale]

Talas,
I went to www.civ3.de, went to their 'patches' section, and when I clicked the link for German 1.22f for C3C, I got sent to here. That's the place where you downloaded the patch from, I guess. That's odd. You could always reinstall the game, but I don't think that's the problem.
By the way, who makes the German CivIII ? You could try either going to their homepage and seeing if they have a link or contacting them.

 

[Turner]

I thought complete/deluxe was patched to 1.22. Are you sure you need the patch?

 

[Talas]

Hi,

@Ginger

Yea, thats the patch I downloaded. I also dont understand the problem.

@Turner

I also thought it would already be patched. But when I install Civ3 and Conquests I get the Version Number 1.00. Dunno, do they mean 1.22 with that? Anyone has an idea?

 

[Talas]

UPDATE:

Downloaded the old 1.15 Patch. That one installed normally, but after that the game doesnt recognize my Conquests CD. HELP!

 

[Talas]

Can you believe it??? I got an answer from Atari Games. And they told me its possible that I have to deinstall programmes like Alcohol 120% and Clone CD in order to have the game running? Anyone here who can affirm that?

 

[Ginger_Ale]

What is the harm in trying? I don't have those CDs though. You can always install them again later. Plus, Civ is the most important game...

 

[Padma]

Talas: Yes, programs like CloneCD and Alcohol 120% will interfere with the CD Copy Protection. It has been determined that Civ3/Conquets will not run if they are present.

(More accurately, if they are present on the system, the copy protection scheme sees them, and knows they are useful for pirating, so it refuses to run the game. )

 

[Talas]

Sorry, but I am disappointed in Atari. I should have the right to have any software installed I want, and still be able to run original software. So, as sorry as I am, I installed a No-CD Patch and can play the game now without problems. I dont like the pirating paranoia that is happening.

 

[Maccabee]

I experienced almost exactly the same things.
I bought Conquests as an expansion pack. Civ3 and PTW were already installed, including the latest patches.
I ran C3C 1.00 for several days with no problems. Then after a long night of downloading (only dial -up out here in the wilderness), I installed 1.22 patch that I got from the Civ Fanatics web link.
It installed strange, never notified of completion.
Then when I tried to start the game, nada.
I tried clicking on the desktop icon, nothing.
I pulled it up on my Programs list (Win 98SE I run), and selected it. Still nothing.
Then I went in to My Computer, pulled up the .exe file, and tried to run it from there. Still zip.
So I uninstalled the mess, reinstalled v.1.00 and hope whatever bugs exist don't totally ruin the game. Sounds like Atari needs to fine tune their patch. Also, I do not have either of the two programs listed in this thread, so there shouldn't be any software conflict issues.

 

[Maccabee]

Every few days I search the forum for information on any one else having this problem or any news concerning the patch v. 1.22. So far, nada. Can anyone direct me to another thread where this is discussed, since this one hasn't been commented on lately? Thanks.

 

[Turner]

Have you tried re-downloading the patch from a different source? It could be that the d/l was corrupted.

 

[Maccabee]

Yes, sir. Since you advised me, I tried downloading 1.22 from civ3.com. Unfortunately, that patch download behaved in exactly the same manner as the one from CivFanatics.
After updating my Win drivers, and going to nVidia's website to ensure I was running the latest *compatible* drivers, (and uninstalling, reinstalling Civ3, PTW, and C3C), I tried installing the 1.22 patch from Civ3.com. Still no dice.
Emailed Atari and offered to *buy* a CD copy of the patch. Tech 13 came back after apparently not even reading my whole email. He (she?) gave me a list of procedures that I had already tried and told him/her about in my first email. Emailed them back. Still no response. I'm stumped and half-way disgusted with it.
I have half a hunch from someone else's post who found that one of the civ3.com links to the 1.22 patch (for Spanish version) actually linked to the PTW 1.21 patch.
When I installed the 1.22 patch, and it wouldn't load C3C, I examined the games application file Properties. I was puzzled that it said 1.21.0.0.0 etc., but didn't think anything of it at the time. I wonder if the darn thing is the wrong file to begin with?

 

[Maccabee]

Something just occurred to me. I bought my version of Civ 3 *many* moons ago. Is it possible that the anti-pirating software inherent in the new patch is not recognizing my installation of Civ3 as legitimate?
Does anyone know how I would check to see if my original CD is from an older "batch", or something else like that?

 

[Turner]

I don't think the 'older batch' has anything to do with it.

The files would be the same.

Is it possible that the 'older' disc cause a file to be corrupted? Sure. You can test this by finding a cheap copy of Civ3 and installing that, then seeing if you can install C3C.

FWIW, I bought my copy of Civ3 in Feb, 2002. I had no problems installing.

I have been following your tale here, and sadly I don't have any advice to offer. Have you tried a different computer?

It could be that the link is corrupted. But I think if that were true, we'd be seeing a lot more people complaining about it.

You might want to try patching in steps. Patch to 1.15, then 1.20, then 1.22. I'm not sure if the older patches are still out there. PM me with your email, and this weekend when I get a chance I'll see if I still have them and can make them available to you, if they're not in the Civ3 Patches directory here.

Edit: I just checked, and they're out there. But the 1.15 is 20 mb, and the 1.20 is 20.7. There is a 1.22 from 1.20 patch, which is smaller (don't recall the szie) and a full 1.22. If you can get access to a broadband connection and a cd burner/usb drive, I would download the 1.15, 1.20, and 1.22 patch update (not full patch) from here. otherwise, I would just try the 1.20 and 1.22. I realize you're on dialup and that would take a while. Perhaps you know someone in your area that can d/l it for you?

 

[Maccabee]

Thanks, Turner. I don't mind doing an overnight download of 1.15, if I can just find it. Where did you see 1.15? I already have 1.20 and 1.22 FULL. DLing 1.22 partial wouldn't be too bad. I looked on the Civ3 website, but I didn't see 1.15 there. Thanks for looking into this for me. Atari has what Clark Howard calls customer nonservice.

 

[Turner]

Link to 1.15Beta patch.

 

[Maccabee]

Thanks, Turner. I'll try downloading it tonight. I'll let you know how it works, if it does.