TetTurkan's test of time mod

[DeathsAddor]

Hey guys. Quick question I've been playing this mod exclusively for past couple years however the turn processing time even on my $3K PC can be pretty lengthy does anyone know if there are updates to this mod or patches that would improve turn loading times? ?

 

[Synobun]

Hey guys. Quick question I've been playing this mod exclusively for past couple years however the turn processing time even on my $3K PC can be pretty lengthy does anyone know if there are updates to this mod or patches that would improve turn loading times? ?

Processing times are largely an issue with the game itself. An SSD would help a little but any bottleneck in the game invalidates hardware power. This is especially true in Civ3 since there isn't actually that much you can control when it comes to the game's back-end.

 

[Nathiri]

Hey guys. Quick question I've been playing this mod exclusively for past couple years however the turn processing time even on my $3K PC can be pretty lengthy does anyone know if there are updates to this mod or patches that would improve turn loading times? ?

As far as I know, no. But there are settings you can change for civ3 that does decrease turn times. Besides the general settings in civ3's Preferences, the rest can only be done in the editor. Rhye's mod is a good example of this, though I havent actually played it personally. One thing that increases turn times quite a bit is trade routes between cities. Every time you unlock an extra path it requires another lengthy calculation for the game. Coastal is generally okay, but once you unlock ocean, there is alot of paths for the game to track. Then there is air. There are other mods like CCM that have been experimenting with 31 civs on a huge map and trying to reduce turn times to make it more playable.

So you could edit Test of Time some to try and improve it.

 

[timerover51]

Hey guys. Quick question I've been playing this mod exclusively for past couple years however the turn processing time even on my $3K PC can be pretty lengthy does anyone know if there are updates to this mod or patches that would improve turn loading times? ?

First, what version are you playing? The original one that comes on the Civ3 Complete Disc, or the newer version that TETurkhan uploaded a few years ago? I have been working with the older version for a couple of years. I have looked at modding it, but I was told that to do a mod of a mod required the permission of the original modder. TETurkhan has not be on in over two years, and has not responded to a private message that I sent him.

If you are using the older version, which version of that are you playing: Start Position Only, Regular (which has a few more units), or the Cities version? I have focused on the Start Position Only, and I have discovered that once you are well into the game, if there are more than 4 or 5 civilizations in the game, turn times can be quite long, and I have had my computer freeze up at times. Remember that you have not only the 31 civilizations in the game, but all of the pre-placed Barbarians, Barbarian camps, and naval units. Once the Barbarian camps start to spawn Advanced Barbarians, they average between 30 to 40 units EACH, all of which start moving around, and all of which the computer is handling. There are a LOT of pre-placed Barbarian camp. Use the Editor for Play the World and check them out.

If you play the game under Conquest, as you can, you have to adjust unit costs as they Play the World costs exceed those allowed under Conquest. Conquest does tone the Barbarians down a bit, however.

There are a few bugs in the game as well, depending on the version you are playing. Under Start Positions Only, most of the Asian civilizations can build Leaders for basically no cost immediately, and the Leaders will speed up ALL City Improvements, not just Wonders. The same holds true for Armies. Leaders behave differently in Play the World than in Conquests. Some of the unit ratings and costs are a bit odd as well, with the Man-of-War being barely stronger than a Galley being one of them. There are others.

I would recommend playing the game with fewer than 10 Civilizations, or with drastically reduced Barbarians, if you want to reduce mid to late game turn times.