I'm frustrated and can't find it. I'm hoping someone here can help me.
I bought Civilization IV today and installed it on my computer. The opening video was very choppy. At first, I received a message about the computer settings not matching and that the settings for the game were changed. I was able to play the game just fine.
Afterword, I started looking to see if I could fix the video issues. I'd love to see this game play with the rich graphics it provides.
I tried to adjust my video settings with no success. At first, the video remained choppy. Now, the game crashes and I'm unable to play it.
I get this error: Failed to allocate video memory File:\source\main\civilization4\SDKs\gamebryo2\cor elibs\Nidy9rendered\Nidy9rendered textureddata.cpp, Line170
How do I fix this so the game will run on my system? I do not want to go purchase a video card simply to play this game.
I am running:
Windows XP with Service Pack 2 Pentium 4 2.40 GHz 512 MB RAM
1024x768 screen resolution Highest 32 bit color
It appears I'm running a Legacy video card. The info says Legacy Video Capture Device. From what I saw online, Legacy is no longer producing updated drivers.
I've tried reading the tech fix posts at Apolyton and Civilization Fanatics, but I'm not making sense of them.
If anyone can help, I'd appreciate it.
Thanks
Posted by Da_bang80 (Member # 528) on :
I've got Civ IV, and you need a pretty good graphics card. I'm using an ATI Radeon 9550 and it works well for the most part. But if you play the game too long it starts to slow down somewhat. Although that seems to happen on all machines.
I think Legacy Video Capture Device means you're using an integrated graphics card. Those suck.
Your best bet would be to run down to the local computer hardware store and grab yourself a new graphics card.
I've gotten the same error several times myself, I think the latest game patch fixes it though.
If you get it fixed let me know, maybe we can start up a game.
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
In this context, "legacy" just means "old". You probably ought to find out what kind of video card you actually have, and look for updated drivers. Go to the Control Panel, open "System", click the "Hardware" tab, click the "Device Manager" button, then click the + sign beside "Display adapters".
Posted by Timo (Member # 245) on :
I've been playing Civ IV since Christmas, and the graphics run smoothly save for three problem points, two of which are actually quite delightful:
-"Wonders completed" videos are choppy. -On the map squares, all animals are represented by just their shadows and sounds. Phantom pigs! -Foreign heads of state, well, aren't. Instead of a head, I only get the eyeballs, teeth, and beards (that is, the items used for customizing the skins).
Apart from that, it's tres cool. I love the sound of dying infantry in the morning, as my gunships mow them down like so much grass... Or the nerdgastic noises made by the Great Scientists at the Eureka moment. And whoever dug up that Miserere managed to find a faultless example for once: the obligato soprano makes me dizzy every time I hear it. Great music choices overall.
Timo Saloniemi
Posted by HerbShrump (Member # 1230) on :
Thanks.
I'm really not wanting to shell out money for a graphics card.
I have an Intel(R) 82845G/GL/GE/PE/GV Graphics Controller.
I did install the patch first thing, before I even started playing.
Ah well...
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
quote:Originally posted by HerbShrump: I have an Intel(R) 82845G/GL/GE/PE/GV Graphics Controller.
That's called an "integrated graphics processor." Also known as "teh suck" with respect to PC games. And the Civilization IV system requirements explicitly list a video card (aka "graphics card") as one of the requirements. Graphics cards are MUCH better than graphics processors. Ergo, your computer does not meet the minimum requirements for playing the game, and that's why the experience sucks.
(This isn't intended as criticism, though; I'm playing Civ4 on my 12-inch PowerBook G4, which also fails the requirements, even though it's just a year and a half old!)
Posted by Da_bang80 (Member # 528) on :
*Laughs*
You can get a decent video card for around $100. It won't be flashy or spiffy, more like the minivan of graphics cards. You could spend maybe $200-$250 and get a high end card that will run Civ IV and a bunch of other games easily. Plus they'll be more stable and reliable. You just have to decide on ATI or Nvidia. But it's really a matter of personal preference at this point, since they are so closely competitive.
Posted by Saltah'na (Member # 33) on :
Considering that HerbShrump has a 845-era motherboard, its likely that the computer has only an AGP slot. There are a lot of places that still sell some AGP video cards, and some you can get for cheap. The 9550 that Dabang has costs around $50 CDN here, meaning that you can find one for around $40 there. There are some places in which you could get a Radeon 9800 Pro for around $100, that's about as best as you can get for a decent video card.
It's also possible (depending on the computer manufacturer) that her computer does not have an AGP slot at all meaning that she needs a PCI video card to run (not PCI express, that's different). Regular PCI video cards are rare, so if you don't have an AGP on your computer, you may want to simply ditch the whole machine and get new hardware, it simply is not worth upgrading that computer with a new video card.
Posted by Da_bang80 (Member # 528) on :
Yeah, My card is pretty old. But it actually still runs really well. It runs Halo PC (A real system hog for an older game) very well, and I can run Oblivion on medium/low settings with a decent framerate.
If her motherboard supports regular PCI, she might be able to find a card online at a site such as newegg.com. Or E-bay.
If you want to play games on a PC in today's world, you HAVE to have a half decent video card. Especially for the recent games such as AOE III, CIV IV, etc. Integrated "Crapics" chips just won't cut it. And getting a decent video card is a pretty good investement if you decide to get a new computer you can just swap it into the new machine.
I get the feeling that not many of the forum goers here are into gaming all that much.
Posted by HerbShrump (Member # 1230) on :
Dang, we JUST bought this computer. I thought we were doing good buying something that was running XP.
That sucks!
Thanks for your replies...
Posted by Saltah'na (Member # 33) on :
You just BOUGHT IT? From which store? The Trash can across the street?
Sorry.
But really, the 845 series chipset is old news. About 4 years old, depending on the generation.
Try to take a look at your motherboard. Does it have an AGP slot? What brand is the computer anyway (betting on some two-bit private computer store).
DaBang: Regular PCI video cards are very difficult to find. Almost every computer store nowadays does not carry them. If we don't carry them in Canada, then I'm betting stores on the other side of the border don't have them either.
Posted by Da_bang80 (Member # 528) on :
True, I haven't seen a PCI card in the stores for a long time. But they're not impossible to find if you look hard enough. You might find one on ebay, or at a computer recycling centre. At the volunteer centre for our local "Computers for schools" program you can find all sorts of neat old crap. I found an ATI Rage Pro 128 a couple months ago. It fit nicely into my old 333 Mhz pentium.
![[Frown]](frown.gif)
![[Cool]](cool.gif)
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)