Having read @DracoLazarus 's Civ IV AAR in Chat, I've been looking at getting the game again for my new PC. As it happens, I discovered this morning just before I left for work that I still have the PC-DVD release of the "Complete Edition" (including the base game, "Beyond the Sword" and "Warlords" expansions, and Colonization). However, I don't know whether this release/version will work on Windows 10 if I try to install it, or whether it's compatible with Steam. I'd rather not have to spend $29.99 to get it all over again if I don't have to, so can someone help me out here?
Civilization IV Complete Edition (disc) on Windows 10?
- Thread starter joea64
- Start date
I had the Civ4 Complete disc too, and had no issues installing it on my very recent computer. So it works. I am not sure it is compatible with Steam though.
There is the specific Steam edition, disc won't have it. I only by versions with Steam or a Steam-like after the whole GfWL crap with Fable 3 not working.
Would I still be able to get the most recent updates from the manufacturer site? It's been quite some time since this edition was released, after all.
No idea. I never tried to get updates, it already works well enough as is.
I've been doing a bit of research in the question. For some users, there seems to be a problem with the SafeDisc copy-protection software which prevents them from running the game unless they right-click on the game icon and select "run as administrator".
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us...ndows-10/8a86d2a9-9118-4b3a-a66f-6d409da3e517
It's reported that installing the v3.19 patch will fix the issue, but it might be necessary to have the "Beyond the Sword" expansion (which I do have as part of the Civ IV Complete Edition). The v3.19 patch is available here (and likely other sites as well, the link is to a German site):
http://civilized.de/www/content/index.php?cat=civ4_downloads
Of course, as I read further into the Microsoft Answers thread, it appears that the "Complete Edition" doesn't have the above problem, only the original PC-DVD release with the separate expansions. And the most recent post says that if you contact 2K Games and provide proof of your ownership of the PC-DVD (probably by providing them with the valid product key on the original DVD), they'll give you a key to get the Steam edition at no extra cost:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/3900/discussions/0/521643320354942961/
EDIT: I just sent 2K Games Support a message to ask them what proof of ownership they require. I didn't find a product key in the DVD box, so I took photos of the disc and box (with the price sticker still on it from when I bought it at Best Buy years back) to prove I legitimately own the disc version.
EDIT EDIT: Success! 2K games replied, asking me to send them a photo of the game case and disc accompanied by a handwritten slip of paper with the support ticket number on it. I took the requested photo with my iPhone and emailed it to them before I left for work today, and a few minutes ago they sent me the Steam product key. I wonder if this would work with other manufacturers for other older games I own that are on Steam for which I still have the disc/box?
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us...ndows-10/8a86d2a9-9118-4b3a-a66f-6d409da3e517
It's reported that installing the v3.19 patch will fix the issue, but it might be necessary to have the "Beyond the Sword" expansion (which I do have as part of the Civ IV Complete Edition). The v3.19 patch is available here (and likely other sites as well, the link is to a German site):
http://civilized.de/www/content/index.php?cat=civ4_downloads
Of course, as I read further into the Microsoft Answers thread, it appears that the "Complete Edition" doesn't have the above problem, only the original PC-DVD release with the separate expansions. And the most recent post says that if you contact 2K Games and provide proof of your ownership of the PC-DVD (probably by providing them with the valid product key on the original DVD), they'll give you a key to get the Steam edition at no extra cost:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/3900/discussions/0/521643320354942961/
EDIT: I just sent 2K Games Support a message to ask them what proof of ownership they require. I didn't find a product key in the DVD box, so I took photos of the disc and box (with the price sticker still on it from when I bought it at Best Buy years back) to prove I legitimately own the disc version.
EDIT EDIT: Success! 2K games replied, asking me to send them a photo of the game case and disc accompanied by a handwritten slip of paper with the support ticket number on it. I took the requested photo with my iPhone and emailed it to them before I left for work today, and a few minutes ago they sent me the Steam product key. I wonder if this would work with other manufacturers for other older games I own that are on Steam for which I still have the disc/box?
