Repeated crashing

[msc]

Hi guys,

I'm sure someone will have asked a similar question before and I am also sure that the search engine works just fine... However, in my experience it's usually more productive to ask your own questions, so here goes:


I've been playing and loving this game since 2005 and have bought all of the expansions as they have been released. I've experienced the occassional crash in the later parts of the game - but not often enough for me to become really frustrated.

However, this has changed recently and the game crashes often and repeatedly as soon as we get to the parts where lots of stuff is happening. The game freezes momentarily and then dumps me back to the desktop with a useless comment that the game has stopped working. It happens so often that I am beginning to require large quantities of beer just to wash the taste of disgust from my mouth.

I've installed the latest patch and my system ought to be more than capable of running the game itself:

Windows XP Prof.
P4 3,0 GHz
2.5 Gb RAM (2x1 Gb block + 1x 512 Mb block)
RAID 0 setup with 2xWD Raptor 10k 75 Gb HDDs as my system drive.
Winfast NVidia 8600 GTS with 256 Mb RAM

I've downloaded the latest graphics driver to try and solve the issue - but it made absolutely no difference.

I have just recently defragged my system drive - that made no difference.

I only play single-player games and usually on standard sized maps. I'm running 1280x1024 resolution - but was running 1600x1200 in the past without any problems. I'm playing with all the contents from both Warlords and BtS enabled.

I encounter the same problematic behaviour when playing the new Colonization game too.

I hope someone will have some helpful information.

Cheers!

 

[T.A JONES]

Hi guys,

Windows XP Prof.
P4 3,0 GHz
2.5 Gb RAM (2x1 Gb block + 1x 512 Mb block)
RAID 0 setup with 2xWD Raptor 10k 75 Gb HDDs as my system drive.
Winfast NVidia 8600 GTS with 256 Mb RAM





Cheers!

Whats the codename of your P4?
You can get an early P4 Northwood at 3.0ghz LIkewise you can also get a more recent Cedarmill at the same clock speed yet bringing a whole lot more to the monocore table

What are the big differences? Well Besides the Ceder being 64 bit supported and adoptable to Dualcore motherboards with much better FSB speed, the L2 cache on the Cedar is an impressive mono turnout at 2.0mb, while the Northwood is a pultry 512kb.

This is huge facter in turn times since L2 is CPU memory and the more you have the less time thats spent transporting system ram(virtual memeory) to compinsate

THe cedar also gives great overclock at 64nm but thats going another route, voiding warrenty an all

 

[msc]

Whats the codename of your P4?
You can get an early P4 Northwood at 3.0ghz LIkewise you can also get a more recent Cedarmill at the same clock speed yet bringing a whole lot more to the monocore table

What are the big differences? Well Besides the Ceder being 64 bit supported and adoptable to Dualcore motherboards with much better FSB speed, the L2 cache on the Cedar is an impressive mono turnout at 2.0mb, while the Northwood is a pultry 512kb.

This is huge facter in turn times since L2 is CPU memory and the more you have the less time thats spent transporting system ram(virtual memeory) to compinsate

THe cedar also gives great overclock at 64nm but thats going another route, voiding warrenty an all

It's Northwood I'm afraid. I'm pretty sure of this - I bought Civ4 when I visited Hawaii October 2005 and I had already upgraded my computer at that stage (it was either september 2004 or 2005 - am thinking 2004).

Still, how would that explain all the bloody crashes? It's not like the game is running badly at all - it's just unstable.

 

[T.A JONES]

It's Northwood I'm afraid. I'm pretty sure of this - I bought Civ4 when I visited Hawaii October 2005 and I had already upgraded my computer at that stage (it was either september 2004 or 2005 - am thinking 2004).

Still, how would that explain all the bloody crashes? It's not like the game is running badly at all - it's just unstable.

Aww that sucks > NO IM afriad its not even worth it.
Wait till you try to play what gives you problems now with: - same size map, more civs- same everything you have now but later in the game - a mod with more stuff -or, or, or, or, or, or...

Trust me this game makes computers released lately look like worthless mistakes.
Heres the only time you'll hear what cuts through this BS straight. The fastest civ4(most flawless) comes from P4 so without wasting any more your time and dime on new computers where civ4 translates into epic overpriced failures in performance, listen up to the only solution besides stealing from NASA or MIT

The Cedar differnce
link
"To avoid mishmash in the matters of support, Intel has introduced a special scheme of marking that points to the compatibility of platforms. It is called the «Platform Compatibility Guide» (PCG) and is designated on the processor's box and should also be shown in the specification of the motherboard."

THis is the key, what its all about. Dual/quad bus speed churning refined monocore hardware. (the game was designed to play on this tech-all bench reports on P4 werea based on outdated eqpt, basicly deceiving us into dualcore when they never dared to compare p4 eqpt with more recent motherboards. Try that bench again on eqaul M-boards using games utilizing one core only and see the inconvient truth buried from the Civ4 fans

PLug in that ' NVidia 8600 GTS and 4 gigs of ram and run the cedar at default to start. Overclock with Corecell for ease into massive mega map league
Total price invested: 400 bucks. NOw enjoy turns in the top 1% of Civ performance. Theres no other way

Goodluck

 

[msc]

Thanks mate. However, I don't think I'd bother upgrade to another P4 chip at this point - would seem a bit ridiculous TBH.

Truth be told, from what you are saying and what I read elsewhere, the computers aren't the issue - just shitpoor programming... Which seems to be more and more the case around the entirety of the gaming industry. Computers have become too powerful too fast - programmers have become lazy with the optimisation of their code and considering the tright deadlines from many producers we will very rarely experience a computer game being shipped in a "fit" condition these days.

 

[T.A JONES]

Thanks mate. However, I don't think I'd bother upgrade to another P4 chip at this point - would seem a bit ridiculous TBH.

Truth be told, from what you are saying and what I read elsewhere, the computers aren't the issue - just shitpoor programming... .

Ya its rooted in the game designer chair.In their defence the talk coming from Intel at the time was taking mono to 10 ghz or higher and dual wasn't on the table at the time.. Well truthfully there was a type of mult-core running during Civ4 design.
Cedarmill and the 2M both have 'hyper threading' technology and no, that shouldn't help Civ4 if dualcore can't.

But to your quote, No I didn't mean to avoid the Quadcore, its superior technology without a doubt. I meant to own both has big rewards if your leaning more to civ on you game time!

Two rigs are handy man. Many have that kinda setup today. Im Saying it makes sence to have one rig for mono designed game and the other for Civ5 and all others that weren't designed to optimize only one core and punish PC's with more

The topper is taking full advantage of pro-grade '3rd Xpak' mods for civ3-civ4 using the cedar rigged up to dual-type bus speeds
YOu got lot of cash worthy material being made here by pros(paid to design for other outlets )And its always being refined, the detail and qaulity.

Now essentialy civ has turned into console ecept without the right hardware these mods can't be utilized to full potential. Think civ4 BTS is top heavy? Try expanded versions on expanded map sizes. It gets ugly by midgame
>>>> Its a whole new level of civ evolution, maximum simulation. Worth a few days pay for this level of gameplay. And Think! Its saving you from beer, movies or more costly endevours like becoming the 'poster boy' at yer local stripclub

heh. No, but I mean new games are a waste of capital. You don't see chess players waiting for the new chess . They refine their craft. Best way is to buy a new chesstable with a comfy chair. Hope you see the sittin there, behind the cedar civ player I mean.