Civilization IV Will Not Run

Civilization IV Will Not Run
Today's fix isn't about .NET, but about Civilization IV.

When I first installed Civ 4 on my Windows 2000 computer which is nearing its 10th birthday I received the following error:
Initialize Renderer Failed... other stuff... Invalid 3D device type.

Well, I really wanted to try this game, so I dug into it and here was the resolution:

1) I had previously disabled all 3D rendering etc in my graphics card properties. Right click on your desktop, go to graphics settings, and turn 'em back on.
* ok, so now I can load the app. I got to the main menu and everything went black and the machine froze. I had to restart the box. So on to step 2...
2) I went out and bought more RAM, since the box only had 256MB. So now I have 2GB. The Civ box says it'll run with 1/2 a gig, but I didn't want to press my luck.
* ok, so now I got past the splash screen and into the app - but the terrain was completely black! The only thing I could see when I played the game was the menus and some of the icons. So on to step 3...
3) Go to the website for your video graphics card and download/install the latest drivers. My driver for my 64 bit Radeon 7000 (not technically supported, but whatever) had not been updated since 2002. An update was found (ATI Catalyst Center) and I followed the directions to install the new driver.
* And the game runs! Granted I had to turn the sound off and play with the absolute minimum graphics options, but hey - it works.

And after playing a couple games, I have to say I still much prefer HOMAM IV. Even HOMAM 1 would probably be way more fun. Remember the purple trolls? Yeah, those were the days.

Created By: amos 2/18/2010 11:51:18 PM