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The original BtS ones are very good. I very rarely play anymore without Gods of Old because it's that much more fun to throw meteorites at enemy cities and troop formations than to just letting your Great Prophets be used for tech.
The "Caveman to Cosmos" mod also looks promising - it seems to be very highly regarded on CivFanatics; it allows you to start literally in prehistoric times (20,000 BC/BCE!). It does require a fairly hefty system, though (which I have
).Ooh, got a link ?The "Caveman to Cosmos" mod also looks promising - it seems to be very highly regarded on CivFanatics; it allows you to start literally in prehistoric times (20,000 BC/BCE!). It does require a fairly hefty system, though (which I have
I am sure a laptop with an i7 could handle it, and worst case scenario it gets laggy - which isn't anywhere near annoying since this is turn-by-turn...
Sure, right here: http://www.moddb.com/mods/caveman2cosmos
Requires 4GB RAM and 1GB video RAM. Here's the CivFanatics thread:
https://forums.civfanatics.com/threads/caveman2cosmos.444594/
Thanks. I have the RAM, no problem. Not sure about the video RAM though.
I'm going to play this on my new desktop (32GB RAM, GeForce GTX 1060 3GB video RAM, 256GB SSD + 2x 4TB SATA HD's). My laptop is fairly old, 2011/2012-vintage, running Windows 7; it has 8GB RAM but I'm not sure about the video RAM, which might be shared. I'm considering buying a new laptop but it may have to wait until the holidays, as I just started payments on my new/used car.
Well, my laptop is a 700€ 2017 laptop with an i7, 8 Go, Win 10 and no separate GPU. (In this price and weight range, it would likely have been an infamous GTX 820 or something, that guzzles current for no gain).
Costco is selling Asus' new "Republic of Gamers" line of laptops, in 17" and 15" monitor versions. I think they should be able to handle this mod easily, but they're quite pricey, running anywhere from $1000 - $1200 US depending on vendor and features. I got my current laptop, a HP 17", for $500 in January 2012; I was looking for something which could run Guild Wars 2, which in fact, it does, though only at medium video settings (my new desktop runs GW2 at the highest video settings without even breaking a sweat). I'll have to see how it does with Cities: Skylines, which I bought a couple of weeks ago during the Paradox sale on Steam; I think some folks here have been reporting that long-running games tend to crash due to memory issues.
Strange. I extracted the mod, moved it to Civilization 4\Beyond the Sword\Mods\Caveman2Cosmos, and launched the game.
It appears that when I go into the game and "Load Mod", the mod just doesn't load. It starts loading, but stops brutally.
It appears that when I go into the game and "Load Mod", the mod just doesn't load. It starts loading, but stops brutally.
I haven't tried it yet but if I see the same issue I'll let you know. You might try asking the mod developers as well.
Well, I hadn't gotten the 3.19 patch beforehand. Now that's fixed and I have spent hours killing and subduing wild animals.
Ah, that makes sense. I may need to get it myself, if the 3.19 patch isn't already included in the Steam download. I'll see to that this evening after I reboot (Windows update is waiting).
I got the v3.19 patch and attempted to install this morning, but it said the game was installed in the wrong directory and couldn't continue. So I went to look up how to install patches for games in one's Steam library...
...and learned that when you buy or install a game via Steam, all patches are automatically included and Steam will perform periodic updates to install any new patches that come out after installation. Thus, it appears my Civ IV install is up to date so I'll give installing Caveman to Cosmos a try now. (EDIT: The original download might have been corrupted somehow. I tried to open the .readme PDF to see how to install it, and couldn't. I just re-downloaded it from another source.)
...and learned that when you buy or install a game via Steam, all patches are automatically included and Steam will perform periodic updates to install any new patches that come out after installation. Thus, it appears my Civ IV install is up to date so I'll give installing Caveman to Cosmos a try now. (EDIT: The original download might have been corrupted somehow. I tried to open the .readme PDF to see how to install it, and couldn't. I just re-downloaded it from another source.)
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